Category Archives: KISS News

Former Kiss guitarist is keeping the band’s music alive on the road

Posted on by

He hasn’t been part of the band since 2002, but in the wake of Kiss’ retirement from touring at the end of last year guitarist Paul “Ace” Frehley — aka The Spaceman — finds himself a kind of last man standing for fans who want to hear the group’s music on stage.

“Yeah, right now I’m the only game in town because Kiss is supposedly retired — which I don’t believe is gonna happen,” the New York-born Frehley, 73, says be a phone. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they reformed. But be that as it may…I’ve actually added two more Kiss songs to my set. I added ‘Shout It Out Loud’ and ‘Rock and Roll All Nite,’ and…Everybody was on their feet and having a good time.

As far as I’m concerned it doesn’t matter who wrote the song; I played the guitar solos on those records, and that’s good enough for me.”

Frehley was playing in a variety of other New York bands — including one, Molimo, which released an album in 1971 — before answering an ad in the Village Voice that introduced him to Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss the following year. He quit his job as a taxi cab driver and signed on, and as Kiss the quartet adopted face paint, elaborate costumes and theatrics — eventually becoming the self- (but accurately) described “hottest band in the land” after the release of 1975’s “Alive!” album (recorded at Detroit’s Cobo Arena). Frehley co-wrote a number of the group’s biggest hits and sang lead on 1977’s “Shock Me,” and his self-titled debut solo album was the best-selling of the four the band members released simultaneously in 1978.

Frehley left Kiss for the first time in 1982 and returned for the 1996 reunion of the original lineup, leaving again six years later. There’s been plenty of acrimony expressed by all concerned — and acknowledgements of substance abuse issues — but The Spaceman has a more benevolent view of things these days.

“We had some great times together — more good than bad,” acknowledges Frehley, whose concerts are dominated by Kiss songs. “We’re all still friends. I know a lot of people think we hate each other, but that’s not true. We’re just like a family; sometimes brothers and sisters have arguments and so on, but when the s*** hits the fan, we’re there for each other.

Read more!

Celebrating 30 Years of KISSAsylum.com and 20 Years of KISSArmyWarehouse.com in 2025!

Posted on by
What an incredibly busy and exciting year it has been! Back in May, we purchased the KISSAsylum.com domain and the KISS Museum inventory, which has significantly boosted our efforts at KISSArmyWarehouse.com. Since then, traffic on KISSAsylum.com has tripled, and KISSArmyWarehouse.com has experienced a sharp increase in year-over-year sales. This growth is especially thrilling given the challenges of the current economy. We have offered more discounts this year than ever before to help combat this.
Looking ahead to 2025, everything is trending positively. KISSArmyWarehouse.com will be celebrating 20 years, while KISSAsylum.com marks an impressive 30 years online! We’re so grateful for your continued support. Be sure to check out KISSAsylum.com for the latest KISS news and shop for all your KISS merchandise at KISSArmyWarehouse.com.
We’re still adding a ton of inventory to the site, so stay tuned for even more exciting hard to find relics from KISStory! Don’t miss out—visit both sites for the latest updates on the greatest band of all time and all your KISS merchandise needs!
Steve Stierwalt, Jr.

Guitarist Ace Frehley to perform at Soaring Eagle

Posted on by

He hasn’t been part of the band since 2002, but in the wake of Kiss’ retirement from touring at the end of last year guitarist Paul “Ace” Frehley — aka The Spaceman — finds himself a kind of last man standing for fans who want to hear the group’s music on stage.

“Yeah, right now I’m the only game in town because Kiss is supposedly retired — which I don’t believe is gonna happen,” the New York-born Frehley, 73, says via phone. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they reformed. But be that as it may…I’ve actually added two more Kiss songs to my set. I added ‘Shout It Out Loud’ and ‘Rock and Roll All Nite,’ and…Everybody was on their feet and having a good time.

“As far as I’m concerned it doesn’t matter who wrote the song; I played the guitar solos on those records, and that’s good enough for me.”

Frehley was playing in a variety of other New York bands — including one, Molimo, which released an album in 1971 — before answering an ad in the Village Voice that introduced him to Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss the following year. He quit his job as a taxi cab driver and signed on, and as Kiss the quartet adopted face paint, elaborate costumes and theatrics — eventually becoming the self- (but accurately) described “hottest band in the land” after the release of 1975’s “Alive!” album (recorded at Detroit’s Cobo Arena). Frehley co-wrote a number of the group’s biggest hits and sang lead on 1977’s “Shock Me,” and his self-titled debut solo album was the best-selling of the four the band members released simultaneously in 1978.

Frehley left Kiss for the first time in 1982 and returned for the 1996 reunion of the original lineup, leaving again six years later. There’s been plenty of acrimony expressed by all concerned — and acknowledgements of substance abuse issues — but The Spaceman has a more benevolent view of things these days.

“We had some great times together — more good than bad,” acknowledges Frehley, whose concerts are dominated by Kiss songs. “We’re all still friends. I know a lot of people think we hate each other, but that’s not true. We’re just like a family; sometimes brothers and sisters have arguments and so on, but when the s*** hits the fan, we’re there for each other.

Read more!