Stone Temple Pilots Schedule More Shows

The reunited STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have scheduled the following dates:

May 17 - Columbus, OH - Crew Stadium (Rock on the Range)
May 18 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center (WMMR Event)
May 23 - Indianapolis, IN - Indianapolis Motor Speedway
May 31 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Garden State Amphitheatre (WXRK Event)
Jun. 01 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center (WBCN Event)
Jun. 07 - Kansas City, MO - [to be announced] (KQRC Event)
Jul. 12 - Toronto, ON - Downsview Park (Edgefest)

More shows will be announced soon.

Although STONE TEMPLE PILOTS broke up in 2002 under less than friendly circumstances, both singer Scott Weiland (who currently fronts VELVET REVOLVER) and guitarist Dean DeLeo have said that the band members are all on good terms now. Weiland even told The Pulse of Radio he could envision making another STP album. "We were never a band that felt like we needed to lean too hard onto our muscle," he said. "We always felt like we had enough beauty and enough finesse in our music, you know, while we were together, that could carry us into a long career. So for us to make a record at an older age doesn't seem like a stretch, you know, 'cause we were never all about brawn."

The last STP album, "Shangri-La-Dee-Da", came out in 2001. The band's initial success in the early and mid-'90s was derailed in the latter part of the decade by Weiland's well-documented drug problems and arrests.

Weiland, who entered rehab earlier in the month at an undisclosed location, has struggled with substance abuse problems for more than a decade, although he has reportedly been clean for nearly four years until now. Questions about his condition flared a few weeks ago when he missed a VELVET REVOLVER performance at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, claiming transportation problems.

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Stone Temple Pilots To Headline Rock On The Range

As widely expected, the reunited STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have been confirmed as the headliners of the Rock on the Range festival, set to take place May 17-18 at the Columbus Crew Stadium in Ohio. The band's participation in the event is expected to be officially announced tomorrow (February 12).

VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash recently confirmed to Billboard.com that VELVET singer Scott Weiland will reunite with his previous band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, for a short series of shows this summer. Slash did not offer any other details and there has yet to be official word from STONE TEMPLE PILOTS themselves. Weiland broke the news last month at a benefit in Florida, telling the Miami Herald to watch out for an STP reunion in the months ahead. VELVET REVOLVER is touring now in support of last year's "Libertad" album and plans to begin work on its third record this spring.

Although STONE TEMPLE PILOTS broke up in 2002 under less than friendly circumstances, both Weiland and guitarist Dean DeLeo have said that the band members are all on good terms now. Weiland even told The Pulse of Radio he could envision making another STP album. "We were never a band that felt like we needed to lean too hard onto our muscle," he said. "We always felt like we had enough beauty and enough finesse in our music, you know, while we were together, that could carry us into a long career. So for us to make a record at an older age doesn't seem like a stretch, you know, 'cause we were never all about brawn."

The last STP album, "Shangri-La-Dee-Da", came out in 2001. The band's initial success in the early and mid-'90s was derailed in the latter part of the decade by Weiland's well-documented drug problems and arrests.

Weiland, who entered rehab last week at an undisclosed location, has struggled with substance abuse problems for more than a decade, although he has reportedly been clean for nearly four years until now. Questions about his condition flared a few weeks ago when he missed a VELVET REVOLVER performance at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, claiming transportation problems.

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Velvet Revolver Australian Tour To Go Ahead?

VELVET REVOLVER's Australian tour will go ahead as planned despite the fact that the group's frontman, Scott Weiland, has just gone back into rehab, Australian promoter Chris O'Brien told Undercover News. "We have not been told that the tour has been affected and right now I can say that it is still 100% going ahead," O'Brien said.

The Australian tour — which is set to kick off February 15 — was originally scheduled to take place in December but was postponed and the Japanese tour was cancelled because of visa problems.

In a statement released late last night, VELVET REVOLVER's management confirmed that Weiland "voluntarily entered a rehab facility" following the band's February 6 performance in Los Angeles. As a result, Thursday night's scheduled performance in San Diego was cancelled.

Weiland was arrested on November 21, 2007 when he crashed his car while driving on an L.A. highway.

He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs with a prior conviction, and with an allegation that he refused a chemical test as required by law.

Although he was supposed to perform with VELVET REVOLVER on January 20 at a party in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival, Weiland was a no-show for the gig. The vocalist's flight to Utah was diverted because of bad weather. The band carried on with the show, inviting audience members and singer Donovan Leitch to pitch in.

VELVET REVOLVER's Australian tour dates are:

Feb. 15 - Convention & Exhibition Centre - Brisbane, Australia
Feb. 16 - Enmore Theatre - Sydney, Australia
Feb. 17 - Enmore Theatre - Sydney, Australia
Feb. 19 - Festival Hall - Melbourne, Australia
Feb. 20 - Thebarton Theatre - Adelaide, Australia

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Velvet Revolver Singer Back In Rehab

The following official statement has been issued from VELVET REVOLVER:

"Following VELVET REVOLVER's performance last night [Wednesday, February 6] in Los Angeles, lead singer Scott Weiland voluntarily entered a rehab facility. Tonight's San Diego show at the House of Blues has been postponed; the rescheduled date for San Diego is [to be announced]. VELVET REVOLVER deeply apologize to their fans and thank them for sticking by the group."

Weiland was arrested on November 21, 2007 when he crashed his car while driving on an L.A. highway.

He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs with a prior conviction, and with an allegation that he refused a chemical test as required by law.

According to MTV.com, Weiland has been arrested multiple times over the past decade for a variety of drug offenses in California and New York, and has spent time in jail on several occasions. He was arrested in 2003 in Hollywood after a traffic accident and charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, though those charges were eventually dismissed after he successfully completed a drug rehab program and submitted to drug tests.

Weiland recently the Miami Herald to be on the lookout for a STONE TEMPLE PILOTS reunion in the months ahead. The band members are reportedly on good terms again after their less than friendly break-up in 2002, and Weiland told The Pulse of Radio a while back that he wouldn't rule out getting back together. "I think that there is always that distinct possibility," he said. "I have to say it would never come in the way of VELVET REVOLVER, but I don't think that the story has been completely told. I'm unhappy with the ending of the story."

Although he was supposed to perform with VELVET REVOLVER on January 20 at a party in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival, Weiland was a no-show for the gig. The vocalist's flight to Utah was diverted because of bad weather. The band carried on with the show, inviting audience members and singer Donovan Leitch to pitch in.

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Slash Confirms Stone Temple Pilots Reunion Shows

Billboard.com has issued the following report from John Benson:

After VELVET REVOLVER wraps a spring tour in support of its second album, Libertad, frontman Scott Weiland will rejoin his former bandmates in STONE TEMPLE PILOTS for a handful of summer reunion shows, guitarist Slash tells Billboard.com.

STP broke up in late 2002; the band's last album was the previous year's Shangri-La Dee Da. No other details have yet been revealed about STP's plans.

In the meantime, Weiland and his Velvet Revolver bandmates are still plugging away in support of Libertad with dates that run through early April. There's also the hope that recording for album number three could begin in the spring.

"I don't think anybody knew the second one came out," Slash admits. "We didn't promote it, for one. The first record I remember going out for three weeks on the road and just promoting, with (bassist) Duff (McKagan) and myself going to Europe, Japan and the States.

Read the full article at Billboard.com.

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VR Bassist Speaks On STP Rumours And Sundance

UK's Classic Rock magazine has tracked down VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan and quizzed him about VR singer Scott Weiland's absence from the group's performance at the Sundance Film Festival and the rumors of a reunion of Weiland's previous band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS.

