Cassius Morris | COTN

Binky Philips | Huffington Post

Binky Philips will be one of the many special guests at the New Jersey KISS Expo on September 28th.

School year, 1969/1970…

There were three guys at the High School of Music & Art in New York City who owned a Gibson guitar, the true no-argument Rolls Royce of guitar companies.

There was me. I had a 1962 SG – style Les Paul.

There was Murray Dabby, the best player of this trio, who owned a 1965 SG Standard, almost the same guitar as mine, just a few years newer.

The third guy had a 1960 Les Paul Special, the model just below mine.

This Gibson connection was a bond.

I grew up to be… what? I don’t even know. A guitarist? A writer? A music biz sleaze ball? All of the above?

Murray grew up to be a full-fledged shrink, doing the good work, in Atlanta.

The third guy was Stan Eisen. He grew up to be Paul Stanley, Starchild, Global Icon.

All three of us still play guitar.

While Murray and I were tight, very much a bro, oddly, it was Stan who I stayed in touch with after graduation. He left the year before me. I’m 374 days younger.

One day, Stan called to tell me he’d just legally changed his name to Paul and it would mean a lot to him if I started calling him by that name.

I said, “Sure, Stan.”

“Ummm, well, you just called me Stan, Binky.”

“Oh, wow, sorry, PAUL.”

For the record, my headline is pure nonsense. I met Gene a year after graduation.

A few years later, July 13, 1973, Paul, Gene, and I were sharing the stage at the now-gone Hotel Diplomat on West 43rd St, just off Times Square. I was the lead guitarist of The Planets. We opened for KISS that night.

Paul and I have never really lost touch. Watching a goofy pal go from struggling guitar dope to Rock Royalty has been a trip, I can assure you.

Which is where I’m gonna segue into a review of the latest, and possibly tastiest, of all the various KISS ‘n’ tell books out there on the decades-thriving spectacle that is KISS, Nothin’ To Lose – The Making of KISS – 1972 – 1975 by Ken Sharp with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, out now on !T Books.

Comprised of over three years’ worth of interviews with well over 200 individuals who, in one way or another, interacted with KISS as a band or as individuals. Managers, knucklehead band guys from New York City, famous rock stars, record label peeps, roadies, promoters, writers, studio rats, anyone who had anything of worth to contribute, Detective Ken Sharp tracked down, and grilled. Yes, I’m one of them.

Ooops, yes… Sorry. FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m all over this freakin’ outstanding book.

Way back when, Paul and Gene had (to my surprise and gratification) a great deal of respect for my opinion. That’s why they invited me down to just their third rehearsal with Ace… to see what I thought of the ‘new’ guy’s playing. It kinda felt like he was still on ‘probation,’ frankly.

So… Yes, I saw them perform “Strutter,” “Deuce” and “Firehouse” in their dingy hole of a room on the 4th floor of a truly decrepit building… 10 East 23rd Street… soon torn down, actually.

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Richard Ouzounian | The Star

Back when Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons were forming the glam rock entity known as KISS, they had to improvise for their theatrical look. For instance, their studded collars came from a pet store.

Alyssa Toomey | E online

It seems that everyone has an opinion on Miley Cyrus‘ controversial performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

But when it comes to her tongue-wagging show, no one is a more qualified to judge than rock star Gene Simmons.

“I don’t understand why people got so upset,” the KISS artist told Rolling Stone of Cyrus’ eyebrow-raising performance, which saw the 20-year-old singer twerking with teddy bears, stripping down to a flesh-covered bra and panties, making raunchy gestures with a large foam finger and grinding up against 36-year-old Robin Thicke—actions for which the FCCreceived a number of heated complaints.

“Whether you stick out your tongue or shake your tushy, all the other girls are doing the same thing,” Simmons continued. “Any girl whose name ends with an A—Madonna, Shakira, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, all these girls who sing pop songs through backing tracks like it’s karaoke and gyrate all over the stage—if they can do it, why can’t Miley? Either condemn the whole lot of them or leave her alone.”

Solid point, which, in fact, is quite similar to Miley’s previous assessment of her performance.

“I don’t pay attention to the negative because I’ve seen this play out so many times,” she said to MTV News of the VMA backlash. “How many times have we seen this play out in pop music? Madonna’s done it. Britney’s done it. Every VMA performance, that’s what you’re looking for; you’re wanting to make history.”

But while Cyrus may have successfully gotten everyone talking, Simmons is somewhat critical of the pop star’s tongue-flashing skills.

“It was okay,” he said when asked to rate Miley’s tongue-wagging show. “But that’s a girl’s version. It’s like girls’ basketball. It’s as good as girls can get at basketball. But you can’t play with the guys.”

Any comeback, Miles?

