Ultimate Classic Rock

Ace Frehley revealed that non-sobriety was a contributing factor to the dismissal of his solo band in favor of the musicians Gene Simmons had hired as his own outfit.

Frehley, who struggled with addiction issues during and after his time with Kiss, before finally resolving them, admitted he’d put his former colleagues “through hell” and that he now had no time for people who hadn’t learned the lesson he’d finally grasped.

“I think Paul [Stanley] and Gene, when I left the group the last time and I was strung out on drugs and alcohol, they probably thought I was just going to fade away and maybe O.D. or disappear,” Frehley recently told the Juliet:Unexpected podcast. “What happened was I got sober, and I came back stronger and bigger than ever.” As an example, he added, “I just went to Australia with Gene, showed up on time, played well, sang well.”

Asked if his issues had contributed to the “toxicity” within Kiss, he said, “In the past, yeah. They were right about a lot of things. I mean, today I have no tolerance for being around drunk people. I put those guys through hell – if I do say so myself – but, I mean, I get it. But it took a while for me to understand.”

He continued, “I got sober a couple of times over the years… but invariably I’d relapse because I’d get on a bus with a bunch of musicians who were getting high, smoking pot and drinking beer and whatever. How long you gonna last on a bus before you end up saying, ‘Gimme a cold one’? … So, pretty much, my [addiction] sponsor said to me, ‘The only way you’re gonna get sober, Ace, is if you get rid of all the people around you who get high, and surround yourself with sober people… or at least with musician who keep it behind closed doors… You don’t want to see it, you don’t want to smell it. And that’s what I’ve been doing.”

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CJ News

The most popular rock act fronted by Jews, whose lightning-bolt Kiss logo has to be altered in countries that forbid Nazi symbols, announced its “End of the Road” farewell tour starting Jan. 31 in Vancouver, followed by multiple dates in Toronto and Montreal, among other cities. During their 46 years together the collaboration of Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz) and Paul Stanley (born Stanley Eisen) generated plenty of topical tales.

Victory was delayed in Toronto

For their first concert tour, which kicked off in Edmonton, Kiss was originally scheduled to make their Toronto debut in April 1974 at the Victory Burlesque, the Spadina Avenue theatre initially built to show movies in Yiddish – except the show was cancelled. When they played the city that June, it was at Massey Hall, opening for the New York Dolls. The band made it to the Victory that September, where they also guested on Citytv’s music show, Boogie.

This visit was also when Kiss met Toronto-based record producer Bob Ezrin, who already made his name on albums by Alice Cooper. Ezrin was hired for the 1976 album Destroyer, which proved to be the band’s most successful. And in 1981, he oversaw their least-successful album, Music from ‘The Elder’.

Anti-Semitism divides the tribe

Simmons and Stanley originally worked with drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley. But they split into two factions due to what Stanley claimed  in his 2014 memoir Face the Music was an attempt to sabotage a band they felt was “unfairly manipulated by money-hungry Jews.” Criss and Frehley refuted the accusations, pointing to their own Jewish family members. But both of them were out of Kiss by the early-‘80s. For the 1992 Erzrin-produced album Revenge, the band – with the addition of Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer – were an all-Jewish lineup.

Helping hand of guitarist’s dad

The original four members reunited for MTV Unplugged in 1995 and, after a dozen years out of costume, went back on tour with painted faces. But tensions with Criss and Frehley resurfaced. Following a so-called “Farewell Tour” in 2000-01, they called Singer back to fill in as drummer wearing Criss’s Catman costume.

Frehley also ended up on the outs again, and Kiss employee Tommy Thayer filled his Spaceman boots, a part that he might have been born to play. Simmons boasts that his mother, Florence Klein, was among the 15,000 liberated from a concentration camp in northern Austria by a U.S. platoon led by his bandmate’s father, Brig.-Gen. James B. Thayer, who died at age 96 in September. Florence died on Dec. 6 at age 93.

