Happy Halloween Bitches

Hopefully, I'll be in a Kit-Kat Coma by the time you read this.

Slash Jams with Alice Cooper, Corey Taylor Speaks

Slash jamming with the MC5's Wayne Kramer

Slash joined Alice Cooper on stage Wednesday night (October 28) at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles to perform the classic track "School's Out."

According to Examiner.com, Slash played the song on his red sunburst Les Paul, as Cooper strutted on stage in a glittering suit and matching top hat. Cooper then proclaimed, "Happy Halloween."

Read a review and check out photos of the concert at this location. (via Blabbermouth)

In other news, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has confirmed that he was being considered for the singer slot in Velvet Revolver.

Speaking to Altitude TV (see video below), Taylor said, "I had a meeting with those guys, we did some demos together, and it just didn't work — for whatever reason."



He added, "It was just really cool. It was one of those things where it's like I could have got to jam with legends, man, in my opinion. But, you know, it was cool, and I still know those guys, I still hang out with them, and I still have nothing but respect."

Slash was asked a few months ago by the webmaster of his official fan site if there was any truth to the rumor that Taylor was going to be the next VR singer. According to a posting on the site, Slash "said it looked like it for a minute, but they had decided against it."

Slash will appear on George Lopez' new talk show on TBS November 16.

You can watch Slash N' Friends playing "Immigrant Song" and "Highway to Hell" from the 'Jason Cam' below (Kristiansand, Norway June 30, 2009).

Loaded to Tour South America

via Blabbermouth
Duff McKagan's Loaded will tour South America in early November.

The band is scheduled to perform at Willie Dixon in Rosario, Argentina on November 5, with dates in Brazil (November 8) and Chile (Santiago on November 11) also in the works.

In other news, McKagan will guest on "The BJ Shea Morning Experience" this Wednesday (September 30) on the Seattle radio station KISW 99.9 FM

Duff will appear at approximately 8:20 AM PST

Drummer Geoff Reading recently quit Loaded and was replaced by Isaac Carpenter.


In other news, Blabbermouth is reporting that former Guns N' Roses / Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum told Blistering.com that Velvet Revolver will eventually get back together. He said, "We have been e-mailing back and forth, in search of a singer, so we have high expectations. We want to make sure this singer will work and be a better thing. We looked a long time before we got Scott, and I don't know if we got Scott because it seemed like an easy way to fill the bill.

I know we want to take it up a notch and make it better. When we got Scott, we jumped into it pretty quick. Even though Me, Slash, Duff and Dave had been working together on the first record before Scott came on, then Scott jumped on and we went on the road and did the record pretty quick.

The second album, I think, we fell prey to more of what Scott wanted to do and we wanted to straight-up rock and roll. I think this time around we would like to make a real strong rock album and stick with more of our roots.

The first record he picked the songs. We had about fifty songs written. He just started to sing on them, that album happened real organically and really quickly.

When we went to write the second album it seemed to take different road, I always wanted to make a harder record, but I think we went a little lighter and the fans didn’t really care for that much. I think the second record is a good one but we did what we did. I think it was a weird chemistry between us."

You can read the full interview here.

Duff: "Plans are in Place to Reform VR Next Autumn"

California Chronicle
Duff McKagan proved he had an eye for figures when he was invited to a wild party at the legendary Playboy mansion. But the US rock star wasn't just eyeing up the scantily-clad Bunny Girls lounging around the home of millionaire Hugh Hefner.

The bassist impressed the sex industry mogul with his business knowledge and landed a job writing a financial column for Playboy magazine.

Duff said: "I went to business school and got my finance degree. It's an interesting time to be writing a financial column. It's great fun and keeps my brain ticking over."

Duff shot to fame playing with two of the biggest bands in rock history - Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, so he's one of the few rockers equipped to keep tabs on the royalties he earns.

He said: "I keep a handle on where all our money goes. When Guns blew up we began creating huge income - not just for us but for other people. Musicians have no training for things like business managers and tax credits. I didn't want to get ripped off so I learned about it."

Duff brings his new band Loaded to the O2 Academy in Glasgow on October 17 supporting Black Stone Cherry.

The group will promote new single "Mother's Day," a track from their album, Sick.

Duff said: "I like the feeling of forward motion a tour gives you [everything] from the cameraderie of a band to the feedback from the audience."

He has fond memories of playing in Scotland with Velvet Revolver, the supergroup formed with ex-Guns' bandmates Slash and Matt Sorum.

