Ace Frehley says there is no hate between founding Kiss band members 

Ace Frehley says there is no hate between founding Kiss band members

Founding Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley says the supposed bad blood between him and his former bandmates is exaggerated.

Dustin Schoof | The Express-Times By Dustin Schoof | The Express-Times The Express-Times

on November 14, 2014 at 8:00 AM, updated November 14, 2014 at 8:13 AM

In April, the 63-year-old guitarist was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of Kiss.

He released his sixth solo album, "Space Invader," in August to positive reviews from critics. "Space Invader" debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

"It\'s a good feeling to work 10 months on a project and put your heart and soul into it and get the recognition you deserve," Frehley says during an October phone interview.

Frehley is on the road with a backing band made up of different players than the one he toured with for his 2009 album "Anomaly." This time out he is joined by guitarist Richie Scarlet, The Cult bassist Chris Wyse and drummer Scot Coogan. Scarlet performed on Frehley\'s 1989 solo effort "Trouble Walking."

Frehley performs Nov. 26 at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

"This maybe the best lineup I\'ve ever assembled," Frehley says. "I got a gut feeling."

Frehley, now seven years sober, says life on the road is much tamer than in years\' past. "I won\'t be hanging out in the bars," Frehley says. "It\'s a lot nicer these days. I remember what I did the night before. And I\'m in great health."

Though his greasepaint and hard partying days are behind him -- he left Kiss for the second time in 2002 -- an Ace Frehley concert would not be complete without performing a handful of songs he penned for his former band, including fan favorites "Cold Gin" and "Shock Me."

But Kiss\' original lead guitarist is eager to perform and test out the new material.

"I feel like I\'m still chomping at the bit to see how fans react," Frehley says.

"Space Invader" finds Frehley revisiting familiar territory, with an emphasis on rocket-powered guitar solos and high voltage rock \'n\' roll reminiscent of his 1978 debut solo album.

Frehley says he used the same recording approach for "Space Invader" that he started with "Ace Frehley" more than 30 years ago. "I tracked most of the songs with me and Anton Fig and then threw a scratch bass track on it. That pretty much has been the format for all of my albums since," Frehley says. "It\'s the formula that works for me."

The evolution in technology is not lost on Frehley. "When I think back on that (first) record, I didn\'t have digital reverbs, I didn\'t have (digital recording software) Pro Tools," he says. "If I wanted to edit something, I had to (physically) slice the tape.

"(Now) I\'m doing editing on my laptop in my hotel room."

Frehley says the title track to "Space Invader" is his favorite song on the album because of how quickly it congealed from idea to completed track. It was the last song and took one day to finish. "It blew me away how well it came out," Frehley says. "The way the solos and background vocals came together."

Frehley calls his playing is "unorthodox" and, when he comes across them, gets a kick out of watching YouTube videos of aspiring guitarists play his songs.

"Everybody\'s doing their own interpretation," Frehley says. "That\'s why they all come to see me live, to see what I can do."

In August, Frehley\'s promotional campaign for "Space Invader" landed him on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." He sat in with house band The Roots and performed his hit cover of Hello\'s "New York Groove."

"It was really a lot of fun. Those guys are fans, they\'re so professional," Frehley says of his "Tonight Show" appearance. "Jimmy was so sweet to me. I gave him a guitar after the show ... I was so happy he invited me."

Frehley is also planning a follow-up to his memoir, "No Regrets." Just don\'t expect mud-slinging from the original Spaceman. "It\'s not gonna be a vendetta book," Frehley says. "I want my books to be a fun read. I have so many road stories, I can write five books. There are more stories from my childhood, bands I was in prior to Kiss."

And there is a covers album in the works, too. "Right now I\'m focused on \'Space Invader\'," Frehley cautions.

As for the trading of blows in interviews between Frehley and his former Kiss band-mates, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Frehley says the supposed animosity is much ado about nothing.

Reflecting on his Hall of Fame induction, Frehley says he walked away with fond memories of that night. (Only Kiss\' original lineup -- Frehley, Simmons, Stanley and former drummer Peter Criss -- were inducted. The quartet did not perform.)

"It was great. It was a lot of fun, everyone was on their best behavior," Frehley says. "The press makes it that we all hate each other, but it\'s not true. The only regret (I have) is that the four of us didn\'t perform. It\'s too bad after 40 years they didn\'t gave us 15 minutes."

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