Cassius Morris

An audio journey through Cassius Morris’ life-long love affair with Rock & Roll. Bands covered include KISS, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Cream, Sublime, and MANY more!

Blabbermouth

Planet Rock conducted an interview with original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley at the 2015 edition of the U.K.’s Download festival, which was held last weekend in Donington Park. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what he is going to be working on for the remainder of the year, Ace said: “I’m working on a new covers and remix record for eOne Music, and in Europe, it’s SPV. And after that, I’ve already started working on a new studio record. And between those two things, I’m touring, and I’m doing a cruise after the New Year to the Bahamas, I think — a classic rock cruise. So that’s gonna be a lot of fun. That’s a first for me.”

“Space Invader”, the first new solo album from Frehley in five years, sold around 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on August 19, 2014 via Entertainment One Music (eOne Music).

Ace‘s previous CD, “Anomaly”, opened with around 17,000 units back in September 2009 to debut at No. 27.

“Space Invader”, which was made available in Europe on August 18, 2014 (three days earlier in Germany and Scandinavia) through SPV/Steamhammer, included 11 brand new original songs as well as a cover of Steve Miller‘s “The Joker”.

Marc Burleigh | Business Insider

Downloading may be eviscerating the music industry, but rock legends KISS say they are pioneers in monetising their image — from a limo service, cruises, and even lunch with “Lord Simmons”.

The US band recognises it has escaped the worst impact of the availability of cheap music online thanks to the fact that its glory years were in the 1970s and 1980s, when the Internet was in its infancy.

Now, while exploring other ways to profit from its huge following, the band is also standing up for new, unknown talent struggling to win financial backing from music companies.

“It doesn’t hurt us, it only hurts new bands, and that’s the sad part,” said Gene Simmons, the 65-year-old bass guitarist and co-lead singer, his face streaked with demon-like paint.

“Where’s the next Beatles? Where’s the next Stones? Where’s the next Elvis? Where’s Prince? Where’s anybody?” he asked.

Eric Singer, KISS’s 57-year-old drummer, whose make-up was done in his trademark cat face, said: “The mentality of young kids, they just think it’s OK, it’s common to go ‘Oh, I’ll just go online and get the music.’ They don’t realise you’re supposed to pay for it.”

He added that “rock ‘n’ roll’s not dying because of the bands or fans not buying it — it’s because there’s not a business to support it.”

Singer boasted that KISS had pioneered the exploitation of its brand, blazing a path that many other top artists now follow in a bid to prop up sagging record sales.

“There’s no doubt almost everything you see in a live rock or pop setting performance stagewise and all that, merchandise and everything… at the forefront was KISS.”

“If you’re in Las Vegas, go and play golf at our golf course…. If you want to hop into a limo, hop into our limo service: KISS Limos…. (and) we’re doing the KISS Kruise,” Simmons said.

The cruise sails from Miami to Jamaica later this year on board the Norwegian Pearl, “the central hub for all KISS maniacs worldwide”, according to the Kiss Kruise website.

“What’s more rock ‘n’ roll than mini-golf?” the website for the band’s Las Vegas branded mini-golf course observes blithely.

Singer added that a lunch with “Lord Simmons” was also available, for a price.

– ‘Utter idols’ –

The pair spoke to AFP just before performing at a Paris concert midway through a worldwide tour.

The tour is celebrating the band’s 40 years of performing, but the songs that drew the biggest welcome at the Paris concert were standards from its early years.

People in the venue, the 6,000-place Zenith in northeast Paris, cheered loudly when “I was Made for Lovin’ You” and “Rock and Roll All Nite” wrapped up a show that featured the band’s signature stage pyrotechnics and over-the-top posing.

One of their revenue-spinning activities could be seen backstage before the concert: around 100 people lining up to get individual photos with the band as part of a VIP package costing 1,000 euros ($1,100) each.

“They are our utter idols. This is a boyhood dream,” said one French fan, an 18-year-old student named Lucas Chaplin.

WENN | Contact Music

The KISS veteran was awarded the Legend title at the prizegiving, held at London’s IndigO2 venue, while Queen guitarist May was handed the Riff Lord prize and Megadeth frontman Mustaine won the ceremony’s most coveted award, the Golden God.

