The classic rock band is asking North American fans to vote online for which cities they should hit for their next tour.
The top four cities so far are Canadian, as are eight of the top 10.
Winnipeg has the most votes, followed by Kingston, Ont., Oshawa, Ont., Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton and Saskatoon.
Dallas and New York City are the only American cities in the top 10.
Oshawa's Mayor John Gray is pushing hard for Kiss to visit his beleaguered manufacturing city, which has been beset by job cuts and the slumping economy.
KISS PRESS CONFERENCE AT HOTEL
KISS kicked off its South American tour on April 3, 209 at the sold-out, 18,000-capacity Municipal De La Florida in Santiago. The group's setlist included the following songs (not in exact order):
01. Deuce
02. Strutter
03. Got To Choose
04. Hotter Than Hell
05. Nothin' To Lose
06. C'Mon And Love Me
07. Parasite
08. She
09. Tommy Thayer Solo
10. 100,000 Years
11. Cold Gin
12. Let Me Go Rock 'N' Roll
13. Black Diamond
14. Rock And Roll All Nite
15. Shout It Out Loud
16. Lick It Up
17. Gene Solo
18. I Love It Loud
19. I Was Made For Lovin' You
20. Love Gun
21. Detroit Rock City
The 20-year-old - who stars alongside his family in reality TV show Family Jewels - will unveil his creation Incarnate at the San Diego, California event.
Simmons tells Brazilian newspaper Com?rcio do Jahu, "Nick is a cartoonist. He writes and draws Incarnate, which will be launched in Comic Con San Diego."
The Kiss rocker is thrilled with his offspring's career choice - because he's a huge graphic novel fan himself.
Comic book icon Stan Lee recently revealed how the star once harrassed him on a flight for insider gossip: "I once sat next to Gene on an airplane. (He's a) huge comic-book fan, apparently. He starts quizzing me: 'You know, Stan, that Iron Man issue you wrote, number 23, on page 10 in panel 3, where...' And I say, 'Slow down, mister. I can't even remember where this plane is going.'"
Meanwhile, Simmons hasn't given up hope Nick and his daughter Sophie will one day join him onstage.
He adds, "Nick and Sophie are studying piano and guitar. I told them that if they learned to read music, they'll be able to make music with confidence."
What we need from you...
If you did a KISS fanzine, please send us the name of the fanzine, how many issues/years of service. Also, send us a page bio about yourself, how you became a KISS fan, why you decided to put together a KISS fanzine, and share a most memorable KISS experience. And please feel free to send us a photo of yourself that we can possibly use as well.
Please email your KISS fanzine info and text submissions to: sharpk@aol.com.
Photos: If you send a photo, please be sure to provide complete information on the back with your name, address, phone # and name of your KISS fanzine
You can also send a disc with a scanned image; again, please provide your name, address, phone # and name of KISS fanzine. Also, be sure to follow the scan specs listed below:
300 DPI minimum size : 5" x 6"
In addition, we're looking for KISS fanzines from the '70s. If you ran your own KISS fanzine during that time or have copies of '70s KISS fanzines, we need your help and would greatly appreciate being sent copies as we'd like to use in the book.
Send materials (fanzines/photos) to:
Ken Sharp
16946 Burbank Blvd # 211
Encino, CA 91316 USA
All submitted photographs and materials become the property of KISS Catalog Ltd. (“KISS”) and may be used for any purpose. KISS has the right to use, publish, modify, or alter the photographs or materials intact or in part, without restriction. By submitting the photographs and/or materials you relinquish any right to examine or approve the completed product or products. Photographs and/or materials will not be returned and you will not receive any compensation except for inclusion in a list of credits and statement of appreciation to contributors to the KISS Fanzine book project. You represent that you own the materials and/or photographs that you submit and have the right to transfer them to KISS.
While chatting recently with Terry Atkins, Washburn's Custom Shop Director, I mentioned that I was looking for more PS5 guitars as soon as he could deliver... as the response has been AMAZING! He suggested sending 2 from the 2nd run - NOW. The second run was commissioned by BSG with Seymour Duncan 'Custom Shop' GOLD Plain Covered humbuckers!
So - yesterday, #1 of 8 and #5 of 8 arrived. #5 was on hold for my great Canadian friend and customer, Dave. And I have a feeling #1 won't make it past today. But we will see. Folks - these guitars are amazing!
Some quick history on the PS5 guitars. In 2007 and 2008 I worked with Paul and Washburn Owner, Rudy Schlacher on two runs of very high quality PS8500 Preacher guitars. 2 runs of 50 guitars. One black and one white. Numbered, custom - the whole deal. They came out extremely well and have been gobbled up by BSG customer base and the KISS Army quickly. While we were considering putting together a 3rd run of PS8500 Preachers, I became very dismayed at how truly exceptional Korean construction prices have continued to spiral - UPWARD. Drastically. The more I kept thinking about it - the more it made sense to go back to the drawing board.
Currently, I've commissioned many 'high-end' Paul Stanley USA Custom Shop Preachers - with amazing flame and quilt tops - high end appointments - just amazing, amazing guitars. These guitars fall under the PS9500BSG USA Custom Shop moniker and are not part of the Washburn Catalog. They are exclusive to BSG. However, the idea I had this round was to work hard with Terry Atkins and his crew to see if we could make a really top notch - organic - USA Custom Shop Preacher that would hit the street at around 2K USD. And I'm happy to say - the PS5 was born!
The PS5 is an oil finished guitar. No high gloss - just a true, vintage and organic fit, feel - and TONE! Got a tube amp? You would LOVE this guitar! We spec'd them out with mahogany bodies, mahogany carved tops, maple set in neck, ebony fretboard, large mother of pearl block inlay and the beautiful slender Preacher headstock ordained with the 'art deco' headstock inlay. Both initial run of 8 peices each are done in black hardware. Chrome covered Seymour pickups on run 1 and gold on run 2.
There is a custom 10" x 16" Certificate of Authenticity from Paul and myself. We also include a large vinyl Paul Stanley/Washburn/Boogie Street dealer banner as well as our BSG 'swag'.
Ok - enough of the 'sales' stuff. Below are some pics of the 2nd run PS5 guitars with Gold Plain Covered Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates humbuckers. We can be reached at www.BoogieStreet..com or by email at eric@boogiestreet.com or by phone at 412-716-3150.
CLICK her to visit the site and view additional photos.
"I want to share with you all my latest international trip, my long journey to Australia for four guitar clinics.
"After two exciting three-day weekends in Vegas performing with 'Monster Circus', it was a stressful Sunday before my long flight. I had a late Saturday night performance at the Hilton, and said my goodbyes to the band and staff from 'Monster Circus'. With only an hour of sleep, it was off to Vegas airport to catch the first plane back to L.A.
"Once I came home I grabbed three hours of sleep, and then it was time for final packing before heading to LAX for that 16-hour journey to Melbourne. Knowing how many smiling faces I would see Down Under made the trip easier, of course, in combination with the sleeping pill that worked wonders on my tired body! When I arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday morning (since you travel over the international date line it takes almost two days to get there), I was greeted by Vince Sanna, my tour manager from the Allans Music chain that booked me at four stores in different cities. Vince was happy to tell me that the clinics in both Melbourne and Brisbane were sold out with many people still calling for tickets and that the last two were already close to being sold out. That was quite a good welcoming for a tired Bruce Kulick.
"After settling into my hotel in downtown Melbourne, I was taken to a famous Italian place Billy Joel likes to call home when he is in town. Pellegrinis on Bourke Street is totally old-school classic Italian food, and I stuffed myself well. Took a photo with the owner and then it was time to take a quick nap! After that rest, I met up with my friend Paul Drennan, who is my guitarist and tour manager that I work with when I do my band shows in Australia. We had a great time catching up on everything since my last trip with ESP back in 2006.
"The next day would be my first clinic, but Vince had plans for a trip to a famous Australian radio show called 'Jono and Dano'. The interview was very funny and I even played some guitar on the show, with them singing along some songs. (You would have to hear that one!) 'I Was Made For Loving You' and 'God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You' never sounded so crazy with them singing along the lyrics to the songs incorrectly.
"The first clinic was close to the hotel, and after soundcheck, the crowd came in, and I was very pleased to see their reaction to the music and all the info I shared with them. After my six songs, there were questions about my guitar technique, song writing, and of course my work with KISS were some topics of discussion. I debuted a track from the forthcoming CD 'BK3', an instrumental called 'Between The Lines' featuring Steve Lukather from TOTO.
"It was a relief for me to get the first clinic done and it was a huge success for the store. I brought my new limited-edition Australian EP that I prepared from my upcoming 'BK3' CD available for these clinics, and the crowd was happy to grab copies.
"After another great meal (again at Pellegrinis), it was off to bed for a tired BK. The next day it was time for a flight to Brisbane. Upon arrival, Vince and I were sad to see all the rain. On and off the weather was extreme and wild. My pants were soaked and I learned a new trick with the hotel hair dryer. Place dryer on chair, lay wet pants over dryer = dry pants... in about 20 minutes! Vince knew a famous pancake restaurant and we made a point to eat there twice!
"The music store was in a busy mall, but sadly as the shopping centre was closed during my clinic time, we had no A/C! But the crowd was very cool with me, and once again I had a great time playing my Gibson Les Paul and explaining all my tricks to the fans. I felt a bit more relaxed for this one and I loved the questions and support the fans in Brisbane showed me.
"Next city was Adelaide. It was bright and sunny there and after some rest in the hotel, it was off to the store for soundcheck. This shop was in an older part of town, and the staff was great in making me feel welcome. Once again, it was standing-room only for the event. My sound guy was Sam, and I wound up calling him Worf from 'Star Trek'. Use your imagination, as this guy was tough looking, but very helpful with me especially during the meet-and-greet after the show.
"After some late-night pizza with friends, it was off to the last clinic early in the morning.
"Sydney is the largest city in Australia population wise, and you know you are in their New York as soon as you land. My hotel was great, and I remember staying there before. George from the Kiss Army Australia did Vince and I a favour by picking us up from the busy airport and he made us feel very welcome in his city.
"Before heading to the store, I did an interview with Paul Southwell for Australian Guitarist, so that was fun talking about my career for the press. There were many questions about my last few years of work, and an overview regarding me as a guitarist in so many bands.
"The Sydney store was a bit larger as they have an upstairs area that can accommodate a large crowd. I filled the place, and it was fun but sad for me to finish my last of the four clinics. Each one had its highlights, but they were equally enjoyable for me. My friends from Riot distributors took Vince and I out to some amazing Japanese food. Thank you, John and Mike! I got a chance to play them some of the other songs for 'BK3' that are finished on my iPod, and the smile on their faces made all hard recording work worthwhile.
"By the way, all of the meet-and-greets after the clinics had some funny moments. Along with the guitars to sign, people with their girlfriends and ex-wives on line for autographs, and future tattoos to sign, I get the most fun from the families with kids as they are so excited to meet me. Also, my friend Marina V, a very talented singer-songwriter who I have seen many times in L.A., happened to be in Sydney visiting her mom and doing some solo shows and she came by my clinic. Thank you, Marina!
"So no time to sightsee, so don't ask. I did do what I wanted to accomplish; meet my fans, play my guitar, get them up to speed with my new music and, in conclusion, know that I have their support. As long as my guitar and my music make a difference for my fans, it makes the long trip, and little sleep from the road all worthwhile.
"I want to thank Allans Music for bringing me over, and special thanks to Vince for making a tough tour easy. The staff at all the stores were totally supportive of my requests, so thank you all. Thanks again to George for helping getting the word out and thank you, Paul Drennan, for all your help with this trip."
Bruce Kulick made a "BK3" limited-edition EP available at his clinics for Allans Music in Australia. The CD features guest appearances by TOTO's Steve Lukather and John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION, RATT, ESP).
You can find this, and other, t-shirts on sale on in Nick's eBay shop, "nicksmithworld."
Born in the mid-1960s, Nick was raised in the West Midlands, U.K. A diet of influences ranging from Salvador Dali, Giger and ZZ TOP mixed with SLADE, KISS and Roden have ensured an eclectic mindset and an aesthetic sense that is second to none. He thrives on the quest for the new and unseen and is only satisfied when all of the cliches have been well and truly humiliated. Clip 1, Clip 2.
Today at the zero hour of exactly 3:00 p.m. EDT, an official video announcement by the band's Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer and Gene Simmons (see video at KISSonline.com) kicks off this first-ever promotion. Immediately following the video's debut run, fans across the U.S. and Canada can cast their votes at www.eventful.com/KISS to have their town included on the KISS 2009 North American tour. Fans will be able to vote, and check the tally of what cities are in the lead, 24/7 across the Web at the previous sites; as well as on KISS' MySpace and Facebook, Ticketmaster's KISS page, VH1Classic.com, and many more.
Even after garnering more than 30 gold and platinum records and in excess of 90 million albums sold worldwide, KISS continues to prove the band makes the fans their #1 priority.
"KISS has never followed the rules — we have always broken them. KISS has never listened to critics-we have always listened only to the fans," said Gene Simmons. "It's time to give back to the fans with bigger shows and longer set lists. And for the first time anywhere, we want our fans to tell us where they want us, and when."
Said Paul Stanley, "No band has ever given their fans the power to decide what cities they play, and no fans deserve it more than ours. We're leaving the next U.S. and Canadian tour up to the Army. When they stand up, they will be counted!"
Just for voting for their town, all KISS fans will have the opportunity to purchase pre-sale tickets prior to the general on-sale. In addition to joining in on the major campaigns launched by rock radio in each city, fans are also incentivized to create their own viral videos online, motivating their fellow residents to participate in casting votes for a KISS show in their city. City-specific "best-of" compilation reels of these videos will be shown on jumbo screens at venues before each concert.
On this upcoming tour, fans will be treated to a set of some of rock's greatest hits, including "Rock and Roll All Nite", "I Was Made for Lovin' You", "Detroit Rock City", "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" and "Shout It Out Loud", among many others. The band is currently recording its first new studio album in 11 years (produced by Paul Stanley).
KISS' upcoming U.S. and Canadian tour will be the world's first to put fans in charge of where their favorite artist plays. By partnering with Eventful, the leading social media company for events, fans will "Demand" where KISS will perform on their latest trek across the top-voted North American markets beginning this September. No matter where the fans say — from stadiums to cornfields — if there are enough votes, KISS will be there! And in order to keep the competition fair for smaller cities, final site selection will weigh population size versus total votes.
Today at the zero hour of exactly 3:00 p.m. EDT, an official video announcement by the band's Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer and Gene Simmons (see video at KISSonline.com) kicks off this first-ever promotion. Immediately following the video's debut run, fans across the U.S. and Canada can cast their votes at www.eventful.com/KISS to have their town included on the KISS 2009 North American tour. Fans will be able to vote, and check the tally of what cities are in the lead, 24/7 across the Web at the previous sites; as well as on KISS' MySpace and Facebook, Ticketmaster's KISS page, VH1Classic.com, and many more.
Also included: (1) Black, (1) White and (1) Translucent Blue KISS Alive 35 Tour Tommy Thayer guitar picks
Cover personally autographed by Tommy Thayer
The Custom String & Pick Pack will only be available for a limited time.
Visit www.TommyThayer.com to order now.
* Deuce
* Strutter
* Got To Choose
* Hotter Than Hell
* Nothin' To Lose
* C'Mon And Love Me
* Parasite
* She
* Watchin' You
* 100,000 Years
* Cold Gin
* Let Me Go Rock'N'Roll
* Black Diamond
* Rock And Roll All Nite
* Shout It Out Loud
* Lick It Up
* I Love It Loud
* I Was Made For Loving You
* Love Gun
* Detroit Rock City
Fan-filmed video footage can be viewed here: Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3, Clip 4, Clip 5, Clip 6
At the famed High School of Music and Art in New York City, the rigid structure and required classes soured Stanley on becoming an artist. He joined KISS after graduation, turned into a rock icon, and didn’t pick up a paintbrush again for more than three decades.
Around 2001, while Stanley was going through a divorce, he decided to pick up some canvases and paint. “It was very cathartic,” he says, “and a way to get in touch with myself.” He never planned to share his art with the world, but after hanging his painting Green Planet in his home, friends took notice and pushed him to contact a gallery. Stanley finally agreed.
He held his first show just three years ago. Serious art collectors have responded to his abstract style and vivid use of color, and band mate Gene Simmons has even hung his painting Statue of Liberty in his house. But Stanley hasn’t turned into an art snob. “I’ve never, ever aspired to critical acclaim,” he says. “I’m the first person to say: If you don’t like my art, go home and do your own. I’m a cheerleader for the common man.”
Despite his newfound talents, Stanley is also still a devoted member of KISS. The band is currently in the studio recording their first album in a decade. (Stanley is producing.) He says the album is a “throwback” and that fans can expect “straight up, classic KISS” when the album hits stores next fall. The band will also hit the road for their South American tour next month. And after years of backstage antics and partying, these days, they’re more likely to be found reading and listening to music on their tour jet.
That’s not to say that Stanley doesn’t have fond memories of the wilder times. He remembers the day KISS left for their first tour. The band was so young that most of the guys still lived at home. “Our parents dropped us off at the airport,” he laughs. “They may as well have been dropping us off at a whorehouse.” Sure, the same on-the-road temptations are still around, but Stanley, who re-married in 2005 and is a father of three, just isn’t interested. “I liken it to a buffet,” he jokes. “Everything is all laid out in front of you. It’s just a question of whether you’re hungry.”
Stanley also promises their new tour will even blow past KISS concerts out of the water. “The show has reached mammoth proportions,” he promises. “There’s nothing resembling subtlety. And if there was, we’d throw it out.”
Friday – June 12, 2009 -7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday – June 13, 2009 – 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Wentworth Gallery
South Park Mall
4400 Sharon Road
Charlotte, NC 28211
For details on the VIP Reception with Paul Stanley or to RSVP please call 704-365-2733 or 800-732-6140
Voodoo is an economic driver for New Orleans and is the flagship event for the city between Labor Day and Thanksgiving.
WDSU first broke the story last week that City Park was booked for Voodoo's desired weekend. Organizers had moved the event — traditionally held in late October — to the last weekend of the month to coincide with Halloween, but prior bookings at the park made that impossible, park general manager Bob Becker said.
Festival founder Steve Rehage said he had agreed on the new dates with City Park officials, but Becker said several weddings were already booked that weekend.
According to Amazon.com, Universal will release a new KISS live album called "Authorized Bootleg - Nashville Municipal Auditorium 1998" on May 26. No further details are currently available.
"Today, went through the entire set we intend on playing in the forthcoming South American swing of our KISS Alive 35 world tour. If you've seen some of the media coming out of South America, you'll notice we're mostly playing soccer stadiums... and we're told the tix are almost all gone.
"Today was a special day — we all lined up to get yellow fever shots. Great. No one was anxious to get stung by a needle, but if that's what it takes for us to get together with 50,000 close friends, we'll role up our sleeves.
"We've also been recording our first new studio album in 11 years! Produced by Paul Stanley. And having Paul simply decide things works better. Democracy is highly overrated. Paul is kickin' ass. The material sounds great and Tommy [Thayer] and Eric [Singer] are in great form.
"We have four tunes recorded. If you're a fan of our stuff from about 1977, you'll feel right at home. All of us have taken up the songwriting call to arms in the same spirit we once did — without a care in the world and without outside writers. Nothing to prove to anyone. Just doing what comes naturally. Ignoring fashions, trends and with a personal vow from all of us: no rapping. There are plenty of people out there doing this and they don't need four pale-faced guys pretending they're from the hood. Besides, I'm not sure how to correctly pronounce 'wassup.'
"Tommy is finishing his solo tune. Sounds great, I can tell you. And Eric is going to sing on the album.
"Most importantly, we are having the time of our lives, and can't wait to see our friends south of the border.
"We hop on our jet April 1, on the way to gig #1 — Santiago.
"See you all there...Or maybe later!"
Dick Wagner first came to international attention with the success of LOU REED's 1974 live record "Rock & Roll Animal". Producer Bob Ezrin invited him in to work on sessions for AEROSMITH's "Get Your Wings" and the original ALICE COOPER band's "School's Out" and "Billion Dollar Babies" LPs. After the band's split, he became Alice Cooper's primary guitarist/bandleader/co-writer from "Welcome To My Nightmare" up until "Da Da".
Kulick, a well-travelled New York session man and original KISS audition-finalist, got his big break joining Wagner on the "Welcome To My Nightmare" tour, and later co-piloting LOU REED's "Coney Island Baby". Bob has popped up in some interesting places since then, on stage with MEAT LOAF and '80s AOR cult faves BALANCE, behind the mixing desk for a slew of top-notch all-star tribute records, as well as producing LPs for DORO and MOTÖRHEAD, and in the studio on major releases from W.A.S.P., BLACKJACK (with Michael Bolton and brother/former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick)…and even Spongebob!
"Metal Lessons Radio" airtimes are as follows:
* On CMSradio.net:
Sunday, March 29 at 3:15 a.m. and 9:15 p.m. EST
Wednesday, April 1 at 2:00 p.m. EST
* On HardRockin80s.com:
Thursday, April 2 at 1:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. EST (hosts O'Brien & Mahoney will be in the HardRockin80s.com chat for the 8:00 p.m. airing)
* On PureRockRadio.net:
Saturday, March 28 at 10:00 a.m. EST
Wednesday, April 1 at 4:00 p.m. EST
* On UncontrolledNoize.com:
Friday, March 27 at 11:00 p.m. EST
Sunday, March 29 at 10:00 a.m. EST
1. What motivated you to launch a record label in Canada?
How come Canadians are so suspicious of anyone who wants to come here and launch something? A Canadian might turn to another one and say, "We don't need him." Actually, you do. You need the best of the best of the best to compete on the world stage. The next band that comes out of Canada isn't going to be competing against the Barenaked Ladies. They're competing against U2, Led Zeppelin, Kiss and whoever else has made it on the world stage. Americans have no problem taking your brightest stars and evolving them and caring for them, and paying them more and better than you do. So why wouldn't you welcome anyone from the outside who wants to try something big?
2. Didn't you declare once that record labels were dead?
They are dead. Everything has to evolve. Bands are trying to figure out how to do exclusive deals with Wal-Mart and Best Buy and make something available only there. But—and Kiss understood this 35 years ago—it's not just about records. You've got to have the complete package: the image, the positioning, the vibe, the media connection. It's not just your music—it's who's singing it. Because you can take the same song and have somebody else record it, not everybody's going to have a hit with it. That also means TV and movies, and getting your songs out there. The Who have had their biggest success ever by being on CSI. And Led Zeppelin got more bang for buck on one song by putting Rock n' Roll on an Escalade commercial. Now, the purist will have a problem with that. That's okay. Remember, they're still living in Mom's basement, and they are 35 years old.
3. What does Belinda Stronach bring to the venture?
Access to the corporate world. We can call almost any corporate entity and Belinda's voice, and the Stronach name, and the Magna name, is going to go far and wide. She doesn't have to do very much. I'll be the horse that carries most of the weight. And between Universal Records and Stronach and Simmons, there's a lot of firepower. But we're not going to be passively involved. If you don't want anyone to have an opinion on what you do, you just want to say, "Take it or leave it"—don't even show it to us.
4. You're a pretty rich guy—what's your take on the American economy?
It's in a whirl. This is a great opportunity for you to stop spending stupid money, stop smoking, stop drinking, stop ruining your health and paying for the privilege, take all that money, all the stupid money, and buy. But don't buy stupid stuff. Buy real estate. Buy important things. It's the best time—the price is low.
5. How would you fix things—what's the Gene Simmons stimulus package?
I am the stimulus package, baby.
The songs included are:
* No Friend Of Mine (feat. John Corabi on vocals)
* And I Know (vocals by Bruce Kulick)
* Between The Lines (feat. Steve Lukather)
The EP will be available to the general public in mid-April after Kulick's Australia trip.
Bruce Kulick's Australian Allans Music clinic schedule:
April 01 - Melbourne - 7:00pm
April 02 - Brisbane - 6:30pm
April 03 - Adelaide - 7:00pm
April 04 - Sydney - 5:00pm
For more information, visit www.allansmusic.com.au.
Kulick's upcoming full-length solo CD will feature additional guest appearances by Gene Simmons (KISS) and Tobias Sammet (EDGUY, AVANTASIA).
Other songtitles set to appear on the album include:
* I Will Survive
* Life
* It's Never Enough (Doug Fieger on vocals)
* Is Not Gonna Die (co-written with Gene Simmons on vocals)
* Hand Of The King (Co-written with Nick Tweed Simmons on vocals)
* I Am The Animal (Tobias Sammet on vocals, Eric Singer on drums)
Internet rumors had focused on KISS making an appearance in Sarnia, and organizer Michele Stokley said she can finally confirm it.
"We've been trying for years and years to get them, she said, noting organizers came close last year but conflicting tour dates kept the legendary rockers away.
"It feels really good; we're really excited."
KISS will perform on Friday, July 10.
"It's more than just a rock show. It's everything that goes with KISS. They're a great band to see live," said Stokley.
Individual ticket prices run from $22.99 to $129.99, while a weekend rock pass ranges from $57.99 to $199.99.
Tickets are available for individual shows, rock-weekend passes, country weekend passes, and all-show passes.
01. Outer Space
02. Foxy & Free
03. Sister
04. Too Many Faces
05. It's A Great Life
06. Skels
07. A Little Below The Angels
08. Fox On The Run (SWEET cover)
09. Change The World
10. Pain In the Neck
11. Genghis Khan
12. Fractured Quantum
The CD was produced and recorded in Westchester County, New York between 2007 and 2009 and was mixed by Marti Frederiksen, who has previously worked with AEROSMITH and DEF LEPPARD, among many others.
"We're excited to offer consumers a smooth new way to enjoy Dr Pepper with the availability of Dr Pepper Cherry," said Allison Methvin, director of marketing for Dr Pepper. "It's a whole new reason to try Dr Pepper."
Dr Pepper has searched the rock legends to find its latest pop culture doc, KISS frontman Gene Simmons, to introduce new Dr Pepper Cherry. Simmons, who founded the legendary rock band KISS more than 35 years ago, will star in a new commercial, letting fans know that Dr Pepper Cherry has just a KISS of cherry flavor, making it amazingly smooth. Simmons' "Dr. Love" will be the third Dr in the "Trust Me, I'm a Dr" advertising campaign, joining the ranks of basketball legend Dr. J (Julius Erving) and Dr. Frasier Crane (award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer). The TV spot will feature Simmons in full KISS "Demon" regalia. Nick Simmons, Gene's son, will also star in the commercial.
"When initially describing Dr Pepper Cherry's taste, we felt it had just a kiss of cherry and was so smooth, we knew who our third doctor had to be — Dr. Love," said Methvin. "Gene will get some help from Nick to introduce the amazingly smooth infusion of cherry flavor that makes Dr Pepper Cherry so smooth."
The new commercial featuring "Dr. Love" launches on March 30, 2009 on network and cable television. Dr Pepper Cherry will also hit the streets this summer, sampling more than one million cans. Dr Pepper Cherry is now available nationwide in both regular and diet.
KISS Ikons includes:
.. 90-card base set with themed parallels including "Fire" and "Blood".. Instant win autographed 8x10's from Gene and Paul.. Authentic Gene Simmons-worn memorabilia cards.. KISS Tattoos.. KISS Stickers
The Classic Metal Show: From looking over your catalog of music, the one release that really stuck out to me was KISS "Alive III". What did you do on that one?
Sherinian: On the KISS tour, I was the off stage keyboardist. As you know, KISS doesn't have a keyboardist. My main function was to double Paul Stanley's parts, his rhythm guitar parts, with a guitar sounding keyboard patch. You know… Paul's a great performer and he's running around stage a lot, so I was reinforcing him there. I was singing background vocals, and I was triggering samples and sound effects.
The Classic Metal Show: When do do something like that, is it difficult to be the "off-stage keyboardist" instead of letting your presence be there?
Sherinian: Well, of course, I want to be on stage, but the bottom line is that it's KISS, and they are what they are. It was a great opportunity. I wanted to be exposed to Gene Simmons and learn as much as possible. It was a fun tour. Those guys have a lot of fun and it was three or four months, or something like that. It was the only time in my career that I've been off stage. I figured that it didn't hurt, and I'm honored to be part of Kisstory, as they say. I was on "Alive III", then I also played on the RAMONES tribute record where KISS played a song. They included me playing keyboards. It's all good.
Listen to the entire interview here.
First, the name LEFSETZ. I would tell him to his face. That name's gotta go. It blows. If this guy was in a band and wanted to sign with us, he'd have to change his name. Or, sign with someone else.
Otherwise, have no clue who this fellow is or what he does.
Let's see.....
THE LETTER (GENE'S RESPONSES IN ALL CAPS)
Imagine you're stranded on a desert island and you stumble upon a member of the opposite sex. You're thrilled! You're gonna have someone to talk to, you're gonna make love until the Coast Guard finally figures out your ship sank and rescues you.
And this person may not be a beauty queen, but hey, he or she is all right. At least that's what you think at first. Maybe you even have sex and forget your plight for a moment or two. But then, even though you're exhausted, your partner just won't give up. Insists on having sex every hour, being coddled, all the while telling you how fucking hot they are. It would almost be enough to get you to jump back into the water and swim to your death.
That's what listening to Gene Simmons is like.
THANK YOU.
He's not a dumb dude.
THANK YOU.
But it's a full time commercial.
CORRECT.
And why? Doesn't he have enough money?
WELL, RESPECTFULLY, IT'S NOT UP TO THIS AMATEUR TO DETERMINE IF I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY. I'LL LET HIM KNOW IF AND WHEN I DO. UNTIL THAT TIME, IT'S BEST TO PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR OWN MONEY.
Isn't this like an ex-President buying time on television to give us his opinion on the budget? Running for an office he can't be elected to? Hey Gene, you were a star once, can you let it go? Can you stop trying to convince us that not only is your music great, but that KISS is the biggest act in the world?
NO.
I mean if we really want to get down to it, don't we have to give credit to Bob Ezrin?
YES. ALWAYS.
The producer of "Destroyer", containing the KISS klassics "Detroit Rock City", "Shout It Out Loud" and the band's biggest hit, "Beth"? Not only did Ezrin produce those tracks, HE CO-WROTE THEM! I'm thinking without Ezrin, KISS is a footnote.
PERHAPS.
OH, I FORGOT TO MENTION, KISS STARTS THE SOUTH AMERICAN LEG OF THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR AT BUENOS AIRES STADIUM - 90,000 PEOPLE. LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT A TICKET.
Ezrin went on to further greatness, producing one of the biggest albums of all time, Pink Floyd's "The Wall", as well as the critically lauded debut of Peter Gabriel. KISS? They took the makeup off and put it back on, reunited with the original members, kicked them out again and kept dunning us with endless product promotions.
ALL OF THIS IS TRUE. AND YOUR POINT IS..."?
And that's what this "keynote" address at CMW was. A product promotion, for the latest iteration of Simmons Records.
CORRECT.
I HAVE A FIDUCIARY DUTY TO UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA AND I HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN SIMMONS RECORDS. TO DO OTHERWISE AT CMW, WOULD BE STUPID. I KNOW HE'S NOT INFERRING I'M STUPID. QUITE THE CONTRARY.
Just because you're a big musical act, that doesn't mean you're a decent executive, that you can run a record company.
SAYS WHO. YOU? AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MAKE THESE ASSESSMENTS. WHAT'S YOUR QUALIFICATION, IN FACT, FOR SAYING ANYTHING...
That's like saying a great football coach has to have been a star quarterback. They're different skills. One that Mr. Simmons has yet to master. Sure, he made that demo tape with Van Halen, but the band ended up on WARNER BROTHERS!
THIS MORON DOESN'T KNOW DETAILS AND BEHAVES AS IF HE DOES. FACT ONE: AFTER SEEING THE BAND AT THE STARWOOD CLUB IN LA IN 1977, I SIGNED VAN HALEN TO MY PRODUCTION COMPANY, "MAN OF 1,000 FACES" AND PRODUCED THEIR 24 TRACK DEMO, 15 SONG DEMO AT ELECTRIC LADY STUDIOS. KISS WAS GOING OUT ON TOUR, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO KEEP VAN HALEN TIED UP, SO I LET THEM SHOP THEIR OWN DEAL, WITHOUT INSISTING I KEEP A SLICE.
WHAT HIS POINT ABOUT ALL THIS, IS BEYOND ME.
Truly, it was relentless. Gene with that bizarre hairdo sponsored by Brillo
NOW, NOW...NO NEED TO BE JEALOUS, BABY.
JUST BECAUSE I REMEMBER YOUR MOMMY BACKSTAGE AND THEN AT THE HOTEL IS NO REASON TO BE ENVIOUS OF MY GOOD LOOKS.
maintaining that 360 deals are good for artists and that Canada can be the new Ireland.
CORRECT. I "DO" BELIEVE CANADA POSSESSES ALL THAT.
U2 came from Ireland, what does that country possess that Canada does not? Isn't that like saying Mutt Lange came from Rhodesia, the before Lithuania should be able to produce the best record producer on the planet?
NO. NOT REALLY. AND, I'M NOT SURE ANYONE READING THIS HAS A CLUE WHAT THE RHODESIA/LITHUANIA THING MEANS.
Really, it didn't have to be 2009, it could have been 1009. With a huckster up on stage, trying to convince us to buy from him.
NOPE. NEVER SAID YOU SHOULD BUY FROM ME. DON'T LIE, HONEY.
Sure, there's salesmanship involved in becoming a successful musical act, but that's not ninety percent of the equation.
SAYS WHO, BITCH. YOU? AND, WHAT'S THE NAME OF YOUR BAND. AND WHAT'S YOUR QUALIFICATION FOR SAYING OR DOING ANYTHING?
But with KISS, it is! The music is just the vehicle to make money. I don't excoriate this, I just don't REVERE IT!
NO PROBLEM. GO FIND ANOTHER BAND.
Gene showed a five minute promotional film that was such an assault, the guy in front of me put his hands over his ears.
I THINK YOU MISUNDERSTOOD. THAT WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND. AND YOU WERE TALKING TOO LOUD. SHE WANTED TO SEE AND HEAR GENE SIMMONS. NOT YOU.
Didn't Pete Townshend sing "A Little Is Enough"? Obviously, Gene's never heard that track, otherwise he would stop telling us how great he is and let us come to our own conclusion.
NO. I WON'T STOP TELLING YOU HOW GREAT I AM. FIND SOMEONE ELSE FOR THAT.
It was sad.
NO, IT WASN'T. EVERYONE HAD A GREAT TIME AND EVERYONE ENJOYED THEMSELVES.
Although Gene paid lip service to the Internet, it was like he wanted to jet back to the seventies, when the label was king, when record companies were flush with cash that they'd blow on a bunch of new acts.
THAT'S TRUE. I WANT RECORD COMPANIES TO BECOME POWERFUL AND FLUSH WITH MONEY AGAIN. I WANT BANDS TO REALIZE THAT ANY ENTITY THAT GIVES THEM MONEY (ADVANCES) AND NEVER FORCES THEM TO PAY THE RECORD COMPANY BACK, WHEN AND IF THEIR RECORD BOMBS (AND THEY ALMOST ALWAYS DO), IS THEIR BEST FRIEND. I KNOW OF NO OTHER BUSINESS THAT GIVES YOU MONEY AND NEVER ASKS FOR IT BACK. EVEN YOUR MOM WILL WANT YOU TO PAY BACK HER LOAN.
Those days are through. Shit, imagine trying to get money from Simmons' company. That'd be like sucking quarters from a parking meter. Gene's notorious for not parting with his own money. Shit, I'm stunned he doesn't require new acts to pay HIM to be signed!
THIS IS A SMALL PERSON, WHO'S NEVER DONE ANYTHING, NEVER BEEN IN A BAND AND DOESN'T KNOW HOW THE RECORD INDUSTRY WORKS. HE DOESN'T KNOW ME AND I DON'T KNOW HIM. AND HE WOULDN'T KNOW, IN EITHER CASE IF I "DO" OR "DON'T" PART WITH MY MONEY. AND IN ANY CASE, IT WOULDN'T BE HIS BUSINESS, OR MY GARBAGE COLLECTOR'S.
I only went because the last couple of times Gene's spoken he has said some truly heinous things, blasting the audience, that he told us today to respect, for stealing his music. I figured he'd come out with a few clunkers that would crack you up.
But all I got was a damn advertisement.
THAT'S CORRECT.
I AM ADVERTISING SIMMONS RECORDS. THAT'S WHY I'M UP HERE TALKING ABOUT IT. THIS GUY IS A GENIUS.
AND I STILL CONSIDER FREE DOWNLOADS AND FILE SHARING STEALING. AND I WANT YOU TO PAY FOR MUSIC...AND FOR ANYTHING. IF A BAND WANTS TO GIVE AWAY THEIR STUFF FOR FREE...I HAVE NO PROBLEM. MY ONLY QUESTION IS, HOW DOES THE RECORD COMPANY, WHICH PAID GOOD MONEY UP FRONT, GET ITS MONEY BACK, IF THE MUSIC IS FREE"?
I know Gene loves that I'm writing this.
SURE. I LOVE ANYONE WHO TALKS ABOUT ME.
Almost to the point where I considered not writing about his speech at all. But I've got to. Because in order for music to ascend to its rightful position at the top of popular culture's leader board
(I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS LEADER OF POPULAR CULTURE TO TELL ME HOW TO POSITION THINGS).
it's got to be more about its intrinsic value than the sell.
YES, AND NO. IT "SHOULD" BE ABOUT MUSIC, BUT IT'S ALSO GOT TO BE ABOUT BUSINESS. IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, IT WAS NEVER JUST CALLED "MUSIC." IT WAS, AND STILL IS CALLED THE "MUSIC BUSINESS."
It's got to be more about music than showmanship. It's got to be more about creativity than expediency.
NO. HES GOT IT ALMOST RIGHT. IT'S GOT TO BE ABOUT BOTH.
KISS had a gimmick. It's served the band well. A gimmick can get you noticed, but soon thereafter it becomes about the music. KISS took off its makeup and few cared.
HE'S RIGHT. ABOUT 10 MILLION.
The Beatles gave up their suits, messed with their hair, even gave up playing live and the band got bigger and bigger.
I LOVE THE ANALOGY. KISS AND THE BEATLES. THANKS.
The problem is, Gene Simmons thinks there's a handbook.
YES. MY HANDBOOK.
Listening to him is like watching a bad version of "Glengarry Glen Ross".
NO. NOT REALLY. I DIDN'T LIKE THAT FILM MUCH. I'M MUCH MORE FASCINATED BY ME.
It's like going to a training session for Kirby vacuum salesmen. It's always interesting to hear how another person made it, but if you want to be successful in the future, you're better off ignoring everything Gene Simmons has to say.
THIS STATEMENT MADE BY A GUY WHO'S STILL LIVING IN HIS MOTHER'S BASEMENT.
Unless, of course, you love money more than music.
ACTUALLY, I LOVE BOTH MONEY AND MUSIC.
But since you're reading this, I doubt that...
GOOD LUCK TO THIS GUY.
WE LOVE HEARING THE GOOD AND THE BAD.
AND WE HOPE YOU GET OUT OF MOM'S BASEMENT SOON.
So maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the Kiss guitarist, first introduced to the world with his face covered in white makeup, his lips painted bright red, a dark star over his right eye, would someday set aside that guitar long enough to pour his soul into oil on canvas.
Still, Stanley says he was the most surprised guy on the planet when he, an art-class washout from New York City's High School of Music and Art, suddenly began to make the transition from guitar god to serious painter eight years ago.
"I managed to fail art. Which is, you know, astonishing," he says with a sly smile as he sits in an oversized easy chair in his home studio. "Nobody fails art at that school."
How he managed to do so seems surprising when one casts a glance around Stanley's studio, which sits just behind his house atop a brush-covered, mansion-dotted hillside overlooking Los Angeles. There, basking in the bright light that streams in from the windows are a dozen or more high-resolution scans of some of his original works.
Large in scale and filled with bright color, they range from the abstract to the surreal to the figurative. Some of them, such as "God of Thunder" and "Love Gun" are named for Kiss songs.
Then there are others, like "Liberty," a huge, abstract representation of the Statue of Liberty. His Kiss band-mate and longtime friend Gene Simmons, who owns the original, says he was captivated when he first saw it and asked to put it in his home.
"It captures the grandeur and beauty that is America," Simmons said.
There are also representational portraits, including one of the artist's 87-year-old father that, Stanley says with a laugh, is said by friends to be so realistic "that if they issued it in a police bulletin my dad would be apprehended in five minutes."
The originals fetch as much as $70,000, a figure the artist confirms with both a touch of pride and a bit of embarrassment. On the one hand, he considers it proof that serious collectors have accepted his work. On the other, he acknowledges he doesn't need the money and, in any case, never set out to sell the art he created.
He was approaching 50 and going through a divorce when he found himself searching for another emotional outlet outside of music.
"A friend of mine who knew me well said, 'You should paint,'" he recalls. "Having no idea what I was going to do, having no training, I went to a store, bought canvases, paints, pallet knives, brushes and went home and just started. The first piece I hung in the house, invariably people would go to that one and say, 'Who did this?'"
Still, he never planned to sell anything until he mentioned in passing to Michael O'Mahoney, president of the Wentworth Gallery, that he painted. O'Mahoney asked to take a look and was impressed. He's since mounted about two dozen Stanley shows around the country.
The artist's work hopscotches from style to style, influenced, he says, by everyone from Picasso to Michelangelo to Warhol to numerous other painters he admires.
But that doesn't mean, O'Mahoney says, that the result doesn't reflect a unique vision.
"To convey warmth, anger, sadness, happiness onto a piece of canvass, there's no precise formula for doing that," he says. "Either you've got it or you don't have it. He's got it."
And while O'Mahoney acknowledges that Stanley's art world debut certainly wasn't dampened by the fact he's a rock star, he quickly adds that success in another field can only carry a person so far.
"There are other famous celebrities who do art, who I'm certainly not going to name," the gallery owner says. "But I've been approached by them and I've said, 'No, no no. No thank you. I don't care that you can fill a gallery. I've still got to look at my client at the end of the day and say, 'My God, you paid $5,000 for that?'"
Even if people had rejected his paintings, Stanley says, he would have kept on creating them and, at the least, put them in his closet.
"The whole idea of my getting into art in the first place, or music, was to make myself happy," he says. "Anybody else liking what I do is a bonus."
And if his venture into fine art was predicated by some trying emotional times, those are now in the past. Remarried in 2005, he is the father of sons ages 14 and 2 and a daughter born Jan. 28.
"I'm up in the morning taking my oldest to school, then making breakfast for my next one and then burping the next one," laughs the 57-year-old artist who is dressed this day in an untucked black shirt, blue jeans and black work boots. His long black hair, showing just a few touches of gray, frames his makeup-free face. His guitar and a pair of small speakers sit nearby.
He'll have to put some of his parental chores aside for a while in the spring, Stanley says, when Kiss launches a tour of South America, followed by one of Canada. The group also has a new album in the works.
With all of that on his plate, his painting will also likely have to go on the back burner for the first time in years. But he says he's looking forward to the inspiration he hopes to gather while on the road. It is inspiration he hopes will transfer to canvasses rich in color in whatever style he chooses to paint them.
"I'm on this journey without a map," he says. "The only thing that's consistent is the idea of expressing myself in color because to me life is incredible. It's rich. It's vibrant. And on it's worst day, it's a miracle."
The event, which will benefit the Arlington-based recovery center for artists and entertainers, will be hosted by Lynn Hoffman of A&E's "Private Sessions" and comedian Chris Zito.
Tickets go on sale March 21 via Ticketmaster and the Berklee Performance Center box office. Tickets: $100, $75 and $40.
For more information, go to this location.
A three-minute clip of the exchange can be viewed here.
Shortly after taking Simmons on in a battle of words, Lefsetz sent out the following message via his e-mail newsletter:
"What an asshole.
"You can make your own decision who was victorious, I'm sure clips will surface on YouTube. But what stunned me was who this guy was. I truly believed he had another, more human side underneath, that maybe he could let down his guard and laugh at himself. I was wrong.
"Whether it be the endless recitation of KISS kronology, or shilling for his venture with Universal Music Canada, not only did Gene continue to sell, he did it in the meanest, most underhanded fashion possible. Proving the old saw if you just met your hero, he wouldn't be one anymore.
"Not that Gene's my hero. But others believe in him. What a mistake. At least homey don't play that no more. You truly have to befriend your fans today, treat them civilly, not like you were born on the mountaintop and you're making sure no one else can join you there.
"I'd like to tell you our debate was an endless discussion of the issues. Instead, it was constant put-downs of me... My name, my appearance, my experience, my mother. I can handle it, but the relentlessness and the refusal to lighten up completely stunned me. Asshole wouldn't even shake my hand at the end, disappeared like the weasel he truly is.
"I arose to greet him when he took the stage, but alas, he had to insult my name before sticking out his hand, which he never did by the way. I just sat back down, stunned that someone could be so vicious. Dick Cheney's got nothing on Gene Simmons.
"Who's lost in the Seventies. Wants to generate success for his charges by getting them an opening slot on a tour and a reality TV show. Like anybody cares about the opening acts anyway. As for reality television, where are O-TOWN and DANITY KANE these days?
"Gene couldn't come up with one record business success other than 'discovering' VAN HALEN, who, of course, ended up signing with Warner Brothers.
"As for his own solo album? He showed a tiny hint of humility here, the only one in the whole damn show. He said the song wasn't good enough and his label was folding, said he needed someone to watch over him.
"As for the next KISS album? He's gonna sell that via a big-box retailer. So the old model, actually, the new 360 model, suffices for his charges, the act gets screwed up the wazoo, and the take-the-cash-and-run deal, for music only, works for KISS. If that doesn't illustrate the disparity between the old guard and the new in the music industry, I don't know what will.
"KISS will continue to tour. Gene will concoct whatever circus is necessary to put asses in the seats. Whether it be another reunion or an execution on stage. But the band will still be way past its prime, will still be has-beens, will still garner no respect in the world of music. The reason being primarily Gene himself. Such a hateable guy is going to find it impossible to garner any respect.
"Furthermore, Gene doesn't seem to realize the Internet allows the public to fight back. The stories filling up my inbox would make Gene cry. But just watch [the second clip here of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley being interviewed] for illustration. The fireworks reach a frenzy at 1:48."
Both Simmons, who launched Simmons Records with Universal Music Canada earlier this year, and Lefsetz, known for his strong opinions on industry issues, traded electronic barbs after each did separate keynotes yesterday.
Simmons and Lefsetz will support their perspectives at a hastily convened debate scheduled for 4 p.m in the main ballroom at the Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto. Lefsetz has sparred with numerous industry figures on his e-mail list, including a well-publicized spat with Kid Rock.
Lefsetz was critical of what he saw as a solely self-promotional appearance by Simmons, who he said had little success with his label in the past.
“Just because you're a big musical act, that doesn't mean you're a decent executive, that you can run a record company,” Lefsetz wrote to the thousands who receive his regular e-mails on the music business.
“That’s like saying a great football coach has to have been a star quarterback. They’re different skills. One that Mr. Simmons has yet to master. Sure, he made that demo tape with Van Halen, but the band ended up on Warner Brothers!”
Simmons responded by calling the pundit a “moron” in an e-mail that Lefsetz sent out to his readers. As for Lefsetz’ request that Simmons stop being self-promotional, Simmons would have none of it.
“I won’t stop telling you how great I am,” Simmons wrote. “Find someone else for that.”
Canadian Music Week organizer Neill Dixon confirmed this morning the debate would go forward.
As previously reported, Simmons confirms Kiss’ first album since 1998’s Psycho Circus will be produced by singer-guitarist Paul Stanley. “I don’t have enough time to tie my shoelaces and there’s nobody else I trust more than Paul,” says Simmons, who’s currently in Toronto to find three Canadian acts to sign to his recently resurrected Simmons Records, for which he has partnered with Universal Music Canada and businesswoman/former politician Belinda Stronach.
While he juggles all his other projects and pursuits, the band is also in the studio. The songs are all written, Simmons says. “There’s nothing to prove to anybody. We’re not interested in musical trends or anything else. We’re too long in the tooth for that. So it’s going to be sort of a classic ’70s rock & roll vibe. Meat and potatoes. You know, sometimes you just want to go out and have a meat and potatoes thing [and] forget the French dressing.”
Kiss — Simmons, Stanley, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — will also continue touring for its 35th (now 37th) anniversary, beginning in South America in Santiago, Chile. Last year, the Kiss Alive/35 World Tour hit Europe, U.K., Australia, New Zealand and a few U.S. cities.
Watch a video report from CBC News.
A couple of fan-filmed clips can be viewed here: Clip 1, Clip 2
Ultimately, his message was the same as the one last November while he was in town to announce that his recently relaunched Simmons Records (simmonsrecords.com), in partnership with Universal Music Canada and business woman Belinda Stronach, had arrived in Toronto to sign three new bands a year to so-called "360 deals" that would include recording, touring and merchandising/licensing.
"My notion is that Canada and specifically Toronto could be and should be, and -- if we all do what we're supposed to do -- will be the centre of pop culture on planet Earth," said Simmons, decked out in a black leather jacket, jeans and steel-toed boots. "And I'll tell you why. Ireland, out of all places, gave the world U2. What do you think they've got that you haven't got? Nothing. Really. Your weather is actually better than Ireland and you've got just as much musical talent and more. It really is here. I believe the next great act is right here in Canada."
He later elaborated with reporters during a question-and-answer period.
"You want to be able to compete against U2 and the Stones and the biggest bands in the world, that's what we're looking for. And it doesn't have to be rock 'n' roll. Jonas Brothers? You bet your ass.
"If I find another group of cute young kids that can write their own songs, or another Chris Brown without the physical cruelty, you'd bet we'd do that in a heartbeat. But this guy should definitely wind up in jail, this kid Chris Brown. You lift your hand to a woman and you should become somebody's girlfriend fast (in prison)."
Simmons said he's talking to MuchMusic about doing a reality show with his three newly signed bands, but he was less forthcoming about whether he was about to sign Toronto rock-hip-hop band Down With Webster, after expressing enthusiasm about them last November with Sun Media. He did confirm he was going to see DWW again tonight and have dinner with them.
"This band has just got it, whatever that charismatic thing is, and I'm nuts about them," Simmons said. "Now, by the way, that underminds our negotiation -- let the lawyers figure that out."
Simmons also said he planned on seeing several bands during CMW and would be giving the one he thought was the best a $10,000 cheque "as a gesture of good faith."
On the KISS front, he said his group -- which has sold 75 million albums over the past three decades -- was recording its first studio album in a decade, with singer Paul Stanley producing.
And the legendary band starts a world stadium tour on April 5 in Buenos Airies Stadium, followed by about 10 Canadian dates in July, including July 13 in Montreal and July 18 in Halifax.
"There's nothing to prove to anybody, we're not interested in musical trends, we're too long in the tooth for that, so it's going to be a classic '70s rock 'n' roll vibe, meat-and-potatoes kind of thing," Simmons told reporters about the sound of the new songs.
"Sometimes you just want to go out and have a meat-and-potatoes thing, forget the French dressing. Titles like Rock To The Core, the obvious things. No secret to life. No political messaging, nothing like that."
Simmons also just signed a deal with reality-show czar Mark Burnett to do a KISS reality TV show, just filmed a Dr. Pepper's commercial with his son Nick and the four faces of the KISS band members will soon be featured on M&Ms.
His mom had just stepped out for a moment, so he answered it.
"Critter, it's Paul Stanley," the caller said. Stanley is the lead singer for KISS, Critter's favorite rock band.
"At first, I thought it was just my dad messing with me," Critter said.
It really was Stanley.
The band had been alerted about Critter by a fan after an article was published March 2 in The Enquirer. The article talked about the 11-year-old's battle with leukemia, and mentioned his love for KISS.
"When I realized it was really him, I was like, 'Oh my God!'" Critter said.
Stanley told Critter to stay strong and that he was praying for him. "And he told me he was going to send me some KISS stuff," Critter said.
All of that happened about 1:30 p.m. The call lasted just a few minutes, but was enough to raise Critter's spirits.
"I was lying down all day," Critter said. "Then, after he called me, I was up playing basketball in my room."
"He was on top of the world," said his mother, Carol Smith.
About 10 p.m. that same day, the phone rang again. Still bouncing off the walls from Stanley's call, Critter got another surprise: It was the band's drummer, Eric Singer.
"I was just like 'Woooow!'" Critter exclaimed.
Singer talked with Critter for a few minutes and invited him to one of their concerts this summer to see the show and meet the band.
"I've never even been to a concert at all," Critter said. "This is just so cool!"
This is Critter's second bout with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells.
During five months in 2007 he underwent five rounds of chemotherapy, a round of radiation and a bone marrow transplant. Critter returned to school at Fourth Street Elementary and was in remission for 15 months until January.
He's started chemotherapy. He'll undergo another bone marrow aspiration this weekend.
The good news, his mom said, is that doctors are going to hold off for now on another bone marrow transplant until they see how he does.
"To have to go through this twice isn't fair, but I'm ecstatic he's responding to the chemo," his mother said. "I'm still nervous, but hopeful."
TOPIC: Segment on musicians that paint featuring the incredible art works of Paul Stanley
The legendary rocker gave the keynote address at Canadian Music Week this morning.
He says Simmons Records is looking for artists who are bigger than their songs.
Simmons says he plans to sign three Canadian acts in the label's first year.
He also says Kiss is in the studio working on their first studio album since 1998's "Psycho Circus."
Simmons says Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley will produce the disc. A release date has yet to be determined.
“I'd like to sign three acts the first year,” said Gene Simmons by phone from Beverly Hills, Calif., about his new Canadian record label. He's in Toronto tomorrow to make a keynote speech at Canadian Music Week, taking a break from recording KISS's first studio album in 10 years. Although, he quickly noted, the band is in no hurry to finish the album any time soon, not when Simmons has so many other pots on the stove, including his newly resurrected record label, Simmons Records.
If it's unlikely to think of Simmons, who drooled blood on the cover of KISS Alive! II, looking for squeaky clean teen bands – an even stranger image is his business partnership with ex-politico Belinda Stronach, now back in the fold as executive vice-chair of Magna International, and a silent investor in Simmons Records.
But is it such an about face? The KISS bassist turned marketing whiz, turned reality-TV celebrity, turned record-label front man has always had business in his makeup. The result of all that stage paint, platform boots, pyrotechnics and blood-red food colouring are the more than 2,500 licensing deals KISS has signed, according to Simmons's website.
The resurrection of Simmons Records, which had a less than spectacular existence under the BMG umbrella in the 1980s, came about through a deal with Universal Music Canada, hence the focus on Canadian acts.
The head of Universal Canada, Randy Lennox, has been conspicuously in the market for partnerships with new, unconventional record and media companies, such as his involvement with the Toronto-based upstart WIDEawake Entertainment Group, which recently bought the back catalogue recordings of the Death Row rap label.
Simmons's marketing company, Simmons Abramson Marketing, had been working with Magna Entertainment's horse-racing operations. Meanwhile, Simmons had gotten to know Stronach further when they were exploring potential real-estate investments.
But with Magna Entertainment now in bankruptcy protection and real estate having lost its lustre, Stronach is now investing in a record label which has, it must be said, a highly bankable public face. Simmons is currently filming the latest season of his domesticated rock-star-father reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels, and he has a hand in everything from a line of clothing to comic books. You can even buy T-shirts with Simmons's face embossed on a $100 U.S. bill with the captions “Go Green With Gene” and “Gene Simmons for President.”
“I love getting up every day and filling it with as much as I can, otherwise I'd be home watching I Love Lucy,” Simmons said.
He thinks a record label should handle all aspects of a band, from image to songwriting, in the same vein as Motown. And every career move should be carried out with an eye out for tie-ins with licensing deals, TV, movies, you name it – that “360-degree” approach to marketing.
Simmons was a little short on the specifics about where his new label has gone since November when word got out about its development. Then as now, Simmons has been touting the Toronto party rap band Down With Webster, which Simmons confirms he's “unabashedly” clamouring to sign. There is still no signed deal, although he's hopeful. He also suggested, despite his Henry Higgins talk of grooming for success, that he would need to do little, if anything to ready that group for the charts.
Just last weekend, an e-mail circulated by the Ottawa band Rudeboy claims that Simmons has been phoning Craig Simon's house and sending e-mails to say how much he likes the group. Simmons apparently also added in the message that “as a fan of the Special and the English Beat, let me say how much I enjoyed your stuff.” Gene Simmons and ska?
Ultimately, Simmons is open to all ideas. “I'm looking for the next U2 and Led Zeppelin. The only thing that matters is ‘Do you have the goods?'“ he says, but adds “it's not enough to be [just] a band.”
Meanwhile, he's getting set for a stadium tour of South America with KISS, before a swing back to Canada for a few gigs in July. Tomorrow, during Simmons's keynote speech at Canadian Music Week, expect a lot more talk about 360-degree marketing, branding and making the impossible possible. As he likes to say, “TV, music, politics, we're all in the same business. You need to use any and every tool possible in this really difficult economic period.”
It’s the upcoming KISS Ikons set, which consists of 90 cards — including special “fire” and “blood” parallel cards — along with authentic Gene Simmons stage-worn memorabilia cards and instant win autograph redemptions good for autographed photos of Simmons and Paul Stanley. (Oh, and it includes temporary tattoos and stickers, too, which are good for making that notebook of yours look like it’s 1975 all over again.) Each 24-pack box should cost you less than $50 as packs carry a suggested retail price of $1.99.
In all seriousness, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen KISS cards (1978 Donruss comes to mind, but there have surely been others) and with the band releasing an album and going on tour this year, they’ll surely drive ‘em wild (and maybe a little crazy, too) all night and ev-er-y day.
If you’re not old enough to know, this is the band that kick-started the whole marketing machine in music with countless products and items to satisfy their fans. Oh, and they’ve sold more than 85 million albums, too.
So, the next question is … how many boxes of cards?
We’ll find out starting on April 15.
Friday – May 15 - 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday – May 16 - 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Wentworth Gallery
The Court at King of Prussia
690 West Dekalb Pike
King of Prussia, PA
For details on the VIP Reception with Paul Stanley or to RSVP please call 610-337-8988 or 800-732-6140
"Serenity" is being helmed by Grammy Award-winning produced Bob Kulick along with engineer and partner Brett Chassen.
For more information, visit www.rockstarrockstar.com.
Over the past half-dozen years, the platform-booted mastermind of lyrics like "You pull the trigger of my love gun" has been cultivating a financially rewarding following as a painter and sculptor. It may seem an unlikely pursuit for a musician responsible for an entire industry's worth of action figures and lunch boxes. But the Kiss Army has grown up, has children and is now ready to buy art. And Stanley, 57, indulges them with brightly hued paintings that lean toward the abstract. (Think circles, squares and geometric patterns, reminiscent of an electric Madras plaid.) He does figurative work as well, namely the individual portraits he creates of his bandmates — in full Kabuki regalia — against a backdrop of sherbety colors. Jim Waitts, of Montville, N.J., is a three-decade-long Kiss fan who started collecting Stanley's work in 2007 and now owns more than a dozen paintings. "It strikes a chord in me," he says of the art. "It's the use of colors that appeal to me, the overall effect that it achieves."
The pieces don't come cheap. Stanley's multiple-edition giclées (i.e., prints on canvas) start in the vicinity of $1,600, while original acrylic paintings — such as his self-portrait in makeup with a studded leather collar — can go for as much as $50,000. Last year alone, he did an enviable $3 million in sales. (Take that, Yale MFAs.) But it's a somewhat ironic turn, given that Stanley failed his art classes when he was at the High School of Music and Art in New York City in the 1960s. "I'm a very hard worker," he says softly, surveying a long line of excited, Kiss-gear-clad fans and buyers. "But it has to be on my own terms."
Though his work is overlooked by critics, Stanley's terms suit the Kiss Army just fine: on Feb. 28, dozens of them turned up at Wentworth, inside the swank Mall at Short Hills, to buy art, meet Stanley and stick out their tongues as much as possible. As well-coiffed ladies scrutinized $2,000 totes at the austere Fendi boutique across the way, Stanley mingled with fans and clients, signing autographs, chatting amiably about color palette and pulling swooning women to his fuzzy chest for photo ops. "I met him once at a box-set signing, but this is so much better because you really get to talk to him," says Carolyn Klotz, a die-hard fan who drove more than two hours from upstate New York to attend the opening. She and her partner Pete White, who have followed the band since the '70s, will be hanging their newly framed giclée — Stanley's self-portrait, titled Love Gun — in "the Kiss wing," the special room in their Putnam County home devoted to three decades' worth of band memorabilia.
For the gallery, which also sells pieces by a highly unlikely mix of artists ranging from Pablo Picasso to Rosie O'Donnell, Stanley's presence was a boon. By the time the show closed on Saturday evening, roughly three dozen works of art had sold, including a $10,000 bronze sculpture to a longtime Wentworth client who had never before acquired a piece by the artist formerly known as Starchild. Despite prevailing concerns about the flaccid economy, it had been a very good day. Stanley, however, says the rewards are more than monetary. "I like the idea that the snobbism is taken out of it here," he observes, as shaggy-haired guys in rhinestone-encrusted Kiss shirts sip wine and gaze at paintings. "I'm exposing people to art who have never been in a gallery." And they were doing something you don't often see people do at a highbrow art exhibit: they were having an incredible time.
Paul’s segment on ‘Musician Artists’ will air tomorrow (Wednesday, March 4) at 6:45 -650am EST on CNN (345am--350am PST).
The Beatles had Paul McCartney. Led Zeppelin had Robert Plant. KISS have Paul Stanley.
For more than thirty years, Paul Stanley has reigned supreme as one of the single-most recognizable frontmen in the history of rock and roll. He's the principal songwriter, driving force and the unwavering voice of KISS, one of the most successful and influential bands ever born on American soil. Employing equal parts hip-grinding rhythm, full-tilt glam and guitar-driven slam, Stanley single-handedly penned such escapist anthems as "Love Gun," "God of Thunder" and "Black Diamond." He was the golden throat that throttled "Detroit Rock City," the charismatic swagger behind "I Was Made For Lovin' You," and stripped of makeup, was the unmasked troubadour that breathed vocal life into the ballads "Reason to Live," "Forever" and "Every Time I Look At You."
For his highly anticipated solo Live to Win Stanley chose to sidestep the glitz and glamour that has epitomized much of his career, Stanley strips his emotions to the bone and adorns them with a melodic sheen on Live to Win. In doing away with the legendary bombast, what becomes starkly clear is that these songs about the power of the human spirit and commitment to not compromising ideals can rattle not only the walls, but also the heart and soul of the listener. "What I wanted to do on this album was sing about my life, and my life is not that different than anybody else's," he continues. "The truth is, what we all deal with in life is pretty similar, change the names and the story's the same."
"Ultimately your life is always about what you make it and how you will it to be," says Stanley, his tone soft and soothing as he describes his inspiration for Live to Win [New Door Records/ Universal Music Enterprises] his first solo album in more than 25 years, and second overall. "I sing about what I know, what I experience, try to get to keep it all fairly simple and straight ahead, and that what's kept what I've always sung about universal. This album was purely a labor of love and passion, and I was only concerned with turning out the album I heard in my head, without regard for having glitz and star power from other sources." That philosophy is aptly summed in the album's title track, a guitar-driven crescendo that affirms Stanley's determination to make, break and sustain success:
"You ask me how I made my way, You ask me every where and why, You hang on every word I say, But the truth sounds like a lie. Live to win, Till you die, Till the light dies in your eyes, Live to win, Take it all, Just keep fighting till you fall"
"I've always lived by my own rules and refused to let anyone keep me from my goals or succeeding at what I set out to do. You are either your best friend or your greatest obstacle," says Stanley. "I'm living proof of living to win. One might say I'm lucky, but I tell you, the harder you work the luckier you get. You can either be a victim in life who surrenders to failure and bitch about all your adverse experiences, or you can take a deep breath and charge forward".
For more on Paul Stanley and his artwork, visit http://paulstanley.com.
Paul Stanley's local show:
Saturday - February 28, 2009- 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Wentworth Gallery
The Mall at Short Hills
1200 Morris Turnpike
Short Hills, NJ
For details on the VIP Reception with Paul Stanley or to RSVP please call 973-564-9776 or 800-732-6140.
Friday:
CW11 / PIX Morning Show - 8:45 AM
WNBC Weekend Today in New York - 10:00 AM
Saturday:
WCBS 2 NEWS - 6:45 AM
ABC Morning News NY - 7:45 AM
When did you start painting?
About eight years ago. I’ve probably done 26 shows in the last year-and-a-half. Usually once a month I’m in some city in America doing an art show and this weekend is no different.
How would you describe your art style?
The one common thread to everything is color. I look upon painting as a challenge in terms of depicting emotions and feelings. So as far as “a style,” I don’t find at this moment there is a particular style as much as there is a point of view about color.
Do you have any training?
No ... I went to the High School of Music and Art, now the LaGuardia School of the Arts. I went there for art. I was one of those people who had the dubious distinction of failing art. That had more to do with having a problem with authority figures.
Do you still have that?
Um, thankfully I looked for a job where the authority is me. [Laughs.]
How does your art reflect your personality?
For me art is like going a trip without a map. In other words, I just want to instinctively find where my comfort is and what I’m feeling at any time.
At times the art comes in almost stream of consciousness using color and texture instead of words. Then they are other pieces where I try to deal with iconic pieces, the Mona Lisa or the Statue of Liberty. What I start the piece, I know what I’m going to paint, but how I’m going to paint it, I’m clueless. It’s just going to evolve.
Painting is cathartic… because I connect to it emotionally, it seems others connect to it emotionally.
What kind of satisfaction does painting give you that music doesn’t give you and vice versa?
It’s much more initiate and it’s much more personal in the sense that it lives without a lot of the structure that music does. If you write a song you have to have music and you have to have melody that fits the music and a rhyme scheme that fits the others. With painting for me there’s no boundaries, there’s no limits. In painting, the only limit is the edge of the canvas.
How often do you paint?
I try to paint three or four time a week, sometimes it’s a bit difficult with the schedule, but I try to make sure that times is reserved.
What can fans expect from the new Kiss record?
It’s very much an album that picks up where we left off in the 70s. It’s not an album that reflects trying to pick up whatever current.
We’ve been out a lot on the Kiss Alive 35 tour. Our biggest and most successful tour of Europe, we did 30 shows and about 400,000 people and we leave for South America — a bunch of stadiums — in April.
And the band has never sounded better or more focused. And playing the Kiss Alive album and a lot of other classic songs has really just wetted out appetite to go in the studio and transfer that, that same feeling and ferocity into new material.
Do you ever get tired of playing the old stuff?
I would never, ever grow tired of those songs. The songs have made me both incredibly satisfied and rich and made a lot of other people very, very happy. It would be a show of disrespect — and maybe not deserving — to grow tired of something that’s meant that much.
Paul Stanley’s art will be on display at the Wentworth Galleries this weekend.
Wentworth Gallery: The Shops at Riverside, 171 Riverside Sq., Hackensack, N.J. Friday, 6-9 p.m.
Wentworth Gallery: The Mall at Short Hills, 1200 Morris Turnpike, Short Hills, N.J. Saturday, 4-7 p.m.
Kulick has been back in the studio working on his next solo CD, tentatively titled "BK3". The album will feature guest appearances by a number of acclaimed rock and heavy metal musicians, including TOTO's Steve Lukather, John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION, RATT, ESP), Gene Simmons (KISS) and Tobias Sammet (EDGUY, AVANTASIA).
Songtitles set to appear on "BK3" include:
* I Will Survive
* And I Know
* No Friend Of Mine (John Corabi on vocals)
* Life
* It's Never Enough (Doug Fieger on vocals)
* Is Not Gonna Die (co-written with Gene Simmons on vocals)
* Hand Of The King (Co-written with Nick Tweed Simmons on vocals)
* [Instrumental] (with Steve Lukather)
* I Am The Animal (Tobias Sammet on vocals, Eric Singer on drums)
ESP in 2006 released the "Live in Japan" CD. A DVD set filmed in Sydney, Australia, entitled "Live at the Marquee", was also issued.
ESP's setlist consists mainly of KISS hits and obscure KISS songs that have never before been played live, along with selections from MÖTLEY CRÜE, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, ALICE COOPER and other classic rock bands.
"Live Wire" (MÖTLEY CRÜE): Video
"Parasite" (KISS): Video
Gabe Reed, an entertainment attorney who represents PUSHKING and who organized Stanley's involvement in the project, stated of the session, "Paul sounded amazing and we are very appreciative that he took the time to contribute to the project."
Paul sang on songs "Cut The Wire" and "Kukarracha".
In addition to those four soaring voices, Simmons heard the loud "ka-ching" of cash.
"He said we had the goods to be the complete package," says Gatineau's Ramigio Pereira, speaking about the Toronto gig they did for the rock icon.
"We are popular with women. Our audience is 90% female, the other 10% are the husbands. He told us to never get married, for business reasons."
The phenomenal success of popera's original boy band The Three Tenors -- Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and the other guy (Jose Carreras) -- meant more international spinoffs of the franchise, including a Canadian version, were inevitable.
The floodgates opened and out poured The Irish Tenors, The Celtic Tenors, The American Tenors, Brit cellphone salesman turned opera singer Paul Potts, Il Divo and even a trio of heavenly tenors dubbed The Priests.
No doubt about it, with a new hit record, an ambitious and high-profile concert tour and an endorsement deal with Armani, who supplies all their clothing, The Canadian Tenors -- Fraser Walters, Jamie McKnight, Victor Micallef and Pereira -- have what it takes to be successful.
"Pavarotti said the tenor voice is like a wild horse. It's beautiful but dangerous. It's the most emotional," says Pereira.
"You can feel the testosterone. So when all four of us are singing at full throttle, you can really feel it. The audience knows we're romantic guys. Our concert is like Metallica meets Pavarotti. They can feel it when we sing."
Not surprisingly, they back up those claims on the new CD, with Italian aria-like love songs Adagio and Luna, and covers of Canadian tunes, including Rita MacNeil's Home I'll Be and David Foster's Because We Believe.
It's the original Canadian content that Pereira thinks makes the album unique.
"We take our music very seriously. We have the marketability with women, which is nice, but we're all classically trained singers and musicians first.
"We can fill a room without a microphone when we sing."
Pereira, who speaks four languages fluently, was more interested in making the NHL than La Scala until he was sidelined with a career-ending injury.
That's when he exchanged his hockey stick for a classical guitar at the University of Ottawa and eventually began singing in the Opera Lyra Chorus where he caught the eye of Canadian composer Jill Anne Siemens, who invited him to audition for the Tenors in 2007.
Since then, the band has been touring the globe more than the governor general, visiting Scandinavia, Africa and the Middle East, where they joined Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in song for the 10th anniversary of Shimon Peres' Peace Initiative.
And, they met former U.S. president Bill Clinton at an event at which they were attending.
"That was a real thrill," Pereira says. "We joked that the next time we meet, he should bring his sax and we could play together."
Check out the 1974 KISS commercial here. In the clip, KISS is performing at the Academy of Music in New York, NY --- January 26, 1974. Notice that Paul is wearing his bandit makeup!
The venue is Arena Movistar, and tickets will go on sale tomorrow, February 18, via Punto Ticket.
Other artists that will play during the week-long festival include CHRIS CORNELL, PETER GABRIEL and SONIC YOUTH.
(9) It is hard to believe that Gene Simmons could have been a teacher. He is known best as the frontman for the 1970’s rock band Kiss (right), known for outrageous shows during which Simmons would spit blood, breath fire, and taunt the audience. But Simmons did teach sixth grade in Spanish Harlem. Simmons was reportedly fired for, among other things, replacing the Shakespearean play in the curriculum with Spiderman comics.
Click here to visit the Encyclopedia Britannica Blog to view the entire list!
WHAT I SAVED IN THE FIRE
Aron Driscoll
Age: 35
Lived: Whittlesea Road, Flowerdale
I bought the guitar from my niece three years ago. I'm a huge KISS fan. She knew I'd had my eye on it for a while and eventually she parted with it for around $1500.
It's a Silvertone bass, signed by KISS, so it's a bit of a rarity.
When the fire arrived, there wasn't any time to think. There was probably 50,000 other things I could have grabbed in that moment but the guitar was it. And I'm glad of that because it's very special. I get togther with the boys a couple of times every fortnight and play, you know, let it rip.
There's nothing left of the house but some kind strangers have given me a caravan so I'm heading back up there to stay for the first time. I'm returning home and so is the guitar. It'll keep me company as I work out what's next.