Kiss News

www.rockandbrews.com

Watch 4th and Loud tonight at 10|9c on AMC TV.

Gene Simmons sits down for an in-depth discussion with award-winning newsman Dan Rather for a special edition of THE BIG INTERVIEW, on Tuesday, September 30, at 8pE/5pP.

By Leslie Collins / Kansas City Business Journal

Traveling across the country on tour, the members of KISS tasted plenty of terrible food.

At the time, it was difficult to find a restaurant open late at night, and when it was, the food had been sitting there for hours.

"Fresh is something we don't often talk about, but there's nothing like fresh food," KISS frontman Gene Simmons said.

Simmons was in Overland Park on Sunday and Monday to visit his Rock & Brews restaurant, which he founded with Paul Stanley of KISS, restaurateur Michael Zislis and concert industry veterans Dave and Dell Furano.

Despite a packed schedule, Stanley and Simmons play an active role in the Rock & Brews restaurants. Both participate in owners meetings, receive daily sales reports and are involved in restaurant design and the music platform. Simmons focuses on business development and growth, and Stanley focuses on menu items.

"It really is division of labor," Simmons said. "You don't want to do something you're not qualified to do. I'm not the guy that knows the ingredients that goes into everything. It's really a team (effort). The real credit goes to the people who roll up their sleeves and every day make sure the food is spectacular and the people who greet you and take care of you and make your experience spectacular."

Rock & Brews prides itself on freshly made food and never uses frozen beef, an unusual quest in the restaurant business, said Kirk Williams, regional franchise partner for Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado.

More than the food, however, it's about the atmosphere. Rock 'n' roll greats are plastered on the walls, classic rock music videos and concert footage plays on big screen TVs, there's a full-service bar, a small play area for children, and pets are welcome in a patio area. Patrons also can watch their favorite local sports team on TV.

"It's not just a food establishment; it's an environment," Simmons said. "We want an experience, not 'Let's just have a burger.' If you want a burger, go to McDonald's."

Four decades on tour has influenced the way Simmons views the Rock & Brews concept, which now has eight U.S. locations. Just like his music fans are the "bosses," so are the patrons of Rock & Brews. Without the patrons, "we're nobody," he said.

"It is always about giving people more bang for the buck," Simmons said. "We try to bring elements of what KISS does and continues to do across the world, which is always to give people more."
Expansion plans

Williams said he's already looking for a second Kansas City-area location and added that the Overland Park location is doing well. Rock & Brews owners want to add restaurants worldwide but will focus on "responsible growth," Williams said.

Asked how many restaurants they plan to open in the next one to five years, Simmons said it's best not to focus on numbers.

"That's not the way to do it," Simmons said. "We want to go one step at a time and make sure the quality is there. You're only as good as your partner. You don't want to open up something from far away if you don't know who has skin in the game, who has roots in the local community, who cares about the local community and hires locally. The last thing we want to do is open too many and have any one of them not do well. ... The best advertising we can do is to make our bosses happy."

The countdown continues to the 2014 edition of Hell & Heaven Metal Fest and its organizers have confirmed that KISS will bring its massive Monster stage to Mexico for the first time!

"KISS has very high technical requirements, with which we have never dealt with before. Traveling with a staff of 162 people and 100 tons of equipment. This is going to be the very first time KISS� Monster stage comes to Mexico, the massive structure that looks like a spider.  This version is revised and expanded," said Javier Castaneda in an interview with the newspaper Reforma.

KISS headlines the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest on Saturday, October 25 at the Autrodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Over 60 thousand fans are expected.

http://hellandheavenfest.com/2014B/

Check out this great fan-made KISS Demon shoe that was spotted at the Kansas City Rock & Brews.

We offer our condolences and deepest sympathies to Tommy on his mother's passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Paul, Eric and Gene.

Just got my nails done...a little tribute to my FAVORITES!! Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons - KISS!

Christie

Add a touch of legendary KISS to your home or office with iconic KISS wall art! Pick between various sizes and finishes to create your ideal pieces. Options include canvas, wood mount, laminate, photographic print, and frames in over 100 different styles.

By Paul Adkins / www.LoganBanner.com

Let me start by saying that I�ve never really been much of a fan at all of the Arena Football League, reality TV or of the 1970s/80s rock band KISS.

