From a Childhood KISS Record to the Stage with Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley

SPEAKER IDENTIFICATION

Speaker 1 – Host: The interviewer and presenter of Bringing the Darkness to the Light. The opening identifies her as Catherine, but the surname is inconsistent in the automated transcript and requires verification.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock, Guest: Identified by the host, the source filename, and the discussion of his career as a Nashville-based guitarist and vocalist.

Speaker 3 – Recorded Music / Song Vocals: Commercially recorded songs played during the program. The automated transcription of the sung lyrics is frequently unreliable.

Speaker 4 – Prerecorded Closing Announcer: The voice delivering the show, production, studio, and station identification at the end.

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Speaker 1 – Host: This is Bringing the Darkness to the Light with Catherine [surname requires verification], professional psychic medium. Today’s guest is Jeremy Asbrock. He is from Nashville, Tennessee. He has played with a lot of really cool bands. He has played with Ace Frehley’s band, John Corabi, Rock City Machine Co., and many others. It’s a pleasure to have you on, Jeremy.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: It’s a pleasure to be here.

Speaker 1 – Host: I am so happy to interview you because I saw you a couple of months back. We happened to be at Dingbatz, one of my favorite places. It was a meet-and-greet with the guys from Ace Frehley’s band: Matt Starr, my friend Ryan Cook, and then you. We had the chance not only to meet but also to watch you guys play onstage.

I also had the special opportunity to be backstage when you guys played in Connecticut and Ace was there. I got to see you in rehearsal, backstage, and then playing that night. I actually played the same night with my friends in Aldo Nova. It was especially meaningful for me because I had never gotten that close to Ace, and I had been a huge fan, just like so many other people.

His career, his life, and especially his impact on the fans were incredible. I really give you guys a lot of credit for going out there, telling stories about Ace, and continuing to play his music. I wanted to add that because it is very special, especially to his fans. Thank you again for being on.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Absolutely. I feel it is important for us to help keep his memory and music alive. Otherwise, you pretty much have only the guys in KISS doing it, and their agenda is understandably the band KISS. Ace had more music outside of that, as well as his own persona, and somebody has to do it.

Speaker 1 – Host: Yes, and I’m glad you guys are doing it. That is really great. I know you hail from Nashville, Tennessee. I have some cousins in Nashville who are also in the music business. What was it like growing up in Nashville? It is now like the heart of rock and roll, country, and all kinds of music.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: It certainly was not the heart of rock and roll back then. Nashville was very much a country town. Concerts still came here, but we also got passed over a lot because Memphis was the largest city then, and Memphis got every concert. There were some rock bands here, but the rock scene was not really noteworthy.

It did not begin blossoming until around the mid-2000s. Then people started moving here in droves when word got out that there was cheap real estate and there were recording studios. That was also around the time modern country started topping the charts. A lot of those guys heard ’80s rock in it, because it is true: when you listen to modern country, you hear Def Leppard. They all saw dollar signs and thought, “I’m going to go write country songs,” and it got a little crazy.

At the same time, I never had to move; they all came here. For about five years, I co-hosted a show called the Rock ’n’ Roll Residency, and it was sort of the epicenter of the rock scene. That was where everybody hung out. We got to jam with many of the people we had watched on MTV while growing up. It was a cool scene that brought all the rockers together. A lot of them did their time here and then moved away. Growing up, though, it really was not noteworthy at all.

Speaker 1 – Host: When you were young and picking up the guitar, did you start playing country because of where you lived?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: No, I had nothing to do with country. I just happened to be outside the city where all of that came from. I discovered music because of KISS. I bought a KISS record from a kid in my backyard when I was four.

My brother told me about it. This kid came into my backyard with both records from Alive II, without the gatefold, and said, “Hey, man, I’ll sell you these for 50 cents apiece.” I ran into the house and asked Mom for some money. She gave me 50 cents to buy one of them. My brother told me to buy sides three and four because it had “Shout It Out Loud.”

We went into the house, and I put on “Shout It Out Loud.” Literally from the moment the band kicked in, I knew I had to be part of whatever that energy was. I did not know what live bands or concerts were. I did not know anything. I just knew I had to be part of it. I had KISS tunnel vision for many years, until I discovered other bands, got a guitar, and my world opened up a little. It really started with “Shout It Out Loud.”

