Jen Christianson

Wisconsin Team ‘Mudlicious’

We’re friends. We’re sisters. We’re girls. We’re bad ass. We love to get dirty. We’re Kiss fans. Most of all, we’re pissed off at that ugly, damn disease called cancer. Therefore, it was very fitting for our “Team Mudlicious” to run this years WI Dirty Girl Mud Run with the theme of “Kiss Off Cancer!!” Our bad ass selves donned on the makeup, had a fabulous time constructing our costumes and perfected sticking out our tongues as far as they could go. And yes, we ran the course in costume and got very, very muddy!

The Dirty Girl Mud Run series is a women’s mud 5K run event, with more fun, more obstacles, more girl power, more creativity, more high fives, more excitement and, of course, more mud than any other mud run can muster. Additionally, Dirty Girl Mud Run continues to support Breast Cancer awareness and research, donating more monetary support to this worthy cause every year.

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Podcast Rock City
 

Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

KissFAQ  has launched Back In The Solo Album Groove: The KISS Albums. 35 Years Later…, an ambitious multi-week retrospective dedicated to arguably the biggest milestone in KISStory: the 1978 KISS solo albums. Today, the site has published an interview with renowned bassist Will Lee, who played three tracks on Ace Frehley’s 1978 solo album: “Wiped-Out,” “I’m In Need Of Love” and “Ozone.”

The following are excerpts from Lee’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

On a “She Loves You” moment during the album’s recording:

KF: By the time you came onboard for the album, several tracks were cut at the Colgate Mansion in Connecticut. So I believe the sessions you participated in would have been at Plaza Sound.

WL: That’s where we were. Plaza was really cool, it was right above Radio City Music Hall. It was in the same structure as that building. And I remember having this moment, I didn’t have this reference point at the time [because] I hadn’t really heard the story about the Beatles track “She Loves You.” But when they were at Abbey Road recording that in the studio, they were surrounded by women. And you can hear the confidence and the excitement and the testosterone that’s going on when you hear “She Loves You,” you can just imagine that [and] you can really understand where all that incredible spirit came from. There was energy surrounding the building. On the Ace project, we had the Rockettes looking in the window at our session.

KF: The Rockettes?

WL: Yeah, Radio City Music Hall had these chicks called the Rockettes. They’re like a bunch of chorus girls. They had heard what was going on upstairs, “Oh God, one of the guys from KISS is upstairs making an album!” So they’d come upstairs and you’d see them peering through the doors and it was like, “Yeah, this is our ‘She Loves You’ moment.”

On Ace Frehley’s attitude during the recording of his album:

KF:  It seems Ace took people by surprise because everyone — from the band to the label — wasn’t sure what he was going to bring to the table with his solo album. And Ace ended up turning in this great, guitar-heavy album with lots of attitude and some slamming tracks from the likes of yourself and Anton. And on top of that, he scored the lone hit from the solo albums with “New York Groove.”

WL: Yeah, I think he said, “Fuck everything. I’m going to just go for it.” And he did.

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Ultimate Guitar

Founding members of Kiss, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley hope to establish a similarly broad fanbase with their newest project, a partnership with the Arena Football League as owners of an Anaheim-based expansion team known as “LA KISS,” USA Todayreports.

“The whole idea of an alternative to what has perhaps become a corporate sport is very intriguing, and resonates with us,” Stanley told USA Today Sports by phone. “We’ve always tried to be a band that relates to everybody, and the AFL is built on that whole premise.”

Though the band’s logo will be incorporated into the team’s uniforms, and though Stanley and Simmons hope to bring their understanding of live performance to the team’s home games at the Honda Center, the pair emphasized that they aim to create a true football experience.

