New York, NY: May 31, 2012: Ace Frehley has announced four Summer tour dates as well as a three-day appearance at the Days of the Dead event in Indianapolis, IN. The dates are as follows:

July 6: Indianapolis, IN, Days of the Dead Signing
July 7: Indianapolis, IN, Days of the Dead Signing
July 8: Indianapolis, IN, Days of the Dead Signing
July 11: New York, NY, Best Buy Theater (Tix on sale Saturday)
July 13: Jackson, MI, Jackson County Fairgrounds, Thrills in the Irish Hills, (w/Ted Nugent)
July 27: Detroit, MI, GM Renaissance Center, Rockin’ on the Riverfront
August 4: Greenville, WI, Greenville Lions Park (w/Sammy Hagar)

Ace VIP meet and greet packages will soon be offered. Stay tuned to AceFrehley.com for details.

Lassegretland and KISSonline.com

Bruce Kulick

To celebrate the 20  year anniversary of Revenge, all this week I’ll be doing a look back at the album, including my thoughts about each track. Revenge marked the return of KISS in what I consider to be top form. Not that previous albums I was involved in didn’t have highlighs and memorable sons and performances, but Revenge was truly mena to be just that…

– Bruce Kulick

Read Bruce’s brilliant in-depth, track-by-track take on the Revenge album HERE.

Chicago KISS Expo

KISSARMY joins together on Saturday June 9^th 2012 celebrating the KISS/MOTLEYCRUE Tour. School is out for the summer so bring the kids for a fun filled day of KISSTERIA! KISS vendors from all over the Midwest will be on hand with vintage and new KISS merchandise. The Gene Simmons Family Jewels Bus will be on site along with an autographed Gene Simmons Bass that will be up for raffle. Dress up like your favorite KISS member to win The KISS costume contest. Hold on to your seats—KISS fans because the hottest KISS tribute Band in the land “PSYCHO CIRCUS” is playing 2 sets of KISS KLASSIC tunes! KISSONLINE will be attending with Webmaster Keith Leroux along with Paul Hayeland promotional manager for the Gene Simmons Axe Bass Company. “THE KAT”, 105.5 with Freak and the Southland Animals will be there. Prizes, giveaways and much much more! Doors open at NOON-8:00 P.M. It will be held @ The Holiday Inn Joliet IL, 114 S. Larkin Ave. Get your tickets in advance for this fun filled event.

Dave Lifton | Ultimate Classic Rock

The eighth season of ‘Gene Simmons Family Jewels’ kicked off with flames tonight (May 28) on the A&E Network, as the Demon’s new wife, Shannon Tweed, set his prized photo collection of previous sexual conquests on fire.

The episode centered on Simmons and Tweed adjusting to their new life as a married couple. In the opening scene, the couple are in one-on-one sessions with their therapist, Dr. Ann Wexler. Simmons tells her that married life is “wonderful.” Tweed says that Simmons is acting differently, but still has a lot to learn. She still doesn’t trust her new husband, even though he is making strides, which Gene admits is a struggle. “There are cloudy days and there are sunshine days, but every day is a good day,” he says.

Following the session, the Simmons family, including their children, Nick and Sophie, discuss the changes in their relationship, with Nick and Sophie describing their parents’ sex life in awkward detail. Still, their public displays of affection surprises Nick, who makes several smart-aleck remarks about how they’re behaving in the reverse of other couples, who begin hating each other after the marriage.

Simmons brings in a giant blow-up of the photo of the family at their wedding, much to the surprise of the other three. Although they are happy that Gene is showing a commitment to the family like never before, the size of the photo is embarrassing to them and Shannon says that it will not be displayed in the house.

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Mechele Dillard | Huliq

When parents grow older, their children grow older, as well. And, many parents—tho’ they love their children with all their hearts—cannot wait until that day when their kids are grown, hopefully self-sufficient and, one assumes, on their own. Some parents, however, find that they have “empty nest syndrome,” and start to crave the company of another child.

But, what if only one parent of two wants another child at this late stage of the game?

Gene and Shannon Simmons, formerly “happily unmarried” pair on the hit A&E reality show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, are facing this dilemma: Shannon wants to adopt, Gene has no desire for more children. With such a serious disagreement, who is “right?”

It seems that this is something where there is no “right” answer—it’s just tough. But, someone has to give in, someone has to compromise—and they both have to ultimately be happy.

It is nice, sweet, that Shannon feels she has so much to give to a child—and, on the surface it seems that it is true. But, is it fair to bring a child into an environment of outright hostility to the idea?

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Simply Uneak | Celebrity Dirty Laundry

Gene Simmons and his unconventional family are back tonight with their seventh season of “Family Jewels”. Last year just so happened to be their most successful season ever with 1.8 million viewers; so it’s not so surprised that A&E would bring them back for another year.  Last season Gene married Shannon Tweed, the couple had been together for 28 years.

This season promises to be one of the most explosive ever and it begins with Gene and Shannon tell Nick that it is time for him to “fly the coup” and give him all the money he has earned (which is no small chunk of change), then they tell him he is cut off and on his own from now on.

With the kids finally leaving, Gene and Shannon went away for the weekend and the reality hit in when they returned and nobody was there.  This gives Shannon an idea, she wants to adopt a baby! Not only is Gene against this idea, but so are Nick and Sophie. But, it looks like the “KISS” frontman caves in and gives Shannon what she wants. This adoption causes more harm than good when for the first time in her life, Sophie is going to be at odds with her mother.

Meanwhile, Nick is striving to learn from his father’s good qualities, but can’t avoid the bad ones.

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Steve Newton | Straight.com

When Nick Tweed-Simmons comes to Metro Vancouver—as he will this Friday (June 1) for a concert at the River Rock Show Theatre with his little sister Sophie—things are quite different than they are in his Hollywood hometown. For one thing, as he explained to me in a phone call last week, people get a lot more excited about seeing the costar of Gene Simmons Family Jewels here than they do in Tinseltown.

“We can walk around at night and sneak by,” says the 23-year-old son of rock god Simmons and actress-model Shannon Tweed, “but sometimes we do get swamped, and I’m not quite used to it, actually. ‘Cause I didn’t think that would be the case. I mean, I don’t watch reality TV myself. I do this for a living because it was offered to me at a young age and I enjoy being financially independent, so that was my reason for doing it. But I didn’t think anyone would actually give a fuck about the show, because I do not care about my musical heroes’ family members, you know what I mean?

“Like if I saw Jimmy Page’s nephew, I don’t think I would care,” he adds, “but if I sawhim I would freak out, of course, because he’s the one who made the music that I connect to.”

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Sheila Reynolds | Cloverdalereporter

The kids of KISS frontman Gene Simmons and former Playboy playmate Shannon Tweed are making a special appearance in Surrey next weekend.

Sophie and Nick Tweed-Simmons, who star alongside their parents in A&E’s television series Gene Simmons Family Jewels, will be at Fraser Downs Racetrack and Casino on June 3.

The pair plans to enjoy a day at the races and host a public meet-and-greet that’s scheduled to start at about 2:30 p.m.

Sophie and her parents were in town earlier this year for the opening of Sophie’s Place, the region’s first multidisciplinary child protection centre for kids who have been abused. The centre was named after Sophie when she got involved in the project after meeting with Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts.

Sophie and Nick will be performing at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond on June 1, singing standards such as Etta James’ “At Last” and Dean Martin’s “Sway” as well as some blues and jazz numbers.

Fraser Downs Racetrack and Casino is located at 17755 60 Ave. in Cloverdale.

Military Times

There’s the U.S. Army and there’s the KISS Army.

One is a branch of the United States military while the other is the fan club of the legendary rock band that first rose to prominence in the 1970s.

