
Ace Frehleyās scene is āto drive fast cars and shoot gunsā. Frehley laughs. He really needs no introduction. Frehley is recognised as one of the most influential guitar players of the last four decades. Through his āSpacemanā years with KISS and beyond, Frehleyās impact on popular music is immeasurable. An impact that keeps intensifying as Frehley continues making music and playing sell out shows worldwide.
Frehley, who puts the ACE in spACE, is currently touring Australia and New Zealand, playing KISS and solo classics as well as promoting his 2014 solo release, Space Invader.
āSpace Invader,ā Frehley starts, āis the first album Iāve done which has a theme to it; the space theme. There are several songs on the album which revolve around that. I think in that way itās different. We came up with the title before we came up with the song, Space Invader. Itās usually the other way round, usually you write the song and then decide to make it the title of the track. I came up with the title before I wrote the song. Luckily the song came out goodā.
Frehley continues: āI started on the space theme and the album took off. My fiancĆ©e, Rachel Gordon, co-wrote two songs; sheās a great lyricist and really helped in the process. The two I co-wrote with Rachel, I was really happy with the way they turned out, Change and Immortal Pleasuresā.
Irrespective of fame and success, Frehley doesnāt take himself too seriously. He states: āMy sound in food form would be pizza and coke because itās accessible to the masses. Itās something that anyone who is into rock n roll will gravitate towards. I try not to make my music too self-indulgent. Often I try to write songs that I think my fans are going to like rather than go off on tangents and not think about the repercussions of what Iām doing are going to be. I keep that in mind during the writing process. Itās worked out good for me over the years. A lot of lyrics are autobiographical in some way shape or form it has taken place. But I wouldnāt take the lyrics too seriouslyā. (laughs)
Lightheartedness is a key dynamic to Frehleyās success. āIām enjoying touring these days. Iām not crazy about living out of a suitcase and hopping on planes every other day, but performing live is really rewarding and Iām having a lot of fun doing it. My new touring line-up: Chris Wyse, Scot Coogan, Richie Scarlet, is probably the best group Iāve assembled to date. I remember last time we were in Australia, in 2010, all the shows went really well. We didnāt go to New Zealand last time so this time weāre going to go to New Zealand as well so thatāll be a treat. I havenāt performed in New Zealand since I was there with KISSā.
When asked to expand on stories from the KISS days, Frehley laughs but doesnāt divulge.āWhen I was there [Australia] in 1980, we got a boat ride from Sydney Harbour which got pretty crazy. But it wasnāt my fault. It was the promoterās fault. He filled the boat up with pretty girls, models and stuff. There was champagne and caviar and ⦠(laughs) it got crazy.Ā [pullquote]āWhen I was there [Australia] in 1980, we got a boat ride from Sydney Harbour which got pretty crazy. But it wasnāt my fault. It was the promoterās fault. He filled the boat up with pretty girls, models and stuff. There was champagne and caviar and ⦠(laughs) it got crazy”.[/pullquote] Iāll talk about that in my new book, which I havenāt got a title for yet incidentally. Iāve been coming up with chapters over the last six months, in between recording and performing so hopefully Iāll be able to turn something in in the summerā.
Though Frehley doesnāt reveal secrets, he does offer advice to new bands. āFocus on the music, donāt listen to others, follow your heart and persevere. A lot of people will say things, bullshit you. You have to follow your dreams. We also make own reality.Ā Three words: practise, practise practiseā.
Frehley always followed his dreams. āI started playing guitar when I was 13,ā he says. āBy 15, I was going to concerts, seeing groups like The Who, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix. I would sit in audience and think they were great but I thought I could do that too. I never put limitations on my goalsā. Now that Frehley knows he is the one who inspires, he jokingly says, āI would have practised moreā.
See Ace Frehley with his āsmoking guitar, light guitar and all the bells and whistlesā, on his Australian and New Zealand Tour this April and May.
ACE FREHLEY PERFORMING SOLO ANTHEMS AND KISS CLASSICS
Joining AceĀ on stage will be Richie Scarlet, who rode shotgun performing rhythm guitar and vocal duties on ACEās āTrouble Walkingā platter and has toured with Sebastian Bach; bass guitarist Chris Wyse (Ozzy Osbourne & The Cult); and Scot Coogan (Lita Ford & Nikki Sixx).
The 2-hour set features everything an ACE or KISS fan could hope for. Included are all his Solo Anthems ā āNew York Grooveā (a bona-fide Top 20 Hit in Australia and NZ), āSnowblindā, āRock Soldiersā and highlights from his latest Top 10 Billboard album āSpace Invaderā. Plus KISS diamonds such as āStrutterā, āCold Ginā, āLove Gunā, āDeuceā, āShock Meā & āDetroit Rock Cityā. Plus as a special treat for KISS fans, some rare KISS gems that you simply wont hear anywhere else ā āTalk to Meā, āRocket Rideā, āStrange Waysā, āParasiteā & āKing of the Night Time Worldā.
Ace Frehley Down Under Tour
April
April 21, 2015 – Civic TheatreāØ- Townsville, QLD, Australia
April 24, 2015 – Bodega – Wellington, New Zealand
April 25, 2015 – Studio 340 KRDāØ- Auckland, New Zealand
April 28, 2015 – Tivoli TheatreāØ- Brisbane, Qld, Australia
April 30, 2015 – Metro Theatre – Sydney, Australia
May
May 1, 2015 – Wrestpoint Showroom – Hobart, Australia
May 2, 2015 – Forum Theatre – Melbourne, Australia
May 6, 2015 – The Gov – Adelaide, Australia
May 7, 2015 – Astor Theatre – Mount Lawley, WA, Australia
For more information and tickets, visit here
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