Mustaine took a ‘selfie’ picture with the audience from the stage and uploaded it to Twitter.com, adding, “Thanks to @MetalHammer for such a great night! I am still smiling and so humbled…” while May took a picture with his award and wrote, “Thanks Metal Hammer for naming me Riff Lord, and for a great evening…”

Slipknot won Best International Band, Bring Me The Horizon were named Best U.K. Band and Of Mice & Men won the Best Live Band award. Other winners include KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer, who was named Defender of the Faith, Richie Faulkner won the Dimebag Darrell Shredder Award and Faith No More won Best Album for Sol Invictus.

Leslie Michele Derrough | Glide Magazine

“This music represents a time in my career that I feel helped define the potential of my guitar playing.” Bruce Kulick is not talking about KISS or Grand Funk Railroad. He is talking about the time he spent in 1974 with a couple of best friends in a basement in New York, playing and creating music, when that was all that really mattered. “To think that so long ago I was involved in something this powerful that sat in my closet unheard for nearly thirty-five years made me furious,” Kulick stated upon the release of Got To Get Back. “Play it loud and imagine three young men pouring their hearts out making music, never concerned about anything but the music. That was the intention. It was pure, it was real.”

Kulick, vocalist/bass player Mike Katz and drummer Guy Bois were fresh out of high school and just getting their feet wet in the real world when they formed KKB. They recorded some songs but before they knew it, life began moving them in different directions and the tapes were stored away for many years. Kulick came across his tape in 2008 and released a limited-edition CD but it wasn’t till Katz found the originals that they decided to give the old songs a new lease on life. After a remix and remastering, KKB is seeing the light of day once again, if only for a short shining moment. The CD contains the six original compositions, plus a brand new track the trio wrote and recorded, keeping it true to the early 70’s sound of the band. It has a funky feel with some hippie-psychedelia undertones. It’s fun and it’s rocking.

Kulick would continue his journey into music, spending twelve years in a makeup-less KISS and now fifteen years and counting with Grand Funk Railroad. In between, he was in Blackjack with a pre-pop Michael Bolton, in Union with Slash drummer Brent Fitz and current Dead Daisies vocalist John Corabi, as well as touring with Meat Loaf on his Bat Out Of Hell tour. Kulick has released three solo albums, not to mention contributing his guitar magic to many projects by other artists.

In our recent interview with Kulick, the well-known Beatles fan talked about those heady times when KKB was the whole world, his years in KISS and Union, why music fans should come see bands like Grand Funk, and having The Knack’s Doug Fieger sing on his 2010 solo record shortly before the “My Sharona” singer passed away.

Continue reading…

Independent

Wes Woods | Daily Bulletin

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Kiss are scheduled to take over the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino stage in July, while punk rock’s The Vandals are set to rock Pomona that same month.

The legendary band Kiss, who played an acoustic show in April 2014 at the casino with fan favorites like “Rock and Roll All Nite,” return July 23.

Tickets for an acoustic evening with Kiss ($65-$75 plus fees) went on sale June 5. Note that all shows at the casino are restricted to those age 21 and older.

The casino keeps the tunes coming with R&B’s Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, who are scheduled for a July 16 concert.

The group’s No. 1 R&B hits include 1989’s “Can’t Get Over You” and 1985’s “Back In Stride.”

Tickets for the show range from $35-$55 plus fees. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert is set to start at 7:30 p.m.

Unfortunately, Aretha Franklin is no longer playing at the San Manuel casino next month.

A scheduled July 30 show at the casino for Queen of Soul was canceled with no reason given on the venue’s website.

The casino is at 777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland.

For more information, head to www.sanmanuel.com, 866-448-7849 or www.ticketmaster.com.

