On the latest edition of Rockin metal Revival. Producer Richie Wise talks about his time recording the first two KISS albums. And how “Hotter than Hell” might not have gotten the attention it deserved..
“The Second KISS album was a transitional album. It was a Dark, wavy, echoey record that had a real lack of Focus on crtainly my part and I might not have done what I needed to do”….
(The Richie Wise interview starts at the 11 minute mark).
To celebrate the life of Sean Delaney, KissFAQ reached out to some of his friends and colleagues and asked them to contribute brief written tributes in his memory. Delaney passed away April 13, 2003. He was 58 years old.:
“Sean Delaney was a firestorm of talent and passion. He was a tremendous influence on me both professionally and with life in general, and I am grateful to have worked with him, and to have as my friend.
“I learned so much from him, knowledge that I have carried with me throughout my musical career, and beyond. Sean was amazing, one of the most gifted, prolific songwriters anyone has ever known.” — Richie Fontana (drummer, Skatt Brothers, Paul Stanley’s 1978 solo album)
“Sean Delaney was a fountainhead of ideas and creativity. Kiss and Sean were virtually inseparable in the band’s earliest days. His flair for showmanship and flamboyance was seen in Kiss’s live performances, musically and visually. Sean’s daring and indefatigable energy were essential in launching the Kiss juggernaut and defining the band’s persona to their fans.” — C.K. Lendt (former KISS business manager)
“With April 13th approaching, the 10th anniversary of the passing of my good
Mitch Lafon
There are only ten days left to pledge for the KISS 40th Anniversary Tribute Album for Cancer Care.
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/kiss40thtribute
This album will not be sold via iTunes or Amazon – THIS is the only way to get it. It features the following artists:
1. Bumblefoot
2. Bill Leverty
3. Russ Dwarf
4. Terry Ilous w/ Sean Kelly
5. Willie Basse
6. Rex Brown & Mark Zavon
7. Ron Keel
8. Doro Pesch & Johnny Dee
9. Slaves On Dope
10. Don Dokken11. Mark Tornillo12. Honeymoon Suite
13. Jeff Paris
14. Phil Naro
15. Phil Lewis
16. Chris Van Dahl
17. Ron Young
18. The Feckers
19. Sass Jordan & Brian Tichy (SUN)
20. Eric Carr – featuring his demo track: Eyes Of Love
21. GEOFF TATE
22. Chris Buck
Mitch Lafon
Rock Reporter & photographer
KISS 40th Anniversary Tribute album for cancer care: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/kiss40thtribute
KISS bassist Gene Simmons appeared in an unusual venue this past Saturday. Gene’s fans are used to see the monster rocker in full makeup spitting blood and fire on stage with KISS, but this past weekend Simmons made a surprise appearance at a Sioux Falls benefit concert for Sioux Falls Boys & Girls Clubs members.
Simmons spoke on the importance of music as a way to boost self-esteem in kids, as reported by Billboard: “It doesn’t matter if you become a star. If you don’t believe in yourself and get up on stage, everybody is watching. You can feel the power … and it helps you get through life, especially when you’re impressionable.”
Motley Crüe singer Vince Neil was also at the event, speaking on the same issues as Simmons: “Say you finish your first song, it could be `Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ it doesn’t matter, but at least it’s something you’ve played, and I think for kids, they could go into a whole other direction because they accomplished something.”
Cassius Morris
by: Christopher Franchi
On Tuesday, April 2, 2013, the worldwide KISS community lost not only one of the best retailers, but one of the most genuine, honest, friendly, and well-liked people in the KISS world. Hans Paulson, the owner/operator of kiss4sale.com passed away, at the young age of 45. He leaves behind his loving wife Angie, and children Cameron, Alyssa and Zak.
I met Hans when I was a guest at the New York KISS Expo back in 2003. We immediately hit it off and were friends from that day forward. Who could not like a guy with a 24 hour smile, so full of energy, a love for what he did, a greater love for his wife and kids. Just an amazing guy. Instantly likable from the moment you’d meet him.
We went on to become close friends. Even though we were separated by Lake Michigan, we always talked on the phone, sometimes for hours, while I had to endure the sound of his loud tape gun, as he would be busy packing KISS collectibles to send out to the world. It was a sound I grew to love, and the sound that ensured the stability of his wonderful family. This was how Hans made his living. His love for KISS grew into a business, and there probably isn’t a KISS fan out there that hasn’t at one time or another, bought something from Hans’ website. He had it all, and if he didn’t have what you wanted, he’d get it. That’s just the kind of guy he was, and this is why his customers came back again and again.
While KISS was on the World Domination Tour, I was scheduled to shoot the Detroit show for the band, for use in their magazine. I requested a second VIP pass for Hans, who would double as my assistant for the day. He didn’t know squat about photography, but
Bruce Howard Kulick (born December 12, 1953 in New York) is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss.
I caught up to Bruce on-line for my 10 question interview:
At what age did you discover that playing the guitar was for you?
When I first saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964, I was amazed at what they did. From that moment on, my life has been filled with Guitars and all things Music!
How did you land the gig with Blackjack?
From my being around the NYC area, Michael Bolton was from Connecticut . Easy for us to hook up and then he got a record contract, but needed a band. He asked me to be the guitarist. I really learned a lot about what it was to tour and record on a higher level than before.
Most people know your KISS story, so I won’t go down that road again, though I have a few KISS related questions
Grant Segall | Celveland.com
Glickman, 86, died Thursday, March 28, at the Cleveland Clinic after several years of complications from kidney disease.
“He could be a demanding, tough businessman, yet he was everyone’s favorite landlord,” said lawyer Jerry Gold, a long-time friend and tenant of Glickman at the Leader Building. “If someone was behind in rent, he’d say, ‘Well, try to catch up.’ He picked up checks everywhere.”
With other investors, Glickman built shopping strips around the country, bought the Leader and Huntington buildings, owned leasehold rights for Terminal Tower, built the parking garage at the Minneapolis airport and joined many other ventures.
He was reserved and independent. He chaired Ohio’s Democrats for Reagan in 1984, supported the first George Bush’s presidential victory and met privately with them in D.C. He backed both Dick Celeste and James Rhodes, Ohio governors from opposite parties.
The following content is related to the May 2013 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now, or in ouronline store.
If the Kiss Army were to appoint a general, it would have to be the band’s lead guitarist, Tommy “Spaceman” Thayer.
Long before he donned Ace Frehley’s iconic makeup and became the band’s official ax master in 2003, Thayer had already developed an impressive service record with the group, included writing and recording demos with Gene Simmons, managing the 1995 Kiss Worldwide Convention Tour and working as producer and editor on the Kiss films The Second Coming, Detroit Rock City and The Last Kiss.
Thayer’s signature Epiphone Spaceman continues his tradition of stellar contributions to the Kiss legacy. It’s a souped-up tour de force of tone and certainly one of the most thrilling and well-balanced Les Pauls created in recent years. In addition to featuring a pair of Gibson’s hotter 498T pickups, it has an ultra-cool retro-style silver-flake finish. Epiphone is making only 1,000 of the limited-edition Spaceman, and at a street price under $700, they’re sure to go fast.
Corey Dieterman | Houston Press
In 1979, disco was all the rage. For all the kids who had never bothered to pay attention when their parents would talk about it, it was sort of like dubstep. It was ubiquitous on the radio and even rock bands were vying to get in on the action so they didn’t get left behind in the new revolution. Sort of like how Korn did that album with Skrillex, only a little bit less horrible.
Even punk bands were reluctantly dragged into it. In 1978, Johnny Rotten launched his post-punk band Public Image Ltd., which, for all its punk cred, did employ a number of disco beats. Around the same time, two of the biggest rock bands in the world were planning new records and silently plotting to work on their own disco singles.
Those bands? Pink Floyd and KISS. And oh boy, what those plans wound up wreaking.
In early 1979, Pink Floyd was hard at work sifting through the mess of demos Roger Waters had recorded during their break after the Animals tour concluded. The mostly acoustic demos were high in number and low in quality. If you’ve ever heard them (they’ve been bootlegged for years), it’s a wonder Floyd was able to parse an album out of them at all.
A whole album ended up on the cutting-room floor and became Waters’ first solo record,The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking. Some other cuts ended up on The Final Cut and one or two made into the film version of their upcoming album, but were ultimately left off of what would become The Wall.
However, one track in particular got some special attention from Waters, lead guitarist David Gilmour, and producer Bob Ezrin. It was a three-song suite called “Another Brick in the Wall,” at the time simply a rough acoustic-guitar demo with Waters whispering over it. But more on that later.
While Floyd was in France working on that, an entirely different band was in New York, working on their own demos for an upcoming record. KISS was making what would eventually become the Dynasty album, hot off the heels of the second volume of their Aliveconcert-recording series and simultaneously=released solo records by all four members.
By this time, Peter Criss was being replaced regularly by session drummers and the remaining KISS members were looking outside themselves for songwriting ideas. They had come about as far as they could on the pure “rock” sound, and both Gene Simmons, ever the consummate businessman, and Paul Stanley were looking into what they could do to keep up with current trends.
Enter Stanley with a legendary idea. “Let’s write a disco song. How hard could it be?” he said. (Okay, I don’t know if he really said that, but it’s as close to the truth as necessary.)
Alejandro Pagni
REGINA — KISS is ready to unleash a monster in Canada.
The rock and roll legends confirmed Tuesday that its Monster tour will play 19 dates in Canada this summer, including shows at Saskatoon’s Credit Union Centre (July 14) and Regina’s Brandt Centre (July 16).
Tickets for the Regina date will go on sale at 10 a.m. on April 5. Tickets are $80, $100 and $140 (plus applicable fees). Tickets are available by phone (1-855-985-5000) and online (www.ticketmaster.ca).
2013 KISS CANADIAN TOUR DATES:
July 5 – Save On Foods Memorial Center (Victoria, BC)
July 6 – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC)
July 8 – Prospera Place (Kelowna, BC)
July 10 – Enmax Centre (Lethbridge, AB)
July 12 – Rexall Place (Edmonton, AB)
July 13 – Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary, AB)
July 14 – Credit Union Centre (Saskatoon, SK)
July 16 – Evraz Place (Regina, SK)
July 17 – Keystone Centre (Brandon, MB)
July 18 – MTS Centre (Winnipeg, MB)
July 23 – Sudbury Arena (Sudbury, ON)
July 25 – Scotiabank Place (Ottawa, ON)
July 26 – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre (Toronto, ON)
July 27 – Budweiser Gardens (London, ON)
July 29 – Bell Centre (Montreal, QC)
July 31 – Harbour Station (Saint John, NB)
Aug 1 – Metro Centre (Halifax, NS)
Aug 3 – Mile One Stadium (St. John’s, NFLD)
Aug 4 – Mile One Stadium (St. John’s, NFLD)
Comprised of Gene Simmons (bass/vocals), Paul Stanley (guitar/vocals), Tommy Thayer (guitar/vocals) and Eric Singer (drums/vocals), KISS is touring in support of Monster, its 20th studio album, which was released on Oct. 9. It’s the first studio album for KISS since Sonic Boom, which was released Oct. 6, 2009. Two singles have been released from Monster — Hell Or Hallelujah and Long Way Down.
To date KISS has sold 100 million albums worldwide. The band has released 43 albums — 20 studio albums, 10 live albums and 13 compilation albums — with 21 albums earning gold status for sales of 500,000 units.
Stanley feels the band is quite capable of meeting the demands of its rabid fan base.
“We’re a band at this point in our career where we can live up to our own legend,” Stanley said in a press release. “Legends can be confining because they’re cloaked in myth. I’ve Continue reading
Kristi Eaton | The Washington Times
DIRK LAMMERS
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Kiss frontman Gene Simmons made a surprise appearance at a Sioux Falls benefit concert Saturday, at which he spoke of music’s power to positively shape children’s lives.
Mr. Simmons’ appearance came on the final day of a week of concerts to benefit the music academy for Sioux Falls Boys & Girls Clubs members.
“This is about kids. We’ve had our chance. We’ve got to give them a chance. Anything that gets them off the street is a good thing,” Mr. Simmons said.
Music, Mr. Simmons said, is self-empowering.
