John Katsilometes | Las Vegas Sun

The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is Umami Burger, Beer Garden & Sports Book at SLS. The Beer Garden scene, in particular, where the night air is cool, the lamps are hot and the neon of the Bonanza Gift & Souvenir Shop lights our way …

Hosea is a combat-wounded military man who was injured in Afghanistan. He enlisted in 2001 and is a hero by any measure, having received the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, five Army Achievement Medals and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other honors.

It was a soaring gesture, to be sure, and Paul Stanley then asked the crowd at the Joint to join him in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in tribute to our servicemen and servicewomen volunteering around the world. It was not the first time the KISS Army has paid tribute to the real Army in such a way. KISS also presented a fully renovated, mortgage-free home to a serviceman during the June 2013 Rock Fest in Cadott, Wis.

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Graham Hartmann | Loudwire

Kevin Winter

Earlier this year, KISS were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, it was too little, too late for frontman Paul Stanley, who admits he felt slighted by the Hall and questioned their motives.

During a new interview with KNPR News, KISS singer-guitarist Paul Stanley spoke about his ill feelings toward the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “Firstly, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wanted nothing to do with us; they begrudgingly let us in,” Stanley begins. “And my sense was that we were going to be a dog-and-pony show. They wanted to have the original guys play in the band, and all of us in makeup, and, quite honestly, I think it would have done the band a disservice.”

“That lineup has not been together for 14 years, and physically, perhaps, wouldn’t have looked that great, and musically, undoubtedly, probably, would have sounded a bit suspect,” Stanley continues. “So, to have people watch it on television and identify that as KISS because there’s four guys in makeup would not send a great signal to the people who are not following the band in its current permutation, or what it is today.”

It seems like if the Rock Hall wanted a classic KISS reunion, they should have acted sooner. KISS became eligible for a Rock Hall induction in 1999, when the classic lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss was back together for a handful of years.

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Blabbermouth

The members of KISS performed two concerts wearing suits — reminiscent of their “Dressed To Kill” album cover — aboard the fourth annual Kiss Kruise this past weekend. Fan-filmed video footage of the second show can be seen below.

Kiss Kruise IV onboard the Norwegian Pearl, which embarked on October 31, included a Halloween pre-party on the ship on October 30. During the sailing, theme nights included “Kiss Around The World”, “Dress As Your Favorite Kiss Song”, “I Was There” and “Dressed To Kill”.

KISS begins a three-week Las Vegas residency, “Kiss Rocks Vegas”, at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Wednesday, November 5.

KISS has teamed up with Maverick Helicopters to kick off its first-ever residency with an over-the-top helicopter arrival at Hard Rock on November 5. At 6:30 p.m., members of KISS will fly over Las Vegas in true rocker style and land at their temporary home, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Following their grand entrance, the group will pose for photos in front of Maverick Helicopters with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s vice president of entertainment Chas Smith and AEG Live Las Vegas‘ vice president of booking Bobby Reynolds. In addition, the band will be joined by their “Roadie For A Week” winners Master Sergeant Jason Borkuis of Nellis Air Force Base, Sergeant First Class Cory DeMille of the U.S. Army Reserve and Technical Sergeant Richard Reichert of Nellis Air Force Base.

Each night, the group will perform a mind-blowing show featuring a setlist created exclusively for The Joint. In partnership with AEG Live, the chart-topping band will unleash its signature elaborate set designs, jam-packed set list, intense pyrotechnics and much more for nine of the biggest shows in KISS performance history.

Known for their extensive work with active military members and veterans, KISS has partnered with Nellis Air Force Base to pick three local, highly-decorated heroes to become a “Roadie For A Week.” Borkuis, DeMille and Reichert were hand-selected by the band and chosen to represent the armed forces community. Each roadie will work three shows alongside the KISS crew and VIP program.

Ticket prices start at $49.50 (plus applicable services fees).

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bussey

Hugh McIntyre | Forbes

Las Vegas is famous for its residencies, whether they be by legacy acts like Elton John, Celine Dion, and Rod Stewart or more contemporary pop stars like Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez(possibly). Now, one more globally-famous group is throwing their hat into the ring, and it looks to be one of the most “explosive” sets yet.

As part of their 40th anniversary celebration, KISS is coming to Sin City for a 9-show residency—the first of its kind for the group—at The Joint, one of the music venues inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The shows begin this coming Wednesday, November 5th and end Sunday, November 23rd, with shows scattered in between those two dates.

While The Joint can only hold around 4,500 people at a time, it opens its doors to some of the biggest names in the industry. Aside from KISS, the venue will see acts like Train, Imagine Dragons, and comedian Katt Williams come through before the year is up.

