Andrew French performed in multiple KISS tribute bands over the years and even had a role as one of the band doubles in the Detroit Rock City movie. Every time I crossed paths with him, he was always warm and friendly. It’s heartbreaking to share that he passed away this week. Watch him in action in this video clip.

Led Zeppelin’s monumental influence on rock ‘n’ roll is undeniable. Their legendary series of albums, spanning from their 1969 debut to 1975’s Physical Graffiti, laid the groundwork for heavy metal and solidified the band’s place in rock mythology.

The blend of folk and blues infused their powerful songcraft with a grounded, mystical quality that kept them from veering entirely into the grandiose excesses of progressive rock. Embracing the album-oriented rock (AOR) movement, each record became something of a mystical artefact, acting as a portal to realms far removed from the room where the music was playing.

During an interview last year with Goldmine, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley revealed the ten albums that changed his life. Naturally, The Bronx Spaceman’s list is peppered with guitar-focused records from his youth and during those crazy years of Kiss’ greasepaint classic era. A healthy love of the British invasion is clearly evident. There’s Meet the Beatles!, the American iteration of the Fab Four’s second LP, The Kinks’ conceptual Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, and of course, The Rolling Stones get a shoo-in with their raw classic Out of Our Heads.

One record in particular that made Frehley bestow high praise is Led Zeppelin’s explosive self-titled debut. He elaborates: “I’ve said it before, and I think we all know that Jimmy Page is one of my favourite guitar players. This album greatly impacted me as a kid growing up in the Bronx”.

Frehley added: “I love all of Zeppelin’s records, that’s the blueprint of rock and roll right there. But the first does it for me the most. I covered ‘Good Times, Bad Times’ on my last Origins record as a sort of homage to Page and what he was able to do on that album. Amazing music, a fantastic record, and totally influential to me as a guitarist before I truly knew what I was doing!”

While Kiss never reached the critical adulation that Zeppelin enjoyed (which they never sought), you can certainly hear their influential effect on Kiss’ early records. ‘Cold Gin’, penned by Frehely, struts itself with Jimmy Page’s sense of ballsy big riff swagger, and ‘Black Diamond’ attempts to reach for Zeppelin’s folk touches on the track’s intro. Frehley sticking to his rock guns on the ill-conceived ’78 solo series, it’s his quarter of the shabby quadruple that holds up the best, doing his homework and studying rock’s “blueprint” while Gene Simmons was singing Disney songs (yes, really).

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Very hard to find promo poster for the first issue of Gene Simmons House of Horrors. Signed by Gene Simmons and Nick Simmons! Measures 25 x 37 inches. Looks amazing!

Click here to order at kissarmywarehouse.com!

KISS Neon Telephone, when the phone rings, the base of the phone lights up the band members and it plays “ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT!” Phone has easel to stand freely or can be mounted on the wall. Released in 1998.

Click here to order at kissarmywarehouse.com!

Only 10 people have ever known what it’s like to be a member of Kiss, and only two have held that role throughout the band’s five decade-plus history.

When ranking the influence of each member on the band’s career, it’s important to note that we’re not judging talent; you have to assume that anybody who reached this level had plenty of that to spare. Equally important are chemistry and timing, and as they say in How I Met Your Mother, “Timing is a bitch.”

You will not be surprised to find Kiss mainstays Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons at the very top of this list, which takes into account length of service as well as contributions to the band’s 20 studio albums, with a particular emphasis on songwriting credits.

10. Mark St. John
(1984: Animalize album)

Kiss’ lead guitarist spot became a revolving door in the early ’80s, with founding member Ace Frehley departing in 1982 and his replacement Vinnie Vincent getting fired just two years later. It quickly became clear to Paul Stanley that their next recruit, Mark St. John wouldn’t last even that long. “The guy could never play the same thing twice, because he was just puking notes,” Stanley told Guitar World. “There was no structure to it.” Mitch Weissman and St. John’s soon-to-be replacement Bruce Kulick were brought in for additional unaccredited guitar work on 1984’s Animalize. When St. John developed a (possibly stress-related) arthritis condition, Kulick was brought in for the band’s next tour. St. John eventually joined the band for a few shows, but it was clear to both sides that this was not a match. “The situation was a East meets West type of thing,” St. John later told Kiss Asylum. “We didn’t hate each other, but they solved things ‘their way or hit the highway.'”

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For Immediate Release:

WHO: ACE FREHLEY with Special Guest TRIXTER

WHEN: Saturday, November 16, 2024 – 7:30PM CT

WHERE: Val-Air Ballroom | West Des Moines, IA

From his earliest days, Gene Simmons intended to keep it simple when it comes to bass playing. “I’ve always been a pragmatist,” he says. “Pragmatism rules.

“When I was a kid I noticed that everybody wanted to be a guitar player, and I did initially learn to play a few chords. But I picked up bass because there were fewer bass players, and it increased my chances of being in a band – which is what I really wanted.”

Amid the kabuki cladding, flash and explosions of Kiss, it was easy to focus on Ace Frehley’s pyrotechnic lead guitar, Peter Criss’ off-the-rails fills, and Paul Stanley’s soaring vocals. But it was Simmons’ basslines that buoyed many of the band’s Klassics.

“The original-cookie cutter design that other bands seem to ignore was this idea that everybody in a band could be a star,” he says. “All those bass parts that became Firehouse and Love Her All I Can – they’re my bass riffs that the guitars would jump on and double up.”

But he continues: “I don’t consider myself, and was never really interested in being, a bass virtuoso. I don’t like showoffs in music. I’m much more attracted to things that are memorable. It’s part of the joy of music for me. There are very few bass players that are memorable.”

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Very cool item. These special masks sets were available at the 2016 Official Japan KISS Expo. These are shaped a lot better than the ones released by the costume company a few years ago. Limited Supply! This price gets you one full set of masks.

Click here to order at kissarmywarehouse.com!

KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park is a 1978 TV film about a rock band made up of superheroes who battle an evil inventor with plans for destruction at a California amusement park.

The movie was directed by Gordon Hessler (The Oblong Box, Cry of the Banshee, Scream and Scream Again) from a screenplay by Jan Michael Sherman and Don Buday. Also known as KISS in the Attack of the Phantoms

The film was aired by NBC at the height of the band’s popularity in the United States. However, poor acting and a semi-comedic script caused it to be regarded poorly even by most KISS fans. Despite or perhaps because of this, it has attained a degree of kitschy cult status. The film is hated by the band members themselves for the buffoonish way it made them appear. For years after its airing, no one who worked for the group was permitted to mention the film in their presence.

Filming for KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park began in May 1978, and it was produced by Hanna-Barbera (better known as the animation studio behind Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, Most of the movie was filmed at Magic Mountain in California, with additional filming taking place in the Hollywood Hills. Much of the production was rushed, and the script underwent numerous rewrites. All four members of KISS were given crash courses on acting.

Before completing the script, screenwriters Jan Michael Sherman and Don Buday spent time with each KISS member, to get a feel for how they each acted and spoke. Ace Frehley, known for his eccentric behaviour, said little to the pair but “Ack!” As a result, Frehley was not originally given any lines, except to interject “Ack!” at various points. In the first draft of the script, Frehley was described as “monosyllabic and super-friendly. Communicating largely through gestures and sounds, Ace might be best described as an other-galactic Harpo Marx. Upon learning of his lack of dialogue, Frehley threatened to leave the project — soon after, lines were written for him.

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