New Year's Rockin' Eve: Dick Clark and KISS

We dedicate this night, New Year's Eve, to Dick Clark who put KISS on television in 1974 on ABC's "In Concert" and the many amazing careers Dick launched.

We raise our glasses to Dick Clark!

Gene and Paul with Dick Clark, 2002, for Dick Clark's Anniversary Special.

KISS ARMY, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!

KISS's Lead Guitarists Through the Years

Russell Hall/Gibson.com

Hard to believe four decades have passed since Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons first joined up with Peter Criss and Ace Frehley to form KISS. Through the years, with rare exceptions, the band has held firm to its explosive mix of riff-driven rock, arena ready anthems and the occasional soaring ballad. Along the way, several lead guitarists have stepped in to put their distinctive stamps on the KISS sound. Below, we offer profiles of each of those gifted players, and trace their tenures with the band.

Ace Frehley
For many fans, Ace Frehley will always be the definitive KISS guitarist. Starting with the group’s 1974 self-titled album debut and stretching to his initial departure, in 1982, Frehley inspired countless aspiring players to pick up the instrument. Moreover, his impact on his six-string peers during that decade was incalculable, as his thrilling riffs and incendiary solos – delivered on an ever-present Les Paul Custom – dovetailed perfectly with KISS’s pioneering theatrics. Fourteen years after leaving the band, Frehley, along with drummer Peter Criss, rejoined the group as part of a reunion of the original members. Their appearance at the 1996 Grammy Awards ceremony elicited a standing ovation. Two years later, the original KISS lineup released Psycho Circus, and Frehley remained a touring member for the next three and a half years. His last performance with KISS took place on February 24, 2002, during the closing ceremonies of that year’s Winter Olympics.


Vinnie Vincent
Vinnie Vincent’s apprenticeship, as a player, was far and away the most unusual of any KISS guitarist. Specifically, at the turn of the ‘80s, he served as a staff songwriter for the TV shows “Happy Days” and “Joanie Loves Chachi,” often writing tunes for both series on his acoustic guitar at the “Cunningham’s” kitchen table on the studio set. Joining KISS as the replacement for Frehley, in 1982, Vincent was integral to the success of that year’s Creatures of the Night album, and to 1983’s Lick It Up. Both albums marked a return to the hard rock sound that had fueled KISS’s best work in the ‘70s. Vincent’s tenure with KISS ended in March of 1984. Some say his departure was due to conflicts arising over his habit of overextending his solos during KISS’s live shows, but in a 1996 interview with Norway’s KISS Army Magazine, Vincent painted a positive picture of his time with the band. “We grew up with the same kind of bands, and we had the same influences,” he said. “So even though I was technical and Paul [Stanley] wasn’t, it wasn’t really about guitar playing. It was about the songs that we grew up with and that we all loved. And it was about sharing the same musical style. You know, we all loved The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. So the chemistry was there. I think we had respect for each other and I think we were really good friends.”

Mark St. John
Mark St. John’s tenure with KISS was the shortest of any of the band’s guitarists. Still, his contributions to 1984’s Animalize, one of the best albums from KISS’s “unmasked” period, were dazzling. Formerly a respected guitar instructor based in Southern California, St. John brought a flashy style to KISS – replete with whammy bar pyrotechnics and tapping – that reflected the Van Halen-led battalion of wizard-like six-stringers emerging at that time. During the sessions for Animalize, St. John developed a rare form of arthritis that interfered with his ability to play effectively, both in the studio and on-stage. During the Animalize tour, after performing just two full shows and one partial show, the illness forced him to bow out, and Bruce Kulick stepped in to take over lead guitar duties in December 1984. St. John eventually recovered from the arthritic condition, and went on to do non-KISS related music projects. Tragically, on April 5, 2007, he died after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.

Bruce Kulick
Bruce Kulick’s lengthy tenure with KISS extended from late 1984 through August 1996, and covered the making of five studio albums plus the live releases Alive III and Kiss Unplugged. He has the distinction of never having worn KISS face-paint on-stage. Praising Kulick’s style, Ted Nugent once told Guitar World, “He plays a great guitar; he's fast, controlled and real expressive.” As recently as 2010, Kulick was asked – by Guitar International – if there was a chance he might perform with KISS again. “The only way that could really happen, and it’s not something I would expect to happen, is if they decided to take the make-up off and do a Revenge style tour,” he said. “If they did that I would be flattered to be a part of it, but I think they do pretty well in the make-up, and as much as I miss being in the band because of the chemistry that I have with those guys, having me put on Ace’s make-up just wouldn’t work out. I’m really proud of the time I spent with the band and if I ever play with them again it’ll be fun, as it always was, but if it doesn’t happen I’m cool with that too. Whatever happens, happens.”


Tommy Thayer
Tommy Thayer’s involvement with KISS dates back to 1985, when his band, Black ‘n’ Blue, toured for two month’s as KISS’s opening act. In 1989, Thayer co-wrote songs with Gene Simmons and played session guitar on song demos for KISS’s Hot in the Shade album. Thayer joined the KISS organization, officially, during the Criss and Frehley reunion years, performing such functions as organizing conventions and tours, and editing DVDs and the like. When the reunion lineup fell apart, in 2002, Thayer was the perfect choice to step in as Frehley’s replacement. His role in the making of KISS’s acclaimed 2009 comeback album, Sonic Boom, was monumental, as was his playing and writing on 2012’s Monster. In a recent interview with Gibson.com, he talked about how it felt to be a part of the band. “Being in KISS is the ultimate in rock and roll performance and theatrics,” he said. “I was thinking about that the other night. We were on-stage doing ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ toward the end of our set. Gene and I were going up on lifts – about 30 feet into the air – and confetti was flying and bombs were going off. All of a sudden a big smile came over my face. I was thinking, ‘How lucky can I be, being in this band, on-stage right now, experiencing this?’ It doesn’t get any better.”

GENE SIMMONS Interviewed on LA's KTLA

KTLA/Los Angeles

KISS' 'MONSTER' Ranks in at Billboard's Top Rock Albums

Billboard.com has released their Top Rock Albums of 2012 and MONSTER came in at #64.

KISS CD Japan Reissues Set for March 2013

SMH-CD Reissues from Japan are to be released March 20, 2013. Super High Material CD's is a joint venture from JVC and Universal has a more superior sound quality and can be heard through any CD player.

Those included are:

UNMASKED
(MUSIC FROM) THE ELDER
CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
LICK IT UP
REVENGE
CARNIVALOF SOULS
PYSCHO-CIRCUS

You can order here at CD Japan

Santa Anita Park's Opening Day gets `KISSed' with sun, Gene Simmons

By Brenda Gazzar
Long Beach Press-Telegram

Rock Star Gene Simmons, center, poses for pictures with fans during opening day at Santa Anita Park on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012 in Arcadia, Calif. (SGVN/Staff photo by Keith Birmingham)

ARCADIA - Opening day for Santa Anita Park's 76th winter/spring meet delighted fans with mostly sunny skies and for some, a few moments with KISS frontman Gene Simmons. In an impromptu photo session, Simmons - clad in a black pin-striped blazer, red handkerchief and his signature black leather pants - posed for photos while chatting casually with media and fans in the Paddock Garden.

"You can feel the excitement," Simmons, a savvy businessman who is now helping Santa Anita's parent company, The Stronach Group, with marketing and entertainment at its racetracks, said Wednesday shortly after the first race had posted. "First of all, Arcadia is just beautiful. The drive up here is just gorgeous. Even God likes it - look at the day. He placed the setting, the mountains, the location ... The people (working at the track) are nice too." Despite early morning showers, most of the storm clouds cleared well in advance of the first post at noon. In preparation for the storm, workers sealed the main track surface overnight, and two of the three races that were slated for the turf were transferred to the main track.
Read the rest HERE.

Merry Christmas, KISS Army!

Kiss Mask would like to wish the KISS Army and their families a very Merry Christmas!

PAUL STANLEY Christmas Guest VJ on MTV 1985 - Video

Take a trip back to 1985 with PAUL STANLEY as Guest VJ on MTV (When MTV actually played video music) 1985. Enjoy!!

PETER CRISS on Rockline - Replay

In case you missed PETER CRISS on Rockline December 19th, you can listen to the replay here:

http://www.rocklineradio.com/replay/replay.php

GENE SIMMONS Surprises Family on Jay Leno with "Jingle Bells"

Jay Leno enlisted the help of Gene Simmons with his rendetion of "Jingle Bells" for a San Fernanado Valley Family.
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Watch the clip:

KISS Kruise 3 Website Launches

The official website for the KISS KRUISE III is now online! If you are a KISS Kruise alumni, you received an email today containing your presale booking day and time. Take note of that, and when your date comes up, you can book online next month at www.thekisskruise.com!

New this year for the KISS KRUISE III:

- A Family Mini-Suite option to give families more room to stretch out for an affordable rate
- Improving the Stardust seating and allowing guests to select their own seat when booking
- KISS will be hosting a Meet & Greet JUST FOR KIDS (2-14, no parents allowed)! Each child will get ONE item autographed along with a large group photo with the band.

For more details, visit the KISS KRUISE III website at www.thekisskruise.com! And, if you didn't sail with us on a previous Kruise, you can still sign up for the general presale at this link.

KISS "White Christmas" Crazy Nights Tour 1987

KISS Celebrates the Holidays with "White Christmas" 1987

The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA., December 18, 1987 (pro-shot/partial)

New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, CT., December 19, 1987

Happy Birthday, PETER CRISS!

KISS MASK WEBZINE would like to wish PETER CRISS a very Happy Birthday!

Peter turns 67 years young today.

KISS' MONSTER Book Now Available in iBook Format

ICONIC BAND KISS TO RELEASE iBOOK FOR CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ALBUM MONSTER
(Kissonline)
“KISS’ 20th studio album ‘Monster’ is scary good” – Associated Press, 2012


On December 18, KISS will release their first ever iBook for their critically acclaimed, recent studio album release, MONSTER. The content of the iBook is comprised of a special edition digital book which includes an exclusive bonus video, “Shout It Out Loud (Live in Anaheim 1976),” interviews with all four members as well as a multitude of additional unpublished pictures and a preview for the blistering new music for DESTROYER: RESURRECTED and MONSTER.

Rock legends KISS returned with Monster, the 20th studio album in their historic career released October 9, 2012, through Universal Music Enterprises. The 12-track, straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll album features collaborations among all four members—including co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer—in an album that shows the band at the top of its game. And that’s saying something, considering their illustrious, 40-plus year history—28 U.S. gold albums, the most gold records for any American rock band, 40 million sales in the U.S., and a total exceeding 100 million worldwide.

iBook content includes:

• Interviews with all four band members as well as album co-producer Greg Collins
• Exclusive bonus video of “Shout It Out Loud (Live in Anaheim 1976)” from the KISS vault
• A plethora of photos exclusive to this iBook including backstage shots, live performances and snapshots from the recording studio
• Lyrics plus band commentary on all MONSTER tracks
• Article on the band’s support of our troops
• Features on the band’s merchandising, the Monster Mini Golf experience, the KISS Kruise and the 2012 newly remixed reissue of DESTROYER: RESURRECTED, plus KISS’s newest box-set collection, The Casablanca Singles: 1974-1982
• Loads of KISS facts throughout including an interactive map of the U.S. with historically important locations
• Audio samples of the 12 MONSTER tracks and the iTunes exclusive bonus track “Right Here Right Now” as well as DESTROYER: RESURRECTED

This book is available for download on your iPad with iBooks or on your computer with iTunes.

http://umusic.ly/KISSMonsteriBook.

PETER CRISS on Friday Night Rocks- 12/14/12

Peter Criss was the special guest on Eddie Trunk's 'Friday Night Rocks' on December 14, 2012 YouTube/Metalfavs Audio:

The KISS ROOM Re-Broadcast KISSMAS Special

The KISS ROOM KISSMAS SPECIAL Re-Broadcast from December 14, 2012

KISS' "MONSTER" Makes Best Metal Albums of 2012

NoiseCreep has announced the Best Metal Albums of the Year

KISS MONSTER

"There were some terrific metal/hard rock releases this year but my pick of the litter is KISS' Monster. Forget the makeup and still stellar stage show - this is about the music and these four guys brought it big time this year. Monster is a nice big slab of metallic hard rock created by a band that could easily kick back and ride the wave of their legacy into the sunset, but instead chooses to crunch and grind, still more than able to craft killer riffs with fire and brimstone lyrical hooks. "Wall of Sound," "Back to the Stone Age" and "Shout Mercy" (among others) harken back to the Love Gun era without feeling at all stale. In fact, these guys seem more inspired than
ever, a testament to the blue-collar work ethic that has always defined this band for many of us."

Chosen by Chris Epting    Thanks Andrew!

Check out NoiseCreep's Top Metal Albums of 2012 HERE

Interview with BOB EZRIN/Kiss Monster Magazine #2

Interview from KISS: MONSTER - The Official Album and Tour Magazine #2

"Destroyer" producer Bob Ezrin flashes back to the darkest horse in the KISS catalog.

Ah, the concept album ... the ambitious extension of every pop artist who gets tired of his job and dreams of a bigger fish. In the 70s, as music and mass media leaned toward bloat with bands like Queen, The Who and Pink Floyd conquering the charts and grand-scale cinema like Stars Wars owning the box-office, KISS decided to give the rock and roll pulp that made their name a rest and pursue loftier creative heights.

The result their semi-delusional dream was 1981's The Elder, a baroque, full blown concept platter charting the story of a Luke Skywalker-esque boy who is called upon to battle the evil Mr. Blackwell and restore order and balance to the land. The album was the work of legendary producer Destroyer (and Destroyer: Resurrected), Bob Ezrin, who at that time, had worked with Pink Floyd in its double-disc rock opera juggernaut The Wall.

Both Ezrin and the band (well, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley anyway) were convinced that The Elder would be the record that would forge their new and "mature" path, a bounce back after their lightweight pop fluff 1980's Unmasked. KISS trimmed their hair, stripped down costumes, and the cover was the first in their history not to feature the freak four, however, was an abstract image Stanley's hand on the cusp of banging a baroque door-knocker.

The entire enterprise was, as we all know now, a gross miscalculation. Fans recoiled, the album failed and The Elder drove a stake in the first wave of KISS history. But time heals well, and over the years, many KISS devotees have come now and have expressed their love for the album (including this writer). Lush, evocative, frightening, beautiful and very cinematic, The Elder is such a breathlessly odd piece, so different from anything else in the KISS lexicon, which demands respect.

We tracked down Ezrin to talk about The Elder and share some memories of that pivotal point in the saga of the band ...

KISS MAGAZINE: To say that you love The Elder is, even now, not a popular sentiment.

Bob Ezrin: True. Not even amongst those who created it.

KISS: What can you tell us about the genesis of the album?

EZRIN: Well, the boys came to me at with a handful of really heavy demos. They wanted to make a record to combat the criticism of the last couple of records. I had just done The Wall, and convinced them to get rid of these demos and do something different. So The Elder was a victim of the Wall and our mutual desire was to do something "different", it was antithetical to what KISS was about. KISS was never pretentious or precious, and never took themselves seriously. They were always about fun, sex and power, and always were, in effect, horror cartoon characters, so to suddenly make a concept album, which had something of "consequence", was an idea anti-KISS. It was a flawed concept from the beginning.

KISS: Who was the driving force of the album?

EZRIN: At the time we were all looking for bigger and better things, and Gene - more so than Paul, jumped on the concept of making The Elder. I'm not really sure if it came with it or if they develop together, but both developed a script for a short film to accompany it. We thought it would be the beginning of many projects to come out under the name Elder. Of course, we were wrong. But Paul and Gene were very into it, and put everything in it. They both had to step out of their personas, and was really daring for them to do that. They were attracted to the classic rock, almost Beatle-esque style of the album - they were seduced by that. It was a big mistake.

KISS: It is well known that the lead guitarist Ace Frehley was not happy with this direction, failed to show up for sessions and left the band soon after. But you also had similar problems when recording with Frehley on Destroyer, right?

EZRIN: People dwell on that, but its not entirely true. I loved Ace. It's just that Destroyer was a big project. It was ambitious and grandiose and had to be delivered on a finite budget in a limited time frame. Gene and Paul were, as always, totally disciplined, but Ace was a free spirit and, like his persona suggests, a real space cadet. Sometimes we could not find him when we were in the studio and had to record, so we had to go ahead with Biff Wagner playing his parts. But when he did play on the album, he was fantastic.

KISS: Destroyer was huge, a landmark album, but it too was met with fan disent. Do you remember the backlash when the Elder was released?

EZRIN: I do. Here was this larger than life fantasy / rock record, full of myth and violence and passion, and I think some fans liked. Some critics also liked it, which rarely happened with KISS. But most fans could not grasp it, and they felt left behind, isolated.

KISS: How about The Elder now?

EZRIN: There are some truly great moments in there, of course, and some classics buried in the mix. But overall, it's way too self-indulgent and too over produced. its also not fully realized. There is not enough material, and the story is not fleshed out. It's an interesting failure.

The memoir of Kiss drummer Peter Criss is endearingly needy and sleazy

by Nathan Rabin/The AV Club

Over the years, I’ve delved deep into the world of Kiss without liking the band or its music. For this column, I’ve written about two books that prominently involve Kiss: C.K. Lendt’s Kiss And Sell, a fascinating tome about the business side of the Kiss empire, and Larry Harris’ And Party Every Day: The Inside Story Of Casablanca Records, which explored the rise and fall of the iconic label that gave the world Village People, Donna Summer, various disco demigods, and Kiss. Gene Simmons was, and probably always will be the, single most obnoxious interview subject I’ve ever had, and I covered Kiss’ gloriously misguided concept album Music From The Elder for My World Of Flops. Yet, early in the gloriously sordid memoir of former Kiss drummer Peter Criss, Makeup To Breakup, I began to realize that I’ve come to genuinely like these grease-painted knuckleheads. Blame it on Stockholm Syndrome or softening with age, but I have an awful lot of affection for Kiss and the tacky gothic universe the band created.

It feels safe to say that at this point, I like Kiss more than Criss does.

Makeup To Breakup positively vibrates with rage toward Criss’ former bandmates, Kiss’ management, and everything Kiss represents. Criss claims that extensive therapy helped him work through some of his anger toward Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Ace Frehley, the book’s unholy trinity of backstabbing hard-rock Judases, though I suspect that if Criss had written this book before working through his rage, it would have consisted of nothing but elaborate drawings of Simmons, Stanley, and Frehley being brutally murdered with a series of Saw-style torture devices.

Read the rest HERE

The KISS ROOM is LIVE Tomorrow! 3-5PM

THE KISS ROOM KISSMAS PARTY!

The KISS ROOM will air LIVE tomorrow, December 14 from 3-5PM on www.montcoradio.com .
Creator of the KISS ARMY, BILL STARKEY, will be joining us in on the fun and there will be a ton of KISS Stuff in our KISSmas prizes. So come and join the fun in our KISS ROOM KISSMAS PARTY!

LYDIA CRISS' "Sealed With A KISS" Available for Under your Tree

                      Get KISSed this Christmas Day!
Lydia Criss' acclaimed book, "SEALED WITH A KISS" Second and Expaned Version is ready for Christmas. If you missed this book the first time (the First Edition SOLD OUT!), than you better get it this time around before they are gone. Go to www.LydiaCriss.com to order your copy or for your loved one. This is a MUST READ with NEVER BEFORE SEEN PHOTOS!
Get an insider's look at the phenomenom of KISS at the height of their career.

DOC McGHEE INTERVIEW from MONSTER Magazine #2

12/12/12
DOC OF ROCK

from KISS MONSTER MAGAZINE #2 (which is sold out)

Behind every great enterprise is a pop culture carefully sculpted mechanism, driven by ideas and dedication to create art that is commercial, which transcends trends, and endures. With KISS today, that engine business is a cosmic cocktail consisting of three driving personalities: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and KISS manager Doc McGhee.

McGhee is a legend in his own right, and was so long before lock he locked his legacy with KISS. The bands summer tour with the band Mötley Crüe was an obvious no-brainer for the decades- spanning maverick as Crüe remains one of McGhee's non-KISS live draws ever since he gave the band their first big break opening for KISS on the tour Creatures of the Night. We spoke to McGhee smack dab in the middle of the thundering double shot of KISS / Crüe.

KISS MAGAZINE: Can you tell us how you ended up in this mad game of rock 'n' roll management?

Doc McGhee: I was a guitarist in a band of Chicago when I was in high school. I mean, I already had a contract with Mercury Records when she was only 17! Then I called in the army and continued playing, and when I left, I went to Florida, became a waiter and at night I would play in a recording studio. As far as being a manager, people thought I was smart, I guess, or smarter than them at that time, so as I kinda fell into it. I started working with a producer named Barry Mraz, who made ​​the first Styx record, Robin Trower ... the list is long. One of the bands that he handled was one that I played in called Night Flight, and it just took off from there. I stayed in the R&B business a the beginning managing James Brown and Isaac Hayes. Then I met Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi and all these rock bands.

KISS: Never mind Crüe or KISS, managing Brown or Hayes must have made you a nervous wreck. The stories you must have ...

