Halloween Moments In Kisstory! - by Scott Carr

Probably no other band is better suited for Halloween than Kiss, well maybe Alice Cooper but Kiss has had a lot of cool Halloween related moments over the years and I thought I would take a moment to compile some of my favorites.

1. The Tom Snyder Interview

On Halloween Eve of 1979 the four members of Kiss went to NBC Studios in New York City to do a full length interview with Tom Snyder. Tom had a late night talk show called Tomorrow that aired right after The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Tomorrow would eventually be replaced by Late Night With David Letterman in 1982.

Hands down this is one of the best moments in Kisstory. If you are a Kiss fan and haven't seen it, you are in for a treat. The band were on tour supporting their album Dynasty that had been released earlier in the year and was the group's return after releasing their solo albums the previous year.

Guitarist Ace Frehley is in rare form during the entire interview and absolutely steals the show. I'm not sure that was his intent going into the show but once he gets rolling there's no turning back. Group leaders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons play the straight men throughout the interview and seem a bit put off by Ace's activity but Tom Snyder seems very intrigued by Ace and continues to give Ace free reign. 

So, check it out. It will make you day much brighter......

KISS appeared on "The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder on October 31st, 1979. Called "The Halloween Special". It would be the most loved and also the last interview of all 4 original members of KISS on TV. The chemistry between the members of KISS is "strained" to say the least.

2. Paul Lynde Halloween Special

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special was a Halloween themed variety show that feature campy skits from comedian Paul Lynde and various other celebrities such as Betty White, Florence Henderson, Marie Osmond and others. Kiss was the musical guest.

The special aired on October 29, 1976.

Kiss Lip-synched three songs during the show, all from their current album Destroyer. Although not a live performance, this remains as an iconic moment in Kisstory and many Kiss fans can tell you what they were doing and where they were at the night this show aired.

I was attending a wedding for a family friend. I drove my parents crazy and was protesting the whole event because I knew Kiss was gonna be on TV that evening! My protests did me no good and I got pulled by my ear to the wedding. Luckily my brooding face throughout the ceremony prompted my family to leave the reception early and we got home just in time to see the show. Life was good......

Also from this show there is also a song by Beth, but YouTube blocked it

3. Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park

October 28, 1978 the first and only Kiss movie aired on the NBC Saturday Night Movie.

Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park was released a little over a month after Kiss had released the Kiss Solo Albums. Kissteria was in high gear and it seemed the band could do no wrong. 

Over the years the movie has become somewhat of a cult classic but I remember watching it as a kid and thinking "man, this movie is kinda lame". My biggest frustration with the film at that young age was, it seemed like it took forever for the band to make an appearance.

The coolest parts for me now are the opening credits scene and the concert footage towards the end. The "Real" Kiss battling the "evil" Kiss is pretty cool too.

Check out the clip below that features all the films dialogue from the band members, it clocks in under 4 minutes......

Uploaded by Trash Film Orgy on 2015-09-14.

KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978) with everything cut out but KISS's dialogue

COMMERCIAL - NBC bumper for Kiss Meets the Phantom - 1978

4.. Kiss MTV Unplugged Debuts

In August 1995 Kiss recorded a performance for MTV's highly successful MTV Unplugged series. This show would debut on Halloween night October 31st, 1995.

In 1995 Kiss launched the official Kiss Konvention Tour and had been traveling the country hosting day long events in different cities. The event included vendors selling everything Kiss, a traveling museum of Kiss artifacts and other Kiss related festivities. Each event featured a Q&A session with the band and a special unplugged performance. 

When it was announced that Kiss would be taping MTV Unplugged, rumors were floating around the original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss would be joining the band. This would mark the first time the four original members had played together since 1979. To the surprise of Kiss fans around the world, the rumor became reality. Near the end of the set Ace and Peter were brought out to perform with the band. This performance would plant the seed for a full blown Kiss reunion in 1996.

Kiss MTV Unplugged stands as one of my favorite Kiss moments ever, who knew Kiss songs could sound so good stripped down. 

Created In - Sony Music Studios, NYC, August 8 Aired In - October 31, 1995

5. Psycho Circus Tour Kick Off At Dodgers Stadium

After reuniting the four original members in 1996 and touring the world for almost two years, Kiss returned with a new studio Psycho Circus on September 22, 1998.

