KISS Coffeehouse 5th Year Anniversary Party Saturday, August 13th, 2011
Schedule Of Events*
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Professional Photographs @ KISS Coffeehouse
(Platinum & Double Platinum Packages Only)
12:30 PM – 5:00 PM Meet & Greet w/Eric & Tommy @ KISS Coffeehouse
7:00 PM – 7:30 PM Q&A Session w/Eric & Tommy @ Celebrity Square
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM KISS Army Concert @ Celebrity Square
10:30 PM – ??? After Party w/KISS Army @ KISS Coffeehouse
*Schedule is tentative, and all times are approximate, and subject to change.
ALL Kids 10 & Under Get In FREE With Paid Adult!
Visit http://www.kisscoffeehouse.com/ for more information.
KISS MASK WEBZINE Celebrates 40 Years of KISS. Est. 1987
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Kiss Explode Dawson Creek, BC Tonight!
June 30 - Dawson Creek, BC
July 2 - Fort McMurray, AB
July 6 - Sarnia, ON
July 9 - Grand Falls-Windsor, NL
July 12 - Manchester, NH
July 13 - Bushkill, PA
July 15 - Walker, MN
July 16 - Oshkosh, WI
July 18 - Springfield, IL
July 24 - Montreal, QC
July 26 - Orillia, ON
July 27 - Windsor, ON
July 28 - Verona, NY
http://www.kissonline.com/
Bruce Kulick Returns to Las Vegas in July with Sin City Rockers
KNAC.com
Beginning July 4th Las Vegas’ favorite band THE SIN CITY SINNERS will be rocking The Crown Theater inside The Rio Hotel in Las Vegas every Monday night in July. Each show will feature a special guest sitting in and jamming with the band.
July
4 - George Lynch (LYNCH MOB, ex-DOKKEN)
11 - Kip Winger of WINGER
18 - Bruce Kulick of KISS
25 - Phil Lewis of L.A. GUNS
Fans can print free tickets to any of these shows by visiting http://www.mondaynightrocks.com/.
In addition to Mondays in July, The Sinners can also be seen in Vegas every Friday at Club Madrid (inside Sunset Station) and every Saturday at Chrome (Inside Santa Fe Station).
Beginning July 4th Las Vegas’ favorite band THE SIN CITY SINNERS will be rocking The Crown Theater inside The Rio Hotel in Las Vegas every Monday night in July. Each show will feature a special guest sitting in and jamming with the band.
July
4 - George Lynch (LYNCH MOB, ex-DOKKEN)
11 - Kip Winger of WINGER
18 - Bruce Kulick of KISS
25 - Phil Lewis of L.A. GUNS
Fans can print free tickets to any of these shows by visiting http://www.mondaynightrocks.com/.
In addition to Mondays in July, The Sinners can also be seen in Vegas every Friday at Club Madrid (inside Sunset Station) and every Saturday at Chrome (Inside Santa Fe Station).
How Rutherford County's resident former KISS guitarist squandered his stardom
The Vinnie Vincent Implosion
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By Adam Gold/Nashville Scene
When onetime rock stars move Nashville-way, it's usually to launch a second career as a songwriter, get a gig as a sideman, do sessions, or reclaim their fame in an industry town where having a youthful appearance and cutting-edge relevance aren't always make-or-break requirements. Take Darius Rucker, who — once mocked and maligned as lead singer for Hootie & the Blowfish — has recently celebrated a meteoric rise to the riches of pop-country Babylon after spending a decade as a pop-culture punch line.
When former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent moved to Middle Tennessee in the mid-1990s, he might've imagined himself making headlines in guitar magazines by remarketing his trademarked Vinnie Vincent Double V ax, or penning hits that would chart as high for a country star like Garth Brooks as "Lick It Up" and "I Love It Loud" did for KISS, or using his renowned chops as a shredder in the studio. Vinnie Vincent — aka Vincent Cusano; aka "The Ankh Warrior" — accomplished none of these things.
Instead, the first story involving the painstakingly reclusive Cusano to make worldwide headlines was a May 23 post on celebrity gossip site TMZ that read, "Ex-KISS Guitarist — Blood, Cuts, and 4 Dead Dogs."
What happened was every bit as sordid as that headline suggested. According to a memo provided to the Scene by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, the department sent a tactical team to Cusano's Smyrna residence to arrest him, after his wife Diane showed up at the sheriff's office "covered in blood and possibly intoxicated."
The 44-year-old Mrs. Cusano alleged to Sheriff Robert F. Arnold that her husband — a man who'd once basked in the limelight of Brazilian football stadiums brimming 200,000-strong with fans screaming for "the hottest band in the world" — had smacked her in the face, grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the floor (four times) and dragged her through a pile of broken glass following an argument over his conversing with another woman.
Cusano was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic assault. A subsequent search of the home — secluded at the dead end of a wooded, suburban Middle Tennessee road and confined by a high privacy fence — revealed the bodies of four dead dogs entombed in above-ground containers. This detail ignited a knee-jerk firestorm of public outrage, or perhaps just creeped people out, painting a picture of the Cusano home as a heart of hair-metal-has-been darkness.
Diane told Rutherford County Pet Adoption Welfare Services that one of the couple's "aggressive" dogs killed the entombed canines. PAWS' decision not to pursue an investigation, as well as memorials reportedly inscribed on the unfortunate tail-waggers' makeshift tombs serve to substantiate that claim, which Vincent later underscored in a posting on his YouTube page.
Vincent's other claims about the incident, however, aren't quite as credible. In a follow-up YouTube posting, Cusano said he was "happy to announce that all charges alleged against me were dropped and the case dismissed." He also claimed he'd been exonerated, saying he'd been "falsely charged."
That isn't true. According to a pretrial agreement filed June 13, a Rutherford County judge "retired" Mr. Cusano's case for a year under the condition that he complete eight hours of anger management counseling before a Dec. 5, 2011, scheduled court appearance. According to the agreement, Cusano can eventually petition the court to have the case dismissed.
This isn't the first time Cusano has cried foul and then played victim. Given the history of petty disputes he's waged and lost over almost 30 years, it's not hard to see Vinnie Vincent as a victim — a victim of Vincent Cusano, whom Gene Simmons once described as, "about the most self-destructive person I've ever met. This guy would hang himself as somebody's offering him the keys to the kingdom."
Read the rest HERE.
When onetime rock stars move Nashville-way, it's usually to launch a second career as a songwriter, get a gig as a sideman, do sessions, or reclaim their fame in an industry town where having a youthful appearance and cutting-edge relevance aren't always make-or-break requirements. Take Darius Rucker, who — once mocked and maligned as lead singer for Hootie & the Blowfish — has recently celebrated a meteoric rise to the riches of pop-country Babylon after spending a decade as a pop-culture punch line.
When former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent moved to Middle Tennessee in the mid-1990s, he might've imagined himself making headlines in guitar magazines by remarketing his trademarked Vinnie Vincent Double V ax, or penning hits that would chart as high for a country star like Garth Brooks as "Lick It Up" and "I Love It Loud" did for KISS, or using his renowned chops as a shredder in the studio. Vinnie Vincent — aka Vincent Cusano; aka "The Ankh Warrior" — accomplished none of these things.
Instead, the first story involving the painstakingly reclusive Cusano to make worldwide headlines was a May 23 post on celebrity gossip site TMZ that read, "Ex-KISS Guitarist — Blood, Cuts, and 4 Dead Dogs."
What happened was every bit as sordid as that headline suggested. According to a memo provided to the Scene by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office, the department sent a tactical team to Cusano's Smyrna residence to arrest him, after his wife Diane showed up at the sheriff's office "covered in blood and possibly intoxicated."
The 44-year-old Mrs. Cusano alleged to Sheriff Robert F. Arnold that her husband — a man who'd once basked in the limelight of Brazilian football stadiums brimming 200,000-strong with fans screaming for "the hottest band in the world" — had smacked her in the face, grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the floor (four times) and dragged her through a pile of broken glass following an argument over his conversing with another woman.
Cusano was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic assault. A subsequent search of the home — secluded at the dead end of a wooded, suburban Middle Tennessee road and confined by a high privacy fence — revealed the bodies of four dead dogs entombed in above-ground containers. This detail ignited a knee-jerk firestorm of public outrage, or perhaps just creeped people out, painting a picture of the Cusano home as a heart of hair-metal-has-been darkness.
Diane told Rutherford County Pet Adoption Welfare Services that one of the couple's "aggressive" dogs killed the entombed canines. PAWS' decision not to pursue an investigation, as well as memorials reportedly inscribed on the unfortunate tail-waggers' makeshift tombs serve to substantiate that claim, which Vincent later underscored in a posting on his YouTube page.
Vincent's other claims about the incident, however, aren't quite as credible. In a follow-up YouTube posting, Cusano said he was "happy to announce that all charges alleged against me were dropped and the case dismissed." He also claimed he'd been exonerated, saying he'd been "falsely charged."
