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Paul Stanley Hints About Possibility of New KISS Album

Although other members of KISS do not appear to be on board with the notion of creating a new album, Paul Stanley recently said he may produce a new KISS album next year. Referring to it as a “A real ’70s Kiss-style record,” his recent comments appear to be an about-face for the KISS guitarist, considering his comments during a June press conference with regard to the possibility of a new KISS album. “We have no plans to record. The reason we don’t record is because any classic band that hits the road, the last thing you really wanna hear is their new songs,” Stanley said.

I think there may be a few Rush fans that might disagree with that statement. Although fans undoubtedly love to hear the old classics, groups like Rush have proven that they can still write and perform new material that fans want to hear and are willing to go see performed live.

For his part, Gene Simmons, always the consummate business man, seems concerned about the diminished possibility of monetary reward that would result from the making of a new album in the age of digital downloads. “Any band who tries to do new material is trying to climb a slippery mountain. Every day record companies are folding. It’d be nice to have new KISS songs, but what’s the business model? Do you just put songs on the Internet for free? Then what?,” Simmons was quoted as saying.

I did get a chance to see Simmons on the most recent episode of the Fox game show Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?, and I must admit that he did better than I suspected. Not that I believe than man is stupid, but let’s face it, how many of us remember a lot of that stuff we learned in grade school?

Simmons answered most of the questions without help from his youthful classmates, but decided to call it quits when he learned that the final $1 million question would be science-related. That turned out to be the right move since he would have provided the wrong answer to a question regarding what element was represented by the letter “K” on the periodic table.

Simmons reported that he would have guessed Krypton, but the correct answer was Potassium, which Simmons’ wife, who was seated in the front row of the audience, knew the correct answer to when queried by host Jeff  Foxworthy.

Even so, Simmons walked away with an impressive $500,000 for his chosen charity, which Foxworthy said was the largest sum ever won by a celebrity contestant.

Admittedly, I would also have botched that last question, since my knowledge of the periodic table is pretty well faded.

For more in the possibility of a new KISS album, see Musicradar.

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Tags: Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, Foxworthy, Gene Simmons, KISS, New Album, Paul Stanley

Bruce Springsteen Readies New Album

Fans of “The Boss” can expect a new album release in January, right around the time President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office. Whether or not that is a coincidence is not known, but it is well known that Springsteen was one of Obama’s most loyal celebrity supporters, and performed at numerous events in support of the Democratic candidate.

The newly debuted song “Workin’ on a Dream” is likely to be included among the tracks on the new album. Springsteen played it publicly for the first time at an Obama rally in Cleveland, Ohio recently.

It has been reported that a wealth of material was left over after Springsteen’s most recent album, Magic, was completed, and there is speculation that some of that material may be included on the new album.

Springsteen also made a showing at the “Stand Up For Heroes” charity event last night, where he contributed to the cause by auctioning off a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and accompanying leather jacket for a reported $75,000. He also auctioned off the guitar he had played three songs on during the event to entertain the attendees. The guitar is said to have fetched $50,000.

This was the second “Stand Up For Heroes” event, something that was organized by ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff and his wife Lee to raise money for injured soldiers returning from duty in Iraq. Woodruff himself was seriously injured in 2006 while covering the war in Iraq.

Tags: Auction, Bruce Springsteen, Harley Davidson, January, New Album, Stand Up for Heroes

New Aerosmith Material May Be Heard First on Guitar Hero

Aerosmith is currently recording their new album, and in addition to the new material they are working on, they may be working on some new ideas regarding the distribution of that material as well.

Guitarist Joe Perry is saying that the group may decide to release some of the new tracks online before the official release date for the album, so that gamers can play along with them on Guitar Hero.

"We’ll probably release some of the music from our new record as a download so kids can plug it in and play some new tunes on the game," Perry was quoted as saying.

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In other Aerosmith news, a trial date has been set for the legal showdown between angry Aerosmith fans and the Boston-based rockers over a canceled a show in Hawaii back in September.

At the time, Aerosmith said that they were unable to transport their equipment from Chicago to Maui in time for the show, but did show up a few days later to put on a private show for employees of Toyota, who some say the group was paid $1 million for. The canceled show on Maui was never rescheduled.

May 11, 2009 is the date scheduled for the start of the trial. Anyone who purchased a ticket for the canceled show is automatically included in this class action suit unless they take action to exclude themselves. According to lawyers working for the fans, the lawsuit currently includes about 8,700 people, although perhaps not all of them consider themselves Aerosmith fans any longer.

Tags: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero, Hawaii, lawsuit, New Album

AC/DC Confirms Fall Tour Plans

After months of speculation about a new album and a possible tour to follow, it is now official. AC/DC will embark on a world tour in October, possibly on the 31st, otherwise known as Halloween. The tour will be a long one — lasting a total of 18 months. No details have yet been revealed about where exactly the tour will be taking them, although it is reported that the tour will begin in the U.S., and a total of 17 countries will host the group.

Although there still seems to be some uncertainty over the title of the new album, the name that has been  overheard most often is Black Ice, which some sources claim is the official chosen title. Despite any uncertainty, the album’s first single, entitled "Runaway Train," is scheduled to be on the way to radio stations in August.

The group reportedly has plans to head for London early next month to record a new video for the single.

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The new album, which is expected in October, will be the group’s 15th studio album, and it is will be another exclusive deal for Wal-Mart. Something that has apparently worked out well recently for the Eagles, Journey and others.

This is the first time since 2001 that AC/DC has embarked on a tour, and that certainly sounds like a recipe for sold old arenas chock full of fans who badly need a dose of AC/DC live.

Tags: AC/DC, New Album, Runaway Train, Single, tour, World

ZZ Top Hopes To Recapture 1980’s Popularity

It was no secret that ZZ Top was making plans for a big comeback, and now we are starting to hear a few details about they plans they have to make it a reality.

Having signed with Rick Rubin’s American Recording label the band is now in the studio with the Rubin working on their new album. With the limited success of their last album five years ago, Mescalero, Rubin is steering the Texas trio back in the direction of their glory days of the 1980’s when albums sales could reach well into the millions.

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Rubin has been a very successful producer and has worked with other artists like AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Metallica,U2 and Green Day. He’s hoping to use his expertise to put ZZ Top back on top with a hit record that could put the group in the running for a Grammy Award.

If they can come up with a track that sounds as good as “La Grange” or “Cheap Sunglasses,” which are my two favorite ZZ Top tunes, they’ll be well on their way towards getting my vote.

Tags: New Album, Recording, Rick Rubin, ZZ Top