Kiss News

By Lance Pugmire

Rock 'n' roll legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the band KISS have cut back their concert schedule to about 70 shows a year now.

Stanley is finishing his autobiography. The pair are opening a chain of restaurants/bars.

And they�re anticipating the start of the Arena Football League season, where the new team they own, the L.A. KISS, will debut at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

In video interviews with The Times this week at the Ducks� home opener at Honda Center, Simmons and Stanley discussed their vision and hopes for the team.

Simmons also talked about singing the national anthem at last month�s Minnesota Vikings-Pittsburgh Steelers� NFL game in London.By Lance Pugmire

Rock 'n' roll legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the band KISS have cut back their concert schedule to about 70 shows a year now.

Stanley is finishing his autobiography. The pair are opening a chain of restaurants/bars.

And they�re anticipating the start of the Arena Football League season, where the new team they own, the L.A. KISS, will debut at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

In video interviews with The Times this week at the Ducks� home opener at Honda Center, Simmons and Stanley discussed their vision and hopes for the team.

Simmons also talked about singing the national anthem at last month�s Minnesota Vikings-Pittsburgh Steelers� NFL game in London.

Stanley, who lives in Beverly Hills and has children ages 2, 4, 7 and 19, said part of his motivation in forming L.A. KISS � he designed the helmets and uniforms � is to make it community-friendly with $99 season tickets, a KISS concert as part of the deal and donations to organizations like Wounded Warriors.

�We can serve as an inspiration and spotlight other organizations,� Stanley said. �I can have a ball doing something and give back.�

Simmons said the team represents a compelling intersection of pop culture, sports and business, and he�ll invite his celebrity friends to the games and push to sign name players like Tim Tebow, a faithful Christian like Simmons.

Does he want involvement in, say, an NFL team in Los Angeles?

�One planet at a time,� Simmons said. �We want to show the big guys how the little guys can get even bigger. Fans don�t need to mortgage their houses to come to our games.

�And we didn�t need to spend a dime to build a stadium.�

Rock & Brews LAX Official Opening- I want to Rock & Brews all night� and Party Everyday!!

By Jen Singleton

Move over Hard Rock caf� There�s a new sheriff in town, and its name is Rock and Brews! I had the honor of being a VIP guest of both Gene Simmons and his long time friend and band mate Paul Stanley of the world renowned rock band KISS at the ribbon cutting ceremony, and official opening for the new LAX location of Rock and Brews (the first in any airport, with more locations to come). Gene Simmons, the �King of the Tongues� certainly had them all wagging at this fantastic event, right along with his many partners. I was very fortunate to be introduced to Dave Furano, Dell Furano, Michael Zislis (co-owners and founders) and both Deborah and Robert Crews (co-owners at LAX), all of whom we need to tip our glasses of cold Oktoberfest ale to.

Dave and Dell Furano are music merchandising powerhouses, Dave being the former concert tour manager for such acts as the legendary Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and Doors and his brother Dell controlling the music merchandising� i.e., all the stuff we love to buy to show our love for Rock and Roll! Michael Zislis is a hospitality genius. The founder and owner of both Shade hotel, and Rock�n Fish, he knows how to indulge a customer, providing an unparalleled experience in hospitality and comfort. Deborah and Robert Crews, the owners of Crews of California, are the masterminds behind of some of the hottest and most frequented retail stores and restaurants in LAX, such as Lemonade, See�s Candies, Klatch Coffee, and The Concert Bar. These winning seven are the reason we will be partying it up both to and from our destinations! Like Rock N Roll itself, this location is very well played indeed.Rock & Brews LAX Official Opening- I want to Rock & Brews all night� and Party Everyday!!

By Jen Singleton

Move over Hard Rock caf� There�s a new sheriff in town, and its name is Rock and Brews! I had the honor of being a VIP guest of both Gene Simmons and his long time friend and band mate Paul Stanley of the world renowned rock band KISS at the ribbon cutting ceremony, and official opening for the new LAX location of Rock and Brews (the first in any airport, with more locations to come). Gene Simmons, the �King of the Tongues� certainly had them all wagging at this fantastic event, right along with his many partners. I was very fortunate to be introduced to Dave Furano, Dell Furano, Michael Zislis (co-owners and founders) and both Deborah and Robert Crews (co-owners at LAX), all of whom we need to tip our glasses of cold Oktoberfest ale to.

Dave and Dell Furano are music merchandising powerhouses, Dave being the former concert tour manager for such acts as the legendary Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and Doors and his brother Dell controlling the music merchandising� i.e., all the stuff we love to buy to show our love for Rock and Roll! Michael Zislis is a hospitality genius. The founder and owner of both Shade hotel, and Rock�n Fish, he knows how to indulge a customer, providing an unparalleled experience in hospitality and comfort. Deborah and Robert Crews, the owners of Crews of California, are the masterminds behind of some of the hottest and most frequented retail stores and restaurants in LAX, such as Lemonade, See�s Candies, Klatch Coffee, and The Concert Bar. These winning seven are the reason we will be partying it up both to and from our destinations! Like Rock N Roll itself, this location is very well played indeed.

The food here is amazing, with of course a huge selection of equally amazing draft beers. The favorite munchie seems to be the Fireball burger, a hand formed ground chuck monster. This bad boy is smothered in pepper jack cheese, spicy relish, chipotle aioli, avocado, and fresh tomato, all on a warm soft bun. It just might have you sticking your tongue out, making Gene Simmons very proud. Next on the list would have to be my personal favorite, the Bill Graham BBQ chicken pizza� oh man, this one had me deep in the mosh pit. After tasting it, I tried hard to put the smack down on anyone who got close to taking a slice! It also boasts a hefty list of delicious ingredients including mozzarella and gouda cheese, bbq sauce, fresh cilantro, red onion, and fire-grilled chicken breast. As a self proclaimed foodie, I can honestly tell you that this is one of the best bbq pizzas I have ever had. I think that brings us to the VIP section, where the brews await. I counted 36 different beers on the menu myself; some local favorites include Hangar 24 DIPA, El Segundo White Dog, Beach House Amber, and some rotating faves such as Lost Abbey and Monkish Brewing. Make sure you come and get �em fast before they go up in flames!

Let�s not smash our guitars before we have an encore�aka DESSERT!!! Try the �Purple Rain� drops. These delicious, puffy, golden beignets are filled with chocolate and drizzled with raspberry sauce. Can you say groupie? Or how about the Real beer float? No root, just beer, made with ice cream and Maui Brewing�s Coconut Porter. Yum. If that�s not a back stage pass, I don�t know what is. After mingling with a few guests, and enjoying the ribbon cutting, I was lucky enough to spend a moment alone with Dave Furano. I asked him the one question was dying to know.

Q: �Why a restaurant?�

A: �It�s my way of capping off such an amazing career. In LA we are so lucky to have rock and roll and great food every day. I wanted a way to bring it to places like Boise Idaho, and Des Moines Iowa. Places that don�t have as much variety, or who don�t get to rock out like we do. I wanted to spread my love of good food and rock and roll to the masses.�

I�m certain both those cities will be looking forward to their Rock and Brews locations, and they will be proud and lucky to have them. So if you�ve ever wondered what it would be like to party like a rock star for real, wonder no more. Now you have Rock and Brews. Party hard!!

October is Metal Month at Radio.com. Throughout the month, we�ll have artist interviews as well as mini-documentaries about metal, metal fans and the birthplace of metal. And book reports: reading is fundamental, even for headbangers, and we�ll have reviews of some of the best recent metal biographies and retrospectives. Horns up!

(Disclaimer: Yes, we know that KISS isn�t heavy metal, strictly speaking. But they have had a profound influence on the genre, and deserve inclusion in our Metal Month programming.)

Gene Simmons will be the first one to tell you that KISS is as much of a brand as they are a band; that�s been the way it�s been since the band put their makeup back on in 1996, and re-ignited their massive marketing machine. In the years since, they�ve partnered with everyone from Family Guy to NASCAR to Hello Kitty to sell merchandise. Their empire extends from �KISS Kondoms� to KISS Caskets. Simmons is a near ubiquitous media personality, always promoting something or other, continuously reminding anyone with a microphone that KISS has more gold records than either the Beatles or the Beach Boys, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is bulls*** and �rock credibility� is an inherently useless concept.October is Metal Month at Radio.com. Throughout the month, we�ll have artist interviews as well as mini-documentaries about metal, metal fans and the birthplace of metal. And book reports: reading is fundamental, even for headbangers, and we�ll have reviews of some of the best recent metal biographies and retrospectives. Horns up!