Sportswear international

Paul Stanley, co-founder and singer/songwriter of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, KISS, will launch his own lifestyle and fashion brand, Paul Stanley: Royals & Rebels. Here, he talks about his attitude towards fashion and style and his aim to also design womenswear at some point. Interview by Melanie Gropler

You designed the band’s costumes. Why did you decide to start a commercial fashion collection?
I have always been excited by finding new ways to express myself creatively, and my successes point to a general affirmation of those outlets. My individual Look, whether more formal or casual, has always been based on a combination of elements rather than mirroring fashion. Fashion makes creating a style possible using various pieces, looks and eras, but on it’s own, fashion is better served on a printed page as art rather than something that looks organic to the individual who might wear it. My hope is to take some of the work out for the consumer by creating pieces that are compatible.

Do you see yourself as a part of your design?
I have no desire to endorse anything that isn’t conceptually mine. The idea is to develop my point of view in a broad range of areas starting with men’s apparel.

What will be the look and the feel of the collection? What’s the heart of it?
Style over fashion. Fashion is momentary. Style is timeless.

You’ll start with men’s fashion. Can you imagine to design women’s wear as well? Women have always loved and commented on what I wear and I have always had a great eye for helping women find ways to project a comfortable look that is sexy without looking contrived or obvious so my answer is a confident “YES.”

Kiss is well known for their extraordinary costumes and performances. How important is fashion for you personally?
Clothes don’t make the man but done properly they perhaps allow you to put forward a first impression that is indicative of who you are or in other cases, how you would like to perceived.

What pieces in your wardrobe do you like best and why?
A pair of black Levi’s 511 Jeans fit great and work with almost anything. I love the timeless tailoring of a two button Brioni Suit. I love the shoulders and drape of their Jackets and whether you wear the suit or just the jacket it exudes confidence. I love a lot of what John Varvatos does. His point of view and touchstones are clothes. I wear a lot of his white wing color shirts. It’s one of my “go to’s” and work with anything. Everyone is now making great men’s shoes. I like to wear something a bit colorful and wild with blue jeans but you can’t go wrong with a great black shoe. I also need a pair of trainers or running shoes but for me they have to have black soles and trim to work with everything.

What’s your favorite designer?
Varvatos, Brioni, Christian Lacroix do some nice pieces. Actually there’s loads of great stuff out there. It’s all a matter of what you mix.

Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

Sammy Hagar and Gene Simmons never met a microphone they couldn’t use, and they’re proving it all over again with a pair of brand new radio ventures.

As previously reported, the ever-entrepreneurial Hagar is hosting a new weekly radio show he’s called Sammy Hagar’s Top Rock Countdown, which finds him counting down “lists of his favorite party songs, comeback albums, unsung heroes or best tunes from a specific year or decade.” The show has already started airing, and you can find affiliates — and listen to the first episode — at Hagar’s official site.

Top Rock Countdown begins during a typically busy time for Hagar, who’s also prepping a new reality TV show while promoting a new live album, At Your Service, with his latest band the Circle.

Simmons, meanwhile, can be heard on a recent installment of the BBC Radio 2 series I Love It Loud, which is now online and offers the Kiss co-founder an opportunity to pay tribute to bands that inspired him as well as those that he sees as musical compatriots.

“I’m flattered that BBC Radio 2 has given me the chance to play the music that I love dearly, that I continue to play over and over again, that I introduce young people to,” Simmons says in a statement. “I’ll never forget when my son, Nick, first heard ‘Boys Are Back in Town’ by Thin Lizzy, he went, ‘What’s that?’ And then I played him Queen, and goes, ‘What’s that?’ and that music continues to attracts new ears generation after generation, which is why it’s classic — classic rock.”

Here’s hoping Hagar eventually invites Simmons to be a guest on Top Rock Countdown, where the duo can recount Hagar’s infamous stint as an opening act for Kiss in 1977 — when, as he later recounted during an interview with MTV, he reacted to the crowd booing by dropping his pants and smashing a guitar. “I still can’t believe I did that to a Stratocaster. That guitar would probably be worth $200,000 today,” he admitted. “It’s funny now, but at the time, when you’re faced with that kind of rejection, it can be heartbreaking.”

Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

The members of Kiss played their first official concert without their signature makeup in 1983, but they took the stage together au naturel years before that — at guitarist Ace Frehley‘s wedding in 1976.

