On Milwaukee

Neil Zlozower

Ask prolific guitar player Bruce Kulick why being a judge for the School of Rock “Battle of the Bands” June 29 and 30 at Summerfest is important to him and the former member of KISS says that “seeing them be creative or just cover a classic rock tune is truly a joy to me.”

It’s that love of music that has fueled a career that has continued to climb since 1975. Kulick debuted as a touring member of Meat Loaf’s band playing dual guitars with his brother Bob. From there, Kulick rocked in Blackjack with Michael Bolton, opened for Ozzy Osborne with the band The Good Rats, played on Billy Squier’s “Tale of the Tape” and perhaps most famously, held down lead guitar for 12 years for the “hottest band in the world,” KISS.

Kulick is kind, warm and well spoken. A workaholic and animal lover, Kulick is refreshingly down to earth, but still possesses little eccentricities that communicate he is a highly creative individual. Dressed sharply in designer denim, a tailored jacket, fabulous shoes and tasteful “rocker” jewelry, he exudes a confidence and mastery for his craft that only comes with the experience he has garnered working with some of the music business’ biggest and “baddest.”

Could there be anyone left for Kulick to shred for? He says, “I always wanted to jam with Continue reading →

Tom Zillich | The Now

Surrey-based Sophie’s Place will benefit from profits made at a KISS Army Depot “pop-up” store when it opens in Vancouver this Friday, June 28.

The shop will be filled with KISS-related merchandise for little more than a week – until July 7 – as a satellite operation at Tom Lee Music, 929 Granville St.

Just 200 wristband-wearing fans will get to attend an in-store appearance by KISS band members next Thursday as they launch their “Monster” tour of Canada, which includes a Saturday, July 6 concert at Rogers Arena. The fan “check in” time at the store is 10 a.m. July 4.

I’m told Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts will be at the noon press conference due to the city’s connection with Sophie’s Place, a facility for kids who have been physically, mentally or sexually abused.

The centre, located at The Centre for Child Development in Surrey, is named after Sophie Tweed-Simmons, daughter of KISS bassist Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed.

KISS Army Depot pop-up stores are also due open next month in Calgary, Edmonton and Continue reading →

KISSarmyitalyHQ

Concert from June 20, 2013 in Zurich Switzerland. 

Mark | Talking Metal

On this episode of the podcast Mark and John are joined by Lydia Criss. They discuss Lydia’s Sealed with a Kiss book, Bob Gruen, her recent trip to Finland, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Sean Delaney, New York City and Mick Campise.

Click HERE to hear the hour long radio program.

Jason Eccles | Examiner

“Hotter Than Hell” is the 2nd studio album by American hard rock band, Kiss. It was released in 1974 on Casablanca Records and produced by Kenny Kerner & Richie Wise. The line-up for the album was Paul Stanley (vocals/guitar), Ace Frehley (guitar), Gene Simmons (bass/vocals) and Peter Criss (drums)

Introduction

Producers Richie Wise and Kenny Kerner moved to Los Angeles sometime after the debut Kiss album. Since they were chosen to produce “Hotter Than Hell”, the band moved to LA to work with them. Musically darker than the debut due to the lyrics of some songs, and the way it was produced, this album has a different sound to it than the first. The album art is Japanese manga style artwork of the band, Japanese writing which means jigoku no sakebi, which translates to “The shout of Hell” in English. The front cover also features the Japanese symbol for chikara, which translates to the word “power” in English. The back features individual shots of the band and one picture of all four members in makeup. Is it any good? Let’s find out!

Got to Choose

This is filled with power chords and raw rock power. With great verses and backup vocals, it will keep you singing along while you play air guitar. This one is a rocker with a melody to it. All in all, it is a great opener for the album, and needed to be if it was to eclipse the band’s debut album. This is a song about how the narrator has been cheated

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Examiner

ABC News Radio

Billy Bennight

The rock world has been quick to react to news of the death of James Gandolfini , best known for his role as mobster Tony Soprano in the 1999-2007 HBO series The Sopranos.  Gandolfinidied Wednesday in Rome, Italy at the age of 51.

KISS singer Gene Simmons paid tribute to his friend, tweeting , “James Gandolfini passed away yesterday. Sad. I knew James and aside from his Sopranos work, was a warm and caring person. He will be missed.”

Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach also offered his condolences, tweeting , “51 is way too young to go. This is even scarier than the Sopranos. RIP James Gandolfini you managed to make television incredible #ThankYou.”

Other stars’ comments:

Best Coast : “Seriously going to cry. RIP James Gandolfini. You will live on forever in my DVD player and heart.”

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KISSmuseum.com

We recently purchased another huge vintage 1970s KISS Collection and it is all up for sale today! This isn’t just your run-of-the-mill ’70s KISS toys – there are quite a few unique items that even we have never seen before! It’s already been selling so don’t miss out!

WE SHIP ALL ORDERS OUT WITHIN 1 BUSINESS DAY!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COLLECTION

Huffington Post

Simmons certainly has an abnormally long tongue, a fact emphasized by his fire-breathing, blood-spitting antics onstage. Fans have long been prompted to question whether it was actually a cow’s tongue surgically added to his own, a rumor that’s been debunked due to its medical impossibility. A cow’s tongue is a typically a foot long, meaning there’s no way one to fit even part of one in a human’s mouth. Simmons says he simply has a “superlong tongue.”

