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The Ritz Theater
Tiffin, Ohio
July 10, 2009
Website
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Fans welcome MR.SPEED to the Old Fashioned Days Festival
1,500 fans of all ages welcomed MR.SPEED to the 29th Annual Brunswick Old Fashioned Days Festival last night. A perfect setting in the Cleveland suburb saw one of the largest crowds in the festivals history rock and roll to the sounds of classic KISS for 2 hours. An intense energy filled the air surrounding the stage as fans both young and old sang in unison to their favorite songs. Early indications are that MR.SPEED will very possibly return to the event in 2010 based on last evenings performance. Check the “Gallery” page for live images of the band in action.
“MR.SPEED visits Cadillac to promo September Show”.
From 06.21.2009 | MrSpeedOnline.com
We just returned from our brief visit to Cadillac, MI. The trip was set up to help promote our upcoming show there this September. We met up with Jim Neff on Friday and went over our itinerary for the next day.
On Saturday we set about our whirlwind tour of the historic KISS town. First stop, McGuire’s Resort to set up and sound check for our acoustic show on Saturday night. From there we sped off to Cadillac High School
to tour the auditorium in which we’ll be performing on Saturday, September 26th. Once that was completed we were off once again to McGuire’s Resort to get into costumes and make-up for the filming of a local cable
ad and Cadillac News interview.
Both the interview and the commercial will run in advance of our show to alert fans that this is one event that they won’t want to miss.
All of this was great fun and meeting with the fans that turned out for our acoustic performance was inspirational to say the least.
We can’t thank Jim enough for his hospitality and generosity over the two days that we
were there. We’d also like to thank Kayla Kiley
from The Cadillac News for a great interview along with Eric Wotila for making us look good on film. Also the McGuire Family for the amazing accommodations. Lastly we would
like to thank Cadillac’s Mayor Bill Barnett for his generosity in supplying the PA for our show.
Mark your calendars and make plans now to get to Cadillac on September 26th for
“A Homecoming KISS”.
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“At last…MR.SPEED Unplugged from Chicago”.
From 10.19.2008 | MrSpeedOnline.com
Click
Here
to view the fan submitted video of our performance associated with the world premier of Paul Stanley’s “ONE LIVE KISS” DVD release. Thanks to the Andrews family for sending us their contribution. Enjoy!
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The Gibson Sound: A Night with Henry Juszkiewicz and Special Guest Ace Frehley
On Tuesday, November 11th we were fortunate enough to be a part of a very special event at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The event was part of a week long celebration honoring Les Paul in association with the Rock Hall and Case Western Reserve University.
By invitation only Joe and I along with our wives Tina and Ann entered the building just before 6:00 PM. Very few fans had arrived by the time that we pushed our way through the revolving door and as we did we saw Ace himself ascending an escalator surrounded by security and a few Rock Hall employees. As we patiently waited in line to enter the main theater on the top floor of the hall Ace passed by us two more times still surrounded by the same entourage. Moments later we met up with a few friends that support our band and prepared ourselves for entrance into the theater.
We have been to the Rock Hall a handful of times but had never been to this particular theater near the top. An exclusive and intimate setting we found as we entered the room for the next two hours. We took our seats in the very front row on the right hand side. Numerous images began playing in my mind as the moments slipped away to the start of the program. Most notably was the last time that we had seen Ace. That being on stage in Myrtle Beach when he joined us
for our now legendary performance of the KISS classic “Shock Me”. The stage this evening was simplistic in décor with
numerous acoustic and electric guitars standing guard. A Marshall amplifier sat silent among them as if almost teasing them to a dual.
