Velvet Revolver

[Üncle Snake]

BBC Radio 1 spoke to guitarist Slash backstage before the VELVET REVOLVER gig in London on Thursday night (Sept. 2). Asked about the Slash figure that is being developed by McFarlane Toys (the same company that has previously produced toys for OZZY OSBOURNE and KISS), Slash responded, "It's not an action figure, you know, I don't have a Rambo thing going on, it's a model of me playing guitar which is more or less based around a photo that was taken from a video and they're just making a plastic thing out of it. How does it feel? I don't know man, I'll know a little bit better when I actually see it, you know."

[muthagoose]

VELVET REVOLVER's upcoming VH1 special, "(Inside)Out: The Rise of Velvet Revolver", has a new air date: Thursday, September 30 at 9:00 p.m. EST. The program, which was originally set to air in June, is described as a behind-the-scenes look at how VELVET REVOLVER got constructed, from the songwriting process to the singer search and studio sessions.

In other news, VELVET REVOLVER bassist Duff McKagan recently spoke to Launch Radio Networks about the conerts that made the biggest impression on him when he was a young rock fan. "Well, I saw ZEPPELIN at the Kingdome in Seattle in 1977," he revealed. "I was 12, I snuck pot in in my shoe, and it was like the longest concert ever, and I saw LED ZEPPELIN, you know. That was mind-blowing. And then in '79, I saw the first CLASH tour through the United States, at this little theatre in Seattle."

VELVET REVOLVER are currently on tour in Europe promoting their platinum debut album, "Contraband". The group will return to the States for a tentative tour in October and November. They're already confirmed to perform at the sixth annual Voodoo Music Experience, on October 17 in New Orleans.

[muthagoose]

According to the New York Daily News, Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan of VELVET REVOLVER and of FUEL have teamed up with Jon Gabel and Mike Diamond, proprietors of the Vela restaurant in New York City, to create a rock-friendly venue open 24 hours a day on weekends.

Dubbed Snitch, the nightspot will offer surprise live gigs, sports on big-screen TVs and "a steady flow of leather pants." Snitch will also offer culinary delicacies like mac and cheese, fried-chicken-and-waffle baskets and "beer balls." Scheduled opening: Thursday, Sept. 9. Snitch is located at 59 W. 21st St. in New York City.

[Üncle Snake]

World Entertainment News Network is reporting that VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash finally decided to quit heroin when he realized his addiction meant he could not longer play his instrument properly.

The rocker, now 39, became a slave to the drug during his days with GUNS 'N ROSES, and got to the point where he no longer cared how low he was feeling.

Slash says, "One thing I always had was my ability to play guitar. When I found I couldn't even do that I knew it was time to quit, although it took me some time.

"The first time I took heroin I knew I'd discovered my favourite drug of all time. I never liked the hyped-up state cocaine puts you in.

"The sort of personality who shoots heroin is often a shy guy who wants to be cool and relaxed. But you can get to such a low point on it, you just don't care about your self-esteem."

[Üncle Snake]

According to the U.K.'s Daily Star newspaper, "VELVET REVOLVER are on a collision course with TV bosses over an explicit video. The promo to new single 'Fall to Pieces' is set to be banned because of its graphic content — the video recounts their singer Scott Weiland's battle with heroin and features scenes of drug-taking and nudity. A source close to the band said: 'They really didn't hold back and it gets pretty gory.'"

[Ponyone]

VELVET REVOLVER (minus guitarist Dave Kushner) performed a special three-song acoustic set at the Snitch nightclub in New York City Friday night (Sept. 17). According to one attendee, the band played acoustic renditions of "Dead Flowers" (THE ROLLING STONES), "Surrender" (CHEAP TRICK) and "Used to Love Her" (GUNS N' ROSES). Kushner failed to take part in the performance because he reportedly showed up late to the club, which is co-owned by VELVET REVOLVER members Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan.

In other news, VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash joined James Brown and Lenny Kravitz onstage at Miller Brewing Company's "Rock Through Time" event (the grand finale to Miller's celebration of Rolling Stone's 50 Years of Rock and Roll summer) on Friday at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. "Rock Through Time", a two-day concert event, will conclude on Saturday, September 18 with additional performances from VELVET REVOLVER and CHEAP TRICK, among others.

[muthagoose]

APPETITE FOR DISTRACTION

By SARA STEWART
From The New York Post

September 19, 2004 -- `I wanna rock 'n' roll all night - and party every day." When Kiss howled those lines back in 1975, they might have envisioned a place like Snitch, New York's only 24-hour rock club.

The new lounge at 59 W. 21st St. - which will stay open around the clock on weekends - boasts an impeccable rock pedigree.

Its owners include Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver and Brett Scallions, frontman of the alt-metal band Fuel.

The three musicians, who all reside in L.A., set out to fill what they see as a gaping void in the fabric of New York night life: "a real rock 'n' roll getaway," says Scallions. "It's never really been done here."

So the leather-pants-wearing entrepreneurs thought up all the things they'd want in a lounge: Informal live music. Cheap beer. Good (as in, no techno allowed) deejays. Sports on big-screen TVs. Cute female bartenders.

And edible bar food - including the most important meal of a rock star's day, the late-night breakfast.

Snitch's menu was planned by its two other two co-owners, Michael Diamond and Jon Gabel, veteran club owners and resterauteurs who opened the hot Japanese/Brazilian restaurant Vela this spring.



"Food's an important part of any entertainment formula," says Gabel, who adds that he's wholeheartedly behind the Snitch credo.

"All the other [clubs] are about models and being seen and celebrities and just the whole chi-chi-ness of it," he says. "Rock 'n' roll ... there's nothing chi-chi about that."

Nothing, that is, except the menu - which includes conch fritters, fresh from St. Bart's; french fries with truffle aioli; and brioche french toast.

All the bread comes from Balthazar; the meat is all organic - even the "big gut-bomb cheeseburger," says Scallions, a native Southerner who made sure the menu also included down-home items like a chicken-and-waffles basket, and a gigantic, sloppy "Shut-Up Sundae."

Brunch, which will be served from midnight to 8 a.m. on weekends, includes Kobe steak and eggs, waffles, eggs Benedict, and, for the health-conscious aging rocker, granola and fruit.

"Snitch is going to be the place to have breakfast," promises Gabel.

But Snitch's real draw will be the clientele: Its owners are hoping for a steady stream of famous friends who'll play impromptu acoustic sets, in the style of L.A.'s famed rock club the Viper Room.

That tiny lounge has been a hot spot for memorable musical stop-ins by everyone from Pearl Jam to Johnny Cash. Its intimate size and low-key atmosphere have kept it on the radar for celebrities and A-list musicians since it was opened by Johnny Depp in 1993.

So, like that 250-capacity club, Snitch features a miniscule stage - complete with house instruments, so musicians can get on stage at a moment's notice and play. "If it happens, it happens - if not, no big deal," says Scallions. "But you can never tell who's going to be here."

They've already garnered interest from heavy-hitters such as Marilyn Manson, Green Day and Lenny Kravitz.

"'Snitch but don't tell' is our tag line,"says Gabel. "We'll never advertise who will be here."

McKagan, for one, plans to stop in frequently. "It's cool to have a home base in New York,"he says.

If and when Velvet Revolver's bassist, Slash, shows up, he'll be able to order the drink named for him. It's a nod to the former Guns n' Roses guitarist's well-documented love of whiskey: Jack and Coke, with a shot of Jack back.

Then there's the Fuel cocktail: sake infused with ginger. "It tastes like... fuel," says Snitch's manager, Joseph Stern.

They're still trying to work out the Keith Richards drink: "We can't find anything strong enough," Stern laughs.

"You need something to make the heart palpitate," adds Scallions. "Like Red Bull. Or an eightball."

And in a kind nod to struggling musicians, the 5 to 8 p.m. happy hour during the week will offer $2 Bud and Bud Lights.

"When you have to decide whether to buy strings or beer - do both," says Stern.

Sure, it's a little strange that two of the bar's owners have publicly gone through rehab - in Weiland's case, pretty recently (he just finished a six-month stint before heading off on a European tour in August).

But here's what you didn't know: The now clean and sober McKagan is a talented numbers-cruncher, which could come in handy for club management.

"Duff is a smart guy," says Scallions. "He's been studying finance at the University of Seattle."

Are they concerned that wayward celebrities could bring to Snitch the kind of tragic publicity the Viper Room received when River Phoenix died of an overdose on its sidewalk in 1993?

