Ace Frehley tragically passed away at the age of 74 last October 16 and countless Rock stars paid tribute to him on their social media. Besides the original Kiss members, other musicians who have been part of the band over the years released statements. One of them was Vinnie Vincent, who was the first guitarist to replace Ace Frehley in the band. When the guitar player decided to leave in 1982 he was the chosen one, being part of their albums "Creatures of the Night" (1982) and "Lick It Up", later receiving songwriting credits in "Revenge" (1992). Vinnie Vincent pays tribute to Ace Frehley "Ace Frehley gone too soon. The loss of a loved one. I wanted to say the right words that could describe the loss of a loved one but nothing I could muster would begin to comfort the millions of fans who idolized worshiped and adored Ace, the man and the legend, and make their pain go away. Ace's passing brought me back many long miles away to the beginning of my own journey, strangely replacing Ace in KISS, a band whose music I knew little about, aside from a few radio singles, and had no fan interest in, aside from the magnitude of their massive success, yet I wanted it more than life itself." "My religion as a 12-year-old were The Beatles... which was ten years earlier than the KISS beginning of 1974. My addiction grew from The Beatles to Zeppelin.. Jeff Beck to Mahavishnu jazz rock fusion of the 70's. So I was a decade early in sharing the nostalgia with the KISS fan base, who as adults will forever embrace KISS through their own childhood memories." "Yet in the strangest twist of irony, I found myself replacing Ace, as KISS guitarist in an 'odd couple gone berserk sitcom' like setting, writing songs and rehearsing with the revamped KISS with Eric Carr on drums and being served contracts to sign as Ace's replacement..... wondering in disbelief, how the hell in the world did this happen? Here I was, stepping into the bigger than life legend Ace Frehley's boots (literally) which was similar to learning to walking on stilts. Once I got used to them it became as normal as playing my guitar." He continued: "Oddly, my one and only encounter with Ace was in 1982 at the video shoot for 'I Love It Loud'. In utter disbelief, the band whose records I was unfamiliar with were recording a song Gene and I wrote and here I was, the new kid watching the magical persona Ace on stage rocking out to a song I wrote??? Surreal? Way past that. I remember knocking on Ace's door to his dressing room to introduce myself and say hi. I was nervous meeting the bigger than life legend himself." "I was green, lost for words and overwhelmed by Ace's presence and the magnitude of fame Ace achieved in his amazing career. Yet in my one and only fleeting encounter with him I read a person who lost their heart. His only words to me were 'hey kid. good luck. you're gonna need it.' He was more right than he could have imagined. We shook hands and wished each other luck and said goodbye." He added: "Those are the only words I ever shared with Ace from 1982 until we met again in 2022 for a memorable music performance weekend in Nashville. During those years I never heard from Ace, we never crossed paths. Not unusual for me as I'm not a social person. But suddenly it all changed in 2022. Ace and I shared a belated moment of bonding that felt good. Real good. No pretense. We liked each other!!! We came full circle from our beginning handshake in 1982 to meeting up for a very special KISS legacy show in Nashville." "It was a weekend I will forever remember fondly shared with Bruce Kulick, Ace, Peter Criss and myself as band members coming together for the first time in support of our individual legacy as we gave tribute to the band we were historically intertwined: the greatest band in the world, known as KISS. The band whose sum was greater than its parts. "Could words adequately eulogize the 'legend' of Ace Frehley? I think not. To me a legend is all encompassing and all consuming, embracing the heart soul and mind of their individual audience. A legend is everlasting, emoting the same fan pride, well being and warmth to the person they have touched thru their artistry thru the passage of time. Thru light and dark, the effect of that artist remains steadfast in the fans he touched. Ace was all of that and much more." Vinnie Vincent continued: "Ace Frehley possessed that special something.... a magic that touched his fans, and they loved him deeply. And they are crying for him now. Those are the qualities of a legend that are indescribable. Even during Ace's more difficult moments, his legion of fans did not abandon him. They stood with him and cheered him on to let Ace know they had his back and to show Ace he was loved no matter what. You can't buy that. Ace brought the gift of everlasting childhood to all the fans who loved him. Everyone felt that way about Ace from rockstars music gear companies and fans alike. Everyone loved him. Ace was the every man rock star. That's what a legend is. That's Ace Frehley. "Ace's journey here is complete. He has walked through the portal into eternity. A door we all walk thru at some point. But what he leaves for all of us here are the images, the recordings, the performances, the happy memories of Ace the person, the man, the musical works and a magic character persona that was loved by everyone, young and old alike and a stage presence that will live forever. I'm forever proud and grateful to have shared the same KISS 'forever legacy' as Ace....we were one fucking hell of a great band. "Cheers, my friend. You will be sorely missed by everyone and by me. I will hurt tomorrow and always as I am hurting now. Love light and peace, Vinnie Vincent," he said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSYb-LLj59g&t=1sThe post Vinnie Vincent pays tribute to Ace Frehley appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

Although AC/DC had many drummers throughout their career, Phil Rudd was the one who played with the band the longest and was part of most of their classic albums. He was in the lineup from 1975 to 1983, then from 1994 to 2015, and returned in 2018, playing on their 2020 album Power Up. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the band was unable to tour at the time, and they finally returned to the stage at the end of 2023 but without Rudd. At the time, the musician revealed that his partner had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, which led fans to believe that was the reason he wasn’t touring with the band. However, in a recent interview with New Zealand’s Stuff, he said that the band never called him. Drummer Phil Rudd says AC/DC didn't invite him to tour “There was a time when I thought it was the end of my world. I only knew life with AC/DC. Those people I thought loved me like a brother, they haven’t even picked up the phone. But to me AC/DC was always Bon. My favourite album is Highway to Hell. My favourite song - his song Touch Too Much.” The interviewer says: "Rudd stops, choked up whenever he talks about the band’s original frontman and lyricist Bon Scott, who died in 1980 from alcohol poisoning." Rudd continues: “When Bon died, even in AC/DC I felt alone. But I was never alone. The people who like the music, it always humbles me, but makes me happy too. People always ask me if I will play with AC/DC again. The only people I would do it for would be the fans. And for Bon. I would do it for Bon.” The musician has a scheduled show next November 1st in Christchurch, New Zealand. His new "music family", according to Stuff, includes the Auckland Philharmonia and Jimmy Barnes' daughter, EJ Barnes, which Phil Rudd said is "way better than Angus". They will also perform in the future in Paris, Amsterdam and other European cities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv9_8NrVJxo&list=RDsv9_8NrVJxo&start_radio=1&pp=ygUOcGhpbCBydWRkIDIwMjWgBwE%3D As for AC/DC, the band has scheduled tour dates this year in Australia. Besides Angus Young and Brian Johnson, the band has nowadays Young's nephew Stevie Young, who replaced Malcolm and the touring members: Matt Laug (Drums) and Chris Chaney (Bass).The post Drummer Phil Rudd says AC/DC didn’t invite him to tour appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

Although Pink Floyd is the most successful Progressive Rock band of all time, their music incorporated many different influences. David Gilmour demonstrated this in his guitar playing, not only with his technique but especially through the feel he put into every note, which often led to comparisons with Blues guitarists. He was deeply influenced by that kind of music when developing his own style and spoke about many important American Blues artists. Gilmour shared his opinions on them, including the late legendary B.B. King. What is David Gilmour's opinion on B.B. King B.B. King was one of David Gilmour's biggest influences when growing up and curiously, the Bluesman was quite impressed by the Pink Floyd guitarist talent, even asking him once if he was sure he wasn't born in Mississippi. The British musician was once questioned which was his favorite musical memory and he mentioned that meeting. "I did play at a Les Paul tribute once in New York. I was playing a Blues number with B.B. King and at the end of the song he came up to me and said: 'Hey boy, you sure you wasn't born in Mississippi?' David Gilmour said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). He recalled the same story when talking to The Guardian in 2006, saying: “He’s a lovely chap. His early stuff was stupendous, and he’s just kept going. I first met him in New York. He came up to me and said, ‘Hey, boy, are you sure you weren’t born in Mississippi?’" David Gilmour continued: "I’ve played with him a couple of times since, on a Later With Jools Holland session and on one of his albums. When he’s in the dressing room, he spends all his time writing lyrics. There are some guitar players who are instantly recognisable, and then there are all the rest,” David Gilmour said. As David said, he had the chance to perform with B.B. King a few times. The first one in 1988 at the Les Paul tribute show and the second one in 1998 at the Jools Holland show on BBC Two. That day they performed the song “Eyesight To The Blind”. 