10/06/2009
THE WAIT IS OVER - SONIC BOOM IS HERE!!!!
Kiss News
10/06/2009
WITH 'SONIC BOOM' VETERAN ROCKERS KISS ROAR
By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
Photo by Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY
"Look at Kiss culture," says Gene Simmons, radiating pride. "People tattoo their bodies with Kiss faces, name their children after our songs, have Kiss conventions.
"This is Planet Kiss; we just live on it. The stage is holy ground, and what we do is electric church."
Holy hyperbole! The kabuki kibitzers of big-top rock are back in greasepaint and spandex, armed with a new album and a fresh stage spectacle to solidify a legacy built on thundering riffs, pyrotechnics, superheroic role-playing and hucksterism.
The singer/bassist, 60, and guitarist Paul Stanley, 57, are meeting in the Sunset Strip office of manager Doc McGhee to chat up Sonic Boom, Kiss' 19th studio album and first since 1998's Psycho Circus. The album, out today exclusively at Walmart, is a three-disc set with a CD of re-recorded hits and a DVD of a Buenos Aires concert packaged with 11 new songs. It's $12, "the price of a sandwich," Simmons crows.
The band began writing last spring, rehearsed tunes in May and recorded in June, wrapping up Boom by mid-July. Reviews have lauded the album's return to the crunch and muscle of '70s classics Destroyer and Love Gun.
By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
Photo by Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY
"Look at Kiss culture," says Gene Simmons, radiating pride. "People tattoo their bodies with Kiss faces, name their children after our songs, have Kiss conventions.
"This is Planet Kiss; we just live on it. The stage is holy ground, and what we do is electric church."
Holy hyperbole! The kabuki kibitzers of big-top rock are back in greasepaint and spandex, armed with a new album and a fresh stage spectacle to solidify a legacy built on thundering riffs, pyrotechnics, superheroic role-playing and hucksterism.
The singer/bassist, 60, and guitarist Paul Stanley, 57, are meeting in the Sunset Strip office of manager Doc McGhee to chat up Sonic Boom, Kiss' 19th studio album and first since 1998's Psycho Circus. The album, out today exclusively at Walmart, is a three-disc set with a CD of re-recorded hits and a DVD of a Buenos Aires concert packaged with 11 new songs. It's $12, "the price of a sandwich," Simmons crows.
The band began writing last spring, rehearsed tunes in May and recorded in June, wrapping up Boom by mid-July. Reviews have lauded the album's return to the crunch and muscle of '70s classics Destroyer and Love Gun.
"To describe the process: Stop trying to show off and get in touch with what happens naturally," Simmons says. "Through the years, we've wandered and had other agendas, one of which was to make critics happy � with The Elder (a 1981 concept album), and to follow the dance thing � with I Was Made for Lovin' You (a disco track on 1979's Dynasty). We've played around with symphony orchestras and boys' choirs. The thing that changed the game was touring this last year and getting a tsunami of e-mails and letters asking 'Where's the new record?' "
Crafting Boom was one of the easiest and most joyous projects in the band's 36-year run, Stanley says. But he would not have stepped in the studio without the title and authority of producer.
"In the creative process, democracy is vastly overrated," he says. "The whole idea of everybody having a say is terrific, but in the end someone has to make a decision. We've had some failed attempts in the last decade or two at trying to make a great Kiss album. I have to chalk that up to having band members who perhaps had the wrong priorities or no priorities.
"I didn't want any outside writers. What you wind up with is somebody's interpretation of what Kiss is. Who knows better what Kiss is than Kiss? I wanted to capture the spirit, the hunger of the band at its best."
Guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer flesh out the Kiss lineup, replacing originals Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, who have had a rocky history with the band and made their most recent exits in 2003 and 2004, respectively. To those who suggest their absence diminishes Kiss, Stanley snaps: "Put Willie Mays in a baseball uniform and see how well he hits. The magic you remember isn't there.
"Quite honestly, the whole idea that there were four people putting in the same amount of effort is nonsense. Never happened. This is the band in its ideal form. No other lineup could have made Sonic Boom."
Kiss Army still a force
Fans certainly seem satisfied with the overhaul.
"Kiss remains an international phenomenon, (and) the Kiss Army remains strong," says Ray Waddell, Billboard's editor of touring, noting that the current U.S. leg of the band's Kiss Alive 35 tour, a global trek launched in 2008, is ahead of projections. "With Kiss, I believe reputation has more to do with selling tickets than any new album. Like a lot of other heritage rock acts, Kiss' audience is multi-generational. The difference with Kiss is the band has always had huge appeal to young male teens, and the visual aspects of their shows are particularly engaging to the YouTube generation."
The Kiss fan base is steadily replenished by youngsters, says Detroit-based music journalist Gary Graff, who caught the band's Sept. 25-26 launch at Cobo Arena, where 1975's Alive! album was recorded.
"I was struck at the Detroit shows by all the little Genes and Pauls and even Aces who were running around, 8- and 10-year-olds who had their faces made up," Graff says, describing the band's appeal as "four guys strutting around in makeup and giant boots, blowing fire, spitting blood, blowing things up. Kiss is a comic book come to life with no pretense of being anything other than entertaining. It's the ultimate Guitar Hero experience, and both the songs and the themes � sex and rock 'n' roll � are so elemental and base that they have a timeless and cross-generational appeal, the kind of thing people never get tired of.
"As for Sonic Boom, I don't think we're looking at another Destroyer here, but at least it sends a message that the group is, if you will, alive and trying to add to its legacy."
Will the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame add to that legacy? Eligible since 1999, Kiss is among nominees for the 2010 induction. Hall of infamy is more like it, Simmons says.
"It's a nice organization, but it's like the Boss Tweed days in New York, back-room politics where 10 guys from Rolling Stone decide who gets in," he says. "Tutti Frutti, I get it. The Eagles, I get it. But Madonna? Show me one iota of rock in that. You've got a little headset and the track playing in your ear and dancers on stage. Come on! If you're not playing guitars and drums, it ain't rock."
Stanley's conflicted, as are Kiss fans, he says.
"There are days I'm not sure I'd consider it being inducted or indicted," he says. "We're already a member of a very exclusive rock 'n' roll hall of fame. We've lasted this long. We've influenced people in every form of music, from Garth Brooks to Lenny Kravitz. There are doctors, politicians and street sweepers who cite us as influences. We've made our mark. If somebody wants to invite us into their club, that's fine."
Giving critics the kiss-off
Kiss, long a popular target of the music press, has never kissed up to critics and vice versa, though the same revisionism that upgraded Led Zeppelin over time seems to be casting a kinder light on the Kiss saga.
"Art to me is the name of a nice guy," Simmons says dismissively. "Critics never understood. Put them on a roller coaster: Everyone else has the time of their lives, and critics say, 'What does it mean?' They missed the ride.
"Anytime we meet a new band, they say, 'We cut our teeth on your records.' When you see fireworks at Paul McCartney's show, where do you think that came from? 'N Sync? Why should I care about critics when we have 3,000 licensed products, 35 years of touring and every band in the book pointing to Kiss as the pivotal reason they wanted to do something big on stage?"
Ah yes, the Kiss mantra: sex, dough and rock 'n' roll. The Wal-mart pact includes Kiss Korners stocked with branded goods from fleece blankets to wigs to M&Ms. Could it be that some detractors are simply appalled by a mercenary band's pipeline of 3,000 trinkets?
"I'm appalled it's not 6,000," Simmons cracks.
He props his foot on the coffee table, pulls his wallet out of his silver-tipped cowboy boot and flashes a Kiss-logo Visa card. At the other end of the spectrum: the Demon, Starchild, Spaceman and Catman faces on new cheesy Mr. Potato Head collectibles.
"Couldn't wait to do it!" he says. "Dorks rule, baby."
Stanley is puzzled by knocks against the Kiss assembly line.
"We'd be idiots to put out things fans don't want," he says. "The idea that we're genius businessmen is ridiculous. If someone says, 'Gee, I'd like a belt buckle,' we give it to them. And anybody who says, 'I'm only in it for the music' will find himself washing cars and wondering where the money went. Gene and I believe in working hard and making no apologies for what we get for the hard work."
Besides, touring and merchandise are crucial lifelines to offset losses incurred by piracy.
"You grab an album and leave a store, they put you in handcuffs," Stanley says. "And yet someone on the Internet can decide whether or not I get paid. File-sharing, that's like me stealing your car and telling you I'm sharing your transportation."
'What we do isn't charity'
Illicit downloading is one reason the band resisted recording new material for a decade, says Simmons, sneering: "These freckle-faced college kids have destroyed an entire industry by stealing. I don't believe in socialism and, the last time I checked, what we do isn't charity."
It's drug-free, fun-driven capitalism with zero tolerance for rock-star clich�s that glamorize self-destructive behavior.
"When we first became very successful, everyone fell prey to their own vices," Stanley says. "Drugs, alcohol, women, sycophantic friends. There are piranhas just waiting to put one arm around your shoulder and the other in your pocket. That rock 'n' roll lifestyle is a cartoon, and it's pathetic. You're either a laughingstock or you die. Being a musician who lasts 40 years is nothing short of hard work."
For all their swagger and ego, Simmons and Stanley say they're humbled by the band's longevity and express enormous respect for the Kiss Army.
"We're privileged," Simmons says. "There but for the grace of God, anyone of us would be asking the next person in line, 'Would you like fries with that?' What have I got to complain about? I'm filthy rich. I've been there, done that and owned the T-shirt with my own face on it."
Photo by Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY
"Look at Kiss culture," says Gene Simmons, radiating pride. "People tattoo their bodies with Kiss faces, name their children after our songs, have Kiss conventions.
"This is Planet Kiss; we just live on it. The stage is holy ground, and what we do is electric church."
Holy hyperbole! The kabuki kibitzers of big-top rock are back in greasepaint and spandex, armed with a new album and a fresh stage spectacle to solidify a legacy built on thundering riffs, pyrotechnics, superheroic role-playing and hucksterism.
The singer/bassist, 60, and guitarist Paul Stanley, 57, are meeting in the Sunset Strip office of manager Doc McGhee to chat up Sonic Boom, Kiss' 19th studio album and first since 1998's Psycho Circus. The album, out today exclusively at Walmart, is a three-disc set with a CD of re-recorded hits and a DVD of a Buenos Aires concert packaged with 11 new songs. It's $12, "the price of a sandwich," Simmons crows.
The band began writing last spring, rehearsed tunes in May and recorded in June, wrapping up Boom by mid-July. Reviews have lauded the album's return to the crunch and muscle of '70s classics Destroyer and Love Gun.
By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
Photo by Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY
"Look at Kiss culture," says Gene Simmons, radiating pride. "People tattoo their bodies with Kiss faces, name their children after our songs, have Kiss conventions.
"This is Planet Kiss; we just live on it. The stage is holy ground, and what we do is electric church."
Holy hyperbole! The kabuki kibitzers of big-top rock are back in greasepaint and spandex, armed with a new album and a fresh stage spectacle to solidify a legacy built on thundering riffs, pyrotechnics, superheroic role-playing and hucksterism.
The singer/bassist, 60, and guitarist Paul Stanley, 57, are meeting in the Sunset Strip office of manager Doc McGhee to chat up Sonic Boom, Kiss' 19th studio album and first since 1998's Psycho Circus. The album, out today exclusively at Walmart, is a three-disc set with a CD of re-recorded hits and a DVD of a Buenos Aires concert packaged with 11 new songs. It's $12, "the price of a sandwich," Simmons crows.
The band began writing last spring, rehearsed tunes in May and recorded in June, wrapping up Boom by mid-July. Reviews have lauded the album's return to the crunch and muscle of '70s classics Destroyer and Love Gun.
"To describe the process: Stop trying to show off and get in touch with what happens naturally," Simmons says. "Through the years, we've wandered and had other agendas, one of which was to make critics happy � with The Elder (a 1981 concept album), and to follow the dance thing � with I Was Made for Lovin' You (a disco track on 1979's Dynasty). We've played around with symphony orchestras and boys' choirs. The thing that changed the game was touring this last year and getting a tsunami of e-mails and letters asking 'Where's the new record?' "
Crafting Boom was one of the easiest and most joyous projects in the band's 36-year run, Stanley says. But he would not have stepped in the studio without the title and authority of producer.
"In the creative process, democracy is vastly overrated," he says. "The whole idea of everybody having a say is terrific, but in the end someone has to make a decision. We've had some failed attempts in the last decade or two at trying to make a great Kiss album. I have to chalk that up to having band members who perhaps had the wrong priorities or no priorities.
"I didn't want any outside writers. What you wind up with is somebody's interpretation of what Kiss is. Who knows better what Kiss is than Kiss? I wanted to capture the spirit, the hunger of the band at its best."
Guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer flesh out the Kiss lineup, replacing originals Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, who have had a rocky history with the band and made their most recent exits in 2003 and 2004, respectively. To those who suggest their absence diminishes Kiss, Stanley snaps: "Put Willie Mays in a baseball uniform and see how well he hits. The magic you remember isn't there.
"Quite honestly, the whole idea that there were four people putting in the same amount of effort is nonsense. Never happened. This is the band in its ideal form. No other lineup could have made Sonic Boom."
Kiss Army still a force
Fans certainly seem satisfied with the overhaul.
"Kiss remains an international phenomenon, (and) the Kiss Army remains strong," says Ray Waddell, Billboard's editor of touring, noting that the current U.S. leg of the band's Kiss Alive 35 tour, a global trek launched in 2008, is ahead of projections. "With Kiss, I believe reputation has more to do with selling tickets than any new album. Like a lot of other heritage rock acts, Kiss' audience is multi-generational. The difference with Kiss is the band has always had huge appeal to young male teens, and the visual aspects of their shows are particularly engaging to the YouTube generation."
The Kiss fan base is steadily replenished by youngsters, says Detroit-based music journalist Gary Graff, who caught the band's Sept. 25-26 launch at Cobo Arena, where 1975's Alive! album was recorded.
"I was struck at the Detroit shows by all the little Genes and Pauls and even Aces who were running around, 8- and 10-year-olds who had their faces made up," Graff says, describing the band's appeal as "four guys strutting around in makeup and giant boots, blowing fire, spitting blood, blowing things up. Kiss is a comic book come to life with no pretense of being anything other than entertaining. It's the ultimate Guitar Hero experience, and both the songs and the themes � sex and rock 'n' roll � are so elemental and base that they have a timeless and cross-generational appeal, the kind of thing people never get tired of.
"As for Sonic Boom, I don't think we're looking at another Destroyer here, but at least it sends a message that the group is, if you will, alive and trying to add to its legacy."
Will the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame add to that legacy? Eligible since 1999, Kiss is among nominees for the 2010 induction. Hall of infamy is more like it, Simmons says.
"It's a nice organization, but it's like the Boss Tweed days in New York, back-room politics where 10 guys from Rolling Stone decide who gets in," he says. "Tutti Frutti, I get it. The Eagles, I get it. But Madonna? Show me one iota of rock in that. You've got a little headset and the track playing in your ear and dancers on stage. Come on! If you're not playing guitars and drums, it ain't rock."
Stanley's conflicted, as are Kiss fans, he says.
"There are days I'm not sure I'd consider it being inducted or indicted," he says. "We're already a member of a very exclusive rock 'n' roll hall of fame. We've lasted this long. We've influenced people in every form of music, from Garth Brooks to Lenny Kravitz. There are doctors, politicians and street sweepers who cite us as influences. We've made our mark. If somebody wants to invite us into their club, that's fine."
Giving critics the kiss-off
Kiss, long a popular target of the music press, has never kissed up to critics and vice versa, though the same revisionism that upgraded Led Zeppelin over time seems to be casting a kinder light on the Kiss saga.
"Art to me is the name of a nice guy," Simmons says dismissively. "Critics never understood. Put them on a roller coaster: Everyone else has the time of their lives, and critics say, 'What does it mean?' They missed the ride.
"Anytime we meet a new band, they say, 'We cut our teeth on your records.' When you see fireworks at Paul McCartney's show, where do you think that came from? 'N Sync? Why should I care about critics when we have 3,000 licensed products, 35 years of touring and every band in the book pointing to Kiss as the pivotal reason they wanted to do something big on stage?"
Ah yes, the Kiss mantra: sex, dough and rock 'n' roll. The Wal-mart pact includes Kiss Korners stocked with branded goods from fleece blankets to wigs to M&Ms. Could it be that some detractors are simply appalled by a mercenary band's pipeline of 3,000 trinkets?
"I'm appalled it's not 6,000," Simmons cracks.
He props his foot on the coffee table, pulls his wallet out of his silver-tipped cowboy boot and flashes a Kiss-logo Visa card. At the other end of the spectrum: the Demon, Starchild, Spaceman and Catman faces on new cheesy Mr. Potato Head collectibles.
"Couldn't wait to do it!" he says. "Dorks rule, baby."
Stanley is puzzled by knocks against the Kiss assembly line.
"We'd be idiots to put out things fans don't want," he says. "The idea that we're genius businessmen is ridiculous. If someone says, 'Gee, I'd like a belt buckle,' we give it to them. And anybody who says, 'I'm only in it for the music' will find himself washing cars and wondering where the money went. Gene and I believe in working hard and making no apologies for what we get for the hard work."
Besides, touring and merchandise are crucial lifelines to offset losses incurred by piracy.
"You grab an album and leave a store, they put you in handcuffs," Stanley says. "And yet someone on the Internet can decide whether or not I get paid. File-sharing, that's like me stealing your car and telling you I'm sharing your transportation."
'What we do isn't charity'
Illicit downloading is one reason the band resisted recording new material for a decade, says Simmons, sneering: "These freckle-faced college kids have destroyed an entire industry by stealing. I don't believe in socialism and, the last time I checked, what we do isn't charity."
It's drug-free, fun-driven capitalism with zero tolerance for rock-star clich�s that glamorize self-destructive behavior.
"When we first became very successful, everyone fell prey to their own vices," Stanley says. "Drugs, alcohol, women, sycophantic friends. There are piranhas just waiting to put one arm around your shoulder and the other in your pocket. That rock 'n' roll lifestyle is a cartoon, and it's pathetic. You're either a laughingstock or you die. Being a musician who lasts 40 years is nothing short of hard work."
For all their swagger and ego, Simmons and Stanley say they're humbled by the band's longevity and express enormous respect for the Kiss Army.
"We're privileged," Simmons says. "There but for the grace of God, anyone of us would be asking the next person in line, 'Would you like fries with that?' What have I got to complain about? I'm filthy rich. I've been there, done that and owned the T-shirt with my own face on it."
10/06/2009
KISS IS BACK!
By GORDON DICKSON
KISS is back with a new record, a concert tour and a promotional blitz coming to a Walmart near you.
Yes, the guys are older now, but they're still wearing spandex, painting their faces and putting on quite a show.
"The thing about KISS is, there's a real timeless appeal to it," lead guitarist Tommy Thayer said in a recent phone interview, before donning his "Spaceman" garb and playing a concert in Montreal. "The same thing that caught people's hearts and passions in the early 1970s is the same thing I see happening with kids today. Obviously, you have to bring kids into the fold for bands like KISS to keep reinventing themselves."
The four-man rock band will unveil its first new music in 11 years as part of a three-disc set titled Sonic Boom that drops at Walmarts nationwide Tuesday. The $12 set, which includes a CD of new songs, a CD of classic hits and a DVD of live performances this year in Argentina, won't be the only value-priced memorabilia on display. Each Walmart will sport a KISS Korner in its electronics department, with KISS T-shirts, fleece blankets, M&Ms and even Mr. Potato Head figures.By GORDON DICKSON
KISS is back with a new record, a concert tour and a promotional blitz coming to a Walmart near you.
Yes, the guys are older now, but they're still wearing spandex, painting their faces and putting on quite a show.
"The thing about KISS is, there's a real timeless appeal to it," lead guitarist Tommy Thayer said in a recent phone interview, before donning his "Spaceman" garb and playing a concert in Montreal. "The same thing that caught people's hearts and passions in the early 1970s is the same thing I see happening with kids today. Obviously, you have to bring kids into the fold for bands like KISS to keep reinventing themselves."
The four-man rock band will unveil its first new music in 11 years as part of a three-disc set titled Sonic Boom that drops at Walmarts nationwide Tuesday. The $12 set, which includes a CD of new songs, a CD of classic hits and a DVD of live performances this year in Argentina, won't be the only value-priced memorabilia on display. Each Walmart will sport a KISS Korner in its electronics department, with KISS T-shirts, fleece blankets, M&Ms and even Mr. Potato Head figures.
A fall tour of North America is just under way, with a stop Dec. 6 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
KISS has changed personnel more than a few times over 36-plus years, with two original members, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, staying in the fold. The guys have performed with and without makeup. They've gone through a disco phase and a melancholic-medieval phase, and they've pursued solo careers.
But they keep coming back to a formula that has appealed to multiple generations of fans. It's partly about the music - KISS has never enjoyed much critical appeal or benefited from radio play, yet the band's Web site says it has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide - but its calling card is the live performance. And that means lots of blood-spitting, fire-breathing, pelvis-thrusting, laser-shooting and fireworks-blasting action, plus, most importantly, audience involvement.
Which brings us back to Walmart. The nation's largest retailer is relying on transcendent acts such as KISS to boost sagging CD sales, at a time when young consumers prefer to buy digital songs online - one track at a time - and then share them.
"They're just an iconic symbol of rock 'n' roll music," said Melissa O'Brien, a Walmart spokeswoman. "They have a following. Everyone knows the KISS logo."
Over the years, KISS has learned that its fans want the characters to keep the mystical makeup. After all, who wants their heroes to show their age? (The oldest band member, bassist Gene Simmons, celebrated his 60th birthday in August.)
In addition to the goodies for sale in electronics, Walmart will offer KISS makeup and wigs in the seasonal aisles. "This Halloween is kind of an adult Halloween, because it's occurring on a Saturday night," O'Brien said.
Halloween, huh? I must admit I've trick-or-treated as a KISS character - twice. Maybe it's time to go again...
Sources: KISS Online, Billboard, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Recording Industry Association of America, www.genesimmons.com and others.
Five fire-breathing questions about KISS
1. Who are the KISS alumni? Two original members are still in the band: bassist Gene Simmons, the "Demon" character, once dated Cher and Diana Ross and stars in A&E�s Family Jewels; and lead singer Paul Stanley, the "Star Child," who still excels as the flamboyant frontman. Simmons and Stanley put the group together while playing the New York club circuit in 1973.
The lead guitarist is Tommy Thayer (the Spaceman), a native Oregonian who once played in a KISS tribute band, and the drummer is Eric Singer (the Catman), a Cleveland native who has played percussion for Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Lita Ford and Queen.
The current four-man lineup has been intact since 2004. Drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley were the other original members. The KISS roster also has included drummer Eric Carr (who died in 1991.) Other lead guitarists included Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick.
2. What are KISS' biggest hits? Oddly, the KISS music that climbs highest on the charts is often dramatically different from the hard-driving sound its most loyal fans prefer.
The band's all-time best-selling single is Beth, a 1976 piano ballad made famous by now-departed drummer Criss that rose to No. 7 on the pop charts. The disco-influenced single I Was Made for Lovin' You reached No. 11 in 1979, and the ballad Forever hit No. 9 in 1990. The band's first Top 40 single was a live version of the party song Rock and Roll All Nite in 1975. KISS' bestselling album was the back-to-basics Psycho Circus in 1998, which rose to No. 3 on the album charts. The title song reached No. 1 among heritage rock listeners for four weeks and mainstream rock listeners for one week. Over the years, the band has produced seven studio albums that have gone platinum and one live album that has gone double platinum (KISS Alive II). The single Modern Day Delilah from the new Sonic Boom CD debuted last week at No. 26 on the heritage rock survey, according to Billboard.
3. How long does it take to put on all that makeup? KISS members have a pre-show ritual that includes putting on the makeup, and it takes about two hours, lead guitarist Thayer says.
"We do our own makeup," he said. "A lot of people are under the impression we have makeup artists, but every member of KISS has always done their own makeup. We get together in the dressing room for about two hours prior to a show. It's a very solitude environment. We don't let anybody else in there. We listen to our favorite music and transform into KISS characters. Our mind-set is being ready to go onstage, getting into that stage frame of mind. When we get onstage, it has to be 110 percent. We better be ready to go."
4. Has KISS been in the movies? Well, there was that unforgettable 1978 made-for-TV movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. The cult classic - KISS fans have learned to harbor a good sense of humor about these things - was shot at the California amusement park now known as Six Flags Magic Mountain and was shown on NBC, in prime time. It was among the highest rated shows of the year. On a more successful note, KISS' music has been featured in films such as Endless Love (I Was Made for Lovin' You); Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II); Dazed and Confused (Rock and Roll All Nite); Speed (Mr. Speed); Detroit Rock City (Shout It Out Loud, Detroit Rock City and Nothing Can Keep Me From You); and Halloween (God of Thunder).
5. Is KISS in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? No, but the band may be on the way. Last month, after 11 years of being eligible but snubbed, KISS was nominated for possible induction to the hall of fame, which is in Cleveland, in 2010. Inductees will be announced in January.
Key moments in KISStory
1974 - KISS' self-titled album debuts. Sales of the record and two subsequent efforts lag until the 1975 release of KISS Alive!, an explosive live recording that elevates the band to fame.