The long road to artistic redemption

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Matt Porter

Gus | Backstageaxxess

40 years ago, the band KISS pulled off something that was unheard of at that time. Each member (Peter Criss, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley) all released solo albums on September 18, 1978. This hasn’t been matched before or since. KISS’ following tour which was Dynasty, had each member perform a song from each of their respective solo albums. Each of these albums sold over a million copies with selling the most. His also charted the highest and spurned a top 20 single in “New York Groove.”  None of the original KISS members have ever performed their respective solo album until now.  At this year KISS Expo at the Hilton in Parsippany, another chapter n KISStory took place.  Ace Frehley gave fans what they have been dying to see and hear, to perform his famed self-titled solo album in its entirety.

Recently, Frehley changed his entire band and enlisted the same musicians that his former bandmate Gene Simmons had in his solo band. They are Phillip Shouse on bass, Jeremy Asbrock and Ryan Spencer Cook on guitar, and former and now current drummer in Matt Starr. Having these players has upped Frahleys game to now try things he hasn’t been able to do in a handful of years. For starts, he recently tried to do a few rarities on this year’s KISS Kruise (“Save Your Love’ and “Dark Light”).  The results may have been mixed but mostly the consensus overall was that all KISS fans were glad that at least Frehley was brave enough to step outside the box.  Fast forward to December 8^th as fans from all over made the trek to see Frehley perform this beloved album in its entirety.  Frehley dedicated the performance to the memory of Gene Simmons’ mother who recently passed away at the age of 92.

They started the performance with what Frehley currently uses to open his set up which is the track “Rip It Out.” He talked about the next song which was about his ex-wife Jeanette Frehley (who was in attendance by the way) “Speedin’ Back to my Baby.”  Frehley talked very little in between each song as he let the music really do most of the talking.  Asbrock handled vocals on “Ozone” and” Wiped Out.” Those along with “I’m in Need of Love” were played for the 1^sttime ever live. In addition to this, Frehley had a small monitor to help on words for a few tracks. The band only played the album (which was 9 tracks) and no other songs were thrown into the set once the album was played in its entirety

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Blabbermouth

Peter Arquette | KISSasylum.com

Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley celebrated the 40th anniversary of his acclaimed solo debut by performing the album for the first time in its entirety on the final day of the New Jersey Kiss Expo 2018, which took place December 7-9 at the Hilton Parsippany in Parsippany, New Jersey.

His setlist was as follows:

01. Rip It Out
02. Speedin’ Back To My Baby
03. Snowblind
04. Ozone
05. What’s On Your Mind?
06. New York Groove
07. I’m In Need Of Love
08. Wiped-Out
09. Fractured Mirror

Other guests that appeared at the event included Lita Ford, Bobby Rock (VINNIE VINCENT INVASION, NELSON), Lydia Criss and artist Ken Kelly (“Destroyer”, “Love Gun”).

Co-produced with frequent KISS collaborator Eddie Kramer, “Ace Frehley” is widely hailed as the best of the four KISS solo albums released simultaneously in 1978. It peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 and outsold the solo efforts of his three bandmates.

Regarding how the decision to perform all of “Ace Frehley” came about, the guitarist told BUILD Series: “It came from the people putting the event together and some of the people who work for me. They all said it would be a great idea, and I said, ‘Yeah, I think it would be,’ so we’re going to make it happen.”

In addition to a trio of songs (“Snow Blind”, “Ozone”, “Wiped-Out”) that reflect Frehley‘s extracurricular interests at the time, the album includes a cover of HELLO‘s 1975 song “New York Groove”, which reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and remains a staple of the guitarist’s live performances today.

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NJkissexpo.com

NJkissexpo.com

Tickets and Info at www.njkissexpo.com

Brian Aberback | NorthJersey.com

“I’m playing the album because the fans asked for it,” Frehley said. “I love interacting with them. It’s a holiday gift for the fans but it’s also going to be fun for me.”

Each member of Kiss released a solo album on the same day 40 years ago this past September as a marketing tactic and to give them a chance to branch out on their own. Frehley’s album was a critical and commercial success, outselling those of singer-bassist Simmons, singer-guitarist Stanley and drummer Peter Criss.

The effort includes Frehley’s signature anthem, “New York Groove,” and standouts “Rip It Out,” “Snow Blind” and “Ozone.”

“I don’t think we’ve ever performed “Ozone,” “Fractured Mirror” or “Wiped-Out” live,” he said. “Now that I’ve decided to do this I’m probably going to put together a nice show in a small theater and record a DVD.”

