Gibson Guitars recently compiled a list of the best songs to ring in the new year with... and one of them is a KISS classic!

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Rockin' Songs To Ring In The New Year!

By Russell Hall

The countdown is on, party plans are in place, and champagne corks will soon be popping around the world. While most partygoers will be swaying to the strains of "Auld Lang Syne," we thought it would be fun to compile a list of rock songs appropriate for ringing in the New Year... as we say goodbye to 2009, hello to 2010.

"Rock and Roll All Nite" - Kiss (1975)

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley deliberately set out to compose an anthem when they began writing this signature Kiss song, which first appeared on the band's Dressed to Kill album. Stanley first penned the chorus and the melody, and afterwards Simmons wrote the verses.

By Todd Owyoung

As a music photographer, every gig presents a new challenge and an opportunity to make great images, but as 2009 comes to a close, it's time to look back at some of the best tours, festivals, and events of the year.

In 2009, I photographed 73 concerts and events, and the year was packed with a ton of great tours. These are my picks for the top ten best gigs to photograph in 2009.

KISS:

When photogenic bands come to mind, I think music shooters have to think of KISS, and this fact was only cemented by the Alive/35 tour this year. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, though they may be pushing 60, were still epic on stage and it was a pure adrenaline rush photographing this show. Non-stop posing and mugging by the band along with arena-blinding white lights made this a sure bet of an assignment - like shooting fish in a barrel.

Hi KISS!

Thought I would share this picture with you. My six year old niece, Hunter Hurowitz, made this for me. It was a school project where they started with a picture of a holiday turkey and each kid in the class had to come up with a disguise to hide the turkey. Suffice it to say there were no others like it in her class!

Thanks,
Dave Cohen

LETTERS

"El Comercio" Newspaper featured KISS' 2009 Lima show in a year end wrap up of major events in Peru.

Pictured is the cover of the newspaper and below is the translated text of the story:

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PARTY. KISS was the Spectacle of the Year

By Rafael Valdizan

The sky lit up with bursts of fireworks, sealing a night of partying. It was April 14th, but it smelled like a New Year's Eve celebration.

In a way, the spectacular presentation of KISS symbolized the year - a climax, a brooch of gold. It was an unprecendented year for Peru. 2009 was a hinge, a breaking point, a before and after: for the first time, Lima climbed to the heights of being an additional capital of music in South America. No more did we look with envy to Buenos Aires, Santiago or the various cities in Brazil where A-1 bands often land.

Kiss at the Estadio Nacional still nests in the collective memory of the lucky ones who witnessed the unique visual display of pyrotechnics accompanying the ever-rocking quartet's rock-and-roll, a soundtrack that has delighted generations of listeners.

Simple songs of verse-chorus have penetrated the masses -- the brains of millions of fans around the world. And these songs have remained fixtures for parties and nights of revelry.

KISS symbolizes the great celebration of the year.

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Thanks to Nick Diaz for sending KISSonline this news!

"Modern Day Delilah" is the #11 song in Classic Rock Magazine's Top 100 songs of the decade!

"Modern Day Delilah" - KISS

From the 2009 album "Sonic Boom." So, can KISS still rack out the lines (music, that is)? Hell, yeah. A deceptively simple platform-booted anthem - but only KISS could pull it off.

BATTLE OF TRIBUTE BANDS RINGS IN NEW YEAR IN UTAH

By David Burger

When it comes to celebrating New Year's Eve, three days are better than one.

Tuesday through Thursday, Salt Lake City will be enveloped in EVE, a new three-day festival to help Utahns ring in 2010.

A highlight of this new event will be the Battle of the Local Tribute Bands. KISS Thiss will be one of the bands performing.

KISS Thiss - Even though he lacks the lengthy tongue, Salt Lake City resident Kevin Sweat enjoys playing the "Demon" role of Gene Simmons in this tribute band.

"They're the most fun to play, because of the makeup," said Sweat, who has played the Simmons part for four years. He said before each concert each band member spends about an hour applying the signature face makeup.

The band tries to faithfully replicate the musicianship of "Detroit Rock City" and "Lick It Up. " But the members, who range in age from mid-30s to late 40s, have fun for another reason.

"It's all about remembering the good ol' days," Sweat said.

I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll All Niiiiight! (and Party Every Day)

KISS inspired nails today!! I love KISS, and totally hope to meet Gene Simmons one day. PLUS, their makeup is totally fun and interesting looking... so I thought I'd try it on my nails!! :)

I used China Glaze White on White as a base, with Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black for the line work filled in with Zoya Raven, Zoya Trixie for the silver parts, China Glaze Salsa for all the red, and OPI Green-wich Village for the green around the eyes on the pinky.

KISSonline,

This is a medley made and recorded by a friend of mine called Satin.

It first came out on a Norwegian release called "Gods Of Thunder - A Norwegian Tribute To Kiss". It contains parts from 29 different Kiss classics, and it's a very well arranged compilation of songs. All instruments are played by Satin, and he also arranged and produced it himself. Thought it might be cool if the medley could be shown on the world's leading Kiss site.

Enjoy, and try to find all the 29 parts!

Best regards from Steinar Lindberg, Oslo - Norway.

LETTERS

Best of ALIVE 35: North American Tour 2009 Double-CD

A MUST-HAVE FOR EVERY SERIOUS KISS FAN OUT THERE

Concert Online exclusively recorded the concerts of the KISS ALIVE 35: North American Tour 2009.

Now that the tour is over we've remixed and mastered only the very best live performances of all KISS ALIVE 35 klassic hits.

The result:

The 2-CD Best Of KISS ALIVE 35 set - filled to the brim with 27 smashing live audio tracks recorded in 21 locations!

Ranging from genuine KISS Alive! klassics such as "Deuce", "Strutter", and "Rock n Roll All Nite" covering the all-time rock hymns "Detroit Rock City" or "Shout It Out Loud" up to their latest single "Modern Day Delilah" and anthems such as "Lick It Up" this KISS ALIVE 35 2-CD Set has it all.

> ORDER BEST OF KISS ALIVE 35 TOUR CD NOW

To All,

The KISS Alive 35 tour has now ended! We started in Melbourne, Australia and ended in Pittsburgh, PA with 100 shows in between in 29 countries! We played to OVER 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE!

You showed us your incredible support and it took us to new heights...Even for us!!!

The SONIC BOOM OVER EUROPE TOUR starts in May and begins the next chapter. Almost sold out already and adding dates!

We've never had this much fun, and I can promise you BIGGER, BETTER and MORE!

Thanks,

KISS!

I wanted to share with you my son's (Gunther) birthday cake. He turned 14 on December 20 and ever since I took him to the Hampton Virginia concert in October, he has become a giant KISS fan. He lives, breath and sleep everything that is KISS. When my wife and I talked about what theme we wanted to do for him this year, our decision was easy based on his love for KISS. When Gunther saw his Birthday Cake (made by a friend, Amy Bailey) he was overwhelmed. Our entire family had a great time and this cake was the life of the party.

Patrick Gallagher (Kiss fan since 1977)

LETTERS

Australia's Herald Sun recently named Sonic Boom one of the best albums of 2009:

KISS, Sonic Boom (KISS Records/Universal). A mighty feel-good album reminiscent of the band's outstanding early-1980s offerings.

Hello KISS!

Since I was a kid I've been listening to your music. I wasn't that kind of girl who listened to Spice Girls... Instead I was headbanging to your music. Now I'm the happiest person on earth... I AM GOING TO SEE YOU LIVE THIS SUMMER!!!! Love you :)

Zoofie

LETTERS

Hey Fellow KISS Army members,

I just thought I would share a picture of a gift my talented wife, Kathleen, made for me this Christmas. She makes Sock Monkeys for people all the time, but this time she got her inspiration from "The Hottest Band In The World". Check out this Starchild Sock Monkey to add to my Kiss Kollection. Hope you all had a great Christmas too.

Rock on!

Andre Sparkes

LETTERS

By Petr Koral

Sonic Boom: Everything is exactly in place -- vision and music. Despite the fact that Kiss is once again playing "classic rock," in essence it's not entirely recognizeable as such either visually or musically. Eric Singer, although several classes' better a drummer than Peter Criss, reasonably stands in the background and is not an exhibitionist - and new guitarist Tommy Thayer? His solos are almost as if he was an identical twin to Ace Frehley.

This album, heralded as a "return to Kiss' golden sound," was not just an advertising proclamation. It did become - with, of course, a much more modern sound - pure reality. Kiss typically wants to rock with chants and big stadium choruses, but sometimes a song with poignant character will pop up (Stand.) And while sometimes over-the-top, a brilliant, crisp hard rock song sneaks in too (I'm An Animal) Songs dealing with, simply put, the objectification of women as eternal man-rocker-conquering you'll get far in abundance. And so it probably should be. Fans will appreciate "Danger Us" operating almost like a younger daughter of the famous smash "Detroit Rock City."

As you hear at the opening of each Kiss concert: "You wanted the best? You got the best," in its genre, Kiss really still is the best.