Brian Aberback from NJ’s Steppin’ Out magazine recently interviewed former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach. Below is an excerpt from the interview.

Steppin’ Out: How do you feel about Give ‘Em Hell?

Sebastian Bach: I absolutely love the record. I can’t wait until this interview is done so I can go on a 7-mile run and crank it. I worked so hard on it. I tortured myself. The process is pretty funny. I’m in the worst mood for a year when we’re making it and then I hear what I want to hear at the end and I’m the happiest, most humorous guy in the world. I think it sounds timeless. There’s certain singers that can still sound the same as they get older, like Steven Tyler, and I’m very lucky that I can do that as well, but I don’t know how I pulled it off! It’s also my best sounding record. I’m a total audiophile as far as wanting a clear, clean sound and no separation between the instruments.

Steppin’ Out: How did Duff McKagan end up on the album?

Sebastian Bach: I was in this band with Duff called Kings of Chaos. We were playing in Sydney about a year ago and I said to him, “I’ve got to turn in a new record, do you want to collaborate.” He said, “where and when.” Give ‘Em Hell also has John 5 (Rob Zombie), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and Devin Bronson (Avril Lavigne, Pink) on guitar and Bobby Jarzombek (Halford) on drums. Musically we have a lot of depth.

Steppin’ Out: Who will be playing with you at the Starland Show in New Jersey?

Sebastian Bach: I’ve got Johnny Chromatic on guitar, Will Hunt from Evanescence on drums and Jason Christopher on bass. My new second guitarist is Devin Bronson. He’s played with Avril Lavigne and Pink, but don’t let that worry you, metalheads!

Steppin’ Out: This year is the 25th anniversary of the first Skid Row record. Any thoughts on that period of your life?

Sebastian Bach: Fans still ask, “are you going to get back with the old band?” If I was to do that there would be no new records and that’s what I love to do. It would just be a retro thing. I need more than that in my life. But I think it’s insane that we don’t celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first record with a remastered version with unreleased songs or a box set or something. I don’t understand why some of the other guys in that band have such an adverse reaction to doing something like that. That’s puzzling to me.

Read the entire conversation in Steppin’ Out on April 23rd.

source: so-mag.com

Skid Row–Johnny Solinger (vocals), Scotti Hill (guitar), Rachel Bolan (bass), Snake Sabo (guitar) and Rob Hammersmith (drums)—will be a long way from home throughout the summer. First, the band is teaming up with Black Star Riders for a brief tour of the west coast, which starts May 8th in Tucson, AZ at the Rialto Theatre. Once that concludes on May 16th, the band will play headlining shows across the U.S., including a stop at the legendary Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, May 17th and an appearance at this year’s Rocklahoma festival on May 23rd in Pryor, OK. They’ll then head to Europe in June for various festivals, including the Download Festival in Donington, England on June 14th. Once the U.S. jaunt concludes in July, Skid Row will head to Kostrzyn, Poland, where they’ve been invited to headline one of the biggest festivals in Europe, the Woodstock Festival Poland on July 31st.

All of this touring is getting their loyal fans ready for the highly anticipated new seven-song EP, United World Rebellion-Part 2, set for release August 5th via Megaforce Records.

After a hiatus that started in 1996, Skid Row returned to the big stage—literally–opening for KISS in 2000. Exhilarated to tour with the heroes who rallied them in the first place, the band was reinvigorated by being underdogs who needed to come out fighting to prove themselves.

“When we put the band back together, we needed to reintroduce Skid Row as relevant without relying too much on past success,” explains bassist Rachel Bolan. “We wrote songs and hit the road. We sunk our heart and soul into it, letting people know we weren’t doing it for lack of something better to do.”

