The Vancouver Sun

Click HERE for an amazing photo gallery of the recent show in Canada.

Ric Ernst

Chris Czynszak | Decibel Geek

Welcome to our annual KISSMAS in JULY celebration. We devote our show/site/facebook/twitter etc. to the Hottest Band in the Land for the entire month of July. There’s even more reason to celebrate in 2013 as July has 5 weeks this year!

This week we kick off KISSMAS with some of favorite tunes performed by past and present KISS members outside the confines of the band.

In this episode, you’ll hear a track of our choosing from the career of each member of KISS spanning their 40 year career.

Aaron and Chris made their member selections draft-style and we start things off with Chris’ choice of Gene Simmons. While Gene has only released one full-length album in the post-1970’s (2004’s Asshole album), Chris dug up an interesting demo that can only be found on the lunchbox version of 2003’s Sex Money KISS audiobook.

Aaron chimes in with his first song choice and it’s from the current catman in KISS; Eric Singer. From the 1999, self-titled ESPalbum, we check out a scorching cover of a SWEET classic.

Up next is Chris’ choice of Bruce Kulick. Bruce has released a number of solid solo albums but he really stepped up his game with BK3, his most recent release. It was a

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Artist: Chris Medek

Gibson Germany

David Von Bader | New Times

Kiss may very well be the most polarizing band in rock music. However, the hard rockin’ kings of glam showmanship have assembled a veritable army of makeup-caked fans, thanks to a 40-year career of loud rock ‘n’ roll delivered from stages littered with explosives, flames, comically large walls of amplifiers, innuendos shrouded by only the thinnest of veils, and a merchandizing machine rivaled only by the likes of Disney.

Though Kiss has weathered plenty of phases over the past four decades, including brushes with disco, the removal of the makeup, lineup changes, and reality television, the band has never been accused of doing anything subtle. This is inherently integral to the

Paul Kane

charm of Kiss. Some people simply want their rock ‘n’ roll in the form of a live-action cartoon.
Despite years of flirtation with despicable things, the band (now sporting only two original members in Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley) has reached what we consider a new low by having the audacity to tour with a pair of impostors donning the iconic makeup of original guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. While very little can excuse such a blatant abuse of fan trust (and dollars), a compilation of 45 consecutive minutes of Paul Stanley’s stage banter might help a little. The audio recently went viral, and the inexplicable hilarity has certainly distracted us from the burn left by the additions of Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

There is a phenomena that occurs when one basks in the heat of pyrotechnics for too long, sweating beneath a stifling mask of heavy makeup. Cognitive function is stunted, the rock

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Nick DeRiso | 1037 The Loon

A classic poster from Kiss‘ appearance at St. Petersburg’s Bayfront Center on Oct. 20, 1975, recently fetched a whopping $3,125 after nearly 30 bids oneBay.

On tour behind its career-saving ‘Alive’ album, the bandopened the show with ‘Deuce’ and concluded with an encore that featured ‘Cold Gin’ and ‘Rock and Roll All Nite.’ According to the poster, tickets were $5.50 in advance and $6.50 at the door.

The winning eBay bidder also received original photos taken at this Florida concert and the ticket stub. Though the poster was never folded or rolled, it does contain various pinholes. As the seller says, “It hung on the closet doors of a young Kiss fan for many years. Back then, no thought was given to ‘mint condition’ or other such silliness.”

The 7,500-seat Bayfront Center was built in 1965 and demolished in 2004. Kiss, meanwhile, continue to tourwith only Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley remaining from the 1975 edition.

Aaron Fischer