May 28, 2012
GSFJ Returns
KISS Fan Expo
Come out and join KISS fans & friends from all over the Midwest and share your love for all things KISS.
KISSOnline will be attending the event with the latest Official KISS merchandise! We look forward to seeing everyone!
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- KISS Tribute Band “ Psycho Circus” live performance
- New and vintage KISS merchandise for sale all day
- Drawings, contests, and prizes
- The Gene Simmons Axe Bass tour bus will be on site
- Eric McKenna of Boogie Street Guitars
KISS/Rihanna
KISS will headline the 2nd night of the Kollen Summer Festival in Oslo, Norway on Saturday, June 30th, 2012. The concert will take place at the Holmenkollen National Arena - the roof of Oslo - made world famous by its iconic ski jump that can be seen from all over the capital. This new two day festival will feature 26 artists on three stages!
”KISS Saturday on the big stage at Kollen is a dream come true. To really experience a band like KISS you need a stage that justifies the greatness of the band, and Kollen is the only festival in Norway that can provide just that. It’s flat out extremely cool to be able to give Oslo an exclusive concert with the worlds largest rock ’n’ roll circus as the grand finale on the first edition of Kollen ever.” – Pål Jakobsen, head of booking Kollen.
Promo Poster
This poster goes to prove that branding has always been important to KISS. Though Gene Simmons and company have since taken that idea to extremes, KISS has always been exceptionally clever in marketing themselves. Can you imagine a disc jockey or record store owner in a remote town opening up a promo package, finding a white label promo album that included this poster with it? This poster could have very well been the first image they saw of the band, and chances are they wanted to hear what these four boys in make-up sounded like. Mission accomplished.
Due to the way it was originally shipped, the seller notes that every copy of this poster has crease marks in it — in fact, if it doesn’t, it’s likely a reproduction. This particular poster was purchased at a KISS convention in the early ‘90s and though it does have the fold lines, it’s been in a frame since that purchase date. The listing notes a few minor flaws but overall this rarity appears in very good condition. Good enough to pay $1500 for? Apparently!
May 25, 2012
KISS Roadie
KISS's job opening was for a roadie to work their upcoming summer tour with Motley Crue, and more than 1,900 hopefuls applied. And this morning on the plaza, The Demon himself, Gene Simmons was on hand to give veteran Paul Jordan a big surprise: He had been chosen to the new KISS roadie!
Paul has logged in over 27 years of military service, and served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has had even more service as a veteran in the KISS Army (with a tattoo of Simmons to prove it), having been a rabid fan of the band since he was 4. So when Simmons told him on-air that the coveted job was his, Paul was ecstatic – particularly since he'd been looking for work for a year and a half.
"Since I retired, I've had a really hard time trying to find a find a job," Paul told the TODAY anchors. "It's tough for veterans out there sometimes." He called the KISS roadie job a "dream come true. I've always wanted to be involved with KISS somehow ... This is incredible!"
Simmons, whose reality series "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" is starting a new season, said that hiring veterans "is the most important thing that we can do," and warned: "If you don't give him a round of applause right now, I'm going to find out where you live."
Ingrid Michaelson
It’s only appropriate, then, that the video for the song features her getting under the skin of some of her favorite pop icons — including David Bowie, Gene Simmons, and Amy Winehouse.
The clip shows Michaelson not just as the stars, but in transit to becoming each one of them in the makeup chair. (It’s a pretty cool effect, though it must have been murder on her pores.)
For Military Museum
The "All Star Salute to the Oregon Military" gala raised over $400K, kicking off the two-year, $6.5 million Oregon Military Museum Capital Campaign last Friday evening May 18, at the Oregon Golf Club in West Linn, Ore. The museum will be named in honor of Retired Brigadier General James B. Thayer Sr., one of Oregon's finest military and civic leaders and father of KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer. In attendance were Honorary Co-Chairs, Oregon Governors Vic Atiyeh (1979-1987) and Ted Kulongoski (2003-2011), as well as special guests Robert Waxwell (Congressional Medal of Honor recipient), Master of Ceremonies Peter Jacobsen (PGA star), Bill Schonely (Basketball Hall of Fame), Doc McGhee (KISS manager) and Patrick Lamb (Grammy-nominated Jazz musician). The evening featured film documentaries on BG James B. Thayer Sr.'s career, and the History of the Oregon Military. A live auction that included a KISS-autographed guitar and KISS Concert package raised over $185K. The night culminated with a live performance by the Patrick Lamb Band that featured KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer joining in on several songs.
The New Action Figure
Stay tuned to KISSOnline for more details on upcoming KISS Action Figure releases.
KISS Fan Expo
Come out and join KISS fans & friends from all over the Midwest and share your love for all things KISS.
KISSOnline will be attending the event with the latest Official KISS merchandise! We look forward to seeing everyone!
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- KISS Tribute Band “ Psycho Circus” live performance
- New and vintage KISS merchandise for sale all day
- Drawings, contests, and prizes
- The Gene Simmons Axe Bass tour bus will be on site
- Eric McKenna of Boogie Street Guitars
Meet And Greet
KISS Meet & Greet and VIP packages for 'THE TOUR' are selling quickly! Only a limited number of packages remain for most shows. Act now if you plan on having the ultimate KISS experience!
The following cities are either SOLD OUT or only have a few packages remaining.
Virginia Beach (7/21), Atlanta (7/25), Charlotte (7/25), Birmingham (7/31), The Woodlands, TX (8/3), Dallas (8/4), Englewood (8/8), Las Vegas (8/11), Irvine (8/14), Tulsa (8/26), St. Louis (8/27), Cincinnati (8/31), Indianapolis (9/1), Detroit (9/5), Chicago (9/7), Toronto (9/13), Mansfield (9/16), Camden (9/19) and Wantagh (9/22).
Here's your chance to have the ultimate KISS experience on "THE TOUR" 2012 tour! Enjoy a KISS VIP Tour package, or a KISS Meet & Greet package that includes exclusive access to KISS' preshow soundcheck!
KISS - Meet & Greet + Soundcheck Package
Package includes:
- One reserved tickets located in the first 10 rows of the stage
- Exclusive Meet & Greet with KISS
- Personal Photograph with KISS
- Autograph Session with KISS
- Exclusive access to KISS's Preshow Soundcheck
- Specially Designed KISS Tour Shirt
- Custom Designed, KISS Ring (18k gold plated, exclusive to ticket packages)
- Set of Official KISS Guitar Picks (with custom case)
- Official Meet & Greet Laminate
- Commemorative VIP Ticket
Crowd- free merchandise shopping
On-site VIP Host
KISS - VIP Tour Package
Package includes:
- One reserved tickets located in the first 15 rows of the stage
- Specially Designed KISS Tour Shirt
- Custom Designed, KISS Ring (18k gold plated, exclusive to ticket packages)
- Set of Official KISS Guitar Picks (with custom case)
- Official VIP Laminate
- Commemorative VIP Ticket
- Crowd- free merchandise shopping
- On-site VIP Host
R&R Fantasy Camp
“I can’t think of a better way to kick off our next installment of Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas with none other than rock god Gene Simmons,” says Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp founder David Fishof.
“I can’t wait to reveal the secrets of becoming a rock star,” says Gene Simmons. “Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp is a grueling, military style musical training process. And I’m just the guy to be your Sergeant. Now, drop and give me twenty.”
Kicking off October 10th and culminating October 14th Gene Simmons will jam with campers of all talent levels providing them a taste of what it’s like to live the “rock and roll” lifestyle and a memory that will last a lifetime. The camp will host special rock stars including Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne guitarist, Black Label Society), Vince Neil (Motley Crue), and Sebastian Bach (Skid Row).
The rock camps allow music fans a chance to jam nightly with legendary rock stars, write and record an original song and perform live on stage in front of family and friends. Campers have the option of purchasing a three-day rock star package or five day headliner experience. Both packages will cover hotel accommodations, breakfast/lunch, daily classes and jam session, opening night dinner and cocktail party as well as a DVD copy of the final concert performance. To celebrate the camp’s culmination on October 14th, campers will jam at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas during a live concert.