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Jim Carchidi | Orlando Business Journal

Petey Mangelli brought his 4-year-old daughter Adrianna to her third KISS concert. Mangelli, whose company manages Orlando’s annual Spooky Empire horror convention, is a lifelong KISS fan. – photo credit, Jim Carchidi

As a kid, KISS kinda scared me. At an age when I was just learning about the world through the harsh realities of the grade school playground, seeing the Destroyeralbum cover was enough to steer me away from heavy metal for a couple of years. It wasn’t until I was able to listen toDetroit Rock City all the way through that I was able to understand – these guys weren’t just a bunch of nightmare clowns in ridiculous boots, they were a band.

As I got older, the nightmare clown thing became more appealing. How could it not? But what really blew my mind was the way these guys infiltrated every aspect of pop culture. Not only did they have their likenesses on everything from T-shirts and toys to coloring books, they actually printed a comic where the red ink was mixed with the band members’ blood. And it kept growing. From Gene Simmons’ TV show to a cruise with the band to a coffin.Yes, a coffin.

It figures KISS would be a part of ArenaBowl weekend. The indoor football league’s party atmosphere combined with the “rock ’n’ roll all night and party every day” band would make for a big weekend. Church Street venues like Harry Buffalo and Paradise Island Cafe had their share of KISS fans in face paint and T-shirts making their way through the door. Oddly enough, it didn’t seem like there were many ArenaBowl fans at the show. In fact, none of the people I met were planning on going to the game. Granted, I didn’t talk to everyone there. I even met one guy who wasn’t a KISS fan. He just figured a KISS concert was something everyone had to see at least once in their life.

Hey, if a band can inspire loyalty from people who don’t even like them, I’m shocked KISS isn’t invited to be a part of every major event.

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Ryan Reed | Rolling Stone

Fred Tanneau

Nothing says football like face paint and hard rock riffs, so it’s about time Kiss got into the gridiron game. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have bought their own Arena Football League expansion team, the Anaheim-based L.A. Kiss, which will participate in the league’s 2014 season, ESPN reports.

Q&A: Kiss’ Paul Stanley on New Album ‘Monster’ and Defining Rock & Roll

Simmons tells ESPN that buying the franchise was a logical move, given the similarities between a high-intensity football game and a crazy Kiss show.

“As a fast-paced, high-action band, this partnership with the AFL was an obvious fit for us,” Simmons said. “Attending an L.A. KISS game in 2014 will be similar to a live Kiss show, with thrilling, heart-pounding action.”

L.A. Kiss will use the band’s glammy, iconic logo, and season ticket-holders will be treated to a free Kiss concert. But, as Simmons and Stanley emphasized to USA Today, L.A. Kiss won’t simply function as a cheap band promotional tool.

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Something Else!

Kiss Gene Simmons dove head on into the controversy surrounding the replacement of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, saying they once were part and parcel of what he and Paul Stanley did in Kiss — before they threw it all away.

Frehley was Kiss’ founding guitarist, serving from 1973-1982; he then returned for a reunion that lasted from 1996-2002. Criss, the group’s initial drummer, left in 1980, returned from 1996-2000, and then again between 2002-2004before splitting for good.

“Two of the original guys who started off were equally as important as Paul and myself,” Simmons says to applause during this fanfest Q&A. “We were four guys — all for one, one for all. But they succumbed. They decided to go far right or far left. They succumbed, and it’s not even original, to the cliches of rock ‘n’ roll: Drugs and alcohol, the quickest way to the poorhouse — other than bad luck.”

Frehley has most recently been replaced by Tommy Thayer, who had worked with Kiss as far back as 1989′s Hot in the Shade before officially taking the guitar chair in 2003. Eric Singer has been the band’s drummer since 1991.

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Miami Herald

Gene Simmons of Kiss has been at the forefront of the rock world since the mid 1970s, and he’s still going strong in 2013.

A true visionary, he and his original bandmates transformed rock and roll into something no one had seen before: a dynamic stage show full of fire, explosions, lights and straight up rock. Critics were stunned. Radio didn’t know what to do with them. But the fans loved it — and probably will again when the band plays Seminole Hard Rock Live on Saturday.

Been a long time since the New York City days. What was that like back then?

We were four bums off the streets of New York who dreamed like everybody else and were lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the right thing. And you say privately, when you have dreams, “Dear God, just give me a chance, just one chance. I promise I won’t screw it up.”

Still get excited about selling out every night?

Sure. The first time we played at the Garden, the first of three nights, back when nobody was doing that stuff, Kiss was three years in a row the no. 1 Gallup Poll band. Two and three went between Zeppelin, Beatles and Bee Gees. And in 1978, 20th Century Fox had the rights to do licensing and merchandising, and the no. 1 and no. 2 biggest licensed products were Star Wars and Kiss.

Impressive.

It is. We started in 1974, New Year’s Eve . . . . And within a year and a half we’re playing Anaheim Stadium. Before cell phones, cassettes, 8-tracks, before anything. Before Rock Concert, before Midnight Special, before MTV, before any of that.

Was there one particular moment when you knew you were going to succeed?

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NJKISSEXPO.COM

The New Jersey KISS Expo is proud to announce KISS lead guitarist Tommy Thayer as our featured guest for 2013!

We return this year to the NJ Convention and Exposition Center for our largest show yet!

Saturday, September 28, 2013

NJ Convention and Exposition Center, at the Raritan Center
97 Sunfield Ave, Edison NJ 08837

$10 DISCOUNT TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

For tickets, directions and all other info, visit www.njkissexpo.com

Cassius Morris

Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

KissFAQ  has launched Back In The Solo Album Groove: The KISS Albums. 35 Years Later…, an ambitious multi-week retrospective dedicated to arguably the biggest milestone in KISStory: the 1978 KISS solo albums. Today, the site has published an interview with bassist Neil Jason, one of a select group of musicians who played on two of the KISS solo albums.

The following are excerpts from Jason’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

On the direction of the material for Criss’ album:

KF: As it turns out, Peter’s album proved to be quite a departure from KISS’ typical sound. There were some old-time rock and roll, R&B and soul influences sprinkled throughout. I’m curious if you recall any discussion that this material might be a little left-of-center for KISS’ audience.

NJ: Well, obviously there’s quite a few ways for us to look at it as sidemen and as musicians. But if your entire career is defined by the band and you want to do a “solo record” — which means you step away from the band — then maybe you do something that you wanted to do. Now if you didn’t want to do anything else, like, “Well, I kind of just want to do that,” then he would have done that. And as far as the production decisions, I think a lot of the tunes were chosen for Peter’s voice and they sounded great and I didn’t see it as a departure from KISS. It was Peter Criss, who is part of KISS. So some of the tunes are right there and some of them aren’t. But that’s how Peter sings. If you liked “Beth,” then you’d like this.

KF: Well said, Neil. There are certainly songs on the lighter side, a la “Beth,” like “Easy Thing” and “I Can’t Stop The Rain.” I don’t know, I just think the fans were expecting something different from Peter.

NJ: Well, I’m assuming that the fans that love them dearly and listen to every note wanted four KISS albums at the same time because that would just about be enough at the same time for them. But, they got, I don’t know, two KISS albums — actually, they got four KISS albums. There are four personalities that make KISS and that’s why those four guys have a sound. It’s like if George Harrison does a record, it didn’t necessarily sound like the Beatles. If Ringo did a record, it didn’t sound like the Beatles. You know what I mean?

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Patty Jenkins | Hampton Roads

Bill Tiernan

Kiss Army marched into nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Portsmouth last night with nearly every spot of the 6,500-seat amphitheater filled. It was a family affair; as men, women and children wore the signature markings of their onstage heroes.

The night of theatrics, which could be dubbed the Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley show, did not seem to disappoint the legion of fans that took in the light show featuring an enormous spider-like mechanical metal structure and loud explosives from pyrotechnics that had the warmth of the heat hitting them in their faces.

As in the past when Kiss has visited Hampton Roads, Simmons gets his fans going with stage stunts that include being pulled up into the rafters, spitting out fake blood with the extension of his tongue while showcasing his bass solo.

“Want me to come out to you?” Stanley entices his fans as a pulley takes him across the audience onto a round metal mini stage set up for his guitar spotlight moment performing “Love Gun.”

In the end it’s these antics and the classic hits that have made Kiss a household name in rock music.

Kiss stayed tried and true to format, but left the surprise with opening act Leogun.

The London-based trio featuring frontman and guitarist Tommy Smith, bassist Matt Johnson and drummer Mike Lloyd were welcomed by the Kiss Army.

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Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

KissFAQ  has launched Back In The Solo Album Groove: The KISS Albums. 35 Years Later…, an ambitious multi-week retrospective dedicated to arguably the biggest milestone in KISStory: the 1978 KISS solo albums. Today, the site has published an interview with Larry Harris, the former executive vice president for Casablanca Records.

The following are excerpts from Harris’ interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

On the internal friction in the band:

KF: In doing some research, I came across an article in a May 1977 issue of “Billboard” in which Bill Aucoin mentioned the idea of the KISS members doing solo albums. And I also understand there was a proviso regarding solo albums in KISS’ record contract that was signed in late 1976. Larry, when do you recall the solo albums becoming a topic of conversation around the office?

LH: To be honest, I don’t remember the date, it was so long ago. It probably initially came up in typical conversation about when the next album would be. What I do remember, which I talk about in the book, was Howard Marks coming in — and Aucoin may have been there too — and telling us that the guys weren’t getting along very well. And possibly one way to get more product out in the street and stop them from breaking up would be solo albums.

KF: Yes, you mention that Bill Aucoin implied that the band would break up if the label refused to release four solo albums. Were the label’s hands essentially tied into going forward with the project?

LH: Well, it was either that or taking our only big rock act — because everybody else we had was either R&B, disco or comedy — that we started the label with and having them disintegrate. So we really had no choice in the matter if we wanted them or hoped that they would stay together.

On the gambling mentality of Neil Bogart:

KF: According to your book, Neil Bogart initially thought to release a total of 2 million solo albums, which equated to half a million for each album. But Howard Marks balked by quoting that KISS’ contract stipulated 1 million of each album needed to be pressed. I’m no lawyer, but if one solo album counted as half an album in the record contract, wouldn’t it be possible that pressing half the normal total would have been permissible?

LH: I have no idea. I don’t remember that saying that in the contract, or do I remember memorizing the contract 40 years ago (laughs). Neil was a gambler. And Neil felt if he was going to do this kind of investment — which was all that advertising per album — he was going to go for the throat. He wasn’t about to say, “I’m afraid to do it.” That wasn’t his style.

KF: Understood. But did Neil ever show any hesitance, maybe at the beginning?

LH: Howard Marks had a large influence on our company because he was a very smart guy and he helped Neil negotiate with KISS on a few levels when we were having some difficulties with them. Howard also made a fortune from KISS. From the $500,000 for each album in advertising, Howard wound up with 15 percent of that, aside form whatever else he was making with the band. So it behooved Howard for this to happen. I remember there was initially some reluctance about putting out four albums at one time and the cost involved but I think once Neil realized that it was either the group breaking up or this happening, he embraced it.

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Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

KissFAQ  has launched Back In The Solo Album Groove: The KISS Albums. 35 Years Later…, an ambitious multi-week retrospective dedicated to arguably the biggest milestone in KISStory: the 1978 KISS solo albums. Today, the site has published an interview with vocalist Susan Collins, who sang background vocals on three tracks on Ace Frehley’s 1978 solo album, including the hit “New York Groove.”

The following are excerpts from Collins’ interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

On her first impressions of Frehley:

KF: What were your first general impressions of Ace?

SC: You know, I have to be honest and tell you he was the nicest and sweetest guy. He knew who I was by my reputation and he wanted, through Eddie Kramer, “my sound” on his record. That’s why he hired me, for my sound. But he didn’t know what he was going to be getting when I walked into the room. He was so respectful and so sweet. When I said Ace, “What do you think about this?” He was like, “Susan, just do whatever you want. I’ll take whatever I like and I’ll leave the rest.” He really respected and allowed actual creative freedom.

