What did YOU do all day?
I stalled. And stalled. And then stalled some more.
but i got one of my articles done. the really, really huge one. the cover one. i'm going to post this up here for the time being to see how it looks... because i have a feeling tomorrow i'm going to have some edits... and maybe you will, too?
who knows...
[oh yeah... i need help with a headline, too. i fucking SUCK at headlines!]
here goes:
[really sweet headline here... come on peeps!]
While the sound of Velvet Revolver hints at the past projects of its notorious members, what they bring to the table is fresh and aggressive, offering modern rockers avant-garde music that reeks of power, danger and bad-ass attitude that any band boasting updated '80s glam metal should radiate on-stage. Impressive, since lead singer, Scott Weiland, formerly of Stone Temple Pilots, is still wearing teeny, tiny, shiny metallic pants and Slash (Guns N' Roses) is still wearing that trademark top hat.
When one gets a vibe of menace going on with that sort of wardrobe…critics have to know this is the real deal.
Before Contraband hit store shelves in 2004 (June 8), a buzz had already been brewing between fans of aforementioned Stone Temple Pilots and Guns N' Roses members that its crowning contributors were hooking up with one Wasted Youth guitarist. With all having a notable history for rocking out while either: (1) heavily intoxicated or (2) immensely under the influence of narcotics, listeners expected the new collaboration to be a short-lived, spur-of-the-moment fluke.
"[The Press] didn't think we we're going to finish the first record," said Revolver bassist Duff McKagan in an interview last February. "To the naysayers, our middle finger was always out there. And our middle finger has just gotten a little bigger."
But how did the combination come to be...and manage to not only earn several Grammy nominations (including best rock song for Fall To Pieces, best hard rock performance for Slither and best rock album), but steadfastly maintain their joining when most of Revolver's five members have such explosive reputations?
In 2002, Slash, McKagan and Matt Sorum, all reared from GNR celebrity (with controversial front-man Axel Rose), came together for a tribute benefit for Motley Crue drummer Randy Castillo. An undeniable chemistry loomed above the three ex-Guns N’ Roses heads and the idea of playing together again got the trio moving toward a new forward-thinking development.
So McKagan (bass), Slash (guitar), and drummer Sorum recruited Dave Kushner, ex-Wasted Youth guitarist, as well as high school buddy of Slash to bring a little guitar goodness into the mix. With four members in tact, they decided to hold an open audition to enlist a lead-man with enough gusto to exude the sound that each member was looking to produce.
Enter Scott Weiland, pending 12 years in Stone Temple Pilots, as well as past work on a solo venture - 12 Bar Blues (1998).
"This guy has lived," said band-mate Sorum on the website. "Because of where we've been as musicians – and the kind of front man we were next to for all those years- it is pretty tough for any guy to step up immediately and be able to stand next to a guy like Slash or Duff. Those guys are rock stars in their own right. To front this band, we needed someone who was above and beyond, and we got one."
The design was set for the rebirth of good, solid rock music and all members had one simple idea in mind: To create music that Velvet Revolver's affiliates enjoyed and were proud to be playing.
"We can't play nice or play radio," said Duff on the bands website. "People are going to say, 'Oh a super group. These guys have everything.' I can understand that, but we really hope to bring some chaos back into the whole world of rock."
But why do it? Why re-create something likely to boost the temptation to fall back into an old way of life?
Well...because the boys have cleaned up and are sticking together as a family.
"We’d seen everything," said McKagan in an interview with The Daily Yomiuri on Feb. 2. "Slash and I took it to the hilt. Slash almost kicked the bucket. Matt overdosed a bunch of times and was actually Scott Weiland's roommate at Impact, a rehab center a bunch of years ago. Dave Kushner was, way before us, really, really bad. So if anything, we're a support group for each other."
And so the boys bond together, saying that the tight-knit kinship of the band is something none of them has ever felt in any of their past groups before. Each member has pushed the drug and alcohol problems firmly behind them, hoping to revive the initial feeling of excitement prevalent at the beginning of their musical careers.
And they're not doing too shabby (aside from a few minor set-backs) considering it has only been just under a year since their first album release.
The Good
The group recently returned from a triumphant tour in Britain where four additional shows were added to their London date to meet ticket demands. Their show in Birmingham, held at a venue capable of seating 6,000, was bumped up to a full-size arena just in accommodate their fans.
While in London, Sharon Osbourne called in the band to lay down music for a tsunami-relief cover of Eric Clapton's Tears In Heaven, which was due for release in late March.
It is also reported that with Velvet Revolver in such high demand, the boys have been working on some new songs in their sound checks, and are hoped to be entering the studio this summer to record some brand, spanking new tracks.
In the meantime, a live album and DVD will have to tide over anxious fans famished for new material from the 'super group'.
The Bad:
While attending the Feb. 13 Grammy's, Slash's lucky black hat (which has adorned his head for over 12 years) was presumed stolen out of the limo delivering him to the Award's show, along with a few random items from wife, Perla's purse. Random publications (including contactmusic.com, ultimateguitar.com and metalhammer.co.uk) are now reporting one man claims to be holding the hat hostage, demanding a handsome reward. BC Ethic, Slash's T-shirt company is offering $5,000 for safe return, as it is a vital part of Ethic's marketing strategy for Slash and his new place in Velvet Revolver.
The really, really, unforgivably ugly:
Kushner, Velvet Revolver's guitarist, recently confessed his involvement with Robert Van Winkle in 1998.
Who is this, you may ask?
Why, it is your favorite rocker from The Surreal Life Three who inspired the razored eyebrow, flat-top hair [or was that Kid from Kid and Play?] and sampled the really sweet baseline from Queen's 1980 Under Pressure.
Still confused? Check in the Music Dictionary under 'V'; Vanilla Ice.
Ooh…snap!
Every good band needs some kind of spooky scandal though…right?
And with Velvet Revolver, fans can expect a good band. Now on a U.S. tour, you can catch their show at Magness Arena April 26 (with supporting act, Hoobastank – http://www.hoobastank.com/). For more information on Scott, Slash and the rest of the boys, visit http://www.velvetrevolver.com/ (for the over-18 crowd) or http://www.velvet-revolver.com/.
but i got one of my articles done. the really, really huge one. the cover one. i'm going to post this up here for the time being to see how it looks... because i have a feeling tomorrow i'm going to have some edits... and maybe you will, too?
who knows...
[oh yeah... i need help with a headline, too. i fucking SUCK at headlines!]
here goes:
[really sweet headline here... come on peeps!]
While the sound of Velvet Revolver hints at the past projects of its notorious members, what they bring to the table is fresh and aggressive, offering modern rockers avant-garde music that reeks of power, danger and bad-ass attitude that any band boasting updated '80s glam metal should radiate on-stage. Impressive, since lead singer, Scott Weiland, formerly of Stone Temple Pilots, is still wearing teeny, tiny, shiny metallic pants and Slash (Guns N' Roses) is still wearing that trademark top hat.
When one gets a vibe of menace going on with that sort of wardrobe…critics have to know this is the real deal.
Before Contraband hit store shelves in 2004 (June 8), a buzz had already been brewing between fans of aforementioned Stone Temple Pilots and Guns N' Roses members that its crowning contributors were hooking up with one Wasted Youth guitarist. With all having a notable history for rocking out while either: (1) heavily intoxicated or (2) immensely under the influence of narcotics, listeners expected the new collaboration to be a short-lived, spur-of-the-moment fluke.
"[The Press] didn't think we we're going to finish the first record," said Revolver bassist Duff McKagan in an interview last February. "To the naysayers, our middle finger was always out there. And our middle finger has just gotten a little bigger."
But how did the combination come to be...and manage to not only earn several Grammy nominations (including best rock song for Fall To Pieces, best hard rock performance for Slither and best rock album), but steadfastly maintain their joining when most of Revolver's five members have such explosive reputations?
In 2002, Slash, McKagan and Matt Sorum, all reared from GNR celebrity (with controversial front-man Axel Rose), came together for a tribute benefit for Motley Crue drummer Randy Castillo. An undeniable chemistry loomed above the three ex-Guns N’ Roses heads and the idea of playing together again got the trio moving toward a new forward-thinking development.
So McKagan (bass), Slash (guitar), and drummer Sorum recruited Dave Kushner, ex-Wasted Youth guitarist, as well as high school buddy of Slash to bring a little guitar goodness into the mix. With four members in tact, they decided to hold an open audition to enlist a lead-man with enough gusto to exude the sound that each member was looking to produce.
Enter Scott Weiland, pending 12 years in Stone Temple Pilots, as well as past work on a solo venture - 12 Bar Blues (1998).
"This guy has lived," said band-mate Sorum on the website. "Because of where we've been as musicians – and the kind of front man we were next to for all those years- it is pretty tough for any guy to step up immediately and be able to stand next to a guy like Slash or Duff. Those guys are rock stars in their own right. To front this band, we needed someone who was above and beyond, and we got one."
The design was set for the rebirth of good, solid rock music and all members had one simple idea in mind: To create music that Velvet Revolver's affiliates enjoyed and were proud to be playing.
"We can't play nice or play radio," said Duff on the bands website. "People are going to say, 'Oh a super group. These guys have everything.' I can understand that, but we really hope to bring some chaos back into the whole world of rock."
But why do it? Why re-create something likely to boost the temptation to fall back into an old way of life?
Well...because the boys have cleaned up and are sticking together as a family.
"We’d seen everything," said McKagan in an interview with The Daily Yomiuri on Feb. 2. "Slash and I took it to the hilt. Slash almost kicked the bucket. Matt overdosed a bunch of times and was actually Scott Weiland's roommate at Impact, a rehab center a bunch of years ago. Dave Kushner was, way before us, really, really bad. So if anything, we're a support group for each other."
And so the boys bond together, saying that the tight-knit kinship of the band is something none of them has ever felt in any of their past groups before. Each member has pushed the drug and alcohol problems firmly behind them, hoping to revive the initial feeling of excitement prevalent at the beginning of their musical careers.
And they're not doing too shabby (aside from a few minor set-backs) considering it has only been just under a year since their first album release.
The Good
The group recently returned from a triumphant tour in Britain where four additional shows were added to their London date to meet ticket demands. Their show in Birmingham, held at a venue capable of seating 6,000, was bumped up to a full-size arena just in accommodate their fans.
While in London, Sharon Osbourne called in the band to lay down music for a tsunami-relief cover of Eric Clapton's Tears In Heaven, which was due for release in late March.
It is also reported that with Velvet Revolver in such high demand, the boys have been working on some new songs in their sound checks, and are hoped to be entering the studio this summer to record some brand, spanking new tracks.
In the meantime, a live album and DVD will have to tide over anxious fans famished for new material from the 'super group'.
The Bad:
While attending the Feb. 13 Grammy's, Slash's lucky black hat (which has adorned his head for over 12 years) was presumed stolen out of the limo delivering him to the Award's show, along with a few random items from wife, Perla's purse. Random publications (including contactmusic.com, ultimateguitar.com and metalhammer.co.uk) are now reporting one man claims to be holding the hat hostage, demanding a handsome reward. BC Ethic, Slash's T-shirt company is offering $5,000 for safe return, as it is a vital part of Ethic's marketing strategy for Slash and his new place in Velvet Revolver.
The really, really, unforgivably ugly:
Kushner, Velvet Revolver's guitarist, recently confessed his involvement with Robert Van Winkle in 1998.
Who is this, you may ask?
Why, it is your favorite rocker from The Surreal Life Three who inspired the razored eyebrow, flat-top hair [or was that Kid from Kid and Play?] and sampled the really sweet baseline from Queen's 1980 Under Pressure.
Still confused? Check in the Music Dictionary under 'V'; Vanilla Ice.
Ooh…snap!
Every good band needs some kind of spooky scandal though…right?
And with Velvet Revolver, fans can expect a good band. Now on a U.S. tour, you can catch their show at Magness Arena April 26 (with supporting act, Hoobastank – http://www.hoobastank.com/). For more information on Scott, Slash and the rest of the boys, visit http://www.velvetrevolver.com/ (for the over-18 crowd) or http://www.velvet-revolver.com/.
posted by Sami Jo at
1:37 AM
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