Kiss News

The venerable band teams up with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and BOOMER for a cause that�s deep in the rockers� roots

� BY DAVID L. ROBBINS �

�This,� says Gene Simmons, �is how the big boys do it.� Simmons, a big boy, is talking about his band, KISS

Nearing 63, he exudes disdain for the modern brand of rocker, the sloppy kids he claims look no different from their own roadies. Metaphorically, he sticks his famous elongated tongue out at them.

�When I�m up there, I�m wearing 40 pounds of armor and studs, in 10-inch heels. I�m like a Marine on a 26-mile trek in a loaded backpack.� Guitarist Tommy Thayer, only a 10-year veteran of the 39-yearold rock band, concurs with the military analogy. �When we�re getting into our outfits and makeup before a performance, we say we�re climbing into our battle gear. Putting on war paint.� Worldwide, the band has legions of fans, called The KISS Army. The likenesses to fighting men go on and on for the members of this ageless group. The similarities go even deeper, and they are not haphazard.

AMERICA � A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
Gene�s mother, Flora, was a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. The girl, then only 14, watched her mother accompany her grandmother into a gas chamber so the older woman would not die alone. That camp was eventually liberated by the U.S. Army, and Flora was rescued. Gene is adamant � and probably right � that without America�s troops, he wouldn�t be here. Tommy�s father, James Thayer, was a young Army officer fighting in the European theater. He was a captain in May 1945, when his unit liberated a Nazi concentration camp, Gunskirchen Lager, in northern Austria. The other two members of the band, founding guitarist Paul Stanley and 20-year drummer Eric Singer, also have personal motivations for this affinity with soldiering. Both of Paul�s parents fled Nazi Germany in the months before the war, narrowly escaping the horrors of the Holocaust. Eric hails from a long family history of military service, including cousins and his veteran father, the bandleader for whom Eric first played the drums professionally. Anyone who�s ever toiled in a band, from garage to coliseum, knows that the sweet spot is when the band plays �tight,� when you throb, croon and soar on a single united groove, so fused in the music it�s like mind reading. The members of KISS have years of experience together, married with extreme musical talent and a proven bombastic look and formula. When they rock, they really do roll.The venerable band teams up with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and BOOMER for a cause that�s deep in the rockers� roots

� BY DAVID L. ROBBINS �

�This,� says Gene Simmons, �is how the big boys do it.� Simmons, a big boy, is talking about his band, KISS

Nearing 63, he exudes disdain for the modern brand of rocker, the sloppy kids he claims look no different from their own roadies. Metaphorically, he sticks his famous elongated tongue out at them.

�When I�m up there, I�m wearing 40 pounds of armor and studs, in 10-inch heels. I�m like a Marine on a 26-mile trek in a loaded backpack.� Guitarist Tommy Thayer, only a 10-year veteran of the 39-yearold rock band, concurs with the military analogy. �When we�re getting into our outfits and makeup before a performance, we say we�re climbing into our battle gear. Putting on war paint.� Worldwide, the band has legions of fans, called The KISS Army. The likenesses to fighting men go on and on for the members of this ageless group. The similarities go even deeper, and they are not haphazard.

AMERICA � A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
Gene�s mother, Flora, was a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. The girl, then only 14, watched her mother accompany her grandmother into a gas chamber so the older woman would not die alone. That camp was eventually liberated by the U.S. Army, and Flora was rescued. Gene is adamant � and probably right � that without America�s troops, he wouldn�t be here. Tommy�s father, James Thayer, was a young Army officer fighting in the European theater. He was a captain in May 1945, when his unit liberated a Nazi concentration camp, Gunskirchen Lager, in northern Austria. The other two members of the band, founding guitarist Paul Stanley and 20-year drummer Eric Singer, also have personal motivations for this affinity with soldiering. Both of Paul�s parents fled Nazi Germany in the months before the war, narrowly escaping the horrors of the Holocaust. Eric hails from a long family history of military service, including cousins and his veteran father, the bandleader for whom Eric first played the drums professionally. Anyone who�s ever toiled in a band, from garage to coliseum, knows that the sweet spot is when the band plays �tight,� when you throb, croon and soar on a single united groove, so fused in the music it�s like mind reading. The members of KISS have years of experience together, married with extreme musical talent and a proven bombastic look and formula. When they rock, they really do roll.