2003’s Thickskin and 2006’s Revolutions Per Minute were battle plans for hundreds of live shows with new singer Johnny Solinger out front, every night being a hard fought battle to win new fans and convince the old ones. United World Rebellion-Part 2 is Skid Row coming out swinging. Rachel and guitarist Snake Sabo tapped again into the potent songwriting collaboration that built the band. Sabo says they were eagerly up to the challenge. “We seem to be at our best when we’re faced with adversity. It’s us against the world again–and by us I mean the band and the fans who stick with us and carry the Skid Row torch without fail.”

New plans came together in an Atlanta recording studio. But it’s a different time, a different industry, so they decided to record a series of EPs. “The idea really appealed to me,” says Bolan, “especially with the constantly changing musical climate. I like the idea of a steady flow of new music, as opposed to releasing a full-length album then riding it for the next two years.”

That guerrilla burst of recording a concise EP fostered a focused intensity that was liberating, says Snake. “The pressure seemed to be lifted. That immediately set me at ease and it became really exciting.”

Exciting and potent, prompting Solinger to exert the full range of his ability. “The third time in the studio as the voice of SKID ROW was the proverbial charm, and the proof is in the tracks. United World Rebellion-Part 2 is the most meaningful work I’ve done with the band. It’s definitely the most I’ve been challenged, vocally.”

That sound is rambunctious exuberance. They got older, but Skid Row never really grew up. United World Rebellion-Part 2 is still the youth gone wild, their musical spark still burning gasoline.

Skid Row tour dates:

With Black Star Riders:

5/8 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
5/9 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
5/10 Corona, CA M15
5/12 Sacramento, CA Harlows
5/13 San Francisco, CA DNA
5/15 Agoura Hills, CA Canyon Club
5/16 San Juan Capistrano, CA Coach House

Headlining:

5/17 Los Angeles, CA The Whisky
5/18 Hermosa Beach, CA Saint Rocke
5/20 Houston, TX Scout Bar
5/21 Abilene, TX Lucky Mule
5/23 Pryor, OK Rocklahoma
5/24 Dallas, TX Trees
5/25 Lubbock, TX Big Purple Festival

7/9 Rochester, NY Montage Music Hall
7/10 Cleveland, OH Agora
7/11 Newport, KY Thompson House
7/12 Arlington Heights, IL Home Bar
7/13 Watseka, IL Watseka Theater
7/17 Peoria. IL Illinois State Fair
7/18 Turtle Lake, WI St. Croix Casino
7/19 Oshkosh, WI Rock USA
7/20 Battle Creek, MI Planet Rock
7/25 Duncannon, PA Tubby’s

For Skid Row on the web, please visit skidrow.com, facebook.com/OfficialSkidRow, twitter.com/officialskidrow and youtube.com/user/SkidsTV.

The daily band lineup is now available for Rocklahoma, America’s biggest Memorial Day Weekend party.

Rocklahoma will rock the Midwest with an all-star lineup featuring Kid Rock, Five Finger Death Punch, Staind, Twisted Sister, Deftones and many more from May 23rd-25th at “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds in Pryor, OK. The three-day camping festival features the top current active rock artists and classic bands and is presented by Bud Light.

The daily band lineup for Rocklahoma 2014 is as follows:

Friday, May 23rd:

Five Finger Death Punch, Deftones, Seether, Killswitch Engage, Hellyeah, Skid Row, Black Stone Cherry, The Pretty Reckless, Thousand Foot Krutch, Lacuna Coil, Nothing More, Truckfighters, Wicked, Killer Dwarfs, London’s Dungeon, Ruff Justice, Loveblast, Firstryke, Nasty Habit, Dellacoma, Chaotic Resemblance, Scattered Hamlet, Jet West, The Chimpz, Sleepwalking Home, Framing the Red, Bad Remedy, Snakefist, NICNOS, Enslaved by Fear

Saturday, May 24th:

Staind, Twisted Sister, Jackyl, Filter, Kix, Pop Evil, Adelitas Way, Trivium, Texas Hippie Coalition, Devour the Day, We As Human, Gemini Syndrome, Kill Devil Hill, Ratchet Dolls, Wicked, Black Tora, Bai Bang, ASKA, Hellion, Killer Dwarfs, Ragdoll, Siren, Hip Kitty, Well Hung Heart, Mine Enemies Fall, Vilifi, A Course of Action, The Grizzly Band, The Joint Effect, David Castro Band

Sunday, May 25th:

Kid Rock, Theory of a Deadman, Extreme, Black Label Society, Tom Keifer, Down, Redlight King, Kyng, Butcher Babies, Heaven’s Basement, Eve to Adam, Twelve Foot Ninja, Scorpion Child, Sleepy Hollow, Tempt, Station, Mystery, Lynam, Mandy Lion, Mach22, Down N Dirty, Dirtee Circus, Echofuzz, Shotgun Rebels, Able the Allies, The Bourgeois, Switchbach, Paper Tigers, The Grown Ups

Thursday, May 22nd (Campground Party):

James Douglas Show, DRYVR, Oldman, Motortrain, Blackwater Rebellion, Dirty Crush, Triple Se7en, Severmind, Fight the Fade, Benny’s Little Weasel

Rocklahoma Weekend General Admission Tickets are on sale now, with a limited number of VIP Packages still available. In addition, beginning April 22 at Noon Central Time, a limited number of single day tickets will be available for $74 plus fees. For all ticket details, please visit www.rocklahoma.com. Single day tickets will be available at participating O’Reilly Auto Parts stores with no service fees.

Fans can save by buying tickets early, before weekend ticket prices increase on April 22nd at Noon Central Time. The April 22nd ticket price increase details are as follows:

Weekend GA – From $129 + fees to $159 + fees
Weekend GA 4-Pack – From $399 + fees to $499 + fees

In other news, applicants can still enter the Miss Rocklahoma competition through April 18th. Register at www.rocklahoma.com for a chance to be crowned Miss Rocklahoma 2014. Ten finalists will be announced in late April at www.rocklahoma.com, and fan voting will help determine who will be crowned this year’s Miss Rocklahoma live onstage at Rocklahoma 2014.

Rocklahoma is located just 45 minutes northeast of Tulsa, in Pryor, OK. The “Catch the Fever” Festival Grounds is a premier destination for a multi-day festival and includes onsite camping with access to restrooms and shower house, a general store for campers, VIP reserved seating, hospitality areas and much more. Camping tickets may be purchased at www.rocklahoma.com by calling the Rocklahoma Camping Office at (866) 310-2288 or emailing info@feverfest.com. Campgrounds open on Sunday, May 18th and will remain open through noon on Tuesday, May 27th.

Rolling Stone has printed KISS’ acceptance speech from their Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame induction on April 10th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Read it below.

Gene Simmons: Lemme hear ya! Tom Morello, we are humbled—all of us—to stand up on this stage and do what we love doing. This is a profound moment for all of us. We are humbled that the fans gave us the chance to do what we love doing. And so I’m hear just to say a few kind words about the four knuckleheads who, 40 years ago, got together and decided to put together the band that you see on stage, critics be damned.

To Ace Frehley: his iconic guitar playing has been imitated, but never duplicated, by generations of guitar players around the world. To Peter Criss, whose drumming and singing…Well, there’s not a guy out there who beats the sticks who sounds just like Peter. Nobody’s got that swing and that style.

Something happened, 40 years ago: I met the partner and the brother I never knew I had—Paul Stanley. You couldn’t ask for someone more awesome to be on the same team. I am humbled.

I was going to say a few kind words about Eric Carr, Rest in Peace. Mark St. John, Rest in Peace. Vinnie Vincent, the great Bruce Kulick, and of course, here we are 40 years later with the great Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, and we continue on.

However, we wouldn’t be here today without the initial Fantastic Four. God bless you all. May I introduce the powerful and attractive—Peter Criss!

Peter Criss: Thank you. I want to say it’s great to be home in Brooklyn. I’d like to thank the Hall of Fame for this honor; I never thought this could happen in my life. Thank you. I’d like to thank everybody that had to do something with my career and the band’s career. For 50 years, I’ve been doing it; 40 years, we’ve been doing it.

