Jody Havenot

Rolling Stone

Ace Frehley proclaims himself a “street kid” on “Bronx Boy,” the gritty first single from his upcoming eighth studio album, due out this summer. “Bronx boy, just trying to exist/ I never played with toys, don’t give me bullshit,” he snarls over a raw hard rock riff and squealing guitar solos.

The former Kiss guitarist has yet to detail the release date or title of his next LP, which follows 2014’s Space Invader and the 2016 covers record Origins, Vol. 1. Frehley revealed one tantalizing detail about the album last year: he co-wrote two new tracks with ex-bandmate Gene Simmons. The collaboration originated after Frehley reached out to the bassist through e-mail, and they wound up with the songs within three hours of jamming at the guitarist’s house in Ranco Santa Fe, California.

“We initially each picked up an acoustic guitar,” Frehley told DJ Eddie Trunk, according to Blabbermouth. “I don’t remember who came up with the beginning of the song. One guy plays one thing and then I play another thing. I think Gene actually came up with more ideas than I did and I just kind of complemented them. And then I started writing lyrics for a song title, which I don’t wanna give away yet. And then we kind of took a break and then he started playing this bassline and he said, ‘Ace, play these thee chords against it,’ and within thirty minutes we had a second song. I was really pleased, and so was he.” Continue reading →

Mitch Lafon

Listen to Queensrÿche’s Todd La Torre, former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent and April Wine’s Myles Goodwyn plus co-host Bill Leverty of Firehouse on this episode of Westwood’s One’s Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon

Daily News

Kiss front man Paul Stanley doesn’t regret his bacchanalian days with groupies in the ’70s one bit.

“It was an amazing, amazing part of my life and I enjoyed every moment,” he told Confidential. “I savored every moment and I remember most of those moments. Nobody got hurt and everybody was happy. It was interestingly, I have to say, all fairly innocent. What was so great was the lack of possessiveness and that everybody was having a good time.”

Now the Queens-raised rock star, 66, is happily married to second wife Erin Sutton and are parents to three small children. (Stanley also has an adult son from a previous marriage.) The singer says anyone who gets caught up in a rock style life is “pathetic.”

Stanley — real name Stanley Bert Eisen — is also an accomplished painter who describes his paintings as “celebrations of color, and color is an affirmation of life. I tend to be a very positive and appreciative person of life and everything you can attain with work. I tend to see my paintings as a celebration of that point of view.”

Continue reading →

Jody Havenot

KISSmuseum.com

We’ve posted another good-sized collection for sale for the end of April. Most are single items, so grab them while you can…

New Private KISS Collection at KISSmuseum.com

Something Else Reviews

Coming together in January 1973, Kiss made it clear right from the start their main motive was to be the biggest band in the world. Such a lofty goal was ultimately achieved, triggered by the September 1975 release of Alive!The New York City band’s fourth album wound up selling something like a bazillion copies.

Gene Simmons (bass, vocals), Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar, vocals), Ace Frehley (lead guitarist, vocals) and Peter Criss (drums, vocals) may not have been the greatest musicians on the scene, but their passion, energy and imagination certainly compensated for what they lacked in technical proficiency.

Adding a gimmicky flare to the mix, Kiss attired themselves in face paint and radical rags. Suited and booted in stacked heels, Gene took on the role of a demonic comic-book character, while Paul masked himself as a sensual Starman, Ace was a Spaceman, and Peter appropriated a feline look. Accompanying the band’s elaborate visuals was an equally animated stage show that involved Gene breathing fire and spitting blood amid exploding smoke bombs.

I realize I am probably in the minority, but Rock and Roll Over is my very favorite Kiss album. Arriving at the height of the band’s phenomenal success, this record was a refreshing return to the quartet’s rawboned roots. The previous album, Destroyer, was slickly produced and spawned a huge hit in the spring of 1976 with “Beth” – an orchestrated ballad more aligned with a Barry Manilow missive than the thumping hard rock Kiss was known for. Many original fans were turned off by the refined bent of that album, which simultaneously attracted a whole new audience.

Continue reading →

The Finger Files

One of the most endearing parts of my career has been the ability to exposed new and unsung talent. Between Fingers Metal Shop and WBAB Homegrown I have had the opportunity to turn listeners and live music fans onto talent form far and wide as well as our own backyard.  So it’s nice to see when others including artists give an unknown a shot. As is the case in this video.