Marko Syrjala | Metal Rules

Legendary U.S. band KISS started its long awaited European leg of the Monster tour in Friends Arena, Stockholm on 1’st of June. The band introduced in front of 30 000 fans, its new spectacular stage set called the “Spider”. Two days later, KISS landed in Finland and played a sold out show in the Hartwall Arena. I met the band’s drummer, Eric Singer, the day after the gig at the hotel in Helsinki. Eric was really excited about the new tour and because of his very good mood we then had a long conversation about the Monster tour, the Spider, KISS fan-dom, the future of KISS, and various other topics. Read on !

NEW STAGE SHOW

Marko: First of all Eric, I have to say that the new Spider stage is amazing!

Eric Singer: It’s going to get better. We are still working it out and it will take more, like maybe about eight or nine shows, until it’s ready.

Marko: So you are going to add more elements and parts on it?

Eric Singer: You’ll see, yeah we are. We didn’t get to rehearse, we tried to rehearse with it and the stuff wasn’t working. So, on the first day we only played music. First show was first time we were doing this thing. We came in that day to practice the beginning. So, it will get better. Paul and Doc saw the stage when they had built it, because they designed it, Paul designed it, but I did not see it until we came to Stockholm, I only saw… I didn’t physically see it with my own eyes until we came. I saw the videos when Paul first came, he sent me video clips showing me how it looks, how some things moves and things like this. I saw just a video clip where he went to the place where they built it and the way they designed it. So, he went there and my drum tech, the tech, that production man, they all went there. I didn’t go. I only saw it when we got here. And then my drum tech, he told me, “Here is how it’s going to look, your drum riser is going to be this big.” Because the crew put this together with Paul, Paul designed and the crew built it and then they tell them what we need. Like my drum tech for example would say, “Eric’s drum set is going to be this many pieces. If it’s this big, we need this size of drum riser. Because originally they want to make it smaller, I said, “No, I need it big because I have more than like 3-4 toms.” I have a lot of drums, I’ve got seven tom tom’s, so.

Marko: Would you tell us something about the drum kit you’re now using on this tour?

Eric Singer: I used that set last year just for a couple of shows, we played one festival in Norway and one show and in London. I used it for that and I used it on the KISS Kruise. So, it’s a brand new set but I only used for a couple of gigs last year. Just for basically like three shows. So, this kit is the one for Europe and then when we go out to Canada and the rest I’ll go back to the mirror-ball kit that I had last year. The mirror-ball kit is supposed to be on this tour, because it looks, that kit looks amazing with the lights and so on. But this

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Axs TV
Submitted by: Robert Rice

ROCK AND ROLL LIVE with KISS! This KISS MONSTER TOUR show promises to blow you away as we bring it to you LIVE from Zurich, Switzerland. The event guarantees the greatest KISS songs plus music from the new KISS MONSTER album. KISS is rocking the world and AXS TV has it. BONUS: AXS TV will WORLD PREMIERE the amazing brand new KISS staging, lighting & pyrotechnics from most explosive show of the decade. Never before seen on TV, EVER!

Are you the ultimate KISS fan? Do you wear make up to all of their shows? Well interactive with us LIVE starting at 3pm eastern using Facebook and Twitter for your chance at exclusive prizes, including a SIGNED guitar! Can’t sneak a TV into your office at work to jam out LIVE? We get it. We’ll have an encore presentation at 11pm eastern that same night. This way you get to Rock N Roll All Day and All Night”! 

Register for the signed guitar right now using Facebook, or be sure to

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Leuteheute

Johathan Bender | Pitch

Kiss is hoping to be on your lips and in your stomachs, Overland Parktonians. Rock & Brews, a beer-garden concept from Kiss’ Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, is opening in the Prairiefire development (135th Street between Nall and Lamar) in early 2014. The outdoor patio “captures the excitement of your favorite classic rock concert performances in a family friendly environment.” It’s like really jamming out on your Discman while getting behind the wheels of a well-made push mower. Rock & Brews will be dishing up Steak Rattle & Roll sandwiches, Purple Rain Chocolate Drops and Surfin’ Safari Shrimp Pesto Pizza.

The bandmates, who are still touring, have big plans for the franchise, intending to Continue reading →

Michael Brandvold

Mike Florio | NBC Sports

Back in Super Bowl XXXIII, the greatest rock band to ever don Kabuki makeup and blow stuff up was part of the on-field pre-game festivities. In recent years, my default vote for any opportunity for a musical act to appear in a football-related capacity has been KISS.

I’ve nominated them for multiple Super Bowl halftimes, but I’ve been routinely ignored. (Which is nothing new.) More recently, I lobbied aggressively for KISS to take over the NBC Sunday Night Football opening song from Faith Hill. In response, they asked me how I got this number and to please stop calling it.

Fortunately, someone in football is listening.

KISS will be a key part of the pre-Arena Bowl festivities, appearing at the Celebrity Gala on the Thursday night before the game and staging a concert the following evening.

It’s not quite what I’d envisioned, primarily since I can’t name more than two AFL teams or more than zero AFL players. Hopefully, they’ll collect their fee in cash, straight or otherwise.

GeneSimmons.com

Cassius Morris | COTN

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Mercury News

WAILUKU, Hawaii — A proposed restaurant owned in part by veteran rock ‘n’ roller Gene Simmons has merchants worried in a small town on the northern coast of Maui.

Backers hope to open the newest Rock & Brews restaurant by the end of the year in Paia, a town characterized by its plantation architecture.

The eatery “seems kind of startling in Paia,” Rose Potter, executive director of the Paia Merchants Association, told the Maui News (http://bit.ly/16eFo9z ).

Partners in the restaurant and bar said it will not be blasting the music of Simmons’ band Kiss but will instead be a family friendly establishment that blends in with the community.

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