He told me: "Our show at the SECC in Glasgow in 2004 is one of my three favourite gigs of my entire career. The crowd was figuratively carrying us on their shoulders. I felt so in the moment. I'd put it up there with when Guns played at Rock In Rio in 1991."

But Duff has promised we've not seen the last of Velvet Revolver.

In 2008, singer Scott Weiland announced on stage at the SECC he was quitting the band but Duff says plans are in place to reform the band next autumn.

He said: "We've got a top 10 list of singers we'd like to try out, and enough material for a great new record."

Scott Weiland Suffers Seizure

Scott Weiland Has Seizure on an Airplane

TMZ has learned Stone Temple Pilots front man Scott Weiland experienced a seizure during an American Airlines flight just hours ago.

Sources close to Scott tell us he suffered the seizure while flying from Los Angeles to Miami. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

TMZ has been told that Scott has a history of seizures - he was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures. Despite the seizure, we're told Scott plans on attending the launch of his clothing line "Weiland for English Laundry" on Saturday.

A rep traveling with Weiland tells Rolling Stone exclusively that the airplane staff called for medical assistance over the loud speaker and had to administer oxygen to Weiland. Shortly after, Weiland had come to and was “in good spirits” as was taken off the plane for the hospital.

Weiland was traveling with his Scott Weiland Band to Miami for a performance and the launch of his clothing line Weiland for English Laundry at the club Mansion. The rep said the singer has a history of seizures, but is now “doing great” and expects to leave for Miami tomorrow and appear at the club as scheduled.

Duff McKagan's Loaded Drummer Quits

via Blabbermouth

Drummer Geoff Reading has left Duff McKagan's Loaded. He says in a statement, "The pressures of being in the 'Duff from Guns N' Roses' spotlight, while thrilling, have left me unable to get back to the performer I was pre-cancer, and unable properly provide for my family. This combination has plagued my mental recovery, and I need to take time now to focus on these things.

The fellas have hired the great Isaac Carpenter (Loudermilk, Gosling, Ours, The Exiles) to fill in for the UK tour, with a warm-up show at the Chop Suey in Seattle on October 3. I wouldn't miss this show for anything. Isaac is an AMAZING drummer and I, for one, will be right there in front of the stage, with all you Capitol Hill hipsters, arms folded, judging them.

Thank you all for the love and support you've shown me and Loaded."

For more information on the new Duff McKagan's Loaded drummer, visit his MySpace page.

Slash to Embark on Massive Tour Next Year

From Slash's MySpace blog:

"I don't know how I'm supposed to wait until next year to put out this record! It is so fucking cool & I am so anxious to get it out already. We start mixing soon & that will be that, ready to go. But, I have to wait, there's no way around it, for all kinds of logistic reasons & that's the reality.

But, my VR bandmates & I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago & although the search for a singer will continue, I am going to tour on my solo record most likely thru next summer starting in March or April. We (VR) will keep the word of mouth system going & listening to submissions from singers & checking out different singer's sites etc, we know the right guy is out there somewhere. It's possible somebody could turn up before I do my tour & we could start working on new material sooner than later, in a perfect world.

As far as my tour is concerned, I have already started to put together ideas for a kickass band & the plan is to perform some new stuff, Snakepit, VR & Guns stuff. The new album is really great & deserves that I should support it. Plus, I'm really looking forward to getting out there & doing some gigs, its been more than a year since I was on a proper tour & all these one off jams are basically just a tease.

So, there's the update for now, I'm still tinkering away on the solo record but there really isn't much left to do on it but mix it, which starts in September."

Slash Turns 44

Slash was born Saul Hudson on this date in 1965, in Berkshire, England.

Slash is a living legend, and the most distinctive guitar player of his generation.

His guitar playing on Appetite for Destruction is the ultimate fusion of Sleazy Blues and Punk Rock, and has never been replicated since, even by Slash himself.

Currently, Slash is working on his first-ever "solo" album with fellow GN'R alums Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler as well as rock legends Ozzy Osbourne, Ron Wood and Lemmy Kilmister.

It's been a strange year for Slash.

Besides working on his solo album, Slash rocked Norway's Quart Fest with an all-star group of musicians and vocalists.

On June 5, Slash's mother Ola Hudson passed away. She was only 62. Her death was sudden and unexpected.

In May Slash was a mentor on American Idol's Rock Week. He played with Tommy Clufetos (drums), Chris Chaney (bass) and Kerri Kelli (guitar).

