75 years young!

Valentine approached Frehley to play on her record at her birthday party – not expecting him to actually show up at the studio

Kathy Valentine is best known as the Go-Go’s bassist, but her 2005 solo release, Light Years, showcased her versatility as a multi-instrumentalist with a strong songwriting-first mindset.

That album was bolstered by appearances from esteemed musicians like KISS guitarist Ace Frehley and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke – and in a new interview with Guitar World, Valentine has revealed how they got involved.

“Gilby is a friend since my early days in LA and is just a sweetheart. I adore him and his family. It felt safe to work with him, mutual respect and genuine friendship,” Valentine says.

“Ace was gentle and kind. I met him at a birthday party of mine he came to. He offered to play on my solo record, and I thought, ‘Sure, he’ll never show up.’

“But he did, and he was amazing. We recorded at Gilby’s studio. He came in and noodled some solo takes on Bad Choice, and after a few, Gilby and I looked at each other slack-jawed and said, ‘That’s it.’ He wanted to do more, so I said, ‘No, this is the one. Thank you.’”

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Bryan Adams has unveiled a video for his new song, War Machine.

Driven by a prominent bass riff, the rock stomper follows on from Rock And Roll Hell, which the Canadian musician released earlier in August.

Penned by Adams, long-time collaborator Jim Vallance, and KISS’ Gene Simmons originally for the glam-rock icons’ 1982 album ‘Creatures Of The Night’, the song’s anchoring groove formed from a bassline played to Adams by Simmons. Adams explained:

“Here are two songs I co-wrote when I was a 22-year-old struggling songwriter. I got a call out of the blue from producer Michael James Jackson to see if I would like to write for KISS, which I was thrilled to do, and these are a couple of the songs that were the result, written with both Gene Simmons and Jim Vallance.

“While sitting with the band, Gene played me this fantastic bass riff, which ended up being the backbone of War Machine. I was trying to think of a theme that could possibly match the riff and came up with the title. Seeing as the other song we’d written was about hell, War was the obvious theme to coincide with it.

“Rock And Roll Hell was actually Jim’s song that had been released a few years earlier with Bachman Turner Overdrive, and I suggested, that we re-write it for KISS. It’s incredible to think these themes are unfortunately still playing out for real in the world today, but I’m very grateful to the KISS guys for giving me the chance back then.”

On the accompanying War Machine video, he said: “I aimed to create something monumental for the War Machine video, and I’d been collaborating with CGI director Ben Ib on a peace-themed video entitled What If There Were No Sides At All. To contrast the peace message of that video, I proposed to Ben that we develop the War Machine video showcasing chaos and destruction. In the video, the tyrant that is leading the war ultimately faces consequences for his actions.”

Both tracks will feature on a 7″ double a-side single, released exclusively through the singer-songwriter’s webstore via his new independent label, Bad Records, on August 30, when War Machine will also be available on streaming platforms.

Adams released his most recent studio album, ‘So Happy It Hurts’, in 2022. In 2023, he put out a box set ‘Live At The Royal Albert Hall’, which captured his 2022 performances of classic albums ‘Cuts Like A Knife’, ‘Into The Fire’ and ‘Waking Up The Neighbours’ at the London venue.

He has a series of European dates in the diary for the autumn. Head here for details.

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Only 200 of these were made.  This book is amazing!  Awesome never before seen photos!

As you all know, Madison Square Garden is a worldwide legendary arena and a real sanctuary in New York City, which is also KISS’ hometown, where they played 16 times. “KISS DESTROYS MADISON SQUARE GARDEN 1977-2019” is the complete journey beginning with that first concert back in February 1977 until their last show in 2019, a little more than two years ago, on their farewell END OF THE ROAD tour.

It is an A4 size book that features more than 250 full-color pages and more than 1,000 pictures (many of them never before seen), as well as exclusive interviews, anecdotes, chronicles from fans who had the privilege to attend some of those concerts, tickets, concert posters, clippings from newspapers, articles from magazines, backstage passes, ALL facts that you can imagine about these 16 shows at New York City’s temple. All in all, a real jewel that all KISS fans will love.

Click here to order at KISSArmyWarehouse.com!

Bryan Adams is getting ready to drop a new video on Friday.

The rocker shared a tease of the clip on social media with the caption, “You better watch out…23rd August #warmachine,” revealing it’s a video for “War Machine,” his take on one of two songs he co-wrote in the ’80s with Jim Vallance and Gene Simmons for KISS.

The black-and-white tease shows Adams walking through a field holding a white flag with a peace sign, then cuts to scenes of a war-torn city. It ends with the words “War Machine” on the screen, followed by “Launching Soon 23.08.2024.”

Earlier in August, Adams dropped his version of the other song he co-wrote for KISS, “Rock and Roll Hell.” Both tracks appeared on KISS’ 1982 album, Creatures of the Night.

Adams’ versions will be released as a limited-edition double A-side 7-inch single on Aug. 30 and are available for preorder now at bryanadams.com.

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You wanted the best, you got the best! KISS legend and Rock & Brews co-founder Paul Stanley will be joining us for the Grand Opening of the NEW Rock & Rollers Slot Room Rock and Brews Casino Braman, Oklahoma on September 8.

KISS legend Gene Simmons and band performed a fundraising concert at the West Herr Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, NY on August 19.

Check out fan-filmed video below of KISS classic “Deuce” and a cover of the iconic Motörhead song “Ace Of Spades”:

Setlist:
“Deuce”
“War Machine”
“Are You Ready”
“I Love It Loud”
“Ace Of Spades”
“House Of Pain”
“Shout It Out Loud”
“Parasite”
“Cold Gin”
“Calling Dr. Love”
“Rock And Roll All Nite”

In a special ceremony held in front of City Hall on Sunday, August 18, Mayor Restaino of Niagara Falls and Mayor Austin Tylec of North Tonawanda presented Simmons with a “Key To The City” for both municipalities.

Additionally, Mayor Restaino announced that a downtown street in Niagara Falls will be named “Gene Simmons Boulevard” to acknowledge Simmons’ significant investment in the local business community.

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Episode 586. We want you to play along with us this week… KISS Albums Either You Love It or Hate It, Greatest Album of All Time, Overlooked Masterpiece, Mental Breakdown, Which Divides Fandom. Let’s hear from you!

Gene Simmons was recognized by city and other local and state officials in Niagara Falls for his contributions to the local business community.

Click to go to KISSArmyWarehouse.com!

Joel Hoekstra recalled how Ace Frehley once complimented his playing even though his guitar was turned off, naming it as the moment he “really understood” the KISS icon.

As the person who made the Starman persona as famous as it is and a guitarist who played licks as memorable as “Love Gun”, Ace Frehley’s rock ‘n’ roll legacy is indisputable, even though his personal history is marked by anecdotes which often sound quite out there. One such is Joel Hoekstra’s experience of jamming with the KISS legend, which took place at a rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia museum during the guitarist’s time in Night Ranger.

In a new interview with Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French on the “Jay Jay French connection podcast”, the Whitesnake & Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist recalled getting a rather unexpected compliment from Ace Frehley after the performance (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

“We had a situation where they wanted us to be the band, but have guests up. And one of them was Bun E. Carlos, one of them was George Lynch, and one of them was Ace. Ace came up there, and we were in this high-priced, small room. Everybody had to pay a lot of money to be there. It was all wood; [it was a] really loud room, and we had our amps really quiet.”

“Ace comes in and dimes it. Everything’s just on 10, and then he wouldn’t start until they jacked him up in the monitor. Like, the only thing you could hear was Ace. I mean, it was unbelievable, the rock star attitude of it all. I remember there were four of us up there, because Lynch stayed up, and Brad Gillis, of course. And those guys were over there trading, and you couldn’t hear anything. It was like a mosquito in a construction site.”

At that point, Hoekstra decided to simply tune out:

“I thought, ‘Why is anybody bothering right now?’ So, I just turned my guitar off, because I thought all I’m doing is contributing to the noise. Ace sounded great, actually. He played great, he had an amazing tone. But I just thought, ‘I’m going to do the right thing here and just turn my guitar off.’ And what was amazing about that, Ace came over to me after, and he complimented me on my playing.”