"I'm not worried about that," says Gabel. "The rock stars we've had here are pretty well behaved.

"Now, if we were a hotel, it would be different..."

With no rooms to trash, the rockers will have to channel the testosterone into a different arena: rooting for their favorite football teams on Sunday and Monday, on Snitch's 12 plasma TV screens.

"I think all musicians secretly want to be athletes, and all athletes want to be musicians,"says Scallions, who's planning to add some awards and memorabilia to the walls eventually too.

That image brings up unfortunate associations with tourist-heavy chain establishments like the Hard Rock Caf‚ and Planet Hollywood - but Scallions insists the club won't go that way.

"We don't want to turn into some cheesy novelty thing," he says. "We want to cater to real people, New Yorkers who've been waiting for a place to hang and listen to great rock and roll.

"The real locals."

[muthagoose]

The VELVET REVOLVER band appears to have been split into two camps following the group's decision to fire their management team, Immortal Entertainment, on Sept. 17. VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash will be managed by HK Management (Howard Kaufman) while the rest of the band is going with Irvin Azoff (VAN HALEN, CHRISTINA AGUILERA), informed sources have told BLABBERMOUTH.NET.

Dana Millman-Dufine and David Codicow, who were representing the band within Immortal, are believed to be trying to make a deal with Azoff to take them on. Since Dana Millman-Dufine looks mainly after vocalist Scott Weiland, she will probably be hired by Azoff for a while at least, while Azoff allegedly doesn't want or need David Codicow. No further details are available at this time.

[muthagoose]

According to a VH1 press release, VELVET REVOLVER's upcoming VH1 special, "(Inside)Out: The Rise of Velvet Revolver", has yet another new air date: Wednesday, December 1. The program, which was originally set to air in June, is described as a behind-the-scenes look at how VELVET REVOLVER got constructed, from the songwriting process to the singer search and studio sessions.

This thing was originally supposed to air mid-summer.

[muthagoose]

VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland has told MTV.com that the free show they put on at a Hollywood parking lot last Wednesday (Oct. 13) is a good idea of what fans can expect on the band's current U.S. tour.

"The sum of all our parts, all our life experiences, we bring every one of the elements we have inside of us onto the stage and it explodes out of all our pores," Weiland said. "That's why people come to see us, and why our shows are selling out. I like to say it's the Evel Knievel factor. You've got to figure, the way we've all lived our lives, it's been pretty rough around the edges, so you get five guys who've lived that way, and you really never know what's going to happen. Anything can happen at any time.

"Everyone's really in a great place right now," Weiland continued. "There are five large egos in this band, that's kind of an undeniable factor. It's not like we're saints. We do argue. But we do know how to negotiate our way around those arguments. One thing that we have learned is to keep a band together. So going out on the road, when the road can be a tenuous place, and a lot of drama can ensue, and everyone has different ideas of how things should be run, well, we've learned what to do and what not to do. Through all the things we've done wrong in the past, we've learned what to do right."

VELVET REVOLVER tour dates:

Oct. 19 - Tulsa, OK @ Green on the East End
Oct. 20 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheatre
Oct. 23 - Phoenix, AZ @ Phoenix Coliseum
Oct. 24 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Center
Oct. 25 - McAllen, TX @ Dodge Arena
Oct. 28 - San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless
Oct. 30 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Pavilion
Oct. 31 - Little Rock, AR @ Alltel Arena
Nov. 01 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
Nov. 05 - Birmingham, AL @ Boutwell Municipal Auditorium
Nov. 06 - Memphis, TN @ Desoto County Civic Center
Nov. 09 - Worcester, MA @ Worcester Centrum
Nov. 12 - Manchester, NH @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Nov. 16 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
Nov. 23 - Detroit, MI @ Emerald Theatre

[muthagoose]

VELVET REVOLVER frontman Scott Weiland has posted the following message on the group's web site:

"To Jeffy: Just when I thought it was safe to go back into the shark-infested waters of the once respected world of rock and roll journalism, I meet Jeffy. At the end of the interview, I give him a rare compliment about the integrity of his magazine, saying how much I like Classic Rock; it's an actual music magazine for music fans. Jeffy took this as a sign of weakness. He uses it as my final quote to close his piece on me, alleging that due to my 'nice boy' demeanor, I must not be quite the legend that he was hoping to talk to. I live my life: 'musician', 'junkie', 'artist', 'friend', 'ex-felon', 'father', 'husband', 'rock star'. Who are you? A man so desperate to take a sincere rare compliment after the completion of an interview and use it against me? I still like Classic Rock magazine, and Ross Halfin, legendary photographer, way out of your league, but as for you? Where's that fucking fly swatter?"