11 years later, in 2009, King and Gilmour would be once again at the Jools Holland TV Show and this time they would perform the track "Pauly's Birthday Boogie". That song was part of B.B.'s 1997 album "Deuces Wild" and Holland had played the piano on it. Curiously, Gilmour also was part of that album, playing the guitar with King in the track "Cryin' Won't Help You Babe", which had Paul Carrack on vocals. David Gilmour said every young musician should study guitarists like B.B. King https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oTeyi1Ztsc&list=RD_oTeyi1Ztsc&start_radio=1&pp=ygUVYmIga2luZyBkYXZpZCBnaWxtb3VyoAcB One of the questions famous Rock stars are asked more often during interviews is always "which advice would you give to a young musician?' When talking about artists like B.B. King, in an interview with Relix magazine in 2015, Gilmour said young guitar players should study his work. After the interviewer mentioned artists like B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Peter Green, Gilmour said: “All of those guys were incredible and I spent time trying to learn how to play their licks perfectly. I would suggest any young player should try to sit down and do that. You will wind up knowing how to play their stuff quite well but, eventually, you will form your own style. It forces its way out of the copying,” he said. Besides B.B. King records, Gilmour also had in his house a book on B.B. King. That was revealed by Q magazine journalist D. Cavanagh, who interviewed the Pink Floyd member in 1999 and described how one of the rooms of the house were. "Leading us through a sitting-room and a kitchen - the latter decorated by the paintings of his young children - Gilmour makes coffee and parks himself in a low armchair in his study." He continued: "Around him, the shelves contain vinyl copies of Floyd's debut album, Piper At The Gates of Dawn ('I don't listen to it, no' - Gilmour said) Encyclopedia Britannica, a book on B.B. King and Please Kill Me, the story of New York punk rock." Although Pink Floyd is known primarily as a Progressive Rock band, Gilmour is actually a versatile guitarist and some of his influences can be heard on the band's discography and in his solo career. He once described himself as a "jack of all trades" when it comes to guitar playing and used B.B. King as an example of the kind of guitarist he couldn't be. "Im a real jack of all trades. I’m completely the anti-purist. I was never going to dedicate my life to being B.B. King. My influences were Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, Bob Dylan, Hank Marvin, all the Blues guys and everything. It was all a complete hotchpotch, a mass of different styles and influences. I saw no reason why all these influences could not co-habit reasonably and I still don’t!" David Gilmour told Record Collector in 2003. When Gilmour was born in 1946, B.B. King already had a 4-year career in music. By the time Gilmour would start his career, in 1963, King had already released 12 albums. The American musician passed away in 2015 at the age of 89 and was active until the very end, playing his final show less than one year earlier. During his career he released 43 studio albums and almost 140 singles.The post David Gilmour’s opinion on B.B. King appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

Announced layoffs threatening to decimate a weakened US Education Department are stoking fears among special education advocates, families, and school leaders over the potential fallout for more than 190,000 students with disabilities in Massachusetts. The federal cuts, which were announced Oct. 10 amid a government shutdown, would largely eliminate Education Department staff who ensure students receive support from their schools through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the 50-year-old landmark law that guarantees that students with disabilities have a right to a free and appropriate public education.

An office dedicated to special education within the U.S. Department of Education was heavily impacted during mass layoffs issued as the federal government remains shut down for the third week, CNN reported. The office served millions of people who have disabilities nationwide. The Education Department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services is mostly empty, with the exception of some top officials, after the White House sent layoff notices. According to court records, Stephen Billy, senior advisor for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said that an estimated 466 employees in the Education Department were given layoff notices on Oct. 10.

Donald Trump began his promised mass purge of federal workers Friday, as more than 4,100 people were laid off as the government shutdown rolls on. The president previewed the pink slips in a press conference in the Oval Office earlier Friday, blaming them and the shutdown on the Democrats. 'It'll be a lot and it'll be Democrat-oriented because we figure they started this thing. It'll be a lot of people, all because of the Democrats,' Trump said.

So many of us, even those with full-time jobs, are looking for ways to make a little extra money. It’s vital not only for these challenging economic times, but it’s also a huge factor in creating real financial freedom. This is certainly something most millionaires have figured out. But it can be hard to figure out what that side hustle could be. It's even harder to know whether or not the effort we put in will pay off in dividends. Many of us have a distorted concept of “passive income,” thinking that the side hustle we choose will require zero effort at some point. Unfortunately, other than investing, that’s not entirely true. However, there are definitely ways to drum up side hustles that make sense with your lifestyle, that draw on your own interests, skills, and values, and truly add to your life, whether they be through acts of service, reselling items online, or creating new items (be they artistic or practical).You can see this reflected in the answers given when someone on Reddit recently asked, “What’s something you do on the side that makes real extra money?” This OP added that they were hoping to raise an extra $2,000 a month, and people were quick to be candid about how doable that really is. As someone pointed out, "$2K/mo is really more like a second job than a side gig" in terms of how much time and effort is needed. Still, there are some pretty unique and time efficient ideas below, like private baseball coaching and being an elderly companion, that could get someone close to $500 a week.Here are some of our favorite Reddit responses:1. "I sell rare house plants on the side. ""If I want some money for a spa or date night, I’ll just chop and propagate some plants for an easy $300-$500…Rare alocasias, monsteras, and anthuriums. There are a ton of people who collect, trade, etc. It’s my hobby, which has made it so easy to turn into a side hustle. Best part is it’s all cash." House plants. Photo credit: Huy Phan/Pexels 2. "Election work.""Literally in 14 days this year, I'll gross $6,900. Long days, easy peasy work."3. "I host bar trivia." "It's usually three hours a night, and it makes me about $150 a night (plus tips). I'm actually trying to make this my full-time job; I enjoy it so much. It's not hard to buy trivia games or hook up with an existing company. I am independent and write my own games that I try to sell on the side."4. "I have a kettle corn pop-up.""I do fairs, festivals, pumpkin patches, and can turn $300 of product and space rent into $6k+ sales in a day. Some states require [a food or vendor license] but in my popcorn is exempt from licensing because of its very low risk for foodborne illness."5. "Landscaping." "Cash under the table, you dictate how many jobs you want to take on, and you can focus on one specific neighborhood to limit gas mileage. A mower, trimmer, blower, and small trailer will all pay themselves off in three weeks. It’ll beat you up a little, but it’s rewarding work. It’s also extremely straightforward. As long as you do what you’re supposed to do, the customer will be happy. Don't target people with complex yards. Drive through the neighborhood and find someone who's obviously over a month behind on mowing their lawn. Knock and offer to do it for $40. Tell them you'll come back every two weeks if that works for them. Get to a point where you've got 10 or so yards on rotation and you can knock them out in a day. $400 for a day's work every two weeks, under the table. Do more or less depending on how much or little you want to make."6. "I used to flip furniture on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. "I did have to invest in a small trailer and a good cleaner. But I would get free or cheap furniture. Clean it and spruce it up. Sell it for a couple hundred bucks. Mostly couches." Two brightly colored chairs. Photo credit: ERIC MUFASA/Pexels7. "I make cosplay props for people.""I use my personal social media, and I have a commissions page on Ko-Fi. People will see what I usually make and ask me if I am able to make a certain prop. I will then make an agreement with the customer before starting the work."8. "I put up and take down Christmas lights on weekends and evenings from October to January." "$24k a season is very doable, but you gotta be able to haul and carry ladders, confidently and safely climb up and down ladders, and be OK with working in the wind and rain in the coldest part of the year. It isn’t glamorous, but it can be a nice chunk of extra money."9. “If you're even a little handy, you can make good money as a handyman in elderly neighborhoods." "My dad started out just helping neighbors with hanging curtains, painting bathrooms, etc... after about a year he was busy enough to quit his full time job and just work for himself. You don't need a lot of tools or an expensive truck, but if you can operate a drill, swing a brush, and are good with old people - there's good paying work out there for you.”10. "I work as an ad model." "All kinds of ads. Internet, TV, print. Work is sporadic and irregular, which means you'd better have solid income from a main source. But a little $500-$800 check from time to time sure comes in handy. "Generally, one can set up an account for a small annual fee on places like castingnetworks.com or actorsaccess.com. Specifically, it would be better if you would connect with a local talent/modeling agency. They will also ask you to sign up for a talent website, and you’re going to need professional photos. Spend money on THAT, for sure. Good photos are critical!"11. "I did Rover for three years, boarding dogs in my home." "I made $11k a year consistently. Month to month could vary widely, $0-$2k, but I always finished the year the same. But you really should have some experience and be an actual responsible person, because dogs are living beings and deserve proper care. You also need to account for things like Rover