This "News" page generally only relates to matters of interest to the KISSFAQ. There's no need to replicate news that can be seen on other KISS websites though many of them are incapable of original reporting. If you use information appearing on this or any other KISSFAQ page, in print (fanzines) or online (directly quoted or rewritten), please have the courtesy to say where it came from. If printing in fanzines, I'd love a copy sent to the KISSFAQ PO Box. Should you want official announcements please visit the band's official website at: KISSONLINE.COM.
| Thursday, March 27, 2008 4:32:28 AM - Ace Frehley on tour notes... |
| Ace Frehley added his classic 1978 instrumental "Fractured Mirror" to his set last night at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. He'd been rehearsing the song at sound-check (along with "Ozone"). Ace's tour continues in Denver on Friday... |
| Thursday, March 27, 2008 4:32:28 AM - KISSology Vol. 3: Week 14... |
| After 14 weeks on the charts, 8X Platinum Certified KISSology Vol. 3 is back on the Billboard Music Video chart top-20 this week, at #20. Great stuff! |
| Thursday, March 27, 2008 4:32:28 AM - First Ace Frehley Tour Boxscore... |
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Concert 20: Emerald Theater, Mt. Clemens, MI Mar. 9 Reported audience: 557 / 1,266 (Gross: $16,932) |
| Wednesday, March 26, 2008 4:28:59 AM - Gene's hooker book... |
 Click on cover to order from Amazon The hardcover of Gene's "Ladies of the Night: An Historical and Personal Perspective of the First and Oldest Profession" seems scheduled for April 1 publication. Click on cover/link to order from Amazon. The 244 page book will be published by Phoenix Books. Meanwhile, Gene's rework/rewrite/interpretation of "The Art of War," originally written by Sun Tzu thousands of years ago, seems to be on the back-burner while KISS takes precendece. "This revision of the landmark work brings a present-day focus to the principles of strategy, tactics, maneuvering, communication, and supplies discussed in Sun Tzu's classic" (PR). Publication via Phoenix Books appears scheduled for November at the earliest... Were that not enough, A&E is issuing "Gene Simmons Family Jewels: The Best of Seasons 1 and 2" on April 1. This 176 minute DVD is what the title suggests...  Click on cover to order from Amazon The DVD features the following episodes: Happily Unmarried Next Generation Rock Star The Demon Lives Driving Me Crazy A Bun in the Oven Nice Day for a Facelift Face Off Master Gene Theater DVD Extras include a bonus episode Under the Knife and Cast Biographies. The complete Season 3 DVD set is expected in October 2008... |
| Saturday, March 22, 2008 1:35:59 PM - KISS concludes short Antipodean visit... |
| KISS completed their short visit to Australia/New Zealand tonight with their appearance at the ROCK2WGTN Festival in Wellington with Lordi and Alice Cooper. KISS played a slightly shorter set with "C'mon And Love Me" dropped. Next stop: Europe in May! |
| Saturday, March 22, 2008 1:00:06 AM - Ace Rocks San Francisco |
 What can I say except for, "Mission Accomplished." I've always been in the wrong country at the wrong time, and missed so many important moments in KISStory. Tonight was a definite exception when Tommy Thayer headlined at the Regency in San Francisco... Excuse me, I mean Mr. Ace "Fuckin'" Frehley. I started off the evening with some bloody awful wanna-be pizza. That ain't New York, bitches. Pizza isn't supposed to be swimming in a pool of grease. Whatever, you'll sleep with fishes soon enough... Met up with G. and his wife, which was nice. Up soon after 4am I was pretty jaded by that time, but I haven't felt so excited about a show in a long time! Headed over to the venue, in hopes that my tickets would be at "Will Call." Got segregated off with a bunch of others, including some who were obviously at the wrong venue. Couldn't help myself, and cracked a few Tommy jokes, "Ace Frehley is performing wearing the costume of Tommy Thayer and doing a full Black 'N Blue set." Not funny perhaps, but I was already in that sort of mood... The Trews actually turned out to be a very good opening act, and I ended up liking them as much as the Porch Ghouls. They played decent enough music, but it was obvious who the audience were waiting for. After a few songs though it was infectious enough that the audience got in to them. The band actually worked hard. I was surprised. After being on the Ace tour for this long I guess I expected them to be resigned to killing time. But they gave it their all during their short set, even to the somewhat impassive crowd. Visually the band don't seem to have too many influences, except for their Les Paul wielding guitarist who seems to have been in Ace's guitar locker. The bass player looks like he'd be more at home in Madness. The drummer flails in a very Chris Slade manner with his chrome-dome. But major kudos to the front-man, who worked very hard, and repeatedly acknowledging Ace. It was a nice touch, but the band's music stood well on its own. Ace hit the stage at 10:25pm. Following the Trews, the stage-crew had seemingly conducted a second sound-check, as if anything had changed from the one done prior to 6pm. Whatever. Ace came out and blasted through his opening trio of "Rip It Out," "Hard Times," and "Parasite." It's a powerful punch, and it was fucking loud. Thank "G" for the ear-plugs. Having missed Ace in the 90s I felt like a missing part of my life was being filled. I usually hate being in the crowd, but did so for much of the show, until the dope smoke became too much. Ace finally said hello to San Francisco during the into to "Snowblind," and unless I missed it I didn't notice any "I Want You" tag. "Rock Soldiers," "Breakout," and "Into The Void" followed; and "Shot Full Of Rock" remained absent from the set. "Strange Ways" was impressively powerful, and Ace looked particularly healthy, unlike the last time I saw him. The supporting players work hard. Anthony seems a monster on bass, and the guitarist seems into working the audience, no matter how unimpressive. Scot is steady on drums, and it was hard not to notice their efforts even though Ace was so obviously the central focus point. While not impressed with the venue "ballroom," the stage was tiny. The lighting was highly effective, but after a few beers I don't think that really mattered. My senses were being flogged! Ace doesn't waste much effort with small-talk, and his joke seemed predictable and forgettable. It wasn't why I was there. Overall, I felt this was a far better "show" that Paul Stanley's 2006 Fillmore outing. It just seemed to flow better, and Ace didn't drive me nuts with tired same old stage raps. He came to deliver music and did so. "Stranger In A Strange Land" was impressive in person. What was annoying was the amount of security stalking the venue and being pains in the asses (or simply earning their keep) hassling people with cameras. Like it mattered. It was cool to have "2,000 Man," followed by "New York Groove" (with flashing guitar), "Shock Me," and Ace's guitar solo. Man do those smoke bombs stink! It's like inhaling the damn things in such an enclosed space. "Rocket Ride" was another treat in person, but the rest of the set followed the expected: "Deuce," which Ace pointed out as being the first song he played with the other guys, "Love Her All I Can," which I really did, "Love Gun," and "Cold Gin." What else can I say that everyone else hasn't already. Catch the show if you can! |
| Thursday, March 20, 2008 5:49:32 PM - KISSFAQ Forums |
| The message board is currently offline for critical maintenance... |
| Thursday, March 20, 2008 6:39:02 AM - Ace Frehley, 2000 Man! |
| Ace Frehley dropped "Shot Full Of Rock" from his set last night at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom. He replaced it, before "Shock Me," with another of his signature pieces, "2,000 Man"... |
| Thursday, March 20, 2008 6:39:02 AM - KISSology Vol. 3 on the charts... |
| 8X Platinum Certified KISSology Vol. 3 climbs 1 place to #24 on the Billboard Music Video charts this week... |
| Wednesday, March 19, 2008 4:37:20 AM - Vinnie Vincent's first professional recording on Ebay... |
 DJ Version Regular Release As you can tell there were some smudges on my scanner that show up on both images. Both singles are in great shape, certainly not "perfect," but with the lightest scuffing and no major issues. Copy the images to an art program and increase the gamma for a clearer look at the vinyl.... |
| Tuesday, March 18, 2008 7:27:59 AM - KISS Rocks Brisbane |
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| Sunday, March 16, 2008 6:27:23 AM - KISS Rock The F1 |
 Deuce Shout It Out Loud C'mon And Love Me Lick It Up I Love It Loud Calling Dr. Love Shock Me Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll Firehouse 100,000 Years God Of Thunder Black Diamond Love Gun Detroit Rock City Shandi I Was Made For Lovin' You Rock And Roll All Nite Tommy Thayer made his lead vocal debut singing Ace Frehley's signature song, "Shock Me." |
| Friday, March 14, 2008 6:44:23 AM - AFL Footy Show Clip |
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| Friday, March 14, 2008 5:52:56 AM - Pictures from AFL Footy Show |
Pictures from yesterday's AFL Footy Show "performance." Click on image for bigger images...
