Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way To Blue - The Interview

In this exclusive interview Jerry, Sean, Mike and William talk about the making of Black Gives Way to Blue, Layne's untimely death and how Elton John became involved. Plus much much more.



Thanks to: Ana

Slash Signs European Deal with Roadrunner Records

via Blabbermouth
Roadrunner Records has announced the signing of guitarist Slash for the forthcoming European release of his debut solo album, Slash, in spring 2010.

Slash will see Roadrunner Records enter into a unique and innovative association with a UK media partner — the special-interest media group Future. In a brand new concept in record distribution the standard album release will be preceded by a "fan pack," in which the Roadrunner Records album will be bundled together with a highly collectable special issue of Future Publishing's Classic Rock magazine dedicated to Slash's career. This will be the first format of the album available anywhere in the world.

Slash will release a two-track CD single in Japan on November 11 containing the song "Sahara" (featuring singer Koshi Inaba of the Japanese hard rock duo B'Z) and a version of the GN'R classic "Paradise City" (featuring Cypress Hill and Fergie).

"Sahara" is expected to appear on Slash's forthcoming solo album. According to the guitarist, "the [record] is in its mixing stage and the mixes to this point sound great. We have recorded 18 songs, with one more I want to track." He added, "the record is still slated for a February/March release."

Project MayHAM Reviews New Alice Disc

The (Extremely Fucking Late) Project MayHAM Review...
… Black Gives Way To Blue
For your Saturday reading pleasure ...

In the words of the reviewer, "This is their Back In Black…
It’s great to have you back, boys…" [LINK]

Troy's Band: Lost Angels: Official Announcement

After months of negotiations, the lineup is intact and Lost Angels will officially be making their debut in India at the end of September.

Lost Angels features:

John Corabi (Motley Crue / The Scream / ESP / Ratt)
Troy Patrick Farrell (White Lion / Pretty Boy Floyd / Hookers & Blow)
Eric Dover (Sextus / Alice Cooper / Slash's Snakepit / Jellyfish / Imperial Drag) and
Muddy Stardust (Burning Tree / LA Guns / Gilby Clarke)

and will be performing songs from the bands they are affiliated with as well as a Rock Tribute to Michael Jackson.

The promoters Andrew Ropmay in alliance with the Event Factory (Dimapur) are also in negotiations for the appearance of a very special guest.

"They are still working out details to have a former original member of Guns N' Roses join the band for 2 shows in India" stated US Based Agent and drummer Troy Patrick Farrell.

The band will also be visiting the Zion Hospital as well as a Music School to discuss the ups and down of being a working touring musician.

The dates are as follows:

September 29 DDSC Stadium Dimapur, India
October 3 JN Stadium Shillong, India

The official website is: www.lostangelslive.com

Troy's Gig: Confirmed.

The Morung Express
On the evening of September 29, stars will rain on Dimapur’s wildlife that has been suffering a drought-like situation due to scanty big music shows. On that Tuesday, four names that ever found their way into the buzzing ears of millions of fans and rockers alike across the globe will sparkle – rather, rattlebang into your two eardrums good till they shrivel into smoked beef.

Guns N’ Roses / Heart guitarist Gilby Clarke, Alice Cooper / Slash’s Snakepit singer / guitarist Eric Dover, noise-pounder for White Lion / Hookers & Blow / Fastmaster Troy Patrick Farrell and another trusted Clarke accomplice, bassist Muddy Stardust.

Yes, them. Yeah. Them.

This unusual assembly of some of America’s biggest and long-devoted curators of the '80s hard rocking era will be performing Dimapur District Sports Complex as part of an aid drive meant for the city’s children suffering from cleft-lip and deformed palates. The noble vision of the four mostly-from LA rock stars, means that the proceeds of the more than one Lakh watt sound-output hard rock explosion would also go toward assuaging a little of the little ones’ suffering. It was informed today that the show would enable funding Zion Hospital to fund the welfare of the affected children.

Opening the evening for the group will be Lui Tzudir’s OFF and another horde of confirmed noise-mongers from Kohima, Eximious. The show is being organized by a well-known group of young entrepreneurs, The Event Factory. But The Event Factory’s members promise that the once-in-a-lifetime-show will not be confined to the concert. On the 28th, Clarke, Dover, Farrell and Stardust will be holding an interactive session with local musicians (come with your guitars, shirts and at least 20 pairs of good Marker pens) in Dimapur. The interaction is scheduled for Highway-39 Conference Hall (Padam Pukhuri). A similar foray is expected, before the September 29 evening, with children who are living under the scar of facial deformities.

