Jason Herndon

Graham Hartmann | Loudwire

On Episode 26 of the Loudwire Podcast, we welcome KISS legend Paul Stanley. Podcast hosts Graham Hartmann and Joe DiVita sat down with Stanley to talk about a potential new KISS album, Gene Simmons’ attempt to trademark the “love” hand sign and much more!

Before the interview with Paul Stanley begins, Graham and Joe take some time to speak about Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington. The rock world is still reeling from the vocalist’s suicide, with tributes pouring in from musicians everywhere. Graham and Joe discuss Linkin Park’s impact and legacy while speaking about the issue of mental health, specifically trying to describe what depression feels like to those who don’t suffer from the disease.

Right before KISS’ set at this year’s Chicago Open Air festival, we journeyed backstage to interview Paul Stanley. The KISS legend revealed he’s more excited about the prospect of a new album than he has been in a long time. “As time has passed, I find it becoming more and more enticing — the idea of doing another album,” Stanley describes. “I’m kind of more into it than I was before. For me, it really just comes down to, ‘Is it going to be exciting creatively?’”

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Loudwire

Paul Stanley says that he finds the idea of making a new KISS studio album “more and more enticing” as time goes on.

KISS hasn’t released a full-length disc of new music since 2012’s “Monster”, which sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band’s previous LP, “Sonic Boom”, opened with 108,000 units back in October 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. This marked the KISS‘s highest-charting LP ever.

Asked by the Loudwire Podcast for his thoughts on the prospect of recording a new KISS CD, Stanley said: “If we’re going to do an album, it would be because we want to do an album, not because of sales. I think we’re living in a time, obviously, now where albums don’t sell what they once did, so you either do it because it’s a creative outlet and because it satisfies something in you, or not. If you’re doing it purely for sales, then you’re probably doing it for the wrong reason. So if we do an album, it’s only gonna be because it feels right to do it. And as time has passed, I find it becoming more and more enticing, the idea of doing another album. For me, the only thing we have to make sure is that we don’t do ‘Son Of Monster’ or ‘Son Of Sonic Boom’. Unless we are in a different direction — not to go to the route of ‘The Elder’ [KISS‘s much-maligned 1981 concept album] — but, again, if we’re doing it for ourselves, then if people like it, that’s great. But the only way to do an album, for me at this point, is to do something that I find intriguing. So I’m kind of more into it than I was before, only because once you set the parameters and your expectations… So, for me, it really just comes down to: is it gonna be exciting creatively?”

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BBC News

The internet has gone udderly wild for a Texas calf’s uncanny resemblance to Kiss frontman Gene Simmons.

The baby cow, named Genie, was born on Friday at a ranch in Kerrville, Texas, and even likes to stick out its tongue like the rocker.

Hill Country Visitor, a tourism agency that promotes the region of Texas Hill, shared the image on Facebook, joking that Simmons could be the father.

Simmons himself was delighted, tweeting: “This is real, folks!!!”

The bovine doppelgänger’s markings quickly drew comparisons to Simmons, who is famous for his long tongue and black-and-white face paint.

Genie was born on a ranch kept by the family of Heather Taccetta, who works at a local steak house.

“Obviously, we can’t serve this fine specimen,” Hill Country Visitor wrote.

“Where were you on or about November 25, 2016?” the website posted, tagging the singer of such hits as Rock and Roll All Night and Detroit Rock City.

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Jody Havenot

Matt Porter

Peter Hartlaub | SF Gate

San Francisco played host to Elvis Presley’s shaking hips, the Rolling Stones after “Sticky Fingers” was released, and Menudo when the multilingual boy band was eliciting its loudest screams.

But few concerts in Bay Area history struck simultaneous terror in the minds of conservative adults and joy in the the hearts of young rock and roll fans, as Kiss at the Cow Palace on Aug. 16, 1977.

“Sixteen thousand kids put up $6.50 apiece to catch tiptoe glimpses of the four silversuited contortionists from New York who constitute the rock group known as Kiss,” Chronicle reporter Steve Rubenstein wrote in an article that appeared two days later. “It was dazzling, deafening and looked outrageously profitable.”