The new AMC reality show �4th and Loud� is made up all all three but it has got me hooked.

It is now TIVO�d.

I�ve set it up for a season pass.

Done.

For those of you who might be unaware of the reality TV show, �4th and Loud� gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the Arena Football League�s expansion team, the LA Kiss, which is co-owned by KISS band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.

The docu-series, which debuted on Aug. 12, chronicles the struggles of a cobbled-together expansion indoor football team through a rough first season.

Stanley and Simmons and the team�s management offer up their vision of a business start up: a unique and eclectic mix of football and a KISS rock concert blended into one at Anaheim�s Honda Center.

The LA KISS play on an unusual silver football field.

With the loud rock music, the flashing lights and the pyrotechnics you would think you were at a KISS concert.

That�s the idea.

Then there�s the women.

Eat your heart out XFL cheerleaders.

The LA KISS cheerleaders are not cheerleaders in the classic sense. They are dancers. Scantily-clad in black leather skirts, fishnet stockings and black boots, the women perform their dance routines and entertain the crowd at each home game. If it were 1979, the LA KISS Girls might have been KISS roadies.

�We have great dancers, and they�re not cheerleaders,� Stanley tells Entertainment TV. �Cheerleaders have almost become adolescent. We wanted to have girls who were women. And they�d better dance. I don�t want the girl next door, I want the girl you wish were next door.�

At one point in one of the early episodes, the LA KISS kicker seems to be distracted by one of the beautiful blonde cheerleaders, um, dancers. He misses four kicks in a game and the following week the team holds open tryouts at kicker.

He�s told not to fraternize anymore with the dance team member.

The kicker�s girlfriend also catches wind about the lovie-dovie-ness between the two and is not thrilled.

The LA KISS kicker, though, outperforms his rivals, stays away from the dancer (for the most part) and keeps his job.

Fourth and Loud, however, is about football.

Stanley and Simmons, however, make no qualms about it.

They are not big football fans and their knowledge of the game is very limited but they seem to care about the players and they, of course, want to win.

The band members go to visit an injured LA KISS player, who the week before had torn his ACL and would likely be out of action for more than a year.

�Make sure he gets everything that he needs,� Simmons says upon leaving.

But at the same time, the band members are also businessmen and are very blunt.

A team marketing director shows Simmons and Stanley KISS bobbleheads which would be given away at a game the next night.

The KISS members don�t care for the likenesses, or lack of.

�The design elements are horrible! Do you know what�s interesting? We never saw these until now,� Simmons said.

Stanley and Simmons have branded their KISS name on a product, a team, a form of entertainment and have stuck their neck out so losing is no option.

Continued losing could hurt ticket sales and the buzz created about the whole endevaour could fade away.

�(Losing) is very disheartening,� Stanley said. �For somebody who was not from a sports background, look, in life I don�t like to lose. There are parts of this that are completely out of my hands, so you have to be able to let go. Losing is disappointing. But winning is exhilarating. I would love for us to win, and that will take longer than we thought.�

Often times in the series, LA KISS head coach Bob McMillen, himself a former Arena Football Player and a member of the AFL Hall of Fame, butts heads with the team�s front office and many times fears for his job as the losing mounts.

After this week�s episode, we know the LA KISS are 3-9 with six more games to play.

Stanley and Simmons are thrilled after the LA KISS beat Portland at home.

But we know this wild excitement will only be short lived.

We know (SPOILER ALERT) how the rest of the season went.

The LA KISS finished a woeful 3-15, losing their last six games, and tied for the worst record in the league.

Despite the bad season, Stanley and Simmons seem to be on board for another season in 2015.

Always the savvy businessmen, the KISS band members have the ultimate gimmick � a smart one at that � a free KISS concert at season�s end for season ticket holders.

This year�s free concert is October 29, the team�s website says. Another is planned at the end of the 2015 season.

The TV show offers a little bit of everything.

For football fans, it�s about the struggles of putting together a winning team.

For reality show fans, it�s fun and interesting to watch.

For KISS fans, it�s a chance to see Simmons and Stanley in a way you have never seen them.

Yes, the makeup is off.

This may be a shameless plug but here it goes �

Fourth and Loud can be seen at 10 p.m. on Tuesday nights on AMC.

Shout it out out loud.