A veteran of both armies, Paul Jordan can look forward to spending time with the band as a roadie on its 44-city tour with Mötley Crüe.

A lifelong fan, Jordan beat out more than 1,900 other hopefuls who applied for the job as part of the Hiring Our Heroes program. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and NBC News kicked off the initiative in March to help veterans and military spouses find employment.

KISS was one of the organizations that signed up for the program. Bassist and singer Gene Simmons broke the news to Jordan during an appearance on the Today Show on May 23. Jordan served more than 27 years in the Army, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan three times.

Jordan, who will be a carpenter on the tour, shared his experience of looking for work during the Today Show appearance:

“Since I retired, I’ve had a really hard time trying to find a job,” Paul told the Today anchors. “It’s tough for veterans out there sometimes.” He called the KISS roadie job a “dream come true. I’ve always wanted to be involved with KISS somehow … This is incredible!”

The goal of Hiring Our Heroes is to have the business community commit to hiring 500,000 veterans by the end of 2014. To date, the campaign has received more than 181,000 commitments.

Anna Chan | The Clicker

KISS rocker Gene Simmons and longtime love Shannon Tweed finally tied the knot in October after 28 years together, and as the new season of their reality show “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” kicks off, it appears the pair’s honeymoon period may already be over.

In an exclusive clip of the premiere episode A&E shared with TODAY.com, Shannon discovers a set of mysterious looking keys and confronts Gene. When her new hubby asks her to sit down, she knows it’s bad news. “It’s a ‘Please sit down’ key? Great,” she mutters.

It seems the rock star has quite a collection of “pretty graphic” photos in a safety deposit box, and is a bit hesitant to destroy them. Check it out:

Naughty photos aren’t all that the newlyweds will deal with in the new season. A trailer for the reality show reveals that Shannon wants to adopt a baby now that her kids with Gene are grown, and the rest of the family isn’t exactly supportive of the idea. Viewers will also see son Nick get cut off financially, and Gene go on tour as a married man.

Want to learn more about the new season? Tune in to TODAY with Kathie Lee and Hoda Wednesday as Gene and Shannon dish on the new season of “Family Jewels.”

The new season premieres Monday, May 28, with a special one-hour episode at 9 p.m. on A&E.

KISSasylum

Our good friend Tony Confessore, better know as C.C. Banana, passed away today at his home in New Jersey due to an apparent suicide. He was 43.

Tony incorporated his love of KISS into much of his professional comedic work, including the KISS tribute CD “KISS My Ankh“, a Tribute to Vinnie Vincent, which he produced and performed on with his own irreverent version of the KISS classic, “Unholy”. One of his more brilliant pieces was his 20 Questions with Eric Singer which was conducted live on-stage at a KISS Expo in 2007. He had many personas, the most well-know among KISS fans being the Ace Peeley banana character as well as a his more elaborate Maul Stanley – an incarnation of Paul Stanley and Darth Maul from the Star Wars Episode 1 movie. More recently, Tony appeared as AJ the Clown at the 2011 New Jersey KISS Expo where he entertained and lent himself to face painting for all the children attending the event.

Halloween 2006 in NYC

Tony posted his final goodbye from his Facebook last night:
Xanadu has been breached, my friends. Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the vultures and jackals. No more past. No more future. Both have been taken away…. If only those who knew less didn’t always think they knew better. It took just one year of Hell to undo a lifetime of hope. I am too lost to be found and too broken to be fixed. Let the Monday morning quarterbacking begin. – Anthony John Confessore 

Tony was the victim of long-time financial problems and the stress apparently had taken it’s toll on him. He was loved by many and will be missed as much.

Amy Sciarretto | Ultimate Classic Rock

Original Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley took the stage on Tuesday (May 15) to perform his former band’s classic song ‘Black Diamond’ with Flight to Mars, a UFO cover band lead by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready.

