October 31, 2007
ACE LIVE
Click here to see some footage from the Ace show from October 29, 2007.
[Comments]

October 31, 2007
KISSOLOGY 3 PROMO CLIP
(from Kissonline)
Click the link below to view a cool promotional clip of "Nothin' To Lose". The clip was released to promote the upcoming KISSOLOGY Vol. 3 1992-2000 DVD.
CLICK HERE to view "Nothin' To Lose".
[Comments]

October 31, 2007
KISS MAKES TOP 20
(from Mazie)
In the Halloween spirit, Spinner.com compiled a list of the craziest costumed rockers.  OF COURSE, Kiss made the list!  Thought your other readers would love this!
http://www.spinner.com/2007/10/19/craziest-costumed-acts-no-20/
[Comments]

October 29, 2007
ACE SHOW TONIGHT
(from Kissonline)
Ace Frehley will play an unannounced concert at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York tonight (Monday, October 29) beginning at 10:00 p.m. Opening the show will be the Alice In Chains tribute band Facelift.

The venue details are as follows:

The Chance
6 Cranell St.
Poughkeepsie, Ny
(845) 471-1966
www.thechancetheatre.com

Tickets are $20 and are available now at Ticketmaster.com .
[Comments]

October 29, 2007
JAY JAY FRENCH TALKS ABOUT KISS
Metal Shrine posted an interview with Jay Jay French from "Twisted Sister", which included some Kiss-related questions:

I was gonna ask you about that. There´s got to be tons of stories to tell. A few questions about the old times. I always wondered about... I remember early on reading about Wicked Lester. Did you audition or not for that band?

JJF: You know, this has never really been a controversial anything. I mentioned it once in an interview and I said exactly what I did. And that´s all I did, I simply auditioned for Gene and Paul in the transition period between Wicked Lester and KISS. They were auditioning dozens of people. My name got floated because the producer of Wicked Lester, his attorney lived in my apartment building. The guy said to me "There´s a band that my producer client is producing and they´re changing personal, would you like to audition for them?". So I said "Fine!" and the next thing you know, Gene and Paul showed up at a gig and they were very hippiesh looking and they said "Well, we´re gonna change! We´re with this band, but we´re gonna change the whole image to this completely different thing. Are you familiar with glam rock?". This was 1972 and I said "Yeah!". I was very much into the Greatful Dead at the time and that stuff and they said "Are you familiar with Slade and David Bowie?". I said "Yeah!". "Well, we´re gonna change to something like that, but we don´t know what it is yet. We´re gonna use stage names and it´s gonna be very theatrical.". And I said "Ok!". Then I rehearsed with them for a couple of weeks and that was it.


Do you have any memory of what songs you played?

JJF: We did a lot of Led Zeppelin stuff. All covers. We just jammed on covers, because they didn´t have anything written. However, Wicked Lester itself, the album... you finally heard the music, right?


Yeah, I love that stuff! With the flutes and everything.

JJF: Yeah, the flutes on "She". It´s freaking lame! Well, they handed me all this shit from Wicked Lester and they said "Learn some of these songs!". Like "Sweet Ophelia", all that stuff. They said to me "Don´t mention to the other guys in the band that we´re firing them!". So I´d go to rehearsal and there´d be these guys there and I´d be looking at them and going "You fucking have no idea, that you´re all about to lose your job.", so I kept my mouth shut. Then I basically move out of New York and that was in June 1972. I moved out of New York for the summer and joined a band and lived in a hippie commune in the mountains of Pennsylvania that summer. I came back in September and picked up "The Village Voice" and the ad was still here, so I answered the ad and they said "Oh, we just got a guy. His name is Paul and we´re calling him Ace.". So I went down and saw Ace play. One of the first time they ever performed, was for me, in this room in The Village, their rehearsal space on 23rd street. They basically did all the songs revamped now with Marshall amplifiers and they were wearing heels. They had just changed their name to KISS. They played all these songs and they were heavy and they were great. I remember Gene saying to Peter, it was Peter´s 30th birthday in 1972 and I remember Gene saying "Don´t tell anybody your age! You´re too old!". That was in 1972. So how old would Peter be now? It´s 35 years later, so he´s 65. Back in those days I was 20.


Did you ever feel like "Damn, I should´ve stayed in New York and ended up in KISS!"?

JJF: Never in a million years and I´ll tell you why. Because the day that I went down to watch them play, they did the whole album for me in that loft... it was me and Ron Johnsson, the producer, Gene got into an argument with Ace that day and I was in an earshot of the argument and basically what it was, was the producer said "Wow, you guys are really good and you´re ready to go." and Ace said "Yeah, I think we´re ready.". Gene took him aside and said "Don´t you ever give your opinion again, because I´m the only one!" and I said to myself "Holy shit! I would kill this motherfucker if I was in this band. What a fucking, arrogant piece of shit this idiot is!". And I said "I need to find my own arrogant, fucking idiot!". So, no, I never regretted it for one... because I wouldn´t have survived. I would have beat his ass to a pulp. Fuck that! He´s an obnoxious guy, everybody knows that. Paul doesn´t like him! He didn´t invite him to his wedding, you know that right?


No!

JJF: Paul got remarried and he didn´t invite Gene. No, he doesn´t like him. I never lost any sleep over it and if you ask him about me, he´d probably go "Jay Jay who?".


Right! I was kind of wondering...because you worked with Eddie Kramer in the early days, on a couple of singles. What was that like? He´s legendary.

JJF: He´s legendary and he was fun. But there were aspects of the deal that went bad. Unbeknownst to us there was a side deal made between Eddie and the owner of Electric Lady studios that we didn´t know about. The side deal involved some sort of arrangements where if the masters were used for commercial purposes in any form we would have to pay Electric Lady four times the stated studio fee. Which I think was 6000 dollars at the time. Of course we never got a record deal. We were thinking as you make a record you get a major record deal. We didn´t know this side deal was done and we released these records as our own independent singles, to try and get some publicity. That´s not the same thing as a record deal. You print 5000 singles and sell them for a dollar and just try to generate some buzz. Well, Electric Lady found out about it and the owner called me and he basically said "You released it and in other words you commercially released it and you now owe us 24 000 dollars and if you don´t pay I´m gonna break your legs!". Of all the mob guys that we probably played for in the bars that we played in, that were probably mob own, I was never bothered and I was never threathened, but this guy threathened to break my legs. He actually threathened to break my knee caps, if we didn´t pay him. And interestingly enough we just then got signed to Secret Record and they payed the guy off with a substantial amount of money. I spoke to Eddie about it many years ago and he had no recollection of it. He said "Look, I didn´t put the deal together.". He did have a partner at the time, who was this business guy and maybe this business guy made the side deal, so when you ask me what is my memory of the time, it´s not so much that we worked with Eddie, because Eddie is still a friend, but the memory of the threat.

Read the complete interview here.
[Comments]

October 28, 2007
KISSOLOGY 3 ON FONTANA COVER
(from Kissonline)
Here is Fontana Distribution's year end release book cover featuring KISSOLOGY Vol. 3. Fontana is the distributor of the KISSOLOGY DVD series and only about 2300 of these sales books are printed and sent out to buyers.

[Comments]

October 27, 2007
KISS ROCKED FRIDAY NIGHT
(from Kissonline)
The band performed at a private event for the Entrepreneurs' Organization at the Beach at Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. The Entrepreneurs’ Organization is a global community of business owners, all of whom run companies that exceed $1M (US) in revenue.

Friday night over 1500 business owners rocked from the opening of "Deuce" through the ending of "Rock & Roll All Nite" as KISS tore through a 17 song set! The atmosphere was reminiscent of a spring break party with many attendees standing in the pool that surrounded the stage, singing along to each song as beach balls flew through the air. It was quite the party for all who attended!
[Comments]

October 26, 2007
PAUL GUITAR LAUNCH IN CANADA
(from paulstanley.com)
Erikson Consumer, the consumer electronics division of Jam Industries located in Baie D’Urfé, Quebec, and the Hudson Bay Corporation are proud to announce the launch of the much anticipated Paul Stanley Electric guitar and accessories.

Paul Stanley is a legendary American hard rock guitarist and vocalist for the classic rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of most of the band's highest-charting hits, including "Rock and Roll All Nite," "Hard Luck Woman," "I Was Made For Lovin' You," "Crazy Crazy Nights," and "Forever." Paul's persona in Kiss is "The Starchild" and this persona is carried through in the design of the products.

Launches at Hudson Bay Corporation (HBC) Zellers and Home Outfitters stores across Canada will take place on Nov 3rd, 2007. "We were thrilled to work with Paul Stanley on this project and are proud to be able to offer Canadian Kiss fans a little piece of rock n roll history in the form of an autographed, Paul Stanley designed guitar," said Todd Taylor, sales manager for Erikson Consumer.

CLICK here to visit the Zellers and Home Outfitters' Paul Stanley Page
[Comments]

October 26, 2007
KISSOLOGY VOL. 2 6 X PLATINUM
According to Kissonline, the "Kissology Vol. 2" DVD box has been certified 6 x platinum by the RIAA. This means, that 150.000 copies of this DVD box has been shipped to retailers.
[Comments]

October 24, 2007
GRAND PRIX SET TO GET KISS OF LIFE
(from Herlad Sun)
Sam Edmund
ROCK gods Kiss will perform at next year's Australian Grand Prix.
In a coup for the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, the veteran rockers will play to thousands of revved-up fans at Albert Park. The outdoor concert will rock the GP after practice, qualifying or the race, from March 13-16. Singer and guitarist Paul Stanley confirmed the American band would be performing at the race. The GP show will be sandwiched between the band's big-budget stage performances across Australia and New Zealand. "We're going to Australia -- we're doing the Grand Prix," Stanley said. "We're gearing up for some big shows out of the country." A spokesman for the AGPC said the full program for next year's race would be announced in November. The signing of Kiss is part of a bid by GP organisers to bounce back from last year's sluggish ticket sales. The 2008 Grand Prix will also mark the return of the V8 Supercars.
[Comments]

October 21, 2007
VAN HALEN COVER KISS SONGS
Old live-recordings from the club days in the '70s from Van Halen playing Kiss songs surfaced on Youtube:
Firehouse
Rock and Roll all nite
[Comments]

October 20, 2007
ARCH ENEMY COVER "THE OATH"
(from speedy64/Kiss Forum)
Arch Enemy cover "The Oath"... Japan only bonus track!
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/2eXS8-heXuk/
[Comments]

October 19, 2007
KISS TO PLAY AT MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX 2008!
Paul Stanley said in an interview, that Kiss will play the Melbourne Grand Prix 2008, and that they will be touring in Australia & New Zealand in March 2008. Click here to see the interview.
[Comments]

October 19, 2007
NEW KISS BOOK AVAILABLE
(from Kissfaq)
KISSFAQ's "The Other Side of the Coin" has just been published.
"The Other Side Of The Coin" is a compilation of previously published interviews and articles from the KISSFAQ website. It also includes additions to material previously published in the "KISS Album Focus" trilogy and some unpublished material. The unpublished material includes unused magazine articles, sections previously cut from the "KISS Album Focus" books, the "Rock And Roll Over" Tour Focus, and updated "KISS Family Trees" and the "KISS Concertology, 2002-7." The "Rock And Roll Over" Tour Focus is an in-depth look at KISS' Winter Tour 1976/77 with the earliest know setlist from that tour.
[Comments]

October 19, 2007
NEW PAUL RADIO INTERVIEW
Click here for a new radio interview with Paul.
[Comments]

October 18, 2007
KISSOLOGY 3 Q&A
(from Kissonline)
KISSONLINE Q &A with Ken Gullic Sr. - VP for Fontana. Fontana distributes the KISSOLOGY DVD series.

KOL: Will there be three bonus discs, as there have been on the first two volumes?

KG: Yes! Three in total, on initial pressings only. 1) The KROQ Weenie Roast/Irvine, CA 6/15/96 (first reunion performance in make up) [58 minutes]; 2) Madison Square Garden/Reunion Tour 7/27/96 [1 hour, 42 minutes]; 3) Sao Paulo Brazil 8/27/94 (Revenge/Alive III tour with Sphinx stage) [1 hour, 34 minutes] Sao Paulo is my fave of the three actually. Intense performance, they look fresh... different and classic tunes. Though the Weenie Roast is a trip to see again. RETAILERS AND COMPLETE SET LISTS PER SHOW T.B.A.

KOL: Will there be any limited edition bonus goodies (like the back stage pass in Vol. 1, or the Phantom ticket in Vol. 2)?

KG: Yes, and no. The Coventry show (12/22/73) replaces any bonus goodies this time out, and will be available only on initial pressings, as well. There will be a cool full color booklet with comments again, of course.

KOL: Easter eggs?

KG: Yes, this may still be in play, but I believe there will be three of them. Besides the amazing/surprising coolness of the Carnival of Souls studio footage, one other that I know of will be a soundcheck song (w/o make up) before the Brooklyn Bridge/MTV awards taping. Not sure which song, but safe to assume it ain’t “The Oath” or “Always Near You/Nowhere to Hide”... sorry kids!

KOL: Don’t we already have THE PALACE ’92 performance on KISS KONFIDENTIAL?

KG: Nope. The footage on Konfidential, as cool as it may be, was a bit of a mash up between different shows, put to the Alive III audio only. I was lucky enough to see this footage in the editing studio w/Roger and Alex Coletti. It’s crystal clear, and I felt I had seen very little of it. It’s the pure Detroit audio/video... untouched/affected like Konfidential was. Though they did point out where a mic had cut out here and there, and other vox had to be flown in. It’s cool that “War Machine” made it, obviously. As well as “Parasite”.

KOL: Have we seen the Behind the Scenes for “Unplugged”?

KG: Very little of it. What I have seen so far was super cool stuff, mostly narrated by Alex Coletti (Kissology and Unplugged producer). It’s very cool that he is shedding some light on his experiences (especially since he is such a fan and was clearly living a dream)... there’s riveting stuff. Ace and Peter almost back out of Unplugged, at the last minute... so songs like “2,000 Man” are rehearsed w/o them on the actual Unplugged stage (If I remember correctly, Paul takes a crack at it!) and THE highlight for me was when Alex sneaks behind the piano during the 6 man rehearsal of “Nothin’ To Lose” (at SIR) and plays the piano part. Peter smiles from ear to ear when it happens. Awesome!

KOL: Don’t we have Dodger Stadium in bootleg circles?

KG: Nope... not this edit. This version is special because Alex and Roger and his crew unearthed the single camera feeds from each member and have constructed their own edit of the entire show. Conspiracy theorists unite, though, as Peter’s solo feed did not materialize... so the men (and women) behind the curtains admitted that they had to use dress rehearsal footage to fill in Peter whenever possible. This was not a Gene directive, kids, so relax!

KOL: Commentary?

KG: Yes, though I didn’t witness any of it, I know that Gene, Paul, Bruce and Tommy worked long and hard one day to get this all done. They did this right after we did our trophy presentation and all were in GREAT spirits. I do believe they all four did some stuff together where it made sense (e.g. convention/unplugged footage). Bruce later told me he heard and participated in some classic stories, as well as some all together new ones, with Gene and Paul. Sadly Eric Singer was on tour and couldn’t make it the one day this session was scheduled.

KOL: Will there be a KISSOLOGY 3 special on VH1 like there were for the first two?

KG: Yes, but this is for the band to reveal, I can say it will be very different, definitely bigger (like Volume 3 as a whole); some very cool surprises in store... I believe it will air LIVE at least a few weeks before KISSMASS! And that’s a wrap! (sorry.)
[Comments]

October 16, 2007
NEW PAUL RADIO INTERVIEW
(from paulstanley.com)
Here's a new radio interview with Paul and Lexie Kaye from 97.1 FM The River - Atlanta.
CLICK HERE to listen to the 97.1 interview
[Comments]

October 16, 2007
KISSOLOGY VOL. 3 DETAILS
(from Kissonline)
KISSOLOGY VOL. 3 1992-2000 in stores DECEMBER 18th!

This is the biggest...the baddest...the most incredible of them all...

The third installment of the multi-platinum, hugely successful KISSOLOGY Series. KISS is back with their biggest statement to date - nearly TEN hours of KISS live on stage.

KISSOLOGY VOL. 3 also features - MTV's UNPLUGGED performance, including songs that didn't make it into the broadcast or CD version! Plus, a behind the scenes documentary shot during rehearsals and back stage - Never before seen!

And we teased this on KISSOLOGY VOL. 1 - the much heralded Queens, NY Coventry Show from December, 1973 - the band's first ever concert filmed in make up in its entirety!

KISSOLOGY VOL. 3 1992-2000 has been super-expanded to four DVD's - nearly TEN HOURS of KISS live and on stage! Includes over 100 live performances, commentary from Paul, Gene, Bruce Kulick & Tommy Thayer as well as a 20 page full color booklet!

FIVE CONCERTS included : DETROIT - 1992, DETROIT - 1996, LOS ANGELES - 1998, NEW JERSEY - 2000 and QUEENS, NY - 1973.

One version of the release will feature a FIFTH BONUS DISC of KISS' performance at the KROQ WEENIE ROAST on June 15, 1996. Tracks include: "Deuce", "Love Gun", "Calling Dr. Love", "Firehouse", "Shock Me", "100,000 Years", "Detroit Rock City", "Black Diamond" and "Rock and Roll All Nite".

Pictured is the KISSOLOGY VOL. 3 Sales sheet from Fontana Distribution.

[Comments]

October 16, 2007
BRUCE KULICK INTERVIEW
Click here to read a new interview with Bruce Kulick.
[Comments]

October 14, 2007
KISS TOOTHBRUSH TV AD WITH GENE & PAUL
Click here to see a new tv ad for the Kiss toothbrush with Gene & Paul.
[Comments]

October 14, 2007
GENE SIMMONS ROCKS ON
(from cnnmoney.com)
Kiss frontman Gene Simmons talks about the Kiss brand and his marketing strategy for keeping the band from going the way of the one-hit-wonder.
Watch the video.
[Comments]

October 13, 2007
KISSOLOGY 3 DVD COVER
(from kissonline.com)
Here's the approved artwork for the upcoming KISSOLOGY Vol. 3.

