COTN

Krazy Knights

Nick DeRiso | Ultimate Classic Rock

After a period dominated by squabbles over the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it’s time for Kiss to unplug — literally. They’ll play a rare acoustic show a week before their controversial induction ceremonies, offering stripped-down Kiss favorites and telling stories sans makeup.

Called ‘An Acoustic Evening and Stories with Kiss,’ the show mimics their memorable ‘MTV Unplugged’ episode of some 20 years ago. The concert will take place at the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland, Calif. on April 3 — which also falls two days before the first-ever home game for the L.A. Kiss, the new arena football team that’s partially owned by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

Cameras from AMC will be on hand to film the casino show for the upcoming reality show centered around the football team’s inaugural season. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 28, via Ticketmaster and at the box office in San Manuel.

Kiss will join the Rock Hall on April 10, but announced this week that it will not perform after getting into a dispute with organizers over who would be part of their induction.
Read More: Kiss To Play Acoustic Concert A Week Before Hall of Fame Induction | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/kiss-acoustic-concert/?trackback=tsmclip

Mitch Lafon

ABC News

At least one former  KISS  member is issue-free about the band’s impending induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ex-KISS guitarist  Bruce Kulick  — who spent 12 years with the group during their non-makeup period — tells ABC News Radio that he thinks the induction is “a long time coming…[and] awesome.”

KISS fans were disappointed to learn the band doesn’t plan to perform at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, reportedly because of difficulties determining which incarnation should take the stage.  Kulick gives those notoriously ardent fans credit for making the induction happen, noting they’ve been “petitioning…for years” for the band’s inclusion.  He declares, quite simply, “the people have spoken.”

Bruce Kulick parted ways with KISS when the band reunited with original members  Peter Criss  and  Ace Frehley  in 1996.  Even so, he’s remained friends with  Gene Simmons  and  Paul Stanley , as well as current KISS drummer  Eric Singer  — all of whom can be seen on Kulick’s recent wedding video , posted on his website. The guitarist married girlfriend  Lisa Lane  on January 4.

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Joe Polo

KISSonline.com

To All Our Fans In Regards To The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

Out of respect, Ace and Peter’s recent statements demand a quick response to you, our fans.

Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of KISS and give credit to all members including long time present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view.

Although KISS has moved forward far longer without them, Ace and Peter are at the very foundation of what we have built and this would all be impossible had they not been a part of it in the beginning.

It is over 13 years since the original lineup has played together in make-up and we believe the memory of those times would not be enhanced. Contrary to claims made through the media we have never refused to play with Ace and Peter.

We have spent 40 years dedicated to building KISS without quitting or wavering as the band has moved forward with huge tours and platinum albums through different important lineups for forty years, to this day.

KISS has always been a band unlike any other. That is why we started KISS. That is why we continue KISS. Being unlike other bands also means making choices and decisions unlike other bands.

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Eddie Trunk

Bill Aucoin’s former partner, Roman Fernandez, has released the following statement regarding KISS and the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony:

“I’m going on record.

I normally stand by the sidelines quietly watching the scrimmage in silence, but now, I feel I have to speak up.

My late partner, Bill Aucoin, bothered enough in 1973 to wager his entire career as a successful television producer and bet all the money he had, as well as money he didn’t have, on 4 kids from the streets of New York. He unfortunately can no longer speak for himself on the subject of KISS and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bill Aucoin gave KISS their start, as well as some of the best years of his life. KISS would, in fact, despite all his other successes, come to define Bill in the eyes of millions of fans and in the eyes of the industry. An industry that to a great degree didn’t give KISS the time of day when it mattered the most. No one did except for Bill, Sean Delaney and Neil (and Joyce) Bogart. All no longer with us except for Joyce. But, Bill and I spoke about this subject on several occasions before he passed. Bill Aucoin was not the type to reflect in regret, and he harbored no animosity. But he was convinced that due to politics within the board of the Hall of Fame, the day would never come that saw KISS inducted. I’m pretty certain he was OK with that.