On the Sundance Film Festival:

"I sang 'It's So Easy' and 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' and then we were panicking a bit over what to play so [VR drummer] Matt [Sorum] got up and sang 'Patience', Matt's a great singer, he really is. Why wasn't Scott there? Scott missed his plane. Yeah, let's say that, Scott missed his plane…"

On STONE TEMPLE PILOTS reforming:

"That’s the rumor that I've heard too. Good for him. You can't plan ahead in this thing and if you do, you're going to be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I love playing live and we love this band, but I don't have expectations any more. This is a great band and I'm proud to be a part of it, but it doesn't define me anymore."

Although there has been no official confirmation from anyone involved, Weiland told the Miami Herald over the weekend to be on the lookout for a STONE TEMPLE PILOTS reunion in the months ahead. The band members are reportedly on good terms again after their less than friendly break-up in 2002, and Weiland told The Pulse of Radio a while back that he wouldn't rule out getting back together. "I think that there is always that distinct possibility," he said. "I have to say it would never come in the way of VELVET REVOLVER, but I don't think that the story has been completely told. I'm unhappy with the ending of the story."

Weiland made his comments at an all-star gala event benefiting the AROD Family Foundation, on Saturday (January 19) at the Ritz Carlton hotel in South Beach, Florida.

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Velvet Revolver Singer Explains Missed Concert

An official statement from VELVET REVOLVER's publicist regarding frontman Scott Weiland's absence from the band's concert Sunday night (January 20) at the 944 Magazine's party at Tao during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah has been released. It reads as follows:

"On Sunday, January 20, the private plane that Scott was traveling on from Miami (where he performed the night before at the AROD Family Foundation and Bay Point Schools benefit) to Utah was diverted because of bad weather. The pilot wouldn't fly from Miami to the Salt Lake City Airport because of extremely poor visibility and a potential poor weather system that made it dangerous for the plane to fly to Salt Lake City. Two hours into the flight, it was diverted to the Van Nuys Airport (in Los Angeles).

"Scott, the band and management tried to find a flight to take him from Van Nuys to Salt Lake City in time for the band's show, but this was not possible. By the time Scott landed at the Van Nuys airport, it was too late to make any connecting flights. VELVET REVOLVER's tour manager also looked into private flights for Scott, but a crew was not available in time for an immediate departure that would have brought him to the show on time."

Weiland was expected to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom last Thursday (January 17), where his recent DUI case was to be continued. The singer was charged with driving under the influence of drugs after being pulled over by police in late November.

VELVET REVOLVER will begin a new U.S. tour on January 24 in Chicago, with dates confirmed through February 7.

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Velvet Revolver Singer Misses Sundance Concert

VELVET REVOLVER frontman Scott Weiland was a no-show for the band's scheduled performance last night (Sunday, January 20) at the 944 Magazine's party at Tao during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. According to PageSix.com, "speculation from inside the band's camp said the singer had missed his flight to Sundance for the performance, but that didn't stop his bandmates from literally asking the crowd if they wanted to have a go."

"It's was crazy, they were inviting anyone who wanted to get up sing," an onlooker told PageSix.com.

A short clip of VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES drummer Matt Sorum taking on the vocal duties for VELVET REVOLVER's rendition of the GN'R classic "Patience" during the Tao concert can be viewed below.

Weiland was expected to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom last Thursday (January 17), where his recent DUI case was to be continued. The singer was charged with driving under the influence of drugs after being pulled over by police in late November.

VELVET REVOLVER will begin a new U.S. tour on January 24 in Chicago, with dates confirmed through February 9. More...

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Stone Temple Pilots To Reunite?

VELVET REVOLVER frontman Scott Weiland has told MiamiHerald.com that fans should be on the lookout for a reunion of his previous band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, in the coming months. The singer made the announcement during an appearance this past Saturday (January 19) at an all-star gala event benefiting the AROD Family Foundation. The event took place at the Ritz Carlton hotel in South Beach, Florida. Hosts included Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his wife Cynthia, who founded the non-profit organization to support programs focused on improving quality of life, education and mental health for families in distress.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS guitarist Dean DeLeo and bassist Robert DeLeo confirmed the band's split in 2003 following the release of the group's greatest-hits package, "Thank You".

"It was time to move on to other things," Dean told Guitar One magazine at the time. "Life and personalities and brotherhood took its course."

