Messages From Bruce Kulick - 2013

Just back from Indianapolis where they are known to have great expos, but this one truly was special. It was a weekend of KISS excitement that started off with Gene Simmons as the guest for Saturday AM and into the afternoon. The fans loved it, and Gene was in rare form. Just watch this video when a young fan gets on stage and tells the crowd Paul Stanley is her favorite KISS member. Priceless!

Saturday evening featured my brother Bob and I. After signing and taking photos for two hours, we hit the stage for a hour long Q and A and then went straight into playing some music. A good friend from Indiana, Don Saint-Thomas, who fronts a band called DST, performed some tracks from his CD with his talented band, then brought me up to play one of the songs I guested on his release. Then we went into "Domino" and "She" before bringing up Bob.

Well, the songs featuring Bob are rarely played by KISS, and "All American Man" and "Larger Than Life" went over amazingly with this diehard crowd. I was proud of my brother showing the fans his fancy licks known from Alive II. Unique, emotional and definitely BOB.



We ended the performance with RARAN, and I brought some kids up on stage to sing along. Check out this video for the vibe.



We then, courtesy of ESP guitars, gave away the Viper guitar I used on the last song to a lucky man named Rodney. He was thrilled. Quote: "I never win anything!" Well, that certainly changed for him that night. Sunday featured KISS drummer and my close friend Eric Singer. Since our flight was in the early evening, Bob and I stuck around and greeted the fans again. Also in attendance was Kevin Valentine, a fellow Cleveland drummer buddy of Eric's who has a nice KISS connection having played on some tracks from HITS and Revenge. All in all, a very memorable KISS Expo. KISS Army Warehouse certainly knows how to throw a party!

Thanks to all in attendance for your good wishes, and to those involved making this a killer event. Now it's back to my weekend touring dates with Grand Funk, as well as some sessions and writing. More exciting developments to share soon. And for my friends in Mexico, I will be at the KISS Lounge May 30th and June 1st, so don't miss it.

Thank you all!

Had another exciting weekend in Vegas, this time starting off with a Master Class on Guitar Playing at the Rock 'N Roll Fantasy Camp. The lesson, which was also streamed live online, covered what I love about three hugely influential guitarists in my life: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. Jeff was a guest the next day at the camp, so it was fun discussing his command of the guitar with the campers. His technique, tone, choice of notes, and raw emotion makes me and many other guitarists very envious.

Meeting him the next day was a thrill. We got to chat about how he plays with his fingers instead of a plectrum (he used to drop them, so figured he didn't need one!), and how he keeps those guitars in tune with the wild whammy bar usage (he and his tech really stretch the strings out carefully!). As I left the room, he mentioned to my fiancé Lisa privately "that he [me] should find better ways to occupy his free time than listening to me." He did plug his ears once when I was telling him how I felt about his talent, so I guess Mr. Beck is humble about praise. But he is a true living legend on the guitar!

Watching him play with the camper bands was a real treat to my ears. He was patient and polite to the players, and actually led them at times as band leader. His rendition of "Sleepwalk" with his sweeping melodic style brought Lisa to tears! I also made some new friends at this camp, although I wasn't a counselor. Johnny A, a terrific guitarist from Boston, and Joe Vitale, a well-seasoned drummer who has played with The Eagles and others, were a blast to hang with.

Of course Vegas has shows, so Lisa and I hit The Blue Man Group. Wow! That was cool! And getting backstage afterward to actually say hello was extra...well, BLUE of them! Jeff Tortora got me tickets, and along with Blas Elias from Slaughter, they rocked that theatre at the Monte Carlo. Thank you BMG!

The two GFR shows at The Orleans showroom went over amazingly well. After Sunday night's show I was back over at the MGM to take part in the counselor jam at The Rouge Club. I did "Pink Cadillac" with the boys, and it was a fitting end to my wild weekend in Vegas. So, meeting one of my guitar heroes and speaking to The Blue Man Group certainly gets crossed off my "bucket list!"

PS - Thanks to Craig Clingan for the BK live photo.

I had a great time on Saturday! You know I love sci-fi and some of the horror genre, so along with my lovely Lisa and my good friend Wally Wingert, who is the voice of Jay Leno, we dropped in at the Burbank Monsterpalooza event. The place was packed!

After shopping for some stuff, I knew both Lita Ford and Ace Frehley were in attendance as guests, so with Wally leading the way we headed to meet up with them. Both were excited to see me and my posse. Ace was very charming, and signed a copy of his book to Lisa and me. We chatted briefly as there was a line for him, and we said our goodbyes. Glad to see him looking sober and happy.