But had Bill been alive to see the day it was announced that the group would indeed, despite every notion to the contrary, be inducted, might have been a nice parting gift for him. But it’s done. He’s gone. It could have just as easily been Paul, Gene, Peter or Ace. But they’re still here. And I’m pretty sure this is what Bill might have said in light of all this nonsense: ‘(….unintelligible noises) Look it, find a compromise, put everything aside for one night, be the larger than life rock stars you know you are, and then…. Onward and upward!’

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PeterCriss.net

To KISS fans,

It’s disappointing to have to say to you, the fans, that as of today, Ace and I have been denied a performance with Gene and Paul for our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.   Tickets go on sale on Monday, Feb. 24th,  and I wanted to make sure that fans understood that no original performance, in or out of makeup, has been offered to us before they purchased their tickets.  This is disgraceful and I feel bad for the fans who were looking forward to the four of us being inducted together.

God Bless,

Peter Criss – The Catman

Eddie Trunk

The Associated Press

KISS won’t rock and roll all night — or at any point during the day, either — when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, the band said Sunday.

The band has had many replacement members over the years, and they all can’t seem to agree on which members should play during the April 10 induction ceremony in New York City.

Instead, the Toronto Sun reports, they’re opting to not perform at all.

The dispute concerns whether original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss would join Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in a live performance, or whether the current lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer would play instead.

In a message on its website, KISS said it won’t perform with any lineup, calling it “an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone.”

“Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of KISS and give credit to all members, including longtime present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view,” the band wrote on its web site. “Although KISS has moved forward far longer without them, Ace and Peter are at the very foundation of what we have built and this would all be impossible had they not been a part of it in the beginning.”

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Sean Michaels | The Guardian

Kiss have announced that they will not perform at their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, blaming an ongoing “emotional situation” with two of their former members. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were apparently unable to reconcile with original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, though they credited the two men with being “at the very foundation” of the band’s 40-year career.

“Kiss has always been a band unlike any other,” they wrote on theirwebsite yesterday. “Being unlike other bands also means making choices and decisions unlike other bands … To bring this [dispute] to a quick end, we have decided not to play [the concert] in any line-up and we will focus our attention on celebrating our induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

From the moment Kiss were announced as members of the Hall’s 2014 class, fans were asking questions about which previous band-members would appear at the ceremony on 10 April. Although Criss and Frehley were part of the group’s founding line-up, they haven’t performed with Stanley and Simmons in about ten years. “Both of these guys had three chances to be in the band and three times they fucked it up,” Simmons explained to Radio.com in October. “[And] when you have a cancer in your system, it’s best to cut it out as fast as you can.”

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Associated Press

Kiss won’t rock ’n’ roll all night — or at any point during the day, either — when it is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, the band announced Sunday.

The 40-year-old group is unable to agree on which lineup should perform during the April 10 ceremony in New York City, and has decided not to plug in at all.

The dispute concerns whether original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss would join Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in a live performance, or whether the current lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer would play instead.

In a message on its Web site, Kiss said it won’t perform with any lineup, calling it “an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone.”

“Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of Kiss and give credit to all members including longtime present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view,” the band wrote on its site.

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VVN Music

Kiss will not perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction with original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

Original guitarist Ace Frehley told New York’s Q104.3 “I don’t think KISS fans are gonna be too excited and happy about the news, ’cause at this juncture, Paul and Gene have decided to perform with Tommy and Eric and it looks like the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is going along with it.”

Kiss will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April but once again the Hall of Fame will break its own rules to make it happen.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a history of bending its own rules. When AC/DC were inducted in 2003, the Young brothers refused to accept the award with bass player Mark Evans who was in the band at the time of its first major success and stayed with the band for the duration of the iconic Bon Scott recordings through to ‘Let There Be Rock’.

Instead the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame broke its own rule and inducted Brian Johnson along with founding members Angus and Malcolm Young into the Hall of Fame even though their own rule states that you are not eligible for induction until you have spent 25 years recording under that name. Johnson had been with the band 23 years at that point and had less hit albums in that time with AC/DC than Evans in the initial days.

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Roman Fernandez

We are delighted to announce that on March 11th, the Lyn Christopher album will once again be released through Universal Music Group after 40 years of obscurity. Lyn’s 1973 debut on Paramount  contains 11 classic tracks showcasing Lyn’s sultry and iconic vocals that reflect the mood of early 70’s pop and soul optimism. Unfortunately, her debut found itself out of print after Paramount’s demise only months after the album’s original release. Believed that the master tapes were all but lost, the album never had the opportunity to cross over into the digital realm, not to CD nor MP3.

The “Lyn Christopher” album marks the first ever appearance of KISS’s Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley on a major release as they lend their background vocals on the tracks “Celebrate II” and “Wedding”. Another KISS member, drummer, Peter Criss, also lent a hand in the form of hand claps on “Celebrate II”. The Lyn Christopher album also showcases the single, “Take Me With You,” a track which has seen a resurgence celebrated in a sample on LL Cool J and 50 Cent’s 2008 single, “Feel My Heartbeat”. “Take Me With You” was also recently sampled in 2013’s “Favorite Rap Stars” by Mobb Deep’s Havoc, featuring Raekwon and Styles P. 

Lyn Christopher fans, KISS fans, LL Cool J and 50 Cent fans, as well as fans of Havoc, can download the full Lyn Christopher debut everywhere on March 11th.

Mitch Lafon | Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles

In ongoing celebrations of the 40th anniversary of KISS’ self-titled debut (originally released on February 18th, 1974), musician Bruce Stephen Foster – who played piano on the album – sat down with journalist Mitch Lafon and gave his impressions 40 years on about Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, producer Richie Wise, being in studio with KISS and much more during this exclusive interview.

Foster also went on to talk about his friendship with BON JOVI guitarist Richie Sambora, working with Richie on the SHARK FRENZY albums as well as writing with Richie on Sambora’s Aftermath Of The Lowdown album. The interview was recorded February 18th – the 40th anniversary of the album the band’s single Nothin’ To Lose (which Foster played on).

KISSmuseum.com

We have a little surprise for you today – the long anticipated KISS Alive action figures have been released early….TODAY!

In stock NOW. We ship all orders out within 1 business day. Postage is only $3.95 for any size order.

Series 6 in the long line of KISS action figures from Figures Toy Company which has produced series after series of incredibly detailed high-quality product time and time again!

See more photos and all the details HERE at KISSmuseum.com.

Richard Horgan | Fishbowlla Music

If you’re not familiar with the radio.com interview series “Not Fade Away,” be sure to check it out. At critical anniversary junctures, the column revisits enduring music albums. This week, on the occasion of KISS’s 1974 debut album turning 40, reporter Brian Ives spoke with Gene Simmons.

All sorts of things are happening these days at the KISS end. AMC-TV is planning a reality series about the LA Kiss, an Anaheim arena football team co-owned by Simmons and Paul Stanley; at Barclays Center in April, the band will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and their allure had a certain Washington Post columnist recently delighted to have been mistaken for Simmons on Twitter.

Simmons also continues to actively stick out his tongue. Here’s what he had to say about the music critics who failed to get the KISS message:

“We completely ignored critics, they meant nothing to us. I buried them in my backyard, they’re fertilizer for my greenery! They’re the guys who never got laid in school who have pus-filled pimples who still live in their mother’s basement. They’re not even journalists! It’s a completely unnecessary life form. If critics cease to be, nothing changes.”

Simmons has definitely earned the right to gloat. For the most extensive explanation of why that is, turn to Nothing to Lose, the fall 2013 book written by Simmons, Stanley and music journalist Ken Sharp.

Krazy Knights

On this weeks episode of Krazy Knights we are talking to none other than former Kiss member Bruce Kulick. We talk about his latest projects, his thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we congratulate him on his wedding.