The Joint may be much smaller than the arenas that the legendary rockers are used to, and while guitarist Paul Stanely said that was certainly a challenge, it was also part of the fun.

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Associated Press

Jordan Strauss

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Sting, Idina Menzel and the cast of “Sesame Street” will be among the stars celebrating at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Macy’s announced Monday that Kiss, Meghan Trainor, Quvenzhane Wallis and Renee Fleming also will be part of the lineup on Nov. 27.

The special will air at 9 a.m. Easten on NBC. Macy’s says more than 8,000 people will participate.

Philadelphia’s Taney Dragons will kick off the march with its star pitcher, 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis.

Latin superstar Romeo Santos, Nick Jonas, Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez and former NHL players John LeClair and Pat LaFontaine also will take part.

The cast of the “Today” show will host the three-hour broadcast of the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Examiner

In 1978, there were two things on the minds of boys ages 5 to 16. OK, maybe three. They were KISS, “Star Wars,” and girls. You pick the order they were in for you personally. I was 6, so girls really hadn’t figured into the equation yet.

Girls were on boys’ minds for the obvious reasons. “Star Wars” was popular because it had just been released the year before and blew everyone away with its groundbreaking, never-before-seen special effects and imagery. After only being around since 1973, KISS was the hottest band in the world because of their shockingly explosive on-stage spectacle and look. They had already released several best-selling studio, live, and solo albums. They had t-shirts, stickers, belt buckles, and everything else you can think of with their logo and likenesses plastered on them. The band even had a comic book that featured the members as superheroes that was published through Marvel Comics.

Their manager, Bill Aucoin, could only see one other area KISS could move into that hadn’t been explored yet. The band needed to make a movie. And not just any movie: a movie that put the band into the status of superheroes they were raised to in their comic book.

KISS needed to be seen as superheroes each with individual powers that reflected their different personae. Singer/guitarist Paul Stanley (the Starchild) could control and read minds. Singer/bassist Gene Simmons (the Demon) had super strength and could breathe fire. He also had a reverberating voice that commanded people listen to him and animal-like growls. Singer/lead guitarist Ace Frehley (the Spaceman) could shoot lasers and teleport. Drummer/singer Peter Criss (the Catman) had superhuman agility and leaping powers.

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Sean DeFrank | Vegas Seven

I have a confession to make:

Despite appearances, I was never really in the Army. Yes, I wore the uniform, knew all the terminology and infiltrated its ranks, but after all these years—on the eve of KISS’ residency at the Hard Rock Hotel—I finally have to come clean: I was never an official member of the KISS Army in the ’70s. I had friends in elementary school who paid the $5 annual fee to become card-carrying members, but for reasons unknown to me even now, I never formally enlisted.

Having such a strong devotion to the band, maybe the official membership just seemed extraneous to me. After all, I bought all the affiliated merchandise, or rather my family did: posters, T-shirts, magazines, action figures, trading cards, puzzles, lunch box, a windbreaker jacket, you name it. Even the KISS Your Face Makeup Kit, which my mom used when I was Paul Stanley for Halloween in fifth grade (his makeup was the easiest to do). I had all the albums, some on vinyl and 8-track, even the four lame 1978 solo projects. OK, three were lame; Ace Frehley’s easily outrocked the others.

It wasn’t just my parents who were aware of and supported my habit. My stoic maternal grandfather purchased a copy of Alive II not only so I could listen to it when I visited, but also so he could learn more about this band I was infatuated with, a subtle gesture of love that wasn’t lost on me even then. And I remember distinctly the day in 1978 my paternal grandmother brought home the slick promotional magazine for KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park from the grocery store.

My dad promised he would take me to a KISS concert if they ever came to Las Vegas. But they only performed here once during the ’70s—in May 1975 at the Sahara (with Rush opening!)—not long before I became obsessed with the band.

Like many fans from that era, it was KISS’ 1975 live (with much studio overdubbing) album Alive! that first grabbed me, the introduction proclaiming, “You wanted the best, and you got it! The hottest band in the land: KISS!,” followed by Ace’s guitar cutting into the opening riff of “Deuce,” Gene Simmons’ hand sliding down the neck of his bass and an explosion ushering in a surge of rowdy rock anchored by Peter Criss’ frenetic drumming. For a 6-year-old who had been raised on the Beatles, the Beach Boys and Motown, KISS opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed, leading to the discovery of other hard-rocking bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and forever shaping my musical tastes.

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Robin Leach | Las Vegas Sun

John R Kennedy | Global News

Kevin Winter

TORONTO — Paul Stanley says KISS will carry on long after he’s gone because it’s much more than just a rock band.

