What you’re about to read is the most honest review you will find for The Vault by Gene Simmons. A friend of mine who purchased The Vault let me listen to the CDs extensively, for the purpose of this review. Since I didn’t purchase a Gene Simmons Vault Experience for $2,000, $25,000 or $50,000, I have no obligation to rationalize the quality of this product as a way to convince others, or myself, that it’s worth buying.
On July 23, 2003 I met my favorite rock band, KISS, for the first time. As you can see from the smile on may face in the above photo, I was radiating excitement because I was so happy. Not only was this a free meet and greet with the “Hottest Band in the World,” my cousin, Chris, and I had the opportunity to purchase an autographed copy of the band’s new album, which had just come out, KISS Symphony: Alive IV.
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It took me three years to get an interview with Barry Manilow but this year it happened. Better yet, it wound up being a cover story – my first – for The Aquarian Weekly. As 2017 rolled on, four more of my interviews ran in The Aquarian Weekly as cover stories. Having five cover stories in one year is fantastic and I consider myself immensely fortunate for being given these opportunities. With the year winding down, let’s revisit all five of them.
Gene Simmons is a busy man. When he’s not skulking across the stage at a KISS show, he’s performing with his solo band, appearing at comic conventions, talking about his forthcoming career-spanning box set, The Vault, or promoting his new book: On Power.
Photo by Mark Weiss.
Within the past year, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to interview Gene Simmons twice! Since we last spoke, he announced The Vault, which is a 150-song box set, chronicling 50 years of unreleased demos and outtakes, housed in a 38-pound safe. Starting in January, Gene is hand-delivering these vaults for $2,000 each to fans across the world. If you spend $25,000 you can be an executive producer of The Vault and spend an hour with Gene in a recording studio. Or, for $50,000 Gene will come to your house for a two-hour party and you can invite up to 25 friends to take part in the festivities. I’m not buying The Vault because it’s way out of my price range and wheeling home one of these behemoths is a surefire way to upset my wife. However, if you’re interested in learning more about The Vault, you can do so at GeneSimmonsVault.com.
Photo by Mark Weiss.
The Dives is a fantastic new, young rock band that recently released its first EP: Everybody’s Talkin’. This album features four great songs, overflowing with pop-rock hooks and riffs that will quickly get stuck in your head. The harmonies are excellent, and the musicianship is top-tier. If you like rock or pop music, you have to pick up a copy of this EP. It’s that good! Speaking of The Dives, I recently interviewed two of the band’s members, lead singer Evan Stanley and bassist Sergio Ortega.
Today, KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History was released as an eBook in Apple’s iBooks store. I recently spoke with one of the book’s authors, Curt Gooch, and he provided insight on creating the book, why it’s being released digitally and his KISS fandom.
When the best man in my wedding, my cousin Chris, asked me what I’d like to do for my bachelor party, I told him I wanted to attend Gene Simmons’ June 2 concert and do a VIP meet and greet with him on June 3 at Wizard World in Philadelphia. It all happened, and it far exceeded my expectations.
Continue readingIn the fall of 2002 one of the greatest books about KISS was released – KISS Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. At nearly 300 pages in length, this oversized tome was bursting with factoids and data unlike any of its predecessors, as well as more than 175 color photos from all eras of KISStory. This book, which took seven years for the authors, Curt Gooch and Jeff Suhs, to create, is becoming an eBook for the first time ever. On June 5 you’ll be able to get your hands on a digital copy of “The Holy Grail of KISS Books” via Apple’s iBooks store.
Photo by Michael Cavacini.
In addition to recently interviewing Barry Manilow and John Oates, I interviewed the God of Thunder: Gene Simmons. I’ve been a KISS fan since September 4, 1996, when I saw the band perform under the Brooklyn Bridge on MTV’s Video Music Awards. So, having the opportunity to speak with Gene Simmons was a surreal one, especially when I answered the phone and he said, “Hi, this is Gene Simmons.” I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did conducting it.