Jesus—from the grips, to the truck drivers, to the great producers, to the great managers, to the great people who were just all there for us through all the years and the hard times. God bless you and thank you so much.

I definitely want to thank our first manager, Bill Aucoin. We would not be here if it wasn’t for Bill. Sean Delaney, the great Joyce Bogart, and the great Neil Bogart—who with Casablanca Records…those were the great days and I thank them all. I’d like to congratulate the band, of course—Mr. Stanley, Mr. Simmons, and the one and only Spaceman, Ace Frehley.

I’d also like to say I’m now seven years male breast cancer-free. Thank you—I’m very proud that I have… my fancy support center, and my doctor, who saved my life in the first place. Thank you so much.

I would like to thank my family—my sister Donna who I know is out there. All my friends who have come…and God, I’d be here all night. I’d like to thank my lovely wife Gigi, who makes my life really, really a lot easier. Lemme tell ya: walking through life with her is a blessing. I love you, baby.

I got my first lesson from my best friend, Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls. And boy, that’s what started it all off.

I want to say that, even out of makeup, I’ll always be the Catman. God bless each and every one of you—I will remember this the rest of my life. Thank you so much.

Ace Frehley: I have a speech here, but these [glasses] aren’t prescription, so I can’t work it out [laughs]. It’s so great to be here with all these celebrities and other musicians.

I want to thank Paul, Gene, and Peter. Thank you so much, Tom, for that beautiful introduction. I want to thank the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for inducting us; thank you very much.

When I was 13 years old, I picked up my first guitar, and I always sensed that I was going to be in for something big. Little did I know, a few years later, there it was. I experienced the Summer of Love. [laughs] Alright. That was before I met these clowns. Several years later, we got together—you know the story, it’s all KISS-tory.

A few quick names—Bill Aucoin, Joyce Biawitz—who used to manage us in conjunction with Bill, then ended up marrying Neil Bogart. We wouldn’t be here without Neil Bogart and Casablanca Records. Everyone at Casablanca Records, everyone at ATI, Jeff, and Wally. Everyone at the press office; Carol and Al Ross; Carol Kaye; just to name a few. If I named everyone who helped us through our career, I’d be here for another half an hour. It’s great to be here.

I wanted to touch on the fact that I’ve been sober now for seven and a half years. We still need to educate the people in this country about sobriety because some people think it has to do with willpower. But unfortunately, most addicts are born that way and people need to be educated about that. My sponsor, he used to have a good saying, to try and explain what it’s like to be an addict: when people would say to use willpower, he’d say, “Try using willpower when you’re having diarrhea.”

So, only by the grace of God I’m here. I want to thank my first wife Jeanette, my daughter, my current fiancé Rachael Gordon. Life’s been good to me; hopefully I’ve got 10 or 20 more years to go. Thank you very much.

Paul Stanley: I can make this short and sweet because everybody said everything and has been much funnier than I’ll ever be.

So, I got to thank Tom, who’s championed us shamelessly and unapologetically. Took a lot of balls, and God bless you. For us, this is a special night, but it’s really a special night for all of our fans—this is vindication. We couldn’t have done this without you.

To Peter, Ace, Gene—we are the original four, so we could not have done this if we didn’t start this together. Everything we’ve done is built on the past. We’ve got a great, great legacy. We’ve got Bruce here, we’ve got Tommy, we’ve got Eric…

When I first started listening to music, I was lucky: I saw a lot of people I loved. When I was a kid, I saw Solomon Burke, I saw Otis Redding, I got to see the Yardbirds. I got to see Led Zeppelin; Jimi Hendrix; Sly and the Family Stone; the list goes on and on. What I loved about all these musicians is that they had the spirit of Rock and Roll. I believe that the spirit of Rock and Roll means you follow your own path regardless of critics, and regardless of your peers. I think we’ve done that for forty years.

Here we are tonight, basically inducted for the same things that we were kept out for. The people, I believe we’re speaking to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and what they’re saying is, “We want more.” They deserve more. They want to be apart of the induction. They want to be apart of the nomination. They don’t want to be spoon-fed by a handful of people. Choices. The people pay for tickets. The people buy albums. The people who nominate do not. Let’s not forget that these are the people that make it all possible.

So, I look out here and I see all these people. I see faces that over the years inspired me. People who made me what I am. So I am here tonight because of the people who inspired me, but I’m also here because of the people I inspired. So God bless you all; it’s been a wonderful night.

Watch the full speech below.

source: rollingstone.com

Ethan Sacks of the New York Daily News reports:

KISS may not have performed together on stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but they managed to put their ugly feud behind them long enough to accept their statuettes Thursday night.

The four original members of the band who had been trading barbs ever since news of their induction broke — Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley on one side and their ex-bandmates, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, on the other — took the high road to the stage at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, trading conciliatory speeches that honored each other’s history with the band.

“This is a profound moment of all of us. We are humbled that the fans ever gave us the chance to do what we love doing,” Simmons told the audience after a rousing induction speech from Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.

“To Ace Frehley, whose iconic guitar playing has been imitated but never equaled … to Peter Criss … there’s not a guy who beats the sticks who sounds just like Peter,” he continued. “Something happened 40 years ago, I met the partner and brother I never knew I had: Paul Stanley. You couldn’t ask for somebody more awesome to work with.”

Simmons then skirted dangerous territory — name-checking all of Frehley and Criss’s successors who were not named to the Rock Hall, but rebounded with one last olive branch.

“We wouldn’t be here today without the original fantastic four,” he concluded.

Criss then took the microphone, thanking everyone who’s ever worked with the band and discussed how he’s been been seven-years healthy after a battle with male breast cancer. He took the evening’s only shot at the drama surrounding Kiss, referencing Eric Singer’s use of Criss’ famous cat makeup. “I want to say, in or out of makeup, I’ll always be the Catman, so it really doesn’t matter. I also want to say, you gotta forgive to live. It’s really important.”

Frehley cut the tension by admitting that he couldn’t read his speech because his sunglasses weren’t prescription, before discussing his seven years of sobriety and how the country needs more education about substance abuse.

Finally, Stanley wrapped it up, saying, “For us, this is a special night but it’s really a special night for our fans because this is vindication. Peter, Ace, Gene, we are the original foursome. We couldn’t have done this if we hadn’t started together. Everything we’ve done is built on the past. We’ve got a great, great legacy.” Then he took a dig at the Hall, and all the critics who’ve denounced them and voted against them. “The people pay for tickets, the people buy albums, the people who nominate [Hall inductees] do not.”

Frehley told the Daily News back stage that he was disappointed that a compromise couldn’t be reached.

“It wasn’t my choice,” he said of not getting the chance to perform. “I wanted to do it. But the bottom line is we’re still brothers in rock ‘n’ roll. And even though we don’t see each other for five, 10, 15 years, it’s just like yesterday.”

Read more at the New York Daily News.

source: nydailynews.com and billboard.com

Kory Grow of Rolling Stone reports:

Metallica entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, the second year they were eligible and first year they were nominated. Nirvana are entering the Hall this year, the first year they have been eligible, a decision Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich supports, but he still has some hopes for one artist who has been eligible for two decades now. “I’m not gonna get into the politics or all that stuff, but I got two words to say: ‘Deep Purple,’” he says repeatedly. “That’s all I have to say: Deep Purple. Seriously, people, ‘Deep Purple,’ two simple words in the English language. But definitely, Nirvana is a no-brainer for the first year and I’m glad that KISS is getting the long-overdue recognition that they deserved for everything that they pioneered, and then I got two words, ‘Deep Purple!’ Did I say that already?”

Deep Purple issued their debut, Shades of Deep Purple, in 1968, which made them eligible for entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. The band has been nominated for induction into the Rock Hall twice, in 2013 and 2014, but, much to Ulrich’s chagrin, have yet to make the cut.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

source: rollingstone.com

J. Bennett of Noisey spoke with original guitarist KISS guitarist Ace Frehely about the band’s Rock Hall induction and all the controversy surrounding it. The interview appears in entirety below.

Noisey: This whole Hall of Fame thing has turned into a real fucking soap opera, hasn’t it?

Ace Frehley: [Laughs] That’s a good word for it. I haven’t been paying too much attention to what people are saying on the internet, no matter who it is. I’m trying to finish my new record, so I can’t let that rent a lot of space in my head.

Noisey: It seems like every day Paul Stanley has a new disparaging comment to make about you and Peter Criss.

Ace Frehley: Well, I’m appalled at Paul. [Laughs] I’m appalled at the whole thing.

Noisey: One thing he’s been saying that makes a lot of sense is that the Hall of Fame has basically been shamed into inducting KISS. They don’t really want to do it, but the demand from fans has been overwhelming for the past 15 years. Do you agree with that assessment?

Ace Frehley: There’s been a lot of pressure on them to induct us over the years, and they resisted. We could’ve been inducted 15 years ago. You’re eligible after 25 years as a band, but they waited 40. Sooner or later, it doesn’t matter to me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a big honor and I plan to have a good time. Paul’s been getting involved with the politics of who’s being inducted—who should be, who shouldn’t be, as far as the people who joined the band after me and Peter left—but I try to stay away from all that stuff because it’s politics. I’ve always tried to keep music and politics separate.

Noisey: Do you think the guys who came after you and Peter—Eric Carr, Vinnie Vincent, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Bruce Kulick—deserve to be inducted as well?

Ace Frehley: I don’t know what the rules are. Supposedly there are certain guidelines that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has, and obviously they didn’t meet those criteria. I know for a fact—the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame told me—that the reason they refused to induct Tommy and Eric [Singer] is because they’re not contributing anything original to the band. They’re just copying stuff that Peter and me did during the first ten years of the group. So they’re just actors, basically.

Noisey: Do you have any sort of relationship with Tommy and Eric?

Ace Frehley: I’m friends with those guys. I really like Eric—on the last Kiss tour I did, I’d hang out with Eric and have a few laughs when we were in Australia. At the time Tommy was our road manager, which is kinda bizarre. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. What rock supergroup has a dynamic lead guitarist who leaves the band, and they replace him with the tour manager? You can’t make this shit up. If somebody wrote that as a script for a rock ‘n’ roll film, nobody would believe it. But Tommy’s not a bad guitar player. He’s got his chops. Not very original, but it is what it is.

Noisey: There’s been a huge pissing match over which members of Kiss should play at the ceremony. The Hall of Fame wanted you and Peter to play, but Paul and Gene said they’d only play with Tommy and Eric, because they’re the current members. Some folks are saying that all of you should play. As it stands now, there will be no Kiss performance. What do you think about the whole debacle?

Ace Frehley: I don’t have a problem with Tommy and Eric playing. The problem I have is that Paul and Gene shot down the idea of playing with Peter and me and wanted to perform with just Tommy and Eric—in makeup, too. That’s makeup I designed. I’m supposed to sit there while I’m being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I gotta watch some other guy playing in my costume and makeup? That didn’t sit very well with me because the Hall of Fame requested that just the four original guys perform.

Noisey: You recently said that the reason Paul and Gene don’t wanna do that is because the fans will want a full-blown reunion tour afterwards.

Ace Frehley: Well, that’s what a lot of people say. They’re afraid of history repeating itself. When we did Unplugged in 1995, Peter and me came out and did two songs and the place went crazy. Paul and Gene had to buckle to public opinion, and the fans wanted a reunion. They had just done an album with Bruce and Eric that they had to put on the back burner. But it was the most successful tour that year. We grossed over 250 million dollars. It was insane. So they don’t wanna open a can of worms. Outside looking in, as an unbiased person, I don’t blame them. But it’s been 40 years. I was in the band, I left the band; I rejoined in ’96 for five years, left in 2001 and the fans have always been there for me. They really want the reunion. Ever since the announcement that we were being inducted, that’s all I hear from fans. All they want is for me and Peter to perform two or three songs and that’d be the end of it. But Paul and Gene shot it down. They can’t give the fans ten minutes for supporting us for 40 goddamn years?

Noisey: Do you think it would be unfair to Tommy and Eric if you and Peter performed at the ceremony?

Ace Frehley: What do you mean unfair? They’re not even being inducted!

Noisey: What I mean is that Tommy and Eric are current members of KISS. It’d be kinda shitty of Paul and Gene to ask them to sit out a performance so they could play with you and Peter.

Ace Frehley: A lot of people are being honored at the ceremony. Some people are getting up to do a few songs, and some people aren’t. We’re only talking about a couple of songs. It’s not a concert. If I was in charge of the whole thing, we could just get up there in Italian-cut suits or something—we wouldn’t even have to wear the makeup.

Noisey: Paul’s book recently came out. Have you read any of it?

Ace Frehley: I haven’t read it, but I’m sure he threw me under the bus in one way or another. [Laughs] Although I heard he threw Gene under the bus more than anyone.

Noisey: Apparently he thinks you and Peter are anti-Semitic.

Ace Frehley: That’s absurd. I’m engaged to a Jewish lady! I’ve been with her for five years. Her name is Rachael Gordon and she’s a singer-songwriter. I met her in San Diego on my 2008 tour. And my whole life I’ve been in the music business. You know the music business is controlled by Jewish people: My attorney, my accountant—everybody’s Jewish. [Laughs] I’m anti-Semitic? Are you out of your mind? You know what the problem is? Paul’s cranky because he can’t call me a drunk or a drug addict anymore. He can’t say I’m unemployable. He can’t say I don’t show up, because I do these days. So now he’s grasping at straws just to grab headlines for his goddamn book.

Noisey: After 40 years, KISS made the cover of Rolling Stone for the first time this month. Did you see the article?

Ace Frehley: Yeah.

Noisey: At one point, both Paul and Gene acknowledge that they think about you and Peter every day.

Ace Frehley: I don’t believe that for a second. [Laughs]They try to avoid us. We’re like a bad rash that won’t go away. [Laughs] But it has to be irritating when all they hear from the fans is, “Yeah, Tommy’s OK, but there’s nothing like the real thing.” That’s gotta be frustrating for them. Their fallback position years ago was, “Yeah, Ace was great, he contributed a lot to the group, but he’s a drunk and a drug addict so we can’t use him.” But I’ve been sober for seven and a half years, so what’s their fucking excuse now? And now Paul’s calling me a Nazi? It’s ridiculous.

Noisey: Is that why you didn’t participate in the new KISS documentary that’s coming out?

Ace Frehley: I wasn’t actually contacted by KISS about that. Their bodyguard contacted my bodyguard and offered me a small amount of money to do it. They tried to come in through the back door because, you know, they don’t wanna pay me any money. But if they don’t pay me now, they’re gonna pay me a lot more later. That’s just the way it works. My attorney is on top of it. If they would’ve been up front, that’s different. But they go through my bodyguard and say it’s some guy from England who’s producing it when really it’s Paul and Gene that are producing it. They’re the money behind it, and they’re trying to get me cheap. But I’m in the middle of a record. I don’t have time for nonsense. Supposedly they’re using some old interviews I did. I probably come off like a knucklehead, but who knows?

Noisey: Later this month, you’re gonna present an award named in honor of fallen Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who was actually buried in a “KISS Kasket.” Don’t you think that’s a little weird?

Ace Frehley: Yeah, it is a little weird. But KISS fans are weird—everybody knows it. These days I have to be transparent, you know? [Laughs] There’s nothing I’m gonna say that’s gonna shock anybody. So, yeah, a lot of KISS fans are kinda strange. But that’s okay because we’re strange.

Noisey: I can’t believe the KISS Kasket is a thing that exists.

Ace Frehley: If it was my decision, I wouldn’t have gone there. There’s a lot of things that Gene has done with the merchandising that are just over the top. He’s got everything from prophylactics to toilet paper—anything to make a buck. It’s embarrassing.

That’s one of the reasons I left the group. Towards the end, I’d go out and see kids in the front row with KISS dolls and lunchboxes and my manager is going, “Hey, Ace—watch the cursing tonight. We’ve got kids in the front row.” I mean, we started out as this heavy, mean, nasty rock ‘n’ roll group wearing leather and it turned into a goddamn circus.

source: noisey.vice.com

California Breed, the new band featuring vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Andrew Watt, has released a lyric video for the song, Midnight Oil, from their debut release, due out May 20th. Watch it below.

The band previously released a video for the, Sweet Tea, which can be viewed here.

California Breed will be available as a CD, digital download and a Deluxe Edition CD + DVD featuring the bonus song Solo, two video clips and a documentary. Fans that pre-order the digital download on iTunes will receive an instant download of the first single, Sweet Tea upon ordering. It is also available as a pre-order from Amazon in CD format and as a CD Deluxe Edition CD + DVD.

Winger have released a video for the song Tin Soldier, the third music video from their upcoming album Better Days Comin’ to be released on April 18th in Europe and April 22nd in North America through Frontiers Records. Watch it below.

Winger have also released videos for the songs Rat Race and Midnight Driver Of A Love Machine which can be viewed by clicking on the hyperlinks.

Better Days Comin’’ track listing is:

1) Midnight Driver of a Love Machine
2) Queen Babylon
3) Rat Race
4) Better Days Comin’
5) Tin Soldier
6) Ever Wonder
7) So Long China
8) Storm In Me
9) Be Who You Are, Now
10) Another Beautiful Day (Deluxe Edition Bonus Track)
11) Out Of This World

Greg Prato of Brave Words reports:

On April 22nd, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elloitt’s side band, the Down ‘n’ Outz, will release their second full-length album, The Further Adventures of…, through Bludgeon Riffola via Mailboat Records. Joining Elliott in the band once more are The Quireboys’ Paul Guerin (guitar), Guy Griffin (guitar) and Keith Weir (keyboards), plus Phil Martin (drums). And like its predecessor, The Further Adventures of… is comprised of oft-overlooked tunes by Mott The Hoople and its spin off projects (Mott, Ian Hunter and British Lions).

“Because it’s taken on a life of its own as a genuine band,” Elliott tells BraveWords as to why the decision was made for the band to return with a new disc. “Albeit, I hate the phrase ‘part time,’ because we’ve both – parties – have got ‘day jobs,’ as we joking call them. I’m busy with Leppard a lot of the time, and the Quireboys – which is where they’re from – they’re always working. So we have to squeeze it in when we can. But the success of the first one just gave us such a satisfying glow that we weren’t just going to say, ‘Well, OK, let’s leave it alone,’ because it’s just too much fun. And it’s a fantastic alternative for both parties, to what we do as our, as I mentioned, day jobs.”

Elliott weighs in on the chances of the Down ‘n’ Outz visiting US shores (they have already toured England – as an opener for both Mott the Hoople and Paul Rodgers). “Eventually, I’d love to. I don’t think I’m going to die an old man having never played a live gig in America with the Down ‘n’ Outz. It’s just a case of when and where. In a perfect world, I’d rather not play a 300-date club tour. I’d like to jump on as somebody’s opening act and play in front of more people. Like a proper opening act – that’s all it deserves to be right now. We’re not a headliner. We might do a club here in New York and a club there in LA, some kind of promo thing. But I’d like to get on a real tour at some stage. But I can only do that when Leppard aren’t working. So, I don’t know when it’s going to be. Maybe I can get us to open for Leppard!”

Read more at Brave Words.

source: bravewords.com