At just about 7:30 PM Henry Juszkiewicz took the stage. He is the Chairman & CEO of Gibson Guitars. Henry shared with us his storied history of his days with Gibson from the mid-eighties until today. His stories were vast and vivid to the
say the least. But to be honest you could feel the suspense building because we knew that Ace was there so the atmosphere took on an almost pre-concert feel. His introduction was subdued to say the least but as he strolled on to the stage just after 8:00 PM we knew that we were experiencing something special once again. With his familiar black
shades and thin shoulder-length hair Ace took his place at the center of the stage. Visibly unsure of himself and quite uneasy with a regimented program Ace quickly took control and reminded everyone why he is so endearing to all of us as KISS fans. Being asked questions as to how he came up with some of the signature riffs for classic songs such as “Cold Gin” and “Shock Me” he simply replied that “he stole them”. That’s right, he stole them from the likes of The Who and Free. But just as he tipped his hat to those two bands in particular he also noted that his riffs have also been stolen by contemporary artists such as Buckcherry. For me the feeling in the room took on an almost comedic feel reminiscent of the “Tomorrow” interview from 1979. Ace seemed more at ease poking fun at the various questions that were being asked more than answering them directly. At one point we witnessed an instant classic Ace moment as he struggled with his posture on the stool to which he was sitting. He accidentally tugged on the chord that was plugged into his cherry sunburst Les Paul and dislodged an acoustic guitar from its stand. Everyone roared with laughter as the strings rang out their vibrations over top of the gasps from everyone in the crowd. Ace himself seemed unphased by the mishap and very lazily grappled with the guitar to put it back on the stand. Ace introduced a short video montage during the event that showcased film footage from his days with KISS as well as his more recent “Rocket Ride” tour from this year. All of the signature effects that he is known for were highlighted which got an immediate reaction from the crowd. He even treated us to a little history of how each of the effects came to be from the very earliest incarnation of the smoking guitar up to the rocket launching effect used back in 1996.
Ace Frehley Jams with MR.SPEED
Ace photos by Al Soluri -
I wish that I could express for you just how incredible I feel today. It's the kind of feeling that I wish for all of you to experience at some point in your life. Last night I was given the opportunity to jam with Ace Frehley! So as the notes of our performance rang out Ace approached the stage to address and thank the crowd that had waited patiently to meet him. I could feel all of my senses really coming to the surface and my emotions were definitely on overload. It seemed as if time stood still as my memory conjured up years of trips to record stores and poster shops. The thousands of times that I've watched KISS videos and read interviews from Grooves, Hit Parader & Metal Edge magazine.
Ace emerged from behind our backline wearing Joe's Les Paul and the years of dedication to this band that I love came stumbling toward me. Here I was on stage with Ace in Myrtle Beach but in my head it was Largo, Anaheim, Cobo and Tiger Stadium all rolled into one. We didn't know what song he would want to play and as he thanked everyone for coming out he turned and shouted "Shock Me"! We were backing up Ace on a KISS classic that had everyone there singing along. The feeling was incredible and the fans faces were priceless. This is why I'm a KISS fan.
To be fortunate enough to have been involved with this event and have it conclude like this is something that no one can take away. As the song ended and the crowd exploded with applause I didn't want it to end. Ace began to exit the stage only to turn around and embrace me with a hug that seemed surreal and sincere at the same time. I thanked him for this special moment in my life and he told me that "everything's going to be ok".
To everyone that was there, thanks for helping to make it special. To Brian & Skip from the Coffeehouse and Keith at KISSONLINE - what can I say? Words are not enough. From the bottom of my heart...thank you!
Rich Kosak - MR.SPEED
*Spring Update*
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We’ve cracked the frozen grip of another winter so it’s time to come alive once again. We have assembled a great variety of shows to quench your thirst for classic KISS. Don’t let anything stand in your way of making plans to attend any one of the number of performances that we have scheduled so far. From club shows to community festivals to our return trip to Cadillac, MI in September we’ve got you covered. Check our “Tour” page often for up to the minute details on where MR.SPEED is heading next. KISS will touring the U.S. starting this fall so until you have the chance to catch the legends in a town near you grab your backstage pass and black sunglasses and come along with us…you’ve got nothin’ to lose!
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MR.SPEED Rocks the World! We’d like to show KISS fans everywhere that MR.SPEED reaches places all over the world. If you happen to travel somewhere and take your MR.SPEED tee along with you grab a photo next to a landmark or special place of interest. Send us the image and we’ll place you with other MR.SPEED fans on your very own page. Submit your images here and show the world that MR.SPEED is keeping classic KISS alive!
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Lastly, keep your photos and reviews coming. We may not use what you send but it’s always great to hear what you have to say and see what you see from your experiences with us. We’re looking forward to keeping classic KISS ALIVE in 2009…we’ll see you all soon!.
Rich, Joe, Rob & Andrew
MR.SPEED
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