The concert was part of the Bill Graham Presents Mid-Summer Music Festival, which included the Ramones at Winterland, and Led Zeppelin playing a Day on the Green concert at Oakland Coliseum. Opening for Kiss was the mostly unknown Cheap Trick, misidentified by The Chronicle as “Cheap Tricks.”

Kiss and the Cow Palace were both at the peak of their powers in 1977. But looking back on The Chronicle’s coverage, there were two other notable elements:

• The band performed on the day Elvis died — a fact that many young concert-goers didn’t realize until Kiss sang a tribute to the King near the end of the concert.

• Chronicle photographer Stephanie Maze focused her lens on the young crowd, taking dozens of photos that captured the feral joy of a 1970s rock concert. The resulting photo essay, which mostly went unpublished, included children as young as 10.

Kiss had released the albums “Alive,” “Destroyer,” “Rock and Roll Over” and “Love Gun” in a two-year period before the concert, and had just been named by a Gallup poll the most popular band in America. The band was entering the final stretch of the 1977 “Love Gun” tour through Canada and the U.S., so their voices were hoarse, but the stage show was polished.

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Graham Hartmann | Loudwire

For Loudwire Podcast #26, we’ve got an exclusive interview with KISS legend Paul Stanley! In this podcast preview, Paul breaks down the massively anticipated boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

Just a few hours before KISS’ performance at Chicago Open Air, we went backstage to speak with the iconic Starchild. After asking if he feels any pressure to write a new KISS album, as it could possibly be the band’s final recording, Stanley mentioned that even the greatest boxing champions got knocked out towards the end. When it comes to KISS’ legacy, Stanley already feels it’s golden, regardless of how a potential final album is received by fans and critics.

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Jody Havenot

Anthony De Lucia, Jr. | alive75.com

It has been less than three years since Alive! ’75 burst onto the scene, entertaining fans in the northeastern United States with their “ultimate classic KISS tribute” experience.  Each year has proven bigger than before, and this year is no exception as they continue to innovate and push the boundaries in the KISS tribute space.  We caught-up with Anthony De Lucia, Jr., the band’s  manager and “Demon” to discuss a few highlights from the first half of the year, as well as their plans for the future.

That opportunity presented itself in Montreal, at the “Rockin’ New Year’s Bash!” thanks to Pasquale Vari of The KISS Army Nation Facebook Group (www.facebook.com/groups/kissarmynation).  “We then connected with KISSed” said Anthony.  “They are a phenomenal KISS tribute – real pros that do a great job.  The energy and excitement in their performance is like no other we’ve seen.  But even more than that, they are a great group of guys that love what they do.  They are Montreal-based and we were honored to have shared the night with them in their home town.”

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Van Norden

Jason Herndon

Intimate Interviews

KISSmuseum.com

Boxes and boxes of KISS mags from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and up to the present – over 200 in all. Entire collection is up for sale at KISSmuseum.com. Most are singles so they will go fast.

See the entire collection HERE at KISSmuseum.com

Matt Porter

The Eagle

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS are bringing their Rock & Brews restaurant chain to Chicago with plans to open 10 to 15 locations in the city

The Chicago Tribune reports that the rockers plan to expand the chain over the next five to seven years with the first Chicago-area restaurant scheduled to open next year, though the location is still being negotiated.

An expansion that large is considered a risky gamble. The 67-year-old Simmons said, “Either Chicago is America or it’s not. Everywhere we’ve gone, it works beyond expectation. The only thing you could say is, it’s not going to work here because we’re in Zimbabwe.”

He added, “Look, we’re not McDonald’s, we’re in a higher end, but when it works, boy, it works. When a brand gets it right for their audience, it can work almost anywhere.”

Since launching in 2012, Rock & Brews has grown to 20 locations in the U.S. and Mexico. They offer rock-themed casual dining with a wide variety of locally brewed craft beer on tap. Each location has 30 to 40 televisions, playing sports and rock videos.

The plan is to get to 100 locations in the next five years.

Michael Brandvold

Jason Genegabus

Jody Havenot