That isn't true. According to a pretrial agreement filed June 13, a Rutherford County judge "retired" Mr. Cusano's case for a year under the condition that he complete eight hours of anger management counseling before a Dec. 5, 2011, scheduled court appearance. According to the agreement, Cusano can eventually petition the court to have the case dismissed.
This isn't the first time Cusano has cried foul and then played victim. Given the history of petty disputes he's waged and lost over almost 30 years, it's not hard to see Vinnie Vincent as a victim — a victim of Vincent Cusano, whom Gene Simmons once described as, "about the most self-destructive person I've ever met. This guy would hang himself as somebody's offering him the keys to the kingdom."
Read the rest HERE.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
An Emotional 'Gene Simmons Family Jewels'
Blood is Thicker Than Hummus:
Gene meets his brother and sisters for the first time as Gene, Shannon and Nick visit Israel.
Watch a portion here http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/06/gene-simmons-cries-fathers-grave-israel-video-reality-show-gene-simmons-family as Gene, Shannon and Nick visit the grave of Gene's father with Gene's brothers and sisters in this emotional episode that aired last night.
Gene meets his brother and sisters for the first time as Gene, Shannon and Nick visit Israel.
Watch a portion here http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/06/gene-simmons-cries-fathers-grave-israel-video-reality-show-gene-simmons-family as Gene, Shannon and Nick visit the grave of Gene's father with Gene's brothers and sisters in this emotional episode that aired last night.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
$129,000 Raised for Unicef with Kiss Mini Auctions
MiniUSA.com
The world watched in horror as the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan; so the legendary rock band KISS partnered with MINI USA and unleashed the power of The KISS Army to battle the elements with dollars – and plenty of them.
KISS and MINI USA raised $129,000 during an eBay online charity auction of four custom-painted and autographed MINI Countryman vehicles. After shipping, all proceeds will be donated to UNICEF to help children in Japan and other emergency efforts around the world.
And the initiative keeps on giving… KISS vehicle wraps based on the auctioned designs are still available for purchase through Miniusanews.com or local MINI dealerships. MINI USA’s proceeds from those sales will continue to help those in need.
“The KISS Army is the greatest army in the world and when they heard the cry for help, they fought back in the best way that they knew how – with their wallets,” said Paul Stanley. “The KISS MINIs are the ultimate way to show your KISS Army colors and it’s a reminder that we have the best fans in the world.”
The four custom-painted vehicles are the all-new 2011 MINI Countryman, and each vehicle features the iconic makeup and costume association of one KISS member, including co-founder and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley (Starchild), co-founder and bassist Gene Simmons (The Demon), lead guitarist Tommy Thayer (Spaceman) and drummer Eric Singer (Catman).
All of the MINIs are autographed by all four members of KISS and have become instant collector’s items.
“The KISS MINIs are rare one-of-a-kind collector’s items and KISS salutes the winners of the auction, said Gene Simmons. “The new owners have the satisfaction of knowing that they not only have an instant investment that will keep growing in value, but every time they look at the car, they’ll also be reminded that the real value is knowing that their dollars helped children in the greatest need.”
“Thank you to the auction participants and MINI owners who bought vehicle wraps, thereby contributing to this charitable effort. MINI USA is proud that our vehicles were featured as part of such a remarkable initiative and helped raise much needed funds,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President MINI USA. “It is fantastic to see what started as a simple idea grow into something that will touch the lives of so many. UNICEF does great work and I hope that the ties with KISS and MINI have elevated awareness and support of their tireless efforts.”
The eBay auction winners are located in North Carolina, Oregon, and Massachusetts. The vehicles will be delivered in the coming weeks to their new homes.
The world watched in horror as the earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan; so the legendary rock band KISS partnered with MINI USA and unleashed the power of The KISS Army to battle the elements with dollars – and plenty of them.
KISS and MINI USA raised $129,000 during an eBay online charity auction of four custom-painted and autographed MINI Countryman vehicles. After shipping, all proceeds will be donated to UNICEF to help children in Japan and other emergency efforts around the world.
And the initiative keeps on giving… KISS vehicle wraps based on the auctioned designs are still available for purchase through Miniusanews.com or local MINI dealerships. MINI USA’s proceeds from those sales will continue to help those in need.
“The KISS Army is the greatest army in the world and when they heard the cry for help, they fought back in the best way that they knew how – with their wallets,” said Paul Stanley. “The KISS MINIs are the ultimate way to show your KISS Army colors and it’s a reminder that we have the best fans in the world.”