At a recent show Foo Fighters front-man Dave Grohl brings up a guy with Gene Simmons makeup on. He then gives him his guitar and the band breaks into “Monkey Wrench”. The look on Dave’s face and subsequent reactions say it all. Watch and enjoy the love of music and performing in this spontaneous moment. Kudos Dave and Horns Up to “Kiss Guy” AKA Yayo Sanchez.

Matt Porter

Michael Brandvold

Pop Culture

KISS won’t be going on a farewell tour anytime soon, Gene Simmonsassures, but fans of the iconic rock band have a different kind of tour to look forward to.

The co-founder of KISS told PopCulture.com exclusively that there are no plans for a reunion tour, but he is right now traveling the world hand delivering his brand new box set, “Gene Simmons – The Vault Experience: 1966-2016.”

An imposing 3 feet tall and with 167 previously unreleased songs spanning 50 years, The Vault is both literally and figuratively, the “largest of all time.”

“If you started playing 167 tunes that were never released and didn’t take a poopy break, you would be listening to from 10 to 11 hours straight,” he told PopCulture.

Never-before-heard songs featuring Bob Dylan, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Eddie Van Halen and many more are included in the box set, along with a book of his own private pictures and a piece of KISS memorabilia from his private collection. Oh, and did he mention he’s hand delivering these massive treasure chests to fans?

“When I was a kid, neither The Beatles or Elvis Presley ever walked up to me and said, ‘Gene, thanks so much for making my life possible, so check out my new record,'” Simmons told PopCulture of delivering the box sets by hand. “It’s my bucket list, because I’m the luckiest son of a b— who ever walked the planet.”

He continued: “I came to America when I was 8 1/2 years old, I couldn’t speak English or anything, and I never imagined America would embrace me and allow me to scale the heights.”

Continue reading →

Jody Havenot

KISSmuseum.com

Just released this week – the new KISS Unmasked Coaster-puzzle set. Good, sturdy construction in great packaging.

Available now at KISSmuseum.com

Mike Brunn

Cassius Morris

Big John Harte, protector of Rock Gods: KISS, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Prince and more, calls in to The Cassius Morris Show for a career interview of epic proportions. When it comes to celebrity bodyguards, few fill the heart and imagination like Big John. The now-classic images of this hulking wrestler-like mustachioed man with his giant hands shielding an unmasked KISS member are indelibly etched into your brain.

KISSmuseum.com

Both the 8 and 12 inch versions of the KISS Dynasty figures are NOW IN STOCK at KISSmuseum.com. Order today, we ship TOMORROW, guaranteed!

See the new KISS 2018 Dynasty figures at KISSmuseum.com

Michael Brandvold

Episode 277, April 10, 2018. What a show this week! The highlight is our interview with Vinnie Vincent at the 2018 Spooky Empire in Orlando, FL. We talk about the first time he met Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. His memories of the Creatures of the Night tour in Brazil. When work first started on the Lick It Up album and of course… Did Vinnie Vincent Save KISS? Also stopping by our table at Spooky Empire was Jay Jay French from Twisted Sister and Slim Jim Phantom from The Stray Cats. We wrap things up with Petey, the man behind Spooky Empire. Do not miss this episode!

Hollywood Life

Gene Simmons, the legendary Kiss co-founder & now Chief Evangelical Officer for the cannabis company, Invictus, tells HollywoodLife why women rule, how he willed himself to rock star success & more!

Gene Simmons, 68, not only believes women are a higher life form than men, he also thinks that they could stop all future wars altogether! In an EXCLUSIVE interview on the HollywoodLife.com podcast, while he was in NYC delivering his $2,000 Vault Experience, which includes an actual vaultthat contains 50 years of unreleased music and more, to fans, the rock legend sang his amazing wife Shannon Tweed‘s praises. He revealed, “Women do all the work and continue to do all the work,” Gene said. “Men will run out on their families, and mothers won’t.” While opening up about how his father left his family, when he was just 6 and a half years old, the Kiss lead singer made the point that women would never let you down like that. “We don’t deserve you,” he continued. “You’re a higher form of life, and I’m not saying this as sort of a popcorn fart, sugar-coated comment. You understand the important things in life, family. You give birth for God’s sake. We do nothing. We just work, literally. Well, we can build a house and we can do this, we can do that. You actually make life out of nothing, and you carry it for nine months and then when it’s born, you’re there forever with the children.”