Good Morning America

Steve Appleford | Rolling Stone

Nearly four decades on, Kiss remain an ongoing and unlikely rock & roll success story, standing high on platform heels and painted in kabuki black-and-white, unloading fireballs and grinding hard-rock hooks around the world. Led by founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Kiss has been back touring arenas and stadiums since the mid-Nineties, but the onetime platinum-selling quartet finally returned to the studio as a fully functioning recording unit with 2009’s Sonic Boom.

The band has a new album, Monster, released today by Universal, and produced by singer-guitarist Stanley. He’s taken the leadership role in the studio, and he wouldn’t have it any other way, guiding Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer to a sound that’s loud and swaggering. It’s given Kiss some new material to chew on for their ongoing road show, which just ended a successful tour across North America with Mötley Crüe.

“We’re best off prowling the stage,” Stanley tells Rolling Stone, during an interview about the new album, the current state of Kiss and the music that first inspired him. The makeup hasn’t changed much since the Seventies, and neither has the attitude: “It’s the embodiment of everything I am and have nurtured and created. I look in the mirror and go, ‘Hey, there’s Paul Stanley – he’s so fuckin’ cool!'”

You took the producer’s role beginning with the last record, Sonic Boom. What did that mean for Kiss?
Democracy in the studio is overrated. What you wind up getting is compromise on everybody’s part, which means that nobody has their way, and that means nobody wins, including the fans. I thought it was really important, and in my mind it was a deal-breaker – if I wasn’t going to produce the albums, we weren’t going to do albums at this point. Somebody had to set parameters and boundaries and voice expectations. To make sure Continue reading →

Mike Jones | DC101

Spending a part of your morning talking to Gene Simmons and Eric Singer of KISS isn’t a bad way to get the day going! We spoke about the new album Monster, recording it old school and doing it their own way and how we all can give back to those who defend our freedom!

It was 37 years ago today that KISS stormed Cadillac Michigan in response to the Homecoming request of Cadillac High School. Quite a lot of amazing events went on that day and a wonderful summary with some of the highest quality image of the event appear on none-other than the ESPN Sports Page 2 website.

Warring Abbott

Danny Arruda | ESPN

 It was 1974 — the straitlaced football heyday of Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler — and in northern Michigan, you could hear a pin drop in the way-too-tight Cadillac High School football locker room before games.

That’s when an enterprising assistant coach named Jim Neff had a brainstorm. Why not rev up the Cadillac defense by playing a little pregame rock and roll? Like, for example, KISS?
When the bold plan led to a big winning streak — and a conference title — Jim Neff and the band he loved hatched a daring plan … to make Homecoming the following year an event the town of Cadillac would never forget.

Nearly 35 years later, no one has.

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Artisan News Service

Rolling Stone

Rock & roll excess has always been a rather large part of the Kiss package, but never before have we heard the details quite to this extent. These exclusive excerpts from Peter Criss’ autobiography begin with the drummer shoving the barrel of a .357 Magnum down his own throat in the aftermath of the devastating Northridge earthquake. Later, he recalls partying with John Belushi (“a huge KISS fan”) and opening in Paris for Jerry Lewis, who joked of his unlikely openers, “That’s got to be the worst or the best thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Have you ever tasted the barrel of a .357 Magnum that’s halfway down your throat? It’s a really unforgettable sensation, like a piece of iron dipped in oil, with sort of a coppery aftertaste. I got my first and (hopefully) last taste of one on January 17, 1994, sitting on the floor of my debris-strewn bedroom in Los Angeles.

Just twelve hours earlier I had been lying in bed, watching TV. It was around three A.M. and I was cozy under the covers when I feel a little tremor. I’d been through quite a few “shakers” in California. Chandeliers rattling, traffic lights swaying. But this was different. The tremors started getting more frequent and I started to hear a rumbling noise, so I sat up in the bed and all of a sudden the whole place shook big-time and the TV flew off the dresser, tumbled down, and blew up. I was like, “Motherfucker!” Then the lamps fell over and I was like, “Holy shit!” Turned out this was the beginning of the Northridge earthquake, a massive catastrophe that killed thirty-three people and injured more than eighty-seven hundred.

I’m a Brooklyn boy: I knew about cockroaches and rats and zip guns, not earthquakes. So I started to panic. I heard glass shattering in the bathroom. I was hearing all this devastation, and just then another big jolt came, and my bed collapsed and the huge wooden armoire started dancing across the bedroom and then tipped over. Behind the armoire, on a nail, I had hung a bag that was filled with $100,000 cash. That was all the money I had to my name. I wasn’t going to put it in a bank – didn’t trust them – and I was in trouble with the IRS then, so I figured I’d keep the cash nearby and if someone was going to rob it, that’s a big piece of motherfucking shit to move. But now the huge armoire was lying on the floor and the bag was hanging from the nail, exposed.

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Cassius Morris | Creature of the Net

Lead guitarist of Wicked Lester and the man that introduced Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Steve Coronel is interviewed on today’s show. Steve had so many great stories to tell that I couldn’t even begin to list them all, so here are some off the top of my head.

The first time Gene Simmons came up with the idea of wearing makeup,
Reuniting with Paul Stanley after 33 years,
Almost (accidentally) kissing Gene,
Going with Gene to buy his first bass guitar,

And much, MUCH more! Special thanks to Steve for being on the show and all of our listeners.

Sunday Night Story

Tales From the Stage

PeterCriss.net

The all-new re-vamped official Peter Criss website is now available. Just in time for the release of his new book, Makeup to Breakup and the following book tour dates. A beautiful example of how a modern website should look and function in 2012!

Chris Czynszak | Decibel Geek

The Decibel Geek podcast has released Episode 53– Interview with Steve Coronel for downloading and streaming. In this episode, hosts Aaron Camaro and Chris Czynszak get a lesson in Pre-Kisstory when the interview Steve Coronel, the man responsible for introducing Paul Stanley to Gene Simmons

Also included are stories of how he met Gene on the first day of grade 7, his feelings and time with Wicked Lester, the writing of “She” and how the production of the song changed along the way, his conflicts with Paul and his dismissal from the group. Chris and Aaron also discuss his current projects and his feelings on Kiss today.

The Decibel Geek Podcast was launched in June of 2011 by Chris Czynszak, a former rock journalist and webmaster. With co-host Aaron Camaro, the Decibel Geek Podcast is quickly earning a reputation as one of the go-to music commentary podcasts on the internet. All episodes are available on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, as well as the official Decibel Geek Podcast website.

Direct Link to Episode:  http://www.dbgeekshow.blogspot.ca/2012/10/episode-53-steve-coronel.html

TV News Desk

To celebrate the 50th webcast of CBS Interactive’s award-winning live webcast concert series, LIVE ON LETTERMAN, KISS will bring their spectacular, larger-than-life extravaganza of music to the world famous Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. The concert will be webcast live and available on CBS.com and VEVO on Wednesday, Oct. 10 (8:00 PM, ET/5:00 PM, PT). – See more at: http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article/KISS-to-Perform-on-50th-LIVE-ON-LETTERMAN-Concert-Webcast-1010-20121004#sthash.JSyY1s4c.dpuf

KISS, in all their bombastic and unstoppable glory, will perform fan favorites from their treasure trove of hits along with their recent worldwide #1 smash, “Hell or Hallelujah,” from their new album, Monster, which is set to come out Tuesday, Oct. 9. Showing the band at the top of its game, Monster embodies all that is KISS and the music that first inspired them to pick up their guitars and flamethrowers and don makeup to entertain millions.

Having already broken box office records set by The Beatles and Elvis, KISS celebrates their 40th anniversary in 2013 with more than 28 U.S. gold albums, the most gold records for any American rock band, with 40 million sales in the U.S. and a total exceeding 100 million worldwide. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, with longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, return stronger than ever with their new album.

The LIVE ON LETTERMAN franchise, which has surpassed 130 million views to date on CBS.com and VEVO, marks its 50th webcast with KISS’ performance. Past performances have included some of the most established bands and musicians across the globe, from its first event featuring Pearl Jam to Paul McCartney on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater, as well as Foo Fighters, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Adele and more, all staged in an intimate and dynamic setting for worldwide followers to enjoy.

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olwltd
One of the coolest things to have surfaced in the past decade or maybe two – A full rehearsal show from before the start of the Dynasty tour! The full show is played to an empty arena. Lots of cool talking and jokes in-between and each sings one song from their solo album as well. Plus, the quality is incredible! A MUST-LISTEN piece!

ABC News Radio

Some sad news from the KISS camp: singer/guitarist Paul Stanley‘s mother, Eva Eisen, died on Saturday.  She was 88.  According to ForestLawn.com, Eisen, who was born in Berlin, Germany, was a resident of Studio City, California, at the time of her passing.

Stanley paid tribute to his mom in a message posted on his official website.

“My mother found so much pleasure and fulfillment in all the various types of music that she so loved.  It was through her that I too found that same passion,” Stanley writes.  “She lived long enough to see, enjoy and love an extended family that included her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She found numerous ways to contribute to her community and was appreciated and loved by those who knew her.  My mom was the matriarch of our family and words cannot express our loss.”

Stanley’s band mates, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, issued a joint statement that reads, “We send our sympathy and condolences to Paul and his family.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”