ACE FREHLEY 'Got Along Famously' With VINNIE VINCENT At Last Year's CREATURES FEST

In a new interview with Greg Prato of Ultimate Guitar, Ace Frehley was asked about his May 2022 live performance with fellow former KISS guitarists Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick at last year's Creatures Fest, which took place at Nashville's Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel. He said: "It was real interesting. Very few people believe that all these years, I had never met Vinnie Vincent. And it wasn't because I was trying to avoid him or vice versa. It's just somehow, somehow, our paths never crossed. But we got along famously. I didn't realize he was a lot shorter than me. But other than that, he got there and played some nice guitar licks. We jammed together, and it was a fun night. I was there with Vinnie… and I think Peter Criss was there, and Bruce Kulick. I'm really good friends with Bruce."

He continued: "It's really funny — I'm friends with all the guys in KISS. Even Eric Singer is a dear friend of mine. And now I'm friends with Vinnie. I never had a problem with any of these people. But for some reason, Paul [Stanley] had a problem with a lot of them. And Gene [Simmons]. But I'd rather not even talk about those guys since they're retired and their career is winding down while mine is taking off. So, that's kind of nice."

Asked if he would ever consider doing a full tour with Vinnie and/or Bruce, Ace said: "I don't particularly see that happening in the future. I kind of like to run my own show and have my own band. Because think about it — how many solo albums do I have out? And I also do some KISS favorites when I perform. So, it would be really tough to work with other guitar players who also have songs that they've written. There wouldn't be enough time — it would be a three-hour show. And at age 72, I don't feel like doing a three-hour show. I'm much happier being my own boss and working with people that I enjoy working with. There's no alcohol allowed backstage, and I surround myself with positive people. Any type of negativity… goodbye. They're vampires — they drain you. I try to surround myself with positive people, and if you're getting loaded or you're doing drugs, you're gone."

Frehley first left KISS in 1982. He rejoined in 1996 and parted ways with the band once again in 2002 after the conclusion of their first "farewell tour."

Vincent — who was a member of KISS when the band publicly "unmasked" in 1983 — made several public appearances in 2018 after spending the prior two decades out of the public eye.

Bruce joined KISS in 1984 and accompanied the band on the "Animalize" tour and continued with them until the reunion tour. Bruce is heavily featured on "Kissology - Vol. 2" and "Vol. 3", the band's DVDs spanning their historic four-decade-plus career.

Frehley will release his new solo album, "10,000 Volts", on February 23, 2024 via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music).

Ace's next all-original album will be the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne.

Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Gene's bass playing.

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton