Jody Havenot
Category Archives: KISS News
KISSmuseum.com is buying up collections this month in MI, IN, OH and PA
Vinnie Vincent to reunite with Gene Simmons next month in Nashville
Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock
Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent has booked his second and third public appearances since ending his long and seemingly self-imposed exile — and one of them will find him reuniting with his onetime bandmate Gene Simmons.
As previously reported, Vincent re-emerged recently for an appearance at the Atlanta Kiss Expo, where he fielded questions from fans and offered his side of the long, strange story that started with his meteoric rise as a short-lived member of Kiss and included a series of bizarre personal travails. Admitting that his private woes kept him sidelined for an extended period, Vincent assured attendees that he was still writing and recording — and he revealed a willingness to meet up with Simmons at the Nashville date on Simmons’ “Vault Experience” tour.
As Vincent said at the time, Simmons reached out to ask about including a song they wrote together, “I Wanna Live,” on the deluxe set that Simmons is personally delivering via a series of personal visits. Communication re-established, the two set aside long-standing differences, and they’ll both be on hand when Simmons makes his way to Nashville on April 14 — a reunion confirmed by an ad Simmons posted and Vincent shared on Facebook.
Three Sides of the Coin, episode 272 – Big John Harte former head of security for KISS shares his stories
Michael Brandvold
Paul Stanley Solo Tour 1989 book back in stock
The Paul Stanley Solo Tour 1989 book is now back in stock. Takes forever to get through customs from Spain, where it is printed, but we have a good batch of them now!
Podcast Rock City, episode 193 – Billy Davis, Merch, Sweet 32 and Andrew KISS
Jody Havenot
KISS Should Continue Without Original Members Says Paul Stanley
KISS Should Continue Without Original Members Says Paul Stanley was a top story on Thursday: KISS frontman Paul Stanley has once again shared his feelings that he would like the band to carry on in the future without any original members (he and Gene Simmons are the remaining founders).
It is not a new idea for the legendary band, at one point rumors surfaced that the group would stage a reality television series similar to American Idol to find the new members of the group.
Stanley made headlines recently by mentioning the idea again and then last week he was asked about it while making an appearance on the Los Angeles rock radio station KLOS. When asked about the idea, he responded, “I think so. I tell you, Eric’s been in the band 20-something years off and on, and Tommy’s been in 15 years. So the people who initially thought, ‘Well, it’s gotta be the original four guys,’ they’re already 50 percent wrong. I think that KISS is a concept, it’s an ideal, it’s a way of performing and giving to an audience, and that goes far beyond me.”
He adeded, “I’m a big fan of mine – I think I’m really good at what I do – but it doesn’t mean there’s not somebody else out there who can bring something to the band. Not a clone, not somebody copying me, but I was influenced by a lot of people, so there’s people out there who are influenced by me.”
New Collection at KISSmuseum.com
Rare footage of KISS in Germany 1985
Some super rare footage of KISS on the Animalize tour in Germany. Not only does the stage have the German KIZZ logo, but it’s also the old Dynasty Stage re-vamped with animal prints for 1985. The only footage of it’s kind known to exist!
Gene Simmons’s Inspiration for Calling Dr Love
Gene and Ace in St Louis for Gene Simmons Vault
Mike Brunn
Gene Simmons with Ace Frehley in St Louis
Jamie Lees | Riverfront Times
Gene Simmons Came to St. Louis and Charmed Us One-on-One
Posted By Jaime Lees on Mon, Feb 26, 2018 at 8:00 am
- photo by Jaime Lees
- Gene Simmons (right) performing with Kiss co-founder Ace Frehley
Who goes to a Gene Simmons event that costs $2,000 to attend? Are they weird rich guys? Are they mega fans? Are they average rockers just looking for some fun? There was only one way to find out.
Best-known as the flamboyant co-founder and bassist of classic rock mega-machine Kiss, Gene Simmons is also an unstoppable entrepreneur. He will proudly brand and sell any item, once famously licensing and releasing the Kiss Kasket.
His latest moneymaker is the Gene Simmons Vault Experience. Simmons is selling a mega box set that looks like a combination between a safe and a road case. It weighs 40 pounds and it contains hours of unreleased recordings. It also includes a little Simmons action figure and a massive book, among other things.
The event in St. Louis was hosted by Music Record Shop and held in the .ZACK building, where the shop is now located. Instead of taking place at the store, however, the Vault Experience was hosted at the shop’s luxury green room/event space, 303.
The day would include an extended town hall-style Q&A, a break for some fragrant Pappy’s Smokehouse barbecue and then an acoustic set where Simmons was joined by Ace Frehley. All throughout the day, Simmons served himself up for private meet-and-greets with fans, autographing their Kiss memorabilia.