On our way out, we stopped by the Lon Chaney family booth and ran into Marilyn Manson's guitarist, John 5. He's a huge KISS fan, and we share that guitar obsession. All in all a great, if hectic afternoon. Those events, like Chillers or the Movie Days in Germany that I recently attended, are really cool.

I'm looking forward as well to the big KISS Expo in Indy on May 11th, so check out the details to see me there.

After an exciting and rewarding Rock Fantasy Camp featuring the fantastic Def Leppard, it was a day off on Monday. Besides visiting Cowtown Guitars, meeting Jesse, and buying some needed supplies for my new West Coast Pedal board, the evening would be filled with concert.

But first I managed to sneak in a quick visit to the KISS Monster Mini Golf, where it was cool to see they had Eric Carr's Porsche on display, as well as some memorabilia of mine like this jacket.

At the LVH (formerly the Hilton that Elvis made famous just off the strip in Vegas), Raiding The Rock Vault has recently opened. Monday evening I was a guest of the band, and for two hours I was very entertained in that awesome showroom by the talent and song choice that the show provides. It's a kind of walk through music history, told like a "rockumentary" with many excellent singers and players.

Some I have of course worked with through the years. Howard Leese from Heart, who along with the sisters from Heart will be inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame very soon, was precise and excellent on the classic rock hits they performed. The singing was also great, and the special guest was Joe Lynn Turner from Rainbow and Deep Purple. So if you're a rock fan go see the show, you won't be disappointed. Check them out: Raiding The Rock Vault.

Tuesday night I played a gig at Vamp'd celebrating the new season of Counting Cars with Danny "The Count." It was a blast! This man is the real deal. Enjoys his life, takes great care of his business, and a damn good singer too! The place was packed, and many KISS fans came out to watch me jam with local favorites the Sin City Sinners. It was a fitting close to my amazing Vegas week of rock 'n' roll.

Vegas truly does ROCK!

I am just back from my short trip to Germany, and I had such an exciting time at the Movie Days/The Dark Zone event in Dortmund. Movie Days/The Dark Zone covers horror films, Sci-Fi, wrestling, comics and, naturally with me as a guest, musicians. I was joined by Mr Lordi, my friend Tomi who is the lead singer and creator of the popular Finnish group. The photos really tell the story, as it was similar to a KISS expo, except celebrating the above mentioned entertainment that we all have passion for.

Well, here's the truth. It's always a thrill for me to be approached by my fans (and they seem to get younger all the time), as the fame of KISS continues strong. But for me Star Wars is a movie franchise that I love. Having never met any of the actors, the very first night of arrival, when all the special guests were enjoying dinner, one man was curious to me. He was large, older, and had a very interesting presence at the table. I remembered thinking, who is that guy? Why I am staring at him?

Well it turned out to be a very proper British gentleman who had the honor of playing none other than Darth Vader! I was freaking out, as I was always so impressed by Darth's evil character. As much as I knew he didn't actually speak in the Star Wars movies, and his face was never used even when they took off Darth's mask, his presence in those films, and what Dave Prowse the actor did for the Vader character, is iconic.

So hanging out for dinner, and then two more meals where we discussed his life in London and my career in KISS, was quite the thrill. Meeting Boba Fett, Jeremy Bulloch, was also great. He and his lovely wife, also both British, were a joy to meet and hang out with. They seemed very interested in my world, and I was happy to share.

The weekend event was really wild on Saturday, with thousands of people attending. Sunday was slower, and I was pretty jet lagged from the long trip. I don't usually do such short trips overseas, but it I did enjoy all the excitement that the show presented. I look forward to more of these conventions. From horror actors and directors, to exotic performing artists, to famous comic book and album artists, the event had something for everyone. And they were all happy to be in Germany for this great weekend.

I want to thank the promoters and my friends and fans who showed up to support all the festivities, and of course Mr Lordi--it was great hanging out again, both in your costume and without.

I hope you all enjoy the photos and remember, "May the force be with you!"

PS - Some photos courtesy Andy Friedemann and Sidney Brandies.

Very happy to announce that I will be appearing as a counselor at the Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp featuring DEF LEPPARD. The camp takes place at the legendary MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas April 4th-7th, and also features Lita Ford, Vinny Appice and Phil Soussan as counselors as well.