1975 - A high school football team in Cadillac, Mich., wins the state championship after a coach, desperate to bring out an extra effort from his students, plays KISS music before every game. KISS later visits the school and plays a show at the homecoming game.
1977 - A KISS comic book is published by Marvel. Band members donate their blood to be mixed with the red ink.
1980 - Drummer Peter Criss quits.
1982 - Original lead guitarist Ace Frehley quits the band.
1983 - KISS band members ditch their makeup.
1991 - Drummer Eric Carr, a character known as "the Fox" and a fixture of the band since 1980, dies from a rare form of heart cancer.
1995 - The four original KISS members reunite at a KISS convention and later appear on MTV�s Unplugged. They launch a reunion tour the following year, with a re-emphasis on their hard-driving 1970s rock music and makeup-wearing stage personas.
2004 - The current foursome is put in place: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.
KISS is back with a new record, a concert tour and a promotional blitz coming to a Walmart near you.
Yes, the guys are older now, but they're still wearing spandex, painting their faces and putting on quite a show.
"The thing about KISS is, there's a real timeless appeal to it," lead guitarist Tommy Thayer said in a recent phone interview, before donning his "Spaceman" garb and playing a concert in Montreal. "The same thing that caught people's hearts and passions in the early 1970s is the same thing I see happening with kids today. Obviously, you have to bring kids into the fold for bands like KISS to keep reinventing themselves."
The four-man rock band will unveil its first new music in 11 years as part of a three-disc set titled Sonic Boom that drops at Walmarts nationwide Tuesday. The $12 set, which includes a CD of new songs, a CD of classic hits and a DVD of live performances this year in Argentina, won't be the only value-priced memorabilia on display. Each Walmart will sport a KISS Korner in its electronics department, with KISS T-shirts, fleece blankets, M&Ms and even Mr. Potato Head figures.
A fall tour of North America is just under way, with a stop Dec. 6 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
KISS has changed personnel more than a few times over 36-plus years, with two original members, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, staying in the fold. The guys have performed with and without makeup. They've gone through a disco phase and a melancholic-medieval phase, and they've pursued solo careers.
But they keep coming back to a formula that has appealed to multiple generations of fans. It's partly about the music - KISS has never enjoyed much critical appeal or benefited from radio play, yet the band's Web site says it has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide - but its calling card is the live performance. And that means lots of blood-spitting, fire-breathing, pelvis-thrusting, laser-shooting and fireworks-blasting action, plus, most importantly, audience involvement.
Which brings us back to Walmart. The nation's largest retailer is relying on transcendent acts such as KISS to boost sagging CD sales, at a time when young consumers prefer to buy digital songs online - one track at a time - and then share them.
"They're just an iconic symbol of rock 'n' roll music," said Melissa O'Brien, a Walmart spokeswoman. "They have a following. Everyone knows the KISS logo."
Over the years, KISS has learned that its fans want the characters to keep the mystical makeup. After all, who wants their heroes to show their age? (The oldest band member, bassist Gene Simmons, celebrated his 60th birthday in August.)
In addition to the goodies for sale in electronics, Walmart will offer KISS makeup and wigs in the seasonal aisles. "This Halloween is kind of an adult Halloween, because it's occurring on a Saturday night," O'Brien said.
Halloween, huh? I must admit I've trick-or-treated as a KISS character - twice. Maybe it's time to go again...
Sources: KISS Online, Billboard, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Recording Industry Association of America, www.genesimmons.com and others.
Five fire-breathing questions about KISS
1. Who are the KISS alumni? Two original members are still in the band: bassist Gene Simmons, the "Demon" character, once dated Cher and Diana Ross and stars in A&E�s Family Jewels; and lead singer Paul Stanley, the "Star Child," who still excels as the flamboyant frontman. Simmons and Stanley put the group together while playing the New York club circuit in 1973.
The lead guitarist is Tommy Thayer (the Spaceman), a native Oregonian who once played in a KISS tribute band, and the drummer is Eric Singer (the Catman), a Cleveland native who has played percussion for Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Lita Ford and Queen.
The current four-man lineup has been intact since 2004. Drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley were the other original members. The KISS roster also has included drummer Eric Carr (who died in 1991.) Other lead guitarists included Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick.
2. What are KISS' biggest hits? Oddly, the KISS music that climbs highest on the charts is often dramatically different from the hard-driving sound its most loyal fans prefer.
The band's all-time best-selling single is Beth, a 1976 piano ballad made famous by now-departed drummer Criss that rose to No. 7 on the pop charts. The disco-influenced single I Was Made for Lovin' You reached No. 11 in 1979, and the ballad Forever hit No. 9 in 1990. The band's first Top 40 single was a live version of the party song Rock and Roll All Nite in 1975. KISS' bestselling album was the back-to-basics Psycho Circus in 1998, which rose to No. 3 on the album charts. The title song reached No. 1 among heritage rock listeners for four weeks and mainstream rock listeners for one week. Over the years, the band has produced seven studio albums that have gone platinum and one live album that has gone double platinum (KISS Alive II). The single Modern Day Delilah from the new Sonic Boom CD debuted last week at No. 26 on the heritage rock survey, according to Billboard.
3. How long does it take to put on all that makeup? KISS members have a pre-show ritual that includes putting on the makeup, and it takes about two hours, lead guitarist Thayer says.
"We do our own makeup," he said. "A lot of people are under the impression we have makeup artists, but every member of KISS has always done their own makeup. We get together in the dressing room for about two hours prior to a show. It's a very solitude environment. We don't let anybody else in there. We listen to our favorite music and transform into KISS characters. Our mind-set is being ready to go onstage, getting into that stage frame of mind. When we get onstage, it has to be 110 percent. We better be ready to go."
4. Has KISS been in the movies? Well, there was that unforgettable 1978 made-for-TV movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. The cult classic - KISS fans have learned to harbor a good sense of humor about these things - was shot at the California amusement park now known as Six Flags Magic Mountain and was shown on NBC, in prime time. It was among the highest rated shows of the year. On a more successful note, KISS' music has been featured in films such as Endless Love (I Was Made for Lovin' You); Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II); Dazed and Confused (Rock and Roll All Nite); Speed (Mr. Speed); Detroit Rock City (Shout It Out Loud, Detroit Rock City and Nothing Can Keep Me From You); and Halloween (God of Thunder).
5. Is KISS in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? No, but the band may be on the way. Last month, after 11 years of being eligible but snubbed, KISS was nominated for possible induction to the hall of fame, which is in Cleveland, in 2010. Inductees will be announced in January.
Key moments in KISStory
1974 - KISS' self-titled album debuts. Sales of the record and two subsequent efforts lag until the 1975 release of KISS Alive!, an explosive live recording that elevates the band to fame.
1975 - A high school football team in Cadillac, Mich., wins the state championship after a coach, desperate to bring out an extra effort from his students, plays KISS music before every game. KISS later visits the school and plays a show at the homecoming game.
1977 - A KISS comic book is published by Marvel. Band members donate their blood to be mixed with the red ink.
1980 - Drummer Peter Criss quits.
1982 - Original lead guitarist Ace Frehley quits the band.
1983 - KISS band members ditch their makeup.
1991 - Drummer Eric Carr, a character known as "the Fox" and a fixture of the band since 1980, dies from a rare form of heart cancer.
1995 - The four original KISS members reunite at a KISS convention and later appear on MTV�s Unplugged. They launch a reunion tour the following year, with a re-emphasis on their hard-driving 1970s rock music and makeup-wearing stage personas.
2004 - The current foursome is put in place: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.
10/06/2009
SO MUCH CATCHY ROCK
10/06/2009
EVERYTHING THAT ROCK 'N' ROLL SHOULD BE!
BY ERIC ANDERSEN
Gene Simmons doesn't give a damn whether people buy the new KISS album.
Sure, it would be great for the Wal-Mart exclusive Sonic Boom to sell a couple hundred thousand copies and go No. 1 on the Billboard charts, but at this point in the band's career, touring is all KISS needs to fuel the Gene machine's quest for money.
The last album KISS put out was 1998's Psycho Circus, which was mostly ghostwritten by former members and other musicians and only had about two or three memorable tracks. This time around, the music is all KISS-written and -produced, which gives it more of an old-school feel.
Sonic Boom isn't exactly a direct throwback to the '70s heyday of the band, but rather a combination of sounds ranging from 1976's Rock 'n' Roll Over to 1992's Revenge. The album has enough solid moments to make die-hard fans happy, while showing the rest of the world that the band can still rock 'n' roll all night long.BY ERIC ANDERSEN
Gene Simmons doesn't give a damn whether people buy the new KISS album.
Sure, it would be great for the Wal-Mart exclusive Sonic Boom to sell a couple hundred thousand copies and go No. 1 on the Billboard charts, but at this point in the band's career, touring is all KISS needs to fuel the Gene machine's quest for money.
The last album KISS put out was 1998's Psycho Circus, which was mostly ghostwritten by former members and other musicians and only had about two or three memorable tracks. This time around, the music is all KISS-written and -produced, which gives it more of an old-school feel.
Sonic Boom isn't exactly a direct throwback to the '70s heyday of the band, but rather a combination of sounds ranging from 1976's Rock 'n' Roll Over to 1992's Revenge. The album has enough solid moments to make die-hard fans happy, while showing the rest of the world that the band can still rock 'n' roll all night long.
The original KISS sound is hinted at throughout the album - most impressively on the raw opening track "Modern Day Delilah." The song has a warm production that is a testament to the greatness of analog sound that the popular performance-enhancing Pro Tools recording software cannot touch.
Surprisingly enough, Simmons steals the show on Sonic Boom. The blood-spewing demon has always been an underrated bass player, with awesome stage presence and a killer tone. "Russian Roulette" and "Hot and Cold" both feature Simmon's rumbling bass and trademark sexual innuendo-laden vocals.
"I'm an Animal" is one of the finest moments on the album. On the track Simmons boasts, "I'm alive / in the street / made of fire, made of heat / I'm an animal, and I'm free."
Frontman Paul Stanley's voice may have gotten a bit raspier over the years, but his singing still oozes with charisma. Tracks such as "Never Enough" and "Danger Us" contain powerful arena-rock anthem choruses, which prove why Stanley is one of the greatest vocalists of all time.
Even the so-called "new guys" - guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, who have actually been in the band for years - get a chance to prove themselves on the recording.
On "All For the Glory," Singer takes over on lead vocals, singing "We're all for one and we�re all for the glory / When it's all said and done / they're gonna know the story / because we're all for one and we're all for the glory now." The song's chorus may be cheesy, but it works excellently for KISS, and it's catchy as hell.
Thayer definitely proves his worth in his lead guitar work throughout Sonic Boom. The man can play some smokin' licks and also has a powerful set of pipes.
On "When Lightning Strikes," he sings, "It's my move the ground shaking / this time I'm gonna knock you down / I'm coming through, no more waiting / I'm on the move at the speed of sound."
The song features prominent use of cowbell and competes with the best of the '80s KISS material.
"Sonic Boom" is everything that rock 'n' roll should be - over-the-top lyrics filled with sexual innuendoes, loud guitars, and catchy hooks. Whether you like it, KISS is here to stay.
Eric's Picks: "Modern Day Delilah," "Never Enough," "I'm an Animal"
Gene Simmons doesn't give a damn whether people buy the new KISS album.
Sure, it would be great for the Wal-Mart exclusive Sonic Boom to sell a couple hundred thousand copies and go No. 1 on the Billboard charts, but at this point in the band's career, touring is all KISS needs to fuel the Gene machine's quest for money.
The last album KISS put out was 1998's Psycho Circus, which was mostly ghostwritten by former members and other musicians and only had about two or three memorable tracks. This time around, the music is all KISS-written and -produced, which gives it more of an old-school feel.
Sonic Boom isn't exactly a direct throwback to the '70s heyday of the band, but rather a combination of sounds ranging from 1976's Rock 'n' Roll Over to 1992's Revenge. The album has enough solid moments to make die-hard fans happy, while showing the rest of the world that the band can still rock 'n' roll all night long.BY ERIC ANDERSEN
Gene Simmons doesn't give a damn whether people buy the new KISS album.
Sure, it would be great for the Wal-Mart exclusive Sonic Boom to sell a couple hundred thousand copies and go No. 1 on the Billboard charts, but at this point in the band's career, touring is all KISS needs to fuel the Gene machine's quest for money.
The last album KISS put out was 1998's Psycho Circus, which was mostly ghostwritten by former members and other musicians and only had about two or three memorable tracks. This time around, the music is all KISS-written and -produced, which gives it more of an old-school feel.
Sonic Boom isn't exactly a direct throwback to the '70s heyday of the band, but rather a combination of sounds ranging from 1976's Rock 'n' Roll Over to 1992's Revenge. The album has enough solid moments to make die-hard fans happy, while showing the rest of the world that the band can still rock 'n' roll all night long.
The original KISS sound is hinted at throughout the album - most impressively on the raw opening track "Modern Day Delilah." The song has a warm production that is a testament to the greatness of analog sound that the popular performance-enhancing Pro Tools recording software cannot touch.
Surprisingly enough, Simmons steals the show on Sonic Boom. The blood-spewing demon has always been an underrated bass player, with awesome stage presence and a killer tone. "Russian Roulette" and "Hot and Cold" both feature Simmon's rumbling bass and trademark sexual innuendo-laden vocals.
"I'm an Animal" is one of the finest moments on the album. On the track Simmons boasts, "I'm alive / in the street / made of fire, made of heat / I'm an animal, and I'm free."
Frontman Paul Stanley's voice may have gotten a bit raspier over the years, but his singing still oozes with charisma. Tracks such as "Never Enough" and "Danger Us" contain powerful arena-rock anthem choruses, which prove why Stanley is one of the greatest vocalists of all time.
Even the so-called "new guys" - guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, who have actually been in the band for years - get a chance to prove themselves on the recording.
On "All For the Glory," Singer takes over on lead vocals, singing "We're all for one and we�re all for the glory / When it's all said and done / they're gonna know the story / because we're all for one and we're all for the glory now." The song's chorus may be cheesy, but it works excellently for KISS, and it's catchy as hell.
Thayer definitely proves his worth in his lead guitar work throughout Sonic Boom. The man can play some smokin' licks and also has a powerful set of pipes.
On "When Lightning Strikes," he sings, "It's my move the ground shaking / this time I'm gonna knock you down / I'm coming through, no more waiting / I'm on the move at the speed of sound."
The song features prominent use of cowbell and competes with the best of the '80s KISS material.
"Sonic Boom" is everything that rock 'n' roll should be - over-the-top lyrics filled with sexual innuendoes, loud guitars, and catchy hooks. Whether you like it, KISS is here to stay.
Eric's Picks: "Modern Day Delilah," "Never Enough," "I'm an Animal"
10/06/2009
KISS MAKE UP WITH OLD FANS
10/06/2009
KISS STILL ROCKS 'N' ROLLS ALL NIGHT
10/05/2009
KISS ARMY WE WANT YOUR PICTURES & CLIPS
10/05/2009
SONIC BOOM IN-STUDIO CLIP #6
10/05/2009
BLACK DIAMOND CLIP FROM MOHEGAN SUN