The four custom-painted vehicles are the all-new 2011 MINI Countryman, and each vehicle features the iconic makeup and costume association of one KISS member, including co-founder and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley (Starchild), co-founder and bassist Gene Simmons (The Demon), lead guitarist Tommy Thayer (Spaceman) and drummer Eric Singer (Catman).
All of the MINIs are autographed by all four members of KISS and have become instant collector’s items.
“The KISS MINIs are rare one-of-a-kind collector’s items and KISS salutes the winners of the auction, said Gene Simmons. “The new owners have the satisfaction of knowing that they not only have an instant investment that will keep growing in value, but every time they look at the car, they’ll also be reminded that the real value is knowing that their dollars helped children in the greatest need.”
“Thank you to the auction participants and MINI owners who bought vehicle wraps, thereby contributing to this charitable effort. MINI USA is proud that our vehicles were featured as part of such a remarkable initiative and helped raise much needed funds,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President MINI USA. “It is fantastic to see what started as a simple idea grow into something that will touch the lives of so many. UNICEF does great work and I hope that the ties with KISS and MINI have elevated awareness and support of their tireless efforts.”
The eBay auction winners are located in North Carolina, Oregon, and Massachusetts. The vehicles will be delivered in the coming weeks to their new homes.
Interview with Casablanca Co-Founder Larry Harris
from Legendary Rock Interviews
Larry Harris is more than just a record company executive. He's a survivor of the seventies' most notorious record label hands down, CASABLANCA Records. When we heard about Larry's book "And Party Every Day- An Inside Look at Casablanca Records" we knew we had to chat with him. There's no way to boil down the whole essence of the book into one short interview so instead we asked him a few pointed questions and got a few pointed answers, he did not hold back.....read on
Q: At what point did you consider that the story of Casablanca was a story worth telling and how did you go from concept to actually writing the book?, (which is now available in audio and kindle versions)
A: After many years of people asking me if certain things they heard about Casablanca were true I decided I better write what I remembered down before I started to forget them. I wrote just random stories and then over the years compiled them into some kind of cohesive flow. I put it all away for years and then during a down period I began to put it into a book form. It took about 10 years to accomplish this.
Q: The book is filled with not only lots of inside info on the bands but also the day to day goings on of the record label itself which was wilder than even what most people would imagine. Was the old adage of "If you lived through the 70s you don't remember it" an issue in piecing together the book?
A: When I wrote the stories I did not think so , but after the book came out people began to tell me what they remembered and sometimes certain facts differed- I still think my memory was correct as everyone sees things thru their own minds eye and what was important about a certain event to me may not have been for them and visa versa.
Q: There were both rock and disco rosters on Casablanca. Did that kind of mixture ever lead to any interesting encounters or relationships between the acts or the label staff?
A: There was a rock contingent at the label and a disco contingent- I had to straddle the line for the sake of continuity of the label. Some of the rock people hated the fact that we had so much disco stuff and they even balked at some of the R&B stuff but once we had hits everyone was happy whether it be disco, rock, R&B or comedy stuff like Robin Williams or Rodney Dangerfield. I was really more in the rock camp and tried my best to get us some additional rock acts but due to the fact we were so heavily associated with disco it was hard for us to convince rock acts to sign with us. I was offered both Billy Idol and Billy Squier but due to the fact that they were both managed by Bill Aucoin, who managed KISS and Sean Delany, I decided it would not be a great idea to load up our roster with only his acts and he was asking a great deal of money for them anyway , more than I thought we could afford. There were never any outright confrontations between the rock and disco groups though...everyone wanted the label to succeed so they pulled together.
Q: It's a known fact that KISS took quite some time and quite a bit of money to break as a band. From what you could tell did any of the other acts or label employees start to express annoyance or resentment towards the efforts to break KISS??
A: Nobody at the label ever mentioned it and I do believe , especially in the early days they all knew that the band could deliver that live performance that would be so important to garner those die-hard fans that eventually helped break the band. And beside that, we had no choice as that is what we had to do to break them...so we went after it..I would also doubt that other bands would complain as that would have put them in a very tenuous potion to stay on the label. Negativity was something Neil Bogart would not put up with. Beside all that, we spent tons of money on ANY artist we got a glimmer of success with, some made it others did not.
Q: The band was helped considerably by Sean Delaney not only with staging concepts but also with songwriting even. To what degree do you think Kiss owes some of their success to people like you, Joyce and Neil Bogart, Bill Aucioin or Sean Delany? Do you think they would have eventually made some mark without those early "helpers"?
A: I would say it was an equal partnership in all respects.... without Sean working on the show and writing with them they would have suffered. Aucoin was the perfect manager for them and Joyce’s relationship with Neil was something that helped to keep the checkbook opened to them during the breaking of the band period. I feel that the favors we called in and concepts that Neil and I contributed, along with a ton of money was instrumental to their success. Remember, no other label wanted them in fact CBS records ( now SONY) paid for a demo when they were called Wicked Lester ( many of the same songs that appeared on the first album) and passed on the band. Saying all that, without the bands willingness to stay out on the road and at the same time deliver an album every six months along with never really complaining about the crazy things we asked them to do certainly was instrumental in their success.
Read the rest here http://www.facebook.com/notes/legendary-rock-interviews/interview-with-larry-harris-co-founder-of-casablanca-records/243729955653637
Larry Harris is more than just a record company executive. He's a survivor of the seventies' most notorious record label hands down, CASABLANCA Records. When we heard about Larry's book "And Party Every Day- An Inside Look at Casablanca Records" we knew we had to chat with him. There's no way to boil down the whole essence of the book into one short interview so instead we asked him a few pointed questions and got a few pointed answers, he did not hold back.....read on
Q: At what point did you consider that the story of Casablanca was a story worth telling and how did you go from concept to actually writing the book?, (which is now available in audio and kindle versions)
A: After many years of people asking me if certain things they heard about Casablanca were true I decided I better write what I remembered down before I started to forget them. I wrote just random stories and then over the years compiled them into some kind of cohesive flow. I put it all away for years and then during a down period I began to put it into a book form. It took about 10 years to accomplish this.
Q: The book is filled with not only lots of inside info on the bands but also the day to day goings on of the record label itself which was wilder than even what most people would imagine. Was the old adage of "If you lived through the 70s you don't remember it" an issue in piecing together the book?
A: When I wrote the stories I did not think so , but after the book came out people began to tell me what they remembered and sometimes certain facts differed- I still think my memory was correct as everyone sees things thru their own minds eye and what was important about a certain event to me may not have been for them and visa versa.
Q: There were both rock and disco rosters on Casablanca. Did that kind of mixture ever lead to any interesting encounters or relationships between the acts or the label staff?
A: There was a rock contingent at the label and a disco contingent- I had to straddle the line for the sake of continuity of the label. Some of the rock people hated the fact that we had so much disco stuff and they even balked at some of the R&B stuff but once we had hits everyone was happy whether it be disco, rock, R&B or comedy stuff like Robin Williams or Rodney Dangerfield. I was really more in the rock camp and tried my best to get us some additional rock acts but due to the fact we were so heavily associated with disco it was hard for us to convince rock acts to sign with us. I was offered both Billy Idol and Billy Squier but due to the fact that they were both managed by Bill Aucoin, who managed KISS and Sean Delany, I decided it would not be a great idea to load up our roster with only his acts and he was asking a great deal of money for them anyway , more than I thought we could afford. There were never any outright confrontations between the rock and disco groups though...everyone wanted the label to succeed so they pulled together.
Q: It's a known fact that KISS took quite some time and quite a bit of money to break as a band. From what you could tell did any of the other acts or label employees start to express annoyance or resentment towards the efforts to break KISS??
A: Nobody at the label ever mentioned it and I do believe , especially in the early days they all knew that the band could deliver that live performance that would be so important to garner those die-hard fans that eventually helped break the band. And beside that, we had no choice as that is what we had to do to break them...so we went after it..I would also doubt that other bands would complain as that would have put them in a very tenuous potion to stay on the label. Negativity was something Neil Bogart would not put up with. Beside all that, we spent tons of money on ANY artist we got a glimmer of success with, some made it others did not.
Q: The band was helped considerably by Sean Delaney not only with staging concepts but also with songwriting even. To what degree do you think Kiss owes some of their success to people like you, Joyce and Neil Bogart, Bill Aucioin or Sean Delany? Do you think they would have eventually made some mark without those early "helpers"?
A: I would say it was an equal partnership in all respects.... without Sean working on the show and writing with them they would have suffered. Aucoin was the perfect manager for them and Joyce’s relationship with Neil was something that helped to keep the checkbook opened to them during the breaking of the band period. I feel that the favors we called in and concepts that Neil and I contributed, along with a ton of money was instrumental to their success. Remember, no other label wanted them in fact CBS records ( now SONY) paid for a demo when they were called Wicked Lester ( many of the same songs that appeared on the first album) and passed on the band. Saying all that, without the bands willingness to stay out on the road and at the same time deliver an album every six months along with never really complaining about the crazy things we asked them to do certainly was instrumental in their success.