[Üncle Snake]

VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland has released the following political statement on the eve of the U.S. presidential elections:

"Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union there has been a lack of a balance of power. This lacking has created an environment whereas any American president — or 'two' presidents with the same name — could impose their will globally and unilaterally, for a number of reasons: anti-terror (defense spending), democracy (oil). Democracy, democracy, oil, oil, oil — 'All we need is oil / da, da, da, da, da.'

"The initial argument for war in Iraq was to rid the region of weapons of mass destruction and remove Saddam from power, making the region and the world safe from a maniacal dictator. Somehow the motive has blurred into something completely different altogether: 'A free and democratic society for the people of Iraq,' most of whom don't want what we're selling them, and never will.

"And then there's the Patriot Act whose name couldn't be more misleading or closer to the antithesis, and would never have been passed had it not been for the fall-out factor of 9/11, and the fact that the Bush administration was playing off every American's fears of one another. They didn't take away our civil liberties, we allowed them to be taken away! But what are we going to do about it now!!

"What does this election all mean to us? To you? To me? I believe this goes back to the foundation of ideals that this country was founded on — those God-given inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And brothers and sisters: with civil liberties under attack and censorship abound, I implore you to make a choice for freedom. A freedom for youth. Freedom of youth is the freedom of the future.

"Twelve years ago, as an artist I felt a freedom to express my ideals, thoughts, and hopes, even those that were not consistent with what was considered politically correct or deemed in line with current patriotic values. But all that has changed. Censorship has reared its ugly head. Not since the days of 'McCarthyism' in the 50’s has their been an actual public fear of persecution that was based in reality. Since I started this last album — the creative process, press, video, lyrics, album art, website art — I have been up against an unseen enemy that has been put in place by this current 'fascist-like' regime: censorship, and the persecution that comes with it.

"Ever since our media blitz in Hollywood (we did a free show in front of 3,000 kids), I have been speaking out candidly about these issues. Now, in the middle of an American tour, the frequency of which I’m selected for 'Special Security Screening' at airports has jumped from about 30% to 80-90%. Once again I say to you; it's not whether we're moving in the direction of a fascist state, it's whether or not you want it that way. Do you?

"I remember the weeks following 9/11. The tragedy, the sadness, and that overwhelming feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop… then something else happened. America came together and rose out of the ashes like a Phoenix for the first time in my life. The ideals, hopes, and common bonds that once were the bedrock of this nation rose again to the surface and we let the world see what we were made of — our unity, brotherly love, and honor, even if brought together by tragedy.

"I feel that George Bush took advantage of us. Took advantage of our loss. Took advantage of our pain. Took advantage of our grief, and used it for his own selfish designs. The question is not whether or not this happened, but if we’re going to do something to change it. Please make a vote that shows America does not belong to George Bush. That the White House is not an heirloom of the Bush Dynasty. Place a vote to restore honor and pride back to America and the presidency. Vote for John Kerry.

"If you’re asking, 'Why did you post this now? The day of?' It's because I want it to be the last thing on your mind before you hit that booth!"

[muthagoose]

Weiland enjoys his clean start

By Steve Morse, Globe Staff | November 5, 2004

Scott Weiland is lucky to be alive. He's the first to admit that. Wracked by self-destructiveness and a monstrous drug habit that led him from one rehab center and jail cell to another for years, the longtime outlaw singer could easily have become this generation's latest rock casualty. Weiland made some great music with Stone Temple Pilots before getting into a dressing-room fistfight with one member and going his own way. But he has changed his life and been reborn in Velvet Revolver, a band featuring hard-living, ex-Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum. They've had one of the breakout records of the year in ''Contraband," yielding hits, ''Set Me Free," ''Slither," and ''Fall to Pieces." After making its Boston debut at Avalon a few months ago, the band has risen rapidly to the arenas and will play the Worcester Centrum Centre on Tuesday and the Verizon Wireless Arena next Friday. Weiland consented to a rare interview that follows:Q: Your guitarist, Slash, said they wanted you in the band because they look at you as the ''Last of the Mohicans" of rock singers. Do you feel that way?