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp is the world’s only place where real people get the life-changing experience of meeting, writing songs, recording and performing with their musical heroes. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp has helped make millions of dreams come true for rock & roll lovers around the world. Created by veteran music producer David Fishof to be the ultimate music-making experience these camps provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for musicians of all skill levels.
Rock star camp counselors have included Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones), Slash, Roger Daltrey (The Who), Bret Michaels (Poison), Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), Cheap Trick, Dr. John, George Thorogood, Jack Bruce (Cream), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad), Jane Wiedlin (The Go Gos), Joe Satriani, Joe Walsh, Meatloaf, Mickey Hart (The Grateful Dead), Lita Ford (The Runaways), Steve Vai, Todd Rundgren, Vince Neil (Motley Crue), Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum (Both of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot) and many more.
We can’t wait to see everyone there to help us celebrate our GRAND OPENING at the MGM Grand Las Vegas!
GSFJ Billboard
In either case, we hope you like our little show...seen in 84 countries around the world.
A&E’s hit series “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” returns with a special one-hour episode on Monday, May 28 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.
The Indy KISS Fan Expo
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Tommy, making his first official Expo appearance, and Eric spent over eleven hours signing autographs and visiting with the fans at the KISSOnline booth! The guys also held a spirited Q&A, which featured a surprise birthday celebration for Eric! At one point Tommy and Eric ventured into the hallway to greet the hundreds of fans still remaining in line to thank them for their patience.
Late in the evening, KISS tribute band KIST rocked the ballroom as Tommy And Eric greeted the last of the attendees, some who waited over 7 hours to meet them! The KISS Army truly rocks!
Another great day celebrating the greatest band in the world with the greatest fans ever!
At Fan Expo
KISS Comics Covers
In the photos:
Top row: two regular covers available at most retailers; and one limited cover available at select retailers
Bottom row: limited cover available at select retailers; the black cover is exclusive to one retailer only; last one on right is the KISSOnline exclusive.
Love Gun 3D
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Limited to 1977 pieces.
-The First in a Series-
This Limited Edition KISS collectible features the full-color ‘Love Gun’ album cover which is permanently etched and engraved into the custom front glass panel. The glass panel is strategically placed 1/2 an inch in front of the custom printed matting, creating a 3D effect. Printed on the custom matting is the title and length of each song from the album.
The album image is actually fused and embedded into the 1/4 inch thick glass surface through an EXCLUSIVE multi-step etching process. Also etched and engraved into the glass panel are the four official KISS symbols and the signatures of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
This framed collectible is completed with a precision crafted KISS logo positioned at the top of the frame.
To commemorate the 1977 release of the Love Gun album, this piece is limited to 1977 pieces worldwide and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity which is signed and numbered by the Artist.
The finished frame size is 14”x19”.
Where can fans buy?
www.KISSOnline.com and www.ShopGDC.com
It will be on more websites and independent gift shops and galleries in the very near future.
May 6, 2012
RNR Fantasy Camp
KISS' Gene Simmons is prepping the whip for his role mentoring the next batch of Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp attendees.
"I intend to be a hard taskmaster," Simmons, who joins the camp Oct. 10-14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, tells Billboard.com. "The guy you hate the most when you go off into war is your drill sergeant, and he's the guy you love the most when you get on the battlefield and all that hard work he put you through saves your life, or at least made you a better soldier. So I'm gonna be the drill sergeant and take these guys through it. They may not be able to perform in an arena, play in the band of their dreams or become big rock stars, but they'll certainly be able to step up on their local stages everywhere and be 10 times the performer they were before."
Simmons also notes that he's "going to be insulting some people, because in the real world when you get up on stage, sometimes the audience will insult you. All they're doing is telling you how they really feel -- 'Aw, you suck!' "
Simmons will be joined at the fall camp by Black Label Society leader Zakk Wylde, former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach and Vince Neil of Motley Crue, which will be touring with KISS during the summer, wrapping up Sept. 23. Simmons says most of his lessons will be pragmatic -- "Less about celebrity and more like, 'OK, here it is,' " he notes -- teaching the campers to "know about your instrument and know how to play," develop some sense and appreciation for the business side of music and know that "you'll be judged by not only how you sound but also how you look, how you dress, how you talk, what you say. I really want to treat this seriously." Details about the fall camp are available at www.rockcamp.com/.