On the background credits for “New York Groove”:

KF: Regarding the album’s credits, you are credited as singing background vocals on three tracks: “Speedin’ Back To My Baby,” “What’s On Your Mind?” and “New York Groove.” The credit actually reads “David Lasley and Susan Collins & Co.” Can you shed some light?

SC: Yes, I’ll tell you why because this is what happened. Are you familiar with David’s sound? David has one of the most gorgeous voices you’ve ever heard in your life. I happen to love the way he sings low, but he’s a very high singer. He always sings higher parts. The reason Co. is listed is this — when we did “New York Groove,” I did “New York Groove.” I tripled myself. My voice is tripled.

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Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

KissFAQ  has launched Back In The Solo Album Groove: The KISS Albums. 35 Years Later…, an ambitious multi-week retrospective dedicated to arguably the biggest milestone in KISStory: the 1978 KISS solo albums. Today, the site has published an interview with art director Dennis Woloch, who secured the services of Eraldo Carugati to create the artwork for the 1978 KISS solo albums.

The following are excerpts from Woloch’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

On the decision to do portraits for the KISS solo albums:

KF: It was certainly an unprecedented campaign. As you alluded to, no one had ever done something like this before. Do you remember thinking that the ante for the artwork needed to be upped accordingly?

DW: There’s no question about it. I thought that this was the most important KISS-related project to date. My immediate goal that I set for myself was to try to make them as classic and timeless as possible. I didn’t want these things to look dated. I actually never want anything I do to wind up looking dated. I try to avoid anything trendy because if you do something trendy, it looks great now and it looks terrible tomorrow. It’s just always like that. You go back and look at something that was done years ago and it was obviously designed for the times, but it doesn’t hold up. But I think most of the KISS stuff does hold up still

KF: I agree, Dennis.

DW: Yeah, you know, I really had that in the back of my mind. “Let’s not be too trendy with type styles that come and go [and] colors that come and go, [and] silly ideas that come and go.” So for these solo albums, I said, “OK. Timeless and classic.” And I sort of right away knew that they would have to be portraits of each guy. I just couldn’t imagine any other image on there even though I tried. Because portraits was one of the first ideas that came into my head, I said, “Well, it’s got to be their face.” I mean now it seems so obvious, in retrospect, to say, “Well, yeah. What else would you have done?” Well you could have done a lot of things. I mean, they could have all looked different — one from the other. You could have tried to maybe capture each guy’s individual personality on it. Or talk to each guy and say, “What do you like? What are your favorite colors?” But that would have been wrong because it really is KISS. KISS is an entity, as a whole. So I kept it that way. Then I said, “OK, portraits. That’s a given. But let me keep thinking.” I kept thinking and I said, “Maybe it should be their whole body standing there? Their whole figure. Hmmm … no.” (laughs) Because then you have costumes and that comes and goes and that becomes dated where you could point at it and say, “Oh, 1978.” So I didn’t do that. And so I went back to portraits. I think this was a key decision — when I decided not to do a photograph.

KF: I’ve always wondered if photos of the band members were ever a consideration.

DW: Yeah, I don’t know why, because of the “classic” feeling that I was trying to put across, I thought it would be better served by illustration. You know, a photo is just not the same as art.

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Nicole Pitt | WKTV News

Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

KissFAQ  has launched Back In The Solo Album Groove: The KISS Albums. 35 Years Later…, an ambitious multi-week retrospective dedicated to arguably the biggest milestone in KISStory: the 1978 KISS solo albums. Today, the site has published an interview with vocalist/pianist Eric Troyer, who contributed background vocals and played piano on the tracks “Radioactive” and “Living In Sin.”

The following are excerpts from Troyer’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

On other musicians around the studio:

KF: Do you recall any of the other musicians who were present while you were in the studio?