A: Well, I can only say that all of my musical icons are legends -- from David Bowie and Iggy Pop to Mick Jagger and James Brown, who is the greatest performer of them all. Those are the people I draw from.

Q: How do you see yourself as a performer? You've always been very visual. At Avalon, you wore aviator glasses and a military cap and carried a bullhorn.

A: The stage allows me to be someone different, because I'm not a people person. I've never had a lot of friends in my life. And it's been that way since probably grade school. So, not being a very gregarious person, the only way I can do what I do is to become that sort of dark clown. As a kid, I always used to dress up in costume -- and that enabled me to become somebody else. And it's interesting, because my son does the same thing.

Q: How is the new album different from your work with Stone Temple Pilots?

A: A lot of the STP records that I wrote with Dean and Robert [the DeLeo brothers] came when I was definitely very depressed and struggling. I was at a loss to know who I was. And in not knowing who I was, a lot of the thematic elements were very dark and self-effacing. However, there was a lot of anger on the Velvet Revolver record, which was different. . . . My wife and I were separated, and, leading just up to the recording, we were starting a divorce. And I had just gotten arrested and was getting my chain yanked around. There was anger toward the system. It wasn't that sort of ''poor me" emotion.

Q: You're back with your wife and two children and you're back on the road. Have things really turned around?


A: This has been the most happy time of my entire life. I figured out the only way to get my wife back was to stop focusing on getting my wife back and try to figure out who I was -- and that's when the process really began. I had been trying to follow the same footsteps of everybody who had gotten their [act] together through traditional mediums. And I don't need to name that process because everybody knows what I'm talking about. But in trying to do that, I was continuously banging my head against the wall. . . . The thing with me is that I am an individual -- I'm a square peg who can't fit into a round hole. I was allowed by the courts to get into where I was turned onto this dude who was a lifetime junkie, and he happened to have a completely different philosophy than anyone I had ever met. He took little bits from every different philosophy to make his own. For me, that made sense. That was a new place to start from. . . . And for whatever reason, I got to a point in my life where [heroin] is just something I can't conceive of doing again. I made a decision that that's not who I am anymore.

Q: Is that what the hit song ''Fall to Pieces" is all about?

A: Yes, that was the real turning point -- and the lowest point. I thought that all the years of potential arrests were behind me, but to all of a sudden have that happen again was a slap in the face. I guess in a sense that it was God driving that police car. But when I got bailed out of jail, I showed up at the studio the next day. I had actually heard the music to that song about a month earlier, but it didn't have any significance to me. But the day that I got out of jail . . . I immediately started working on new lyrics.

Q: How important has the band been in your recovery?

A: The band came along at a perfect time. It came at a time when I was sick of living the way I was. The nine months prior to joining the band was the worst nine months of my life. I was completely alone. My wife and I had separated and I was living in my LA apartment and my wife and kids were living down in our house on Coronado Island. . . . I was suicidal and would wake up every morning sick.

Q: I heard that [Velvet Revolver bassist] Duff McKagan encouraged you to get into martial arts and that has helped.

A: Yes, I practice and train when I'm home and train when I'm on the road. That has helped me in such a profound way. I now look at myself as not just a man, but as a father and a husband. And it's helped how I communicate with people and deal with people who have less than positive intentions toward me.

Q: How does this all translate to the music?

A: Onstage and even in the dressing room, there's tension. There's a lot of energy and a lot of testosterone. And because of the fact we're artists, there's a lot of female energy as well under the surface. So there are a lot of feelings that get masked over with testosterone. And you have to figure in the fact that we're all ex-dope fiends, too. So, if we're not talking through certain issues and they get masked over or covered up, then by the time we hit the stage it's like a marble ball with 100 megatons of energy inside of it. It's almost as if it drops in slow motion and then when it hits the floor of the stage, it just explodes.

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: Velvet Revolver - Headspace

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[Üncle Snake]

VELVET REVOLVER will be the featured musical guests on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Monday, December 13. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" airs in most markets at 12:05 a.m.