"Dean and [drummer] Eric [Kretz] and myself, I think, all feel a sense of sadness, relief, anger, melancholy about it," said Robert. "But to try and go and accomplish something with this band after we've already peaked is a bit cheesy. There's a cheese factor with guys hitting 40 trying to recapture glory.

"There's no way to go but out."

Weiland was expected to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom last Thursday (January 17), where his recent DUI case was to be continued. The singer was charged with driving under the influence of drugs after being pulled over by police in late November.

VELVET REVOLVER will begin a new U.S. tour on January 24 in Chicago, with dates confirmed through February 9.

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Velvet Revolver To Begin Writing In April

Eric Schelkopf of the Northwest Herald recently conducted an interview with former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Northwest Herald: I understand that Japanese immigration officials wouldn't give you visas so you could play in that country. That must have been quite the blow.

Slash: We're trying to appeal that situation. It's nothing that we did since the last time we played there. But for whatever reason, they decided to do that. That obviously disappointed a lot of Japanese fans.

Northwest Herald: Ironically, the name of your latest album, "Libertad", is Spanish for "freedom."

Slash: Yeah, maybe that's it. Maybe Japan is turning Communist. It's a drag. We have a huge fan base there that are being denied concerts and whatnot.

Northwest Herald: There are three former members of GUNS N' ROSES in VELVET REVOLVER, including yourself. As far as the dynamic of VELVET REVOLVER, how do you think it is different from GUNS N' ROSES?

Slash: It's just a different band, that's the only way I can answer that. It's a rock band, and there's a lot of similarities to any of the rock bands I've been in. But it's a whole different group, really. I found that in most of the rock bands I've been involved with, the approach is pretty similar. You get together and listen to different ideas. It's a little bit more smooth sailing and a little bit faster in this band than it was in my last band.

Northwest Herald: Last year at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Sammy Hagar referred to you guys as the best rock 'n' roll band left on the planet. Do you guys see yourselves that way?

Slash: This is definitely one of the few real rock bands out there, as least that is getting played on the radio. The whole sort of rock 'n' roll spirit, and that whole energy and that vibe of living on the edge, is just rare among new groups. It's just the way it is.

Northwest Herald: So does this look to be a pretty big year for the band?

Slash: It's been great so far. We've done a lot of touring. We're definitely not going to tour as much as we did on the last record. That almost killed us. We were out for 2-1/2 years. In April, we are going to start working on the next record.

Northwest Herald: Any other projects you are working on?

Slash: Yeah, there's a couple of things here and there. There's a couple of recordings I have going on. I don't really talk about that stuff until it's out.

Northwest Herald: Any dream projects you are looking forward to?

Slash: I have a solo record that I'm looking forward to doing. But I'm not going to do it until the VELVET REVOLVER record is done. That will be in the next year or two.

Read the full article at nwherald.

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Velvet Revolver Singer To Do Charity Show

According to MiamiHerald.com, VELVET REVOLVER frontman Scott Weiland will perform an All-Star Gala benefiting the AROD Family Foundation and Bay Point Schools on January 19 at the Ritz Carlton South Beach, Florida. Roy and Lea Black along with Cynthia and Alex Rodriguez are hosting the event, which is expected to be attended by Pamela Anderson, comedian Tommy Davidson, boxer Lennox Lewis, Rush Limbaugh, slugger Mike Piazza, former baseball MVP Mo Vaughn, R&B singer Mario Winans and model Alicia Pickter. Diva Patti LaBelle will also perform. Anderson and A-Rod will be among the celebs playing in the event's Fourth Annual Dewar's 12 Poker Challenge. Tickets are $500 per person. Call 305-443-8980.

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Slash To Jam With Anvil At Sundance Festival

As previously reported, ANVIL! The Story Of Anvil is the name of the documentary on Anvil directed by Sacha Gervasi, who wrote the Steven Spielberg movie, The Terminal. It will premier at the Sundance Film Festival which runs January 17-27. Sacha is an old friend of the band's that used to do some roadie work for them back in the 1980's.