Comments]

October 13, 2007
PAUL ON GOOD DAY ATLANTA
(from paulstanley.com)
Paul will appear "live" on Good Day Atlanta - TV Fox 5 - next Friday, September 19th. Paul will be promoting his Atlanta Art appearances.

Paul's Atlanta Wentworth Gallery Appearances:

Friday October 19, 2007 6-9 PM
Wentworth Gallery -- Phipps Plaza
3500 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30326
RSVP: 404-233-0903

Saturday October 20, 2007 6-9 PM
Wentworth Gallery -- Perimeter Mall
4400 Ashford Dunwoody Rd
Atlanta, GA 30346
RSVP: 770-913-0641
[Comments]

October 11, 2007
2007 FLORIDA KISS EXPO
Get A Life Inc presents the 2007 Florida KISS Expo. Its been years since Florida had a KISS Expo, let's make this a great one!

The 2007 Florida KISS Expo will be held Sunday November 4th from
1:00PM to 7:00PM (2:00PM for VIP holders)
Holiday Inn Main Gate East
5711 W. U.S. Hwy 192
Kissimmee, Florida 34746

For hotel rooms - call 1-800-327-1128 Ask for the KISS Expo rate!

The Florida KISS Expo is back! Special guests include Bruce Kulick (KISS, Grand Funk Railroad and ESP). Bruce and Bill will be answering questions and will be available for autographs and photos. More guests and activities to be announced very soon. Also appearing will be Dale "The Demon" Torborg. Dale was the famous KISS wrestler is WCW a few years ago. Bruce and Dale both will be available throughout the day for autographs and photos. They will also participate in a Q/A session.

Children 12 and under get in free! KISS merchandise and collectibles will be on sale throughout the day. There will be giveaways and contests too.

VIP ticket holders will be able to get in one hour early (1pm) and get a FREE KISS collectible. VIP tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Regular admission is $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

For vendor information contact us at: sstierwalt@getalifeinc.com.
[Comments]

October 6, 2007
ACE ON THE EDDIE TRUNK RADIO SHOW
Ace was on Eddie Trunks radio show last night. He came to the studio on his Harley. He said he might dress up as someone else and may play a new song. His new website should be running before the end of the year and the new album should be out in January 2008. He also said, Kiss have to pay him everytime they (Tommy Thayer) are using his make-up, and on the other side he has to pay them whenever he is using the make-up. He is on good terms with Gene and Paul and also talks to them from time to time.
[Comments]

October 6, 2007
"KISS LOVES YOU" DVD DUE IN NOVEMBERTER
(from googet/kissarmyaustralia.com)
MVD Visual has set a November 20 release date for the "Kiss Loves You" DVD, a wistful documentary about worldwide KISS nostalgia featuring rare treats like KISS in Stockholm 1976. A description of the set reads as follows: "Ten years in the making, 'Kiss Loves You' is a film that began back in 1994 when the band KISS was at a career low and KISS fans around the world were starting tribute bands, uniting at unofficial KISS conventions and growing increasingly more nostalgic for the '70s-era classic KISS lineup. The zeitgeist exhibited at these conventions was not lost on the band and in 1996 they responded, rising up like a grease-painted phoenix into a new era of success. On the surface, KISS fans got exactly what they longed for, but for some the return of their idols brought unexpected consequences. 'Kiss Loves You' follows a few KISS fans along the way.

Bonus materials include never-before-seen silent Super-8 film of KISS in Stockholm 1976; extended footage from the 1996 KISS press conference on the USS Intrepid; the "Beyond Vaudeville" KISS spectacular program; and 90 minutes of outtakes from the film.
[Comments]

October 6, 2007
PETER TO BE PANELIST FOR CMJ IN NY ON OCT. 17
(from Marie/Kiss Forum)
From Peter Criss's official website :
http://www.petercriss.net/homepage/

"CMJ Music Marathon 2007 Oct 17th
Peter will be one of the panelist at this year's CMJ Music Marathon.
For more info check out this link."
http://cmj.com/marathon/panel_show-template.php?panel_id=63
and here :
http://cmj.com/marathon/panelist-template.php?user_id=3966

The CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival runs from Oct 16 - 20 in New York City.

Peter Criss and the other panelists will be present on the following date and time at this event :

VENUE:
Kimmel Center: Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
60 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012

Map :
http://maps.google.com/?f=q&hl=en&q=60+Washington+Square+South+New+York+NY

DATE:
Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007

TIME:
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM [ Eastern Time ]

About the CMJ Network :

CMJ Network connects music fans and music industry professionals with the best in new music through interactive media, live events and print. CMJ.com offers a digital music discovery service, information resources, and community to new music fans, professionals, and artists. CMJ Events produces the legendary CMJ Music Marathon, the largest and longest-running music industry event of its kind, in addition to live events and tours across the USA. The weekly music business trade magazine CMJ New Music Report is the primary source for exclusive charts of non-commercial and college radio airplay and independent and trend-forward retail sales. CMJ New Music Monthly, the first consumer magazine to include a bound-in CD sampler, is the leading publication for the emerging music enthusiast. CMJ Access is an integrated marketing agency specializing in providing its clients unparalleled access to the college and young adult demographic and emerging music world. Log on to www.cmj.com for more information about all of CMJ's products and services.
Source :
http://cmj.com/company/
[Comments]

October 3, 2007
ACE CONCERT SOLD OUT
The Ace Frehley concert at New Yorks Hard Rock Cafe at Halloween is already sold out.
[Comments]

October 3, 2007
INTERVIEW WITH SASHA KRITSOV, PAUL'S BASS PLAYER
(from kissrevenge.com)
An Interview with Alexander Krivtsov, Paul Stanley's bass player, 07.08.2007
(by Vladimir Ilyin)
1.Show yourself off and tell us what you've been doing before working with Paul on Live To Win tour? What is your background, before this project with Paul?
Well. I was born in Leningrad. I started my musical education at age 5, playing classical guitar. One day my Mom read an add in the paper for the audition for kids band called Raduga, but by the time we got to the place across the town they already chose the guitar player, so they ask me if i want to play bass, and the rest is history... After that I got the call from the band SOUZ, with Igor Romanov from Zemlyane, that was my firs touring gig, I think I was 16 or so... Then my Mom got the call from Vladimir Kisilev, owner of Zemlyane and He asked my Mom if she would be OK, if I joined Zemlyane. So thats how my professional carrier started. We did a lot of touring, 9 month out of the year, 4-5- shows a day! 6 days a week! When I tell that to my friends in America, nobody really believes me that is possible. In 1991 Desmond Child, the famous songwriter/producer, was putting together a joint venture project, and I got offered to leave Zemlyane and go to the United States, so I did just that. I stayed and worked in NY for one year, then Desmond project fell a part. At that time Valera Gaina of "Cruise" was about to do the record in Nashville, and He ask if I would be interested in joining him. We had a great time doing the record together, he is an Amazing musician! After I was done with that I had the choice to go back Home , and rejoin Zemlyane or... but I went to Los Angeles instead, with $ 200 in my pocket. I slept couple of days on the beach, then my friend Boris Zosimov was visiting LA from Moscow, and he helped me out to stay with his friends, until I got a job and was able to get my own place. After a few months in LA,I started checking out the music scene. I then got into a band with Phil Lewis of La Guns. We did the summer tour, it was totally different experience from touring in Russia. Than one night, I think it was around 1 a.m. my phone rang, and the guy's voice said " are you Sasha? This is Duff MacKagan from Guns and Roses, I thought it's some one joking , so I hang up on him!!! So he called again, and we talked, and he ask me to play with him on his solo record. I did that for about 3-4 month. After that I've toured with a band called New Radicals. I've also recorded and toured with Billy Idol, for about two years, Then I got the call to do the TV show called Rock Star and I did that for two years. That's how Paul Stanley discovered us (The House Band), he loved the show, and called us to be his band on his tour. And of course we said YES!!!!

2. How long have you played guitars and who were your influences? Why bass?
I grow up listening to Chic Corea, Stanley Clark. Rock was prohibited back then in the early 80's, I listened to what was available in the black market.

3.Who have you played with, before Paul?
Like I mentioned before I played with Billy Idol, with New Radicals, Duff McKagan of GNR, Vivian Campbell of Def Leppard, I did play on James Blunt's record, and with Badly Drawn Boy. I also played on the sound tracks for the motion pictures "About a boy", "Shrek 2" and "Collateral", I also recorded with Enrique Englesias and Enaya to name a few...

4.Were you a KISS fan before working with Paul? Did you know KISS before joining Paul? Do you like this kind of music?
I was a big Fan of Kiss.

5.What do you remember about KISS from your childhood?
She was about 5 ft tall with the blue eyes... Ahh, you're asking about the band KISS....
What I remember was that you could go to Jail for listening Kiss, they were claimed to be "NAZI" band!!!! What a bunch of Bull Shit from the Russian Government!!!

6.How did it come about that you were asked to play on Live To Win tour
I think I've already answered that.

7.How long have you know Paul and how did you two meet?
After we got the call from Paul, he invited all of us for dinner in this very upscale restaurant. He was unbelievable down to earth, we had a great time. Dinner lasted about 4 hours!

8.What was Pauls' reason for taking you on Live To Win tour? May be somebody else recommended you to Paul?
As Paul said , I'm his favorite bass player with the short tongue :)

9.What was your first impression of Paul? Did you have any thoughts on what he would be like before you met him that were totally different from how he actually is?
You know, when you meeting star of Paul's caliber you never know what your going to get, but Paul was very easy going and made us feel very comfortable.

10.What do you think about Paul's first CD and how does Live To Win compare to it? Are they similar in any way, very different etc?
I think both of the records are great. I think "Live to win" goes with the time it was done in 2000 era. Great production, great songs.

11.Do you have a favorite song(s) off of Live To Win set-list? What songs did you like to play on Live To Win tour?
I love" Lift" and" Leave to win" songs.

12.What was it like playing in front of KISS fans for the first time?
Kiss army and Kiss fans are amazing. It was really cool to see 8 years old kids dressed like Paul and their fathers dressed like Paul as well, the age spectrum is crazy! From toddlers to adults.

13.Any memorable jams during sound-checks? What songs were performed at sound-checks that were not on the set-list?
We jammed on some Zeppelin tunes, Paul's favorite band. The set was rehearsed before the tour, so we did not add any new songs along the way.

14.What kind of guitars did you use, equipment, etc?
I've been endorsed by Music Man for a few years, so that is my main basses, I use Gallien Kruger amps and Cabinets. I normally don't use any pedals.

15.What was the mood in tour bus with Paul? Any behind the scenes stories you can pass on to us?
It was the best tour I've ever done. I had my friends from the House Band with me, and we get to go and Rock out with Paul!!! What else can you ask for!

16.What was the daily routine like on a show day?
Wake up, talk to my wife and kids, go to the gym, talk to my wife and kids, sound check around 4 p.m., talk to my wife and kids. Dinner with Paul and the band, singing good night songs to my kids, Play the show....... get on the phone with my wife in my hotel room and play Barry White in the back ground, if you know what i mean:)

17.Were the shows well attended?
It was always 75% or more.

18.What's the most surprising thing that happened during Live To Win tour?
Gene Simmons showing up back stage after the first show. He opens the door to the dressing room and goes: " Aren't you all happy to meet me?" He is really funny guy.

19.So how did you like working with Paul and Live To Win tour team?
Loved it! Hope we can do it again .

20.Did you and Paul hang out other than working on stage?
All the time. We had great dinners together, talk about everything. We flew on his privet jet couple of times.

21.What the difference between American and Australian audience?
I don't think it's much of a difference between American and Australian audience. People come to the show for the love of rock'n'roll and KISS music.

22.Speaking about australian tour, how did you find Australia? Was it your first visit to Downunder?
That was my first Australian tour. It's a great country with great people. And I had a Kangaroo meat for the first time!

23.Back in 1999 KISS cancelled 3 shows in Russia. Were you was then? Did you hear the reason (directly from Paul) they cancelled this shows in Russia?
I heard from Paul, that there was some kind of political discrepancy, so the manager of KISS decided that it was not safe for them to be there at that time.

24.Did you ever speak with Paul about possible tour in Russia? Did he talk with you about Russia today?
I think KISS is planing to go to Russia in the near future.
We did talk about Russia a lot. Paul is a very intelligent and well educated Man and is fascinated by the russian culture.

25.Paul knows about his legendary and famous guitars. Did Paul show you the guitars? Did you touch them?
I did see some of Paul's guitars. And play some of them as well. No magic tricks:) I think guitar is a guitar, It just important how you play it.

26.Would you work with Paul again?
Any time, day or night!

27.Would you go on tour with Paul if he asked you again? May be Paul have on plans to go in Europe?
I have not heard about any European plans.

28.Did you ever meet any other members of KISS? Can you tell us how it was?
I've met Gene, Ace was suppose to be at the show in Ney York but for some reason did not make it.

29.Recently Paul had heart attack before the show in San Juan Jacinto on 27 of July. Kiss performed as a trio! Did you call him to ask if he is OK?
To set the record straight, it was not a heart attack, Paul has a heart condition, that is very common , I have the same thing by the way. It's an irregular heart beat. It's not to be taken lightly, but it is also not life threatening.

30.When did you speak with Paul for the last time?
I spoke to Paul yesterday, He is doing totally fine. I told him that I'm doing interview with you, and He sends his regards to all of the KISS fans of Russia!

31.I read your bio on your site and it sound like you've had quite the adventure between the music industry and your painting. So are you musician first or painter?
I've been a professional musician for most of my life. So I'm definitely a musician first. I love to paint, I bring easel and paints with me on the road, I have a studio in Los Angeles. I paint whenever I have the time.

32.We talked with friends about your paintings and the response to your works has been very positive. How it happens that you started painting?
I started drawing from the time I was 5. I started painting seriously since I met my wife Deon ( she is Jamaican and Portuguese) about 14 years ago,we both share the love for art. She inspires me to paint and be creative.

33.How you can describe your stile of painting?
I'm a self taught artist, so I got my education from the art books and museums. My early works reflect Dali influences.
I love Latin Artist, like Tomayo, Rivera. I love Francis Bacon. I work with oil and industrial paint, I normally don't use brushes, I use knives.

34.Can you tell us about one of your work called "Kiss"? It seems very similar to Been Caught Buttering (1992) cover from Pungent Stench.
I'm going to check on the Been Cought Buttering cover. That's the old painting, I was looking through the photograph book and I so picture of to old Man kissing, so That's how that painting came along. I have a lot of new paintings, I will update my web site www.desaart.com very soon.

35.Do you have your art exhibits in Russia, where we can see\buy your arts?
I would love to have an exhibit in Russia, specially in my hometown. We'll see if I can make it happen.

36.Are you selling prints or just the paintings?
I'm getting in to printing more and more. But I've been selling paintings for the most part..

37.Do you like Paul's painting? Did you ever visit his art exhibits in US?
I've been to Paul's house and I've seen most of his work. It's really good. He is more of an abstract painter. He loves Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollack.

38.You painting, Paul painting, you two have the same desire. You probably taking lot of times in studio making the arts?
We talk about art all the time. He use to hang out with Andy Warhol, Back in New York city. So he has lot's of cool stories.

39.Are you still speaking russian?
I will always speak Russian, I talk russian to my sister Lena who leaves here in Los Angeles as well, I'm trying to speak Russian to my kids, but some times it gets difficult. But it's my goal to make sure that they speak Russian.

40.What's next for you? What are you doing on this moment? Any plans?
At this moment I'm packing my bags to go to Russia for 3 weeks with my family. After that there is a possibility to go on the road with Thin Lizzy. We'll see what happens.

41.Anything else you'd like to say to the KISS\Paul fans?
Thank you for your support. And to rock out with Paul Stanley on the Russian stage would be a dream come true.

42.Thank you for this interview. Also I would like to thanks you from all The mighty Russian KISS Army for playing with Paul. We were so proud for you and for our country.
Thank you guys it meens a lot to me! Roken roll navsegda!!!!!!
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October 2, 2007
ACE IS BACK
(from eddietrunk.com)
HUGE excitement about this years Halloween party after I made the announcement last night on my radio show! Getting email from all over the globe. So thrilled I was able to talk Ace into performing live again for his loyal fans. As many of you know, I go back 20 years with Ace to my days of working for Megaforce. Back then I had a hand in signing him to his first solo deal and did A&R work on all of the solo albums. We have maintained a close friendship ever since. When I went to see him in the studio a couple months ago and hear what he was working on it was clear he really wanted to get back on the live stage again. With Halloween approaching Johnny at the Hard Rock asked if I wanted to do an event this year. I really wanted to do something special so that's when I first started talking to Ace about the idea. This will be a great opportunity for him to get on stage again with his own band (the members will be announced soon, but it will be all new guys than previous lineups), try some things out, and do it in what will be a fun environment. Ace and I have done many things over the years and they have always been a blast. This should be one of the best yet! Of course he will perform solo and Kiss classics, maybe try out some new things, maybe a cover or two, and maybe some special guests jamming at the end. It will be a great night I'm sure! As usual there will be a costume contest hosted by myself and some special guests, so dress up and win some great prizes including signed guitars, Eddie Trunk Box Of Junk, and more. Very important to note that unlike previous years this is not a free event. I will give away some free tickets in my radio show (Q104 live show ONLY). Anytime I play an Ace song or Kiss song with Ace on it the 25th caller will get a free pair every show leading up to the event. This is the only way to get in for free. Comps are VERY limited due to capacity issues at the Hard Rock! If you want to be sure you are in buy you tickets starting Monday 10/1 at 9AM at Ticketmaster. This is the only way to buy them. Tickets are $60 each. It is an all ages event, 21 and over to drink. No opening act. Doors open at 7, Ace on at 9PM. Contests and giveaways before Ace plays so get there early. This will sell out quick, do not be shut out, buy your tix if you want to go. Ace will join me on the air for my Q104 show this Friday 10/5 to discuss the event and the show. My thanks to our sponsor Indian Larry Motorcycles (www.indianlarry.com) and of course Hard Rock Johnny and all the people at the HRC NYC for allowing me to do such cool events in Times Square at a great venue. Without them this stuff does not happen. Hope to see you all 10/31. ACE IS BACK!
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