The foursome’s brief reception set was captured for posterity in the 8mm footage above, which was initially uploaded to YouTube in 2012 but was more recently dug up by Dangerous Minds, whose report includes a passage from C.K. Lendt’s book Kiss and Sell: The Making of a Supergroup that helps set the stage for what you see in the clip.

Calling it “a huge affair at New York’s Americana hotel,” Lendt says the wedding — which culminated the long courtship between Frehley and his girlfriend Jeanette Trerotola — was somewhat complicated by the fact that her father and grandfather were high-ranking Teamster officials, and definitely not the sort of guys who were prone to putting up with rock stars’ flamboyant antics. As Lendt puts it, “One friend of the band, a gay musician who came dressed in a black leather motorcycle jacket and knee-high boots, supposedly came close to inciting a riot when he congratulated members by giving them bear hugs and huge kisses.”

Unsurprisingly, given the circumstances and the vintage of the footage, it’s fairly low-fidelity stuff, but it should still prove fascinating viewing for Kiss fans who haven’t had many opportunities to watch the band perform in such a low-key setting. Unfortunately for the newlyweds, their domestic union wasn’t destined to last — although Frehley claimed to still be legally married to his former bride as recently as 2014, when he responded to a query about setting a date with his new fiancee by admitting, “I still have to get divorced.”

Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

Tommy Thayer makes no apologies for the way he assumed Ace Frehley‘s stage persona when he accepted his position in Kiss, but don’t expect him to sling any mud at his predecessor.

Thayer refused to take the bait during a recent interview with Australia’s Newcastle Herald, responding to a question about derogatory comments Frehley made last year by shrugging, “I don’t want to get into a back and forth, but I’m sure you can kind of assess what you think when you hear all that.”

As he goes on to point out, Thayer is perfectly aware that he wouldn’t have gotten the Kiss gig if Frehley hadn’t played himself out of it. “I think he had every opportunity in the world to continue in Kiss and be in Kiss as long as he did the right thing,” he continued. “It worked out better for me and he has to lead his life. As far as the jabs and all that, he can say that stuff and I’m not going to say anything bad about him. I just wish all the best to everybody in whatever they’re doing.”

And while some Kiss fans may still feel that there should only be one Spaceman in the band’s history, Thayer recognizes the possibility that future members may face the even more daunting prospect of replacing co-founders Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons after they decide to retire.

“It’s possible, I mean, it’s already kind of happened with half the band, to be truthful,” he admitted. “It’s hard to imagine Kiss without Paul or Gene. But at the same time, who’s to say somebody won’t come along that blows everybody away and they could take over and continue on. Anything’s possible, you never say never, and I think part of the Kiss philosophy is there are no rules and anything could happen.”

Blabbermouth

Guitarist Tommy Thayer, who joined KISS in February 2003, stepping into the boots the band’s original axeman, Ace Frehley, had been occupying for the KISS reunion that lasted from 1996 to 2002, has refused to criticize his predecessor, insisting in a new interview that he wishes “all the best to everybody.”

Last year, Frehley spoke out against Thayer in an interview, describing him as “just a guy up there copying me and trying to move like me and trying to sing like me and trying to play like me.”

But Thayer has declined to fire back at Frehley, telling Australia’s The Herald: “I don’t want to get into a back-and-forth, but I’m sure you can kind of assess what you think when you hear all that.”

He continued: “I think [Ace] had every opportunity in the world to continue in KISS and be in KISS as long as he did the right thing, but it worked out better for me and he has to lead his life.

“As far as the jabs and all that, he can say that stuff and I’m not going to say anything bad about him.”

Thayer added: “I just wish all the best to everybody in whatever they’re doing.”

During an interview for VH1 Classic “That Metal Show” co-host Eddie Trunk‘s podcast, “Eddie Trunk Podcast”, Ace — who claims that he has “never seen KISS perform” without him and vows that he “never will” (“I’ve looked at videos on YouTube, and that lasted about 15 seconds,” he admitted) — was asked what his “evaluation” is of Tommy “dressed as [Ace]” and “doing [Ace‘s] thing.” He responded: “[Tommy is] not Ace Frehley by any stretch of the imagination, number one. Number two, what bothers me the most is that I know the new fans that KISS are getting don’t know it. A lot of people that see Tommy up there think he’s the original guy that created the makeup, that wrote great songs and wrote all those solos that he’s performing, but he’s not. He’s just a guy up there copying me and trying to move like me and trying to sing like me and trying to play like me. And that’s what bothers me the most. I mean, the real hardcore fans know. But the new fans, a lot of them don’t know.”