ET: Yeah, I was there when Skunk Baxter did some guitar work. Rick Nielsen — it’s funny because when Cheap Trick first burst out they came to New York and did a show at Max’s Kansas City and Gene and I went to see them. Gene said, “You’ve got to come along and see this band. They’re outrageous. We’re thinking about bringing them along on tour with us.” So we went and we sat right in front. Rick, of course, was throwing picks at us all night. And Gene was throwing hundred dollar bills at him (laughs). It was really cool. So I knew Rick from those days. And then he was there at the session and he did some guitar work and it was really nice to see him. I’ve see him a few years since too — he’s a great guy, a great guitar player. We were hanging around with Cher a lot because Gene and Cher were together at that time. So I was there [when] Cher did her vocal part on “Living In Sin at the Holiday Inn,” which reminded me of that whole thing. I was just listening to it just a few minutes ago and I was like, “Oh my God, that was so awesome!” And Bob Seger and I did some vocals. I think I did some vocals separately too. I played piano — there’s some banging piano that I put on both those tracks [“Living In Sin” and “Radioactive”]. I was also there when Helen Reddy did her vocal part — she was kind of a pain in the ass but..

CRD: Yes, but what we did is we took them and did lithographs of the posters and that’s what made them special and a limited edition as a collectible item. We sent them to special press people that had been very supportive of us, and to radio and to VIPs in the business. So it wasn’t going to be blanketed. Those lithographs were going to be a really special item, so anyone who got one, it wasn’t like a mass-produced thing.

Putting together the piano part for “Radioactive:

KF: You are credited as playing piano on a couple of tracks, one of which was “Radioactive,” the single from the album. What do you remember about the piano part on this track?

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Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

KissFAQ  has launched Back In The Solo Album Groove: The KISS Albums. 35 Years Later…, an ambitious multi-week retrospective dedicated to arguably the biggest milestone in KISStory: the 1978 KISS solo albums. Today, the site has published an interview with Carol Ross-Durborow, who was head of the Press Office, the publicity subsidiary of Aucoin Management.

The following are excerpts from Ross-Durborow’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

On the solo albums being a milestone in KISStory:

KF: That’s right in the time frame we’re primarily discussing, so it’s a perfect segue into the solo albums. When I think of the classic era of KISS, the solo albums stand out as perhaps the band’s biggest milestone, if not the biggest KISS project from a publicity standpoint. Would you agree?

CRD: Yes, I agree with you. Let me tell you something, deciding to do the solo albums was a long process. There were a lot of meetings with Casablanca. But Neil Bogart — in spite of what other people in the industry thought — he was so committed to this band. Neil was going to spend the money. He was told, “This is crazy. You shouldn’t be doing this. This is taking a big risk. It’s a lot of money involved.” But he was just so into it. And beside the fact, he enjoyed working with Bill Aucoin and thought that Bill was one of the great managers in the business, which we all agreed. But it was a real labor of love. And it was a long process. It was a turning point for wonderful, incredible projects. We thought, “Wow, this is going to be wonderful because this has not happened before.” I wanted to really make it very special. And so with what Casablanca was doing, and what we had planned to do for the media, it was great. I had suggested from the individual albums that we do special posters and have a gallery showing, which we did for the press. And then of course each member of the band signed their specific poster and we gave them away as collectibles. We made it very, very special. And it was only a limited edition. So that added to what Casablanca Records was doing promotion-wise. It was interesting because people were taking bets on which album and poster was going to get the most play. It became, “Is it going to be Gene? Is it going to be Paul?”

KF: And which posters are these specifically? Are these posters of the album covers?

CRD: Yes, but what we did is we took them and did lithographs of the posters and that’s what made them special and a limited edition as a collectible item. We sent them to special press people that had been very supportive of us, and to radio and to VIPs in the business. So it wasn’t going to be blanketed. Those lithographs were going to be a really special item, so anyone who got one, it wasn’t like a mass-produced thing.

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Jack Gattinella | YouTube