Frehley’s latest solo effort, “Spaceman,” was released in October. The disc features the guitarist’s laid-back vocals, muscular riffs and blistering, melodic solos. Highlights include “Without You I’m Nothing,” with a guest bass spot by Simmons; the anthemic “Rockin’ With the Boys”; the Eddie Money cover “I Wanna Go Back”; and the autobiographical “Bronx Boy.”

“I think growing up in the Bronx gave me street smarts,” Frehley said. “The old saying, ‘if you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere’ isn’t that far-fetched.”

Frehley co-founded Kiss in 1973 and became known for his stage persona, the Spaceman, and his dramatic guitar solos replete with pyrotechnic displays. After leaving the group in 1982, Frehley released several solo albums.

He rejoined Kiss for its 1996 reunion tour and left the band again in 2002 to continue his solo career.

While Frehley’s relationship with his former band mates has been strained at times, they’ve reconnected in the past few years. In addition to Simmons performing on “Spaceman,” Stanley played on Frehley’s 2016 covers album, “Origins, Vol. 1.” In October, Frehley took the stage with Kiss on the band’s Kiss Kruise.

Yet Frehley doesn’t see himself participating in the band’s recently announced farewell tour.

“I haven’t been asked to do the tour and they’ve been promoting (current Kiss member) Tommy Thayer as the guitar player,” Frehley said. “Tommy has been pretty much copying everything I do for the last 15 years. Everybody tries to copy me, but there’s only one Ace Frehley.”

NJ Kiss Expo 2018 featuring Ace Frehley

When: 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, Dec. 7; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9. Frehley will perform his 1978 solo album in its entirety at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Where: Hilton Parsippany, 1 Hilton Court

Tickets: Various packages available

Info: njkissexpo.com

Jody Havenot

Michael Brandvold

Feyyaz Ustaer | Metal Head Zone

Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick spoke in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock and revealed the story of how he shared guitar solos with Ace Frehley and Tommy Thayer during the KISS’ reunion show.

As you know, two weeks ago, former KISS guitarists, Ace Frehley and Bruce Kulick, performed six songs with KISS after more than 20 years. You can watch the performances from below.

Here’s the statement:

“In the middle of the afternoon, on the day we boarded, I got a text from [drummer] Eric Singer: ‘Heads up, I think at the sail-away, something’s going to happen, and you’re going to play.’

On guitar selection, Bruce Kulick said:

Tommy uses those Chet Atkins acoustics. I’ve always owned one and I use them. So I went up to Tommy’s room, he had two guitars, one that definitely played better than the other.

I jokingly begged him, ‘Look, if you’re going to give me the majority of the lead guitar work for ‘Domino’ and ‘Hide Your Heart,’ give me the ‘A’ guitar — just hand it over onstage, it’ll look good.’”

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Jody Havenot

Sportskeeda

As the original lead guitarist of Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees KISS, Ace Frehley has proven to be one of rock’s most influential guitarists. After all, Frehley has been cited as a major influence on members of Weezer, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Pantera, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. Also of note is that Frehley has also managed to have the most successful solo career of any KISS member, past or present.

The latest studio effort from Ace Frehley is 2018’s Spaceman. Released by Entertainment One Music last month, Spaceman features two songs co-written with fellow KISS co-founder Gene Simmons. It also notably includes a cover of “I Wanna Go Back,” a song first recorded by Billy Satellite, which Eddie Money helped make a big hit in the 1980s.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Ace Frehley himself by phone, and below are some highlights from that chat. As he noted, he was coincidentally wearing a New York Yankees shirt that day. More on the Spaceman himself can be found online at www.acefrehley.com.

Your last album was 2 years ago, which means that you are pretty prolific. Have you already started thinking about making another album?

Ace Frehley: I’m already working on Origins, Vol. 2.

If it’s Origins, Vol. 2, does that mean it’s another covers album?

Ace Frehley: Yeah. The whole concept is we do songs from bands that influenced me in my formative years as a guitarist. I’m going to try to stay true to that concept.

Speaking of guitar, I read that you don’t play every day. Is that true?