There are still spaces available, but they're going fast! More details, including how to reserve your spot, here: http://www.rockcamp.com/def-leppard.php

Hello, everyone! I just returned from a fantastic journey to Brazil. The trip started with a quick rehearsal with my band, which included guys from KILLERS, a popular KISS tribute band, and my friend Sebastian Gava from Argentina on lead vocals. We were set to perform on the cruise ship Zenith leaving from the major port of Santos, and the ship was filled with a capacity crowd of rockers and motorcycle club enthusiasts. Well, this was my first ever cruise experience, and I was anxious about what it would be like. I am happy to say I absolutely loved it!

My show, the first night of the cruise, had maybe the worst weather. It was so damn windy it was hard to keep my balance on stage! But no matter, we rocked the boat--literally--and my fans were amazing! The next few days were rest and relaxation, and I enjoyed the ship so much I never even got off when we pulled into some beautiful Brazilian coast areas. It was sad to say goodbye to my cabin, but after meeting so many cool fans and making new friends on the boat, it was time to do a few local shows.

Saturday we played Manifesto Bar in the city of São Paulo, and it was packed. It really moved me seeing all my fans expressing their love for my era of KISS. I was blown away by their enthusiasm, and after a sweaty set I did a full meet and greet with the crowd. The fans were all ages, and that really impressed me. So many younger ones so into KISS, and obviously they aren't even old enough to have seen me live with KISS when we did the huge Monsters of Rock show in 1994.

The next night was back to the port city of Santos for a show in a theatre. Once again the reaction was a total party with my fans. It was super hot in the place, but you know it's what an artist does to play for the fans, even if we look like a wet rag by the end of the set. I thought Sebastian was gonna faint from the heat, as it's especially tough on a singer. Some other highlights to share: the Brazilian KISS Army gave me a cool looking jersey, and I wore it proudly during that Manifesto meet and greet. They also presented me with a Bruce Kulick Tribute CD featuring all songs from my era of KISS or from my solo discs. I was very impressed. Not all of it is professional quality, but the dedication represented by doing that really made me feel so proud of what I do, and how it affects my fans.

A fan in Santos gave me a soccer jersey with my name on the back. They just beaten São Paulo the night of my Santos gig, so I congratulated the fans on stage. Funny, it was the same day as our Super Bowl, yet I didn't even know all the news till the next morning about our big event in the US. Other fans gave me great gifts, and a fan in São Paulo was wearing a nice custom shirt with a photo from BK3 on it. She was also holding up a sign which said please do "Crazy Crazy Nights." Of course I wasn't gonna disappoint her! I brought her up on stage to greet her, and moments like that are always fun.

I want to thank my manager Abba, who loves to travel, for coming along. And naturally I want to give a big "Thank you!" to my Brazilian band--Osvaldo, Helio, Fernando, and Sebastian--for working so hard to help make the trip a success. You are all true friends. Tony, who is also in the band KILLERS, really helped me out as my guitar tech and "human foot switch," and all their friends were great to hang with. A special thank you to a new friend Ivan Copelli, who was asked to look after me during the cruise. He's a great drummer, and it was a pleasure hanging with him.

There are so many others to thank, but you all know who you are. Most important are all my Brazilian fans who came out to support me. It was my most successful trip to Brazil, and I feel like it's a second home already. I do hope to come more often, and I highly recommend visiting Brazil. It's a great country, with friendly people who love rock and roll...especially KISS!

Obrigado, Brazil!



Olá a todos! Eu acabo de voltar de uma jornada fantástica ao Brasil. A viagem começou com um ensaio rápido com a minha banda, que inclui o pessoal da KILLERS, que é uma banda de tributo ao KISS, e o meu amigo Sebastian Gava, da Argentina, nos vocais. Nós estávamos escalados para tocar no navio de cruzeiro Zenith, atracado no porto de Santos e que estava lotado de roqueiros e motociclistas de diversos moto-clubes. Essa foi a minha primeira experiência num cruzeiro, eu estava ansioso para saber como seria e estou feliz em dizer que amei!

No meu show, na primeira noite do cruzeiro, o tempo estava péssimo. Estava ventando tanto que eu mal conseguia me equilibrar no palco. Mesmo assim, nós agitamos o barco - literalmente - e os meus fãs foram espetaculares. Nos dias seguintes foi possivel descansar e relaxar. Eu curti tanto o navio que nem desci para conhecer as belas praias brasileiras. Foi chato me despedir da minha cabine, mas depois de conhecer tantos fãs legais e depois de fazer novos amigos, estava na hora de fazer outros shows.