Simmons' camp gig will come after a serious summer for KISS that will see not only the tour with Motley Crue but also the July release of the group's 20th studio album, "Monster." The follow-up to 2009's "Sonic Boom" is again produced by the band's Paul Stanley and is, in Simmons' words, "either the best or one of the top three records we've ever done. It's like 'Revenge' meets 'Destroyer' -- just guitar and drums, nothing else. No keyboards, no little boys' choir, no strings, no nothing. Band-written; literally we'd get in and strum guitars like the old days." Co-produced, like "Sonic Boom," by Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley, "Monster" "was written very fast," according to Simmons and includes at least one track, "Are You Ready?," that he describes as "an old song that was torn apart and re-written."
"Monster" will be accompanied by a "monstrous book" of the same name, an over-sized art book that Simmons says "should weigh 100 pounds or more" and come with its own stand. "It's something you can't put on your coffee table, 'cause it'll crush it. It IS the coffee table." The book will include paintings, drawings, photos and other impressions by various artists, inspired by KISS. The group will also be rolling out a new 10-hour DVD this year, a Kiss golf course in New York, a series of comic books and a product line in conjunction with Hello Kitty that will include "everything from back to school items to bed sheets, bedspreads, you name it." And its Kiss Kruise takes launches Oct. 31 form Miami.
On the horizon, meanwhile, is the 40th anniversary of Kiss' formation in 2013 and of the release of its first album 2014. Simmons says "there are a lot of plans" to celebrate both. "Let's just say it's going to be a two-year long tour," with details still to come.
May 5, 2012
Won't Forget Dick Clark
"Yesterday, the private memorial for Dick Clark took place, and I was there by invitation along with Erin, Gene and Shannon. Dick was a true icon who changed the world of rock and roll while making a career of using his love of music to make icons of others. To see rock's greats spanning 5 decades humbled and giving thanks to this giant only underlined once again the impact this wonderful man had on so many. Any of the current Idol/Voice type shows wouldn't exist without the trail that Dick Clark blazed to make them possible. He left an indelible mark on me for the irreplaceable generosity he showed KISS over the years. Always there with a word of guidance, we won't forget him. He will live on through his impact on countless aspects of American pop culture."
Paul Stanley
May 4, 2012
Norwegian Festival
KISS will headline the 2nd night of the Kollen Summer Festival in Oslo, Norway on Saturday, June 30th, 2012. The concert will take place at the Holmenkollen National Arena - the roof of Oslo - made world famous by its iconic ski jump that can be seen from all over the capital. This new two day festival will feature 26 artists on three stages!
”KISS Saturday on the big stage at Kollen is a dream come true. To really experience a band like KISS you need a stage that justifies the greatness of the band, and Kollen is the only festival in Norway that can provide just that. It’s flat out extremely cool to be able to give Oslo an exclusive concert with the worlds largest rock ’n’ roll circus as the grand finale on the first edition of Kollen ever.” – Pål Jakobsen, head of booking Kollen.
Variety Article
Last week, Kiss co-founder and frontman Paul Stanley was busy preparing for an upcoming co-headlining tour with Motley Crue, just after putting the final touches on the group's studio record, "Monster," which is due out this fall and will be inevitably followed by yet another tour.
By now, this is all old hat for the 60-year-old arena rock veteran. Yet as staunchly stratified as Kiss' flashpot-and-greasepaint-aesthetic has become, the group seems set to enter its 40th anniversary year in 2013 amidst a music industry that has in many ways reformed into the band's own image.
Though no longer attempting to stay abreast of every change in the musical weather, -- as it did with disco and glam metal in its middle period -- Kiss has managed to keep its name in the pop music conversation admirably well, slotting in on "American Idol" and launching a previous co-headlining tour with Aerosmith. Yet what's perhaps most remarkable is the degree to which Kiss' longtime operating procedure -- aggressive multimedia licensing and an overall reliance on touring over record sales -- has positioned the group for the industry upheavals of the last decade.
