News 2021

This Friday @ JD LEGENDS For A NYE Party!

This Friday we're hosting a rock 'n' roll party at JD LEGENDS in Franklin, Ohio and you're invited! Get your tickets now at www.jdlegends.com and join us as we light up the night and rock Franklin down. Doors are at 8 PM and our friends in Blackwater will kick things off at 9 PM paving the way for us to blow the roof off at 10:15 PM.

So if you can get there then GET THERE! It's going to be a rock 'n' roll party to ring in what we all hope will be a better year ahead!

Vinyl Writer Music Catches Up With The Starchild

Last week Andrew Daly of www.vinylwritermusic.com caught up with Rich about the history of MR.SPEED and all things KISS. Here is a link to read the conversation that was had between the two. Rich is always willing to discuss what makes his world go around and why MR.SPEED is still KEEPING CLASSIC KISS ALIVE!

Thanking Veterans Today...And Everyday

On behalf of all of us associated with MR.SPEED we would like to THANK all of the veterans who have served and continue to do so to keep us safe. We do not take for granted that we can live out our rock 'n' roll dreams every day without the unselfish commitment made by those in our military. To those who gave their life, to those that are retired and to those currently active we thank you for your service.

Rich, Quinton, Mark and Mike

A Humble Facelift To "Forever"

What started out as a simple email one Friday morning way back in July is now finally here. I was asked to contribute the vocals for the KISS classic "Forever" off of the album HOT IN THE SHADE. With nervousness and an excited energy I jumped in with both feet and am proud to now offer our version for you here. Each artist contributed their parts individually and it was then put together with the resources and talents of Pablo Sanchez in Mendoza, Argentina. Once the individual tracks were recorded we were then asked to film our own version lip-syncing the track so that a video could then be put together. So after 3 months of preparation we can now give you our heartfelt cover of the Paul Stanley and Michael Bolton penned song "Forever".

I would like to thank Pablo Sanchez, Vaka Allegretti, Michael T. Ross, Hugo Requilme and Corky James for helping to breathe life into this track. This is truly a moment in my KISS fandom that I am proud of and hope that you can be too.

Rich

"Shout It Out Loud" in Terre Haute!

Check out this video clip from our show this past Saturday night at the Zorah Shrine in Terre Haute, Indiana. This is a great example of our new DYNASTY stage set up and the energy that we can all create.

Video : Paula Bare

THE RETURN OF MR.SPEED In Terre Haute, Indiana!

Check out these 2 different stage shots captured this past Saturday from our show at the ZORAH SHRINE! It felt incredible to be able to finally set up our new stage set and show the KISS World what it is that we're all about.

Thanks to Jim Hefferman and Mark Buckingham for their photos.

Meet Our Comic Alter-Egos!

Feast your eyes on our masked comic tributes to our all-time favorite band KISS. We recently debuted our COMIC/BLOG with "BACKSTAGE PASS" - The Adventures of MR.SPEED where you can follow our road stories and show hi jinx in a creative comic book form.

Artist Hailey Lewis transforms us as our musical heroes into our tribute alter egos while we're on stage in fun and eye catching frames that rival the best of comics that we all know and love.

We couldn't wait to share this collection of individual pieces with you! Stay tuned for Episode 5 coming soon!

Happy Birthday Quinton!

Please join us in celebrating Q's birthday today. All of us associated with the band and crew wanna wish you the best of days and thank you for being such a positive light to our band.

Show Cancelation @ The Rochaus

Due to circumstances beyond our control and mandates set forth by the state of Illinois we regret to inform you that our show at The Rochaus in West Dundee, IL for Friday, October 1st has been CANCELLED. The show the following night at Avenue912 in Griffith, IN is still on and we will be there with a full night of classic KISS.

Please contact the venue for any ticket refunds or concerns that you may have. We are not responsible for providing that information to you.

Until further notice this show will NOT be rescheduled for a later date.

Thank you for your continued support of our Tribute to KISS.

The World Premiere of "BACKSTAGE PASS - The Adventures Of MR.SPEED Comic/Blog

It is with tremendous pride and fandom that we debut the very first episode of our new comic/blog to you. It's taken a number of weeks to make this possible and it couldn't have happened without the amazing talents of Hailey Lewis. Each episode will tell a story of our life on the road at shows that make up our HARD TIMES Tour. We'll mix in a bit of fact and a bit of fiction just to keep you on your toes and entertained.

The idea for the comic is not to do anything new but simply to share our love of KISS with Hailey's talents and give you, the fans a creative way to follow along with us. We're excited about this and we hope that you find it enjoyable too. No member of MR.SPEED had to dump a vile of our own blood into the printing process of this artwork so no worries.