Slash's solo disc is expected out in early 2010. His band, Velvet Revolver is currently on hiatus.

Happy Birthday Slashman!

Baz: I Was In VR For Three Weeks

Ask any musician, and they'll tell ya: one of the hardest thing about this "business" is finding the "right" band members. I can remember being in Velvet Revolver for about 15 minutes or so (about three weeks, actually) and the thing I loved about that experience (working with Duff McKagan especially) is that those guys had at least 30-40 songs on the demo CD Duff gave me, and all of us had one goal in mind: creating some great music.

That's it.

We rehearsed at Mates for five hours at a time. No one asked, "How much am I getting paid to rehearse?" "Who's paying my gas money to write this song?" etc. The subject of money never came up. We rehearsed, wrote songs and hung out together because we loved playing more than anything else, and are happier playing music than doing anything else.

www.sebastianbach.com

Duff McKagan's Loaded Re-Loads for Another Round

According to his twitter page, Duff "will be writing new LOADED songs tonite and tomorrow. Some great ideas and riffs have come on this latest tour. Excited for sure!"

This is bittersweet news for many of Duff's fans. In my opinion, it implies that Velvet Revolver is indeed staying parked on the back burner. 2010 will see Slash's solo album and I presume, an ensuing tour. Loaded, in turn, will likely cycle through another period of songwriting, recording, touring, etc. I imagine it will be a few years before VR convenes again, if ever.

Later today, Duff tweeted:

"VR will continue our search for our singer. It WILL happen! When I speak of Loaded, I am certainly not speaking against VR!"

Okay.

I've been listening to Loaded's latest Sick, and while I do enjoy it, it's a little to happy and upbeat for my tastes. I prefer their 2001 release, Dark Days.

There are some great songs on this record though. "Sick" has aggressive lyrics and a crazy guitar solo. "Forgive Me" is a perfect little alt-pop-rock song that crystallizes Loaded's sound quite well. Duff's vocals sound great on that track. "Wasted Heart" wouldn't sound out of place on the Stones' Beggars Banquet LP. "No More" is probably the catchiest tune on the disc.

In an interview with Guitar World Magazine, Duff explained that the band decided to write a new album when, at a Christmas benefit gig, they realized how many good unrecorded songs they had.

Although Duff wrote most of the songs on Dark Days, much of Sick was composed by the band or with other writers. One track, the somber “Mothers Day,” took shape from McKagan and Rouse jamming together on bass guitars. It was called “Two Basses” until McKagan wrote lyrics about friends he’s lost to drugs.

Surprisingly, although doing time in GN’R and Velvet Revolver cemented his association with Slash, McKagan credits former Gunner Izzy Stradlin as the guitarist that most influenced his own rhythm playing. “I think from Izzy I learned where a rhythm guitar player should be, within the band,” McKagan says. “As a result, I don’t overthink it.”

“Scott Weiland is like George Bush to me – I like him now that he’s gone…”

Classic Rock
Slash was unhappy throughout his entire career in Velvet Revolver – and working on his forthcoming solo album has given him a new creative lease of life. The former GN’R/VR guitarist has been talking to Classic Rock about the dissolution of VR and how the band’s split with Scott Weiland pushed him work by himself on a solo album.

“Now at this point I can talk about it,” says Slash. “I always support whatever group I’m playing with – I’ll never say anything bad about them while I’m in it. But fuckin Velvet Revolver – that was the toughest five years, dealing with that band, just because of the obvious [Weiland] and really, really bad management. Joke management for the entire time.

“For some reason in that entire five years I could never be happy. I could never get comfortable and happy with it because it was such a fucking mess. That last tour in the UK was the first time I ever had any fun in that band – because I knew that Scott was leaving and it was a huge relief.

“But, all things considered, Scott to me is now like George Bush – y’know, I like him now that he’s not here. I have nothing bad to say about Scott, but he doesn’t work well with others in a group situation. So towards the end I had written a bunch of music and there were a lot of restrictions because of him writing in Velvet and a lot of stuff that I wanted to do was just sort of squelched. Y’know Slither happened and Fall To Pieces and a couple of other songs I wrote, but it didn’t have the direction that the group – especially before Scott came into it – really set off in. Especially on that last record – which I still think is a good record, but was a lot mellower than [I would have liked].

“Anyway, so I was writing a lot of material and on that last UK tour I started taping a lot of stuff and when I got home I was like, ‘I need to get away from this group situation – I just need to be in control of something and do things my own way’. So it was a relief. And we’ll see – it’s not really about trying to make the biggest record in the world, but I will support it. I’ll go out there and do what I have to do to make sure that people go out there and listen to it cos I think it’s a cool record.”

How will that affect Velvet Revolver?

“Well Duff’s on tour, I’m doing my record, so it’s sort of at a standstill. I haven’t heard any amazing submissions from singers as of late, so I might… Y’know, Velvet when it finds the right guy will be amazing, but I’m in no rush. I’m not freaking out – because that’s how we got Scott in the first place. He was the first decent guy that came up.”

After the Norway gig everyone is going to think Franky Perez is the guy.

“I thought about that. Yeah, Franky’s fucking bad ass. You know, he did some time with Velvet but I think because I was so preoccupied with my record nothing really came of it. Anyway, we’ll see what happens. When my record comes out there’s going to be a lot of different things that I can do so what happens as far as Velvet is concerned – we’re going to be on a hiatus until we lock together and say, ‘Hey, these are our options, let’s see what we’re going to do’. I don’t know if Franky is going to be the guy or what – he’s just a really, really good singer. Even Ozzy came up and said, ‘Who the fuck is that guy? He’s fucking great!’ He actually said: ‘What the fuck am I doing up here? He’s the one that should be singing…’”

In Norway, Franky Perez confirmed that he had worked with VR in the last six months: “I’ve probably known Slash a little under a year. We have this mutual friend and we’ve run into each other a few times but we met – actually met, met – about six months ago. And then I was working with Velvet Revolver for a little bit and then Slash started doing his solo record…”

So you worked with VR after Weiland left?

“Yes. So I got to hang out with all the guys and started working with them and then about the same time Slash had to work on his solo project and Duff was doing Loaded so that dissipated, but the great thing is that I got to have a great relationship with Slash.”

Did he realise that the internet was going to be filled with ‘Franky-is-the-new-Velvet-Revolver-frontman’ stories?

The singer just smiles and shrugs: “Well, you know, if the opportunity comes around, I’m ready.”

For a full interview with Slash & Friends, see Classic Rock 136, on sale 19 August.

John 5 to Replace Zakk Wylde in Ozzy's Band?

via Blabbermouth
Ozzy Osbourne has revealed to Classic Rock magazine that he is currently searching for a new guitarist for his solo band.

Classic Rock caught up with Osbourne last week at the Slash & Friends gig in Norway, where the whispers backstage had guitarist John 5 lined up as a possible replacement for Zakk Wylde.

"Well, I'm getting a new guitar player as we speak," Ozzy told Classic Rock, "and everyone has been saying to me for a long time, 'Get Johnny 5!' And I tried him at one time and I didn't really give him a chance. We'll see, I don't know. I haven't fallen out with Zakk, but Zakk's got his own band, and I felt like my stuff was beginning to sound like Black Label Society. I just felt like I wanted a change, y'know?

I've got a guy from Greece coming in — not the musical, the country of Greece — but I'm not going to say too much about it, 'cos I don't know myself at this point. I've got a new album, I'm working on it as we speak. I've got a studio at my house and I've got a guy called Kevin Churko, the guy that did the last album — he's great to work with.

And it's great to have your own studio. On one hand it's great and on the other it's not, 'cos when you're at the studio you can go, 'Sorry darling, I can't get home for dinner, I'm stuck at the studio' But she can fucking come down stairs now! But I'm just enjoying my life now"

Classic Rock: So you're taking it easy recording this album?

Ozzy: "Oh yeah. Zakk came down and did a bunch of stuff and I don't know if I want to use it but I've got it there if I do. And this Kevin Churko is a bit of an all-rounder so I'm getting back to basics in some respects. One thing about a guy who can't do all the finger-tapping stuff is that he plays better on the riffs 'cos it's not all [hums riff for 'Iron Man' followed by over-the-top widdling]."

Classic Rock: Does Heaven & Hell having a new album out make you more competitive?

Ozzy: "No. Not in the slightest. I really wish them well. I mean I've been out of that band three times longer than I was ever in them. But people say, 'What do you think about Dio?' He's great singer. I've grown up since the days when I used to get pissed and slag him off. For whatever it's worth, good luck to them. I don't want to make enemies — I made enough when I was drinking, I try to make friends with people these days!"