“He came over and he said, ‘Oh yeah, you did a really good job up there, you know.’ And I thought, ‘Man, my guitar was off, but, you know, thank you.’ But, yeah, I get it. That’s when I really understood Ace Frehley. He’s just a rock star. He’s larger than life, you know?”

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Although Kiss hit a rough patch popularity-wise in the US during the early ’80s, by 1984, they were back on track with their hit album “Animalize”, and headlining arenas. And for a stretch of dates supporting “Animalize” plus shows for their next album, “Asylum”, they invited ghoulish rockers W.A.S.P. to open.

However, during an interview with the Metal Voice, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes recalled some problems he experienced on the road with Kiss. And also, how he supposedly corrected them.

“Gene and Paul…I can’t stand those guys,” Holmes confessed (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “They are what my mom brought me up not to be. The reason why W.A.S.P. beat up on Kiss was because of Chris here, nobody else. Because I ran the sound with the sound guy. And when we first went out on tour, I was told we couldn’t get no subs, and only 80% of PA.”

“I said, ‘I’m not gonna tour like that. Find another guitar player. Because you can’t beat up on them.’ And then, finally, the deal was if we could have two lines of merchandising, then we get full sub and full 100% of the PA. We’d have our own mixing board. But then I said, ‘Yeah. I’ll do it then.’ But it was a big hassle when the management and Blackie [Lawless].”

Holmes then recalls how there were still hurdles to overcome when touring with Kiss. And according to the guitarist, W.A.S.P. may have been the bigger draw, if you are to use t-shirt sales as a gauge.

“And believe me, the first two weeks, our merchandising, we didn’t put out two lines. They put out every bit they could. And we were doing two to one on them. And then Gene and Paul found that out. Boy, I come in to soundcheck. My roadie goes, ‘Chris. Um, our gear will not get on the stage ’til the doors are open.'”

“I’m like, ‘So we don’t soundcheck?’ He goes, ‘No.’ And I go, ‘That’s alright.’ We had all of the safeguards, the PA guy and I, we had it all worked out. I’s just the way [it is]. It’s business. That’s business. The more they can hold you down, the more the better. And you know, touring and playing arena is big business, selling shirts.”

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The upcoming Ronald Reagan biopic Reagan stars noted Donald Trump supporter Dennis Quaid as the title character, and the cast includes Jon Voight, Kevin Sorbo, and Creed’s Scott Stapp (as Frank Sinatra). Directed by Sean McNamara, the film also boasts a soundtrack with some noteworthy names. The biggest of them is Bob Dylan, who recorded a cover of Cole Porter’s “Don’t Fence Me In” for the closing credits. Notably, Quaid is the third cousin of the late Gene Autry, who cut a popular version of “Don’t Fence Me In” in the 1940s.

“I was honored to have Bob join our film,” Quaid said according to Spin. “We gave him the freedom to do any song he wanted to do, whether an original or a cover, and he chose ‘Don’t Fence Me In.’ That was extra special since it was a song that Gene made famous. Bob is a great lover of the American Songbook and we were delighted with the way he delivered the song. He’s a national treasure and was the perfect addition to the film. Gene and Clint were also generous with their time and Tanya has been a friend of many years and I’m thrilled to have her song as well.”

Other contributors to the Reagan soundtrack include KISS’ Gene Simmons, who covered the 1930s torch song “Stormy Weather” for a scene featuring Reagan and wife Jane Wyman (played by Mena Suvari) in a nightclub, and country legend Clint Black, whose take on John Denver’s “Country Roads” appears in the film’s final scene. Tanya Tucker reportedly recorded a song for the movie too.

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Is there another band like Kiss? Their sound, image, and stage show remain as timeless as ever. Their recent announcement of a show performed by avatars only further cements people’s love for them and hammers home the band’s timelessness, as people worldwide will be travelling to see Kiss perform, even if it’s not the band playing.