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| Thursday, March 13, 2008 4:17:00 AM - KISS On TV in Australia |
| KISS performed "Shout It Out Loud" live on the AFL Footy Show. They later performed "I Was Made For Lovin' You," and there was also an interview with Gene and Paul... |
| Thursday, March 13, 2008 4:17:00 AM - Australian Tour coverage |
| What better place to get news and chat from "The Land Down Under," than from... "Down Under". It just makes sense! The crew at KISS Army Australia have the advantage of being in the right time zones to report on KISS happenings, so check 'em out. Gene and Paul also did a brief interview on the Sunrise AM show yesterday, check it out HERE... |
| Thursday, March 13, 2008 4:17:00 AM - "KISS Album Focus" going OUT OF PRINT! |
The "KISS Album Focus Volume I: Kings Of The Night Time World, 1972-82" is going out of print on May 1. While it may eventually be reprinted (not something I know right now as I try and finish my Def Leppard book) it is certain that it will not be available either as a hardcover or through Xlibris at all. Copies remain available from Amazon, though they don't keep high quantities of stock on hand due to the nature of "Print On Demand." Make sure to check the Used & New options for pricing deals... |
| Thursday, March 13, 2008 4:17:00 AM - KISSology Vol. 3 on the charts... |
| 8X Platinum Certified KISSology Vol. 3 drops 2 places to #25 on the Billboard Music Video charts this week... |
| Wednesday, March 12, 2008 5:01:38 AM - KISS Arrive in Australia... |
KISS arrived in Australia yesterday and gave a press conference at the Crown Towers Melbourne today. KISS have apparently already filmed two songs for broadcast on the AFL Footy Show on Thursday and commercials for the tour dates have been airing in those markets. KISS will perform at the F1 ING Melbourne Grand Prix on Sunday, which Lewis Hamilton will hopefully win. |
| Wednesday, March 12, 2008 5:01:38 AM - "Lick It Up" Tribute... |
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To be released by Versailles on April 1. Still no details on the track-listing, though the credits: ""Lick It Up: A Millennium Tribute to Kiss" is the first all-star KISS tribute of the millennium, and featuring current/former members of Skid Row, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper Band, White Lion, Warrant, Pretty Boy Floyd, Keel, Britney Fox, Zebra, RATT, Riot, Rainbow, Slashs Snakepit, Dio, the Ace Frehley Band, Rat Race Choir, Dads Porno Mag, L.A. Guns, Lillian Axe, Doro, Dangerous Toys, Watchtower, and as well as millennium rockers including Richard Kendrick, A.J. Caruso and Ross Stephens of Straitjacket Smile, Lee Thompson, Marko Pukkila, Minds Eye featuring Daniel Flores, the Slashtones, Chris Heaven, Rose Reiter, Teenage Rampage ftring. Chris Catena, Snowblynd, Chuck Bonnett III, Dead End Kidz, Andrew Santagata, Supermodel Autopsy, and Katet. The release also includes a 2 CD Bonus Sampler entitled 'Strip Club Rock Vol. 1/2', which features a variety of unsigned millennium rock bands, including One Bad Son, Dour, Inflicted System, The Meddling Kids, Alligator Jackson, Strikeforce, Ground Level, The Clear, Veritas, 7 Deadly Sins, Viper, The Jack, S.E.X. Department, Elephant Hunter, Unequaled Clarity, Beest Spawn, Disarray, Trinity, Joetown, Radiovipers, Phearus, Hell Razor, 6 AM, Cellbound, Signal 99, Lovebone, 12 Years Coming, Freebleeder, 6 Days to Nowhere, Aedose, Shattersphere, Deadly Tide, Souls on Monday, Skitzo, Schmelvis Band, and the Karen Single Band." Known Tracks: Massachusetts band Katet's cover of "Parasite"... Andrew Santagata's cover of "C'mon And Love Me"... Ron Keel's cover of "Lick It Up"... |
| Wednesday, March 12, 2008 5:01:38 AM - "KISS Gold 1974-82" Being Reissued... |
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Compilation package "KISS Gold 1974-82" is being reissued in Japan on June 25 (Universal UICY-90890) becoming the first title in the KISS catalogue to be issued in the new SHM-CD format. SHM-CDs are simply Super High Material that "features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing, SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc, allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players" (CD Japan). Also concerning Japanese releases... "I Was Made For Lovin' You" was included on "Best 70's 100" (UICY-4439) released on January 16; AND on "Hello! CM Hits" (TOCP-70462) released on February 27; AND will be included on the full non-limited edition of "Disco Champion" (VICP-63438) due for release on March 27. |
| Saturday, March 08, 2008 4:03:33 PM - Tony Powers' Odyssey... |
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Tony Powers help KISS lyrically during "The Elder." He also recorded his own version of the awesome "Odyssey," which he's recently put up on YouTube. Check it out: Good find Dwight! |
| Thursday, March 06, 2008 10:27:45 AM - KISSology Vol. 3 on the charts... |
| 8X Platinum Certified KISSology Vol. 3 climbs one place to #23 on the Billboard Music Video charts this week... |
| Tuesday, March 04, 2008 5:55:17 AM - Ultra-Obscure Vinnie Vincent... |
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Years ago the story of what is probably Vinnie Vincent's first professional recording credit came to light. Vinnie teamed up with David Wolff to write a novelty song in honor of the American bicentennial celebration of 1976. David later managed Cyndi Lauper, an artist who had also played at The Daisy. The song, released as the A-side of a Phantom Records single (HB-10579) was credited to their pseudonyms of Kid Cashmir (David) and Winnie LeCoux (Vinnie). According to Vinnie, "In 1975 I had a record deal. One shot single on Windfall Records. One shot. It was called 'Happy Birthday USA.' It was a rock 'n roll Bicentennial song" (REH ProTalk w/ Steve Rosen, 1988). While Vinnie played lead guitar and shared vocals on the A-Side, he wasn't involved in the writing of the B-side, "The Exorcism of Kazcnyz." That song would be written by Ed Sprigg, the producer of the tracks, and "Kid Cashmir."  What Vinnie's input is on the experimental "The Exorcism of Kazcnyz" was is unclear because it is very difficult to even note his presence in any way. The Library of Congress indicates that it was performed by the duo, as does the record label, but neither of those actually mean his involvement is definitive. REGARDLESS, to close the chapter on Kid Cashmir and Winnie Lecoux, you can now at least hear the rather odd flip-side of that first Vinnie-related single. Listen to a sample of it, HERE. You can hear a sample of Vinnie's guitar solo on the A-side, HERE... |
| Monday, March 03, 2008 2:30:07 PM - Sean Delaney Wiki'd... |
| Sean Delaney may have passed away, but he and his contribution to KISStory is not forgotten. There is finally a wikipedia page for him, HERE... |
| Monday, March 03, 2008 2:30:07 PM - Second Helsinki Show Sells out... |
| The second Helsinki show, scheduled for 05/27/08 sold-out in less than 10 minutes. Impressive! |
| Monday, March 03, 2008 2:30:07 PM - Another KISS Tribute... |
| As we reported last year, and now coming to fruition: Due for release on April 1, "Lick It Up: A Millennium Tribute to KISS" "featuring current/former members of SKID ROW, DEEP PURPLE, ALICE COOPER, WHITE LION, WARRANT, PRETTY BOY FLOYD, KEEL, BRITNY FOX, ZEBRA, RATT, RIOT, RAINBOW, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, DIO, ACE FREHLEY, RAT RACE CHOIR, DAD'S PORNO MAG, L.A. GUNS, LILLIAN AXE, DORO, DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER"... |
| Thursday, February 28, 2008 8:42:08 AM - KISSology Vol. 3 on the charts... |
| 8X Platinum Certified KISSology Vol. 3 drops to #24 on the Billboard Music Video charts this week... |