Category Archives: KISS News

Alive! ’75: Beyond Alive! – and BACK!

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Anthony De Lucia, Jr. / www.alive75.com

In the five years since Alive! ’75 burst onto the scene, KISS fans have had the pleasure of experiencing a new and different kind of KISS tribute.  Not content to simply dress-up and play KISS songs, Alive! ’75 has been entertaining fans in and around the northeastern United States with their “ultimate classic KISS tribute” experience.  Their shows focus on period-specific recreations of performances and classic concert moments of the original 1970s era, and the fan response to their efforts has been huge.

Each year they’ve challenged themselves to bring more to the table and 2020 is looking to be no exception.  We spent some time with Anthony De Lucia, Jr., (the band’s  manager and “Demon”), fresh from their year-end show at the Sherman Theater to discuss a few highlights from the past year, as well as their plans for 2020.

“This may be the most personally satisfying year we’ve had yet!” says Anthony.  “2019 has been a year of rebuilding and refocusing our efforts and we’re energized about what the coming year will bring – we’ve got BIG plans for 2020!”  Those plans include returning to their original Alive! album production, including their full-on 1975 “time-warp” experience – as well moving into Alive II territory, complete with new costumes (again!) by the end of the year.  “We’re working to keep it interesting for the fans.” Anthony continued, “We’re looking to take fans on a journey with us –  to re-live past KISS-toric moments as well as providing new experiences that no other tribute has.”
 
And what a journey it has been for Alive! ’75.  They followed-up their initial tour of the Alive! album / time-warp concept shows by moving systematically through KISS’ early touring schedule and catalog.  Alive! ’75 began to performed shows based on the actual Alive! tour, followed by the early ‘76 European tour, then the Destroyer tour and finally the Rock and Roll Over tour.  “We were essentially taking our fans – KISS fans – back through the same evolution that KISS followed in the mid-70s.” says Anthony.  “This included our moving to new costumes and a revised stage design.  Fans recognized what we were doing, and they absolutely loved it!”
Other KISS tribute acts were taking notice as well and Alive! ’75’s impact on the KISS tribute scene is undeniable.  “We surveyed the landscape when we started this whole thing,” says Anthony, “and we’ve clearly noticed other established KISS tributes upping their game.  And that’s a great thing – it’s especially great for KISS fans, as it provides more opportunities to enjoy this great music and get more from the shows that are out there.”

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The KISS Room – December 2019

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Matt Porter

KISS ARMY – meet meet me in THE KISS ROOM! Join Matt Porter and Bobby Dreher for the December issue of THE KISS ROOM, featuring: KISS talk and KISS tunes! A phone call from THE DEMON from ALIVE! ’75, Anthony DeLucia! All of the songs from THE KISS ROOM DEMOS PROJECT VOLUME 5! Matt’s exclusive interview with JR SMALLING! And MORE! Originally broadcast live on Friday, December 13, 2019 via Montco Radio.

40 Years ago today: Onstage sabotage by Peter Criss ends KISS” original lineup

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Ultimate Classic Rock

By his own account, Peter Criss deliberately sabotaged three of his final five shows with the original lineup of Kiss.

The first and most public of these acts kicked off a week of backstage arguments that ended with him trying to attack a bandmate with a broken champagne bottle.

Despite a half-decade run as one of rock’s most popular bands, Kiss were coming apart at the seams in December 1979 as a result of interpersonal issues. After drummer Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley expressed a desire to quit the previous year, the group members instead took an extended break and recorded solo albums before trying to reunite as a happy family for Dynasty, which was released in May 1979.

It didn’t work. Because of a car accident, a recovering Criss played drums on only one song. Even though the disco-influenced lead single “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” was a hit, Dynasty had a more scattered appeal than previous Kiss albums and didn’t sound like the work of a unified band. Plus, many of the band’s original fans disapproved of the mass-appeal nature of the new sound, resulting in less-than-stellar attendance and even canceled shows on the tour in support of the album.

None of this helped improve relationships. On Dec. 8, 1979, during the fifth-to-last show of the tour, Criss took strong exception to frontman Paul Stanley gesturing for him to slow down the tempo mid-song. “What that says to everybody in the arena is that I’m the one fucking up the band,” Criss recalled in his 2012 memoir, Makeup to Breakup.

Even though Criss conceded Stanley “may have had a point,” seeing as how a pre-show visit from his cocaine dealer had the drummer feeling “a little edgy and probably playing a little too fast,” he still considered the public upbraiding “a slap in the face.”

Angered, Criss intentionally “slowed the song down to a crawl,” prompting Stanley to gesture “wildly” for him to bring the tempo back up again. “I’m like, ‘Make up your motherfucking mind!'” he said. “People in the audience could hear me screaming that at him. I just stopped playing; I didn’t care anymore.”

“That crossed a line,” Stanley noted in his own memoir, 2014’s Face the Music. “It’s one thing to sabotage things offstage — and God knows he’d done plenty of that. But this was different. This was in front of people who paid to see us.” By Stanley’s account, Frehley and Gene Simmons were also “stunned” by this “betrayal,” and voted to kick Criss out of the band immediately.

“I shouldn’t have sabotaged that song,” Criss noted. “But Paul could have easily waited, finished the show and talked to me about it in the dressing room. I would have taken that fine. But the way he did it was so girly. He had to have everyone looking at him admonishing me.”

The band was convinced to play the final week of shows, but things continued to deteriorate. At a concert two nights later in Jackson, Miss., Criss stopped playing without explanation during a performance of Stanley’s solo song “Move On.” “I was just so fed up with them,” Criss recalled. “Later that same show, after I finished singing ‘Beth,’ I threw the mike on the floor and stormed offstage again.”

Two nights later in Biloxi, Miss., “on a whim,” Criss decided to hit Simmons on the back of his head as he was throwing drum sticks to the crowd near the end of the main set. “I didn’t mean to hit him hard,” he insisted. “But the thick end of the stick whacked him.”

During the band’s pre-encore break, Simmons repaid Criss with a swift kick to the shin. The two traded some words before returning for the first encore. Rushing backstage afterward, Criss prepared his revenge. “I found one of Ace’s empty champagne bottles and broke it against the table,” he explained. “As soon as Gene walked into that room, I went after him with the broken bottle, but some of the crew intervened and dragged me away.”

After the band  somehow regrouped for a second, final encore, Criss said he and Simmons “begrudgingly shook each other’s hands, but I knew that was it … there was no turning back. We finished the final two shows of the Dynasty tour without incident. But Kiss, as the world knew it, was over.” The last show took place on Dec. 16, 1979, in Toledo.

Simmons, Stanley and Frehley soon fired Criss, replacing him with Eric Carr for the tour in support of 1980’s Unmasked. Criss returned to the group for the successful 1996 original-lineup reunion tour, 1998’s Psycho Circus LP and a “farewell” tour in 1999 and 2000. Criss’ last show of that tour ended with him angrily destroying his drum kit after he found out he wasn’t making as much money as Frehley.

The drummer returned for a third and final stint with Kiss in late 2002, departing when his contract wasn’t renewed in 2004. He retired from music after a brief series of solo farewell shows in 2017.

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Gene’s one-word apology to Desmond Child

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Ultimate Classic Rock

Desmond Child, the award-winning songwriter who co-wrote the Kiss hit “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” recalled how the band offended him with comments about the song, and how Gene Simmons eventually offered a one-word apology.

Despite being a chart success on release in 1979 – selling a million copies in the U.S. alone – and being co-written by Paul Stanley, some members of the band were unhappy with the song’s disco overtones.

“I was experimenting then with a drum machine, and the idea of having dance beats with rock had occurred to me,” Child told the Talk Is Jericho podcast. “So I kind of hoodwinked [Stanley] into this idea of four-on-the-floor dance beat with these heavy guitars. Gene never bought it – he never liked it. He [still] doesn’t.”

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Ace Frehley’s Girl Friend claims he pulled home ambush

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TMZ

OG KISS guitarist Ace Frehley stormed into the home he shares with his estranged girlfriend, forcefully took his belongings, then left her high and dry … so she claims in legal docs.
Rachael Gordon was granted a temporary restraining order against Ace — who she says she’s been with for 11 years — after what sounds like a bizarre and frightening incident at their house.
She claims in the docs, he returned home from a business trip unannounced and barged in with muscle — a male and a female bodyguard — along with his daughter, Monique.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer allegedly refused to talk to Gordon as he went into his office to gather up his guitars and gold records. Rachael Continue reading →

Ace Frehley welcomes Bruce Kulick to new ‘Orgins, Vol.2’ album

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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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The Phone Call that got Ace Frehley sober

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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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Gene Simmons Allegedly ‘Erases’ Ex-KISS Members On Shirt

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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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Icon Coins Talks Eric Carr Commemorative Coin

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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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