The band has a catalog of 3,000 officially licensed, branded Kiss products, and recently signed a worldwide licensing deal with Hello Kitty owner Sanrio. (Kiss beer, coffins and condoms have also recently joined its immense catalog of apparel and toys.) Of course, Kiss' uber-capitalist stance was once regarded as anathema to the countercultural spirit of rock and roll, yet given the explosion of music branding, licensing and marketing agencies over recent years (as well as such ventures as Dr. Dre's Beats by Dre electronics line and David Guetta's new sponsorship platform), the band's gung-ho branding approach now seems to rival only George Lucas' "Star Wars" merchandising deals in its prescience.
"Our credibility is defined by our own criteria, and we are as credible as we are profitable." Stanley said. "It's undeniable that the (non-traditional) revenue streams can be enormous, and to not maximize your potential outside of music would be absurd. It is the music business, and the business element doesn't negate or detract from the other end of it. We're a band, and we're a brand. And without one, the other suffers.
"Just to give an example, when we first started our (Kiss Army) fan club, people snickered, critics snickered, other bands snickered. And the fact of the matter was, what's wrong with organizing and affiliating yourself with your fans? It seemed to me incredibly self-absorbed to do the opposite, and not acknowledge and nurture it. In the beginning, we were surprised with the hostility it met. But we've always stuck to our guns. There are a lot bands that can't do the same because, quite honestly, they're boring."
Despite such self-promotional chest-thumping that has always accompanied Kiss' music and business ventures, Stanley casts a sympathetic eye on the acts following in his band's wake, especially given new digital models that, he notes, "force the artist to go along with a royalty system that they might have never agreed to" if they had the choice.
"I would hate to be a band starting out now, because the pot of gold isn't there to be had," he said. "We came up on a route that, in essence, wasn't far removed from vaudeville. You started fourth on the bill and gradually worked your way up. You graduated from clubs to theaters to arenas. By the time we were headliners, we damned well knew how to headline. That's an opportunity most bands today will never get, and it shows in their performances."
While Kiss' recorded output has long been perceived as supplementary to its maximalist stage show -- a model to which, of late, the rest of the music business has been forced to conform -- Stanley has taken the reins on the recording side in recent years, self-producing "Monster" as he previously did with 2009's "Sonic Boom," which notched the band's highest rung on the Billboard album chart to date, topping out at No. 2.
"It came from me saying, 'either I produce or we don't do albums,' " he said, bluntly. "I think we reached a point where democracy showed itself to be highly overrated."
Similarly, Stanley is remarkably upfront about his own songwriting style ("I'm not a brooding, miserable artist. I won. This is exactly what I wanted"); the band's missteps ("nothing would have been worse than for our last recorded album to have been (1998 reunion album) 'Psycho Circus.' That was an epitaph I didn't want"); and on his own expectations for the band's new material ("no matter how great the songs are, nothing on this album is going to have anywhere near the impact that 'Love Gun' had on people"). He's just as straightforward about his unique relationship with bassist-singer Gene Simmons -- his constant bandmate since even prior to Kiss' founding -- and who often takes the role of public spokesman for the band: "Over the years, you learn to accept the dynamic, and the best way to make for a great partnership is to accept its limitations. Do my shoulders sometimes get sore from someone standing on them all the time? Sure. But that's part of the dynamic. … And for all the bluster, I still put 50% of what he gets into my bank account."
But when asked about the band's future as it crosses over into its fifth decade, Stanley turned contemplative.
"Kiss will far outlive me," he said. "I can't shut it down, nor would I want to. At some point I'll be gone -- to say that other people have been expendable (in the band) and not include myself would be narcissistic and ridiculous. There's someone out there who can do what I do at least as well, add something else to the band, and take it further. Even as a brand, Kiss is only in its infancy. It's timeless in the same way Batman and Superman are timeless. Kiss doesn't age."
