In an interview with American Songwriter, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley discussed his upcoming new covers album, Origins Vol. 2 as well as the early days of KISS.

“I saw The Who’s first New York appearance one day when I was cutting school,” Frehley says. “At a theater in Midtown. They were using smoke bombs and I thought that was really cool. Other groups were using fire, too. Jimi Hendrix used to set his guitar on fire with lighter fluid. Alice Cooper wore some makeup around his eyes but never the whole nine yards with the Kabuki look. We just said, ‘If we’re going to be a theatrical group, let’s be a theatrical group.’”

“I tried to get the vintage sounds as much as I could,” Frehley says about Origins Vol. 2. “Old mics, old amps. I use older guitars when I record. But ultimately, when I’m doing music, I forget about everything else. I forget about my problems that are bothering me. I have tunnel vision. Some love being on a motorcycle on the open road. Music does the same thing for me.”

Origins Vol. 2 continues Frehley’s reflections on a lifetime in music and inspiration. No stranger to cover versions throughout his musical history - having recorded, rebranded, and repossessed such notable nuggets as "New York Groove", "Do Ya" and "I Wanna Go Back" throughout his eight previous studio efforts - this new collection presents a thoughtful and exciting selection of songs that inspired and helped shape the legendary guitarist. That spirit of fun is carried through with exquisite execution, and guitar aficionados will enjoy Frehley's fresh interpretations of these classic songs.

Origins Vol. 2 features some extraordinary guests, including Robin Zander of Cheap Trick on Humble Pie's "30 Days In The Hole," and former KISS comrade Bruce Kulick on Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression." Origins Vol. 1 alumnus John5 also returns, playing on Cream's "Politician," and The Beatles' "I'm Down." Finally, the exquisite Lita Ford returns on vocals, this time on The Rolling Stones' 1968 hit "Jumpin' Jack Flash".

Origins Vol. 2 will be the followup to 2016’s Origins Vol. 1, which hit #23 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and was his second highest-charting solo album and his 4th Top 40 album.

Pre-orders are available here - which includes an exclusive 180g Opaque Gold Double LP variant (limited to 1000 copies + download card).

Origins Vol. 2 tracklisting:

"Good Times Bad Times" (Led Zeppelin)
"Never In My Life" (Mountain)
"Space Truckin'" (Deep Purple)
"I'm Down" (The Beatles)
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" (The Rolling Stones)
"Politician" (Cream)
"Lola" (The Kinks)
"30 Days In The Hole" (Humble Pie)
"Manic Depression" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
"Kicks" (Paul Revere & The Raiders)
"We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" (The Animals)

Bonus track:

"She" (KISS)

"I'm Down" visualizer:

"Space Truckin'" video: