Gus Griesinger | Backstageaxxess.com

Gene Simmons has got his hands in everything from restaurants to record companies to now having a stake in a new partnership with John & Paul Janik of Rock Steady Sodas. The brothers company which is located in Niagara Falls, NY has partnered with Simmons to launch MoneyBag Sodas.  What a better way to get the word out than to have Simmons make an appearance (September 13) at the 7-Eleven on Hyde Park Boulevard in the Falls to promote the new line of sodas.  Simmons may have a lot of bravado, but when it comes to his fans and veterans, there a few (if any) who are better to show their sincere appreciation for both of them. Simmons and MoneyBag Soda teamed up with Veterans One Stop Center of WNY (WNY Veterans); for every person that came in and made a $20.00 donation,  they were given a 4 pack of MoneyBag Soda which Simmons autographed and posed for a photo with them. It was a great gesture by Simmons to not only get up close and personal with his fans, but to raise money for a cause that means so much to him; raising funds for veterans. The event ran beautifully. The Janik’s along with the staff at 7- Eleven put on an amazing event that about 400 people enjoyed. Everyone walked away with smiles on their faces and it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the fans or Simmons himself?

After the meet and greet was finished, BackstageAxxess were lucky enough to grab a short interview with the KISS legend. We of course focused the interview on both the MoneyBag Sodas along with his new book “27-The Legend and Mythology of the 27 Club,” which will be his first publication in a new series called “Simmons Books.” We also talked about his current solo band (Gene Simmons Band) which are getting rave reviews everywhere they play.  Lastly, we touched upon the news that KISS will be announcing a final tour that is slated for early next year. Let’s see what the Demon has to say…

Andrew Magnotta | iHeart.com

To be a fly on the wall during the next meeting between Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley would be … uncomfortable.

While Simmons and Stanley’s relationship has generally been characterized as that of “business partners” in KISS, it sure seems like a singer’s waning vocal cords would be off-limits for jokes — being that it affects his career.

Video posted to YouTube by fans who attended one of Simmons’ recent solo concerts in Australia, which featured Ace Frehley, shows the bassist calling “Bulls**t” on his fellow KISS co-founder before bringing some VIP fans on stage to sing “Rock and Roll All Nite.”

“We need some help though; we can’t sing the song by ourselves,” Simmons told the audience, before adding sarcastically. “‘Cause I’m 69 and I’ve lost my voice!”

What’s more, this wasn’t even the only time on this tour that Simmons called out Stanley — who, by the way, had surgery in 2011 to help fix “recurring vocal cord issues.”

“I’ll sing everything,” Simmons said in another video. “Because my voice always works! I don’t lose my voice. I don’t lose my voice…Paul Stanley.”

Continue reading →

Michael Brandvold

Episode 299, September 11, 2018. Jay Gilbert joins us to talk about photographing Ace Frehley for his new album Spaceman. Jay discusses getting the phone call to be the photographer, planning the photo session, in the studio with Ace, how the photos are a deliberate reference to Ace in 1978. Great stories!!

Jody Havenot

This week we finally do a show, and it’s a big one! We rank our top 20 Bruce Kulick solos, and also are joined by Ros Radley to talk about his book, and we also have the highlights of stuff we recorded in Nashville at the RocknPod Expo. Check it out!

Steve Baltin | Forbes

“I’m a big fan of not only diversity in my life, but urging other people to open those floodgates cause there’s so much out there,” Kiss frontman Paul Stanley says. That is very apparent as he sits down with me for the latest installment of Who I Am.

Taking us from discovering Beethoven, Elvis Presley, Pablo Picasso and the Beatles as a child to opening up about therapy and becoming a dad, Stanley goes into great detail about the artists and moments that made him the voice of one of the most successful rock outfits of all time.

He also explains the artists that made him an accomplished painter (Stanley will be doing gallery shows September 14 and 15 at Wentworth Gallery’s Washington DC locations, Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda on September 14 and Tysons Galleria on September 15).

From growing up in New York at age five to rock stardom and family man, this is Paul Stanley Who I Am.

Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto 5” (Age 5)

I was absolutely god smacked. To know that music could have that kind of power, although I was so young, the music had such heroic qualities to it and mammoth chords. To this day it’s some of the heaviest and most glorious melodies ever. So that really was my introduction to the gravitas that music could have and how emotive it could be. So at the core of music for me is Beethoven. I was very fortunate, my mom was born in Berlin and my dad was first generation here from Poland. In Europe the arts over there are part of your life and everyday living, so I grew up in a household  where music, fine art, theater were all parts of the food groups. I would have been malnourished without them.

Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran (Age 6)

Opening a door always leads to another door. I think that’s the beauty of life is that when we find something we like it will lead us to something else we like. So Elvis and Eddie Cochran led to Dion And The Belmonts, the Elegants and all the doo-wop, which led obviously to the Beatles. The songs that sang about teenage romance and this amazing fantasy life was something I aspired to early on. All I wanted to be when I was a little kid was a teenager because life sounded so romantic and so dramatic. I would say being introduced and exposed to some of the early rock became a path that I never left. While other kids were out playing cowboys and Indians I was watching American Bandstand and listening to Alan Freed.  I think in life the idea of diversity, whether it’s in food or music or art, is key. The more you ingest the more you can use as tools to create. Music has always been at my core, as has art.

Pablo Picasso (Age 6)

Seeing, as a child, Picasso’s art that certainly I didn’t understand and had trouble figuring out why someone would put two eyes on one side of the head or put the nose on the side. But the passion was what I understood. And art should be made from passion and elicit passion. So going from some of those more abstract Picasso pieces, with these incredible vibrant colors, I found my way to the “Blue Period,” which was eloquent and tranquil, or the “Rose Period.” And again it opened a door for me to Matisse and Foldism, where you’re not necessarily painting with colors that emulate a reality, but that elicit a feeling. So even up through Peter Max, as commercial as he may be, there are pieces of his that are just glorious in their color. And if there’s anything I’ve been inspired by it’s these artists and their fearless use and celebratory use of color. I find myself somewhere between them and being a punk impressionist. Where I am today is clearly based on all those influences. So I would say Picasso has been, from the beginning and to this day, a standard and inspiration. He described himself as an artist without a style. I’ll never be delusional to ever breathe that rarified air that he did, that idea of being free to express myself and travel through different styles is what I do and want to do. I’ve always believed in living my life without boundaries. And certainly not the ones other people set.

Franco Corelli At Metropolitan Opera House (Age 10)

Continue reading →

AMJM

Matt Porter

Michael Brandvold

Episode 298, September 4, 2018. It is has been reported that the next KISS tour will begin in January 2019 and last for three years. We ask the question… what does KISS need to do to hype this next tour? If this tour wants to approach the excitement levels of the reunion tour what needs to happen? To get the general public excited what can KISS do? New costumes? New stage? New setlist? Support acts? Ace Frehley? Peter Criss?

Bobmetallicabulldogs3life

KISSmuseum.com

An awesome mix of KISS shirts from all eras.

KISS T-Shirts at KISSmuseum.com

Blabbermouth

Founding KISS guitarist and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Ace Frehley filmed the official music video for his new single, “Rockin’ With The Boys”, on Saturday, August 18 at Motor City Muscle Music Festival in Detroit, Michigan. Fan-filmed video footage and photos can be found below.

“Rockin’ With The Boys” is the second song Frehley has made available from his forthcoming all-new “Spaceman” album, due October 19 via Entertainment One (eOne). Frehleypreviously released the track “Bronx Boy” in April.

“Spaceman”, Frehley‘s eighth solo LP, features nine new original tracks, including a cover of Eddie Money‘s “I Wanna Go Back”, a ripping power pop makeover of the original.

“No need to worry, I’ll be home soon, ’cause I’m rockin’ with the boys,” Frehley sings on “Rockin’ With the Boys”, which tells the tales of life on the road. Ace says he wrote the original version of the song back in KISS‘s heyday in the ’70s. Both “Rockin With The Boys”and “Bronx Boys” are available on all streaming platforms today, and are iTunes instant-grat tracks for fans who preorder the album.

Continue reading →

Fielding Buck | The Press Enterprise

A handful of travelers flying out of Ontario International Airport on Wednesday got to see something people don’t usually see once they pass TSA screening: a rock star smashing a guitar.

Paul Stanley of Kiss did the honors with bandmate Gene Simmons looking on.

The occasion was a “christening” of their Rock & Brews restaurant and other eateries in the airport’s Terminal 4.

“There’s an art to breaking a guitar. Before you do this, call your chiropractor,” Stanley said before he slammed the guitar against cinder blocks draped in black cloth. It took him two swings to separate the body from the neck.

Airport president Alan Wapner got his own axe to demolish and got it on his first try.

Airport officials and Inland leaders were on hand to get selfies with the rock stars and with Simmons and Stanley have made several trips to the Inland Empire in the last couple of years to promote Rock & Brews, which is also in San Manuel Casino in Highland, Rancho Cucamonga, and Corona.

Michael Brandvold

Jody Havenot

Matt Porter

HLN

Michael Brandvold

It is the Summer of Ace Frehley at Three Sides of the Coin and we are keeping the summer exciting by giving away three Ace Frehley Ultimate Vinyl Bundles! It is easy to enter, just head over to www.threesidesofthecoin.com/contest/ and enter your email address, that’s it, done!