Asked what it was like performing with a version of KISS that had Eric Singer sitting behind the kit instead of the band’s original drummer, Peter Criss, Ace said: “That was okay. I mean, Eric‘s such a solid drummer, he’s a pleasure to play with, because you know the beat’s always gonna be there.”

Pressed on whether it was weird seeing someone other than Criss playing the drums for KISS, Ace said: “Well, you know, I don’t see as good as I used to, so when I look back, I can’t tell the difference. [Laughs] Just like a lot of fans don’t know…”

He added: “I can’t tell you how many times I get phone calls and people say,’ Hey, Ace, I heard you’re playing here, I heard you’re playing there. Can you get me tickets?’ I go, ‘I’m not in the band anymore.’ Some people, still, are oblivious to that whole thing.”

Thayer told Rolling Stone magazine that he had no discomfort about wearing Ace Frehley‘s makeup. He explained: “First of all, I didn’t have any input on that. That was a decision that those guys made. There was not even a conversation about it, because I think it was so obvious, that they weren’t going to introduce new characters 30 years into the band. I never thought that there should be some new designs or something. I thought that would have been ridiculous. And the only thing is, you’ve got a lot of push-back from some of the diehards. And that’s understandable. Hey, you know, if you lived in the Seventies and KISS was your favorite band, and that’s what you grew up with, and suddenly there’s another guy wearing that makeup, I can understand how some people, it might not have appealed to them as much. But as time as gone by, a lot of people have changed their mind.”

Michael Brandvold

Epic Rights

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Paul Stanley, Co-Founder and singer/songwriter of legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, KISS, has teamed up with the music industry’s leading branding and social media marketing company, Epic Rights, to develop and launch Stanley’s all new lifestyle brand, Paul Stanley: Royals & Rebels, at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas in June.  The announcement was made today by Epic Rights CEO Dell Furano and Paul Stanley.

From Stanley’s signature designs of musical instruments to his fine art paintings, both of which have generated millions in sales, the brand Paul Stanley: Royals & Rebels is synonymous with fashion forward, cutting-edge style and an independent spirit. Epic Rights has been charged with building the Paul Stanley: Royals & Rebels brand into a new licensing program, including men’s fashion apparel and accessories, footwear, food, spirits, home decor, cookware and more. Epic Rights anticipates debuting the Paul Stanley: Royals & Rebels brand at retail in fall 2016. “Paul is the definitive Rock Renaissance man with a sense of style in arts, fashion, design and food that is unrivaled in the music industry. His creativity, marketing savvy and personal style truly sets him apart,” said Furano.

“Over the years, Dell and I have worked closely on the strategic developments and partnerships on the KISS brand, as well as more recently with Rock & Brews and my paintings,” said Stanley. “I am excited to watch Dell and Epic Rights’ great team of branding professionals seek out and find opportunities and outlets that will reflect a lifestyle and point of view that I am passionate about and do it imaginatively and creatively in the years to come.”

Stanley, one of rock’s most acknowledged and respected front men as lead singer and guitarist for KISS, is a driving force and unwavering voice for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band.  Ensconced in the media as both an unequivocally sophisticated fashion trendsetter and creative visionary, Stanley has designed KISS costumes, album covers and stages in addition to its iconic KISS logo, instantly recognizable around the world for the past 40 years!

As an author, Stanley’s autobiography Face The Music, soared to #2 on the New York Times Best Seller List. His concept for Rock & Brews, an energized dining and entertainment venue continues to expand with new locations being launched around the country.  Recently, both Stanley and Gene Simmons were recipients of the ASCAP Founders Award, a prestigious honor given to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators. Each recipient is a musical innovator who possesses a unique style of creative genius, which will enrich generations to come.  Additionally, Stanley was honored at the Open Hearts Foundation Gala for his direct involvement in both raising funds to pay for needed surgeries for children afflicted with various birth defects and giving support to the parents of those children.