No sábado tocamos no Manifesto Bar em São Paulo, que estava totalmente lotado. Foi emocionante ver os meus fãs expressando todo o amor que sentem pela minha fase no KISS. Fiquei maravilhado com o entusiasmo da plateia e depois de um show muito suado eu fiz um meet and greet com a galera. Havia fãs de todas as idades e isso me impressionou muito. Muitos fãs jovens e que curtem tanto o KISS! E era óbvio que eles não tinham idade para ter me visto tocando no Monsters of Rock em 1994.

Na noite seguinte voltamos para a cidade de Santos para um show no teatro municipal. De novo foi uma festa completa com os fãs. Fazia um calor insuportável no teatro, mas o artista tem que subir no palco, mesmo que isso signifique ficar parecendo um trapo molhado no fim do show. Eu pensei que o Sebastian fosse desmaiar de calor, principalmente porque o calor afeta ainda mais os vocalistas.

Outros pontos altos: o Brazilian KISS Army me deu uma camiseta muito legal, que eu orgulhosamente usei no meet and greet do Manifesto. Eles também me deram um CD Tributo a Bruce Kulick com músicas do meu tempo no KISS e dos meus discos solos. Eu fiquei muito impressionado com isso. Nem tudo tem qualidade profissional, mas a dedicação mostrada em fazer o CD me fez sentir muito orgulhoso do que eu faço e como a minha música influencia os meus fãs.

Um fã de Santos me deu uma camiseta do Santos F. C., que havia vencido o São Paulo na mesma noite. Eu dei parabéns aos santistas. Interessante, foi no mesmo dia do Super Bowl mas eu só fiquei sabendo desse jogo tão importante para nós nos EUA, no dia seguinte. Outros fãs me deram lindos presentes e uma fã em São Paulo estava usando uma camiseta custom com uma foto do BK3. Ela também estava com um cartaz em que estava escrito: por favor, toquem Crazy, Crazy Nights. Claro que eu não iria desapontá-la. Eu a convidei para subir no palco e momentos assim são sempre divertidos!

Eu gostaria de agradecer o Abba, meu empresário que adora viajar, por ter me acompanhado. E claro, também gostaria de oferecer um enorme obrigado a minha banda brasileira - Osvaldo, Helio, Fernando e Sebastian - por terem se empenhado e ajudado a fazer desta viagem um sucesso. Vocês são verdadeiros amigos. O Tony, que também é da KILLERS me ajudou muito como roadie de guitarra e foi meu "pedal humano". Agradeço também a todos os amigos deles que sempre foram legais. Um obrigado especial para o meu novo amigo Ivan Copelli, que foi escalado pra me acompanhar durante o cruzeiro. Ele é um ótimo baterista e foi um prazer ter a sua companhia.

Há muitas outras pessoas para agradecer, mas vocês sabem quem vocês são! Os mais importantes são os meus fãs brasileiros que vieram me apoiar. Esta foi a minha viagem mais bem sucedida ao Brasil e eu já me sinto em casa lá. Eu espero ir pra lá mais frequentemente e eu recomendo a todos que visitem o Brasil. É um país incrível, de gente amiga e que ama rock and roll.... especialmente o KISS!

Obrigado, Brazil!



¡Hola a todos! Recién volví de un viaje fantástico a Brasil. Empezó con un ensayo rápido con mi banda, que incluyó a muchachos de KILLERS, una popular banda tributo a KISS, y mi amigo Sebastián Gava de Argentina en voz líder. Estábamos listos para actuar en el barco crucero Zenith que salía del puerto principal de Santos, y el barco estaba lleno con un público de rockeros y motociclistas. Bueno, ésta fue mi primera experiencia en un crucero, y estaba ansioso sobre como sería. ¡Estoy feliz de decir que absolutamente me encantó!

Mi show, la primera noche del crucero, tuvo quizás el peor tiempo. Estaba tan jodidamente ventoso que era difícil mantener el equilibrio sobre el escenario! Pero no importó, rockeamos el bote -literalmente- y mis fans estuvieron increíbles! Los días siguientes fueron de descanso y relajación, y disfruté tanto el barco que ni siquiera bajé cuando nos detuvimos en algunas hermosas areas costeras de Brasileras. Fue triste despedirme de mi camarín, pero después de conocer a tantos fans geniales y hacer nuevos amigos en el bote, era hora de hacer algunos shows locales.

El sábado tocamos en Manifesto Bar en la ciudad de San Pablo, y estaba repleto. Realmente me emocionó ver a todos mis fans expresando su amor por mi época en KISS. Me voló la cabeza su entusiasmo, y después de un set sudoroso hice un meet and greet completo con el público. Los fans eran de todas las edades, y eso realmente me impresionó. Había tantos y tan jóvenes metidos con KISS, y obviamente ni siquiera tienen edad como para haberme visto en vivo con KISS cuando hicimos el show enorme de Monsters of Rock en 1994.

