Monthly Archives: December 2017

Gene Simmons reveals why KISS didn’t sue Bruce Springsteen

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KISS have been embroiled in their share of litigation over the years, but the band apparently had no interest in suing fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act Bruce Springsteen . According to KISS singer-bassist Gene Simmons , the reason was simple.

First, a little background: In 2009, Springsteen released the albumWorking on a Dream , which contains the song “Outlaw Pete.” The track bears some striking similarities to KISS’ classic hit “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” off their 1979 album Dynasty . In fact, one YouTube user spliced together the two songs to highlight the musical resemblance.


In a new feature in The Guardian , Simmons explains, “Kiss have sued lots of people and won. But some people we don’t sue. We didn’t sue Bruce Springsteen for “Outlaw Pete.” How do we decide who to sue and who not to? We like Springsteen. We don’t sue.”

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Talking Metal 716 – Bill Aucoin Special

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Talking Metal

Listen to “TM 716 Bill Aucion Special” on Spreaker.

On this episode of Talking Metal, Mark Strigl and special guest Roman Fernandez celebrate rock manager Bill Aucoin.  They discuss Van Halen, Kiss, Billy Idol and Roman shares many special stories from his time with Bill.  We end this epic episode with a 2008 interview Mark Strigl and John ‘Ostronomy’ Ostrosky conducted with the legendary artist manager and director in his New York City office. Topics include Bill’s experiences with KISS, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Billy Squier, Van Halen, New England, Manowar, Lordi, and Fixer.

Bill Aucion passed away in 2010.  Tomorrow, December 29 would have been his 74th birthday.

Support Bill Aucoin by signing the petition to get him into the RRHOF here: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/billaucoinhalloffame

Ace Frehley Joins Entertainment Lineup for 2018 NHL Winter Classic

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The temperature will be freezing but the music will be red hot at the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, as the Buffalo Sabres battle the New York Rangers at New York’s Citi Field.

E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg and KISS legend Ace Frehley have been added to the performance lineup for the outdoor hockey game, joining the previously announced Goo Goo Dolls.

Weinberg will be performing throughout the game as part of his quartet the Max Weinberg Jukebox, who will be serving as the house band during the event. Fans can vote via Twitter and Facebook on one of the songs Weinberg’s group will perform at the game, with the choices being AC/DC‘s “Highway to Hell,” Bruce Springsteen‘s “Born to Run,” Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Fortunate Son” and The Ramones‘ “I Wanna Be Sedated.”

Frehley, meanwhile, will rock his classic hit “New York Groove” during the pre-game festivities. The song is played at Citi Field following every home win by the New York Mets.

Goo Goo Dolls will perform during the first intermission of the NHL Winter Classic, which will air live January 1 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

Watch Ace Frehley’s Entire Houston 2017 Concert

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Blabbermouth

Fan-filmed video footage of Ace Frehley‘s entire December 17 concert at Scout Bar in Houston, Texas can be seen below.

The former KISS guitarist’s setlist was as follows:

01. Rip It Out
02. Hard Times (KISS song)
03. 2000 Man (THE ROLLING STONES cover)
04. Snowblind
05. Love Gun (KISS song)
06. Parasite (KISS song)
07. Rock Soldiers
08. Bass Solo
09. Strange Ways (KISS song)
10. New York Groove (HELLO cover)
11. 2 Young 2 Die
12. Shock Me (KISS song)
13. Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
14. Cold Gin (KISS song)

Encore:

15. Detroit Rock City (KISS song)
16. Deuce (KISS song)

Ace recently collaborated with KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons on two songs for the former KISS guitarist’s next solo album.

Rumors about Frehley‘s return to KISS gained strength last year after he teamed up with KISS lead singer Paul Stanley on a cover of FREE‘s “Fire And Water”, marking their first collaboration since 1998’s “Psycho Circus”.

Frehley‘s version of “Fire And Water” appears on his covers collection “Origins, Vol 1”, which received great reviews and landed in the Top 25 on the Billboard album chart.

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Paul Stanley and Sammy Hagar congratulate this years nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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Ultimate Classic Rock

A pair of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Paul Stanley of Kiss and Sammy Hagar, have offered their congratulations to the incoming Class of 2018. But in doing so, they echoed their long-standing issues with the Hall’s methods of determining who deserves to be enshrined.

“Congratulations to all the inductees especially Bon Jovi who was kept off the ballot for so long and when nominated swept the votes unanimously!” Hagar tweeted. “It just goes to show the people are the ones that should always control the vote.”

Paul Stanley was more blunt in his assessment, writing, “Great to see the [Hall] with little choice while choking on its own stagnant, toxic air, except to open its eyes, ears and doors to survive by reluctantly becoming what it was meant to be all along.”

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Mark Kennedy | Stamford Advocate

NEW YORK (AP) — Gene Simmons wants you to be rich and powerful, but it’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to learn English, wake up early, turn off the TV and study.

“I want to shake you up and tell, you a real harsh truth: The world doesn’t need you,” he says. “The only way you’re going to become rich and powerful is if you stand up on your hind legs. You’re only going to get the respect you demand.”

Simmons, the co-founder and bassist for the rock band Kiss, is brutal in his advice: Women, choose between a career or a family. Guys, get rid of your worthless friends. Above all, don’t listen to the self-esteem movement or be politically correct. Simmons is here to demand that you drop and give him 20.

“I want to be your drill sergeant and piss you off so that you wake up and smell the coffee and go out there and become that rich and powerful person you deserve to be,” he says. “You cannot fail in America.”

Why should you listen to this guy, someone who has spent much of his adult life slathered in scary makeup, in towering platform boots, wagging his tongue onstage and singing songs like “Lick It Up”?

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KISStorian ranks the original studio LPs

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KISStorian

#1 > LOVE GUN – Eddie Kramers KISStoric sonic masterpiece, the punchy Love Gun boasts Ace’s first vocal, some of his best leads and the original line-up’s finest studio hour. Best snare sound found on any KISS studio recording save the non-live side 4 of Alive II, compliments again of Kramer.

#2 > ROCK & ROLL OVER – Meaty, beaty, big & bouncy, and again with Kramer at the wheel, Rock & Roll Over is a bombastic rock record that captures the band getting back to what they do best, rock. The debut EP should probably have this spot but the band is so much more developed by ’76’s RRO .

#3 > KISS – Almost as pristine as “Christeen Sixteen” herself in sheer simplicity, KISS is loaded with more of the bands live staples than any other and, If you don’t like “Kissin’ Time”, you’re probably in the band because Ace’s solo on it is fierce, capturing on his frets the bands frustration in being forced to record the number.

#4 > DRESSED TO KILL – Shortish but tight, Dressed To Kill is a surprisingly crisp sounding album given it was practically self-produced …DTK features a notably improved Peter Criss and a number of now classic KISS rockers for the subsequent tour and Alive!. Turns out that giving the band more control, at least at this juncture, enabled them to produce something that represented them better than the debut and HTH, employing acoustic guitars to add texture for the first time. 

#5 > DETROYER – The bar and the band raised to the high ‘n mighty Bob Ezrinstandard, Destroyer is KISS’s first successful foray into mainstream pop hot on the heels of the radio explosion of the Alive! version of “Rock & Roll All Nite”. Although many argue it’s KISS’s best studio effort because of their expanded scope with Ezrin producing, the overblown fascism that is “Great Expectations” gives us their first truly cringeworthy moment and a snapshot of the shape of things to come.

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