McGhee: You have no idea! You know, the nice thing about this business is that there are no footprint. Every artist is different. Outside of telling the truth, staying on the right path, there is no formula. It is a learning process. You treat everyone the same, and I learned that if you do that, if you're fair, if you do not develop a "selective amnesia", that good fortune comes back to you.

KISS: When one thinks of leading managers of pop music, there's really only Col. Tom Parker ... and you. Did you have a role model getting into this game?

McGhee: Actually, partly yes. When I started, David Krebs was the biggest name in the world of rock managers. He had to Humble Pie. He was my mentor in that he liked to do big things, difficult-to-pull-off-things, but the big moves are what people pay you for. People want to pay for the two or three things a year that change their lives. I learned that from David.

KISS: Simmons tried to secure you as manager of KISS back in 1982, during the tour of Creatures. Why did you resist?

McGhee: There was no Makeup! There was not much I could do to change their fortune; I didn't have a rabbit out of its hat. Although we kept in touch over the years. Gene and Paul are extremely enterprising and very smart - and in the '90s they called me again and I said, "Are you putting the make-up back on?" They were silent, so I knew they were going to. I drove over to Gene's house and Paul was there, and that's it.

KISS: Did you support them going back into the studio post-Psycho Circus?

McGhee: Yes! Gene and Paul and I are very good partners, we think very similarly, so I didn't have to tell them what kind of record they had to do. Paul knew he had to make a KISS record. When we did Psycho Circus, they were just back into the makeup, and we pushed the envelope a bit with a 3D record, a 3D tour, etc ... to make it bigger and better, but they really got back to the essence of KISS with Sonic Boom. It did really well, it came in at number two because Michael Bublé did Oprah on Friday and took the number one ... so blame Bublé for that. Monster obviously followed the same formula.

KISS: You are right in the middle of The Tour, how are Mötley Crüe these days?

McGhee: Mötley have stayed true to what they are, but they are much calmer. They were never really bad people, they were just crazy -- they had that special kind of insanity. But yes, they are much calmer now!

KISS: Are you still loving your job after all these years?

McGhee: Every day. We're always on the hunt for the next big thing. There are only one or two artists in a lifetime that you can get to have that special connection to get to stardom. There lots of great bands out there, great songwriters, but only a few have the chops to make it. I've been lucky enough to have a few of the big ones.

ACE FREHLEY Electrocuted 30 Years Today

12/12/12

ACE FREHLEY was electrocuted 30 years ago today, December 12, 1976 at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida. The incident inspired Ace to write "SHOCK ME" for Kiss' next album, LOVE GUN.

Founding KISS Drummer Peter Criss Discusses New Memoir, Conflicts with Ex-Band Mates

12/12/12

Founding KISS Drummer Peter Criss Discusses New Memoir, Conflicts with Ex-Band Mates

Simon & Schuster

ABC NEWS RADIO
Founding KISS drummer Peter Criss' recently published memoir, Makeup to Breakup, gives an uncensored and no-holds-barred look at his life and exploits before, during and after his years with the famed costumed rock band. In the book, co-written with Larry "Ratso" Sloman, Criss opens up about the in-fighting and bad blood between him and his former band mates, particularly Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. He also details his struggle with cocaine abuse and many other aspects of his often turbulent life.

The drummer, who sang and co-wrote KISS' biggest chart hit, "Beth," tells ABC News Radio that he thinks his story is one that will captivate KISS fans, as well as readers in general.

"This book is a roller-coaster ride," he maintains. "It's a real story...of a man's life that really went through rags to riches, to rags to riches again in a whole different way."

Criss digs into Simmons and Stanley throughout the book, criticizing them for what he calls the unfair way they treated him -- personally and financially -- both during his initial stint with KISS and on his second go-round with the group during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He complains about Gene's and Paul's egos, and about how they teamed up to take control of the band. He also lambastes Simmons for his womanizing and poor hygiene, and suggests that Stanley was confused about his own sexuality
.
Meanwhile, he admits to ABC News Radio that, although he felt a sense of relief to be able to reveal his true feelings in the tome, he was nervous about how his old band mates would react to some of the harsh things he says about them.

"It was really cathartic, but trust me, many a nights I had many a horrible nightmares and sweats and I didn't sleep for weeks," he says. "I was thinking this was gonna happen, that's gonna happen…'Cause a lot of people don't really wanna hear the truth, and a lot of people have been hung and shot for talking the truth."

Meanwhile, Criss says he's happy about the success of Makeup to Breakup, which debuted at #7 on The New York Times' Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers List.

Read On ABC News Radio: http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2012/12/10/founding-kiss-drummer-peter-criss-discusses-new-memoir-confl.html#ixzz2EqK4AqGh

Happy Birthday BRUCE KULICK!

12/12/12

KISS MASK WEBZINE WOULD LIKE TO WISH BRUCE KULICK A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

KISS: "ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE" Promo Video

KISS' First Promotional Video- "Rock And Roll All Nite" 1975 (from Dressed To Kill) - This one's for you Mick Campise and JR Smalling, Original KISS Crew. 

KISS Song of the Day: Rock And Roll All Nite 1995

KISS Song of the Day: "Rock And Roll All Nite" Kiss Unplugged August 1995

KISS Concert Poster for Prague O2 Arena Show

Vote for KISS for Band of the Year

Ultimate Classic Rock is holding their "Band of the Year" Reader's Poll Awards. KISS is up for Best Album, Song, Reissue, Photo, Commercial and Artist of the Year. Now get out there KISS ARMY and vote soldiers!

