Former Kiss member Bruce Kulick to spawn new CD featuring Kiss members Gene Simmons and Eric Singer

By Phyllis Pollack

Kulick also addresses the night he was shot with a 9 millimeter handgun in Hollywood, California on the upcoming BK3 album.

On Tuesday, February 2, 2010, former Kiss member Bruce Kulick, who played with the band for twelve years, will be heard reunited with Kiss bassist and Axe purveyor Gene Simmons and Kiss' current drummer Eric Singer. The reunion ensues on his upcoming album that features Simmons on the album's track "Ain't Gonna Die," while Eric Singer joins the party for "I'm The Animal." Additionally, one of Gene Simmons’ family jewels, specifically his son Nick, appears on another one of the album’s tracks, “Hand of the King, singing lead vocals. Nick has been featured on the television reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels.

Like a few other reality shows that feature famous parents and celebrity progeny, it seems likely that Simmons’ progeny may likely also be launching a new career into the music business.

The upcoming release will mark Kulick's third solo album, the follow-up to Audio Dog and Transformer.

On Kulick’s BK3, there is another reunion. John Corabi, who has held court in bands including Ratt, Nikki Sixx’s Brides Of Destruction, and other acts that include Motley Crue, during the departure of the band’s lead singer Vince Neil. Corabi played in Kulick’s band Union. Also on the album is Tobias Sammet, vocalist of German metal act Edguy. Also appearing on the album are Grammy-winning musician Steve Lukather and Doug Fieger of The Knack, most known for their 80’s chart-clinging “My Sharona.”

Kulick, whose history includes playing on Meatloaf’s Bat Out Of Hell Tour, has led him through a diverse range of musical styles. The album the tour promoted, 1977’s Bat Out Of Hell, remains the fourth highest-selling album of all time, only preceded by Michael Jackson’s epic Thriller, AC/DC’s stalwart Back In Black, and Pink Floyd’s prog rock masterpiece Dark Side Of The Moon.

Recently, Kulick had to miss attending and making an appearance at the NAMM show, because he was on tour with the band Grand Funk Railroad.

Having played with artists ranging from Kiss to Kanye West, and given his past solo work, it is not surprising that Kulick would have hard rock tracks interspersed with somewhat more mellow, melody driven works on the album. The former Kiss guitarist put a lot of thought into the upcoming album, which at times, is autobiographical.

The track, recorded with Kiss bassist and Gene Simmons Family Jewels reality show star Gene Simmons, “Ain’t Gonna Die,” spawns an apparent dis towards tabloid media that deliver untrue stories. The song was inspired by the legendary aftermath of a shocking 2003 incident, in which Kulick was shot on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, California. Kulick was hanging out on the Strip, because he went to see his friend, Motley Crue’s Vince Neil perform a solo show at the Key Club. Kulick had just left the legendary Hollywood rock hangout, The Rainbow Bar And Grill. While walking close nearby on the Sunset Strip, Kulick was shot.

On the outdoor deck of the club, located in an area just outside the Rainbow where patrons hang out, the assailant pulled out a nine-millimeter handgun, and randomly starting shooting people around him. Struck with two bullets, one in his right leg, and one grazing hi s head, Kulick was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

A witness grabbed the crazed gunman, and pinned him to the ground, while another witness called the police, using a cell phone.The panicked crowd ran, and more pandemonium ensued when those present realized that it was ex-Kiss member Bruce Kulick that was gunned down.

The October 13, 2003 incident resulted in a flurry of rumors sparked by tabloid media and internet reports, claiming that Kulick had died. Others reported that Kulick was on his deathbed. The night Kulick was shot on Sunset Boulevard, tabloid media quickly started a fire that was comparable to the bizarre rumors that began, proclaiming Beatle Paul McCartney was dead, subsequent to the release of the Beatles Abbey Road album.

Part of the lyrics of BK3’s “Ain’t Gonna Die” include “So you point and smile, but I don’t care if it’s true, it’s always the same.” The glare-in-his-eyes track also delivers the snarky line, “and I don’t give a damn if you like this song,” which seems an irony when listening to the song, as it is unlikely that anyone would not be attracted to its caustic, yet alluring appeal. Kulick gets his point across on the song. “Ain’t Gonna Die” features acidic guitar soloing, letting listeners know he’s not letting up, Kulick is not going away. “There’s a fire deep inside,” the vocals assert, which are delivered by Kiss’ Gene Simmons. The background vocals and string arrangements by Jeremy Rubolino and Kulick weave well in the song.

The album’s opener, a hyper driven, crash and thrash number has a theme that is recurrent to “I Won’t Die,” in its lyrics, “I can’t be erased.” The song continues to affirm, “I won’t walk in anyone’s shadow, I’m gonna play the hand of fate.” Some Kiss fans may wonder if there is a hidden meaning in a few of its lyrics that include, “Gimme more, breakup, makeup, plug me in, turn me up, you feed me, you need me, you confuse me, you can’t refuse me, you thrill me, fulfill me, got to choose me.” In addition to words found in the lyrical phrasing including “makeup,” and “thrill,” some fans will wonder what it was that Kulick was referring to. The first video in which Kulick ever appeared with Kiss was for the track “Thrills In The Night.” Although only Kulick knows what inspired those lines, fans will never forget his days with Kiss. That said, however, Kulick clearly stands on his own musically and otherwise with this album.

