Kiss News

09/10/2015

HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY, KISS' 'ALIVE!'

by Justin Farrar  |  www.rhapsody.com

Released on September 10, 1975, mere months after the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon, Alive! helped transform KISS from popular concert draw to globally recognized rock stars. If the double album isn�t rock�s greatest live album, then surely it makes the short list, right up there with Live at Leeds, At Fillmore East and Cheap Trick at Budokan. In April, Rolling Stoneranked Alive! No. 6 in its "50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time." From the PA announcer�s opening proclamation (�You wanted the best, and you got it. The hottest band in the land � KISS!�) to the definitive version of "Rock and Roll All Nite" found on side four, we�re talking a roller-coaster ride through classic rock at its most gloriously raucous and bombastic. Multiple generations of teens honed their air guitar chops to this music, even going so far as to re-create the entire concert in their parents� basements � complete with makeup. (I know, because I did.)

Though the group had previously released three studio efforts, none had the commercial impact of Alive!, which managed to entrench itself in the Billboard 200 for the subsequent two years. The trio of albums in question (KISS, Hotter than Hell and Dressed to Kill) certainly contained fine moments, yet what they lacked was KISS� single greatest asset: their showmanship. After all, whenPaul Stanley and Gene Simmons began assembling the band in New York City in late 1972, they envisioned a live act first and foremost. Compare the studio versions of �Deuce,� �Firehouse� and �Black Diamond� to those found on Alive!, and this becomes evident. Where the former are well performed and focused, the latter are blistering and electric, bigger than life. Clearly locked in a feedback loop, KISS and crowd feed off one another�s endless reserves of energy.

But the greatness of Alive! can�t be reduced to just the music. Also key to its success is what goes on in between the tunes, like the eardrum-rupturing cheers as Paul Stanley extols the joys of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Just before tearing into �Strutter,� the hairy-chested Starchild shouts, �Woah! How ya doin�? Oh, yeah! Looks like we gonna have ourselves a rock and roll party tonight!� Even better is the monologue between �Got to Choose� and �Hotter Than Hell�: �Woah, yeah! Alright! I tell y�all. I got this feeling tonight�s going to be one of those hot nights. Yeah! We gonna get this place � hotter than hell!� When it comes to off-the-cuff flamboyance Stanley has no rivals in rock�s hallowed pantheon. In fact, his onstage banter is so legendary that through the years devoted KISS fans have created sprawling mixes of nothing but his between-song antics.

Stanley has been quoted as saying that �the whole idea of rock and roll lifestyle is a cartoon.� Not only does this statement reflect his own onstage theatrics, but the very essence of Alive!. The album sucks listeners into a comic book-like world that is fun, colorful and utterly unapologetic. In this sense, Alive! isn�t just a live album: It�s a mode of escape, and you crank the record knowing that for the next 80 minutes whatever might have you down (parents, crappy job, homework) takes a back seat to KISS� wildly over-the-top vision of rock 'n' roll. Happy 40th anniversary, Alive!

09/10/2015

Paul Stanley's New 10-Piece Band Plays Soul Classics, Not KISS Songs

By Daniel Kohn
LA Weekly

For the better part of the past 40-plus years, Paul Stanley has been known as the lead singer of KISS. But there�s more to being a rock icon than painting your face and putting on a dynamic live show. In his autobiography, Face the Music, Stanley mentions early on how he got into the Motown and Philly soul, and that played as much of a role as British rock did in shaping his career.

To honor those influences, Stanley, along with nine other musicians, formed Paul Stanley�s Soul Station. The group has honed a repertoire of 17 songs so far, which the singer says is enough without being too much. Playing only soul and R&B covers from that golden era of Motown, Stax/Volt and Philadelphia International, Stanley�s new band is a lot different from the band that made his career. For starters, squeezing the band onto the Roxy stage on Sept. 11 may be a challenge; the KISS guitarist/singer jokes that �maybe we�ll have to be on each other�s shoulders.�

Ahead of that show, we caught up with the Soul Station impresario to hear about the project�s origins, how important of a role this music played in his own songwriting, and what fans can expect from the band's live show.

Why at this point in your career did you decide to form this group?
A lot of people have asked me similar questions. But before I saw Led Zeppelin, I saw Otis Redding, I saw Solomon Burke and I saw The Temptations. I grew up as much on real blues, R&B, Motown and Philly soul as British rock.

I just find myself thinking that people go to live shows paying for Kobe beef and getting dog food. You get computerized music with fake vocals, and it had me thinking about all of the great Motown and Philly soul acts that did these great songs and delivered the goods. I thought it was a great thing to celebrate, so I called some of the top people who I knew and when I told them what I wanted to do, [and] everybody without hesitation said they were in.

It is a celebration of that music and it�s done respectfully and authentically. Classics don�t need to be reinterpreted, they need to be shown the respect and reverence that they deserve.

When did you start putting the band together?
A year ago. I put out some feelers to get a sense who I should try to get involved. The players have the pedigrees that I wanted. One of the keyboard players, Alex Alessandroni, was one of the musical directors for Whitney Houston and has worked with Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Bobby Brown. Sean Hurley, the bassist, plays with John Mayer. Eric Singer, who has been the drummer of KISS for 21 years, is also an incredibly well-rounded musician.

To hear these songs played, it�s just off the hook. When you hear these songs live, they�re injected with something that is missing. I just found myself reaching a point where what you expect from a live show is so far from what [you] get that I think this is a wake-up call and a celebration of something that we should hold much more dear to our musical heritage.

How fluid was the formation of the band? Between your schedule and everyone else�s, was it easy to get everyone to practice?
Initially, we didn�t have a lot of rehearsals. What was so surprising is everybody did their homework, [so] when we came into rehearsals, we were 90 percent there. The set list goes everywhere from The Dramatics to The Isley Brothers, from The Stylistics to The Spinners.

Do these songs, in addition to British rock, serve as the foundation to what you�ve done with both your solo and KISS songs in terms of melody and harmony?
Absolutely. You think about Ken Gamble and Leon Huff producing and writing all of that great Philly soul. That�s in my blood. I don't think you have to imitate music anymore than you have to imitate art you�re inspired by. You�re always inspired by somebody, but hopefully your taste is good.

When did this go from a cool idea to an actual band?
We played three months ago at a private function, and it was a matter of everyone sorting out their schedules. It came down to finding time  � specifically my time. I had a South American and European tour of stadiums and arenas. At this point, we�re looking at when we can do a string of dates, so that�s what�s next. When we announced Soul Station was playing on September 11, promoters started asking about dates and if there�s a tour. That is the plan, and I can�t think of anything better to do.

It was important to me to make sure that everybody knew up front � meaning the public � before anyone bought a ticket that people knew what they were getting into. This isn�t a KISS show or a rock show, and I�m not playing a guitar. This is a whole different thing and I�d rather nobody be surprised because I want this to find its own audience, and I want people who love this music to be there. I wanted no one to expect to hear �Love Gun,� because we couldn�t play any of those songs with a love gun to our head.

Are there plans to record an album or EP?
We�re doing a DVD and that�s the way to go. Capturing the event is really what it�s about for me instead of just sitting and listening to the recording. Honestly, there are great recordings of these songs. To experience seeing a live band playing these songs the way they�re meant to be played is really what it�s about. In some cases, not only do we play these songs as good as they are on record, but in some cases unfortunately, we play it better than some of the people who are still playing them.

Paul Stanley's Soul Station makes its concert debut Friday, Sept. 11 at the Roxy. Tickets and more info.

09/09/2015

PAUL STANLEY TALKS KISS ALIVE! ON TALK IS JERICHO

It's the 40th Anniversary of "KISS Alive!" and Paul Stanley is here to celebrate the milestone event! He remembers whose idea it was to do a live album, why they decided to do it, and what they added in the studio before it was released! Hear stories about the infamous 70's KISS road crew, why KISS died their hair blue-black, and how they really felt about the choreographed "Deuce" moves! Plus, Paul has a special message for Dee Snider! 

CLICK HERE to listen now!

09/07/2015

Experience the KISS 'The Spider' Stage

www.PerthArena.com.au

Perth will be the first city in Australia to experience the new KISS stage production called �The Spider�.  Unveiled in Stockholm, Sweden, the stage will make its first appearance down under at Perth Arena on Saturday 3 October.

At the centre of the massive production is a spider which is suspended above the stage and controlled by 38 computer controlled winches, enabling it to move up and down like a big puppet at multiple speeds during the show.

The spider concept came from KISS frontman Paul Stanley who sketched a monster above the stage to tie in with the 2012 KISS album �Monster�.

