ACE FREHLEY: Review Of Tour Kick-Off Posted Online

Live-Metal.net has posted a review of the first show of former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley's winter tour, which kicked off on Dec. 27, 2007 at Jaxx in Springfield, Va. An excerpt from the review follows:

He's 56 years old, clean and sober, but he's still Ace; in other words, he still seems like he has come here from another planet. Take these nuggets of on-stage banter:

"We whipped this one up a few days ago," he said, introducing "Stranger in a Strange Land". "I don't know what album it's from." (It's from his 1987 solo album "Frehley's Comet", if you're keeping score at home.)

After the song: "That was a book, wasn't it, 'Stranger in a Strange Land'? Someone wrote a book called that ... I should write a fuckin' book!"

Later, he addressed current events. "Didn't someone get eaten by a fuckin' tiger a few days ago?" he asked in apparent disbelief. "What the fuck is that about? I saw it in the paper and I died. I almost took a shit."

A couple times he wondered aloud if he had played Jaxx before. He was under the impression he had but was unable to find his picture in the hallway with other performers who have graced the venue's stage. (The Jaxx web site says Ace has played there twice.)

His rambling, which appeared to amuse him as much as the audience, helped create a relaxed atmosphere suitable to the intimate setting. The music, however, was no laughing matter. Frehley and his band — guitarist Derrek Hawkins, bassist Anthony Esposito and drummer Scot Coogan — cannot have been together long and while they weren't flawless, they were a lot tighter than I expected. At this point, Ace seems more interested in playing guitar than singing; he has a habit of getting to the microphone just a hair late for some lines and looking down at his guitar — and moving away from the mic — a little too early, letting his vocals trail off before completing the line. It's been a while since he has played some of these songs, so that might have something to do with it.

Read the entire review at Live-Metal.net.

Ace Frehley has scheduled the following dates during the coming months:

Dec. 29 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
Dec. 31 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock
Feb. 22 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
Feb. 23 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
Feb. 24 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
Feb. 29 - Niagara Falls, NY - The Bear's Den at Seneca Niagara Casino
Apr. 11 - London, UK – Astoria

Part one of a brand new radio interview with Ace Frehley conducted by "Elliot in the Morning" has been made available for download at this location.

Frehley is aiming for a spring 2008 release date for his new solo album. The guitarist — who recently celebrated one year of sobriety after relapsing during the summer of 2006 — has finished recording around 10 new songs for the effort but is looking to lay down two or three more in the next couple of months in order to make the CD "really special," he revealed during an appearance on the "Friday Night Rocks" radio show.

Ace's new album was reportedly recorded with a trio of Ace, Anton Fig on drums and new bassist Anthony Esposito (LYNCH MOB).

Frehley performed at Eddie Trunk's Halloween Bash 2007 at the Hard Rock Café in New York City on October 31. Watch fan-filmed video footage from the concert below.