In a recent interview with Meltdown, former KISS rocker Ace Frehley confirmed that he has begun working on ‘Origins Vol. 3,’ the follow-up to his 2016 and 2020 cover song collections.

“I’m working on ‘Origins Vol. 3′, ’cause that’s the next record I’m putting out next year in 2025,” he explained during the interview. “So, we’re starting to gear up for that and figuring out which songs [to include on the LP]. I have a long extensive list and we’re slowly whittling it down to which ones we’re gonna track.”

“‘Origins Vol. 3’ will probably be out before the end of 2025. I usually put out a record every year, year and a half, two years now. I have two more albums on my record deal with MNRK Music. And everything’s great,” the guitarist added.

In the second of the first two versions of the albums, the rocker featured cover versions of classic rock tracks. However, making a covers album wasn’t his idea. “To be honest with you, initially, I wasn’t that excited about the project, because I had just come off the high of the success of ‘Space Invader’, which is all originals except for a cover of ‘The Joker,’” he explained. “It was almost, like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go through the motions and get this out of the way and then jump into the studio for my next real studio album.’ But I’ve gotta tell ya, man, once I started the process and started remembering the groups that influenced me, narrowing down which songs I thought were going to be best for the record, and then started the recording process; I really started getting more excited about it.”

‘Origins Vol. 2′ was released in 2020. It features the covers of The Beatles’ ‘I’m Down,’ Deep Purple’s ‘Space Truckin’,’ Led Zeppelin’s ‘Good Times Bad Times,’ The Rolling Stones’ ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash,’ The Kinks’ ‘Lola,’ and The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s ‘Manic Depression,’ among others. A cover of KISS’s 1975 song ‘She’ was also included as a bonus track. Guests on the album included Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, Lita Ford, and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

‘Origins Vol. 1,’ released in April 2016, debuted at No. 23 on The Billboard 200, with 16,000 equivalent album units sold in its first week. The album featured collaborations with KISS frontman Paul Stanley on Free’s ‘Fire And Water,’ Slash on Thin Lizzy’s ‘Emerald,’ Lita Ford on The Troggs’ ‘Wild Thing,’ former Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 on KISS’s ‘Parasite,’ and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready on KISS’s ‘Cold Gin.

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Nick Simmons and Evan Stanley. Check this out. Amazing. pic.twitter.com/EtjcBahLWM

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) December 15, 2024

In which Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley’s sons conjure up their inner Simon & Garfunkel

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Kiss have managed to keep themselves in the news since playing their final show little more than a year ago, whether it’s Paul Stanley defending the group’s “wholesome” history with female fans, or Gene Simmons continuing to bang on about how he thinks rock is dead.

Of course, the so-called avatar show is in the works, so all the attention is welcome. Only last week Simmons was at it again, telling Adam Carolla that the show would be “a jaw-dropping, never-before-seen thing.”

“The experience is gonna be beyond anything you can imagine,” the God Of Thunder continued. “Because imagine a caveman goes to IMAX and beholds, experiences a 3D event. They just wouldn’t understand. So, the only way I can describe what’s gonna happen in the next two years or so… Most of us know what virtual glasses are. And all of a sudden, the room and the world you’re in disappears.

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Kiss frontman Gene Simmons declared that “rock ’n’ roll is dead” because “freckle-faced” kids feel entitled to download music for free.

In an interview with conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly, the 75-year-old rocker, in addition to addressing the fate of the music industry, discussed his decision to record music for a recent Ronald Reagan bio-pic and agreed with O’Reilly that Donald Trump is a “rock star.”

Asked to highlight “one big change” he had observed in the music world over the years, Simmons made a bold assertion.

“Unfortunately, the business model is dead and new bands don’t have a chance, especially rock bands,” he said. “In a certain way, rock is finally dead, rock ’n’ roll is dead because the freckled-faced kid next door to you, who is a good kid with a good family and everything, has become entitled—feels entitled to be able to download and file share and get all of this music for free.”

It is a claim that Simmons has been making for at least 10 years—he offered a remarkably similar take to Esquire in 2014, denying that shifts in music taste were to blame for hard rock’s descent.

“Rock did not die of old age,” he said then. “It was murdered. And the real culprit is that kid’s 15-year-old next-door neighbor.”

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An official licensed KISS Unisex T-Shirt featuring the ‘Holiday Logo’ design motif. This high quality T-Shirt is available in a black colourway.

Order now at KISSArmyWarehouse.com!

Great looking Christmas ornament featuring the KISS logo. Measures 3.5 inches wide.

Order while they last at KISSArmyWarehouse.com!

Bringing shock rock to the forefront of the music industry, the iconic KISS showcased just how crazy a concert can get. For five decades, the band toured the world, offering fans a chance to see the legendary band in person. Throughout that time, KISS sold over 100 million albums and landed members like Gene Simmons in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ending their time on stage back in December 2023, Simmons promised a new avatar version of their famous concerts. And keeping his promise, the hitmaker offered an update on what fans should expect.

Appearing on The Adam Carolla Show, Simmons opened up about the new concert and what the band has been doing over the last year. According to Simmons, “This thing that we’re doing with Pophouse is a jaw-dropping, never-before-seen thing. And I can’t get too specific except to let you know the following, ’cause it’s out there. We flew up to George Lucas’s ILM and we did motion capture, just to make sure that it feels and moves like us, ’cause it is us. The experience is gonna be beyond anything you can imagine. Because imagine a caveman goes to IMAX and beholds, experiences a 3D event. They just wouldn’t understand.”

Gene Simmons Band, the touring act around KISS singer/bassist, Gene Simmons, recently announced a string of 2025 tour dates. Brooklyn Vegan is reporting that Simmons has now added a May 9 date at Huntington, NY’s The Paramount.

Tickets for the new date go on sale Friday, December 13 at 10 AM, EST here, with various presales starting Tuesday, December 10 at 12 PM, EST.

Simmons’ tour dates can be found below, and tickets are available via genesimmons.com.

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Case involving the band’s ex-hairstylist suing for wrongful termination “could swing dramatically one way or the other

A judge is urging Kiss rockers Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, music manager Doc McGhee, and Kiss’ touring company to consider settling a lawsuit brought by the famed band’s longtime wig stylist over alleged mistreatment on tour.

The lawsuit, first filed in February 2023, alleges Kiss deprived plaintiff David Mathews of overtime wages and adequate breaks and then wrongfully terminated him in 2022 after he voiced concerns about the band’s COVID protocols surrounding pandemic-era shows. After nearly two years of wrangling, a trial is set to begin Jan. 22, 2025.

“The first time I saw this lawsuit, it was clear both sides had very serious risks. If this goes to trial, it would not surprise me if Mr. Mathews got nothing. It would not surprise me if he made a big pot of money. This is the kind of case any rational person would settle. There’s big risk this could swing dramatically one way or the other,” Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Armen Tamzarian told the lawyers on both side during the Friday hearing. “This is a tough case for plaintiff to win, but if he wins, there are deep, deep pockets there, and there could be a big result.”

Judge Tamzarian spent 20 minutes hearing arguments but declined to issue a ruling Friday on Kiss’ request that he reject all six causes of action for being allegedly defective. “The issues are complicated. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this,” the judge said. With no immediate decision, the only thing that seemed clear Friday was that some portion of the lawsuit was expected to proceed. “You’re both overconfident in your positions,” he warned the dueling lawyers.

During the 20-minute hearing in downtown Los Angeles, a lawyer for Kiss argued Mathews was an independent contractor not protected by California law while traveling on tour. Attorney Jennifer Raphael Komsky conceded Kiss played 11 shows in California during the time in question, but she argued the underlying lawsuit focused on alleged incidents in Illinois and South America, not California. She said the laws in those locations applied.

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