�PRIVILEGED TO BE AN AMERICAN�
Yet, on the other side of that wall of sound, beneath the roaring greasepaint, beyond �rock and roll all nite and party every day,� stand four serious and like-minded men united, tight, on a wonderfully unlikely mission. They want you to know who the real rock stars of America are. And it�s not KISS. �It�s really simple,� says Paul Stanley. �Any free country�s greatest national treasure is the armed forces that keep it free.�

Gene, Paul, Tommy and Eric are rich. In KISS regalia, they�re famous around the world. They play sold-out shows, they play anthems of an age, they look to be eternally young. It�s good to be KISS. But, against the grain of the preening, slouching rock gods they might have become - the downhill road taken by so many of their Boomer cohort � these four bandmates are thoughtful about their good fortune, and the nation that made it possible. And they are grateful. �I feel so privileged to be an American,� says Paul. �There�s no way to ever show enough thanks for what this country has made possible for me.�

Gene, particularly, with his somber voice like a tolling bell � the opposite of his hectic stage persona � sounds this theme of American transcendence. He was born Chaim Witz in Israel. �No one loves America more than the immigrant. America�s the best place in the world. Have you ever heard of anyone sinking to their knees and crying out, �Thank God I made it to the shores of Mexico�? No. Only America.� What stands out, what is rare, is how the band�s affection for America expresses itself as gratitude, then hardens into action and generosity. The band plays for the troops here and overseas every chance they get. On top of that, they put their money where their microphones are: KISS has linked up with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce�s �Hiring our Heroes� program, hired a veteran to work as a roadie for their summer tour, and again said it will donate $1 from each ticket to the hiring program. KISS also teamed up with BOOMER to select a vet to interview the band and to give tickets to a vets-only concert.

The men and women in uniform � the green and khaki ones, not the studs and black spandex � return the love. It�s easy to find KISS tattoos, posters, concert shirts, rocking-out iPods and heartfelt KISS loyalty at every U.S. military base on the globe.

THE GENERAL�S SON
Tommy Thayer came of age with KISS. In 1974, he saw them for the first time at age 14. They were �real rock stars, pure showmen,� and he wanted to be like them. He bought his first guitar, tore it up practicing and made himself into a master shredder. He did all this under the watchful eye of his career military dad. �I come from a sound family background. Disciplined and aware. My father helped me avoid rock and roll stupidity.� James Thayer didn�t talk about his experiences in the hinterlands of Austria, the rubble of Germany. He did what soldiers have done for generations, the job, where and how it needed to be done. Then he came home, raised a family, became a successful businessman in Oregon and a brigadier general in the reserves. Like General Thayer, today�s warriors return from foreign battlegrounds to an unsure present and have to make the best of it they can. Like the general, they don�t talk much about what they�ve done and suffered in the name of freedom. But unlike Tommy�s father, who walked into the waiting arms of a grateful nation, the men and women of our contemporary military come back to a country that, while applauding them, has yet to embrace them. �Our military has the best we can offer them on the way in,� says Gene. �Why not do that for them on the way out?� �Way too often,� says Eric, �people leaving the military carry burdens. Burdens the rest of us probably have no idea about, nothing we can identify with. We�ve got an entitled attitude in this country. What do most of us do to earn that entitlement, to deserve our freedom?

These men and women, the ones who put their lives at risk for me and you? They�re the ones entitled.� Paul echoes the sentiment: �I want to raise awareness among all Americans that when the soldiers return, they and their families
deserve to be given all means necessary to rehabilitate and integrate back into society.� Tommy goes a step farther, expressing the belief that supporting the troops after service is �a civic ideal, something we should all agree on.� He adds, �But I�m an optimist.�

�PHILANTROPHIC FOR THE TROOPS�
Last year they raised over half a million dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project. �Maybe we can set an example,� says Tommy. �Maybe we can encourage more people to be philanthropic for the troops.� Charity aside, Gene literally growls about the failure of American businesses to open up sufficient opportunities for returning soldiers. �I want to send a heads-up to anyone who�s hiring. There�s no clock in the military, OK? No unions. They come already trained. They�ve proven they can do a tough job. Who better to hire than a vet? It�s not just morally right. It�s good business.� Gene heaps the same scorn on people who don�t value the sacrifices of the military as he does on today�s baby fat rockers. �People appreciate firemen because their houses could burn down. And cops because their lives could be in danger. But soldiers do their work out of sight. And unlike a house or a life, we assume our liberty could never be taken away. Wrong.�

AND WORK HARD EVERY NIGHT
How do men living what Tommy Thayer says �looks like the ultimate party life� have such a strong empathy for the men and women in uniform standing watch on faraway seas, in sere deserts, in the skies? This mature affinity seems a long way from hammering out rock tunes in heels and fake armor, wearing comic book hero outfits in front of ten thousand at a time of their private KISS Army. It seems a life best suited for hedonists and arrested development boys, even big boys. Not boomers. Not philanthropists. After 39 years of fame and wealth, silliness and tragedy, why isn�t KISS spoiled? Uninspired? Why aren�t they, at the very least, tired? �We love what we do, and we work our butts off,� says Tommy. Attend any KISS concert and that much is obvious. No secret there. A lot of us love our work and go at it hard. After a point, we�re over it. But not KISS. �Be like the old drill sergeant,� Gene says, �who can kick the hell out of a 20-year-old recruit. Know how to pace yourself.� A great American general once said something like this. He spoke in praise of old soldiers, but it�s not a stretch to apply the adage to the music, members, and the message of KISS. Never die. Just fade away.

Singer Paul Stanley promises spectacular stage show at amphitheater

By Alan Sculley for The Columbian

KISS has never worried about being upstaged by an opening act.

"We've always believed in letting the best bands available go out there and do what they do, because it only fires us up that much more," singer/guitarist Paul Stanley said in a mid-July phone interview. "Our track record is pretty stellar, whether it's, my gosh, Bob Seger, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, early (M�tley) Crüe, John Cougar Mellencamp, AC/DC. The list just goes on and on."

On one of this summer's biggest tours, KISS will close out an evening that also includes a 90-minute set from co-headliner M�tley Crüe, a band known for making its own show a visual spectacle and nonstop party.

But Stanley knows his band will deliver as well, if for no other reason than the enthusiasm he sees in the band 40 years into its career.

"KISS today is KISS as I've always wanted it � four guys who get along great, who play fiercely and are proud of who we are, proud of our fans and celebrate what we do from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed," Stanley said.Singer Paul Stanley promises spectacular stage show at amphitheater

By Alan Sculley for The Columbian

KISS has never worried about being upstaged by an opening act.

"We've always believed in letting the best bands available go out there and do what they do, because it only fires us up that much more," singer/guitarist Paul Stanley said in a mid-July phone interview. "Our track record is pretty stellar, whether it's, my gosh, Bob Seger, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, early (M�tley) Crüe, John Cougar Mellencamp, AC/DC. The list just goes on and on."

On one of this summer's biggest tours, KISS will close out an evening that also includes a 90-minute set from co-headliner M�tley Crüe, a band known for making its own show a visual spectacle and nonstop party.

But Stanley knows his band will deliver as well, if for no other reason than the enthusiasm he sees in the band 40 years into its career.

"KISS today is KISS as I've always wanted it � four guys who get along great, who play fiercely and are proud of who we are, proud of our fans and celebrate what we do from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed," Stanley said.

Of course, KISS also knows a thing or two about putting together a spectacular live show. And the band has reloaded for the tour with M�tley Crüe.

"It's a whole new show, a whole new stage," Stanley said. "We will have a brand new show and a brand new stage and just some pretty amazing visuals. This whole summer is giving new meaning to bang for the buck.

"If anybody's expecting high-tech subtlety, forget about it," he said. "What we're trying to do is build a bigger bomb."

