KISStorian reviews NOTHIN’ TO LOSE: The Making of KISS
David Ashdown
Better late than never …I just finished readingNothin’ To Lose: The Making of KISS (1972 – 1975) and want to congratulate Ken Sharp as well as Gene & Paul for transporting us back in time for one helluva rock & roll party!! …the early days of KISS. Not only is it a telling chronicle of the core dynamic of the original KISS line-up but one of the best books ever compiled on the concert & radio promotion business in the 70’s. With so many grass-roots stories and quotes from other rockers on the circuit with KISS at the time, I recon it’s a book any rock fan would dig and hereby KISStorically proclaim it an essential rock classic!
As a KISS fan, it has completely re-invigorated my passion for the band as well as my respect for what it took for them to make it. It was an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ proposition; sink or swim. KISS stood tall, undaunted by bad press, poor radio reception, luke-warm record sales. continuous logistical touring nightmares ‘n snafus and ultimately 
Warner Brothers’ lack of love in supporting the band. As Paul might concur: “Don’t mean shit, I don’t care!” because that was KISS’s attitude. They had fans, with them the rest didn’t matter. A volunteer army was amassing in the jean-clad smokey high school hallways of the Midwest. The word was getting out …”YOU GOTTA SEE KISS!”
Behind the scenes though it’s clear the first KISS Army was the bands initial road crew. Those guys deserve to be knighted by The Elder,
KISS My Wax – Episode 6: Double Platinum
Jason Herndon
Join your hosts Jason Herndon, Tom Shannon and Andrew Sgambati as they discuss all things KISS Vinyl! This episode, they take on the 1978 release Double Platinum!!
What’s New in KISS Collecting – KISS Army 3-D Foam Wall Sign
New OFFICIAL KISS Catalog item for 2016!
The 3D KISS ARMY Foam Wall Sign is an awesome representation of the famous KISS Army logo stacked in layers of high-density heavy “foam” material. Not cheap styrofoam, but constructed from no less than 6 layers of a modern dense, firm material that holds it’s shape and gives razor sharp corners to the artwork.
Measures in at a large 15 x 14 x 1.5 inches.
KISS June 1980, Eyewitness News Australia – report on KISS Army march
KISS ROOM and chill for Valentine’s Day
The KISS Room
Listen to the February edition of THE KISS ROOM. Matt Porter is joined by Eric Todd Orocks Carr, Ira Bostian, Ken Mills and more. All of the fun that you expect every month in THE KISS ROOM.
KISS By Monster Mini Golf announces new location
KISS By Monster Mini Golf is moving to the Rio hotel-casino this spring.
The announcement was made on Feb. 9. KISS By Monster Mini Golf closed its original location on the corner of Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road on Feb. 6. The original location opened its doors in March 2012, and has hosted numerous KISS band member appearances, rock ‘n roll memorabilia shows, weddings, birthday parties, rock legend autograph signings, unique private events and nearly half a million mini golf enthusiasts.
The new location in Masquerade Village will be 13,000 square feet and will feature an 18-hole miniature golf course filled with state-of-the-art video and animations and never-seen-before KISS props.
The environment will be filled with arcade games, a special event room, a colossal sized KISS and rock ‘n roll gift shop, and a rock ‘n roll wedding chapel with themed wedding packages. In addition, a live DJ will rock the house, throughout the days and many “Crazy, Crazy Nights” with continuous KISS music, trivia, contests and prizes creating a place embraced by locals, tourists, and rockers of all ages.
Ace Frehley Announces New Covers Album Featuring Kiss’ Paul Stanley, Slash and More
Richard Bienstock | Revolver
Ace Frehley has announced the release of ‘Origins Vol. 1,’ a collection of 12 newly recorded classics from Ace’s formative years featuring some of the biggest names in rock and roll, on April 15, 2016. Most notably, Kiss frontman Paul Stanley joins Ace on Free’s hit, “Fire and Water.” This collaboration marks the first time that Frehley and Stanley appear on the same studio recording since Kiss’ 1998 reunion album ‘Psycho Circus.’
Other guests on ‘Origins Vol. 1’ include Slash, who trades leads on Thin Lizzy’s “Emerald,” Lita Ford singing and playing lead on The Troggs staple “Wild Thing,” Rob Zombie guitarist
John 5 playing guitar alongside Ace as he sings his classic KISS composition “Parasite” for the very first time, as well as Jimi Hendrix’s “Spanish Castle Magic.” Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready also plays guitar with Ace as he finally sings his Kiss ‘Alive!’ mainstay “Cold Gin.”
Ace spoke with Rolling Stone about the new record, his guest players and recording with Paul after all these years. Regarding his reunion with Stanley, Frehley shrugs off any residual tension between the two of them. “We’ve always been friends,” he says. “The press seems to amplify negativity. I guess it makes good copy.”
“White Room,” which can be streamed at RollingStone.com, is also an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre order the LP on iTunes will receive the Cream cover song instantly.
The full track list for ‘Origins Vol. 1’ is:
01. White Room (CREAM)
02. Street Fighting Man (ROLLING STONES)
03. Spanish Castle Magic (JIMI HENDRIX) (feat. John 5)
04. Fire And Water (FREE) (feat. Paul Stanley)
05. Emerald (THIN LIZZY) (feat. Slash)
06. Bring It On Home (LED ZEPPELIN)
07. Wild Thing (THE TROGGS) (feat. Lita Ford)
08. Parasite (KISS) (feat. John 5)
09. Magic Carpet Ride (STEPPENWOLF)
10. Cold Gin (KISS) (feat. Mike McCready)
11. Till The End Of The Day (THE KINKS)
12. Rock And Roll Hell (KISS)
Today Rolling Stone debuts “White Room,” the classic hit originally performed by Cream.