Wenn | Contact Music

Paul Stanley: Royals & Rebels will feature men’s fashion, accessories and footwear, as well as alcoholic spirits and homeware products, but the veteran singer is adamant the venture will not be solely aimed at Kiss fans.

He describes the brand as embodying “the elegance of royals and the attitude of rebels,” adding, “There is nothing wrong with appealing to the masses. That’s not a sin. That’s the ultimate compliment… If that (aiming it at KISS fans) were the point, I wouldn’t even bother doing it. What am I going to do? Make jackets with bat wings? Am I going to include a makeup kit? KISS is a fragment of who I am and what I chose to create.”

Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

Kiss have never had a very friendly relationship with rock critics, but sometimes even the most brutal reviews can be used for inspiration.

Case in point: Seattle Daily Times writer Patrick MacDonald’s infamously withering review of the band’s May 25, 1974 stop at the Paramount Northwest — part of a triple bill with Manfred Mann and Savoy Brown that, as MacDonald noted in his May 27 article, drew a number of local rock fans who were just as interested in getting high and passing out in the lobby as they were in actually listening to the music.

Not that MacDonald was all that impressed with the music either. Describing Kiss as “a very flashy glitter band that tries to make up in theatrics what it lacks musically,” he called their set an “amusing rock extravaganza” while dismissing the songs as “strictly on the moron level … made up of a series of simple chords any child could learn and lyrics that are there because they rhyme.” But if the show was a visual spectacle with little redeeming musical value, it still succeeded on those admittedly limited terms; as MacDonald went on to point out, the crowd gave Kiss a standing ovation.

But by sacrificing a real artistic identity for the sake of flash and focusing on showmanship at the expense of songwriting, he argued, the band was ensuring its own quick trip into obscurity. “I hope the four guys who make up the group, whose names don’t matter, are putting money away for the future, the near future,” MacDonald decreed. “Because Kiss won’t be around long.”

Again, it’s well worth noting that this was far from the only negative review the band received — and that for a time, it looked like MacDonald’s gloomy forecast for Kiss’s future would prove accurate. But for whatever reason, his words resonated particularly strongly with the members of the band, who ultimately threw them back in his face when they used that last quote on t-shirts printed up for their 2000 farewell tour. And judging from one of Gene Simmons‘ recent tweets, he still hasn’t forgotten the article:

MacDonald, for whatever it’s worth, ended up doing pretty well for himself too, remaining a fixture of the Seattle journalism landscape until retiring from his post in 2008 after 35 years as the Seattle Times‘ music critic. Fittingly, he even ended his farewell column by quoting Kiss. “What am I going to do now?” he asked. “Well, of course, I’m going to rock ‘n’ roll all night and party every day!”

Chad Childers | Loudwire

Those of you holding out for another KISS album, you may be waiting for a while … if not forever. According to Paul Stanley, a new disc is not in the immediate plans for the group and may not be in KISS’ future plans either.

Speaking with Classic Rock Magazine, the Stanley stated, “There has to be a purpose to us doing an album. There was a time when we did albums because the contracts said so. But I only want to work now when it’s justified. Sonic Boom was an album that was very much needed to be done, and Monster just felt like, ‘Well, we did Sonic Boom — let’s see where we go from here.”

He went on to add, “Having accomplished that, I feel we can move forward without new music. There are enough things going on in KISS that right now it doesn’t feel utterly necessary to make a new album.” But Stanley did state that position could eventually change. “Anything is possible,” said the vocalist. “But at the moment, I don’t see it on the horizon. I’m not one to ever say never.”

KISS returned in 2009 with Sonic Boom, their first new music since 1998′s Psycho Circus. Monster followed in 2012. And tracks like “Say Yeah,” “Never Enough,” “Hell or Hallelujah” and “Long Way Down” have become welcome additions to the band’s catalog.

Look for KISS spending late May and June in Europe, taking a break, then heading to Australia and New Zealand in October. See their tour dates here.

Joe Polo