fees (20%), taxes, insurance, supplies, and licensing laws. You will end up working all holidays because that's the busiest season for dog sitting, and you'll need to commit your schedule months in advance." Two golden retriever puppies. Photo credit: Chevanon Photography/Pexels12. “Over ten years ago I started my own hummus business." "Took a bit to get started but once I was accepted to different farmer’s markets, I made pretty good dough. But omg setting up a tent and tables at 5:30am on weekends was not fun after a couple of years. It was called Bean There, Done That and I had tons of creative flavors (and punny names).”13. "I started a YouTube channel a few years ago, and now it’s actually pulling in between $1,500 and $3,000 a month!" "It’s nuts!!! It was just a hobby. I talk about tech stuff. I review computers, network-attached storage systems, and occasionally a tech company I follow pretty closely. My channel name is the same as my Reddit name. It did take several years before money started flowing, but now it's a pretty great side hustle because it's something I would do for free anyway."14. "I participate in focus groups and research studies." "They're a pretty cool way to spend a couple of hours, and they usually pay $150-$250 a pop. I do this with several research companies in my area because most of them only let you participate once every few months. So, if you keep filling out questionnaires and screeners with various research companies, you can rotate through them and get picked more often. Using this method, I participate in one or two studies per month. I've actually been grinding hard on applying for research studies for the last few months to pay off my credit card debt. Been making some pretty good progress!"15. "Deliver pizza for a local place under the table." "You can do pretty good Friday night through Sunday."16. "My very first month of donating plasma, I made $900." "Paid for my three-and-a-half week road trip last summer to Canada. I only do it once a week now because the center closest to me changed their hours, so I get $40 a week instead of my usual $100, but that’s still an extra $160 a month I put back into savings that doesn’t have to come out of my normal paychecks, it’s just extra. So that’s nice. I do miss the $400 months, though."17. "None of these enterprises have made me two thousand a month individually, but all of them combined have equaled that over many months of production." "Edible mushrooms. Microgreens. Composting worms. Compost. Vegetable plant starts. Cloned fruit trees. I've been doing these for years, and I sell directly to consumers, no restaurants or middlemen."18. "I make about $120/hr coaching baseball lessons." "I’ll spend a weekend with 10 lessons coaching middle school to college athletes. I also charge $75/month to program throwing/pitching training. This can be 10-30 pitchers a session, ranging from high school to professional. It’s about 5-15 extra hours a week." Baseballs on the ground. Photo credit: Steshka Croes/Pexels19. "I used to sell my artwork online, it was a good $15,000 to $20,000 a year."20. "I work freelance in the arts." "I’ve done a decent job advertising my own business and have developed a side hustle doing social media marketing for other small businesses. Writing posts, finding imagery, and scheduling the posts in advance. The amount of actual work varies from month to month, but the retainer fee does not, and it’s made my life much easier and more predictable."21. "I started a cleaning business." "It was very easy, and I did it on Saturday afternoons. I just posted my contact info, services, and prices to local online communities. I worked for a young, wealthy couple cleaning a condo two to three times a month. I got around $600 extra per month for just a general cleaning. I also now include move-out cleans, which can get me $400-$600 per job. It's not huge cash, but it helped me kick a car note down from $24k to $16k. And that was with one client."22. "During the winter, I sell 3D-printed ornaments and make between $100 and $300 a week for the first two to three weeks of December." "I specifically target the last-minute crowd and get most of my work through word of mouth. Production cost per ornament is $1.04. It takes me under an hour to make/edit the model, and then it takes 5-8 hours to print, but that can be done while I'm sleeping. I charge between $15 and $25 for an ornament. Last year, I also started selling name ornaments for $5 a pop, but they take under two hours to edit and print, so they're easy to make in large batches. These customers also tend to message me throughout the year, so I make around $600 during the Christmas season and $20-$100 other months. So kinda $20 here and there with a big yearly payout."23. "Real estate Photography." "It's usually $150 per house, $300 if it's a large property, and I need to use a drone. It takes about an hour to shoot and less than an hour to edit. I usually do two to three houses throughout the week. I'll stop on my way home from work, then on Saturday, I can group appointments by location. My busiest Saturday was seven houses. It's really easy. You just need a camera capable of HDR and a lens with a wide angle. I use a Nikon 16-24mm and a tripod." A house for sale. Photo credit: Pixabay/Pexels24. “I do side work car repairs." "And by repairs I mean mostly just brakes. To get 4 brakes and rotors done at a shop today is typically around $1000 or more, because they up-charge parts and labor. I am able to do it for people for around $600. I charge $300-400 in labor (for 2 hours of work), and the parts just cost what they cost. So I save people a few hundred dollars and I make a few hundred myself. Sometimes I do one of these a month. Sometimes I do a few of them. I would like to get one a week, cause then I could legit get an extra $300 a week.”This article originally appeared in June