January 7 : New 'Monster' album update from Paul Stanley
From: KISSOnline.com
Paul Stanley checked in with KISSOnline this morning to give us the latest update on the new KISS album:

"Friday we officially completed work on the new album.
Listening to the tracks back to back is like sensory overload. Everyone who has heard any of it is completely blown away. Powerful, heavy, melodic and epic.
It makes us very proud. You all will be too. Mixing starts next week."

January 7 : New 'Monster' album update from Gene Simmons
From: genesimmons.com
KISS Studio Album is done.
Great job by Paul producing. Tommy and Eric = really kicked it up a notch.
Without overstating the obvious, when you hear the album, every single track rocks.
No ballads.
No outside writers.
No keyboards.
No children's choirs.
No nothin'.
Just meat and potatoes.

January 6 :
Van Halen debuts unreleased song from ’76 Gene Simmons demos
From: Blabbermouth.net
All the way back in 1976, a young Gene Simmons caught a show of the even younger band Van Halen. So impressed was Simmons, he offered and did produce the band’s first demo tape. And just last night one of these long forgotten songs came to light at a live Van Halen club performance in NYC. The song, She’s the Woman, is also slated to appear on their soon to be released studio album.

VAN HALEN returned to the stage for the first time since the end of its 2007/2008 reunion tour on Thursday night (January 5) when the band performed at the tiny Cafe Wha? nightclub in downtown Manhattan.

The setlist for the evening's show stuck to VAN HALEN classics from the six albums of the initial David Lee Roth era, with the exception of a tune called "She's The Woman". That song originally appeared on the 1976 demo tape, produced by KISS bassist Gene Simmons, that got VAN HALEN their record deal with Warner Bros. It was left off the group's 1978 debut but has been resurrected for the new disc.

January 6 : Paul Stanley's Commentary on 6 new 'Monster' tracks
From: KISSOnline.com
Classic Rock Magazine's February issue features Paul Stanley's thoughts on 6 tracks from KISS's upcoming album! Here's an excerpt:

When it came to recording KISS's new, 20th album, 'Monster', Paul Stanley was wearing a big hat with the word 'Boss' on it. Metaphorically, anyway.

"I wasn't interested in making an album unless I was in charge and no one agreed to it half-heartedly," says the singer and guitarist, taking a break from co-producing the record at Conway Studios in Hollywood. "The band's all there, all the time, and we cut the tracks all facing each other in the same room. Chemistry and camaraderie, that's essential. That's what made Sonic Boom so great, and this album is thunderously better."

Firm but fair, we say. And if Stanley is to be believed, then their late-career hot streak shows no sign of fizzling out anytime soon. Which is why we've asked him to take us through Monster's key tracks. Take it away, Mr. Starchild...

"IT'S A LONG WAY DOWN"
"It says that those who reach heights and don't appreciate them fall mightily -- it's a long way down from the top. It's a defining track in the sense that it's very up-tempo and very much a signature song. Eric's [Singer] drumming is incredible on this."

"BACK TO THE STONE AGE"
"One that Gene sings. It's exactly what you'd expect it to be from the title. I come from a school where you write a verse, a bridge, a chorus, and then you go back. That's in my blood. It's in Motown, it's in The Beatles, it's in Led Zeppelin, it's in The Who, it's in all my favorite bands."

"SHOUT MERCY"
"That's a great track. There's a lot of tracks that could start the album, and this is one of them. I like to think that the opening song is a declaration of what the album really is, whether it's a Love Gun or a Detroit Rock City. It's important to start with a song that defines what you're gonna be getting."

"OUT OF THIS WORLD"
"That's one of Tommy's [Thayer, guitarist.] He really pushed the limits. His playing is phenomenal. It has the kind of excitement that I like to hear where you're not quite sure if it's gonna go off the rails or not. That's what makes great rock n' roll."

"WALL OF SOUND"
"We're not trying to reinvent the wheel here; we're at our best when we don't over-think. It's not a Rubik's Cube, it's a song, you know? This one is absolutely, immediately recognizable and identifiable and true to being KISS. I put the blinders on us to keep us from being derailed or the attention span broken by things going on around us."

"HELL OR HALLELUJAH"
"Another up-tempo song, and it's very definitive. That's what I think is so great about this album: every track is quintessential. No one does it better -- and many have tried. When we hit the bulls-eye, we hit it full on. We've cut 14 tracks. How many we'll use or how this will play out will be interesting, but there's no filler."

January 4 : Paul Stanley checks in from the studio
From: KISSOnline.com / Blabbermouth.net
KISS members Paul Stanley (guitar, vocals) and Tommy Thayer (guitar), along with producer Greg Collins, have released a one-minute video message from Collins' studio, The Nook, where they are putting the finishing touches on the band's new CD, "Monster".