Read the rest here http://www.facebook.com/notes/legendary-rock-interviews/interview-with-larry-harris-co-founder-of-casablanca-records/243729955653637
Monday, June 27, 2011
Ace Frehley Adds Dates in Wales & London
Ace Frehley live at the Coal Exchange, December 1st, 2011, Cardiff, Wales. and at O2's Academy on December 4 in London.
COTN Podcast #20- Gido Blaster Talks Kiss
COTN EPISODE #20: "GIDO-BLASTER" TALKS KISS
Here at Creatures Of The Net, we love talking to KISS fans! All of us have a different tale to tell on how we discovered the hottest band in the land. Neil "Gido-Blaster" Gido's is one of those stories. On episode #21 of Creatures Of The Net, Neil and Cassius will sit down one on one do geek out about the gods of rock and roll. We will begin with a young Gido-Blaster discovering KISS for the first time and finish with him meeting KISS at a wedding and being a self described "KISS Collector Extraordinaire"! All of that and more only on Creatures Of The Net: Rock or be rocked.
Click http://cotnpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2011-06-26T09_48_07-07_00
Here at Creatures Of The Net, we love talking to KISS fans! All of us have a different tale to tell on how we discovered the hottest band in the land. Neil "Gido-Blaster" Gido's is one of those stories. On episode #21 of Creatures Of The Net, Neil and Cassius will sit down one on one do geek out about the gods of rock and roll. We will begin with a young Gido-Blaster discovering KISS for the first time and finish with him meeting KISS at a wedding and being a self described "KISS Collector Extraordinaire"! All of that and more only on Creatures Of The Net: Rock or be rocked.
Click http://cotnpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2011-06-26T09_48_07-07_00
Kiss Records New Album With CLASP
Engineer/producer Greg Collins and Kiss are using Endless Analog’s CLASP System to record the band’s next album.
Commenting on the use of CLASP during the sessions, band leader/producer Paul Stanley stated, “CLASP allows us to go ‘back to analog’ for all the warmth and classic sonic characteristics but with all the convenience and advantages of Pro Tools. It’s a no brainer and you just can’t lose with CLASP. I’m a believer.”
On their first collaboration, 2009’s Sonic Boom, music was recorded on analog tape and edited in Pro Tools, but the two processes were separate from each other, necessitating frequent extended pauses in recording for tape transfers. For the recording of the new LP, Endless Analog’s CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) system, which integrates analog tape machines into the digital audio production workflow, is allowing the band to use analog tape while tracking to Pro Tools in real time, opening up the sonic space of tape while providing the editing capabilities of the digital recording workspace.
Collins recalls, “I went to Endless Analog’s web site and saw Bryan Lenox giving a pretty thorough description, and this was right around the time we were making plans for the new KISS album. We had done a majority recording for Sonic Boom using tape, and we loved the sound, but punch-ins were challenging at times, and getting the tracks into Pro Tools for editing took a lot of time. But mainly, we enjoyed the process of using tape, and everyone enjoys the convenience that digital recording offers. If there had been a way with that first record to get the best of both worlds at the same time, we would have done it. And now there is that reality [with CLASP], so we had to give it a try.
“I sat down with Paul, who is once again producing, while I am co-producing, engineering and mixing. Paul really knows his way around a studio, but he lets me manage the gear side of things. He gave the go-ahead to use CLASP, so we went for it.”
Once they acquired CLASP, Endless Analog President/Founder and CLASP inventor Christopher Estes made a personal visit. Collins continues, “I got in touch with Chris, and he was good enough to come out and set us up on the first day in the studio, and he stuck with us through the first few days of tracking to make sure that it was all going smoothly, which it did. And it was such a good experience. For me, the tape sound, for a hard rock band, is the ideal sound. It deals with the transients in a way that’s really nice and easy on the ears. Drums for instance – it keeps them sounding punchy and powerful, but not ‘painful,’ like you might associate with a digitally recorded drum sound. Tape is an important part of the right sound, and CLASP makes it possible to not have to sacrifice any of the perks of digital.”
Collins also recalls how nice it was to keep things moving. “There was zero downtime needed for transferring the tracks into Pro Tools. The band is so tight and well-rehearsed, and it’s so great to just start a session and knock out a song in two or three takes. A few punch-ins and the track is pretty much there. It’s so efficient; it just keeps the creativity and performance going. And the band loves the sound. Honestly, every time the guys walked in the control room for playback, everybody was so impressed – they said, ‘It sounds even better than last time, and we loved what it sounded like last time.’”