“It doesn’t matter if you become a star. If you don’t believe in yourself and get up onstage, everybody is watching. You can feel the power … and it helps you get through life, especially when you’re impressionable.”
He said getting involved in music — whether it’s learning
to play an instrument or sing karaoke — improves social skills, too.
Motley Crue singer Vince Neil was also at Saturday’s show, and he, too, expounded on the positive benefits of music.
KISSasylum.com
Whitney Matheson | USA Today
I’ve been a Hello Kitty fan ever since I was a wee Whit, and I still am to this day. (In fact, last week I mentioned a new HK children’s book I got for my daughter!)
Today I’m psyched to tell you that the adorable feline is poised to star in an animated series for The Hub. The unexpected twist is that it’ll be a mashup … with Kiss.
Yes, I’m serious: Kiss Hello Kitty (working title) is now in development, and it’s based on this line of Kiss x Hello Kitty products, which made its debut in 2010. The show will feature “four Kiss x Hello Kitty characters living their rock ‘n’ roll dreams and bringing pink anarchy to every situation they are in.”
Kiss’ Gene Simmons is slated to be one of the executive producers, and the band sounds pretty pumped about the project. Says Paul Stanley: “Knowing and viewing The Hub as I do daily with my three children, it is the perfect home for us to bring theKiss Hello Kitty juggernaut to yet another generation.”
You heard it here first, folks. I’ll keep you posted on when the series will make its debut.
From: Neil Gido
From the mid 1980s before joining KISS, drummer Eric Singer appeared with Brenda Holiday in this Girls Of Rock & Roll video. This is one of Eric’s 1st professional appearances. Eric Singer also played many years with Alice Cooper, also with Black Sabbath, Queen’s Brian May, Lita Ford, Badlands, Gary Moore, Avantasia, ESP (Eric Singer Project,) and appearances with many more artists. Then in 1989 he did Paul Stanley’s solo tour and became a KISS family member since. He later recorded KISS Revenge in 1991 and joined the band. Eric also sings lead vocals with KISS on “All For The Love Of Rock & Roll” from their 2012 Monster album, on “All For The Glory” from their 2009 Sonic Boom album, plus “Black Diamond” from the 2008 Japan re-recordings album. Enjoy this unique gem from Eric’s early career.
Steve Sils Photography
Ethan Sacks | New York Daily News
Back before they could afford to party all day, they were already rock ’n’ rolling all night.
Forty years ago this month, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, guitarists Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss dabbed on some black and white facepaint bought in a Manhattan hobby store and forever left their mark on music history.
“We were just four kids off the streets of New York that dreamed big,” Simmons, who was born Chaim Witz, told the Daily News this week.
There’s no historical plaque in front of the six-story, cast-iron building at 10 E. 23rd St., where Kiss first formed and practiced their three-chord riffs in a dingy fourth floor loft with yolk-encrusted egg crates nailed to the walls to muffle the noise.
But maybe there should be one: Kiss has gone on to sell more than 100 million records and perform live in front of an estimated 22 million fans.
As Kiss celebrates its 40th anniversary, Paul Stanley is set to release an autobiography — making him the last of the group’s original quartet to do so, following Peter Criss, Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons — whose 2001 book was memorably titled Kiss and Make-up.
“They talk about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll,” Stanley says in the attached video. “Well, from the beginning, I said: ‘You can keep the drugs, just give me the sex and the rock ‘n’ roll’ — so I remember quite a bit. I was really reluctant to do an autobiography. George Orwell said that the autobiography is the most outrageous form of fiction. When you write about yourself, you tend to be at the epicenter of everything. But I’m trying to be realistic.”
Kiss, which now includes Stanley, Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, just completed a well-received tour of Australia. Next up, beginning in June, are a series of European stops — beginning in Sweden and continuing into Germany, Italy and elsewhere.
In many ways, Stanley says, he can’t believe Kiss has made it this far — having sold more than 40 million albums and revolutionized band marketing since its humble beginnings back in 1973.
“There was no precedent for this back then,” Stanley says. “No band had ever lasted that long, so I was hoping for five years. At this point, I get to grow old in front of everybody. But I’m enjoying every minute of it, every year. It’s really something spectacular. I couldn’t be more grateful.”