 
"[KISS is] about two days from [being] finished with this album," says Stanley. "It's almost done and it's awesome. It is by far the best thing we've done in I don't know how long. Have I ever said that before? Yeah. Was I right? Yeah. I'm right this time again. . . Truly, the album kicks major ass and we're very, very proud of it." Thayer adds, "You're gonna as as excited as we are, 'cause we're really excited. And we're not just saying that. This is great stuff. It's amazing."

In a 2011 interview with U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine, Stanley stated about KISS' follow-up to 2009's "Sonic Boom", "'Sonic Boom' was a pivotal album in the sense that we were aware of who we were as a performing band, but we had to re-establish who we are as a recording band. That being done, this is much easier and that much more self-assured."

Added bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons: "This new record feels heavier than 'Sonic Boom'. It feels like [it's] a connection between 'Destroyer' and 'Revenge'.

Regarding some of the tracks that will appear on "Monster", Stanley said, "I'd be surprised if the album didn't start with 'HELL OR HALLELUJAH'. It's up-tempo, a great riff, definitive KISS. There's a track called 'BORN TO BE SINNER', and Tommy [Thayer, guitar] has a song called 'OUT OF THIS WORLD', which is terrific. They're anthemic songs. That's the nature of how we write. There are no ballads."

Added Simmons: "'ARE YOU READY ?' is a new track that I worked out, wrote, and brought everyone into the studio and said: 'Let's bang this out.' Another of the new songs, tentatively titled 'WALL OF SOUND', we just came up with on the spot. The guts of that song were written in 40 minutes."

In a 2009 interview with Premier Guitar, Collins stated about the experience of working with KISS on "Sonic Boom", "It was amazing, because I was working with people that I idolized as a kid. Over the years I've learned that the dynamic in every band is different, and sometimes it can be tough, with politics, egos and however many years of baggage. I couldn't believe how incredibly healthy the creative relationship is with KISS. Paul was clearly in charge of the record, but he was open to everyone's ideas. Everything was discussed in an enjoyable, fun way. There was no sense of egos overwhelming the process or anyone being marginalized in any way. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I ever had working with a band. . . . Paul has said that no other lineup could have made this record and I believe he's right. Everyone in KISS is confident about their role in the band. They're not trying to please anyone but themselves, which is the best way to make music. There was no sense of anxiety, no label, no A&R guy. It was just the band and myself, trying to make the best KISS record we could. It was a completely natural process, and hopefully the results speak for themselves."

"Monster" is tentatively due this spring.

January 4 : Kissin' Time! interviews Peppy Castro
From: kissintime.webs.com
There have been many people who had the opportunity to be associated with KISS and their career development over the years, but only one can say that he helped teach Ace Frehley the guitar. That man is Peppy Castro. From his time in the psychedelic Blues Magoos to working with KISS session guitarist Bob Kulick in Balance, Peppy has experienced success and gratification as a musician that few can experience. Recently, I got the opportunity to chat with Peppy about his musical career and much more. Enjoy!

Topics include Ace Frehley as a friend, Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album, and how did Paul Stanley end up on the BALANCE 1981 album ...

Read the interview clicking here.

January 3 : Eric Singer Talks New KISS Album In COTH PodCast
From: Creaturesofthenet.webs.com / Bravewords.com
Creatures Of The Net Podcast recently conducted an interview with KISS drummer Eric Singer. In the interview Singer reveals details about KISS' next album entitled 'Monster' set for release sometime this year. He also talks about the sound on the record, and past members of KISS, including guitarist Vinnie Vincent.

Listen to the podcast below:

December 30 : Legendary Rock Interview with Gary Shea (Warrior)
From: legendaryrockinterviews.com
Gary Shea is a knockout bass player and one of the easiest guys on the planet to talk to. He’s probably one of the easiest to work with as well and has had the distinction of working with some of the biggest “big name” musicians on the planet. Some were supremely professional and straightforward, such as Steve Vai and Paul Stanley and others, like Vinnie Vincent and Yngwie J. Malmsteen, are remembered as being supremely talented but difficul;t to work with. Gary Shea has headlined major venues in Alcatrazz and gotten top 40 chart action with his band New England but is a musician’s musician and is more than content to live in Michigan and play music he loves just because he loves it. If you’re up his way go check out one of his gigs and stick around after the show to have a quick chat with Gary. If you like music as much as he does you might be in for a long night and some amazing stories. We talked with Gary for quite a while about his career and probably barely scratched the surface.

Topics includes Paul Stanley and the NEW ENGLAND 1979 album, touring with KISS in 1979; WARRIOR (with Vinnie Vincent), Alcatrazz (Yngwie Malmsteen, Graham Bonnet).

Read the interview clicking here.