(Disclaimer: Yes, we know that KISS isn�t heavy metal, strictly speaking. But they have had a profound influence on the genre, and deserve inclusion in our Metal Month programming.)

Gene Simmons will be the first one to tell you that KISS is as much of a brand as they are a band; that�s been the way it�s been since the band put their makeup back on in 1996, and re-ignited their massive marketing machine. In the years since, they�ve partnered with everyone from Family Guy to NASCAR to Hello Kitty to sell merchandise. Their empire extends from �KISS Kondoms� to KISS Caskets. Simmons is a near ubiquitous media personality, always promoting something or other, continuously reminding anyone with a microphone that KISS has more gold records than either the Beatles or the Beach Boys, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is bulls*** and �rock credibility� is an inherently useless concept.

Nothin� To Lose takes you back to a time before KISS was a cultural institution, before anyone cared what Gene (and his partner-in-crime for decades, Paul Stanley) had to say, and when they were still figuring out their direction. Most of all, it allows things to go a bit off-brand: not everyone interviewed for the book has great things to say about the band. To their credit, Simmons and Stanley (credited as co-authors with Ken Sharp, who likely did most of the heavy lifting) allowed people around the band to have their say. Including New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain: �Compared to KISS, we were a lot more dangerous. Every idea they ever f*****� got was from the Dolls.�

The interviewees in the book include everyone from the band members, managers and road crew, to acts they toured with (including Bob Seger, the members of Rush and Blue Oyster Cult) and early fans (including people who were at their earliest club shows, and even the kids seen holding up a homemade KISS banner on the back cover of Alive). Here are some choice moments from the book:

The band was originally a trio. But guitarist Paul Stanley decided �I didn�t want to be a lead guitar player. There was too much responsibility in that and it would limit some of the other things I wanted to do in terms of performing.�

Punk rock icon Joey Ramone of the Ramones was at their first gig ever. �At the time, I think they were the loudest band I ever heard. I liked a lot of their stuff. They were fun and had great songs.� Years later � in 2003 � KISS would cover the Ramones� �Do You Remember Rock And Roll Radio?�

Simmons� early ideas for band names included �F***.� �The name of the first record could be �You,� the name of the second could be �It.� You�d have people at your shows screaming �F***, f***, f***!� It�s the ultimate band name.� Sure, but it may have cost them that Hello Kitty deal.

Band that influenced KISS: Slade. Simmons says �The philosophy of their song �Mama Weer All Crazee Now� influenced the writing of �Rock And Roll All Nite�; the part, �You drive us wild, we�ll drive you crazy� is the same.� Also, Slade released a live album, Slade Alive! before KISS used the same title for their breakthrough album.

Band influenced by KISS: Rush. The Canadian power trio opened for KISS (and they note that they were treated extremely well by them) in 1974 and 1975. Alex Lifeson recalls: �What they did for their audience, the amount of preparation and effort that they put into their shows, was impressive. They always gave 1000% for every show. We respected them for that and we learned a lot from that, too.�

Even though the mainstream rock press has never treated the band well, they always understood the power they wielded in interviews: Stanley says, �I saw what you give (the press in interviews) as crucial, plus I knew how to ruffle feathers.� Simmons, who is in performance mode when being interviewed as surely as he is when he�s on stage adds, �If you�ve got something to say, and a way to say it that�s seductive, then people will naturally come to you. And if you�re fearless about how you present yourself, you�ll get attention. But you better be careful what you wish for, you have to have the goods to back it up.�

The book ends with the success of Alive!, their fourth release, their first live album and the record that saved their career, as well as their record label, Casablanca Records. And just as Alive! has spawned four sequels, you can bet that there�s going to be more oral histories of the band in the years to come; it will certainly be interesting if Simmons and Stanley allow Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to have their say in the books. But for now, this book is a fascinating look at just how hard these guys had to work to become, at least for a time, �the hottest band in the world.