njkissexpo.com

Just announced – Jim Cara, the man behind the design of Gene Simmons personal axe bass guitars, will be making an appearance at the New Jersey KISS Expo this Saturday September 28 at the Raritan Center in Edison NJ. Jim will be bringing a huge assortment of KISS guitars for display and will be on hand to give some great insight into the production and design of these incredible instruments.

Discount tickets for the NJ KISS Expo are available HERE at a discounted rate of only $10!

Jim’s axe bass guitars can be seen at gsaxe.com.

Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

In a KissFAQ exclusive, award-winning songwriter details the creative process for his iconic song “New York Groove,” the recording of the original version by Hello and his recollections of how the song came into the Ace Frehley fold, and discusses additional KISS-related songs such as “Into The Night,” “Let Me Rock You” and “God Gave Rock And Roll To You,” and putting his life down in his music.

The following is an excerpt from Ballard’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

KissFAQ: Russ, for my first question, I’d like to go back to 1974. That year Argent actually headlined three concerts with KISS serving as the opening act. I know you left the band around this time, but did you perform with Argent on those dates?

Russ Ballard: I remember doing two shows with KISS. One was at the Academy of Music, I think when they were beginning. I remember them setting up the big logo behind the drums. I didn’t know what to expect but there seemed to be a buzz. And then I saw the band take the stage with the makeup and stuff. I thought, “This is cool.” (laughs) Then I remember another show we did with them in St. Louis. It was a Sunday night, I think, at a beautiful theater. It held about 2,000. I had a good look at them that night from the side. I thought they were great.

KF: According to the book “KISS Alive Forever,” KISS and Argent were set to do a longer tour.

RB: I just remember doing two shows. I don’t remember talk of any more. When I left the band they kept going. They could have [talked about it].

KF: Russ, you were born in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire. That’s quite the long way from New York. Am I correct in saying you came up with the song title for “New York Groove” while on a plane?

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