09/16/2012
KISS RELOADS FOR TOUR WITH CRUE
New 'Monster' CD is lean and 'ferocious' rock, says singer Paul Stanley
By Alan Sculley, Special to The Morning Call
Kiss has never worried about being upstaged by an opening act.
"We've always believed in letting the best bands available go out there and do what they do because it only fires us up that much more," singer/guitarist Paul Stanley says in a phone interview. "Our track record is pretty stellar, whether it's, my gosh, Bob Seger, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, early [Motley] Crue, John Cougar Mellencamp, AC/DC. The list just goes on and on."
On one of this summer's biggest tours, Kiss will close out an evening that also includes a 90-minute set from co-headliner Motley Crue, a band whose shows are famous for visual spectacle and non-stop partying.
Stanley knows his band will deliver as well, if for no other reason than the enthusiasm he sees in the band 40 years into its career.
"Kiss today is Kiss as I've always wanted it � four guys who get along great, who play fiercely and are proud of who we are, proud of our fans and celebrate what we do from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed," Stanley says.New 'Monster' CD is lean and 'ferocious' rock, says singer Paul Stanley
By Alan Sculley, Special to The Morning Call
Kiss has never worried about being upstaged by an opening act.
"We've always believed in letting the best bands available go out there and do what they do because it only fires us up that much more," singer/guitarist Paul Stanley says in a phone interview. "Our track record is pretty stellar, whether it's, my gosh, Bob Seger, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, early [Motley] Crue, John Cougar Mellencamp, AC/DC. The list just goes on and on."
On one of this summer's biggest tours, Kiss will close out an evening that also includes a 90-minute set from co-headliner Motley Crue, a band whose shows are famous for visual spectacle and non-stop partying.
Stanley knows his band will deliver as well, if for no other reason than the enthusiasm he sees in the band 40 years into its career.
"Kiss today is Kiss as I've always wanted it � four guys who get along great, who play fiercely and are proud of who we are, proud of our fans and celebrate what we do from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed," Stanley says.
Of course, Kiss also knows a thing or two about putting together a spectacular live show, and the band has reloaded for the tour with Motley Crue.
"It's a whole new show, a whole new stage," Stanley says.
"Everything is brand new. It's not what we've had or recycled over the last, almost decade, I'd say. The same stage had gone through all kinds of upgrades and things. But we will have a brand new show and a brand new stage and just some pretty amazing visuals. This whole summer is giving new meaning to bang for the buck.
"If anybody's expecting high-tech subtlety, forget about it. What we're trying to do is build a bigger bomb."
As is evident by Stanley's enthusiasm for this summer's tour, as well as Kiss' recently completed CD, "Monster," due in October, Kiss is experiencing a rebirth few would have predicted when the new century rolled around.
At that point, the band seemed to be trying to recapture past glories for one last time.
In 1996, Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons reunited with the two other original members of Kiss � guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss � for what became a blockbuster reunion tour. That was followed by the release in 1998 of "Psycho Circus," a reunion album that was a reunion in name only.
Criss and Frehley made only minimal contributions to "Psycho Circus," although the CD was billed as being made by the original Kiss lineup. In reality, guitarists Tommy Thayer and Bruce Kulick and drummer Kevin Valentine played on most of the material.
Stanley is open in admitting the shortcomings of "Psycho Circus" and the tensions that existed with Frehley and Criss during the reunion years.
" 'Psycho Circus,' as I've said before, was such a debacle and such a distortion of what making an album should be," Stanley says. "You can't make a Kiss album without a band, and we didn't have one. We did as gallantly as we could, but if people had any inkling of what was going on behind the scenes, it's a miracle that we even got an album done."
The reunion tour, however, did restore momentum for Kiss as a touring act, as did a 2000/2001 outing that was billed as a farewell tour.
When Criss and Frehley departed the lineup for the final time, the replacements � Thayer and drummer Eric Singer (who had been in the band in the late '90s, prior to Criss' return) � injected new life into Kiss.
In 2008, work began on a new Kiss album. This time the band decided it would either succeed or fail on its own terms, as Stanley took on the role of producer and the group kept all key aspects of the project in-house.
"To go back into the studio after not having done an album in probably 10 years is a risky move," Stanley says. "But you have to decide at some point are you really going to celebrate and live off of your past accomplishments or are you ready to stake new ground and take new blood. The band was just so strong live, just so potent, that I thought we have to make an album.
"But I didn't want any of the pitfalls that had happened in the past. Democracy in the studio is way overrated. It only leads to compromise and compromise means nobody wins. So I wanted to be the team captain, the director � the coach, not the dictator. A dictator usually oversees people who don't agree with him. We were all in agreement. It was just somebody's got to drive the car. And I needed some ground rules just to make sure that everybody stayed focused and committed. And the key one was all writing had to be within the band. No outside writers, no phoning in your parts, and the band was going to play live and the band was going to record on tape. And whatever songs went on the album would be my choice. That's a producer's job."
The 2009 album that came out of the sessions, "Sonic Boom," was widely hailed as the best Kiss CD in years.
Now three years later, Kiss has "Monster" ready. It also was produced by Stanley and written and recorded entirely by the current lineup of Kiss.
By Alan Sculley, Special to The Morning Call
Kiss has never worried about being upstaged by an opening act.
"We've always believed in letting the best bands available go out there and do what they do because it only fires us up that much more," singer/guitarist Paul Stanley says in a phone interview. "Our track record is pretty stellar, whether it's, my gosh, Bob Seger, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, early [Motley] Crue, John Cougar Mellencamp, AC/DC. The list just goes on and on."
On one of this summer's biggest tours, Kiss will close out an evening that also includes a 90-minute set from co-headliner Motley Crue, a band whose shows are famous for visual spectacle and non-stop partying.
Stanley knows his band will deliver as well, if for no other reason than the enthusiasm he sees in the band 40 years into its career.
"Kiss today is Kiss as I've always wanted it � four guys who get along great, who play fiercely and are proud of who we are, proud of our fans and celebrate what we do from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed," Stanley says.New 'Monster' CD is lean and 'ferocious' rock, says singer Paul Stanley
By Alan Sculley, Special to The Morning Call
Kiss has never worried about being upstaged by an opening act.
"We've always believed in letting the best bands available go out there and do what they do because it only fires us up that much more," singer/guitarist Paul Stanley says in a phone interview. "Our track record is pretty stellar, whether it's, my gosh, Bob Seger, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, early [Motley] Crue, John Cougar Mellencamp, AC/DC. The list just goes on and on."
On one of this summer's biggest tours, Kiss will close out an evening that also includes a 90-minute set from co-headliner Motley Crue, a band whose shows are famous for visual spectacle and non-stop partying.
Stanley knows his band will deliver as well, if for no other reason than the enthusiasm he sees in the band 40 years into its career.
"Kiss today is Kiss as I've always wanted it � four guys who get along great, who play fiercely and are proud of who we are, proud of our fans and celebrate what we do from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed," Stanley says.
Of course, Kiss also knows a thing or two about putting together a spectacular live show, and the band has reloaded for the tour with Motley Crue.
"It's a whole new show, a whole new stage," Stanley says.
"Everything is brand new. It's not what we've had or recycled over the last, almost decade, I'd say. The same stage had gone through all kinds of upgrades and things. But we will have a brand new show and a brand new stage and just some pretty amazing visuals. This whole summer is giving new meaning to bang for the buck.
"If anybody's expecting high-tech subtlety, forget about it. What we're trying to do is build a bigger bomb."
As is evident by Stanley's enthusiasm for this summer's tour, as well as Kiss' recently completed CD, "Monster," due in October, Kiss is experiencing a rebirth few would have predicted when the new century rolled around.
At that point, the band seemed to be trying to recapture past glories for one last time.
In 1996, Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons reunited with the two other original members of Kiss � guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss � for what became a blockbuster reunion tour. That was followed by the release in 1998 of "Psycho Circus," a reunion album that was a reunion in name only.
Criss and Frehley made only minimal contributions to "Psycho Circus," although the CD was billed as being made by the original Kiss lineup. In reality, guitarists Tommy Thayer and Bruce Kulick and drummer Kevin Valentine played on most of the material.
Stanley is open in admitting the shortcomings of "Psycho Circus" and the tensions that existed with Frehley and Criss during the reunion years.
" 'Psycho Circus,' as I've said before, was such a debacle and such a distortion of what making an album should be," Stanley says. "You can't make a Kiss album without a band, and we didn't have one. We did as gallantly as we could, but if people had any inkling of what was going on behind the scenes, it's a miracle that we even got an album done."
The reunion tour, however, did restore momentum for Kiss as a touring act, as did a 2000/2001 outing that was billed as a farewell tour.
When Criss and Frehley departed the lineup for the final time, the replacements � Thayer and drummer Eric Singer (who had been in the band in the late '90s, prior to Criss' return) � injected new life into Kiss.
In 2008, work began on a new Kiss album. This time the band decided it would either succeed or fail on its own terms, as Stanley took on the role of producer and the group kept all key aspects of the project in-house.
"To go back into the studio after not having done an album in probably 10 years is a risky move," Stanley says. "But you have to decide at some point are you really going to celebrate and live off of your past accomplishments or are you ready to stake new ground and take new blood. The band was just so strong live, just so potent, that I thought we have to make an album.
"But I didn't want any of the pitfalls that had happened in the past. Democracy in the studio is way overrated. It only leads to compromise and compromise means nobody wins. So I wanted to be the team captain, the director � the coach, not the dictator. A dictator usually oversees people who don't agree with him. We were all in agreement. It was just somebody's got to drive the car. And I needed some ground rules just to make sure that everybody stayed focused and committed. And the key one was all writing had to be within the band. No outside writers, no phoning in your parts, and the band was going to play live and the band was going to record on tape. And whatever songs went on the album would be my choice. That's a producer's job."
The 2009 album that came out of the sessions, "Sonic Boom," was widely hailed as the best Kiss CD in years.
Now three years later, Kiss has "Monster" ready. It also was produced by Stanley and written and recorded entirely by the current lineup of Kiss.