NJ KISS Expo

“KISSNATION, the veteran NYC Kiss Tribute Show, is proud to be a part of this year’s NY/NJ Kiss Expo. Stripping away their make-up, costumes and electric guitars, the band goes unplugged for an intimate performance for the expo attendees. With several sets throughout the day, Kissnation will be performing Kiss rarities along with taking fan requests. Visit them online at KISSNATION.com.”

Tickets and info for the NJ KISS Expo 2013 are available at NJKISSExpo.com.

Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

In a KissFAQ exclusive, award-winning producer/engineer Jeff Glixman gives his first-ever in-depth interview about his involvement on Paul Stanley’s 1978 solo album. Below are excerpts from his interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

KissFAQ: Jeff, let’s rewind to summer 1978. What are your recollections of coming onboard for Paul Stanley’s solo album

Jeff Glixman: Well, they’re pretty clear. We had some huge success with Kansas with our album in fall 1977, “Point Of Know Return.” The band had done a big tour and a lot of things had gone on and they wanted to take a break for a little bit. So we all decided, “Let’s take a little break and go to Hawaii and take a few months off.” I returned from Hawaii and my attorney called me and said, “Paul Stanley is in the midst of an album. I know you’ve got another album coming up, but there’s a little window of opportunity, would you like to work on it?” I was thinking, “Vacation or work with Paul Stanley? I’m going with Paul.”

KF: You came onboard for the album’s sessions in Los Angeles. Do you recall being at the Village Recorder?

JG: I remember working at the Village. We worked at the Record Plant too.

KF: Legend has it that Paul visited a studio in the valley and decided it wasn’t up to par. Does that ring a bell

JG: He might have taken a look at Sound City, I don’t know. I had produced out of Sound City, which was funky to look at but an awesome-sounding studio. As you know, Dave Grohl just completed a documentary film about Sound City and the history of that place. It was a funky place but a really good studio. I just remember the studios being tossed around but I didn’t handle the bookings.

KF: When you were brought onboard, was it with the understanding you were going to produce the entire album?

JG: (pauses) Originally, I didn’t have the time to produce the entire project. I had a time constraint because I had another record coming up that I had to get to that had a hard start date. As I said, I had planned to take some vacation time. It was my understanding that we’d certainly work on all the tracks — that there were certain things that either needed to be recut or worked on or that we’d recut parts of, or whatever. And I never intended to get to the mix unless we went really fast.

KF: As you alluded to, the first four tracks on the album were recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York, prior to your involvement: “Tonight You Belong To Me,” “Move On,” “Ain’t Quite Right,” and “Wouldn’t You Like To Know Me?” Paul has stated that the recordings in New York were designed to be demos and that they originally were going to be recut. Do you remember giving these tracks another go in Los Angeles?

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Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

Guitarist fondly remembers great music and great vibes during the “Paul Stanley” album sessions, the positive musical chemistry between himself and Stanley, and offers insight on his guitar tracks and his opinion on the album 35 years later.

Below are excerpts from Kulick’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate

KissFAQ: Bob, when the calendar turned to 1978, in terms of your work with KISS, you had come off playing some guitar tracks on the studio recordings on “Alive II.” When did you first learn about the KISS solo album project?

Bob Kulick: Well actually, I got a call from Paul and I got a call from Gene as well. Both asked me to play guitar on their solo albums. Paul was trying to do a more organic band-like approach, whereas Gene was trying to get a whole bunch of guests and piece it all together. You know, I would have liked to have played on both records. But the reality was if I played on Gene’s record, as Gene pointed out to me, then there’s two records with the same lead player on it, which I could understand his point. And also the fact that Paul was like, “Well, wait a minute. I’m using him so you can’t use him.” So I basically just said, “No problem. I totally understand.” But [Paul’s album] was a different project than the KISS “Alive II” thing in that Paul certainly gave me more latitude and longitude in terms of what I was able to play by virtue of me not trying to have to be somebody else.

KF: Right. And I know that Gene was interested in you playing on his album but ultimately it didn’t come to be since you were on Paul’s album. Was this initially decided from the get-go then?

BK: No, I wouldn’t say it was from the get-go because we started Paul’s record and then Gene went to England. And then it still went on from there. Gene actually sent me a letter, “I’m really sorry that it didn’t work out. I feel bad.” It was like, “No worries.” I ended up writing a couple of things with Gene that saw the light of day. So you know, it kind of turned into like, “I write with Gene but I play with Paul.” Although that changed when I got up and played with Gene at that beer fest they had here in downtown L.A. during Octoberfest [last year].

KF: Bob, when you first got together with Paul regarding his solo album, did he play you some of the music he was working on? I’m curious what your first reaction was to hearing the material.

BK: Well, by the time we got ready to do this, we basically went into the recording studio. And he would show us the song. “Here’s what I wrote. Here’s ‘Move On.’ “OK.” “Here’s how it goes.” And we’d play along, learn the song and come up with a vibe for the songs. The New York portion of the program was recorded at Electric Lady Studios, I believe with Dave Wittman as engineer. Paul conducted the sessions. You know, we really didn’t have a producer. He asked me to suggest a bass player, which I did. Steve Buslowe, who was also the guy I suggested for the Meat Loaf gig. He is an amazingly creative bass player!!! And Paul wanted to use Richie Fontana, who I knew from Billy Squier’s thing, Piper.

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Nate Davis | USA Today

Tim Tebow and KISS, a match made in … well, feel free to fill in the blank on that one.

But the members of the legendary rock group, now owners of the Arena Football League’s expansion franchise in Anaheim, Calif. — LA KISS — officially extended a contract offer to the unemployed quarterback Monday.

The deal would be for three years and could be worth unspecified “millions.” Tebow is the first player LA KISS has targeted.

“Acquiring Tebow would not only be a great investment for the team, but his exciting style of play would definitely send shockwaves through the League,” said KISS bassist Gene Simmons, a.k.a. The Demon, in a press release.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to see him with an LA KISS uniform on, and for the LA KISS fans to be rockin’ their Tebow shirts and jerseys.”

KISS is obviously best known for its heavy licks, outrageous costumes and iconic black and white face paint.

Tebow is best known for his winning persona, team-first attitude, wobbly passes and, most notably, devout lifestyle. When he was accessorizing his mug at the University of Florida, he opted for eye black which referenced his favorite scriptures.

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Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

In conjunction with its Back In The Solo Album Groove series, KissFAQ has published an interview with drummer extraordinaire Anton Fig. “The Thunder From Down Under” revisits his work on Ace Frehley’s 1978 solo album, meeting Frehley and working on the album’s demos, and offers insight regarding some of his favorite tracks such as “Rip It Out” and why “Ace Frehley” is not only an important part of the Spaceman’s evolution, but one of the favorite albums he has ever played on.

The following is an excerpt from Ballard’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

KissFAQ: Anton, what was going on with your musical career in 1978?

Anton Fig: I was playing around New York in the rock scene. I had moved down from Boston where I had gone to music school and got a music degree. I studied classical percussion and jazz. So I was pretty much heavily into jazz all that time but when I moved down to New York I got back into rock, which is what I had grown up playing as a kid in South Africa. And I think around that time I had done a record with Link Wray called “Bull Shot.” I was in a rock band called Topaz; some of the guys in the band had gone off to play with Bob Dylan. Through that I got to play with Robert Gordon and Link Wray. So I was kind of touring around and playing with Robert and Link and at the same time I had formed my own band with some fellow South Africans. At the time we were called Siren, but we became Spider. We were rehearsing and actually looking for musicians around that time. We had a loft downtown in New York.

KF: I think that’s where your connection to Ace comes in. I understand that you came to play with Ace through a bass player named Larry Russell, who was auditioning for Spider. How did Larry bring up the Ace opportunity?

AF: Well, he was auditioning for us and he said to me, “I’ve got a friend, Ace. He’s doing a solo record and he’s looking for a drummer. I think I can get you an audition.” You know, I had heard of KISS. But to me, KISS was a band on the side of a bus basically. It was a lot of advertising and marketing but I didn’t know the material that well. Anyway, I went up to play with Ace. He did four demos up at a small studio in Queens or [maybe it was] the Bronx. And we did “Rip It Out” and three other songs I don’t remember. We barely spoke. I just kind of played with him. I mean, I asked him if he was the rhythm guitarist [in KISS]. I didn’t even know. He asked me to come up and do another four songs with him. And then there was also another connection through Siren. Eddie Kramer was interested in our band and he was also going to produce Ace’s record. I knew Eddie. I had never really worked with him but I knew him. After the two demo [sessions], Ace asked me to do the record. I was about to go on a five-week tour of Europe with Robert Gordon and Link, so I went off and did that. And when I got back, I think the next day I went up to the Colgate Mansion in Connecticut and we recorded most of the album there.

KF: If you think back to the demo sessions, did you feel an instant chemistry with Ace?

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njkissexpo.com

Just announced – Jim Cara, the man behind the design of Gene Simmons personal axe bass guitars, will be making an appearance at the New Jersey KISS Expo this Saturday September 28 at the Raritan Center in Edison NJ. Jim will be bringing a huge assortment of KISS guitars for display and will be on hand to give some great insight into the production and design of these incredible instruments.

Discount tickets for the NJ KISS Expo are available HERE at a discounted rate of only $10!

Jim’s axe bass guitars can be seen at gsaxe.com.