It’s certainly a cool “WTF?” moment. The only thing more unusual than the idea of a UFO tribute band featuring a grunge rock millionaire covering a Kiss song would have been if Frehley appeared on stage in full Kiss regalia: makeup, boots and more!

That said, we’ve gotta throw props to McCready and to the more casually attired Frehley, who turn in a pretty kicking rendition of the song, performing on the tiny stage of the Casbah in San Diego, Calif. (Editor’s note: How is it that nobody ever thinks to cover ‘Back in the USSR‘ from the Beatles there? The place is right at the end of the airport runway, you get the necessary introductory plane sounds every 30 minutes.)

Flight to Mars are on tour through May 23, with proceeds benefit Camp Oasis for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s and Advocacy for Patients With Chronic Illness. McCready suffers from Cohn’s, so it’s a cause that means quite a bit to him.

Tim McPhate | kissfaq

KF: Lydia, I have to ask the obligatory “Beth” question. “Beth” is a song that generates much debate among KISS fans. Before its release, “Destroyer” was hovering around the million mark but seemed to have stalled. If “Beth” was never released as a single, what would have happened?

LC: They had already gone gold on “Alive!” I’m not really sure … but I know Gene and Paul [didn’t] want the song on the album. I think it was Bill Aucoin who really pushed for it.

When we were going to Japan, we were at the airport. We had a long wait at Kennedy [International Airport] before we got on the flight. And I looked over to Gene and I was thanking everyone in the band for making it possible for me to go to Japan. And I said to Gene, “I really want to thank you for making it possible for me to go to Japan.” And he said, “Don’t thank me. Thank ‘Beth’ — it made it possible for all of us to go to Japan.”

KF: I’m not sure if you’re aware but KISS have been playing “Beth” in concert with Eric Singer singing. What do you think of that?

LC: I’ve seen them do it on YouTube. I think it’s kind of strange because he’s standing instead of sitting and the guys are playing guitars in the background?

KF: Yes, acoustic guitars.

LC: I’m not that crazy about it. I guess I’m so used to the way Peter sang it.

KF: Of course, Eric Carr recorded it.

LC: Eric Carr did a good job.

KF: So you liked Eric Carr’s version?

LC: I was shocked when I first heard it. When I saw him at the Hot In The Shade party, I was talking to one of my girlfriends. He walked by, and I said, “Eric come here.” And I asked, “When you sang Beth, did you think of me?” And he said, “Of course, I did!” And I said, “That’s a great answer.” He was such a sweetheart. And I really did like the way he sang it.

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Chicago KISS Expo

RockCamp.com

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas or so they say! Celebrating our 15th anniversary, Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp is proud to announce the next installment of our highly successful music-magic experience taking place in sin city this coming Fall. Headlining the October camp at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will be co-founder and bassist for KISS and the face of A&E’s “Gene Simmons Family Jewels”– iconic rock god and media mogul Gene Simmons.

“I can’t think of a better way to kick off our next installment of Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas with none other than rock god Gene Simmons,” says Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp founder David Fishof.

“I can’t wait to reveal the secrets of becoming a rock star,” says Gene Simmons. “Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp is a grueling, military style musical training process. And I’m just the guy to be your Sergeant. Now, drop and give me twenty.”

Kicking off October 10th and culminating October 14th Gene Simmons will jam with campers of all talent levels providing them a taste of what it’s like to live the “rock and roll” lifestyle and a memory that will last a lifetime. The camp will host special rock stars including Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne guitarist, Black Label Society), Vince Neil (Motley Crue), and Sebastian Bach (Skid Row).

The rock camps allow music fans a chance to jam nightly with legendary rock stars, write and record an original song and perform live on stage in front of family and friends. Campers have the option of purchasing a three-day rock star package or five day headliner experience. Both packages will cover hotel accommodations, breakfast/lunch, daily classes and jam session, opening night dinner and cocktail party as well as a DVD copy of the final concert performance. To celebrate the camp’s culmination on October 14th, campers will jam at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas during a live concert.