CLASP, Endless Analog President/Founder and CLASP inventor Christopher Estes made a personal visit. Collins continues, “I got in touch with Chris, and he was good enough to come out and set us up on the first day in the studio, and he stuck with us through the first few days of tracking to make sure that it was all going smoothly, which it did. And it was such a good experience. For me, the tape sound, for a hard rock band, is the ideal sound. It deals with the transients in a way that’s really nice and easy on the ears. Drums for instance – it keeps them sounding punchy and powerful, but not ‘painful,’ like you might associate with a digitally recorded drum sound. Tape is an important part of the right sound, and CLASP makes it possible to not have to sacrifice any of the perks of digital.”
Collins also recalls how nice it was to keep things moving. “There was zero downtime needed for transferring the tracks into Pro Tools. The band is so tight and well-rehearsed, and it’s so great to just start a session and knock out a song in two or three takes. A few punch-ins and the track is pretty much there. It’s so efficient; it just keeps the creativity and performance going. And the band loves the sound. Honestly, every time the guys walked in the control room for playback, everybody was so impressed – they said, ‘It sounds even better than last time, and we loved what it sounded like last time.’”
Commenting on the use of CLASP during the sessions, band leader/producer Paul Stanley stated, “CLASP allows us to go ‘back to analog’ for all the warmth and classic sonic characteristics but with all the convenience and advantages of Pro Tools. It’s a no brainer and you just can’t lose with CLASP. I’m a believer.”
On their first collaboration, 2009’s Sonic Boom, music was recorded on analog tape and edited in Pro Tools, but the two processes were separate from each other, necessitating frequent extended pauses in recording for tape transfers. For the recording of the new LP, Endless Analog’s CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) system, which integrates analog tape machines into the digital audio production workflow, is allowing the band to use analog tape while tracking to Pro Tools in real time, opening up the sonic space of tape while providing the editing capabilities of the digital recording workspace.
Collins recalls, “I went to Endless Analog’s web site and saw Bryan Lenox giving a pretty thorough description, and this was right around the time we were making plans for the new KISS album. We had done a majority recording for Sonic Boom using tape, and we loved the sound, but punch-ins were challenging at times, and getting the tracks into Pro Tools for editing took a lot of time. But mainly, we enjoyed the process of using tape, and everyone enjoys the convenience that digital recording offers. If there had been a way with that first record to get the best of both worlds at the same time, we would have done it. And now there is that reality [with CLASP], so we had to give it a try.
“I sat down with Paul, who is once again producing, while I am co-producing, engineering and mixing. Paul really knows his way around a studio, but he lets me manage the gear side of things. He gave the go-ahead to use CLASP, so we went for it.”
Once they acquired CLASP, Endless Analog President/Founder and CLASP inventor Christopher Estes made a personal visit. Collins continues, “I got in touch with Chris, and he was good enough to come out and set us up on the first day in the studio, and he stuck with us through the first few days of tracking to make sure that it was all going smoothly, which it did. And it was such a good experience. For me, the tape sound, for a hard rock band, is the ideal sound. It deals with the transients in a way that’s really nice and easy on the ears. Drums for instance – it keeps them sounding punchy and powerful, but not ‘painful,’ like you might associate with a digitally recorded drum sound. Tape is an important part of the right sound, and CLASP makes it possible to not have to sacrifice any of the perks of digital.”
Collins also recalls how nice it was to keep things moving. “There was zero downtime needed for transferring the tracks into Pro Tools. The band is so tight and well-rehearsed, and it’s so great to just start a session and knock out a song in two or three takes. A few punch-ins and the track is pretty much there. It’s so efficient; it just keeps the creativity and performance going. And the band loves the sound. Honestly, every time the guys walked in the control room for playback, everybody was so impressed – they said, ‘It sounds even better than last time, and we loved what it sounded like last time.’”
CLASP, Endless Analog President/Founder and CLASP inventor Christopher Estes made a personal visit. Collins continues, “I got in touch with Chris, and he was good enough to come out and set us up on the first day in the studio, and he stuck with us through the first few days of tracking to make sure that it was all going smoothly, which it did. And it was such a good experience. For me, the tape sound, for a hard rock band, is the ideal sound. It deals with the transients in a way that’s really nice and easy on the ears. Drums for instance – it keeps them sounding punchy and powerful, but not ‘painful,’ like you might associate with a digitally recorded drum sound. Tape is an important part of the right sound, and CLASP makes it possible to not have to sacrifice any of the perks of digital.”
Collins also recalls how nice it was to keep things moving. “There was zero downtime needed for transferring the tracks into Pro Tools. The band is so tight and well-rehearsed, and it’s so great to just start a session and knock out a song in two or three takes. A few punch-ins and the track is pretty much there. It’s so efficient; it just keeps the creativity and performance going. And the band loves the sound. Honestly, every time the guys walked in the control room for playback, everybody was so impressed – they said, ‘It sounds even better than last time, and we loved what it sounded like last time.’”
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Kiss Rock Spokane - Video
Kiss Rocked the Spokane Arena last night in Spokane, WA., 6/24/11.
MODERN DAY DELILAH
FIREHOUSE
MODERN DAY DELILAH
FIREHOUSE
Ace Frehley headlining Mt. Clemens Festival July 1
Ace Frehley headlines Budweiser stage! Free concert!
Downtown Mount Clemens Stars and Stripes Festival - Mt. Clemens, Michigan (just outside Detroit).
Ace Frehley - KISS...........10:30 PM - 11:45 PM
http://www.starsandstripesfest.com/
Downtown Mount Clemens Stars and Stripes Festival - Mt. Clemens, Michigan (just outside Detroit).
Ace Frehley - KISS...........10:30 PM - 11:45 PM
http://www.starsandstripesfest.com/
Spokane Boy's KISS Wish Comes True
I love these kind of stories...
Annie Bishop | KXLY4 Reporter
SPOKANE, Wash. -- A Spokane boy's lifetime wish came true Friday night when he met the members of KISS at the Spokane Arena.
Dilan Kohn has cystic fibrosis which requires him to spend weeks and sometimes months at a time in the hospital.
Through it all, the magic of music has inspired Dilan to remain positive.
A Spokane boy's lifetime wish came true Friday night when he met the members of KISS at the Spokane Arena. KXLY4's Annie Bishop reports.
He became a KISS fan at 9 years old and has never looked back.
"Every time I listen to it I just imagine being at a Kiss concert," Dilan said.
"His face just perks up, he immediately sticks out his tongue," said Paul Kohn, Dilan's Dad.
So, when Dilan's dad scored floor seats to see KISS in concert at the Spokane Arena Friday Dilan began counting down the months, weeks and days.
What he didn't know is that his dad and the staff at the Spokane Arena were working behind the scenes to make the evening even more special.
On Thursday, a day before the concert, arena staff got the green light to arrange KISS and Dilan meet backstage.
Just after 8 p.m., Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, in their concert costumes, walked through the doors of a room backstage to meet Dilan.
"I'm excited," said Dylan
The band spent about ten minutes with Dilan and a few other fans taking photos and signing autographs before heading onto stage.
It was a night Dilan will never cherish forever.
Read the rest here http://www.kxly.com/news/28353721/detail.html
Annie Bishop | KXLY4 Reporter
SPOKANE, Wash. -- A Spokane boy's lifetime wish came true Friday night when he met the members of KISS at the Spokane Arena.
Dilan Kohn has cystic fibrosis which requires him to spend weeks and sometimes months at a time in the hospital.
Through it all, the magic of music has inspired Dilan to remain positive.
A Spokane boy's lifetime wish came true Friday night when he met the members of KISS at the Spokane Arena. KXLY4's Annie Bishop reports.
He became a KISS fan at 9 years old and has never looked back.
"Every time I listen to it I just imagine being at a Kiss concert," Dilan said.
"His face just perks up, he immediately sticks out his tongue," said Paul Kohn, Dilan's Dad.
So, when Dilan's dad scored floor seats to see KISS in concert at the Spokane Arena Friday Dilan began counting down the months, weeks and days.
What he didn't know is that his dad and the staff at the Spokane Arena were working behind the scenes to make the evening even more special.
On Thursday, a day before the concert, arena staff got the green light to arrange KISS and Dilan meet backstage.
Just after 8 p.m., Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, in their concert costumes, walked through the doors of a room backstage to meet Dilan.
"I'm excited," said Dylan
The band spent about ten minutes with Dilan and a few other fans taking photos and signing autographs before heading onto stage.
It was a night Dilan will never cherish forever.
Read the rest here http://www.kxly.com/news/28353721/detail.html
Friday, June 24, 2011
Kiss Open Summer Tour in Everett Last Night
Kiss opened their summer tour at the Comcast Arena in Everett, WA., last night 6/23/11. Tonight, Kiss will play Spokane. Check out the fan filmed video:
COLD GIN
MODERN DAY DELILAH
ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE
COLD GIN
MODERN DAY DELILAH
ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE
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