In fact, “we’re not a rock band,” the 62-year-old singer-guitarist said in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun. “We’re a phenomenon.

“Rock bands make music; phenomenons impact society.”

“We’re in a unique position of being more than any other band in the sense that one might see us as Superman with a guitar,” said Stanley. “We’re superheroes.”

He said the iconic group is “much bigger than Gene or I or anyone else” and he believes “the band will outlive me.”

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Ultimate Classic Rock

One of the perks offered to any fans that purchased season tickets for the inaugural season of the L.A. Kiss football team was a free Kiss concert after the season finale. Well, it may not have been a winning season for the team, but that didn’t stop the band from swooping back down to Anaheim to make good on its promise. Last night, (Oct. 29), season ticket holders were treated to a loose and comparatively stripped-down show that more than made up for the team’s poor results.

There wasn’t a giant spider stage, scissor lifts or high-flying harness effects — or even their traditional booming announcer growling, “You wanted the best, you got the best” – but there were certainly lots of theatrics. Rather, they simply strolled out on stage in full gear after L.A. Kiss president/co-owner (and one of the stars of the team’s AMC reality series ‘4th and Loud‘) Schuyler Hoversten reassured the crowd that the team would be back next season with a newly fortified roster. Before even getting to the first tune, a crackling version of ‘Creatures of the Night,’ Paul Stanley picked up the ball from Hoversten and started talking draft picks and coaching moves. For anybody doubting the band’s involvement in this team, you had to look no further than this show.

Kiss was leaving the next day to hop aboard their ultra-popular Kiss Kruise and from there they head off for a residency in Las Vegas. They had performed in Mexico several days earlier and so this show was squeezed into a complicated itinerary. Maybe it’s because nobody had to worry about major production cues and special effects. Whatever the reason, Kiss put on a satisfying, grounded and glittery genuine rock ‘n roll revue that drove the fans both wild and crazy.

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Cassius Morris

On episode number four of The Cassius Morris Show, host Cassius Morris talks about his recent email interactions with one of ex-KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent’s (alleged) online aliases, ‘TM1’. Cassius reads the emails, talks about Vinnie’s high merchandise prices, and gets a quoted the price of a Vinnie Vincent interview. 

Oprah

Joe Polo

Well this episode is gross!! I talk all the new KISS NEWS and WHY I think GENE ate food off the floor!!

Terry X

Jody Havenot and Andrew Kiss discuss New KISS Merchandise. 

Ultimate Classic Rock

Examiner.com

Gene Simmons wears a lot of hats. As a founding member of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers KISS, the God of Thunder has been rocking the world for the past 40 years, and has held lucrative side gigs in TV, film, investing and publishing. With over 100 million CDs and DVDs sold, KISS is also one of the biggest brands in music history, with over 3,000 licensed merchandised items.

Out today (Oct. 21) is his latest book, Me, Inc.: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business, in which Simmons— a Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award winner who emigrated to America from Israel when he was eight years old—shares his manifesto for business success. Inspired byThe Art of War, Me, Inc. is organized around thirteen specific, easy-to-understand principles for prosperity, drawn from Simmons’s own triumphs and failures to help you attain the freedom and wealth of your dreams. (And if you’d like to meet the author himself, check out our slideshow for upcoming dates of his book tour.)

In this exclusive interview, Simmons phoned me from his Beverly Hills home (where he was eagerly awaiting his advance copies of the book) to give his candid opinions on why young men shouldn’t get married, how his love for his mother cemented his work ethic, and what his wife Shannon Tweed really thinks about KISS.

What was the inspiration for this book?

Life, really. I’ll ask you this question and see if you can answer it. You went to high school, I presume.

Sure did.

What was the name of the class that prepared you for what you do now for a living?

I don’t believe there was one.

How about that? Because I didn’t have a class that prepared me for this or the restaurant business or the football business or being in a rock band or branding or the television business or the movie business or the corporate speaking things—none of it. There is no class for that. In essence, it whittles down to—although I didn’t understand it in those days—you have an inferred fiduciary duty to yourself, to learn people skills, language skills, have the right thing, be at the right place, and at the right time. And surround yourself with people who are smarter, not stupider, than you are. And get rid of all losers in your life and make smart life decisions.

Like, don’t get married, guys. Different rules for girls. Don’t get married in your early twenties—you’re an idiot; you’re still full of c—. You haven’t made your fortune, and why would you want to take on mortgages, kids, and, well, divorce—because statistics say you will get divorced—and in certain households of certain ethnic and/or racial groups, 80% of households don’t have a father; they run out. And if you’re of a certain religious belief, you might have ten kids. Why would you do that? When each child could cost a million dollars by the time they graduate college. A million dollars! That’s pretax; that means two million dollars per child at the highest tax rate—the highest tax rate just earn more than 250,000 dollars.