May 3, 2012
Makeup To Breakup
Cover of Peter Criss’s upcoming autobiogrophy revealed.
This fall, original KISS drummer Peter Criss will release his autobiography, “Makeup To Breakup.”
Due October 23, publisher Scribner says, “from sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll to multiple brushes with death, ‘Makeup to Breakup’ will be Peter Criss’ unvarnished and eye-opening life story.”
“I am so blessed that I am finally going to write my autobiography, and I hope you enjoy the ride,” Criss said in the release. “The best of all is I get to share my true feelings of my love for God, family, friends and fame. It’s been a wonderful life.”In addition to playing drums in KISS, Criss provided some of the vocals. In fact, he wrote and sang the band’s biggest hit, the ballad “Beth.”
Archie Meets KISS
The biggest band in rock history invades Riverdale! When the Archies find their town overrun by monsters because of a spell gone wrong, can rock legends KISS save the day? Sabrina the Teenage Witch is also featured adding a magical touch to this epic crossover. Prepare for the craziest match up in Archie history since Archie Meets The Punisher! This collects all four parts of the storyline, reprints of the variant covers by Francesco Francavilla, and a foreword by Gene Simmons. The hardcover Collector's Edition also contains 48 pages of extras not found in the regular trade paperback edition including a KISS photo gallery, the original pitch and script and other bonus material! A must-have full-color edition for KISS and Archie fans alike!
Written by Alex Segura, art and cover by Dan Parent.
Hardcover, 160 pages; trade paperback, 112 pages
Both Collector's Editions are available at retailers and online stores.
Kerrang!
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Gene Simmons graces the latest cover of Kerrang! Magazine. The issue also features a short interview with Gene. It's on the news stands now.
KISS T-shirts
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Check out these new KISS T-shirts now available at the WEGO Stores in Japan. Other KISS designs are also available.
Visit the WEGO Web Store.
KISS Fan Expo
This year's Special guests are KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer and KISS drummer Eric Singer! This is Tommy's first official appearance as a guest at a KISS Expo, and his only KISS Expo appearance this year! Come meet Tommy and Eric as KISS gets ready to hit the road for "THE TOUR" 2012! Each band member will also do a Q/A and be available for photos an autographs.
- Shout it out loud and sing your favorite KISS Klassics at KISS Karaoke!
- Enjoy a costume contest for all ages
- Come take your photo with a Paul Stanley Guitar at Boogie Street Guitars' booth!
- Tribute band KIST will perform.
- KISS merchandise and collectibles will be on sale throughout day from vendors from all over the country!
- KISSOnline will be attending with Exclusive KISS merchandise!
Gene Simmons Family Jewels
Legendary rock god and multi-hyphenate Gene Simmons returns with his unconventional family for an all-new season of A&E's hit series "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," premiering with a special one-hour episode on Monday, May 28 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Season seven, which continues the longest running celebrity family-based series on television, begins with a shocking moment for America's most traditional, non-traditional family. After going through their most tumultuous year of their 28-year history, Gene and Shannon finally tied the knot. However, that doesn't mean all their troubles have magically gone away.
In what promises to be the most explosive season ever, Shannon decides she wants to adopt a child, and the entire family battles over her decision. Gene, Nick and Sophie are against the adoption, and for the first time in her life, Sophie is at drastic odds with her mother. Meanwhile, Gene is trying to learn to be a better husband but is still battling with his rock-star ways as Nick is striving to emulate his father's good qualities, yet finding it hard to avoid the bad ones. From the family's adoption battle, to Gene and Shannon's honeymoon in Africa (where Shannon has an ulterior motive planned), to Gene on tour for the first time as a married man, fans will have an all-access pass as America's favorite rock family unfolds personal layers of their lives that they have yet to reveal.
"Gene Simmons Family Jewels" is produced by Thinkfactory Media and the Gene Simmons Company. Adam Freeman, Adam Reed, Gene Simmons, Erin Kelly, Moriah Muse and Leslie Greif are the series executive producers. David McKillop and Neil A. Cohen are the A&E executive producers.
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