LEXINGTON TWP. − Rich Hattery morphs into a rock ‘n’ roll superhero when he dresses up in a costume and makeup as the drummer for a Kiss tribute band, Mr. Speed.

It’s a dream come true, the culminating prize for a Stark County man who has been a Kiss fan since he was an 8-year-old boy mesmerized by the “Alive II” album and its colorful imagery of fire, blood and flash.

Taking the stage, bashing snare drums and striking cymbals atop a riser, Hattery gazes out into the crowd of Kiss devotees. Many of them wear makeup and Kiss T-shirts. Most of them sing along and pump or raise their fists, reveling in the euphoria of their favorite Kiss anthems.

“We’re all connected,” Hattery said. “If you’re coming to a Mr. Speed show, you’re a big Kiss fan. They know the words, they know the music. They’re singing along and we’re having a great time.”

The Canton South High School graduate will experience that thrill again Feb. 22 when he performs with Mr. Speed at Goodyear Theater in Akron. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.goodyeartheater.com/.

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It would be fair to assume that, if a guitarist is successful in their audition to join a band, things must have gone rather well – but although Ace Frehley ultimately passed his try-out for Kiss in 1973, his relationship with Gene Simmons got off to a rather rocky start.

The blood-gargling bass player recently relayed the tale of Frehley’s fiery audition during an appearance on Billy Corgan’s new YouTube series, The Magnificent Others.

Naturally, throughout the chat, much ground is covered. But it’s Simmons’ words on Frehley’s playing – and what it meant for the success of the band – that especially stands out, along with the story of an audition that almost became a physical altercation.

“He immediately tore open the doors of what could be, and what should be,” Simmons says of Frehley’s impact on the band. “We were in a rat-infested loft with egg crates on the wall that still had cracked eggs inside. At night, huge dinosaur cockroaches came out, but we didn’t care. We were doing this thing and we auditioned players.”

Simmons, Paul Stanley, and drummer Peter Criss had already formed an allegiance by this point. A second guitarist was to be the last piece of their face-paint-wearing puzzle.

“This guy comes in, plugs in, and starts playing, while we’re talking to another guy,” Simmons exclaims. “I walked up to him and said, ‘Buddy, you better sit down before I knock you out! What are you doing?’ He was oblivious that there was another meeting going on, and that he would have to sit there and wait for his turn.”

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