Speaker 1 – Host: That is amazing to me because it is almost as though the first album you held became music that you later played in your professional career. It really is a trip.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: It totally is. I have that crazy story that begins when I was a little boy and ends with me fully entrenched in that world—not just once but twice, with Gene and then with Ace. The odds of that happening twice are so small, and they were my two favorite guys in KISS. I loved the whole band, but it was Ace and Gene.

Speaker 1 – Host: Other than those two, who influenced you when you started playing guitar? Growing up in the ’80s, we had MTV. You could turn it on and watch how the guitarists moved their fingers.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: That was my world. I watched MTV in mass quantities. I sort of belonged to my brother’s generation. He is six years older, and I related more to kids his age and his friends than to kids my own age. I got into music really young, so when heavy metal truly broke out in 1983 and 1984, I was there for all of it.

I was in third grade taking Circus and Hit Parader to school. I loved Mötley Crüe, Van Halen, Ratt, Dokken, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Scorpions—all of it. The summer of 1984 was an amazing time for hard rock, and I was right there in it. I had a guitar then, and that was the material I was trying to learn. It took a couple of years before my fingers could catch up with my brain.

Speaker 1 – Host: Did you have formal lessons, or did you teach yourself?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: I started lessons when I was eight. My first teacher was a much older man who taught me chords and tried to teach me ’60s songs that I would not appreciate until I was older. Then I had a second teacher who wanted to teach me to read music, and that was not what I wanted to do.

A store then opened in my hometown of Smyrna. A guy who was my brother’s age gave lessons there, and he was into all the music I liked. He started teaching me the songs and material I wanted to learn, and that was when it really clicked. By the time I was a teenager, he did not have much left to teach me. It became more about putting together a band and learning that aspect of it, not learning the Mixolydian mode of a scale. I did not care about all that; I just wanted to play rock music.

A lot of it is melody-based. I liked some of those guitar players, but I did not want to be Yngwie Malmsteen or one of those virtuoso guys. I wanted to be in a cool band with cool songs, memorable guitar solos, good choruses, good singers, and a sense of fun.

Speaker 1 – Host: What was your first band?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: It was called Rock Bottom.

Speaker 1 – Host: How did you get together? Did you know the other members from school?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: They all went to high school with me. We were pretty much the only musicians in town, so we had to play together. They were more in sync with one another and were into the heavier side of music. They all liked Metallica and heavier metal, while I was into Poison and Van Halen. I liked bands that had fun and had hot girls come to their shows. But I was a great guitar player and looked good, so they had to let me into their band. They were all great musicians. For a bunch of 16-year-olds, we were pretty badass.

Speaker 1 – Host: What was the biggest gig you played with them?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: My first gig in Nashville was at a club called the Cannery. The Cannery is still around and has always been a famous Nashville club. I was a sophomore in high school. The first time we played, we went on first at 9:00, and there was a good turnout.

The man who booked the show called it the Six-Pack because there were six bands. When we returned a month later, he put us on at 10:30, and about 800 people were there. I was a sophomore in high school playing the biggest club in Nashville in front of around 800 people.

Speaker 1 – Host: To be that young and play for that many people can be a mind trip. How did it feel? Did you ever have stage fright?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: No, I never really grappled with that. Even today, if you give me an acoustic guitar and ask me to entertain six people in a room by myself, I get nervous. But put me in a good band where everyone else is good and I do not have to worry about whether they will pull their weight, and the numbers do not scare me.

Speaker 1 – Host: Moving on from your high school band, what was the next big leap—the moment when you felt as though you were doing this with your whole life?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: I thought I was going to be a studio guy. I became deeply interested in the Beatles. They ended up being my be-all and end-all of music. Reading about their creativity and how they used the studio later in their career drew me toward that side of things.

I was the band’s best friend and cheerleader for a group in town called the Shazam. They were my best friends, and I loved their music. I traveled with them, helped load gear, tuned guitars, and did whatever was needed. I engineered their second record. The music was a little too difficult for three guys to play live, so I was added because I knew all the songs, was a good singer and player, and the singer was my best friend.