PodKISSt #117, Carnival of Souls side 2, track by track
Ken Mills | PodKISSt
Paul Stanley to appear on upcoming Ace Frehley album
Entertainment One
Three Sides of the Coin, episode 164 – Eddie Trunk is back to talk all about Ace Frehley
Michael Brandvold
Episode 164, February 9, 2016. Eddie Trunk is Back to Talk All About Ace Frehley. Eddie shares many stories from time working at Megaforce Records… seeking out and signing Ace Frehley to his solo record deal. Recording the debut album and the debate between it being a band album or a Ace album. The disaster that was Second Sighting, what happened to cause the album to fail. Eddie was full of many Ace stories! Welcome of our Ace Frehley special!
KISS July 25, 1979, Madison Square Garden, New York City – TV news report
KISS My Wax, episode 5 – label madness
Join your hosts Jason Herndon and Tom Shannon as they discuss all things KISS Vinyl! This episode, they take on US label variations!
Eric Singer interview at NAMM show
Gus Griesinger | Back Stage Axxess
NAMM brings out a lot of surprise appearances and much to our surprise walking through the Pearl showroom, we ran into KISS drummer Eric Singer. Being a he KISS fan, I have had the privilege of knowing Eric for years. Funny thing is though, I have never interviewed him. Well, of course, that needed to change so Eric was gracious enough to give us some of his time to talk about all things KISS. We chatted about the just announced 6th installment of the KISS Kruise and what fans may expect from it. We also discussed Eric’s long standing relationship with Pearl Drums and why he remains a part of the Pearl family.
It was a comfortable interview as you will see. At one point, Eric even poked fun at my Affliction thermal. What’s an interview with Eric Singer without mention of his favorite things? Of course, we talked about watches and what lies ahead for the KISS camp.
Finally, the long awaited interview with the man behind the mask, Eric Singer of KISS!
Paul Stanley introduces 12-year-old as ‘the next KISS drummer’
Paul Stanley introduced “the next Kiss drummer” at an impromptu show last Friday, January 29, and it was a surprise for everyone in attendance.
The group was performing at a meet-and-greet acoustic set in Durant, Oklahoma, when Stanley brought up 12-year-old Logan Gladden. The young drummer took the drum stool from Eric Singer and proceeded to become the next Kiss drummer, if only for a few minutes, by handling the kit for a performance of “Nothin’ to Lose” off the band’s 1974 debut album.
What’s more, Logan even sang.
“I’ve been playing drums and listening to classic rock music all my life,” he told Team Rock. “My parents put videos of me on YouTube when I was small and Eric saw them and invited me to meet him when I was three and he was with Alice Cooper. That day I played his drums during soundcheck and still remember it.
Gene tries on novelty hand glassess
Mike Larkin | Daily Mail
As The Demon in Kiss he has hardly been shy when it comes to wearing outlandish items of clothing.
And Gene Simmons certainly outdid himself by trying on a pair of comedy novelty glasses during an outing with his wife Shannon Tweed in Beverly Hills on Thursday.
The God Of Thunder looked rather risible as he struck a cheeky pose while wearing the ladies hand spectacles at an optician in the well-heeled area of Los Angeles County.
KISS news clip, Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle Washington – news clip
Three Sides of the Coin, episode 163 – KISS Dealer Peter Arquette from KISS Museum talks merch, expos, Vinnie and Lick It Up
Michael Brandvold
Lots of controversy has always surrounded the theory that Vinnie Vincent was not actually present for the photo shoot of the cover of Lick it Up. We discussed this on the current episode, and I could always be wrong, but from the info that’s been going around, it appears it could be true.
The photos below illustrate why this is a possibility – In photos 1 and 2, Vinnie’s body appears to be a mannequin missing the left arm as well as half the shoulder, pressing up against Eric with Vinnie’s face superimposed on top. In photo #2, you can see a pole going up the back of Vinnie which could be a stand for the mannequin. That and the hand on Vinnie’s hip have been airbrushed out for the final version of the cover, (the pole also has a wire going up along side it, so it may just a stand for back-lighting). In photo #3, Vinnie has arms and compared to the other photos, half of his shoulder has reappeared as well. Also, Vinnie’s face seems to be the same photo on all three, while all the other band members have different expressions and angles to their faces.
Mostly, Eric Carr had been known to say that Vinnie was not there for whatever reason. Perhaps I misheard, he never actually said that, or there is more to the story, but from what we see here it does beg the question. Regardless, the fact that Gene’s fingers are hyper-extended and his wrist is in the wrong place shows how the cover was spliced together from similar photos from the same photo shoot.
KISS Performs in Durant, Oklahoma, (including Flaming Youth live!)
Fan-filmed video footage of KISS’s January 29 performance at Choctaw Grand Theater in Durant, Oklahoma (courtesy of John Erigo).
The band’s setlist was as follows:
01. Detroit Rock City
02. Deuce
03. Psycho Circus
04. Creatures Of The Night
05. I Love It Loud
06. War Machine
07. Flaming Youth
08. Calling Dr. Love
09. Hell Or Hallelujah (with “Let Me Know” ending)
10. Guitar Solo
11. Lick It Up
12. Bass Solo (Gene spits blood)
13. God Of Thunder (Gene flies up to lighting truss)
14. Cold Gin
15. Love Gun (Paul flies out to second stage)
16. Black Diamond
Encore:
17. Shout It Out Loud
18. I Was Made For Lovin’ You
19. Rock And Roll All Nite
PodKISSt #117, COS Side 1 track by track
PodKISSt