Happy Birthday Mark!

All of us associated with MR. SPEED would like to wish our favorite Spaceman the best of birthdays today. We're not really sure how old he is but does age really matter deep out in space?

Happy Birthday Mark!

A New Online Comic Cometh Your Way Featuring MR.SPEED!

In an ongoing effort to be who we are as not only KISS fans but disciples of the holy church of classic KISS rock 'n roll we're excited about our new project. We've got a fun and creative way for YOU, our fans to keep up with our hi-jinx and mischief while we tour this amazing world playing for fans. We're in the process of creating our very own MR.SPEED comic titled "Backstage Pass & Black Sunglasses... The Adventures of MR.SPEED". Instead of writing a blog like we have over the years we've enlisted the amazing talents of Hailey Lewis to visually create our story for you. This comic will combine both what we actually experience on the road along with a few magical scenarios that may not be entirely accurate thus taking you on the road with us! Many of us grew up with classic Saturday morning cartoons that we all still know and love and that is the concept for this project.

We will make these stories available here on our web site as well as on all of our social media platforms for you to enjoy. There's nothing to buy just simply follow us on our "HARD TIMES" Tour and see where the road takes us. Maybe we'll even mix in a little fun with a contest or two for those that really pay attention to our life on the road.

So grab your "Backstage Pass & Black Sunglasses" and hold on cause it's liable to become a real rock 'n roll party! Stay tuned... the 1st episode is coming soon!

* Bonus *

Here's a sneak peek at Rich's character "The Starchild"!

Our "I Was Made For Lovin You" Reaches 100K Views.

On August 15th, 2020 we set up our new DYNASTY stage at the Lorain Palace Theatre in Lorain, Ohio for the first time. We then filmed our recreation of the original video made famous by KISS in 1979. They filmed theirs at the Savannah Civic Center in Savannah, GA (in case you were curious).

Unfortunately, due to the worldwide pandemic we have not been able to set the full stage up since. But in the past year since we debuted the video on our YouTube channel we have now surpassed 100K views for what we consider one of our career shining moments.

Here's a look back at some of the photos that captured the day and some of the behind-the-scenes moments that we've never shared.

Back In The Akron Groove This Coming January

We're proud to announce a great local show here in the Cleveland/Akron area this coming January. Mark your calendars and grab your tickets today for MR.SPEED at the Goodyear Theatre in Akron, Ohio. Today is the PRESALE date for the show that is sure to heat up the cold winters night. So to all of our local fanbase that has been screaming about why we don't play in the area this is another chance to see THE RETURN OF MR.SPEED on Friday, January 21 @ 8 PM.

This show will also feature a great local cover band known as MANE ATRAXION. The significance here is that their bass player Nick Kosanovich and Rich were in a high school band together and haven't shared a stage in 39 years. So c'mon out and support this hot night of classic rock 'n roll as MR.SPEED rolls into Akron along with MANE ATRAXION on January 21 @ 8 PM!

It's gonna be a rock 'n roll party!

First Time Fan Quote...

We were grateful to be back on stage again this past weekend in Illinois. On our way home we received this message from a first time fan and we were taken by his heartfelt sentiment that we wanted to share it with you. Thank you Vince, it was an honor and a pleasure to have you at our show.

Rich, Quinton, Mark & Mike

Celebrating 27 years Today!

It's hard to believe that we've been at this KISS Tribute thing for 27 years. Today marks the 27th Anniversary since our very first show. With no plan at all but a lot of determination we took the stage at The Decade in Pittsburgh took a packed house. This was a time when there were just a few KISS tributes roaming the planet. Now they're a dime a dozen and we're still doing what we do best...US!

There have been many faces, attitudes, behaviors and abilities move in and out of this band in 27 years. Some have helped us and some have hurt us but it's all been a part of the journey...good, bad or indifferent. Where we are now in an uncertain world is a lot like where we were back then. As the Triumph song lyric goes "Nothing is easy...nothing good is free" and that couldn't be more poignant than today.

The road has been long, it's been tough at times and rewarding at times. Thanks to all of you that continue to follow and support our tribute to KISS. Without you, the fans we would be nothing.

For however much longer we continue we'll do our very best to give you exactly what you deserve...the best. We've earned it and we'll defend it.

We Love You!

Rich, Quinton, Mark & Mike

MR.SPEED

THANK YOU To Those That Gave Their All

2 New Shows Added

We're happy to announce that we just confirmed 2 new shows for our HARD TIMES Tour. We hope that you can make plans to join us at...

