Steve Appleford | Rolling Stone

Nearly four decades on, Kiss remain an ongoing and unlikely rock & roll success story, standing high on platform heels and painted in kabuki black-and-white, unloading fireballs and grinding hard-rock hooks around the world. Led by founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Kiss has been back touring arenas and stadiums since the mid-Nineties, but the onetime platinum-selling quartet finally returned to the studio as a fully functioning recording unit with 2009’s Sonic Boom.

The band has a new album, Monster, released today by Universal, and produced by singer-guitarist Stanley. He’s taken the leadership role in the studio, and he wouldn’t have it any other way, guiding Simmons, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer to a sound that’s loud and swaggering. It’s given Kiss some new material to chew on for their ongoing road show, which just ended a successful tour across North America with Mötley Crüe.

“We’re best off prowling the stage,” Stanley tells Rolling Stone, during an interview about the new album, the current state of Kiss and the music that first inspired him. The makeup hasn’t changed much since the Seventies, and neither has the attitude: “It’s the embodiment of everything I am and have nurtured and created. I look in the mirror and go, ‘Hey, there’s Paul Stanley – he’s so fuckin’ cool!'”

You took the producer’s role beginning with the last record, Sonic Boom. What did that mean for Kiss?
Democracy in the studio is overrated. What you wind up getting is compromise on everybody’s part, which means that nobody has their way, and that means nobody wins, including the fans. I thought it was really important, and in my mind it was a deal-breaker – if I wasn’t going to produce the albums, we weren’t going to do albums at this point. Somebody had to set parameters and boundaries and voice expectations. To make sure Continue reading →

Mike Jones | DC101

Spending a part of your morning talking to Gene Simmons and Eric Singer of KISS isn’t a bad way to get the day going! We spoke about the new album Monster, recording it old school and doing it their own way and how we all can give back to those who defend our freedom!

It was 37 years ago today that KISS stormed Cadillac Michigan in response to the Homecoming request of Cadillac High School. Quite a lot of amazing events went on that day and a wonderful summary with some of the highest quality image of the event appear on none-other than the ESPN Sports Page 2 website.

Warring Abbott

Danny Arruda | ESPN

 It was 1974 — the straitlaced football heyday of Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler — and in northern Michigan, you could hear a pin drop in the way-too-tight Cadillac High School football locker room before games.

That’s when an enterprising assistant coach named Jim Neff had a brainstorm. Why not rev up the Cadillac defense by playing a little pregame rock and roll? Like, for example, KISS?
When the bold plan led to a big winning streak — and a conference title — Jim Neff and the band he loved hatched a daring plan … to make Homecoming the following year an event the town of Cadillac would never forget.

Nearly 35 years later, no one has.

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Artisan News Service

Rolling Stone

Rock & roll excess has always been a rather large part of the Kiss package, but never before have we heard the details quite to this extent. These exclusive excerpts from Peter Criss’ autobiography begin with the drummer shoving the barrel of a .357 Magnum down his own throat in the aftermath of the devastating Northridge earthquake. Later, he recalls partying with John Belushi (“a huge KISS fan”) and opening in Paris for Jerry Lewis, who joked of his unlikely openers, “That’s got to be the worst or the best thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Have you ever tasted the barrel of a .357 Magnum that’s halfway down your throat? It’s a really unforgettable sensation, like a piece of iron dipped in oil, with sort of a coppery aftertaste. I got my first and (hopefully) last taste of one on January 17, 1994, sitting on the floor of my debris-strewn bedroom in Los Angeles.

Just twelve hours earlier I had been lying in bed, watching TV. It was around three A.M. and I was cozy under the covers when I feel a little tremor. I’d been through quite a few “shakers” in California. Chandeliers rattling, traffic lights swaying. But this was different. The tremors started getting more frequent and I started to hear a rumbling noise, so I sat up in the bed and all of a sudden the whole place shook big-time and the TV flew off the dresser, tumbled down, and blew up. I was like, “Motherfucker!” Then the lamps fell over and I was like, “Holy shit!” Turned out this was the beginning of the Northridge earthquake, a massive catastrophe that killed thirty-three people and injured more than eighty-seven hundred.

I’m a Brooklyn boy: I knew about cockroaches and rats and zip guns, not earthquakes. So I started to panic. I heard glass shattering in the bathroom. I was hearing all this devastation, and just then another big jolt came, and my bed collapsed and the huge wooden armoire started dancing across the bedroom and then tipped over. Behind the armoire, on a nail, I had hung a bag that was filled with $100,000 cash. That was all the money I had to my name. I wasn’t going to put it in a bank – didn’t trust them – and I was in trouble with the IRS then, so I figured I’d keep the cash nearby and if someone was going to rob it, that’s a big piece of motherfucking shit to move. But now the huge armoire was lying on the floor and the bag was hanging from the nail, exposed.

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Cassius Morris | Creature of the Net

Lead guitarist of Wicked Lester and the man that introduced Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Steve Coronel is interviewed on today’s show. Steve had so many great stories to tell that I couldn’t even begin to list them all, so here are some off the top of my head.

The first time Gene Simmons came up with the idea of wearing makeup,
Reuniting with Paul Stanley after 33 years,
Almost (accidentally) kissing Gene,
Going with Gene to buy his first bass guitar,

And much, MUCH more! Special thanks to Steve for being on the show and all of our listeners.

Sunday Night Story

Tales From the Stage

PeterCriss.net

The all-new re-vamped official Peter Criss website is now available. Just in time for the release of his new book, Makeup to Breakup and the following book tour dates. A beautiful example of how a modern website should look and function in 2012!

Chris Czynszak | Decibel Geek

The Decibel Geek podcast has released Episode 53– Interview with Steve Coronel for downloading and streaming. In this episode, hosts Aaron Camaro and Chris Czynszak get a lesson in Pre-Kisstory when the interview Steve Coronel, the man responsible for introducing Paul Stanley to Gene Simmons

Also included are stories of how he met Gene on the first day of grade 7, his feelings and time with Wicked Lester, the writing of “She” and how the production of the song changed along the way, his conflicts with Paul and his dismissal from the group. Chris and Aaron also discuss his current projects and his feelings on Kiss today.

The Decibel Geek Podcast was launched in June of 2011 by Chris Czynszak, a former rock journalist and webmaster. With co-host Aaron Camaro, the Decibel Geek Podcast is quickly earning a reputation as one of the go-to music commentary podcasts on the internet. All episodes are available on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, as well as the official Decibel Geek Podcast website.

Direct Link to Episode:  http://www.dbgeekshow.blogspot.ca/2012/10/episode-53-steve-coronel.html

TV News Desk

To celebrate the 50th webcast of CBS Interactive’s award-winning live webcast concert series, LIVE ON LETTERMAN, KISS will bring their spectacular, larger-than-life extravaganza of music to the world famous Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. The concert will be webcast live and available on CBS.com and VEVO on Wednesday, Oct. 10 (8:00 PM, ET/5:00 PM, PT). – See more at: http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article/KISS-to-Perform-on-50th-LIVE-ON-LETTERMAN-Concert-Webcast-1010-20121004#sthash.JSyY1s4c.dpuf

KISS, in all their bombastic and unstoppable glory, will perform fan favorites from their treasure trove of hits along with their recent worldwide #1 smash, “Hell or Hallelujah,” from their new album, Monster, which is set to come out Tuesday, Oct. 9. 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 flamethrowers and don makeup to entertain millions.

Having already broken box office records set by The Beatles and Elvis, KISS celebrates their 40th anniversary in 2013 with more than 28 U.S. gold albums, the most gold records for any American rock band, with 40 million sales in the U.S. and a total exceeding 100 million worldwide. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, with longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, return stronger than ever with their new album.

The LIVE ON LETTERMAN franchise, which has surpassed 130 million views to date on CBS.com and VEVO, marks its 50th webcast with KISS’ performance. Past performances have included some of the most established bands and musicians across the globe, from its first event featuring Pearl Jam to Paul McCartney on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater, as well as Foo Fighters, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Adele and more, all staged in an intimate and dynamic setting for worldwide followers to enjoy.

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olwltd
One of the coolest things to have surfaced in the past decade or maybe two – A full rehearsal show from before the start of the Dynasty tour! The full show is played to an empty arena. Lots of cool talking and jokes in-between and each sings one song from their solo album as well. Plus, the quality is incredible! A MUST-LISTEN piece!

ABC News Radio

Some sad news from the KISS camp: singer/guitarist Paul Stanley‘s mother, Eva Eisen, died on Saturday.  She was 88.  According to ForestLawn.com, Eisen, who was born in Berlin, Germany, was a resident of Studio City, California, at the time of her passing.

Stanley paid tribute to his mom in a message posted on his official website.

“My mother found so much pleasure and fulfillment in all the various types of music that she so loved.  It was through her that I too found that same passion,” Stanley writes.  “She lived long enough to see, enjoy and love an extended family that included her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She found numerous ways to contribute to her community and was appreciated and loved by those who knew her.  My mom was the matriarch of our family and words cannot express our loss.”

Stanley’s band mates, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, issued a joint statement that reads, “We send our sympathy and condolences to Paul and his family.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”

Frank Hagan | KISS Mask Webzine

KISS will perform on The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS Network) on Wednesday, October 10 (show airs at 11:35PM) to promote MONSTER which will release on October 9 in North America.

Peter Hodgson | Gibson

KISS and Mötley Crüe will bring their imaginatively titled ‘The Tour’ tour to Australia in early 2013, according to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.

Over the weekend Tommy posted on Facebook [edited for clarity]:

“Wow! How time flies! Last night of the U.S. part of the tour. One show in Mexico in a few days but it’s a rap for 2012, kids! A little break ’til January 2013 then off to Australia with KISS and Motley. Been going like [expletive] since February in Vegas! Nine months! [Expletive] Whooped…”

The just-wrapping-up The Tour tour encompasses 40 dates across the USA, Canada and Mexico, with both bands playing 90-minute sets. KISS are of course about to release their new album Monster, while the Crüe are still running on the heat generated from “Sex,” the new song they released to coincide with their Las Vegas run earlier this year.

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Carlos Ramirez | Noisecreep

Jim Dyson

“I don’t know what’s more embarrassing, these musicians and actors talking about politics in interviews or the media actually giving them credibility about it,” KISS legendPaul Stanley tells Noisecreep during a recent chat. The singer/guitarist was on the line to discuss Monster, KISS’ upcoming 20th studio album, when we asked him why he’s always been so guarded about his political views in the press.

The subject came up because Gene Simmons (his KISS bandmate) has been very vocal as of late, when it comes to his Republican views. “It’s absurd that a celebrity could speak out on the economy or politics with no more justification than a hit album or a movie. Not to deride Gene, but I just think he’s part of a symptom of absurdity where you’ll see somebody on television whose only criteria for being there is success in a field far away from what they’re being asked about. I really don’t know who is more ridiculous, the celebrity answering these political questions or the person asking them,” said the 60-year-old New York native.

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Gabe Ginsberg | Examiner

Are you smarter than a Rockstar? That was what the invite to KISS by Monster Mini Golfhad said. The winner would get a chance to attend Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp.

After eight weeks of competition, the audience was going to see who was smarter than a Rockstar. Each week contestants battled it out with Rockstars to see who will go to Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp. The competition was hard as the contestants went up against Rockstar legends like Bruce Kulick from KISS, Paul Shortino from Quiet Riot, Oz Fox from Stryper and even Slaughter’s Blas Elias.

For the finals the contestants had to beatSebastian Bach formerly of the band Skid Row. The event started off with a meet and greet with the legendary singer. Sebastian Bach was very personable as he joked and posed with his fans.

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Gus Griesinger | Backstage Axxess

Kiss’ career has spanned almost 39 years and this year they are about to release their 20th studio album titled “Monster” on Universal Music Enterprises. As with their last effort “Sonic Boom,” the band invited no co-writers and founder and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley co-produced the CD along with Greg Collins. Stanley, along with co-founder and bassist Gene Simmons have continued to sport the same lineup for the last 8 years with drummer Eric Singer and lead guitarist Tommy Thayer rounding out the quartet.

The band’s first single “Hell or Hallelujah” was released to the airwaves on July 2, 2012. It is an up-tempo, ass kicking song that showcases Thayer’s strong and consistent licks delivered with that traditional Stanley vocal that Kiss fans have come to love. I believe it can already be put in the category of a “Kiss classic!”

Simmons has cited his favorite track on this release as the 2nd track, “Wall of Sound.” For some reason, the song takes me back to an 80’s or earlier version of Kiss, perhaps something that could have been on either “Crazy Nights” or Hot in the Shade.” It’s a cool track but not my favorite Simmons song on the CD as you will see below.

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Simon & Schuster

Peter Criss has several scheduled book signings to coincide with the release of Makeup to Breakup. Visit the Simon & Schuster website for a complete list. Image below is now hanging in front of the Barnes & Noble in Eatontown NJ. Great opportunity to meet Peter and get your book signed!