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: Anthrax - Nobody Knows Anything

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[muthagoose]

While VELVET REVOLVER's combination of former GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, ex-STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman Scott Weiland, and Dave Kushner, who has played guitar in several great rock bands would be considered a "supergroup," Kushner recoils at the term. "I couldn't have put together a better band. And not just talent-wise, but songwriting-wise and personality-wise and everything else," the guitarist tells Jeff Royer of Fly magazine. "Oh, dude, it's the best. But if it was meant to be a supergroup, they wouldn't have gotten me in the band, because my marquee value as a name isn't anywhere near those guys. If it was just about marquee value and selling out and doing a DAMN YANKEES thing, then they would have gotten someone with a bigger name. We're just guys who wanna play music for a living, and that's just what we show up and do every day."

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: Faster Pussycat - House of Pain

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[muthagoose]

Launch Radio Networks is reporting that VELVET REVOLVER's U.S fans will be able to hear some of the B-side cover versions from some of their overseas singles. The band will release a new version of their debut album, "Contraband", later this month packaged with an additional disc featuring the covers — AEROSMITH's "No More No More", CHEAP TRICK's "Surrender", and NIRVANA's "Negative Creep", all of which they've been playing live. Bassist Duff McKagan said he's happy the songs will finally be available to fans at home, since the tracks are so important overseas. "There's no B-sides in America anymore, but in Europe and Japan, it's still a big deal having, you know, releasing singles and having these different B-sides," he told Launch.

VELVET REVOLVER are continuing to add covers to their shows, and McKagan said they've worked up a version of QUEEN's "Tie Your Mother Down". VELVET REVOLVER are also looking at footage for a possible concert DVD in the near future.

[muthagoose]

VELVET REVOLVER bassist Duff McKagan has told Launch Radio Networks that the group shot a gig earlier this year in Houston that they want to release on DVD. "There's a DVD we recorded for HDNet, and we got to own the film, and we recorded a concert in Houston with, like, eight cameras or something. It's a really well-shot concert. Hopefully we'll have that in there, too."

Despite the existence of those tapes, there's no concrete plan for a VELVET REVOLVER DVD, and it's unlikely one would surface before 2005. VELVET REVOLVER's next show is tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 10) at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia.

[muthagoose]

VELVET REVOLVER fan site Velvet-Revolver.com has posted additional information about VELVET REVOLVER's upcoming VH1 special, "(Inside)Out: The Rise of Velvet Revolver", which is scheduled to premiere December 1 at 11:00 p.m. EST. According to the posting, VH1 has added footage of a few events after the band's "Slither" video shoot, including new interviews with all band members, footage of the shows in Latrobe, PA (Rolling Rock) and London, England. The oldest footage that will be shown includes the days before singer Scott Weiland joined the band, when they were listening to lots of different singers. The documentary also shows footage that was shot the very first day Scott walked into the room to meet with the guys and quite a bit of studio recording material. There's no scheduled air date in the U.K. as of now, and it's unclear if there are plans to release the program on DVD in the future.

[muthagoose]

Launch Radio Networks is reporting that the success of "Fall To Pieces" has pleased all five members of VELVET REVOLVER. But the happiest may be guitarist Slash, who said he started writing the music for the song well before the band ever started. "When I first wrote it, it was before VELVET REVOLVER was even, I had no idea that that was around the corner," he told Launch. "I wrote it on my acoustic (guitar), and it seemed like it had some cool emotional content at the time, but it was one of those things where I, I thought, 'Eh, maybe, whatever,' you know? And so now that it is a single — and I, I've actually heard it on Top 40 radio — it's pretty funny, you know, just thinking about how that song came together."

VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland wrote the lyrics for "Fall To Pieces" while he was going through drug rehabilitation.

VELVET REVOLVER will release an expanded edition of their debut album, "Contraband", on Tuesday (Nov. 23) that features a bonus CD with three covers songs.

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: Daniel Lioneye - Roller

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[muthagoose]

Velver Revolver dressses up as Guns N' Roses for Halloween!...

[LotB]

This is way too incredibly fucking funny...