Considering that the four rockers have been associated with one of the biggest hard rock bands the early angst-ridden, nasty-tempered '90s ever retched up, Guns N’ Roses, the song-list is expected to have you screaming along ‘knowingly,’ conveniently.

Also, hard-bitten music lovers would remember the unforgettable evening of December 16, last year when Nagaland finally opened her account on the Rock-Map-Of-The-World Register with White Lion inaugurating Nagaland’s entry into the international music scene.

What the September 29 evening promises is one of pure energy rock music, from noise-tested and time-proven rockers of thoroughbred rock stars. For a state that is only just starting to feel the tingle of international music experience, it would be unfortunate pettiness to miss out on the experience.

For those who came in late, here’s a refresher.


Guitarist Gilby Clarke was with Guns N’ Roses for three years as the rhythm guitarist, replacing Izzy Stradlin. He toured extensively with the band on the mega-big Use Your Illusion Tour between 1991 and 1993 and on the Guns N’ Roses all-covers album The Spaghetti Incident?, Live Era: ‘87-’93 and Greatest Hits. Here’s a thinker: Gilby’s first video with Guns N’ Roses was "November Rain."

Eric Dover is the dude with Jellyfish, Slash’s Snakepit, and Alice Cooper. He was on Alice Cooper’s Brutal Planet tour in 2001, 2001’s Dragontown, and Alice Cooper.

Troy Patrick Farrell is the quiet drummer who made the loudest noise when White Lion did Dimapur in December 2008. He is involved in several projects including Dizzy Reed’s band Hookers & Blow and most recently plated with CC Deville (original guitarist of Poison).

Muddy Stardust has been accumulating tour dusts with Gilby and is associated with a number of Indie projects. For someone who cites Bob Dylan, Neil Young and the Beatles as chief influences, Stardust is a mean bassist that has bulldozed LA’s hard rock scene with Clarke’s horde.

The Morung Express

Related posts: "Troy" Shoots Down India Rumors
The Asian Age: GN'R to Perform in India
Guns N' Roses in Dimapur

Alice In Chains Album Cover and Track Listing Revealed

Black Gives Way to Blue available everywhere September 28/29.

All Secrets Known
Check My Brain
Last Of My Kind
Your Decision
A Looking In View
When The Sun Rose Again
Acid Bubble
Lessons Learned
Take Her Out
Private Hell
Black Gives Way To Blue

iTunes pre-order begins this Tuesday.

Alice In Chains

Duff Rocks on the Range with Alice in Chains

Rolling Stone
Hard rock ruled the heartland this weekend as Mötley Crüe, Slipknot and Alice in Chains headlined Rock on the Range. For its third year, the Columbus festival drew 38 bands and sold a two-day total of 56,000 tickets, according to L.A.-based promoter Del Williams. A mixed crowd — college kids in baseball caps to bikers — partied under dreary skies on Saturday, and were energized and ready to toss the devil horns on sunny Sunday.

On day one, before he joined Alice in Chains for a haunting rendition of “Rooster,” Velvet Revolver’s Duff McKagan played a side stage, fronting his band Loaded. “The thing about Rock on the Range, I didn’t understand it until Velvet Revolver played here a couple years ago,” explained Duff backstage between appearances. “It’s in Columbus, a little college town — how big a festival can you have here? But people come here from Cleveland, Detroit, Toledo, Cincinnati, Indiana, West Virginia, from Kentucky, Tennessee. They all converge, and this is the big thing of the summer.”



Alice in Chains returned in full force with new co-vocalist William DuVall (formerly of Comes With the Fall), opening the set with the murky anguish of “Rain When I Die.” Singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell led the reconstituted Seattle quartet, who bulldozed through choice cuts like “Dam That River,” “Again” and “Man in the Box.” By the mesmerizing set-closer “Would?” the crowd was roaring approval. DuVall isn’t a clone of deceased singer Layne Staley, and though he didn’t hit the notes in quite the same way, he hit them all the right way.

The set was one of just two American summer shows before the band unveils a new album. Slated for September release, the as-yet-untitled disc has a strong buzz. After his set, McKagan called it “the best rock record he’s heard in the last 15 years.” Cantrell — who had nearly twice as many writing credits as the late, great Staley on previous albums — said the record represents the entire AIC spectrum from electric dynamics to unplugged angst. Though the group’s set didn’t feature any new material, DuVall hinted at a subtle new lyrical direction.

“I think there’s always been a little bit of death trip element [and a] survivor element,” said DuVall. “I think maybe the percentage has been a bit inverted [on the new album]. Where some of the records might have been more Scarface, this one is more Shawshank Redemption.”