A 3D cad drawing was then produced which was sent to a specialist rigging company in Las Vegas who worked on how to build, hang and move the spider.

With a 64� x 32� video wall at the rear of the stage, �The Spider� stage weighs 43,500kgs, is powered by 400,000 watts of sound, uses 900 pieces of pyrotechnics, 20 flame machines, 300 kgs of dry ice and 220 automated lights.

The production is shipped in 16 x 48� semi-trailers and takes over 60 touring staff and over 100 local staff to build.


Take a behind the scenes look at the stage here: 

Don�t miss KISS and special guests The Dead Daisies when they kick off their Australian tour at Perth Arena on October 3.

Tickets and VIP Packages are on sale now through Ticketek.
 

09/06/2015

Rock �n roll history in Cadillac

Behind the scenes of 1975 � how the KISS concert really happened

BY MARDI SUHS / CADILLAC NEWS

CADILLAC � Rock n� roll history was made in 1975 when KISS, a heavy metal band, drove to a small town in northern Michigan to join their Home-coming celebrations. Seven semis preceded them, filled with everything needed for a full on, hard driving KISS concert.

�This is one of the great stories in rock n� roll history,� stated Jim Neff, a former teach-er and coach at Cadillac High School. �This story has been told countless times, on VH1, MTV, ESPN and in publications across the world.� And now, Hollywood is making the event into a movie.

This year, the KISS Cadillac Homecoming 40th Anniversary Celebration, Oct. 9-10, will re create the major events that happened in 1975.

Let�s look back at how it all came about.

In 1975, the fallout from the anti-establishment sentiments of the 1960s were impacting the culture. Music was changing. The British invasion was over and heavy metal was emerging.

The New York City band KISS had their first concert in 1973. According to author Ken Sharp, they were about to change rock n� roll forever with their �thunderous sound� and outrageous appearance.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

09/05/2015

Coming soon - KISS Replicas Official KISS Costumes

That 70's Era Look, Feel and Vibe...created with today's technology, materials and hands on fabrication.

KISS Replicas Official KISS Costumes will bridge the gap between what once was....and what can be done today.

We hear the roar of the crowd...and we're going to make all of your KISS Costuming Dreams a reality.

http://www.kissreplicas.com/

09/03/2015

These 12 Extremely Non-Metal Covers Of KISS Songs Still Rock

Not every KISS remake rocks and rolls all night.

by / VH1

From the moment KISS first permanently conquered rock, metal, and, in fact, all forms of pop culture in the mid-1970s, artists have been covering the group�s songs.

Typically, dipping into the KISS catalogue is a favorite activity of garage bands, hardcore bruisers, and, of course, heavy metal artists. In fact, when it comes to headbangers paying musical tribute to their face-painted heroes, metal�s entire spectrum, from glitzy glam to brutal blackness, covers KISS.

Alas, hard and/or heavy is not a requirement when it comes to covering KISS. Discounting tangentially metal sounds such as Nirvana�s grunge rave-up of �Do You Love Me?� and the Replacement�s drunk-punk �Black Diamond,� delving into non-metal performances of KISS material makes for some mighty odd musical bedfellows. Here are ten of the oddest excursions.

12. �Fui Hecho Para Amarte� � Menudo (1981)

�Fui Hecho Para Amarte� is Spanish for �I Was Made for Loving You.� It�s fitting, then, that when Latin music�s premiere, eternally youthful (via forced teenage retirement) dance-oriented boy band took a crack at a KISS song, it would be KISS�s initially bellyached-about, ultimately deemed kickass attempt to go disco. Menudo�s cover ups the song�s inherent pop factor and those prepubescent voices successfully sell the message. Menudo, too, was made for loving you, baby.

11. �Heaven�s on Fire� � Hayseed Dixie (2003)
Novelty bluegrass act Hayseed Dixie formed in 2001 largely to put out the cult album, A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC (their name, of course, is a play on AC/DC). Following the 2002 multi-artist cover album A Hillbilly Tribute to Mountain Love (which contains �rockgrass� reworkings of Queen�s �Fat Bottom Girls� and Spinal Tap�s �Big Bottom�), in 2003 Hayseed Dixie delivered KISS My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to KISS. The title delivers what it promises, impressively hick-ifying nuggets from the entire spectrum of KISS�s career.

CLICK HERE to red the rest of the story at VH1

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