Anvil will be performing at a club in Park City, Utah while at the Sundance. They will be performing on the 19th, 20th or 21st. Slash (VELVET REVOLVER/ ex-GUNS N' ROSES) will be jamming with them at this show.

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian will be appearing at various screenings of the movie during the Sundance Film Festival. Scott appears in the film. Scott might play with Anvil onstage for their song after the volunteers show.

Screening times for Anvil! The Story Of Anvil at the Sundance Film Festival:

Thursday, January 17 - volunteers show (Anvil will be performing 'Metal On Metal' after the show)
Friday, January 18, 5:30pm - Library Center Theatre, Park City
Saturday, January 19, 9:00pm - Tower Theatre, SLC
Sunday, January 20, Noon - Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Saturday January 26, Midnight - Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Monday, January 21, 11:00am - Yarrow, Park City (press screening)

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Slash Reflects On Book Signings

Former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist SLASH has issued the following blog detailing his recent book signings:

The whole book signing experience was pretty memorable because it was a whole different medium - I was promoting something I'm not familiar with. I'd walk into a book store and meet an audience that was somewhat similar to the live audience that I perform for, but the demographic was all over the place. It went from six and seven year olds, all the way to 60 and 70 year olds, and everyone in between. When I'm standing on a stage in front of a room full of people, I don't really notice any 70 year olds, on the average. The cool thing about the signings was being in a position to actually stand toe to toe with people who are fans - or just curious. I got to look them in the eye, shake their hands, and sometimes even get names. It was a very different experience for me. It was personable and that was really cool. I was there with this piece of material, this book we just wrote and people were really into hearing what I had to say. It's different than putting out a record, which people listen to and then you see them when they show up at your gigs. At a book signing you're much more accessible, and your fans are right there, living and breathing in person. They are in front of you as individuals, not just as crowd you see from a stage.

I knew it was going to be different at the very first signing, at Barnes and Noble in New York City. I had taped Letterman just before it and was wearing a jacket and button down shirt for the show, so at the signing I took off my jacket and was there in my shirt, starting off this whole thing. This girl came up to the table and kind of looked me over and just said, "Slash, this is way too conservative for you." It dawned on me right then what a different element I was in.

All of the signings were fun but the best for me, the one where I was the most comfortable was the one at the Whiskey a Go-Go. We had a bar, and loud music was playing; it was a club environment and there was some jamming and stuff later that night. And it was in LA. I got up and played at that one, but the one that was most like an actual show was the one at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. I was actually on a stage - they built one stage in the atrium there in the biggest mall in America - hence the name. Unlike other places where people were lined up outside the store, they were lined up in front of the stage, like a crowd at a gig, as I sat up there signing books.

I felt sort of naked out there at the table at all of the signings without the backdrop of my band and crew - my gang. I was there with a bunch of people who work in the bookstore and I was in their store, trying to get away with smoking cigarettes. And sober. It was definitely a little bit different. The pressure was really on me to hold up my end of the bargain which was to be able to accept my audience. It was cool to do it; it was almost cathartic in a way. I wasn't totally sure what to expect, just being out there, meeting fans in this way. I have to say that everybody was genuinely really nice. I wasn't expecting anything bad, but I wasn't sure what they would be like. When you're just sitting there signing books at a table, it's possible that somebody can just walk right up you and go "You're a fucking asshole!" Doing a signing is like being the host of a big dinner party with a bunch of people you've never met. You just don't know what's gonna happen. But everybody was really really nice - endearing is the best word I can think of. They were full of compliments, and I don't take compliments that well, but it was really, really nice. Young and old, everyone was very cool, and we did signings for 800-1000 people per event. A lot of people brought stuff they wanted signed, like guitars, Guitar Hero controllers, pictures, all kinds of gifts. The thing was, I'd need to get into a whirlwind pace of signing just to get through that many books in the time period available - some people bought upwards of 40 books a piece that I had to sign one after the other with no break. In that type of situation, all you can do is sign it. Then I'd look someone in the eye as they'd try to hand me something that clearly meant something to them, and ask me, "Can you please just sign this? Please?" I really couldn't, because if I did one, I'd have to do every one. So what ended up happening was that I'd tell them to wait around until the end and I'd sign it later. I'd go outside and sign all of that in the parking lot for another hour or however long it took.