You can read the full interview here. Thanks to IngridMJ for the photos.

Alumni News

Via his Twitter account, Slash posted a recent picture of himself and his mother Ola Hudson. Great shirt Slash, and thanks for being so open with your fans during such a difficult time.

Slash is scheduled to play Norway's Quart Fest on June 30.


Canadian guitarist and vocalist Rob Lamothe just the posted MP3s of his Velvet Revolver audition on his official site.

I think he has a pretty cool voice.

"Heartbreak"

"Hollywood"

(right-click, save as)

Meanwhile, former Velvet Revolver vocalist Scott Weiland recently told ARTISTdirect that Stone Temple Pilots has "18 songs written, and vocals are written on about 10 of them."

Former Velvet Revolver bass player Duff McKagan was interviewed on June 10 at the Caribana festival in Switzerland. The interview focused mainly on Duff's new disc with his band Loaded. According to Duff, "it's a straight-up Rock 'n' Roll record."

Next week I'll be publishing my belated review of the album - Sick.



An extended video of Adler's Appetite playing this past Monday night at the SoDo nightclub in Colorado Springs, is embedded below.

Their set: Nightrain, My Michelle, Civil War, Mr. Brownstone, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Rocket Queen, Mama Kin, Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City, Welcome To The Jungle.



Finally, thanks to the kind folks at ChopAway.com, I was able to put together this video slideshow of Izzy Stradlin performing "Battleship Chains" live. I'm guessing that the recording is from his 2000 European tour. Thanks for the audio guys. Enjoy.

Duff at Download: Talks Sick, VR and Money

Duff McKagan's Loaded played Download 2009 over the weekend, and I have just a few videos to share, but first, the news.

Duff told Contact Music that he expects their new singer to "land in their laps."

He said, "either you've got the guy or you've not and we've worked with some really talented guys. The trick is getting the chemistry right. Slash is making his solo record, which he's desperately needed to do for years, so I'll keep working with my other band Loaded, he'll do that and music will happen when it's supposed to happen. The right guy will fall into our laps when he is supposed to and maybe that's why it hasn't happened yet."

In a separate interview with Noisecreep, Duff says, "anybody that spends too much on a record these days, that's fool's money spent. Nobody sells records like we did in the '90s or '80s. It's not the business model anymore. People get their music for free off the Internet."

"We signed with a small, indie label which was really cool. There's not a lot of pressure like you get from a major. Major labels are becoming a thing of the past."

"The great thing about this band is that we just don't give a fuck. We'll play anyplace, and it's refreshing. It is kind of rewarding when you become the buzz of a town when someone sees you and finds you are playing. We sell records at the gigs. Who knows? By July this could be an underground summer record."

Loaded's European Tour Starts Tomorrow

Our hero, the white-Seattle-punk-who-became-a-world-famous rock-star, Duff McKagan, just wrote his first piece for the New York Times. Congratulations Duff. NYT also has a Q&A with Duff here. Loaded's European Summer Tour starts tomorrow in Helsinki.

Slash's Weekly Update (May 29 2009)

May 29, 2009 - Friday

weekly update

Hey all, how's it going? I've been really busy with recording etc, I haven't been keeping in touch.

Outside of working on the record things have been quiet. No VR updates as of this writing, but I'm anxious to see something happen with an amazing frontman for the band in the not too distant future, whoever that might be.

My gig at the Quart Fest is coming up in Norway, June 30th. Which, is starting to come together. I'll post who all's playing next week, but it's a great line-up & the songs so far are shaping up to be a really great set.

As far as the record goes, we're almost done with vocals, 2 more songs left & a couple odds & ends. Then, I can stand back & see what we've got. It is a fucking awesome ensemble, that much I do know, with brilliant performances from each & every singer. I do hope to have a release date soon, but I can assure you, as I said before, it won't be this year. It will, most definitely, be out be very early in the new year. Even though the recording process is almost done, the legal logistics involved with so many different artists takes a minute to iron out.

When the record is released I plan on posting what gear was used on what songs; guitars, amps etc. Although, most of it was done with one guitar & 2 amps. A lot of interesting mike set-ups though. The record is being recorded anolog as well, this might be one of the last rock & roll records to be recorded that way, no joke. So, of course, I have to release it on vinyl, as well as cd.

Right then, I guess that's it. I'll have the Quart Fest line-up for you guys next week & anything else that comes up as well, have a good one.

Slash iiii||; ),
Sent via Satan ] ; ) >