Daily Mail

Gene Simmons and his wife Shannon Tweed brought foster son Zinnah Sambolah from Liberia to the US to undergo leg surgery recently.

All seemed well post-operation as the Kiss guitarist, 66, treated his wife, 59, and the boy to lunch and then shopping in Beverly Hills.

The group enjoyed a bite at The Cheesecake Factory before hitting the chic shops during their daytime outing.

Gene and Shannon have been sponsoring children from Africa for years through the charity, Child Fund.

The selfless rocker told kshe95.com that Zinnah ‘comes from a village of 200 people,’ adding that he ‘is staying with us for the whole month while he gets his operations to get his legs in shape.’

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Daily Mail

Contact Music

The boy, named Zinnah, is scheduled to undergo surgery on his legs to correct an unspecified condition that will help him walk, according to reports, and the Kiss star is hoping his actions will encourage more people to help those suffering around the world.

He tells KSHE, “Look, we can all do more, especially if it doesn’t affect our lifestyles. So if you’re sitting at home and you got a few extra bucks in your pocket, you know what to do. You know how to make God smile. Come on.”

Simmons admits he felt compelled to help Zinnah because “children are our future”, adding, “The next great mind or humanitarian could come from Africa.”

The rocker’s links to Zinna came through the charity Child Fund, which he supports.

“Because children are our responsibility, I urge you to do something,” he says. “Pick up the phone and call Child Fund, or another charity organisation and find out what you can do. You will make all the difference to a child far, far away, whose dreams are every bit as important as your child’s dreams.”

Zinnah’s travel and surgery are being covered by Mending Kids, the charity co-founded by Gene’s Kiss bandmate Paul Stanley.

Blabbermouth

Veteran radio personality Jenn Marino, who in 2014 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE and SIXX:A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx as co-host of “Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx” and “The Side Show Countdown With Nikki Sixx”, recently conducted an interview with original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about some of KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons‘s recent controversial comments, including his opinion on the tragic deaths of great music icon Prince, Frehley said: “I think he’s coming down with Tourette’s [syndrome]. [Laughs] He can’t help himself sometimes.”

He continued: “But you’ve gotta love that guy. I mean, he saved my life twice. I was in the hospital in 2005 out here [in Los Angeles], and I was leaving the hospital, and I was supposed to leave in a wheelchair. Most people [when they leave the hospital], they wheel you down to the lobby and then you get in a limo. He picked me up and carried me all the way downstairs. He didn’t want me to be in a wheelchair. I mean, how sweet of a guy is that?”

Frehley added: “Gene comes off very abrasive and like a money-grubbing guy, but, you know, there’s another side to Gene. There’s that sweet, sensitive guy that you don’t always see. But it’s there.” Continue reading →

Michael Brandvold

Podcast Rock City

The KISS Room

THE KISS ROOM, originally broadcast LIVE on Friday, June 10 from 3-5 PM EST via MontcoRadio.com!

Matt Porter is joined in THE KISS ROOM by Bobby Dreher and we kick off our fifth season with guest COACH JIM NEFF from Cadillac, MI

And featuring a live, in-studio performance from Philadelphia’s ALMOST HUMAN!

Join us for all of the fun that you expect every month in THE KISS ROOM!

Dave Lifton | Ultimate Classic Rock

Those who were hoping that Paul Stanley‘s appearance on Ace Frehley‘s most recent solo album, Origins Vol. 1, might have opened the door to the Spaceman’s return to Kiss will likely be disappointed. Stanley says that, while he’s glad to have renewed his friendship with Frehley, he doesn’t believe another reunion will happen.

“I don’t see it,” he said on former UFC champion Frank Mir’s podcast, Phone Booth Fighting. “And, to me, that makes it even better. The fact that you can have people in your life, and maybe who they are and what they are in your life changes over time. Because I’m happy to see Ace and would love to see him. … We text. He was on the radio last week, and I texted him, ‘I’m listening.’ It doesn’t need to go further than that, but the fact that it’s there is a terrific thing. Reading into it, and where’s it gonna lead, and maybe…? There is none of that. There is just the joy and satisfaction in reconnecting.”

Stanley’s cameo on Origins Vol. 1 was to sing on a cover of Free‘s “Fire and Water.” And as with Sammy Hagar publicly reaching out to Eddie Van Halen over Twitter a few months ago, Stanley, who added that it was “great to see [Ace] focused and clean [and] sober,” acknowledged that recording with Ace was part of a simple desire to tie up some loose ends.

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Edward Pevos | M Live

DETROIT, MI – It’s a rock anthem for Detroit. We talked to Kiss singer/songwriter and guitarist Paul Stanley about how he came to write “Detroit Rock City.”

Stanley and Gene Simmons are the two remaining original members of the Rock and Roll Hall of fame band.