Vote for KISS Here at Ultimate Classic Rock

GENE SIMMONS at Charity Poker Tournament

 

www.Genesimmons.com

Longtime Mending Kids International supporter Mel Gibson with Gene Simmons, Robert Downey, Jr., Sean Penn and Jodie Foster hosted “Four Kings & An Ace” poker tournament on Saturday, December 1 at The London West Hollywood. Among other notables were World Series Of Poker Winner Jamie Gold, Madeleine Stowe, Emily VanCamp and most of the cast of “Revenge,” Danny Trejo, Greg Louganis, Garry Shandling, Camille Grammer, Chuck Zito, Patricia Arquette, Linda Thompson, Quinton Aaron and World Poker Tour players Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten. These celebrities were able to raise enough funds for eight missions to provide almost 200 children around the world life-saving surgeries.

Mending Kids International is a California-based non-profit that provides surgeries to children otherwise unavailable to them in developing countries, and surgical training to medical staff to build long-term sustainable surgical programs. 92% of every dollar received goes directly towards helping children.

GENE SIMMONS & Family With Steven Tyler Backstage at Aerosmith Concert

                           GeneSimmons.com

Took Nick & Sophie to see Cheap Trick & Aerosmith -- both knocked it out of the park. Two of the best voices out there, Zander and Tyler… terrific. And Nielson, one of my favorite guitarists. And Joe Perry. Backstage, Johnny Depp chatted with Nick & Soph, and so did Trick and Aerosmith… a great night.

Here's the Family, with Steven.




 

PAUL STANLEY Judges KISS KRUISE II Belly Flop Contest

ERIC SINGER Talks MONSTER

By SomeThingElse

KISS 'Monster' Chart Action Week #7

MONSTER CHART ACTION WEEK #7

Billboard.com
MONSTER, in it's 7th week, MONSTER has charted, rising four spots to #131, from #135 last week.

Win "The Casablanca Singles 1974-1982" from Rolling Stone

Win the CASABLANCA SINGLES 1974-1982 BOX SET

Rolling Stone
To celebrate Kiss’ upcoming 40th anniversary, the band has decided to pay tribute to their early years by releasing the 29 singles that were recorded for Casablanca Records from 1974-1982. The box sets will come in two limited edition configurations – a box set of 29 CDs or 7-inch vinyl.

“Even I haven’t heard some of this stuff, but this is all part of our master plan to celebrate Kiss at this milestone in our careers,” says Gene Simmons. “This box set represents us at the very beginning of our career, and documents the band’s early success and subsequent growth.”

One lucky winner will receive: One (1) Kiss: The Casablanca Singles prize pack, which includes the limited edition vinyl version and CD version. The vinyl set is housed in a die-cut shadow box and includes 29 remastered singles on 7-inch 45 rpm and singles from all four solo albums on colored vinyl with a mask for each band member. The CD version is housed in a die-cut shadow box and includes 29 remastered singles on CD and singles from all four solo albums with a mask for each band member. Both sets include 26 collectable picture sleeves from original single releases around the world and a booklet describing the development of each single represented in the package.
To enter and read contest rules: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/win-a-kiss-casablanca-singles-box-set-

KISS ALIVE! #5 in Rolling Stone's Best Live Albums

 

Rolling Stone Reader's Poll Names KISS ALIVE! As One Of The Greatest Live Albums Of All Time

5. Kiss - 'Alive!'

To really understand the power of Kiss, you have to see them live. They built their reputation on the road, breathing fire, spitting blood and hovering above the audience on wires. Nobody had ever seen anything like it. (Unless, that is, they'd seen Alice Cooper a few years earlier.) Their songs were also light years better onstage than on record, so they made the smart decision to tape a bunch of gigs in mid-1975. In typical Kiss fashion, they hedged their bets by doctoring the tapes in the studio afterwards. Today, nobody is quite sure what parts of Alive! were actually taped live. It hardly matters. The album was a monster success. It flew off the shelves and instantly made them one of the biggest bands in the world. Kiss gets a lot of shit these days. Much of it is deserved, but it's hard to deny that songs like "Cold Gin," "Deuce" and "Black Diamond" are classics. They've never sounded better than they did on Alive!
 

See the entire list Here!

ERIC SINGER Explains Impact on Beatles, Journey on KISS' "Monster"

www.somethingelsereviews.com

Your average rock fan might put on Kiss’ new album Monster, and specifically the track “Outta This World, and fail to hear how the Beatles and Journey impacted the band.
But drummer Eric Singer, in a new talk with Rock Music Star, says the tune was influenced first by George Harrison’s drone-rock tune “It’s All Too Much,” issued by the Beatles on 1969′s Yellow Submarine, and then by a subsequent cover version by Journey.
The second take, included on Journey’s 1976 sophomore release Look into the Future, pre-dates Steve Perry’s arrival. Gregg Rolie handles the vocals in a lineup that included current Journey stalwarts Neal Schon and Ross Valory, as well as Aynsley Dunbar on drums.
In both instances, though far more prominently on the Journey cover from the mid-1970s, “All Too Much” ends with a trippy echoing effect. Called “flanging,” it was first developed by Abbey Road engineer Ken Townsend in 1966, as part of the Beatles’ on-going experiments with sound.