Who would have thought, though? I've never released a book, I've never been to a signing and outside of the library or a book store, knew nothing about books or publishing in general. I'd read them and that's it. I never thought about what goes into writing them or editing them or producing them in general. When we wrote this I thought it was only going to go out to those Guns N' Roses fans who cared - and I knew there were those - and no one else. I had no idea that we'd get a turnout like this, from the many different types of readers to the huge number of readers. I had no idea that the book we wrote would appeal to enough people to get it on top of the New York Times Bestseller list for over a month straight. I had no idea that what we were dong was working toward something that would become this big. Who knows... maybe that's why it's cool.

Slash

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Velvet Revolver Announce U.S. Dates

VELVET REVOLVER will embark on a U.S. theater tour in late January. The group's itinerary is now shaping up as follows:

Dec. 29 - Trenton, NJ @ Sovereign Bank Arena
Dec. 31 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Jan. 24 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
Jan. 25 - Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
Jan. 26 - Detroit, MI @ Fillmore
Jan. 28 - West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
Jan. 30 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
Jan. 31 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's Bar-B-Q
Feb. 02 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Waterfront Village
Feb. 05 - San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
Feb. 06 - Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
Feb. 07 - San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues
Feb. 09 - Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theatre
Feb. 15 - Brisbane, AU @ Convention Centre
Feb. 16 - Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre
Feb. 17 - Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre
Feb. 19 - Melbourne, AU @ Festival Hall
Feb. 20 - Adelaide, AU @ Thebarton Theatre
Mar. 15 - Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool
Mar. 16 - Leeds, UK @ Leeds University
Mar. 17 - Manchester, UK @ Apollo
Mar. 19 - Newcastle, UK @ Carling Academy
Mar. 20 - Glasgow, UK @ Carling Academy
Mar. 22 - Wolverhampton, UK @ Civic Hall
Mar. 23 - Birmingham, UK @ Carling Academy
Mar. 25 - London, UK @ Brixton Academy
Mar. 26 - London, UK @ Brixton Academy
Mar. 27 - Brighton, UK @ The Brighton Centre
Mar. 30 - Brussels, BEL @ Ancienne Belgique
Apr. 01 - Amsterdam, NETH @ Heineken Music Hall More...

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Velvet Revolver Release UK Tour Dates

VELVET REVOLVER have lined up the following UK tour dates for March:

March 15 - Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool University
March 16 - Leeds, UK @ Leeds University
March 17 - Manchester, UK @ Carling Apollo Manchester
March 19 - Newcastle, UK @ Carling Academy Newcastle
March 20 - Glasgow, UK @ Carling Academy Glasgow
March 22 - Wolverhampton, UK @ Civic Hall
March 23 - Birmingham, UK @ Carling Academy Birmingham
March 25 - London, UK @ Carling Academy Brixton
March 27 - Brighton, UK @ The Brighton Centre

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Velvet Revolver Reschedule Australian Tour Dates

VELVET REVOLVER invites fans to celebrate New Year's Eve with them at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom. The Grammy-winning band's set will consist of material from their current and critically acclaimed "Libertad" and their three-million-selling debut album "Contraband", as well as songs from the members' respective bodies of work.

Tickets are available now at the Irving Plaza Box Office, select Ticketmaster outlets and charge-by-phone lines (212-307-7171 or 866-448-7849) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.livenation.com.

The New Year's Eve concert will follow VELVET REVOLVER's Wednesday, December 12 headlining show at Los Angeles' Gibson Amphitheatre. The Los Angeles performance — with ALICE IN CHAINS — was originally set for Friday, October 26 at the outdoor Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA but was postponed due to the devastating Southern California wildfires. In an effort to help the victims of these fires, a limited edition VELVET REVOLVER t-shirt will be sold at the show, with part of the proceeds going to Southern California fire victims. In addition, the Red Cross will have an informational booth at the show with details about how people can help. More...

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Slash Speaks On Guns 'N Roses And More

Metro.co.uk recently conducted an interview with VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Metro.co.uk: What was the high point of your time in GUNS N' ROSES?

Slash: The whole thing was a high point. It was the best thing I could have got involved with. I always judged how successful we were by the response from the fans. Towards the end it was overwhelming. The biggest concerts we did were two Rock In Rio festivals, where we played to more than 190,000 people. Playing in front of that many people is a lot to take in so I hid behind the guitar, the hat, the hair, the cigarette — but you can definitely still feel them out there.

Metro.co.uk: You've worked with a variety of famous musicians. With whom did you get on best?

Slash: I really got on great with almost all of them. Michael Jackson's record was a special moment, so was working with Iggy Pop, Lenny Kravitz and Ray Charles. A not-so-great one was with Bob Dylan. That was a huge learning experience. I was recommended for a guitar solo on his track "Wiggle Wiggle" during one of his darker periods in the late 1980s. I put a solo on there that I was quite proud of and put an acoustic rhythm track underneath it. When I heard it, only the acoustic track was there. Apparently he took the solo off because it sounded too much like GUNS N' ROSES.

Metro.co.uk: That must have been disapointing.

Slash: A bit. It was one of my first sessions. If I knew then what I know now I'd have done things differently.

Playing to 190,000 people is a lot to take in so I hid behind the guitar, the hat, the hair and the cigarette

Metro.co.uk: What bands do you like at the moment?

Slash: FOO FIGHTERS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MEGADETH, WHITE STRIPES. Mostly bands that have been around for a while. There haven't been any new bands I've heard recently that have caught my ear.

Metro.co.uk: What was Michael Jackson like?

Slash: Very astute and professional — he knew exactly what he wanted me to do in the songs.

Metro.co.uk: What about as a person?

Slash: He was great. All that stuff about his extra-curricular sexual preferences — I hope isn't true. I never encountered anything like that. He was just a pleasure to work with.

Metro.co.uk: Will you ever work with Axl Rose again?

Slash: I always say "never say never" but it's not going to happen in the foreseeable future.

Metro.co.uk: Do you still collect pinball machines?

Slash: Yes, I just gave away a couple so now I only have 13. I want to get the new "King Kong" and the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" ones. My favourite is an old one called "Funhouse". They're programmed not to take money, or else I'd need a lot of loose change.

Metro.co.uk: What are the highs and lows of dating a porn star [Slash has gone out with at least two]?

Slash: It depends on the porn star. The sex is great and very uninhibited. The lows were getting too much of the same thing. It starts to feel like you're making a movie every time you have sex.

Read the full article at this location.

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Velvet Revolver Singer Arrested for DUI

According to TMZ.com, VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland was arrested for DUI (Driving Under the Influence) late last month.

The former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman was driving on an L.A. highway around 6:15 PM on November 21 when he crashed his car. While the California Highway Patrol was investigating the non-injury wreck, they noticed Weiland appeared to be impaired. According to the police report, Weiland failed sobriety tests and refused to take a blood or urine test. He was booked for "driving under the influence of a drug."

He was released on $40,000 bail and will be back in court on December 13.

Check out the police report at this location (PDF file).

Weiland is no stranger to run-ins with the law. He was busted for buying crack in 1995, domestic violence in 2001, DUI on his birthday in 2003, and as TMZ.com first reported, allegedly trashed a hotel room while brawling with his wife. His wife later issued a statement saying her hubby was "simply trying to help calm me down."

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Duff McKagen Speaks On Axl Rose

Steve Bell of Australia's Time Off magazine recently conducted an interview with VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On the fact that their collective pasts may put more pressure on them to produce the goods, and opens them to more public scrutiny than the average band:

"I don't think any of us pay any attention to that at all. I've never, ever felt pressure — I've never felt pressure to follow up one record with a better record. It's just about keeping it real, and if people dig it then that's cool, and if they don't that's cool too.

"Once you start trying to make music a product and start following a formula — and I know bands who do this, they follow the formula of their hit record instead of just following their instinct of what a good song is to them — then it's all over. You've got to write for yourself first."

On how the material from the band's second album, "Libertad", is being received:

"It's been going over good. We've done a lot of South American dates, and that was pretty unreal. It's a great place to start a tour if you're us. We didn't know how many fans we had down there, and it was fucking insane.

"Then we went to Europe — that was great. We did a couple of North American runs, which were also cool — we had ALICE IN CHAINS opening on the last one. They're fucking awesome and really good friends of ours, so it was cool. It's a fun record to play live, and it's great now that we have obviously a couple of records worth of material to play.

"We're doing a cool thing in the middle of our set where we strip everything down and do some old songs from our collective bands — some STP and GN'R songs. Songs that you might not expect us to play, and we sort of sit on stools and do them semi-acoustically. It's pretty cool. It's worked really well, I think it's powerful."

On being able to embrace their incredible pasts:

"It's better than having a past that you're fucking trying to hide from — maybe if I'd been in WINGER we wouldn't be so open to it. Nothing against WINGER, of course, but you know what I'm saying. I mean it's true — the songs we wrote in GUNS N' ROSES were fucking killer songs, and they're great to do live, so why not?"

On whether the former members of GUNS N' ROSES feel that Axl Rose is tarnishing the amazing legacy that they left behind:

"I haven't really paid attention to it — maybe part of me doesn't want to. Probably a large part of me doesn't want to. I haven't tried to analyze it too much. As far as the name being tarnished, I think that's for the fans to figure out on their own.

"I have my own feelings about it and I keep them pretty private, but I hope that one day Axl and I can at least talk and be friends. Because we did a lot together. We did some pretty amazing things, and it's kind of a shame. He's always talking trash, and it's kind of goofy at this point, I think."

On the the biggest change that McKagan has noticed in the music industry between the '80s and now:

"The biggest difference now — and this is really over the last, like, seven years — is back when Gunners was doing it a tour was still thought of as something to promote your record. That's the way it had been since the 50s, but now with record sales slumping everywhere bands are figuring out other ways to make money on the road.

"So now, really, a record is sort of like advertising for your tour. That's where bands are getting smarter about touring economically, and paying more attention to merchandise and T-shirts and all that shit. Doing 'meet-and-greet' packages — all kinds of shit. And it's now not a bad thing to have your song on a commercial, or in a movie or on a ringtone — that's just the way it is now.

"Whereas ten years ago that would have been fucking 'selling out!' It's not even considered selling out any more, it's just good business. So really the biggest change in the music industry is actually the business of music. Not much has changed as far as songwriting or the attitude towards playing music live — you keep it real and you keep it honest, and the rest will follow."

On having had some pretty incredible adventures over the last 20-plus years:

"I guess so, man. I wish I remembered more of them. There's a period from '90 to '93 that I don't remember, but for the most part it's been great. I'm alive to tell some of the stories anyhow, and I look back and know that I have had a pretty great run.

"I'm 43 now and I'm still out doing it, and still kind of looked at as a semi-viable proposition as a musician. And I think I've fucking earned that by now. Obviously the most fun thing for me is having a great family, and being a father that my girls look up to, and leading for them by example. For me that's the most important thing — this rock music is all sort of just frilly extra stuff."

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Velvet Revolver Confirmed For Superbowl Party

According to Azcentral.com, the music scene surrounding Super Bowl XLII continues to firm up, with several big names confirmed for the 944 Super Bowl Village in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. The night of Saturday, February 2, rock supergroup VELVET REVOLVER are confirmed along with REO SPEEDWAGON among others. During the day, the Village will be home to NFL memorabilia sales, ESPN radio and NFL network broadcasting.

Super Bowl XLII will be held on February 3, 2008 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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