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Jason Miller | Busineess 2 Community

With over 100 million albums sold worldwide, KISS is arguably one of the biggest and most successful bands on the planet. Led by the marketing genius that is Gene Simmons, they continue to reach new audiences while engaging lifelong fans. Gene Simmons may be best known as the fire-breathing, bass playing demon in one of the most influential rock bands in history, but he can also teach us a thing or two about content marketing.

KISS is a rock n’ roll band, but it is also a business and Gene Simmons is the CEO. Gene has showcased his entrepreneurial expertise through interviews with such influential publications such as Forbes and Business Week just to name a few.

Below are five business quotes from Gene that translate into great advice for B2B marketing professionals looking to build or improve their current content marketing strategy.

1) “We need the people to like what we do. The more they like us, the more they will buy.” Producing quality content that adds value, solves problems, is consistent, and entertains can have a humanizing effect making your business more likeable. Likeable content translates to likeable business and of course more adoring fans that are much more likely to buy your product.

2) “The most important thing is to use the right language.” When creating content for your business, you have to understand your target audience. What topics are relevant to them and what their pain points are. Monitor the conversations that are taking place in the social world then write your content addressing hot topics and providing solutions to their problems.

3) “If you want to hit the bull’s eye you should do it with a bomb instead of a bullet.” Having a solid inbound marketing strategy behind your content is important to get the maximum reach. It allows you to canvas a much larger online presence and boosts the likelihood of your content being found.

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Jon Stickler | Stereo Board

It looks as though the rumors about KISS performing in the UK this summer are getting stronger and stronger after Tommy Thayer revealed the band will be in London in July promoting a new ‘Monster’ book.

Last month Stereoboard reported news that KISS were “in negotiations to play at the London HMV Forum on July 4th” after the Knebworth Sonisphere Festival, which they were due to headline, was cancelled.

Today KISS news site deucenews.com has revealed that while at the Indy KISS Expo, Kiss lead guitarist Tommy Thayer confirmed the band will be in London during the first week of July promoting the ‘Monster’ book. This of course means that the possibility of KISS performing at London’s HMV Forum on July 4th is getting more and more.

Such news fuels speculation following Gene Simmons’ recent revelation that: “KISS and Motley Crue tour starts in July. And before then KISS will be in Europe for a festival or two.”

KISS ‘Monster’ book will be released with 15 different covers, each of them with 15 different country flags.

Mother Nature Network

Links-loving stars turned out for the 5th Annual George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting the George Lopez Foundation to raise funds and awareness for kidney disease and organ donation. Held at the Lakeside Country Club, the event raised $500,000 for the cause. “It goes to send kids to camp and help people who are sick and may need a kidney and also may need information. It’s nice to see it get bigger every year,” said Lopez, himself a kidney recipient, who regularly donates a portion of his concert proceeds to the cause. He’s currently doing warm-up dates in preparation for a new HBO special, “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” that he’ll perform July 14 from L.A.’s Nokia Theater.

KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer said his band hasn’t quite figured out how to reduce energy consumption on tours like the big one they’re launching this summer, but he does what he can to do so at home. “We try to cut back and conserve as much as we can on our utilities. You get perks from the electric company and the water company if you do that. We recycle regularly and are really diligent about that. I probably could do better, to be honest with you — I think we all could — but it’s something I think about.”

A self-described “middle of the road golfer” who plays every week or so and tries to squeeze in an occasional game on the road, Thayer came down to support Lopez, who did the same for him at a fundraiser a couple of years ago. “I’m on the board of trustees of Pacific University in Oregon, and I host a fundraiser for the school’s endowment every summer,” he explained. Band mates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons don’t share his love of golf, but Simmons “did make a valiant attempt” for the Oregon benefit. “He came up with a crew from ‘Gene Simmons Family Jewels’ to film, and they did a whole episode around him trying to play golf.”

Read the entire article HERE.