Friday, September 10th

222 Main Street - Irwin, PA 15642

Saturday, September 11th

4962 OH-43 - Kent, OH 44240

Rich Releases Homage to Ace Frehley With "Celestial Guy"

This track was 2 years in the making and is now available for you to hear. Here's a bit of the back story...

"I came up with a riff that I sat on for quite some time. Until the pandemic took over I hadn't worked on my own music but not being able to perform with MR.SPEED gave me that opportunity. After releasing my first track titled "Bleeding Heart" I immediately went back into the studio and started working on "Celestial Guy". The song is my homage to Ace Frehley and the musical nod is present throughout the entire track. The story tells of his character THE SPACEMAN being disenchanted with earth and needing to getaway for a while. So he climbs aboard his rocket ship and blasts off. Unfortunately, he experiences mechanical problems along the way and when he tries to reenter the earths atmosphere again he is unsuccessful. Realizing his fate he spins off into the galaxy never to return to earth".

Musically on this track I play all of the guitars, the bass and sing all of the vocals. The drums are played by my longtime friend John Humphrey (Nixons/Seether). With John being a major KISS fan like me it felt only right to ask him to contribute the drum part to this track. In typical fashion John delivered a performance that fits the song perfectly. I started tracking the song on March 30th and finished the mastering process on May 5th. I am currently adding the song to iTunes and to Spotify and it should be available by the end of the week.

I hope that you enjoy this musical journey and story that taps into the influence that Ace has made on my life. I have quite a few more stories to tell and you can bet that KISS' influence will come through in each one.

RK

The Return Of MR.SPEED To Terre Haute!

Everybody's gonna be there on October 23rd as we bring our brand new show back to the Zorah Shrine! You can now get tickets by clicking the link provided here. Don't wait...get up and get your tickets today!

2nd Date Added To Our Swiss Tour

You can now join us for not one but two live performances in Switzerland next April. We have just added the VOLKSHAUS in Zurich to our tour dates. This is a very exciting time for us and we're hopeful that our European fans will grab their favorite KISS tee shirts and their black sunglasses to join us for what promises to be the most memorable of trips.

Check out our TOUR page for up to the minute details and information surrounding this and other dates as they become available.

The Return Of MR.SPEED To Tour Switzerland in 2022!

We are very excited and proud to announce the first date of our upcoming tour of Switzerland in April of 2022! Hot off the press is our performance at TEATRO di LOCARNO on Saturday, April 16th, 2022. We're hoping that fans of MR.SPEED & KISS will join us as we bring our DYNASTY/UNMASKED inspired costumes and set list to the beautiful country of Switzerland next spring. Click the link provided for up to the minute details and ticket information as it becomes available. More dates and venues to follow.

Join us as we rock Switzerland for the very first time in our career!

Meet Our New Demon...Mike Collins

Over the weekend Mark, Quinton and myself drove to a neutral site in southern Ohio to meet up with a fellow fan for an audition. Collectively between the four of us we drove a combined total of 26 hours one way to try him out. It is with tremendous gratitude that we introduce Mike Collins to you from Harlan, KY as our new "Demon". Out of respect for our privacy and our personal business this change was necessary to keep us moving in a positive direction in order to bring you...the fans the best representation of a KISS show that we can offer. You may recognize Mike from his own KISS Tribute called Dressed To Kill. Mike brings a solid vocal ability and an enthusiastic energy to MR.SPEED that we are surely going to enjoy and abuse.

So even when life sets up road blocks all we know how to do is find a way around them. We're excited about the renewed energy in the band and are looking forward to better days ahead to share our passion for KISS with each and every one of YOU!

See you all soon...

Rich, Quinton, Mark and Mike

New Show Added To Our HARD TIMES Tour

Make plans now to join us on Friday, June 18, 2021 @ JD LEGENDS in Franklin, Ohio. We'll be bringing our HARD TIMES Tour for an outdoor show beneath the summertime sky. The show will be announced on Tuesday and tickets will go on sale this Thursday.

New Show Added To Our "HARD TIMES" Tour 2021!

Mark your calendar and make plans to get back to what we've all been waiting for with MR.SPEED! We're bringing our new show and new attitude back to Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday, October 23rd!

Be there when we shake the walls of the ZORAH SHRINE with more classic KISS than you can handle! Contact the Zorah Shrine at zorahshrine.org for ticket info.

Happy Birthday Paul

On behalf of everyone associated with our Tribute to KISS we want to wish Paul the best of days today. Thank you for the inspiration and we humbly hope that our tribute returns the favor.

Rich, Jim, Quinton and Mark

MR.SPEED