MUSIC

Who's that guitarist playing with Alice Cooper and Ace Frehley? It's native Topekan Ryan Cook.

Brianna Childers
Topeka Capital-Journal
Alice Cooper will perform at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Stormont Vail Events Center with special guest Ace Frehley.

A Topeka native and music lover is living his rock star dreams.

Later this month, Ryan Cook will perform in his hometown as part of Ace Frehley's band. Cook has been playing with the former KISS guitarist since 2018.

"I started guitar lessons in grade school and I just became infatuated with, namely, KISS, Aerosmith, Van Halen," Cook said.

Frehley and his band will be the special guests of Alice Cooper, renowned for his rock music and on-stage theatrics. His performances have been compared to "Cirque Du Soleil."

Cooper, who recently spoke with The Topeka Capital-Journal, said people usually walk away from the concert surprised and in awe of what they witnessed.

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Don't look away: 'You're going to miss something'

"They go, 'I kind of thought I knew what I was going to see but I wasn't expecting that energy level,'" Cooper said. "If you look away from the stage, you're going to miss something, because it's very quick-paced.

"There's always something to look at — one second you're looking at a giant 12-foot baby and the next second Jason is showing up and chasing people around."

The theatrics combine with the music to create a dark and shocking concert that only Cooper can create.

Cooper and Frehley have been friends for many years and the two — along with all KISS group members — helped begin a theatrical era of music that many refer to as "shock rock."

"We pioneered the idea that you could be a theatrical band and still make hit records, which never really happened before," Cooper said. "KISS took that. We took that and kind of ran with it."

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Topekan Ryan Cook will take stage with Alice Cooper and Ace Frehley

Ryan Cook, the guitarist for Ace Frehley, is a native Topekan and graduate of Seaman High School.

Cook was born in Topeka and graduated in 1988 from Seaman High School. He has been playing with Frehley for three years.

Cook became interested in music at a young age. His parents were constantly buying and playing music records.

The first time Cook saw KISS perform on television was the moment Cook began his music journey.

"I was living, eating, breathing music 24/7," he said. "Even though I played sports, everything was a far second behind playing guitar for me."

After graduation, Cook attended college in Florida, where he received a degree in music business and audio engineering.

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"I didn't want to learn just how to play guitar," he said. "I wanted to learn how to also be able to make my own records and understand the whole process."

Cook later moved to Nashville, Tenn., then Los Angeles and later Nashville again.

Ryan Cook's big break was with Gene Simmons, of KISS

Cook secured in 2016 a music gig with Gene Simmons, co-founder of KISS. That opportunity led him to Frehley's band two years later.

"How many people in their life can say they have been employed and got to play with half of the members of KISS?" Cook asked.

Cook said it has been great having the opportunity to perform on stage with Cooper and Frehley, his childhood heroes.

Cook said he is looking forward to seeing his friends and family and the chance to perform again in Topeka.

"It's not lost on me at all that I picked a career that most people told me was impossible," Cook said. "I realize the odds are very low. I am grateful every day that I get to do what I love to do and set out to do."

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That's part of what makes it great to come back home, Cook said.

"I pinch myself on a pretty regular basis," he said. "I'm grateful to be playing there, but I'm also proud to be playing there because I want my friends and family to see it because I know so many of them wanted it for me."

Stepping on the stage in Topeka, Cook said, will be validation for him and other aspiring musicians that success can happen for anyone, adding, "I'm really looking forward to this show more than any other show on this tour for obvious reasons."

How to see Alice Cooper, Ace Frehley and Topekan Ryan Cook in concert

The concert will be 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Stormont Vail Events Center.

Tickets can be purchased at stormontvaileventscenter.com for $25-$235.

Brianna Childers is the food and fun reporter for the Capital-Journal. Reach her at bchilders@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @brichilders3.