When Kiss convened to work on Monster, its long-awaited studio follow-up to 2009′s Sonic Boom, Singer remembered how cool it sounded.
“That was a suggestion that I had made,” Singer tells Rock Music Star. “I basically got that idea from the Beatles song, “All Too Much,” where at the end of the song, it goes into a flanging thing. On one of the early Journey records — before they had Steve Perry — they did a version of “All Too Much,” and on the outro, they elaborated further on the whole flanging thing, and I thought it was a cool effect. When they (Journey) go into the outro of the song, they go into double time on the drums, and it goes into this flanging effect on the whole mix.”

Singer says the band employs a number of these kind of subtle influences across the new album. “I think we always take our influences from different things,” he says. “It could be a style of a song, it could be a particular band, or it could be a production idea or an arrangement idea, that we remember that we like.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the end results on “Outta This World” will ever be confused with the Fab Four.
“What we did was based on a production thing that I heard when I was a kid, that I thought was cool,” Singer tells Rock Music Star. “I thought it would really suit the song, because the outro section (from “Outta This World”) reminded me of that Beatles song. Not that we sound like the Beatles, but I’m just using that as a point of reference, of an arrangement of a song.”

KISS KRUISE III ANNOUNCED

The KISS KRUISE 2013. October 28 to November 2013
Register online for the KISS Kruise III Presale!

KISS 'MONSTER' World Tour Dates

MONSTER WORLD TOUR 2013

Feb 28 – Perth, Australia
March 3 – Adelaide, Australia
March 5 – Melbourne, Australia
March 6 - Melbourne, Australia
March 9 – Sydney, Australia
March 10 – Sydney, Australia
March 12 – Brisbane, Australia
March 16 – Mackay, Australia
June 1 - Stockholm, Sweden
June 3 - Helsinki, Finland
June 6 - Solvesborg, Sweden
June 8 - Stavanger, Norway
June 11 - Copenhagen, Denmark
June 12 - Berlin, Germany
June 14 - Prague, Czech Republic
June 15 - Vienna, Austria
June 17 - Udine, Italy
June 18 - Milan, Italyg
June 20 - Zurich, Switzerland
June 22 - Clisson, France

Log onto http://www.kissonline.com/tour for KISS Meet&Greets amd Tour information

KISS 'MONSTER' Tour News Report from Porto Alegre, Brazil

KISS:Casablanca Singles Video Commercial

Here is the promotional video clip for the Casablanca Singles Box Set 1974-1982

VOTE for KISS & MOTLEY CRUE as TOUR OF THE YEAR

Ultimate Classic Rock is now accepting your votes as who should be crowned TOUR OF THE YEAR 2012!

To vote for KISS & MOTLEY CRUE Click 2012 TOUR OF THE YEAR

KISS Singles Box Set Due Out This Week

KISS RELEASE THE CASABLANCA SINGLES 1974-1982 MAGNIFICENT LIMITED EDITION BOX SETS OF BAND’S 29 SINGLES ON LEGENDARY CASABLANCA LABEL

Rock legends KISS were the first signing to the late Neil Bogart’s newly formed Casablanca label after he saw and recognized their talent and showmanship at their spectacular performance at a showcase concert at New York City’s Le Tang’s Ballet Studio in 1973, offering them a contract on the spot. Now, KISS celebrates their 40th anniversary in 2013 having broken box office records set by The Beatles and Elvis, more than 28 U.S. gold albums, the most gold records for any American rock band, 40 million sales in the U.S. and a total exceeding 100 million worldwide.

In their early years, KISS released a total of 29 singles on seven-inch 45 RPM records for the Casablanca label. These were available for sale to the public, used for commercial radio airplay and to promote album sales. Many of these singles had entirely different mixes, edits and material that didn’t appear on their vinyl albums. Now for the first time, these musical snapshots of KISS’ formative years, which have never been available in a commemorative singles edition, entitled The Casablanca Singles 1974-1982, on Mercury/Casablanca/UMe, will be available in December in two box set configurations:

29 Seven-Inch Vinyl (Limited Edition available direct to consumer via http://www.universalmusicenterprises.com/select/product)

29 CDs (available through all retail)

In typical KISS fashion, these are no ordinary boxes. The sets are housed in a beautiful die cut shadow box with a limited edition etched silver metal plate and ribbon pull magnetic closure custom KISS 45s box with 26 collectible picture sleeves from original single releases around the world, including Japan, Germany, Holland, Spain and Britain. The vinyl collection also features singles from all four solo albums in purple, blue, red and green vinyl with a mask picture sleeve representing each individual member as originally released in the U.K. Both sets include a booklet which tracks the genesis and chart history of each single represented in the package.

The Casablanca Singles 1974-1982 covers KISS’ remarkable eight-year stay on Bogart’s label, from their very first, “Nothin’ to Lose” b/w “Love Theme from KISS,” from their self-titled debut to their very first charted 45, “Kissin’ Time.” The band’s subsequent string of hits included Dressed to Kill’s live version of “Rock and Roll All Nite” (#12 on Billboard’s Hot 100), Destroyer’s “Shout It Out Loud” (#31) and the Top 10 ballad “Beth,” Rock and Roll Over’s “Hard Luck Woman” (#15) and “Calling Dr. Love” (#16), Love Gun’s “Christeen Sixteen” (#25), Ace Frehley’s solo hit, “New York Groove” (#13) and Dynasty’s “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” (#11).

“Even I haven’t heard some of this stuff, but this is all part of our master plan to celebrate KISS at this milestone in our careers,” says Gene Simmons. “This box set represents us at the very beginning of our career, and documents the band’s early success and subsequent growth.”

Adds Paul Stanley: “This collection is meant for the true KISS aficionado. The packaging really captures the development of both our music and image at a very crucial period in the band’s history.”

The special set comes out a month after the release of Monster, their 20th studio album. Showing the band at the top of its game, Monster embodies all that is KISS and the music that first inspired them to pick up their guitars and flame-throwers and don makeup to entertain millions. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, with longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, return stronger than ever with their new album to continue the legacy of the spectacular larger-than-life extravaganza, known as, KISS.

More info at http://www.universalmusicenterprises.com/select/product

PETER CRISS: "Have you ever tasted the barrel of a .357 Magnum?"

Q&A With Peter Criss

By Ed MasleyThe Republic

Kiss drummer Peter Criss can now add New York Times Best Seller to a list of accomplishments that may have peaked with the writing and singing of “Beth,” the highest-charting Kiss song ever, in 1976.
And that’s a mighty happy ending for a guy who sets the tone for “Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss” with “Have you ever tasted the barrel of a .357 Magnum that’s halfway down your throat?” — recounting the time he almost killed himself in 1994.
We caught up with Criss to talk about the memoirs he’ll be signing on Thursday, Dec. 6, at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe.
Question: What was it like reliving all these memories?
Answer: Thank God I made a lot of tapes through the years of things that happened because it’s a lot to remember (laughs). I’m 66. So there’s a lot. We have enough to do three more books. But it was an emotional roller coaster. A lot of restless nights. Should I write that? Shouldn’t I write that? What do I want to leave behind when I’m gone off this planet for my relatives and my daughter to read? Did I get enough of the honesty?
I talked about things I didn’t want to but my co-writer (Larry “Ratso” Sloman) convinced me. He said, “I think you’re a guy from the heart.” Which I am. I’m a Catholic kid. I don’t believe in lying. Never did. It gets you nowhere. And I pound myself in this book. I’m not easy on me at all. I’m right in your face about my addiction, my insanity, my two bad marriages, my survival. It starts with a gun in my mouth.
But the ending is today, I’m cancer-free. My wife is amazing. I have my health. I live in a beautiful home. Everything is good. And the book is doing better than I thought it would. I’m told it’s the best Kiss book ever written.
Q: Were there other rock biographies you looked to and said, “OK, so this is a really good example of what I should be doing”?
A: Probably Jimmy Stewart’s inspired me more in terms of dealing with real feelings. I learned it’s not who, what and where. It’s why. That’s what makes a great book. In my book, I tell why.
Q: Did asking why help you find answers?
A: Absolutely. It’s very cathartic. And actually, it’s taken a lot of weight off my shoulders that I’ve carried through the years and through the breakups and makeups, the deceit that went on between us, the money and the power. It was unspeakable. So yeah, it has answered a lot of my questions. You’d better believe it.
Q: You mentioned struggling with “Do I put this in?” Are there examples of things in the book that you thought maybe you should leave out?
A: Well, my honesty about my addiction. My talking about my childhood, growing up very poor, having horrific Catholic school experiences. My visions. I’ve seen an angel. I’ve seen Mary. I’ve died and come back. Talking about my marriages was very uncomfortable. I didn’t know if I wanted the world to know that. That felt pretty private. But I didn’t want to cut corners. If you’re gonna write about your life, you need to write about your life. Or you’re just wasting paper.
Q: But there are things that you did leave out?
A: Oh, I will take them to my grave with me.
Q: Were you concerned with how your former bandmates would react when you were writing this?
A: I don’t really care. Gene wrote one and Ace wrote one, and I don’t think they thought about how I’d react. We’re way too old for that nonsense. Or I am. I battled cancer and won. So did my wife. I have a whole new outlook. I’m on a different planet than they are. So I don’t really think about that.
Q: What was the best part of writing this book for you?
A: Doing it. It’s a major achievement for me. To be called an author is pretty cool. I’m a musician. I’m a drummer. I’m a songwriter. I’m a singer. I’m an actor. But I never got to be an author. And it’s something I always wanted to do, even way further back than the ’80s. I promised myself that one day I would write a book about my band. I started the band, too. They’ll never have a bigger hit than “Beth.” It won a People’s Choice Award. I’m very proud of that. And I’m very proud that I wrote my life story.

Pre-KISS/WICKED LESTER's Among Top 7 'Lost Album's'

PAUL STANLEY ON SATURDAY'S FRONT PAGE OF AOL

Noise Creep
Posted by Mark Gitter
Wicked Lester, Wicked Lester (KISS)





Wicked Lester was a New York band that would eventually morph into the mighty KISS. Featuring Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the group recorded an album for the suits at Epic Records at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland in NYC in 1971. The record featured a mix of original tunes and covers, showcasing Wicked Lester's love of the British Invasion. Ultimately, Epic dropped the band and shelved their self-titled album. Since then, it's been widely bootlegged and Stanley/Simmons even ended up re-working a few of the cuts for KISS.

Also included on the list Metallica, My Chemical Romance, Milltown, Void, Marilyn Manson and Port Amora.

KISS on Cover of Rolling Stone Mexico

KISS cover on Rolling Stone in Mexico. Can we ever get Kiss on a US cover of Rolling Stone?

ERIC SINGER's Pearl Drum Kit Up Close from San Paulo Show

www.peardrum.com

Check out this video, up close and personal look at Eric's drum kit from Kiss' San Paulo show, November 2012.