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ABC Radio News

A deluxe remastered edition of KISS‘ sixth studio album, 1977’s Love Gun, will be released this Tuesday, October 27, in conjunction with the band’s 40th anniversary celebrations.  The expanded two-CD collection will include a bonus disc containing a variety of previously unreleased live and demo recordings, as well as a 1977 interview with singer/bassist Gene Simmons.

Released in June of ’77, Love Gun peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 and includes the hit single “Christine Sixteen,” which reached #25 on the  Hot 100 chart.  The record also features the Ace Frehleyshowcase “Shock Me” and “Then She Kissed Me,” a gender-switching rendition of the 1963 Crystals hit “Then He Kissed Me.”  The album has sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S. to date.

The bonus CD includes a variety of demos from the Love Gun sessions, as well as live versions of the title track, “Christine Sixteen” and “Shock Me” from a December ’77 concert in Landover, Maryland.  The deluxe package includes new liner notes penned by Def Leppardfrontman Joe Elliott.

KISS will wind down its 40th anniversary tour next month with its first-ever Las Vegas residency, a nine-show engagement at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.  The KISS Rocks Vegas dates are scheduled for November 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 19, 22 and 23.

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Ultimate Classic Rock

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Kiss‘ 1989 album ‘Hot in the Shade,’ Bruce Kulick — the band’s lead guitarist from that era — is offering a track-by-track breakdown of the album on his official website. If you’re read his features on albums such as ‘Crazy Nights,’ ‘Carnival of Souls‘ and ‘Revenge‘ you know he offers smart, informative insights on the band’s creative process.

He was kind enough to share his notes on ‘Hot in the Shade”s opening track (and third single), the rousing ‘Rise to It,’ exclusively with our readers. You can check them out below, and the read his thoughts on the rest of the album’s 15 songs right here on Kulick.net.

‘Rise To It,’ the opening track on Kiss’ 1989 album ‘Hot In The Shade’ (also known as HITS), starts with a slide acoustic guitar played by Paul Stanley. This taste of some swampy Delta blues doesn’t last very long, but for a band known for power chords and screaming vocals it certainly makes the listener ask… what’s up? Well this nod to the blues, which is such a part of rock ‘n’ roll, establishes the band’s desire to explore and acknowledge where its been, who it is influenced by, and where it’s going.

Once the track fully kicks in, you know you’re in the land of Kiss. Enter the Demon, sliding on the bass into the big drums from Eric Carr, while harmonic dive-bomb chords and riffs from yours truly set up the song perfectly.  Paul’s melodic vocals give him room to build into the exciting pre-chorus, followed by the catchy sing-along of the “Rise To It” chorus. A hint of the intro blues slide guitar part becomes the creative foundation of the music. It’s a swampy, ZZ Top vibe combined with testosterone from Stanley and company.

Watch Kiss Perform ‘Rise To It’

Repeat the formula and then we’re off to the bridge, where Paul’s powerful wail sets up my fiery solo, which uses many tricks of the whammy bar and harmonics. It all sets up a big drum beat breakdown from Eric before settling back into the chorus out, with Paul having some wild fun with his voice over my outro guitar leads. The track establishes that meld of rock, blues, and sing-along vocals so special to Kiss.

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Tim Donnelly | New York Post

If you’re looking for brutally honest business advice, KISS frontman Gene Simmons is here to give you a tongue lashing.

The legendary rocker, known for his elaborate stage makeup, costume and a proclivity for wagging his long tongue, is releasing a new book of business advice on Tuesday, called “Me, Inc.: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business.” In it, he distills 40 years of leading the global-phenomenon rock band, which has franchised into a billion pieces of merchandise, including everything from comic books to a coffee shop.

We combed through the book to find the 10 best pieces of advice from the brain of Gene Simmons.

Simmons writes about how when he was 9 years old and living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, he attended yeshiva six days a week and spent all his free time in the library.

“For the first time in my life, I was in a place where the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich have the same access to all information for free, on a level playing field,” he writes.

It was then that he promised himself, “I would educate myself, and that I would never stop educating myself. It was my responsibility to keep learning.”

Don’t put all your eggs in one rock ’n’ roll basket

“I seemed instinctively to know certain precepts of good business practice,” he writes.

“I wanted to try for a career in the music industry, otherwise known as forming a rock band. But there was no guarantee it would work. In fact, statistics should have been enough to tell me the cards were stacked against me. So I worked at two jobs at the same time I was trying to put together the band.”

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