Lo siguiente fue volver a la ciudad portuaria de Santos por un show en un teatro. Una vez más la reacción fue una fiesta total con mis fans. El lugar estaba super caliente, pero sabés que lo que hace un artista es tocar para los fans, incluso si lucimos como un trapo húmedo al terminar el set. Pensé que Sebastián se iba a desmayar por el calor, ya que eso es especialmente duro para un cantante.

Algunos otros momentos destacados para compartir: la KISS Army Brasilera me dió una remera genial, y la vestí con orgullo durante el meet and greet en Manifesto. También me dieron un CD Tributo a Bruce Kulick conteniendo todas canciones de mi época en KISS o de mis discos solistas. Me impresionó mucho. No todos son de calidad profesional, pero la dedicación que representa haber hecho eso realmente me hizo sentir muy orgulloso de lo que hago, y cómo afecta a mis fans.

Un fan en Santos me dió una remera de fútbol con mi nombre en la espalda. Recién habían vencido a San Pablo la noche de mi show en Santos, así que felicité a los fans en el escenario. Lo gracioso es que fue el mismo día que nuestro Super Bowl, sin embargo yo ni siquiera me enteré de todas las noticias sobre el gran evento en EEUU hasta la mañana siguiente. Otros fans me dieron regalos grandiosos, y una fan en San Pablo estaba vistiendo una remera hecha a mano con una foto de BK3. Ella también sostenía un cartel que decía por favor tocá "Crazy Crazy Nights". ¡Por supuesto que no la iba a decepcionar! La subí al escenario para saludarla, y momentos como esos son siempre divertidos.

Quiero agradecer a mi manager Abba, que le encanta viajar, por venir conmigo. Y naturalmente le quiero dar un gran "¡Gracias!" a mi banda Brasilera - Osvaldo, Helio, Fernando y Sebastián-- por trabajar tan duro para hacer que el viaje sea un éxito. Todos ustedes son grandes amigos. Tony, que también está en la banda KILLERS, realmente me ayudó siendo mi técnico de guitarra y "pedalera humana", y fue grandioso estar con sus amigos. Un agradecimiento especial a mi nuevo amigo Ivan Copelli, que le pidieron que me cuidara durante el crucero. El es un gran baterista, y fue un placer estar con él.

Hay tantos otros para agradecer, pero todos ustedes saben quienes son. Los más importantes son mis fans Brasileros que vinieron a apoyarme. Fue mi viaje más exitoso a Brasil y ya lo siento como un segundo hogar. Espero volver más seguido, y recomiendo mucho visitar Brasil. Es un gran país, con gente amistosa que aman el rock and roll.. especialmente a KISS!

Obrigado, Brazil!

I have a great European vacation to share with you all, as my girlfriend Lisa and I recently had the pleasure of heading to Europe to relax and sightsee, instead of gigging. This was actually my first time to do this that I can remember, and London was our destination.

With England being the birth of the Beatles and the British Invasion, I have always been fascinated with all things British. First up was a visit to Abbey Road Studios, which was sadly closed due to the holiday season. But I got my photo at the famous crossing, naturally! Then it was on to the Beatles Store so I could drool and fill a basket with Beatles merchandise to take home.

Obviously non-Beatles related sightseeing was important too, with stops at Big Ben, Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard, and Westminster Abbey. It was also fun to see all the wonderful red phone booths around London that are so iconic.

Of course I had to visit London's Denmark Street in Soho to pop into some guitar shops. The one I hoped to see, Regent Sounds, was open and I got to play a bit and do some pedal shopping there. Regent Sounds was a recording studio famous for the Stones and many other bands back in the 60s, so that was amazing to see. Where I am standing in this photo was the studio...that's it! Small.

We stayed at the London Hilton on Park Lane, which is really near everything, including the Hard Rock Cafe. The HRC has a Kulick KISS era guitar on display, which I really enjoyed seeing. The staff were very cool about showing me around, including downstairs in "The Vault."

The London Hilton has a famous restaurant downstairs called Trader Vic's, which I remember well from the many times KISS stayed at this premiere hotel. Well, that was where on Christmas Eve I proposed, down on one knee in the traditional way, to my longtime girlfriend, Lisa Lane. Yes, she said "Yes," and it was night I will always remember.

Getting engaged in London was a wonderful highlight and connection to the country I feel so grateful to, and my fascination with all things UK once again means something special to me. Enjoy the photos, and thanks again for all of your congratulations.