Ultimate Classic Rock

Ace Frehley and Bruce Kulick are teaming up.

The former Kiss guitarists have covered Jimi Hendrix‘s “Manic Depression” for Frehley’s upcoming Origins Vol. 2, the follow-up to 2018’s Spaceman. In a new interview, Frehley added that John 5 plays on two tracks on the album, which is now expected in March 2020.

Frehley broke the news to Eddie Trunk. “I have Bruce Kulick doing a solo on ‘Manic Depression,'” he began. “I have John 5 playing on a Beatles song, ‘I’m Down.’ And he did one other song, ‘Politician’ by Cream. If you listen to the Cream version, (Eric) Clapton does a double solo — he’s playing two solos at the same time. So what me and John 5 did is, he did a solo, I did a solo, and then Alex Salzman my engineer we did a crossfade. So if you listen to the song with headphones on, you hear me going from one side to the other, and John going from one side back. So it’s a really interesting mix.”

This won’t be the first time Frehley and Kulick appear on a record together. They were both part of Kiss’ MTV Unplugged performance, and Kulick contributed to three songs on 1998’s sort-of reunion album Psycho Circus.

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Ultimate Classic Rock

Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley recalled the phone call that led him to finally step away from alcohol 13 years ago.

He’d begun drinking at the age of 13 and battled with addiction issues since the ‘70s before a conversation with his daughter in 2006 persuaded him that he had to stop.

Frehley recalled how his last drinking session had involved Slash and Eddie Trunk, telling the SiriusXM presenter in a new interview: “I ended up with five girls in my room in Vegas. I think I kept it going for another month. And then I got a phone call from my daughter, Monique, and she was living in Florida at the time.”

He continued: “A lot of alcoholics talk about how they had that moment of clarity… Monique called me up and she goes, ‘Dad, I heard you been drinking again.’ I go, ‘Yeah, but I haven’t done anything else bad, you know? I haven’t done any coke yet, I haven’t done any pills.’ She goes, ‘Dad, it’s time to stop.’ She goes, ‘You better call your sponsor and tell them to take you to a meeting tonight.’

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Michael Brandvold

KISSmuseum.com

Dozens of New KISS items added to the KISSmuseum.com website this week.

Mitch Lafon

KISS fans are surely bemoaning Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley over this recent action towards fellow KISS legends Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. Recently, a user over at the KISSfaq fan forum going by the name of SpaceAce1977 uploaded the following picture. The picture is actually a Tweet to podcast host Mitch LaFon’s account which shows a t-shirt of KISS depicting a very famous image in KISS history – The Spirit of ’76 KISS poster. It isn’t entirely clear if it could be a counterfeit shirt. Peter Criss recently emotionally unloaded on KISS replacement.

In poster form, this was originally released in 1976 and of course, that was a banner year for celebrating the bicentennial of the United States, with original members of the KISS group – Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss posing for the picture you can see below.

However – in this current incarnation there is only one glaring problem. Peter Criss and Ace Frehley have been replaced! Yes, as you can see on the shirt itself, this classic image now has the likenesses of newer KISS members Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer. It is not confirmed whether or not that this is an officially licensed KISS product. Gene Simmons also just revealed why Paul Stanley ‘lost his voice.’

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Michael Brandvold

Icon Coins

Order Your Eric Carr Coin Today!

Icon Coins is happy to introduce our officially licensed Eric Carr Commemorative Collectors Coin!  Eric Carr, KISS drummer from 1980 until his untimely passing in 1991,  contributed his talent to the bands many gold and platinum albums during his tenure, and can be heard on the bands many hit songs from the 1980s including Lick It Up, Heaven’s on Fire, Crazy Nights, Tears are Falling, and Forever, to name a few.  In addition to his musical contributions, Eric Carr was equally known for his inviting personality and genuine love for the fans! From the time he joined the band to this very day, Eric Carr remains one of the most beloved members of the KISS family.

Each Eric Carr Commemorative Collectors Coin in die struck in heavy solid brass  with an antique silver finish. The front design features a beautiful sketch portrait of Eric Carr while the back design features his name, birth and passing years, Fox and Chikara icons representing his musical personas, over a shattered glass background reminiscent of the Crazy Nights album cover.

Each coin will also include an EXCLUSIVE backstage pass style laminate that will act as the coins Certificate of Authenticity featuring design elements from the coins themselves as well as an Eric Carr mini-bio.