Ace Frehley: Yeah, I haven’t picked up a guitar since I got home from tour. (laughs) My daughter’s correcting me. (laughs) I bought 3 guitars in pawn shops while I was on tour. When they got here, I pulled them out of the boxes and played them for 10 or 15 minutes. But I normally don’t play that much unless I have an idea. I don’t normally sing, I never do warm-up vocals, I just do it. Same thing when I perform live. A lot of shows I get there 5 or 10 minutes before I go on, I just get up there and do it. That’s the kind of guy I am.

What are some of the things you like to do every day or almost every day? That you’re passionate about?

Ace Frehley: Eat. (laughs) What I do every day? I eat, I drink coffee, run errands, you know. I like to drive my Bentley or my Jaguar around, computer stuff…

So you’re not a baseball guy? Continue reading →

Andrew Magnotta | Iheart.com

Singer Robert Fleischman will not take part in Vinnie Vincent‘s rescheduled comeback shows that were just moved from Memphis in December to Nashville on February 8 and 9.

Fleischman was the singer in the first iteration of the Vinnie Vincent Invasion from 1984 – 1986, Vincent’s first and most legitimate shot at parlaying his association with KISS into a free-standing career.

But Fleischman, who is also a former member of Journey, recently announced that he dropped out of the would-be reunion with Vincent after he started getting flashbacks to the end of his first tenure with the mercurial virtuoso guitarist.

“I think a lot of you know my history with Mr. Vincent [has] been a rollercoaster or two,” Fleischman wrote in a Facebook post.

He explained that “things were not feeling good on the business side…again” and that Vincent’s management made him a paltry offer. But that wasn’t all.

Fleischman also cited what he called “poor organization,” saying he was hardly in contact with anyone from Vincent’s team about the gigs since agreeing to take part. He wagged his finger at Vincent’s promoter for the way the Memphis shows were canceled earlier this month, noting that they had known “some time ago it wasn’t going to happen.”

He says he lost money by having to cancel his travel arrangements so soon before the shows, and he was also more than a little hurt to see he was apparently demoted on the new bill, which advertised drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Tony Franklin as being part of the “all star band. Fleischman noted that his name was relegated to “tiny little letters which would take a microscope to read.”

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Michael Brandvold

Daily Mail

Paul Stanley is joining his legendary band, KISS, on stage, in Australia in November, for their last hurrah, a farewell tour.

But the 66-year-old has confessed that the rock act’s high-octane tours aren’t as easy as they were when the boys began their career in the 1970s.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the guitarist said: ‘I’m 66. People half my age probably wish they were in the same shape.’

‘But there’s no beating the clock. You can’t. There are no 60-year-old footballers or basketball players or track runners. Your body can’t take that,’ he admitted.

The musician however promised that KISS are ‘more than a rock band’ and were still putting on a hell of a show.

‘At this point we are facing the inevitable and want to do it in the best way possible. We want to do it while we feel great as opposed to letting things deteriorate,’ he told the publication.

Joining Paul For this farewell tour will be singer Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

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DB | David Rice

“As far as I’m concerned every day is Veteran’s Day … every day,” said Gene Simmons, lead singer of the iconic rock band Kiss. Simmons spoke Sunday at the inaugural VetFest BeerBQue in Manhattan Beach, a fund-raiser for veterans organizations.

The event also raised money for scholarships in the names of Manhattan Beach public servants who died in the Route 91 shootings last October in Las Vegas –special education teacher Sandy Casey and police records technician Rachael Parker.

The event featured 24 different craft beers, a barbecue dinner and music by Yachty by Nature.

“I had no idea that Gene Simmons had such a connection to veterans,” said Ken Deemer, president of the Manhattan Beach Rotary Club, which set the event in motion. “What he said was very moving to me.”

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NJKISSexpo.com

Victor Stabin, artist for the KISS Unmasked album will be at the NJ KISS Expo the weekend of December 7,8 and 9, 2018. Victor will have a great display of all his artwork over the years and will be available to sign your Unmasked albums and posters.

Check out the vintage photo from his 1980 studio finishing up the original artwork for the album…unbelievable!

All tickets and info for the NJ KISS Expo 2018 is at www.njkissexpo.com

Makeup of an Army is a NEW web series made by KISS FANS about KISS FANS. How they discovered the band and how the band has influenced their lives.