The Psycho Circus World Tour kicked off at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Halloween Night October 31st, 1998.

The Smashing Pumkins opened the show dressed as the Beatles. The concert was streamed on the internet and a radio broadcast. Two songs were broadcast live on Fox Television.

Original KISS well into the "Reunion" perform on Halloween eve @ Dodger Stadium . Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons .

Original KISS well into the "Reunion" perform on Halloween eve @ Dodger Stadium . Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons .

6. Halloween Dance Party At The Agora - Columbus, Ohio

Halloween Eve October 30, 1974 Kiss performed at The Agora in Columbus, Ohio.

Just one week earlier Kiss had released their second album Hotter Than Hell.

I did not attend this show but I have lived in Columbus since the early 90's and have attended many shows at this venue which has been called The Newport Music Hall for decades. When I first started going to shows at The Newport (Agora), it was hard to wrap my mind around Kiss playing such a small venue. If only I could time travel.

The show was sold out with 2,000 in attendance. It is rumored that during the perfomance there was a power failure and the lights went out. The band reportedly passed out candles from their on stage candleabra's until the lights came back up. I can not confirm this but how cool is that!

Check out the poster below. $3 bucks gets you in the door......

The Agora - October 30, 1974

The Agora - October 30, 1974

The Agora - October 30, 1974

The Agora - October 30, 1974

The Agora - October 30, 1974

The Agora - October 30, 1974

My costume needs a little work but I had the mask! Happy Halloween!

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH  bands Radio Tramps andReturning April.  Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

Pencilstorm Remembers Tom Petty - by Colin Gawel

Monday October 2nd was a shitty day. As the body count was racking up from pyscho-guy shooting up Vegas for no apparent reason, word broke that Tom Petty had passed away unexpectedly. I had been out running some errands when I heard the news so I cancelled whatever I had been planning on doing and ended up sipping a beer with Dan Cochran at his Four String Taproom. We just sorta sat there listening to Tom Petty. 

Anyway, since I play the Four String Taproom every Thursday, I figured it made sense to a do a set of Tom Petty songs. Soon word got out and people started lining up to join me. Nobody was asked, it was an all-volunteer force. It all happened very organically and very quickly. Ricki C. stage-managed the whole thing. There were no advertisements and there was no cover charge. You won't find any footage online as we respectfully asked folks to keep the phones away and stay in the moment. It was one of the best nights I ever had playing music. It was one long Tom Patty sing-along. The only thing missing was a campfire. Below is the set-list and players to the best of my memory. 

Colin Gawel - The Wild One Forever / WildFlowers (solo) w/ Jim Johnson on drums and Rick Kinsinger on guitar: Change of Heart / Listen to Her Heart / Rebels / Straight into Darkness / The Waiting 

Dave Masica - Walls (Colin on Drums, Rick on Guitar) / Shadow of a Doubt (Jim - drums) / Angel Dream / Southern Accents 

Brian Clash - Century City

John Estep - You Wreck Me / Sea of Heartbreak (Herb Schupp on drums) / Kings Highway

Patrick Buzzard - Yer So Bad / Learning to Fly / Into the Great Wide Open 

Dan Orr Project - Breakdown / Don't Do Me Like That / American Girl

John Estep & Everybody - I Won't Back Down / Mary Jane's Last Dance

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Also a couple of my favorite Tom Petty tributes: the first by Tom's contemporary, the great Dan Baird. (I snagged from his Facebook page. reproduced without his permission as they say.....) 

Dan Baird 

For me, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were a rock and roll band that came onto the scene when the pigeon hole genres were taking over. Punk rock, new wave, heavy, hard, prog, glam, etc. There were a bunch of em. Not that they were at all bad. Some great bands came out of those rebranding and fashion trends. I was going along with the times and trying to find music I related to inside those brands, but something was missing for me. 

And here comes this rock and roll band that doesn't apologize for being just that. 2 guitars, B3, piano, bass and drums. Sing along choruses, tight punchy songs, great simple arrangements played by a gang of mo-fos on each instrument and a shaman/believer for a front man and songwriter disguised as an everyman. 