This addition to the Icon Coins family is limited to 100 coins minted.

Each Collector Will Receive:

• 1.75″ Die Struck Eric Carr Coin w/Antique Silver Finish
• Velvet Coin Pouch
• Exclusive Laminate/C.O.A.

Icon Coins designer, Ralph Asbury, has a long history when it comes to keeping the memory of Eric Carr alive.  It started in the late 1990s with an action figure.  At the time, McFarlane Toys had released the first set of official KISS action figures as KISS was back on top of the world with the Reunion Tour.  To help fans complete the set, Ralph created one of the earliest custom made Eric Carr action figures by re-purposing the Paul Stanley figure to represent the Fox character.  (One of these custom creations can be seen on the Eric Carr documentary, The Eric Carr Story: Inside the Tale of the Fox.) This led to an introduction to Eric’s family and the next effort to honor The Fox…

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KISSmuseum.com

Dozens of new items added this week to the KISSmusuem.com website including all the new KISS Kruise IX merchandise…

New KISS items at KISSmuseum.com

Joe

Michael Brandvold

Ultimate Classic Rock

Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent said he was open to the idea of making an appearance during the band’s farewell tour.

His comments came after band manager Doc McGhee said that all surviving former members were contacted about the possibility of taking part in the final show in July 2021.

“I think there was something that my lawyer had been in contact with them about a year ago,” Vincent told Rock and Roll Experience With Mike Brunn. “As far as I know, nothing came of it. And it wasn’t something I thought about. … I don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t wanna assume anything — it’s not for me to second guess. It seems like they’ve got the band that they’re doing this with. I don’t know if they’re having past members play — I don’t know. … If this is something that they want to approach, all they’ve gotta do is give me a call and we’ll take it from there.”

Meanwhile, he said he was gearing up to enjoy his upcoming Merry Metal Christmas events, set to take place in Nashville on Dec. 14 and 15, though the only details provided so far are that they will feature “music, performance, food, wine, signings and Q&A.”

“I cannot wait for this Christmas party,” Vincent noted. “This is something I am truly, deeply looking forward to. It’s really more of a party than it is of a show. … I am an unstructured person to begin with, you know. How I live, I live completely without structure. I do things how I want, when I want. And that’s how these parties are. I just figure out, ‘How do I feel at this moment? This is what I want to do.’ And I just take the fans with me, where I’m going at that particular moment.”

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Blabbermouth

Tommy Thayer, who joined KISS in February 2003, stepping into the boots the band’s original guitarist, Ace Frehley, was asked in a new interview with The Rockpit what it it like putting on the “Spaceman”makeup for the first time, and what he thinks it will be like putting it on for the last time when the group plays the final show of its “End Of The Road” tour. He responded: “Well, the first time that I put it on was when I did my first show with KISS. I wasn’t officially in the band at the time; I was really just filling in. It was a private concert we did down in Jamaica in 2002. And, obviously, there’s a lot of excitement and anticipation in doing that, but also a certain level of maybe anxiety or nervousness, to be honest with you, because those are huge boots, or shoes [laughs] to fill and to go out there and do that. So there were a lot of emotions with that for me, because, honestly, to begin with, you’re almost in a ‘no-win’ situation with people, because they’re really scrutinizing you — all eyes are on you — and they’re all trying to determine if you’re up to snuff or not. I think, fortunately, I pulled it off pretty well, but it’s been a big growing experience and a big developing experience being in a band like this over the years. I obviously feel very comfortable where I am now, but it took a while for me to find that comfort zone. As far as putting the makeup on for the last time, I think that’s going to be a very emotional experience, and I think it’s going to be a mix of all kinds of feelings — a celebration and excitement, but, on the other hand, maybe a little bit of sadness at the end.”

Two and a half years ago, Thayer told The Aquarian Weekly that he wasn’t bothered by the fact that a small segment of KISS‘s fanbase can’t accept him performing in the “Spaceman” makeup and attire, even though he has been working with KISS for decades and been the group’s lead guitarist for more than 15 years. “You can’t be fooled by a handful people that go on web sites and complain,” he said. “Some people complain about everything, really, not just who’s the guitar player. In that context, it doesn’t really mean anything to me. If anything, I chuckle and smile when I hear things like that. It really has nothing to do with what’s happening in reality. Put it this way: KISS continues to go out and play big shows and be the phenomenon that it is. I give more merit to that fact, than what a few oddballs say online. I don’t really care.”