Upcoming Kiss concerts:
Grand Rapids at Van Andel Arena on Saturday, August 13 at 8pm.
Saginaw at the Dow Events Center on Monday, August 15 at 7:30pm.
Toledo at the Huntington Center on Wednesday, August 24 at 7:30pm.

About “Detroit Rock City:”
Stanley co-wrote the song which was featured on the band’s 1976 album “Destroyer.” The song did not chart in the U.S., but was popular in Detroit. The b-side, “Beth,” ended up becoming a hit instead. The band reissued the single with “Beth” as the a-side.

Stanley told me the song is not only about Detroit, but about a Kiss fan who died in a car crash on his way to a Kiss concert.

“There had been an accident outside of an arena in Charlotte. Someone was killed coming to the concert. I thought, how odd and how striking and the juxtaposition of someone coming to a Kiss concert, which celebrates being alive, to lose your life. That was the twist of “Detroit Rock City.” To change it from a song about your amazing city to something much more epic.”

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Big Issue

In a candid interview, KISS’ Gene Simmons discusses his family history – and his violent plans as Earth’s ‘benevolent’ dictator

Joyce Lupiani | KTNV

The unique rock ‘n roll themed amusement attraction is based around the world-renowned band KISS. The new location replaces the original location, which closed in February 2016 to make way for the larger attraction at the Rio.

It features an indoor glow-in-the-dark, custom-designed, rockin’ 18-hole miniature golf course, state-of-the-art video and never-seen-before KISS props, arcade games, a special event room for birthdays and etc., a gift shop, hundreds of pieces of KISS memorabilia on display, and a rock ‘n roll wedding chapel with themed wedding packages.

In addition, a live DJ will rock the house with KISS music. There will also be trivia games and contests.

“Our new KISS By Monster Mini Golf location has allowed us to truly turn the volume up to 11 as we have created the most unique rock ‘n roll themed attraction right in the heart of Vegas Rock City,” Christina Vitagliano, CEO/Founder of Monster Mini Golf® and KISS By Monster Mini Golf. “We’re excited to showcase to the world a venue that let’s people celebrate their love for rock ‘n roll with an expanded and newly designed state-of-the-art rockin’ 18-hole mini golf course, new LOVE IT LOUD Wedding Chapel, plus the largest public display of KISS memorabilia in the world.”

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KISS my Wax

Christopher Scapelliti | Guitar Player

Former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the LA Kiss game against the Portland Steel on May 28, and LA Kiss co-owners Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were in attendance. The game was held at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Kulick became the fourth lead guitarist in Kiss when he replaced Mark St. John in 1984. He stayed with the band until 1996, during which time he recorded Asylum, Crazy Nights, Hot in the Shade, Revenge,Alive III, Kiss Unplugged, and Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions.

Prior to joining Kiss, Kulick knew the band through his brother, Bob, a session guitarist who had originally auditioned for the group’s lead guitar spot in 1973. Bruce spoke extensively about his time with Kiss in a recent interview with Joel Gausten.

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Michael Brandvold

Podcast Rock City

Loudwire

Nikki Sixx has been in a war of words with KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in recent weeks. The Motley Crue bassist called out Simmons for his controversial comments on Prince’s death, among other topics, which led to Paul Stanley to defend his KISS bandmate by telling Sixx to “please shut up.”

It all started when Gene Simmons told Newsweek that Prince’s death was pathetic, suggesting that the pop icon killed himself through drug abuse. Sixx then called out Simmons, calling him “an overrated, lucky guy that dresses like a clown” and criticizing him about other comments he’s made over the years, too. Stanley, who himself lambasted Simmons’ Prince comments, then told Sixx to get off his “self inflated pedestal.”

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Stef Lach | Team Rock

Paul Stanley says it was about time he worked with Ace Frehley again because “life’s too short.”

The Kiss frontman appears on former bandmate Frehley’s solo album Origins Vol.1, singing on a version of Free’s Fire And Water. And in an interview filmed on the set of the video for the track, the pair discuss the collaboration and their relationship.

Stanley tells 95.5 KLOS: “Look, life’s too short, and regardless of whatever differences we will have and continue to have and things that we don’t agree on, there’s no denying what we started together.

“And what we started together is the reason that we’re still here today. So why not celebrate it?”

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Michael Brandvold

Radio.com

One of the silliest beefs in hard rock this year erupted when KISS’ Gene Simmons called Prince’s death “pathetic” and Mötley Crüe bassist and songwriter Nikki Sixx took him to task, suggesting he’s out of touch and should “call it a day.” Then KISS guitarist Paul Stanley chimed in and Sixx commented again. But now Sixx says it’s time to it’s time back off the battlefield before everyone involved loses credibility.

“I think we just kinda look like a bunch of old women fighting at this point,” he told Loudwire.

Sixx added that the war of words spiraled out of control because the press made a new, bold headline out of every comment. “The problem is that sometimes you will say something and the media will take just that 15 seconds and that gets magnified,” he said. “It can get blown out of proportion.”

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Joe Polo