- photo by Jaime Lees
- The stage with a $2,000 coffee table
But the good times started at the front door, where the friendliest staff you’ve ever met welcomed all 120 guests inside one by one, making each person feel special. They also happily answered every little question, keeping the energy high and the people excited. These kind of long events can easily slip into tedium, but the staff was not about to let that happen.
Upon arrival, guests were asked to sign a photo release form and were given what looked like a tour laminate. Then they all hung out together in the lobby, speaking enthusiastically about their love for Simmons and about Kiss Kruises and other fan events that they’ve attended. (Did you know the Kiss Kruise has a waiting list?)
It was here, at the very beginning, that it became clear who had shown up for the event. Yep, it was the Kiss Army. And they were in full unifo Continue reading
Podcast Rock City, episode 192 – Gene and Ace in St Louis!
Jody Havenot
Q & A with Paul Stanley of KISS
VACAVILLE — Paul Stanley, rhythm guitarist/singer/songwriter for the rock band KISS, made an appearance Tuesday in Vacaville at Rock & Brews, the chain of restaurants he, along with bandmate Gene Simmons and others, founded.
The purpose of Stanley’s appearance was twofold: to promote the rock-themed restaurant and to honor military members, 200 of whom were treated to a free luncheon.
Stanley’s career with KISS goes back more than four decades and includes selling more than 75 million records worldwide. In addition to his time spent touring while wearing the band’s iconic makeup and recording both band and solo albums, Stanley has indulged in other interests.
They include writing a memoir, performing on Broadway in the title role of “The Phantom of the Opera,” touring with Paul Stanley’s Soul Station, which plays classic Motown and other R & B hits, creating fine art paintings and working with an organization called About Face that helps children born with facial differences.
Stanley answered a few questions for the Daily Republic before the military luncheon Tuesday.
Q: Do you have any stories about how your music helped fans?
A: The stories are so numerous, it’s hard to pick one. I’m thankful the music can be an inspiration to them and something for them to hold on to. It’s great to hear people say I helped get through tough times – getting through school or through a death in the family. It’s always great to know you are an inspiration to people.
Q: Is there a song that you had a difficult time with, going from the original idea to finished song?
A: I don’t think most of my songs are that tough to create once I know what I want to do. Like in the case of “Rock and Roll All Nite” somebody brought up the idea that we should have an anthem. Once it was explained to me that it would be something that people could rally around and get behind, I went back to my hotel and came up with “I want to rock and roll all nite and party every day.” It kind of summed up what the band was about and what the fan experience was. I don’t labor over songs. I don’t just spit them out, either, but I don’t work them into the ground.
Q: How did you get involved with About Face?
A: I was born with virtually no ear on my right side and was on that side. I had it corrected in my 30s. I support any organization that helps people deal with facial differences. Whenever I meet children with difficulties, it’s always good to tell them that I may not walk in their shoes, but I’ve had similar dealings. It’s important to be realistic with children. Some parents sometimes think it’s better to tell a child they are just like everybody else, but they are not just like everybody else. So better to say life is tougher for some people than others, but it can have a really happy ending. You just have to struggle and you are not alone.
Q: What do you think about television music contest shows or YouTube sensations compared to how Kiss created an audience?
KISS trademarks the phrase, “The End of the Road”
Kiss have sparked retirement speculation after it was revealed they had launched an attempt to trademark the phrase “The End of the Road.”
As seen below, the United States Patent and Trademark Office received an application for the word mark on February 8. If successful, would mean only Kiss could use it in connection with “live performances by a musical band.”
The band have not confirmed any farewell tour plans, nor commented on this trademark attempt.
Kiss staged a farewell tour in 2000 after frontman Paul Stanley and bassist Gene Simmonsran out of patience with guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. Stanley said in his 2014 book Face The Music: A Life Exposed: “I was angry at Peter and Ace for being disrespectful toward everything we had accomplished and everything the fans were giving us. I bought into the idea that this really was it. The end of Kiss. There was no place to go.” That situation was resolved when Stanley and Simmons created a new lineup featuring guitarist Tommy Thayer and returning non-makeup era drummer Eric Singer to continue.
Both leading members have previously discussed the possibility of Kiss continuing into a new generation without any of the founders aboard. Last month Stanley said: “The thought of me not being involved certainly comes to mind. I’m not sure about the idea of Kiss coming to an end. We’ve built something that’s so iconic, and I think it transcends any of the members so I can certainly see me not being there, seriously.” He said of his reasons for wanting to bow out: “I don’t want to go leave home. I have a family and I have children and, honestly, I think my primary responsibility is to be a dad, and I don’t want to miss out on that. And certainly, as we got older, we know that life is finite and I pick and choose what I want to do at this point.”