In 2014, Frehley spoke out against Thayer in an interview, describing him as “just a guy up there copying me and trying to move like me and trying to sing like me and trying to play like me.” But Thayer declined to fire back at Frehley, telling Australia’s The Herald: “I don’t want to get into a back-and-forth, but I’m sure you can kind of assess what you think when you hear all that.” He continued: “I think [Ace] had every opportunity in the world to continue in KISSand be in KISS as long as he did the right thing, but it worked out better for me and he has to lead his life. As far as the jabs and all that, he can say that stuff and I’m not going to say anything bad about him.”

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Ultimate Classic Rock

Kiss manager Doc McGhee revealed that every surviving former member of the band has been approached about potentially taking part in the group’s last show.

The show is set to take place on July 17, 2021, in New York City, as the finale of the three-year End of the Road world tour, with 75 shows recently announced for next year.

The band’s surviving former members include founding lead guitarist Ace Frehley, original drummer Peter Criss, ’80s and ’90s lead guitarist Bruce Kulick and the band’s second lead guitarist, Vinnie Vincent. Deceased former members include Eric Carr, who drummed for the band between 1980 until his death in 1991, and Mark St. John, who played on 1984’s Animalize album.

“Ace and Peter will be and have been invited to come and play with us at anytime,” McGhee said during a question-and-answer session on the ninth Kiss Kruise. “Like I always say, people in New York would love to see Joe Namath still play football for the Jets. Unfortunately, he can’t. We want to include everybody that played with Kiss to celebrate the 45 years of Kiss.”

Name-checking Frehley, Criss and Vincent, he noted that “we’re still looking at what we’re going to do on the final show of Kiss … and, yes, they’ve all been talked to about it, so I can see us doing something. It’s very difficult, though, when people say, ‘Oh, you should bring Ace and Peter up.’ I mean, how do you do that when you have two Catmen and two Spacemen?’ So you say, ‘Okay, you don’t wear makeup, and you wear makeup.’ And then they go, ‘Well, that was my makeup.’ I don’t know.”

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Blabbermouth

Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent says that he is open to the possibility of making an appearance during the band’s “End Of The Road” tour.

Vinnie joined KISS in 1982, replacing Ace Frehley. As the “Ankh Warrior,” he toured with the group in support of “Creatures Of The Night”, on which he played lead guitar on six songs prior to becoming an official member of the band.

Asked in a new interview with “Rock And Roll Experience With Mike Brunn” what he would say if he was approached to get up on stage with KISS during the band’s farewell tour, Vinnie said (hear audio below): “Well, it’s not something I’ve thought about lately. I think there was something that my lawyer had been in contact with them about a year ago. As far as I know, nothing came of it. And it wasn’t something I thought about — after that moment had passed, it wasn’t anything I thought about anymore.

“I don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t wanna assume anything — it’s not for me to second guess. It seems like they’ve got the band that they’re doing this with. I don’t know if they’re having past members play — I don’t know.”

After host Mike Brunn interjected that KISS has not yet played with any former members during the “End Of The Road” trek, Vinnie continued: “Well, that’s as far as my thoughts go with it. If this is something that they want to approach, all they’ve gotta do is give me a call, and we’ll take it from there.”

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Michael Brandvold

The Desk Chicken

Matt Porter

The Onion

SEATTLE (UPI)—A hot recording by what listeners describe as a hip new alternative band was discovered yesterday by the staff of a local radio station, exciting numerous area music listeners.

The recording in question, Double Platinum, by an unknown group identified only by the one-word, monosyllabic name KISS, was rushed to a nearby stereo where it underwent intense listening and scru-tiny by knowledgeable disc jockeys, many of whom have subscriptions to hip, al-ternative music magazines like Alternative Press, Spin, Op-tion and Rolling Stone.

The recording was found by DJ Josh Negler while rummaging through K-ALT’s vast library of recordings for his “Alternative A.M.” radio show. Negler, 27, has been an intense fan and expert on alternative rock for over 18 months.

“The CD player was down, so I had to find some vinyl,” Negler says. “I never thought I’d uncover such an unknown treasure, which I knew was alternative right away, as soon as I saw the silvery reflective packaging.”

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