A combination of make-up, music, eccentricity and pyro made for a band that people couldn’t get enough of. In fact, they weren’t a band; they were superheroes, borderline fictional in their magnitude. Black Sabbath once admitted that they regretted taking Kiss on tour because of how much of a difficult band they were to follow. They had such a strong idea of who they were and executed that idea so perfectly that they won over crowds better than anybody.

“Kiss was the first one to use pyro,” said Geezer Butler, recounting their tour together, “It was a completely new direction for people. People had to start thinking about stage production after Kiss. It was tough to follow them. We went on as just an ordinary band, no effects or anything, and everybody else still had their mouths wide open from seeing Kiss.”

Kiss’s show was so tight that it’s hard to imagine it being based on anybody. Given that they looked like fictional characters and presented themselves creatively and eccentrically, it was hard to imagine the idea came from anywhere other than the member’s heads. While some aspects of that will be true, Paul Stanley admits that there was a band they modelled themselves after.

“The Beatles, in many ways,” said Paul Stanley, before confirming what was important to Kiss was that they looked like a band, “Those ‘60s British groups all looked like real bands. No member of The Beatles could have fit into the Stones. No member of The Who could have been in the Dave Clark Five. You had unified images of those bands, and at the same time, there was an emphasis on the individual members.”

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NIAGARA FALLS — Over the past seven years, local business owners have forged a partnership with one of their childhood heroes.

Brothers John and Paul Janik, third generation owners of Johnnie Ryan Beverages, along with their business partner and longtime friend Chris Haick, have been fans of rock band KISS, and particularly bassist Gene Simmons, since they were in elementary school.

“I was five years old, six years old,” Paul said. “I loved Gene probably because of my background, just loving horror movies. I was always into the Classic Universal Monsters. I took to him even before he started explaining his influences.”

“I just like KISS because it was basically like living, breathing art,” John added.

Having met the band’s members on several occasions, it was one particular meeting at a 2017 comic convention in Cleveland, Ohio, that got Simmons and the brothers on the subject of the soda business. A few months later, Paul received an unexpected call from Simmons, on a Sunday afternoon.

After a series of follow-up emails and phone calls, the two sides blended their respective visions and MoneyBag Soda was born.

“We’ve been trying to market the product to people who are into specialty sodas, into non-alcoholic options for drinks, your foodies or people who just look for something different and something special and that’s kind of what the product is,” John said. “It’s natural flavor, sweetened with pure cane sugar and beautifully painted bottles.”

The following year, Simmons visited Niagara Falls for the first time to celebrate the launch of the product.

Simmons is returning to the city again on Sunday for an appearance with numerous local officials on Goat Island at Niagara Falls State Park.

Following a 1 p.m. press conference there, a presentation will take place at City Hall at 2 p.m. at which Mayor Robert Restaino and North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec will recognize Simmons with keys to their cities.

A portion of Main Street between Pine and Cedar avenues will also temporarily be renamed Gene Simmons Boulevard.

On Monday, Simmons and his band will perform at West Herr Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, with ticket proceeds going towards the theater’s expansion project. The show is Simmons’ only scheduled live performance in North America this year.

“Gene has really given up a lot of his time over the years to do promotional events like the one on Goat Island this Sunday,” John said.

“And what better way to celebrate that and to bring recognition to the area and then to have Gene Simmons come in,” Haick added.

Since the brothers last brought Simmons to the Cataract City to celebrate the launch of his product at a local 7-Eleven in 2018, they have been around the world with the fire-breathing, blood-spitting bassist.

The brothers and Haick joined Simmons in several cities on KISS’ lengthy End of the Road tour in an effort to promote the product and strike up business deals with national and international distributors.

John described hitting the road the Simmons as a great “learning experience.”

“It was interesting to see how all that came together for a big show like that and just how professional they were with us, with the fans and everything. So that was the coolest part,” John said.

“Gene and KISS for that matter were just so gracious…And there were times where Paul Stanley would come in as well,” Haick added.

In addition to international distribution, the product has garnered recognition from notable pop culture figures including Buddy Valastro of the TV series “Cake Boss,” American rapper Lil Xan and KISS frontman Paul Stanley.

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