Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

Kiss fans waiting impatiently for a follow-up to 2012′s ‘Monster‘ LP will get a little something to tide them over in January, although it may not sound anything like the band they’ve come to know and love.

According to the official Kiss website, the group has teamed up with Momoiro Clover Z, a hugely popular Japanese “idol” pop group, to record a new single. The song’s title has yet to be revealed, but the two acts have already filmed a video, with plans to release the track to stores on Jan. 28.

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Chris Cameron | The Mercury

Jayme Thornton

Ace Frehley, founding member of the rock band KISS, has had a busy year. The rock/metal guitarist sometimes known as “Space Ace” for his out-of-this-world performances and his sci-fi stage persona, recently released his first album in five years titled, “Space Invader,” he got engaged, and he was inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame with his old bandmates from KISS.

The long-time New York native moved to the West Coast to live with his fiancé, Rachel Gordon, who shares some of the songwriting credits on his new album. Moving to San Diego has helped fuel his creativity.

“It’s a less stressful place and moving here allowed me to focus on the songwriting,” Frehley said.

The guitarist has Attention Deficit Disorder and sought out a quiet studio in California to write and record the new album.

“I don’t have a formula for writing,” he said. “Sometimes it starts on an electric or acoustic guitar just as a melody. It might come to me in the morning or if I’m driving and I’ve noticed that if I buy a new guitar, playing it always inspires me to write new songs.”

Frehley notes that he has about 60 guitars in his current collection, but that collection exceeded more than 150 instruments at one time. Within that collection are the guitarist’s signature Les Paul models manufactured by Gibson and Epiphone.

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Music News

KISS will bring Download 2015 to a close when they headline the main stage on Sunday, June 14.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have carved themselves emphatically into the pantheon of Rock mythology with their huge choruses, unmistakable visuals and extraordinary, pyrotechnical live performances. KISS return to Donington having graced Monsters of Rock in 1988 and 1996 and headlined Download, Europe’s biggest rock and metal festival, in 2008.

Meanwhile, bassist Gene Simmons said: To all our fans – our intention is to get on that stage, blow the heavens to smithereens and take no prisoners.

Main support comes in the form of the final ever UK Festival Performance by iconic hell-raising metalheads Mötley Crüe. With the Crüe due to disband for good in early 2016, Download will have the honour and privilege of bringing a truly unique festival career to a blazing conclusion.

Bassist Nikki Sixxx said: “It’s always an over the top day and night at Download Festival and we’re really excited to be coming over to the UK and playing the show.”

Rock legends making the ultimate festival pilgrimage don’t stop there as seminal shredder Slash polishes and shines the trusty top hat to make his second appearance at Download with one of rock’s top vocalists, Myles Kennedy, and The Conspirators.

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Rock and Roll Camp Canada

Cassius Morris

Myfox New York

New York News

NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) – After decades rocking out as the drummer and founding member of Kiss, Peter Criss had thought he’d seen and done it all. But one day eight years ago, something so unusual truly rocked his world.
“I was very ignorant. I was clueless. I thought it was a weight-lifting injury,” said Criss about the breast cancer he discovered.

At the time, Criss’ wife was in the throws of her own cancer battle. She suggested her physician check him out. The doctor recommended Criss visit Dr. Alexander Swistel.

Criss then had a biopsy done in New Jersey that came back negative, but the pain in his nipple area continued.

“I was misdiagnosed. If not for his (Dr. Swistel) going further and going further, through the hands of God, through him I am alive,” said Criss.

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Anthony De Lucia | alive75.com

It was 1975 all over again for KISS fans as “Alive! ’75 – A Tribute to KISS” brought the KISS Alive! album to life in Newton, NJ.

Celleen Michele Jones | Biz Journals

Gene Simmons— the Kiss rock star of makeup, tongue-flashing and platform boot fame – is also a shrewd businessman. A self-made entrepreneur. And a complete marketing genius.

Just ask him.

In his recently published book “Me, Inc: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business,” Israeli-born Simmons, recounts in his uniquely matter-of-fact, say-it-like-it-is manner, how he emigrated to America with his Holocaust-survivor single mother determined to make it big.

Sharing business advice from a guy known as the Demon isn’t the type of fare often produced by the Jacksonville Business Journal – but having a bonafide member of the Kiss Army on our reporting staff meant we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see what Simmons has to say.

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Blabbermouth.net

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley kicked off his “Space Invader” tour on November 13 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

His setlist was as follows:

01. Lost In Limbo (first time played live since 1992)
02. Gimme A Feelin’ (live debut)
03. Toys (live debut)
04. Parasite (KISS song)
05. Snowblind
06. Love Gun (KISS song) (Scot Coogan on vocals)
07. Breakout (Richie Scarlett on vocals)
08. Space Invader (live debut)
09. King Of The Night Time World (KISS song) (Scot Coogan on vocals)
10. Strutter (KISS song) (Scot Coogan on vocals)
11. Change (started song but aborted)
12. Bass Solo
13. Strange Ways (KISS song) (Chris Wyse on vocals)
14. Rock Soldiers
15. New York Groove (HELLO cover)
16. Shock Me (KISS song)
17. Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
18. Rocket Ride (KISS song)
19. 2 Young 2 Die (Richie Scarlett on vocals)
20. Shot Full Of Rock (first time played live since 2008)

Encore:

21. Cold Gin (KISS song)

Frehley‘s touring lineup includes none other than Richie Scarlet, who rode shotgun performing rhythm guitar and vocal duties on Ace‘s “Trouble Walking” platter in 1989, and is doing so again on stage. Richie toured with Ace in 1984 and 1985 and periodically from 1989 through 1995 and was also known for touring with Sebastian Bach.

