www.RockandBrews.com

Here are a few photos from last weekend's Rock & Brews Grand Opening in Los Cabos, Mexico. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons co-hosted the rockin' event!

Here's KISS on the cover of the latest issue of the Mexican "Ground Support" Magazine.

Thanks to KISS News for the image!

KISS IS EVERYWHERE!

At the Yonkers High School Talent Show a few weeks back, Students Marco, Phil, Ryan & Eric Rocked the house performing a medley of KISS Klassics. My son Scott (Without makeup) Introduced the band in classic J.R. Smalling fashion...They came in 2nd place in the show!...Congratulations Boys! You made this long time KISS fan proud.

Joe Diaz, Yonkers N.Y.

LETTERS

Here's Eric Singer with "Making Monsters" Ed Edmunds while filiming a KISS segment for the Travel Channel's hit TV show last Saturday at KISS Monster Mini Golf. The episode will air this fall and reveals the Mini Golf's brand new fully animated KISS and prop, complete with a hydraulic drum riser!


_{Photo by Steve Sils for KISSONLINE.}

Check out this awesome Gene Simmons snowman made in Collinsville, IL during Sundays big snow storm.

Tim Watson

LETTERS

By: Andy Khouri

IDW Publishing will expand on its existing KISS comic book line this fall with a new all-ages series starring the titular rock stars as young children kicking out the jams as they foil the plans of their evil school principal. KISS Kids re-imagines bassist Gene Simmons' stage persona "The Demon" as "Li'l Demon"; guitarist Ace Frehley's "Spaceman" as "Spacey"; drummer Peter Criss' "Catman" as "Catkid"; and singer Paul Stanley's "Starchild" as, well, "Starchild," since that works just fine.

KISS Kids will be hyped to KISS comic book fans in the form of a one-page strip printed on the back of all four issues of IDW's KISS Solo series, spotlighting each member of the band (presumably as grown-ups), but you can take an early look here.

"KISS is used to rocking and rolling all night and partying every day, but back when they were little'uns, those things only happened around nap time," said Chris Ryall IDW's Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief and co-writer of KISS Kids with Tom Waltz. "This series will appeal to kids and Kiss fans of all ages, as we see the school-age band engage robots, evil teachers, other students, and much more, all filtered through the KISS lens. Beth, the school's Doctor Love, the snooty Torpedo Girls, the bratty "Wicked" Lester, nefarious Principal Elder... they're all here for this accessible, funny, and appealing new series."

Drawn by Jose Holder (Mars Attacks, The Real Ghostbusters), KISS Kids #1 goes on sale later this fall in your local comic book store and digitally from ComiXology.

KISS IS EVERYWHERE!

Gene Simmons snow sculpture stops traffic in Collinsville



By Heidi Glaus

It's not exactly the kind of snowman you expect to see peeking over the plowed piles.

"No, not by any stretch of the imagination," said Larry Loyet, who lives next door.

Unless of course you live on Keebler in Collinsville, in which case it's expected on days like this.

"Everybody waits on it," explained Freddie Novosel, the man behind some really spectacular snow sculptures.

And snowfall after snowfall Novosel delivers.

"Coolest snowman I've ever seen," said one woman who stopped to take a picture.
Each one out-doing his last.

"I've done probably 35 or 40 of them," Novosel said.

He's hand carved everything from cartoon characters to corvettes, but the real work seems to be gathering the snow.

"I take the whole driveway and we wheelbarrow it up to the front," Novosel explained.

"He starts piling up the snow and then gets a vision," pointed out Loyet.

It's a painfully cold process that takes six or eight hours and on this day his work of art unveils Gene Simmons, making this one snow sculpture sealed with a kiss, so to speak.

http://www.monsterminigolf.com/kiss/index.php


Here are some photos from yesterday's KISS Monster Mini Golf one year anniversary celebration in Las Vegas. Fans from as far away as Norway and Sweden attended the party that featured Eric Singer.



_{Photos by Keith Leroux for KISSONLINE.}

Construction begins, fundraising continues on the Brigadier General James B. Thayer Oregon Military Museum

The first phase of project construction to renovate the Oregon Military Museum will begin next month at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas.

Removal of existing facilities at Camp Withycombe, an active Oregon National Guard post, will make room for new buildings, a plaza and a new entry gate, according to Gary Van Drew, senior project manager for the Oregon Military Department.

The $6.5 million capital campaign to renovate the museum, which will commemorate the military service and sacrifice of all Oregonians who have served in the nation’s armed forces, continues with a fundraising event April 20 at the Governor Hotel in Portland.

The All Star Salute will include a silent auction and live entertainment by Tommy Thayer of the rock band KISS, Patrick Lamb, Linda Hornbuckle, and Derrick McDuffey of Kingdom Sound.

Tommy Thayer is the son of Brig. Gen. James B. Thayer, whom the museum will be named after. Brig. Gen. Thayer is an Oregon native who helped liberate a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. He earned a Silver Star and Bronze Star.

Tickets for the All Star Salute are $150 each, of which $100 is tax-deductible are available by visiting the Oregon Historical Outreach website, http://goo.gl/z8tQy.


For more information on the capital campaign and the Oregon Military Museum renovation, visit www.allstarsalute.com. To make a donation, click on the “donate” button.

The waiter who served us breakfast at the hotel in CABO, pulled up his right leg and showed us this.

Gene

It's been 40 years since KISS put on paint and changed the face of rock and roll

New York band has sold more than 100 million records and played to 22 million fans since they first formed on E. 23rd St. in 1973

By Ethan Sacks / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Back before they could afford to party all day, they were already rock ’n’ rolling all night.

Forty years ago this month, KISS bassist Gene Simmons, guitarists Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss dabbed on some black and white facepaint bought in a Manhattan hobby store and forever left their mark on music history.

“We were just four kids off the streets of New York that dreamed big," Simmons, who was born Chaim Witz, told the Daily News this week.

There’s no historical plaque in front of the six-story, cast-iron building at 10 E. 23rd St., where KISS first formed and practiced their three-chord riffs in a dingy fourth floor loft with yolk-encrusted egg crates nailed to the walls to muffle the noise.

But maybe there should be one: KISS has gone on to sell more than 100 million records and perform live in front of an estimated 22 million fans.

By Hart Baur

Paul Stanley doesn’t do anything half speed. The KISS frontman is now getting into the restaurant biz. He and bandmate Gene Simmons will co-host this weekend’s opening of Rock & Brews in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. There are plans for 50-plus locations in North America, possibly Miami.

So taking on the restaurant business now?

Absolutely, man. Obviously for me to get involved in something worthwhile is important. I’m not out there selling liquid, soap or detergents. The idea when I got involved was that I was never going to be in the back seat. I have a pizza oven at home, I grow my own produce, so I know a lot about what we are doing.

Is KISS ever going to show up and play?

There is no live music. You can see the lyrics on the screens so you can pick up the words you’ve never heard before [laughs].

Want to talk a little bit about the latest ‘Monster’ album?

I couldn’t be more pleased or proud of it. It speaks a lot about the band and it really backs up what this band is about, what it’s been about and what the future holds for us. One of my rules for this album was no recycled old material. And don’t reinvent the wheel. A lot of times as you grow you learn your craft better, but you don’t necessarily become better at it. You may become a technically better songwriter, but you’re not writing better songs. So the idea for me was: Let’s simplify things and don’t over-think things.

Drummer Eric Singer first became aware of KISS when he saw their picture in Rock Scene magazine. He’s now 22 years in the band and explains their mass appeal “from little kids up to people a lot older than us even at this point”, to Bryget Chrisfield.

"The Tour” – KISS and Mötley Crüe’s double-headed touring stint – was always gonna make many rock’n’roll dreams come true when Australian dates were added and KISS drummer Eric Singer promises, “We’ll all come down there together to keep the party going.” Cue excitement for potential debaucherous after-parties. “The great thing is that everybody is a little older, a little wiser and knows how to be smart and to make the whole thing work. And, you know, everybody keeps their ego checked at the door and we realise, ‘Hey, Mötley does what they do, KISS do what we do and together it’s a win-win, because everybody gets a better show – you get two great bands instead of just one.’ And it’s a bigger party and more fun for everybody and I always kind of try to adhere to that philosophy in general, in my own personal life: I like to see everybody benefit from things, not just one person.”

KISS KIDS Proves You’re Never Too Young to Rock!

The tiny terrors hit stands in an all-ages new series!

Ah, the simple pleasures of just being a kid. Lemonade stands, little league games, advanced fort building, rocking the faces off of millions of screaming fans all over the world while thwarting the plans of your evil school Principal.

If a couple of those cherished childhood memories sound unfamiliar, that’s because they can only be found in KISS Kids, the new series starring the pint-sized rock gods! Join Starchild, Li’l Demon, Spacey, and Catkid as they get into trouble and kick out the jams in strips featuring familiar characters and settings from KISS lore. Helmed byKISS series writers Chris Ryall and Tom Waltz with fun, expressive art by Jose Holder (Mars Attacks The Real Ghostbusters), KISS Kids promises to be a treat for fans of all-ages!


“KISS is used to rocking and rolling all night and partying every day, but back when they were little’uns, those things only happened around nap time,” said Chris Ryall, also IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. “This series will appeal to kids and Kiss fans of all ages, as we see the school-age band engage robots, evil teachers, other students, and much more, all filtered through the KISS lens. Beth, the school’s Doctor Love, the snooty Torpedo Girls, the bratty “Wicked” Lester, nefarious Principal Elder… they’re all here for this accessible, funny, and appealing new series.”

The new KISS Kids series, coming this fall, is being previewed in the form of a one-page strip on the back cover of all four issues of this spring’s Kiss Solo series. Fans will get their first real look at the Kiss Kids on April 10, when Kiss Solo #1: The Demon by Ryall and artist Angel Medina is released.

"Rock and Roll All Nite….and Potty Every Day," added the L’il Demon himself, Kiss founding member,Gene Simmons.

This fall, there’s only one place for proof positive that whether you’re a Starchild or a Demon, there’s nothing better than rocking and rolling all night and reading comics every day!

KISS MINI GOLF ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Celebrate the one year anniversary of KISS by Monster Mini Golf with a special VIP Party on today, March 23rd from 6pm - 8pm in Las Vegas! Special guest KISS drummer Eric Singer will be available for photos and autographs, and will also be doing an intimate Q&A!

Platinum and MONSTER ticket packages are available for the VIP Party. Sales are limited as we would like everyone in attendance to enjoy the party!

The day will kick off with a free KISS Expo outside in the parking lot of KISS by Monster Mini Golf from 10am - 6pm.

Special Expo Guests include Bob Kulick and Ken Kelly.

- Shop for KISS collectibles at a KISS venue!

- Get your Face "KISS" Painted!

- Get your Photo taken in the KISS boots!

CLICK here for more info and tickets