They'd picked up rock and roll and placed it onto a trajectory that seemed like the simplicity of what they were reintroducing had never stopped. It had. Was very close to complete dismissal. Their whole "We just don't need anything new, other than more great songs" was a bold move in the face of the change. Obviously it struck a chord with me. 

Yes they dabbled in new sounds after a few years, but it somehow sounded organic inside the song. Acoustic ballads got more common, but it felt right because of the conviction and honesty of both band and singer (didn't hurt that those ballads contained some of Tom's finest lyric either). 

The live shows could have been a greatest hits for 2 hours. They weren't. Great covers, older obscure numbers, new songs. To me, his North Star might have gotten hidden behind the clouds now and then, but when they cleared, look out, shit was back on. 

Thank you for showing the way to work inside a traditional medium and not sacrifice integrity, heart and soul. 

A rock and roller of the highest order to the end.

And click here to read a story by Annie Zaleski .

Or here for a story by Petty Biographer Warren Zanes .

And this story about Tom's acting career was fun . 

I was lucky enough to catch Tom and The Heartbreakers on the last tour. I was sort of leaving it up to fate when at the last minute I got an invite. As I was watching the show I thought to myself I should have brought my son Owen to this show. He has seen Springsteen, The Who, The Stones, AC/DC, Cheap Trick, KISS, Aerosmith, Foo Fighters and Green Day. For some reason I didn't feel it necessary to bring him to Tom Petty and it was a parenting fail. It is/was easy to take Tom Petty for granted. Tom Petty never demanded attention. He didn't need to. He was focused on earning your respect. Well done.  RIP Tom Petty

Colin Gawel plays in Watershed and fronts The League Bowlers. He founded Pencilstorm and wrote this at Colin's Coffee in between serving customers. 

Colin on WCBE Thursday October 19th, 1 - 2 pm. Tune in or Stream It.

It's the fall fund raising season for WCBE 90.5 and to pay respects, Colin will be riding shotgun on the air with Maggie Brennan and her fabulous show The Global Village on Thursday October 19th from 1 - 2 pm. Talking Watershed, Bowlers, Pencilstorm and all sorts of things along with the great music you expect from WCBE, it should be a fun ride. Tune in and spread the word. Or hit the link below to stream it on the interwebs the kids are so crazy about. 

Click here to stream the show and to learn about how you can contribute to this great radio station.

Official music video for Colin Gawel's "Dad Can't Help You Now." The single is available on "Superior: The Best of Colin Gawel" released by Mike Landolt's Curry House Records. More at www.colingawel.com. Video directed by Wal Ozello, produced by Maria Clark, director of photography Alex Williams, edited and visual effects by Eric "Bing" Ringquist, and features Sam Ozello and Tim Baldwin.

Performed @ Comfest 2017

Colin Talks Cheap Trick "Standing on the Edge" on Archie's Vinyl Analysis Podcast

Longtime Columbus DJ and all around rock n roll aficionado Archie invited me down to the Q-FM-96 studios to be a guest on his kick ass Vinyl Analysis podcast. The conversation started with Cheap Trick's Standing on the Edge record but eventually moved onto other rock related subjects. I had a blast and big thanks to Archie for having me on with him. - Colin G.

Click here to listen to Colin on Archie's Vinyl Analysis Podcast

Colin and Friends Playing Tom Petty this Thursday at Four String Taproom @ 9pm - FREE

This fall, Colin has been playing a residency at the Four String Taproom (985 W. 6th) in Grandview. He plays one solo set every Thursday starting around 9 pm. There is no cover charge. This week he and some of his pals will be performing all Tom Petty tunes and the taproom will be blasting plenty of Petty before and after the show.  So Thursday October 5th, stop by the Four String Taproom to toast the great Tom Petty. Doors 8pm. Colin on at 9pm. Over by 11.

Music, Memories and Shootings - by Anne Marie

I heard about the Vegas mass shooting this morning. As I lay in bed, having hit the snooze button, fighting to drag myself to full consciousness and willing my eyes to remain open, my daughter Caitlin knocked on my door asking whether I had heard about the shooter at the Jason Aldean concert during the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a three-day country music event in Las Vegas.  Her quick recitation of the tragic toll exacted by the lone gunman - more than 50 dead and more than 500 injured - instantly brought me fully awake, my heart pounding.  And now, although I’ve stayed mostly away from the relentless, repetitive news reports, I’ve thought about it all morning.

I have since learned that the death toll, currently confirmed at 58 as I write this Monday afternoon, makes this the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.  I have learned that it is likely that the weapon used was a submachine gun.  I could dwell on how I think there must be a way of imposing reasonable restraints on the availability of such weapons without infringing on anyone’s ability to hunt or defend one’s person or home, but that is not where my thoughts go today.  Instead, I just keep thinking how much it sucks that these lunatics choose music venues in which to carry out terrorist acts, revenge fantasies or whatever other vendetta consume their individual and collectively unbalanced minds. 

I keep thinking about the Paris concert attack at the Bataclan back in November 2015 and the wave of memories that attack loosed in me of a much smaller but still very tragic event in a small Boston club decades earlier.  One thing I and many others who have observed gun violence up close and personal know is that a shooting does not have to be a mass shooting to be tragic. Here’s my memories of that event of July 30, 1987, as recalled back on November 15, 2015 following the Bataclan attack:

It wasn’t until Sunday morning that I first caught a glimpse of the footage of the shootings at the rock concert in Paris on Friday night.  My immediate thought was that’s exactly how it happens.  I registered the familiarity of the scene, an unsettling sense of déjà vu, but did not dwell on it.  I was in the middle of doing something and did not want to get sucked into the 24/7 news coverage or my distant memories.  So I kept walking and moved on with my task at hand.

But then, last night, I was reading the New Yorker online.  After two articles focused on the ISIS attacks, I was tapped out on tragedy.  I scrolled down through all the stories until a picture of a young Tom Petty caught my eye. My sister and I have shared a love of Tom Petty going back to the late 1970s so I immediately opened the related article focused on how Warren Zanes of the 1980s Boston rock band the Del Fuegos came to write Petty’s life story. 

The Del Fuegos opened for Tom Petty during his tour for his 1987 album, “Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)”. I was attending Boston University at the time and had managed to see the Del Fuegos live at The Rathskeller (known as The Rat and where you had to brave cat-sized rats to make your way in the door), a dive of a music venue right on Commonwealth Avenue in Kenmore Square near the heart of BU’s campus.

In the summer of 1987, between my junior and senior years, I lived with my BU roommate, Lisa, and a music student, Dave, we found from the Berklee School of Music to split the rent and take the tiny extra bedroom off the kitchen in our apartment in the student slum of Allston.  Dave brought a fantastic cast of musical characters into our world – the perfect diversion as Lisa studied to take the MCAT and I prepped for the LSAT.

A number of Dave’s friends were bouncers and bartenders at Bunratty’s, a bar and music venue on Harvard Avenue right around the corner from our apartment, and Lisa and I would go over to hang out and catch some bands.

On the night of Friday, July 31, 1987, Bunratty’s was packed and outrageously loud.  At some point late in the night, one of the guys came up to tell me and Lisa that they’d had to throw out a customer who’d been harassing and blocking the way of the band as it tried to set up.  But then that was forgotten as the band started playing and Lisa and I pushed our way up close to the stage.

What happened next in the early morning hours of August 1st is hazy and surrealistic and literally has always played out in my memory (those few times I let it) in slow motion.  At some point, I became aware of a commotion behind us, then of multiple loud pops and hot air swooshing past.  I remember Lisa pulling me to the ground, yelling it’s shooting, bullets.  But I’m really hazy on the events after that.  I still don’t know exactly how we made our way out of there, at what point I realized our friend Abel Harris, a bouncer, had been shot, and when I learned the further details that Abel had been shot in the head at close range after he jumped over the bar and, with his hands held up in a surrender fashion, attempted to “talk down” the crazed gunman who had returned to the bar some two hours after he was first thrown out.

Abel died nine days later while hospitalized. That week, there were a series of benefit concerts for him at Bunratty’s and Metro.  We were there for the two shows at Bunratty’s and were pressed up against the stage for the closing act, the Del Fuegos.

I guess it’s not surprising that the footage of the Paris rock concert attack could unloose this flood of memories from 30 years ago.  It’s certainly brought the events in France into even starker focus for me and my heart goes out not only to the victims and their families but also to the survivors who will have that night live in the recesses of their memories forever.

And now there's Las Vegas to add to this list: so much music, so many memories, too many shootings.

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