Statistiques
Biographie
Paul Daniel Frehley was born on 27 April 1951 in New York City, New York, United States. He was raised in the Bronx amongst two older siblings and was immersed in a musical background. Both his parents played the piano (his father even acted as the church organist) and his brother and sister likewise played the piano and guitar. Though Frehley did not receive any technical training he was an avid learner of the guitar. He acquired his 1st guitar when he was 13 years old and taught himself how to play, guided by the influences of B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Who etc...
As a teenager Frehley was wild and prone to commotion. He was involved in several street gangs, got kicked out of two high schools and dropped out of a 3rd. However with the insistence of his parents he got his diploma and landed several part time jobs. Despite the chaos Frehley was wrapped up in his youth, he always reserved a dedication to music and he credits his drive as an artist as the source of his “salvation” from delinquency.
Before joining Kiss Frehley played guitar in the groups Cathedral and Molimo. He was eventually directed by an ad in the Village Voice to audition for the band Wicked Lester, which at that time consisted of Gene Simons, Paul Stanley, and Pete Criss. The members were not too thrilled with Frehley’s apparently dis-shelved appearance, but were impressed by his musical technique. A couple weeks after the audition Frehley was given the position and by the start of 1973 the group changed their name to Kiss. During the beginning stages of the group Frehley could not sustain himself solely as a musician so he picked up an extra job, working as a cab driver.
This would all change after the release of Kiss’ smash self-titled debut. Frehley was responsible for penning the classic track “Cold Gin” and also co-wrote the “Love Theme from KISS”. He continued to contribute compositions to Kiss’ discography and made his singing debut on the track “Shock Me”.
Though Frehley’s departure from Kiss did not take place until 1982 he released his first self-titled debut album in 1978. The other members of Kiss also released solo albums that year; however, Frehley’s work outsold everyone else’s. His debut also received high critical praise and is still regarded as an influential record, generating positive feedback from modern publications like Allmusic and Pitchfork.
Frehley pursued his solo career full force in 1984, recruiting the help of Anton Fig (drums), John Regan (bass), Richie Scarlet (vocals/guitars), and Arthur Stead (keyboardist). His solo project alternated between the names Ace Frehley and Frehley’s Comet. The band recorded multiple demos and played several live shows from 1984 to1985, but did not release their first album “Frehley’s Comet” until 1987. The album was a success, entering the Billboard 200 at No. 43. It’s single “Into the Night” peaked at No. 27 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and “Rock Soldiers” also received heavy airplay. Frehley put out two more albums under the moniker Frehley’s Comet: “EP Live+1” and “Second Sighting”. During this time he supported these releases by touring with Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden.
His 3rd full length album “Trouble Walkin’” was released under Ace Frehley and hit the shelves on 13 October 1989. Drummer Pete Kriss and Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach both made appearances on the album. Frehley and Kriss rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a reunion tour and also contributed to the album “Psycho Circus”.
Frehley did not release his follow up to “Trouble Walkin’” until 20 years later. His 5th studio album was titled “Anomaly” and peaked at No. 27 on the US Billboard. In 2011 he put out the autobiography “No Regrets - A Rock ‘N’ Roll Memoir” and three years later issued his 6th studio album “Space Invader”, which climbed all the way to No. 9 on the US Billboard charts.
Avis
This show was a spectacular birthday gift from my wife, though she is not into real music....so I attended this awesome rock extravaganza by myself.
It was at The Rose in Pasadena, CA. The opening bands, The Hots and Like It were painfully average and not memorable whatsoever. They were simply filler/time-killers before the badass Ace Frehley and his new killer backing band, whom he hired away from Gene Simmons, came out. They were spectacular and on-point aka they play the old songs correctly with zeal, fun, and passion.
Ace's onstage banter was sarcastic, funny, and factual, as he explained how he used to party too hard and too often, what the origins of certain songs were, what KISS songs he actually wrote, etc.
The songs played were old-school, catchy, and intense. He started the show with "Rocket Ride", and continued with hits like "Cold Gin", "New York Groove", "Rock Soldiers", "Snowblind", "Shock Me", "Detroit Rock City", and more!
I was able to talk with Jeremy from the band after the show, though the area where I was standing was for "V I.P.'s"....Jeremy, I am sure, had the option to tell me to go away since I didn't fork out the cash to stand there and chit-chat, but he treated me like a true fan of "our" music, and a guy he could have a beer with, with respect and a genuine interest in our brief conversation. He explained how Ace had jammed out of the venue like a real rock star, straight to the limo lol.
I tried all night to get one of Ace's guitar picks, as he chucked them into the crowd during and between songs, but was unable to get one. But, Jeremy, being the cool guy that he was, gave me one since it was my birthday! A very kind move, to say the least.
The Rose is a great venue for a fun and energetic rock show, check it out!
Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley, is probably best known for being the lead guitarist in the band Kiss as “The Spaceman”. Tonight, however it is all about Frehley’s own songs. He is after all a fantastic guitarist who has had a very successful career in his own right not to mention that his album “Frehley’s Comet” which was essentially a crossover album of hard rock and pop metal, sold half a million units but only reached 43 in the billboard charts. His solo album aptly titled “Ace Frehley” achieved Platinum status in the US and Gold in Canada. Tonight he is due to bring a slew of huge hits that made a name for him.
He opens the set with “Into the Night”, the rifftastic introduction sets the pace for what is going to be a fun fuelled set, with a huge party vibe, after all, most people here know this musician through the hit band KISS. He is not ashamed of his beginnings as he uses the Gibson Les Paul that he is so famous for and even does that smoke effect that he did in KISS! The crowd goes absolutely wild for it. “Do Ya” is such a huge hit for the band, keeping them happy, and keeping them excited for what is to come throughout the set. “Outer Space” was one of the songs which was surprisingly successful with this audience too.
Many people do not realise that Kiss's very own 'space man' has his own solo career and a hefty live following. Now in his 60s, Paul Daniel Frehley often juggles his commitments with the glam rock legends to head out accompanied by his own band for some truly rousing shows.
The guitarist has musical skills second to none and although Kiss are known for theatrics and costume, when you strip everything down to the bare instrumentals it is equally impressive. The setlist is divided between tracks lifted from his own solo releases and some of Kiss's most popular tracks. The mixture is great as fans get to hear another side to this rock legend with tracks including 'Breakout' and 'Rip It Out' along with the sing/jump-along of 'Love Gun'. There are numerous highlights throughout the night yet Ace totally steals the show shortly before his finale with a blistering guitar solo that lasts many minutes and has the whole venue screaming and cheering in equal elation and amazement. Kiss may be an incredible band yet you cannot forget Frehley is a truly unforgettable musician.
Ace Frehley is currently touring the North East USA. Last night he and his band mates ROCKed the 9:30Club in Washington DC. THIS VENUE....while it is small it is a Great Place. The current band line up is the strongest I have seen yet. Ace put on a fantastic show and his band mates certainly added punch to the music. Ace was better than I have seen him in a long time....and having an Awesome crew behind you makes it even all the more incredible....Outstanding show! Even the opening band: Charm City Devils Rocked!
The show was great! Although two fans were arrested for public intoxication prior to the show but I think the husband let his wife go to jail because he ended up at the concert. Needless to say everyone kept pushing him out of the way, including me. That part was entertaining!
I had the Meet-N-Greet with Ace and he was just great! We were able to sit in the tour bus with him for a while and just BS with him while he signed pictures etc. It was just great!
The show was great. Some mishaps like closing the lights down then waiting 10 minutes for the band to come on and house music playing while the bass player was soloing. Other than those few things, everything was spot on. They played for 2 hours. Over 20 songs. Ace did have some jokes about the other original KISS members which wasn't necessary but I over looked it.
Great concert! What a surprise to see Ace smoke his guitar during Deuce instead Shock Me! It was very cool! The songs included, Rip It Out, Rocket Ride, Snow Blind, Strange Ways, Detroit Rock City, Love Gun, Deuce, Rock Soldiers and more....
It was a great show open up TOYS DID NEW YORK GROOVE SNOWBLIND RIP IT OUT STRANGE WAYS STUFF OFF NEW CD 2 YOUNG 2 DIE LOVE GUN DETRIO ROCK CITY DUCE
Cold gin was not in Playlist this show RAY FROM CLIFTON NJ
The show was great even though he was an hour late.We got to meet him after the show and he sighned some kiss stuff for me,the alive album,his solo album and the kiss comic book with blood ink.What a great guy.
On stage, Ace Frehley is an amazing guitarist who surrounds himself with some serious talent. He is a seasoned performer that gives his audience their money's worth. I enjoyed watching him on stage.