As is evident by Stanley's enthusiasm for this summer's tour � as well as KISS' recently completed new CD, "Monster," which will be released in October -- KISS is experiencing a rebirth that few would have predicted when the new century rolled around

At that point, the band seemed to be trying to recapture past glories for one last time.

In 1996, Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons had reunited with the two other original members of KISS � guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss -- for what became a blockbuster reunion tour. This was followed by the release in 1998 of "Psycho Circus," a reunion album that was a reunion in name only.

Criss and Frehley made only minimal contributions to "Psycho Circus," although the CD was billed as being made by the original KISS lineup. In reality, guitarists Tommy Thayer and Bruce Kulick and drummer Kevin Valentine played on the vast majority of the material.

Today, Stanley is open in admitting the shortcomings of "Psycho Circus" and the tensions that existed with Frehley and Criss during the reunion years.

"'Psycho Circus,' as I've said before, was such a debacle and such a distortion of what making an album should be," Stanley said. "You can't make a KISS album without a band, and we didn't have one. We did as gallantly as we could, but if people had any inkling of what was going on behind the scenes, it's a miracle that we even got an album done."

When Criss and Frehley departed the lineup for the final time, the replacements � Thayer and drummer Eric Singer (who had been in the band in the late '90s, prior to Criss' return) � injected new life into the band.

And in 2008, work began on a new KISS album. The band decided it would either succeed or fail on its own terms, as Stanley served as producer and the group kept all key aspects of the project in-house.

"To go back into the studio after not having done an album in probably 10 years is a risky move," Stanley said. "The band was just so strong live, just so potent, that I thought we have to make an album.

"But I didn't want any of the pitfalls that had happened in the past," he said. "I needed some ground rules just to make sure that everybody stayed focused and committed. And the key one was all writing had to be within the band. No outside writers, no phoning in your parts, and the band was going to play live and the band was going to record on tape. And whatever songs went on the album would be my choice. That's a producer's job,"

The 2009 album the group made, "Sonic Boom," was hailed as the best KISS CD in years and a return to form for the group.

Now KISS has "Monster" ready for its October release. Once again, Stanley was the producer, and it was written and recorded entirely by the current lineup of KISS.

Stanley isn't shy in expressing his excitement about the CD.

"'Monster' is exactly what the name implies. It's just a ferociously good album," Stanley said. "'Monster' is far, far, far beyond 'Sonic Boom.' It's a much more focused, a much bigger sounding album. The songs are better. And everybody's playing more assuredly. We clearly established on 'Sonic Boom' who we are now. And 'Monster' just reinforces that like a sledgehammer."

KISS - Motley Crue - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - 8/14/12

Excerpts of review by Andrew Youssef for OC WEEKLY

Photo by Christopher Victorio

Two of the earliest albums that sculpted my music tastes were that of Kiss's Destroyer and Motley Crue's Shout At The Devil. As a child, my head would have exploded if you ever told me I would see both KISS and Motley Crue together in concert. Rightfully dubbed "The Tour", both behemoth bands unpacked their over-the-top concert antics to destroy the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater last night.

A giant black Kiss scrim obscured the whole stage eventually fell to the ground as the dueling guitars of "Detroit Rock City" rattled your eardrums as the members of KISS descended from a platform from the top of the stage. Most of the crowd who hadn't lost their voice still screamed the lyrics to "Shout It Out Loud" as lead vocalist and guitarist Paul Stanley strutted across the stage only like he can.

Gene Simmons still looks menacing in his demon persona stomping his huge platform boots while plucking away at his puny bass during "I Love It Loud." While I've always been partial to Ace Frehley, guitarist Tommy Thayer still holds it down on his Gibson Les Paul blazing through the riff from "Firehouse."KISS - Motley Crue - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - 8/14/12

Excerpts of review by Andrew Youssef for OC WEEKLY

Two of the earliest albums that sculpted my music tastes were that of Kiss's Destroyer and Motley Crue's Shout At The Devil. As a child, my head would have exploded if you ever told me I would see both KISS and Motley Crue together in concert. Rightfully dubbed "The Tour", both behemoth bands unpacked their over-the-top concert antics to destroy the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater last night.

A giant black Kiss scrim obscured the whole stage eventually fell to the ground as the dueling guitars of "Detroit Rock City" rattled your eardrums as the members of KISS descended from a platform from the top of the stage. Most of the crowd who hadn't lost their voice still screamed the lyrics to "Shout It Out Loud" as lead vocalist and guitarist Paul Stanley strutted across the stage only like he can.

Gene Simmons still looks menacing in his demon persona stomping his huge platform boots while plucking away at his puny bass during "I Love It Loud." While I've always been partial to Ace Frehley, guitarist Tommy Thayer still holds it down on his Gibson Les Paul blazing through the riff from "Firehouse."

While Kiss doesn't need to make new records anymore to tour, they still managed to put together some songs for new album. "Hell or Halleluah" was a new song that possessed that classic Kiss punch with its driving guitar riffs and sing along choruses. Thayer took center stage for a spell with his vocals during "Shock Me" that was embellished with fireworks spewing from the headstock of his guitar.

The earth rumbled during Simmons' classic bass solo, punctuated with blood gushing out of his mouth as he ascended to the top of the stage to level the audience with the steamrolling destructive bass riff from "God of Thunder." The only slight technical problem of the evening occurred when Stanley flew out into the crowd during "Love Gun" as it appeared his platform shoe was momentarily stuck in the metal ring that propelled him into the crowd.

It was surprising to see them play "Lick It Up" from their non make-up days. Stanley also got bonus points for correctly addressing the crowd as Irvine instead of Los Angeles. "Black Diamond" sounded so good to Stanley that he repeated the first verse with the audience singing along with what little voice they had left. "Deuce" and the ultimate party anthem "Rock and Roll All Nite" capped a raucous evening that only bands the caliber of Motley Crue and Kiss can provide.

Crowd: Surprisingly not as old as I would have suspected. It appears that the music from both these bands will be timeless.

By Martin Kielty

Kiss frontman Paul Stanley believes the day he�s replaced in the band would be more than just a lineup change � it would be a victory.

That�s because it would prove he�s been right all along about what the glam rock icons really are.

He and bandmate Gene Simmons have frequently discussed the possibility of Kiss continuing without any of the original or current members � but now the guitarist and vocalist has defined how important the move would be to him.

Stanley tells the San Diego Union-Tribune: �The band is bigger than its members. It only takes four like-minded people with a similar talent to further the cause.By Martin Kielty

Kiss frontman Paul Stanley believes the day he�s replaced in the band would be more than just a lineup change � it would be a victory.

That�s because it would prove he�s been right all along about what the glam rock icons really are.

He and bandmate Gene Simmons have frequently discussed the possibility of Kiss continuing without any of the original or current members � but now the guitarist and vocalist has defined how important the move would be to him.

Stanley tells the San Diego Union-Tribune: �The band is bigger than its members. It only takes four like-minded people with a similar talent to further the cause.

�It makes perfect sense to me. It may not make sense to other bands � but we�re not other bands. We don�t live by those rules. We never have.

�I�m damn good at what I do; but do I think I�m the only person capable of doing it? Absolutely not. Can I envision a time when I won�t be here any more? Absolutely.

�It�s not tomorrow, or next week, but when it happens I would be celebratory, Because it would prove that I was right, that Kiss is exactly what I believe it is: an ideal, a way of performing, a point of view.�

Stanley doesn�t believe the next Starchild will be an exact replica of himself, though. �I�m not talking about a clone,� he says, �but somebody with the same passion, drive and love for the music.�

Kiss release new album Monster next month, which Stanley says he hopes will be seen as a great rock album rather than just a great Kiss album.

One of the reasons he believes it�s so good is that he�s learned how to control his songwriting so it doesn�t get in the way of the rock vibe.

�As you live, your experience is enhanced and influence,� he says. �The danger is you can find yourself a more adept songwriter, but not writing better songs.

�I don�t believe the key to great rock�n'roll is honing your songwriting expertise. Sometimes that can get in the way. You have to make an effort to deprogram yourself and unlearn things.

�The beauty of some of the earlier material is its lack of restriction, a lack of understanding. As you continue, you learn a craft that may get in the way of what rock�n'roll is meant to be.