When the second record came out, it caught on in England. We went there about five times in one year. We did a television and radio broadcast from Abbey Road, and I got to play the “Penny Lane” piano that day. We were on BBC One with Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings and Duran Duran [billing wording requires verification]. We finished the year playing at Earl’s Court. It was a crazy snowball that began at a tiny venue and ended at what was then their largest indoor venue.

We caught on in America after that because Little Steven started playing the band a lot. After years of beating it down, the wave never truly broke, but we were great.

Speaker 1 – Host: That is another pinch-myself moment. Before joining that band, you had begun changing the music you listened to and had started listening to the Beatles. It is almost as if everything you projected was projected back onto you.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: That has sort of been the story of my life.

Speaker 1 – Host: That is very psychic, I have to add.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: You do not realize those things while they are happening. Hindsight is 20/20. When you look back, you think, “Wow, I totally manifested that.”

Speaker 1 – Host: Yes. You know you have the power. I read something I was not familiar with and wanted to mention it. Another band you were involved with was the Tummies [name requires verification].

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Judd and his wife, Dana, are the drivers of that car. Judd was the bass player in the Rock ’n’ Roll Residency, and his wife was one of our guest singers. It was their brainchild. They would sit at home and write these very poppy, ’60s-style songs. They knew my taste leaned that way, and my co-conspirator in the Rock ’n’ Roll Residency, Phil, was exactly the same. He and I are like Beatles brothers.

The drummer, Sandy Gennaro, had been in a band in the ’60s, came from the New York scene in the ’70s, and had often been a guest at the Rock ’n’ Roll Residency. They already had their band picked out—the guys who would be really good at doing that music. Those songs are great fun to play. They are extremely ’60s pop.

Speaker 1 – Host: Looking at your career and biography, whom did you work with first: Ace or Gene?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: It was Gene. We ended up in Ace’s band because of Gene. Ryan and I were in a cover band called the Big Rock Show, which had done five KISS Kruises in a row. They had seen and heard us several times and knew we were pretty good. Ryan was friends with Doc and had a good reputation with both Doc and KISS.

When Gene was releasing The Vault and making appearances at Wizard World events, they wanted him to connect a show to those appearances. He contacted Ryan and asked him to assemble a band. I was a shoo-in because Ryan and I were KISS best friends, and I was already in his band. We knew it would be an adventure we set off on together. Ryan got me and asked Phil. At first, Gene was only going to sing, and we were going to pass the bass around. Good sense prevailed, and Gene played bass.

Speaker 1 – Host: It must have been startling to play alongside Gene Simmons—not only because of his ability but also because of his reputation as a businessman and, from what I have heard, a perfectionist. Was it stressful?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Honestly, musically, he was not that much of a perfectionist. He would choose songs on the morning of the show. As long as he had a lyric sheet, he kept the music a little farther back in his mind. He was out to have fun. The rest of us probably knew the KISS catalog better than he did, so we were definitely on our game, but it was not a situation where he said, “We’re going to be tight, gentlemen,” and then called out every mistake.

He wanted to have a good time and hang out. Once I met him and became comfortable around him, it was very low-stress. It was simply a lot of fun.

Speaker 1 – Host: That is great to hear. He has been a major collaborator in many people’s careers. Many guests on this show have credited him with pushing them toward the front of the line because he identifies talent so well.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: He did. He gave us space onstage and encouraged us. He did not want us to sit back and make everything about him; he wanted it to be about us as well. He was definitely cool like that.

Speaker 1 – Host: I want to discuss some of the songs you chose. Working with Ace Frehley was surely a beyond-belief moment in your career. Before the interview, we discussed a song from the KISS and Ace scene: the live version of “Shout It Out Loud” from Alive II. Tell us why you chose it as the first song.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Because it all started there. My brother told me to buy sides three and four of Alive II from the kid in my backyard because it had “Shout It Out Loud.” We put that song on first. From the moment the needle drops, the crowd is screaming, the bombs go off, and the band kicks in. It was as if a door opened and my path was right there from that moment.

Speaker 1 – Host: That is wonderful. The song is so recognizable. The moment you play a couple of beats, everyone turns their head because they know it. It is a staple of the music. We are going to play the live version of “Shout It Out Loud” from Alive II.

Speaker 3 – Recorded Music / Song Vocals: [“Shout It Out Loud” plays. The automated transcription of the lyrics is incomplete and unreliable.]

Speaker 1 – Host: You picked another song, “When Trouble Finds You.”

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Yes, “When Trouble Finds You.” I think every song on the Rock City Machine Co. album is a single. It turned out better than I ever could have imagined, so it is tough to choose one song. There is something about that song that I think is really strong. I am proud of my solo on that one. I am proud of my solos on all of them, but that song stands especially tall.

Speaker 1 – Host: What was it like working with the band? Who were the members, and what was the collaboration like?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: It was me, Ryan, and Phil. We had been in Gene’s band and Ace’s band together. The whole thing happened because the three of us had done everything together: cover bands, Ace’s band, and Gene’s band. People always asked when we were going to do something original. We had never planned to, but we had a friend with a label who kept offering to release a record whenever we wanted to make one.

Ryan was managing Marti Frederiksen’s studio at the time. Marti is a major hit songwriter with a long list of production and writing credits, including Aerosmith, Carrie Underwood, Buckcherry, Ozzy Osbourne, and Mötley Crüe. He told us to let him know whenever we wanted to do something and that he would write and produce it with us.

One day, I said, “We’ve done everything together except that. I guess we have to.” We exercised all the options those people had offered us and wrote all the songs with Marti. It sounds like a Def Leppard record. Every song is a single.

Speaker 1 – Host: That is awesome. We are going to play “When Trouble Finds You” by Rock City Machine Co.

Speaker 3 – Recorded Music / Song Vocals: [“When Trouble Finds You” plays. Much of the automated lyric transcription is garbled and has not been reconstructed.]

Speaker 1 – Host: For the audience’s sake, I have to say that watching you live is interesting. Everyone has an individual style, but when I had the opportunity to see you with Ace onstage, you all turned toward him and smiled. Each of you had your own chemistry with him during certain parts of the performance. I think he brought that out. People can see it if they go back and watch live performances with Ace.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: It is a mixture of many things. First, he was our hero growing up. For me in particular, as a guitar player, he was my guy. There was an element of that, but there was also band chemistry. By the time you saw us, we had been in the band for about six years. As an entire unit, we were comfortable together, and at that point you almost communicate telepathically. Shared experiences and many other things make a band mesh. By then, we were all dialed in with one another.

Speaker 1 – Host: Even that night, you could tell he was still having fun. After everything he had been through, he came alive onstage. You could see it on his face.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: I loved those nights. They were fantastic. I am not going to say every night was like that, but when it was, it was the best.

Speaker 1 – Host: The fan base was so alive that night in Connecticut. I was staring at someone dressed as the Starchild, with the entire outfit, shoulder pads, and big platform shoes. They used to call it the KISS Army, and probably still do. They are true-blue fans.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: I always thought I was one of the biggest KISS fans in the world until I met some of the biggest KISS fans in the world. The people who come to shows in the full outfit demonstrate real commitment.

Speaker 1 – Host: In the ’70s, I never saw KISS live; I was probably too young. When you sit next to people dressed like that today, you realize the members of KISS had to play an hour- or two-hour show in those outfits. It gives you much more admiration for what they did. The shoes alone would wear me out.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Absolutely. I have put on Gene’s boots, and they are as heavy as they look. On the later tours, those guys were in their 50s and then their 60s while doing that. Think about performing in summer at outdoor amphitheaters in the South or Midwest, where it can be 100 degrees outside.

Speaker 1 – Host: It was not only the clothing but the pancake makeup they had to coat onto themselves while sweating. It is incredible. They had a vision, and that vision is still alive. They continue to make an impression through KISS and everything surrounding it.

I want to mention someone I interviewed on this show: John Corabi. The interview was a lot of fun. I know you have worked with him. His music covers many styles—blues, rock, and more—and he can be funny at the same time. Tell me about your experience with John.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: I started playing with John 12 or 13 years ago. For a while, we tried to cover a catalog spanning his entire career. Then we began performing the 1994 Mötley Crüe album from top to bottom. There is a live record called Live 94, recorded here in Nashville, which I think can be streamed anywhere.

Then he joined the Dead Daisies and made a record with Marti Frederiksen. Honestly, it is the best thing he has ever done. It sounds like the music I know he listens to. That was the one thing about some music John had put out: I did not think it sounded like the music I knew he loved. He is a classic-rock guy. He likes Led Zeppelin, ’70s radio, Three Dog Night, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Seger, and music like that. He finally made that record, so I was very happy when he asked me to be in the band.

That was actually before Ace died. John had a tour while I was on a break with Ace, and I was going to do it. Then Ace passed, and it worked out for John that I was suddenly available. We have now done many shows. We opened for Tom Keifer quite a bit and have been out performing. We have a few shows left in the United States this year, and in November we return to Europe for three weeks.

I am not sure what is planned for next year, but between John’s project and the Ace tribute shows I have going on, I am pretty busy for the rest of the year.

Speaker 1 – Host: I am glad to hear it. Those are great opportunities for you and for the fan base that follows you. We are now going to play “When I Was Young,” featuring your work with John Corabi.

Speaker 3 – Recorded Music / Song Vocals: [“When I Was Young” plays. The automated transcription of the lyrics is incomplete and unreliable.]

Speaker 1 – Host: It is so much fun to talk to you because, other than the meet-and-greet, I had never really had a conversation with you. What is one thing from your life that you would want to share with your family—something you would say they definitely have to do?

I often tell people that I spent 30 years in the Army. I feel lucky that I got to see certain places and have certain opportunities, although some experiences included being in Iraq. What would you share with your family that music gave you, showed you, or taught you?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Music gave me the opportunity to see the world. That is one thing I want my kids to do. I want them to get out of their bubble and see other cultures and how other people live. My dad was in the military, and I was a military kid, so I have been here—but there is a big world out there, and I want them to see it.

Speaker 1 – Host: What parts of the music life would you tell them they could probably skip?

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: It is connected to the same subject. Touring means you are away from home a lot, and there are many things you have to miss. I want them to find their own interests and paths. I have never succumbed to drugs and alcohol, but I know many people who have. I would like my children to avoid all of that because, as Ace would tell you, it is definitely a roadblock.

Speaker 1 – Host: Absolutely. It has been a pleasure talking to you. Before we discuss the last song, please share your social media and tell people how they can find you.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Finding me is easy. I do not have any clever account names; it is simply my name, Jeremy Asbrock. I have two Facebook pages because my personal page has reached its limit. You can follow it, but I cannot add more friends right now because it is capped at 5,000. I also have a fan page with no follower cap. The content is basically the same on both pages. My Instagram is also Jeremy Asbrock. I have a TikTok account, but I am not very active there, so I cannot guarantee regular content.

Speaker 1 – Host: Very good. We will be looking for you on the road. The last song we planned to discuss is “She,” from Ace Frehley’s Origins, Vol. 2.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Yes. That track was added at the last minute. They sent us only a click track and Ace playing guitar. The funny thing is that Ace played the arrangement incorrectly. We called the producer and said, “Man, he’s missing a part here.” The producer said, “Go ahead and play it, and we’ll fix his part at the end.”

We cut the whole song. It has three-part harmony, so Ryan, Phil, and I sang it together. Then they dropped in Ace’s solo. It was like, “Wow, man, we’re on an Ace record. This is awesome.” And we were playing a KISS song.

Speaker 1 – Host: That is really great. It has been a pleasure to have you on and an even greater pleasure to meet you in person.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Likewise.

Speaker 1 – Host: I wish you the best with everything you are involved in. Keep doing your manifestations, because they truly work.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: I do. It is a daily practice and the first thing I do in the morning when I wake up.

Speaker 1 – Host: Very cool. Thank you again. We are going to close with “She” by Ace Frehley. Thank you, Jeremy.

Speaker 2 – Jeremy Asbrock: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 3 – Recorded Music / Song Vocals: [“She” plays. The automated transcription of the lyrics is incomplete and unreliable.]

Speaker 4 – Prerecorded Closing Announcer: You have been listening to Bringing the Darkness to the Light with Catherine [surname requires verification], professional psychic medium, Dream Central Station LLC. My audio editor is Al Hemberger at [studio name requires verification] in Bronxville, New York. This is WNEW 102.7 FM Radio [station identification requires verification].