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VVN Music

Former KISS member Peter Criss will be this year’s inductee into the Cancer Research and Treatment Fund’s Cancer Survivor Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame “honors an inspirational cancer survivor with an induction into our Cancer Survivors Hall of Fame. These individuals represent the courage of all who struggle daily with the battle against cancer.”

Criss was exercising in 2007 when he noticed a lump in his breast. The lump was diagnosed as breast cancer and, in 2008, Peter had a lumpectomy followed by a mastectomy. Because the disease was found early, he did not have to go through chemotherapy.

Since that time, Criss has been an vocal advocate against the stigma of breast cancer in men. He told reporters in 2009 “It can happen to you, and when it does, if you don’t deal with it right away, with your ‘dude’ and your metal and your tattoos, you’ll go in the box and we’ll see you.”

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Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

Because just one movie starring Kevin James as a buffoonish security guard wasn’t enough for America, now we have ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2′ on the way … and judging from the trailer, Kiss will somehow work their way into the story.

You can catch a glimpse through the recently released trailer above — two and a half minutes of James clowning his way through the presumed comedic highlights of a plot that sends his character to Vegas, where he somehow ends up leading the charge against a freaky-eyed kingpin hellbent on robbing the city.

Along the way, Blart punches an elderly housekeeper, is assaulted by a bird and manages to find time for a Kiss concert — although as you can see from the screenshot below, that ain’t Kiss up on the stage:

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KISSmuseum.com

If you were wondering why there was an absence of KISS T-Shirts last summer, KISS’s long-time licensee, Live Nation, had given up their KISS clothing line. Not a good thing  right as the band was going out on tour, but finally several companies have taken over the rights and we now have a whole new series! And this retro design line is just what we wanted to see…amazing!

New KISS Shirts available at KISSmuseum.com

Chad Bowar | Loudwire

Some of the icons of Thanksgiving include turkey, football and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but this year, musical icons KISS will lend their presence to the Macy’s parade for the first time ever.

No, there won’t be a giant inflatable Gene Simmons balloon. The band will perform in the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on Nov. 27 in New York. The band, led by more than 600 cheerleaders from around the country, will perform a KISS medley. More than 3.5 million people line the streets of Manhattan annually to watch the parade, with another 50 million watching on TV.

Loudwire

Joe Polo

So this episode is all about the set lists on KK4. Did they play the songs they want to play or did they play the songs we want to hear? I got the idea for this show when Doc Mcgee asked a simple honest question during his Q&A that he thought he was gonna get a completely different answer too…ENJOY!!

John Katsilometes | Las Vegas Sun

Chris Morris

During a show last month with his band The Dirty at Tuscany’s T Spot Lounge, Franky Perez unexpectedly spun a yarn about Paul Stanley.

Stanley, who keeps busy with his primary job as the vocalist and co-overlord of KISS, is not part of Camp Freddy or Royal Machines. But he did take in a Camp Freddy show at the Roxy in L.A. in December 2011.

Perez, from the stage that night at Tuscany, recalled Stanley’s arrival at the Roxy.

“He shows up at the backstage entrance without a pass, and these kids at the door, they don’t know who Paul Stanley is,” Perez said. “So, one of them asks, ‘Sir, we need to see your pass.’ ”

Then, as if drawing attention to a work of art, Perez motioned to his face with his hand.

“And Paul Stanley says, ‘This … is my pass.’ And walks in.”

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Joe

The title says it all! It’s very interesting and funny. It’s longer than my regular episodes but TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

Mjpatriots

KISS reveal their beautiful, brand new stage, (minus the horrible ten-story video screen they have become so accustom to), for their month-long residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

Vegas Bill

WENN | Contact Music

Veteran rockers Kiss were booed by fans after they turned up an hour late to launch their residency in Las Vegas on Wednesday (05Nov14).

The band made a grand entrance by helicopter as they arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to kick off their run of gigs in the city, but they left their hundreds of devotees waiting in the desert heat.

After finally arriving more than an hour behind schedule, the group was booed by fans, who were left covered in dust from the helicopter landing. Many were unable to see their idols’ entrance due to a large truck parked outside the venue.

An onlooker tells Wenn, “Kiss arrived for night one at the Hard Rock Hotel via helicopter. In full make-up. They were an hour late and it was so badly laid out that fans couldn’t see a thing. And got covered in dust… The security positioned fans in a decent way, but then they parked the van right in front of 60 per cent of the people who had been waiting nearly two hours for a good view. There was much booing (sic)… A lot of unhappy people with tired feet.”

However, the band went on to perform a spectacular first night show to kick off the residency, and during the encore, they reinforced their support of the U.S. military by presenting a retired solider with a mortgage-free home in Las Vegas.

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