Tim McPhate | KissFAQ

In a KissFAQ exclusive, award-winning songwriter details the creative process for his iconic song “New York Groove,” the recording of the original version by Hello and his recollections of how the song came into the Ace Frehley fold, and discusses additional KISS-related songs such as “Into The Night,” “Let Me Rock You” and “God Gave Rock And Roll To You,” and putting his life down in his music.

The following is an excerpt from Ballard’s interview with KissFAQ’s Tim McPhate:

KissFAQ: Russ, for my first question, I’d like to go back to 1974. That year Argent actually headlined three concerts with KISS serving as the opening act. I know you left the band around this time, but did you perform with Argent on those dates?

Russ Ballard: I remember doing two shows with KISS. One was at the Academy of Music, I think when they were beginning. I remember them setting up the big logo behind the drums. I didn’t know what to expect but there seemed to be a buzz. And then I saw the band take the stage with the makeup and stuff. I thought, “This is cool.” (laughs) Then I remember another show we did with them in St. Louis. It was a Sunday night, I think, at a beautiful theater. It held about 2,000. I had a good look at them that night from the side. I thought they were great.

KF: According to the book “KISS Alive Forever,” KISS and Argent were set to do a longer tour.

RB: I just remember doing two shows. I don’t remember talk of any more. When I left the band they kept going. They could have [talked about it].

KF: Russ, you were born in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire. That’s quite the long way from New York. Am I correct in saying you came up with the song title for “New York Groove” while on a plane?

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Ken Paulsen | Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It’s time to get up-close and personal with KISS.

Two founding members of the supergroup famed for their rock anthems, wild makeup and stage antics will appear at the Staten Island Barnes & Noble store Sept. 10 to promote their new book “Nothin’ to Lose: The Making of KISS (1972-1975).”

Fair warning: Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons will sign only books, not memorabilia, according to the store’s community relations manager, Joan Correale. It’s the book’s nationwide release date and a big crowd is expected.

Those wanting to meet Stanley and Simmons will have to buy the book at the store at its $29.99 list price, starting at 9 a.m. They will receive a colored wristband that determines their place in line for the 7 p.m. book signing event, and be given a recommended time to return with their book and receipt. The lineup itself begins at 5 p.m., according to the store.

No word on whether the duo will appear with their trademark makeup. The store does not have any information yet on whether photographs will be permitted.

“Nothin’ to Lose,” written by Stanley and Simmons along with rock journalist Ken Sharp, draws on more than 200 interviews to tell the story of the band’s formative years, building up to their 1975 mega-hit album “Alive” and party-rock anthem “Rock and Roll All Nite.” It promises an “indelible and irresistible portrait of a band on the rise and of the music scene they changed forever,” according to the book’s promotional material.

KISS’ biggest hit was the 1976 power ballad “Beth.” But the act is best known for rockers “Detroit Rock City,” “”I Was Made for Lovin’ You” and “Shout It out Loud,” to name just a few.

Stanley, 61, wears the “Starchild” makeup with a star design over his left eye. Simmons, 64, wears the “demon” makeup.

Examiner

Local rock band, REBELMANN®, has exploded onto the rock music scene with fiery instrumentals and strong vocals. They have caught the attention of the iconic, Gene Simmons, who along with Paul Stanley, formed “the ultimate rock band,” KISS. The band and it’s rock idol connected at Rock ‘N Roll Fantasy Camp last year, when REBELMANN backlined Gene Simmons. In the past year, a NoiseCreep article about REBELMANN was linked to Gene Simmons’ personal website. Mr. Simmons also tweeted at the band to send him their demo, when they inquired about his label.

REBELMANN is a band of brothers. Front man and youngest brother, Clayton, is a young man with a booming voice and powerful stage presence. Twins, Bryce and Johnathon play the drums and lead guitar. Bryce creates his own rythm with his skill and speed on the drums. Lefty lead guitarist, Johnathon, is one of few guitarists who uses his pinky finger when rocking out. Tim Joyce fills in as studio bassist. The brothers are accomplished musicians, write their own music and are committed to “keeping real music alive.” REBELMANN’s mentor is Bruce Kulick. He played lead guitar for KISS for 12 years.

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Pacific University Oregon

Pacific University Legends Thank You from Pacific University on Vimeo.

A celebrity lineup turned out in Portland on Sunday night to support Pacific University student-athletes.

Pacific University Legends, hosted by Beaverton native Tommy Thayer— guitarist for the legendary rock band KISS — was an evening of fabulous food, rollicking fun and a rocking concert.

The light drizzle that started the day came to a stop in plenty of time for guests to enjoy the elegance of Waverley Country Club, on the banks of the Willamette River, where they enjoyed a gourmet meal, sponsored by Pac/West.

Guests enthusiastically raised their paddles throughout the evening’s auction, making it the most successful Legends auctions ever. Bidders took home everything from a unique guitar signed by the members of KISS to vacation packages for Bali, Costa Rica and South Africa.

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