[muthagoose]

VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Dave Kushner recently told Entertainment Weekly that the group's decision to do away with their drug-fueled lifestyle of the past doesn't necessarily equal stability. "You don't need drugs and alcohol to have drama," said Kushner. "Sometimes the absence of it makes it worse. You've got five big egos, you've got testosterone, and there's not a lot of solutions out here on the road." Tensions have been running high on the group's current U.S. tour. Singer Scott Weiland is mad at drummer Matt Sorum and his appetite for groupies. At every venue, the crew sets up a "Vibe Room"with tapestries on the wall and mellow lighting and comfy chairsfor the band to relax in after a show. Sorum, sick of hanging out with a bunch of married guys, created an alternate space, a party room dubbed the Velvet Lounge. "He just wants to proliferate his own image," fumed Weiland to the rest of the band, "but it's degrading porno orgy shit! What are our wives going to think when they go backstage and there's boobs everywhere?" Sorum, for his part, is still irritated about Weiland's posting a long rant in support of John Kerry on the band's website. "Scott got something up his ass that day, so he put something on our website," he says. "We don't have to fucking put our political views on other people."

"Those two cause the most drama," sighed one crew member. "It's like having two lead singers." They're the ones who will pitch a fit about an early flight or the lint on a hotel room rug. Meanwhile, Kushner, who was on unemployment before VELVET REVOLVER signed their record deal, can barely bring himself to splurge on room service. "Part of you has to realize that it could end tomorrow," he said over a lunch of two Dunkin' Donuts. "If I spend like a jerk, I'm going to end up a broke jerk." Still, Kushner is trying to enjoy the ride while it lasts. "When Scott was having his chemical misadventures, a friend told me, 'You know, dude, you're in a rock band. If you want a safe and steady job, go pound nails for a living.'"V

[LotB]

It's good to see that there are still people like Kushner out there who are able to keep a level head about them.

[Üncle Snake]

The story that appeared in Entertainment Weekly is a good read. The writer spent four days on the road with the band. It's in the issue with the 50 best TV shows on DVD on the cover.

[LotB]

Canadians Think 'Velvet Revolver' Sucks

www.chartattack.com/damn/2004/11/2312.cfm

Air Canada Centre
Toronto, Ontario
November 22, 2004
by Keith Carman

After witnessing this incredibly uneventful performance by "super group" Velvet Revolver, it’s safe to surmise that they’re getting by on history alone. Like many bands before them, they feed off of what their individual names used to mean and are entirely undeserving of the glory bestowed upon them.

Now, before you start firing off hate emails, read on.

Given the wealth of talent comprising Velvet Revolver and the obvious success of debut album Contraband, one cannot deny that this quintet is capable of writing a few solid tunes. The problem is that, aside from purely ego centric reasons, they’re just not ready to headline. The cavernous ACC offers limited intimate interaction, making the show seem impersonal to begin with, and the band didn’t help.

Seeing them take over Toronto’s Kool Haus earlier this year was a far better experience. The band seemed enthusiastic and energized then, whereas on this night they followed the Arena Rock Guidebook to the letter while spewing out the record’s tracks verbatim. Not what one would expect from what singer Scott Weiland defines as "one of the only dangerous rock bands today." Maybe we expect too much.

Let’s put it this way: when your "big moment" (as all arena shows are apt to have) is little more than the band’s name lit up on a custom sign that resembles something off the front of a burlesque house, you should regroup and rethink your strategy.

Sometimes a weak musical catalogue can be made stronger via visual impact. Not this time. This had to be the most obvious "phone it in" performance ever. The majority of the band (Slash, Duff McKagan and Dave Kushner) were content to meander around the stage in a lackadaisical, indifferent fashion. Weiland did his best to enthrall the respectably sized audience, but after a decade of watching his go-go dancing and primping, he’s quickly on the way to one-trick pony status. If I never see him with a megaphone stuffed in his craw again it will be too soon.

But most people would say that great rock doesn’t require theatrics or gimmicks to get the point across. Agreed. But this isn’t great rock. It’s passable at best. The inclusion of Guns N’ Roses tunes "It’s So Easy" and "Used To Love Her" — fun as they are — are no replacement for your own original songs. They were merely padding for a set that struggled to reach the obligatory 120 minutes.

It’s also tough to buy into Weiland’s justification for a late start time, which he said was because the band’s equipment was held up by U.S. Customs. Why the hell would U.S. Customs need to inspect equipment coming into Canada? Flimsy, Weiland. Flimsy. Almost as flimsy as this forgettable rock "spectacle."