Kiss News

08/23/2014

ARMY INDY, YOU LOOK GREAT!

Here's the KISS Army at last night's show at the Klipsch Music Center in Indiana.

Photos by Soni Giles for KOL.

08/23/2014

INTERVIEW WITH ERIC SINGER

Posted By Katherine Coplen

KISS drummer Eric Singer had several pieces of good advice for me about bands. And life. He was just full of pearls of wisdom when I spoke with him in late July about KISS' most recent tour. Gems like, "You've got to keep your head together, keep it on straight, keep your nose clean, stay out of trouble." "I always look at music just like life. It's like a roller coaster. Sometimes you get to ride the ride and sometimes you're chugging up the hill." Of course, tonight KISS and Def Leppard hit the stage at Klipsch where Singer won't be giving any advice, but instead just laying waste to his massive kit.

Here's my Q&A with Singer.

NUVO: You were last here with Motley Crue, I believe, two years ago. What are some memories of Indianapolis from previous shows here?

Eric Singer: I've been to Indianapolis many times. Because that's the heartland of America, but it's also one of the main heartlands of KISS. I always tell people, Indianapolis, Detroit and Cleveland are the three cities where KISS Alive I, II and III were recorded. All three of those albums return to those three cities and they use whatever individual performances from whichever night, which compiled those albums. It's always been one of the bases of our KISS Army fan base, big time. And as you know, there's always a KISS fan expo put on in Indianapolis. That is the premier and number one KISS fan expo. Like I said, we have a lot of connections to that city, personally, as well as professionally as a band.

NUVO: Whenever I interview a classic rock act, I ask to talk to the drummer. I love the drummers.

Singer: I don't know if you saw, but there's a study that claims that drummers are actually � now mind you, I'm paraphrasing � that drummers are usually of a high intellect. � People think drummers are stupid because they hit things and it shakes their brain up, but like I said, this study claims otherwise.

NUVO: Deen Castronovo of Journey told me that the band that made him want to be a drummer was KISS. He says KISS was his Beatles, the reason he became a musician. He saw you and thought, �That's what I want to do forever.� Who did that for you?

Singer: Well, it's hard to say just one individual person, but I would say that everybody of my generation was definitely influenced by the Beatles. I was 6 years old when they were on Ed Sullivan, and they definitely impacted everybody. It wasn't just Ringo, as the drummer; it was the whole Beatles phenomenon. Everybody wanted to look like them, they wanted to grow their hair, they wanted to play guitar, or drums or both. I remember picking up tennis rackets and mimicking it. We thought it was the coolest thing. I've have to say probably [in terms of specific drummer inspiration] Ringo Starr, and Dave Clark and the Dave Clark Five. He had this red sparkle Rogers drum set, and I thought that was really cool � and the band was named after him and he was the drummer. I liked a lot of big bands, like Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson, were definitely two major guys. � I could name a whole slew of guys who either, at different points, impacted or influenced me either because of their drumming or the band. I find myself more influenced by the music and the band than the drummer that is in that particular band. So a lot of times it's more about the music and the band than just the drummer, per se.

NUVO: Who are some modern drummers that you follow?

Singer: I'll tell you, with YouTube, there's a lot of little kids that are out there, like 7 or 8 or 9. There's a kid named Avery Molek. I think he's 7 and that kid is amazing. There's a little girl, a Filipino girl named Alexey. She's amazing. There's a kid who goes by the name Jonah Rocks, he's from Canada and he's amazing. Those are just three little kids that I'm totally impressed by. I mean, these kids are at a level that is so frightening at a young age. Most of them have only played like three or four years, some of them five years maybe. They're better than most � I'm not exaggerating. If you go watch them, you're going to go, �Oh, my god.�

Thomas Pridgen (The Memorials, Suicidal Tendencies), he's a great drummer. Of course everybody is going to say, the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl, but Taylor Hawkins or Dave Grohl, both those guys who played on the (Foo Fighters) records. I like the band Muse and the drummer of Muse (Dominic Howard). I'm thinking of more. The Foo Fighters, they're not a new band, but they're a newer generation of [guys] than what I grew up on. Those are just a handful of guys. To me, like I said, I'm always more impacted by music more so than the individual player. I've always been more of a guitar freak � not just the guitar as an instrument, but also as art. I love the way that the instruments look. There's a beauty just in the instrument. I've always been attracted to bands that are guitar-driven. If you look at my career, most of the bands that I've played with � those bands were definitely guitar-based and guitar-driven. But they all write good songs. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how great you play, initially; if you can't write a song, you're going to have a tough time.

NUVO: KISS just announced a Las Vegas residency. Tell me about that.

Singer: I don't know much about it, really. We just know we're going to be there for three weeks. Basically, you do three shows a week for three weeks, and they call that a residency. I'm not going to stay there and live there during that time. [People say], �Oh, so you're going to be here for three weeks,� and I'm like, no! We got there and play and go home, because I live in LA and it's an hour flight. But I don't know what our plans are, regarding that with production, what the setlist is going to be. I'm already in the works about getting a drum kit built so I can have something, a different look, something unique or special for that particular run. I was just on the phone with the drum company an hour ago expressing that very stuff.

I actually asked our management to talk to Paul and Gene about a week ago to see what ideas they might have. They hadn't gotten to that point yet. When you're in the middle of a big tour, you're trying to stay focused on what you're doing. It's pretty much � I'm like, what am I doing today? Tomorrow? The next day? The best survival tactic, especially when you're on tours, is to stay in the moment. To keep thinking about what you did do or didn't do too far down the line; stay kind of more in the immediate next couple days of what's going on.

NUVO: I read that Joe Elliot from Def Leppard has been introducing you guys on stage, at least once � maybe twice. Is this a tour-long thing?

Singer: He only did it once, and that was last Saturday. Everybody took a break this week for five days. We're going to be based out of New York for a couple of weeks. There's a mutual respect for each other's bands, individually. Those guys, especially Joe, he's just a great guy. He's just a regular guy. I said in a previous interview: he reminds me of the guy that you grew up with at school that was just really passionate music and the bands that they love and he just happens to be in a band himself. Ironically, he ended up in a pretty damn successful one. Those guys, you know every song that they're playing. They have so many great songs and so many hits, it's like working through a Top 40 radio station, looking at their catalog.

NUVO: 2014 has been pretty good to KISS. The band (albeit the original lineup) was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band was on the cover of Rolling Stone, you have this new arena football team. Is this a particular moment for the band?

Singer: There's no formula for success, because if there was people would bottle it and sell it, and we'd all be doing it. I do think there are some practical applications of certain kind of business tactics and mindsets if you want to be successful at any kind of business. You've got to keep your head together, keep it on straight, keep your nose clean, stay out of trouble. Don't get involved with other crap like that, because you're not going to survive in life, if you do that. And Gene and Paul, they're the main face of the band, the ones who started and always kept it going. I always look at music just like life. It's like a roller coaster. Sometimes you get to ride the ride and sometimes you're chugging up the hill, if you know what I mean. I use that as a figurative example. It's peaks and valleys. You go up and down, up and down, and that's the way it is. For KISS' whole career, it's been peaks and valleys.

The version of KISS that exists now, with Tommy Thayer, myself, Gene and Paul, has been the most consistent, longest-tenured lineup for over ten years now. And mind you, we know what started it. The original band started it all. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be drumming with them now and we wouldn't be talking about KISS. They created that special, unique thing that is KISS. But sometimes, you just can't survive the same way. It's just like a marriage; it's not going to always last. Sometimes people get divorced and they find another person, and they get remarried. And then they end up [with] happiness. And that's kind of how it is for KISS. I think it's pretty incredible what they built, what they created with those original guys. And I'm thankful for that and I totally respect it. I think sometimes people think that somehow [we're] trying to forget what started or what created it. And believe me, nobody is trying to forget that. � Unfortunately, in many cases, with most bands, it doesn't last forever. And sometimes you have to move on. It's called survival. And sometimes one of your survival tactics is to make changes so you can survive at the end of the day. And that's kind of the story of KISS when you look at it.

I think we found a consistent lineup and situation between the four of us now that exists. We did it. Everybody knows what their job is, what their gig is with this band. And everybody's a pro about it. We get along, we have fun on our tours, and that's what it's all about. Our manager always says to everybody, on every different level, �Stay in your lane.� In other words, everybody knows what their gig is, what their job is. Just do that, and don't worry about what everybody else is or isn't doing. Is everybody holds their own, together, the sum becomes greater than its parts.

08/22/2014

KISS / DEF LEPPARD TOUR IN INDY TONIGHT

KISS' 40th Anniversary Tour with Def Leppard invades the Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville, IN tonight!

The Dead Daisies open the show at 7 pm.

Photo by Terry Wilson for KISSONLINE.

08/22/2014

KISS COMES BACK TO DETROIT ROCK CITY

By Gary Graff

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Kiss� first album, but the theatrical rockers � who, of course, coined the term �rock �n� roll all night and party ev-er-y day� � are hardly letting it go by quietly.

The year so far has seen the group�s original lineup inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and frontman Paul Stanley put his autobiography on the New York Times best-sellers list. Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons also began their ownership of the Arena Football League�s L.A. Kiss, which is being documented on a new AMC reality show, �4th and Loud.� The group also released a new compilation, �Kiss 40,� and re-released its catalog on vinyl, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time ever and struck a deal with Major League Baseball for an extensive line of branded products.

And looking forward, Kiss is planning some documentaries � including one about its 1975 visit to Cadillac, Mich. � DVDs, a sequel to the band autobiography �Nothing To Lose� and more.

�There�s a lot of stuff, and all very exciting,� notes Simmons, 64.

But Stanley, 62, says that�s all part and parcel of Kiss being Kiss and nothing out of the norm just because it�s been 40 years.

�Every year is an anniversary, y�know?� notes Stanley, who was born Stan Eisen. �Is it more meaningful because it�s got a zero on the end? Not to me. Every day surviving and moving, moving forward and keeping Kiss vibrant and vital, it�s an anniversary. We�re not going out there to do anything except what we do.�

The Israeli-born Simmons (nee Klein), meanwhile, says he and Stanley � along with current guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer � view the 40-year mark as proof they were right, and Kiss� many naysayers were wrong.

�I think they�re missing out on an important point, which is go out there and enjoy life,� Simmons explains. �The Scrooge mentality simply does not work. You can hate Kiss, but come to the show. You�ll have the time of your life. It�s uplifting. There�s nothing negative. There are enough problems in the world without guys who wear more makeup and higher heels than your mom waxing poetic on all sorts of issues. We make you forget about the traffic jam and the fight you had with your girlfriend. It�s just magic time.�

Kiss was pleased the Rock Hall finally got it this year after years of campaigning by fans. The group�s induction had its share of drama: Stanley and Simmons, angry the powers that be would only induct the original lineup, refused to perform with former members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. But their speeches were warm and heartfelt, and the moment worked for all concerned.

�It�s an honor because it was important to the fans,� Simmons explains. �I really doesn�t mean that much to me. But it�s also a slap in the face, because they didn�t honor Eric and Tommy, who have been in the band longer than (Frehley and Criss).

�On the other hand, I�ve got nothing to complain about, so I hope none of it comes out like sour grapes. It�s been very, very good, and there�s more good to come, I can promise you that.�

08/21/2014

PHOTOS: CREW AT WORK

Here's band stylist Dave Mathews helping Gene put in his ear monitors before a recent show on the KISS 40th Anniversary Tour.

Photos by Keith Leroux for KISSONLINE.

08/21/2014

KISS TOUR HITS PENNSYLVANIA ON SUNDAY

By Alan Sculley

Earlier this year, Kiss received a big dose of vindication when the original edition of the band � singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist-singer Gene Simmons, guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss � were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Today's edition of Kiss � with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer having replaced Frehley and Criss � is following up that event with a tour that marks the 40th anniversary of the group. The group will play Aug. 24 at First Niagara Pavilion, Burgettstown.

Obviously, Kiss has had a major impact on rock 'n' roll � in terms of albums sold (more than 100 million worldwide), stage shows (groundbreaking pyro-filled productions) and appearance (their iconic makeup gave a blueprint for any number of acts from Slipknot to Daft Punk to the Residents).

The makeup �� with Stanley as the starchild, Simmons the demon, Frehley the space ace and Criss the catman � remains perhaps Kiss' greatest signature, and it helped create a mystique that was a big part of the band's appeal in the 1970s and early '80s � the group's peak years as hitmakers.

Looking at today's pervasive social media, Stanley doubts Kiss could have kept the secrecy that created a larger-than-life image for the band.

�I think that certainly, in all walks of life in terms of public figures, there is a certain mystique that is gone because everything is known,� Stanley says. �I think mystique is healthy. And I think to glamorize and fantasize is a good thing. I'm not sure that Kiss could have accomplished what we did initially in this time because (in the '70s and '80s) we could make sure that photos weren't available and the paparazzi didn't have photos of us out of makeup. We could create this mystique.�

When the band came on the scene in 1973, music fans hadn't seen anything like Kiss. The first three studio albums sold modestly, but the group managed to launch the early versions of what would become a continually more extravagant live show.

The commercial breakthrough came with the 1975 concert release, the double LP, �Alive.� Featuring the hit �Rock and Roll All Nite,� it opened the door to a string of hit studio albums that continued through 1979's �Dynasty.� Simmons says the group could sense that something was happening by the time of �Alive.�

�It wasn't about the albums,� Simmons says. �It was about the crowds getting bigger and bigger. And it was about the fervor, how crazy the fans were getting. So, we weren't looking at the charts or the numbers or anything like that because, remember, we're playing five and six shows a week. ... But we did realize that within a year and a half of our debuting, we were playing Anaheim Stadium, headlining.

�We knew something was up,� he says. �We don't have any hit singles, and here we are (in Anaheim) headlining over all sorts of bands who have been around for decades.�

Since then, there have been albums that bombed (�Music From �The Elder' �), others that have been hits (�Crazy Nights�), lineup changes, an unmasking that lasted from 1983 to 1996, a reunion of the original lineup and a return of the makeup and several recent arena-filling tours with the current lineup.

So, with induction into the hall in the rear-view mirror, Stanley, Simmons, Thayer and Singer are doing what they consider far more important than awards �� playing live. Stanley promises this summer's 40th anniversary tour (with Def Leppard) will more than live up to past live extravaganzas.

�I believe that this is the greatest and really the best stage that we've ever had,� Stanley says. �The band is firing on all cylinders, so between that and the fact that we're psyched up for this and we're celebrating our 40th year, we're out there to do a victory lap, although the race isn't over yet. There will be more races. But this is a celebration of everything we've done until today.�

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