PAUL STANLEY Disputes GENE SIMMONS’s Version Of How ‘It’s My Life’ Was Written
Paul Stanley has disputed Gene Simmons‘s explanation of how the song “It’s My Life” came together, insisting that he “wrote the title, chorus, chords, melody and lyric” to the track before Gene got involved and “wrote the rest.”
“It’s My Life” was originally demoed for KISS‘s 1982 album, “Creatures Of The Night”, but it did not make the final record. It was later re-recorded for 1998’s “Psycho Circus”, but once again found itself excluded from a KISS album for which it was recorded.
Gene‘s original demo version of “It’s My Life” is one of the tracks featured on his recently released, massive collection “Gene Simmons – The Vault Experience: 1966-2016”, which celebrates the KISS co-founder’s 50 years in music.
A different version of “It’s My Life” was included on “WOW”, the debut solo studio album by THE PLASMATICS singer Wendy O. Williams, which was produced by Simmons and released in 1984 by Passport Records.
While promoting “The Vault” box set, Simmons told the story of how “It’s My Life” came to be recorded by Williams. He said: “KISS had taken out THE PLASMATICS, featuring Wendy O. Williams on lead vocals. During one of the shows, Wendy came up and said that she wanted to do a solo record and would I like to produce her. And I said, ‘Sure. I think it’d be a great idea. But if I’m gonna produce you, I’m gonna decide everything. I’m gonna decide which songs you record, and if you don’t have the songwriting talent within the band, then I’ll get you the songs, or I’ll write some stuff for you. But the songs have to be first and foremost.'”
Podcast Rock City, episode 191 – Kulick Brothers perfect set!
Jody Havenot
Stump the Ace: Real or Fake KISS Products
KISS Songs Battle It Out In Online Tournament
Arlo Pepper
They say music is subjective, right? There is no right or wrong, just preferences. Don’t tell that to Kiss fans. With an obsessiveness rivaled only by Trekkies, soldiers of the Kiss Army have been known to spend countless hours arguing over the most minute of details. Old-school purists will sing the praises of 70’s staples like “Parasite” or “Shock Me”, while latter-day fans will strongly espouse the merits of “Hide Your Heart” or “Unholy”. Certainly there must be a way of once-and-for all settling the notion that not all Kiss songs are created equal?
That’s exactly what listeners of Pod of Thunder, the long-running Kiss related podcast are doing. For the next few months, diehard fans (affectionately known as “POTheads”) will be voting via Facebook on their favorite Kiss songs. They will be pitted against one another in a March Madness style single-elimination tournament until one song is crowned the all-time “Stone Kold Kiss Klassic” (SKKK).
Over the course of its 200-plus episode run, Pod of Thunder’s three hosts – Nick Jones, Andy Jones and Chris Lathrop – have hilariously critiqued and analyzed every song in the extensive Kiss catalog. Some have been declared real stinkers, but many have been elevated to the lofty status of SKKK. It’s these best-of-the-best songs that are competing against one another in a tournament dubbed “The SKKK Tournament of Champions”.
Ace Did Record With Kiss For the Killers and/or Creatures Albums, Maybe
Mark Strigl | Talking Rock
On a recent episode of the 3 Sides of the Coin show, former Kiss producer Michael James Jackson was asked about Ace Frehely’s involvement on both the Killers and the Creatures of the Night albums. He said “Ace did play. I don’t remember; It was along time ago, I don’t remember what he played on. We recorded him in New York.”
When asked if this was for the Killers, Creatures of the Night or both? His response was “I honestly don’t remember. It was a very long time ago.”
He is then asked if it is possible that Ace’s guitar playing may be part of the basic rhythm guitar parts on the Creatures Of the Night album to which he responds “yeah, yeah., I remember we recorded him at Electric Lady. I don’t remember whether it was on a track or several tracks for Killers or on Creatures.”
In the 2003 official Kiss book Behind the Mask, Michael James Jackson is quoted as saying Ace was not on the Creatures of the Night record. In the same book, Vinnie Vincent talks about meeting Ace at this time. Could this meeting have taken place in the studio while they were recording Creatures? Ace Frehley, of course, went on to appear on the album cover, in the promotional music video for the track “I Love It Loud” and also did some press for the record. Around this time Ace claims that Kiss was encouraging him to go and do solo records but also to stay on as a member of the band.
Why has Michael James Jackson’s recollection of Ace’s involvement with a Kiss at this time in history changed? Again, in the 2003 book, he says Ace was not on the Creatures record and now in 2018 he claims he did record guitar sessions with him for either Killers or Creatures. Could his account had been altered for the “official” Kiss book in 2003 or is he now remembering things differently? Thoughts? Let us known the comment section.
This post was written by Mark Strigl Continue reading