The theme of being indestructible and the Sunset Boulevard shooting return again, this time in the track “I’ll Survive,” which features George Kurhulas on his Hammond B-3. Kulick shares vocals with Jeremy Rubolino. The song includes the lyrics, “I tried so hard to see what lies ahead. How could I know that I would face death? As hard as they try, I now I’ll survive. The warm smoking gun couldn’t take me away, I was blessed that day.” The lyrics include, “I’ll survive, I’m alive, I will thrive, I survived.” The mellow track will generate repeated listens from those who hear the album, not only because of its lyrics, but also due to the tastefully conceived musical phrasing and transitions in the song.

Kulick, who spent six years putting the album together, says that in light of having different vocalists throughout the tracks on BK3, the cohesive stream on the album is his guitar playing.

Doug Fieger of Knack fame sings lead vocals on "Dirty Girl," using an entirely different vocal approach than he used on his work with The Knack. Musically, it is not as heavy as songs including the album's opening track. Fans will enjoy the more serene moments on the album, as well as the harder rock ones, due to the arrangements done on the album.

“Final Mile” has Kulick on vocals, on what may yet be another partial autobiographical song, reflecting on a life spent with constant touring, and having met people on the road for so many years. Kulick sings, “Been here before, I don’t remember when, I’ll be gone, but only for a while, It’s hard for me to say goodbye.” The song ends with the lyrics, “I know I risk that you’ll be drawn away, I try to bring it closer every day.”

The life/death theme arrives again, yet on a more subtle basis, although, at the same time, it is obvious. One song that is heard on BK3 will strike a common chord with those who have had a close brush with death. There is the age-old realization that the concept of life becomes more important. If one survives death, the question arises of what one is obligated to do with it. The pensive “No Friend of Mine,” featuring John Corabi, brings the theme of not wasting one’s life, if one is lucky enough to still have one. In this song, the lyrics give advice that is not subtle: “I’m walking through life no longer blinded by the fear of changing time. I’ve been living a lie, been no friend of mine, watching the world just pass me by.” It is a warning to the listeners, urging them to not waste their lives away. Only someone who truly realizes the gift of being alive could have written those lyrics, and stayed on the related themes heard throughout this album. With Kulick having been shot twice, it is evident he has given the subject some thought, and it clearly resonates when listening to this track.

The song “I’m The Animal,” featuring Kiss drummer Eric Singer and Tobias Sammet, would expectedly be a rocker, by definition, which it is. At times sedated, "I'm An Animal" returns to its hard rock feel, particularly owing to Singer’s drumming and Kulick’s soloing.

The very accessible “And I Know” is a less driven song than others on the album, while the next track, the instrumental “Between The Lines,” featuring Steve Lukather, returns the rock and roll sting. Kulick has clearly thought through his songs, which are delivered with obvious intent. There are plenty of guitar melody lines in the song, rather than solely licks. The song does not need vocals. The instrumentals have enough to say on their own with their beckoning grooves.

It makes sense that the final song on the album is titled “Life.” Another optimistic song with lyrics signifying self-empowerment, its message includes, “Dreams are the way to know just what our future holds, Fate’s in the cards we play.” Reflective and fetching lyrical lines, including “Touch is the way to feel the beauty that’s in our hand,” reveal that Kulick was clearly focused on his weaving his own journey on BK3, rather than simply repeating, or trying to emulate one that he had been on before. “Fear makes us run and hide,” “Faith give us peace of mind,” and “How long does it take to see the signs, that our minds keep on spinning,” are lyrical examples, evidencing the fact that Kulick put some serious thought into his writing process. BK3 is definitely not an album of convenience. It is clear that Bruce Kulick put a great deal of consideration into what he was doing when he spent his six years recording the album, and that he was taking the writing of this project very seriously.

There are more observations about life from Kulick, including, “Every game that we play keeps the truth far away. From us over and over again.”

As the album comes to its finale, Kulick again acknowledged his survival, and the message is clear that life is something that is to be taken seriously: “Life changes day by day. Sometimes you win or lose, love is a gift in life, be careful what you choose.”

Kulick's upcoming BK3 album will be released by Rocket Science Ventures, Inc. and it will be distributed by Sony/RED. Fans of all of the bands that Kulick has played in will find BK3 to be a worthwhile companion to their CD collection.

The album’s kick-off will include Kiss member Gene Simmons filming an episode of his reality show Family Jewels at the record release party for Kulick's BK3 this evening in Hollywood.

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Watch a video of ex-Kiss guitarist and singer Bruce Kulick discussing the upcoming album BK3: