There's That Word Again

Joe Bosso over at Music Radar always gets the best scoops:

Matt Sorum says Velvet Revolver need a singer "soon"

"We need a singer soon," Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum told MusicRadar in an exclusive interview. "We need the right guy in six months. We can't wait another year. Otherwise, it might not matter."

Sorum told MusicRadar that the band was recently close to deciding on a singer, whose identity he declined to reveal ("I want to protect him"), but after a few recording sessions, both he and various band members ultimately decided it wasn't the right fit.

"The way I like to put it is, we were 'dating,' says Sorum, chuckling. "We had already tried out Spacehog's Royston Langdon - came close there. Then we tried out a few more people, including this guy from Canada [Gord Prior], but nobody seemed appropriate. Then we found this other dude..."

"There was something missing in the swagger department. He felt like a slam-dunk at first, and then he didn't" Matt Sorum on the unnamed singer Velvet Revolver almost chose

Sorum heaves a sigh, seemingly deflated at what might have been. "This guy felt like he could be the one. So I took him into my studio and recorded his vocals over a bunch of instrumentals we have. Immediately, he blew me away. 'This is the guy!' I told myself. I was on top of the world."

Sorum describes the unnamed singer as being "way more rock 'n' roll than Scott Weiland. The guy almost had a Chris Cornell/Phil Lynott thing going on - he could really bring it, you know?"

After one recording session, Sorum and various Velvet Revolver band members were over the moon. "It seemed like a slam-dunk," says Sorum. But a second session proved disappointing. "The guy gave maybe 70 percent of what he had before. It was very sad. Already it was a case of diminishing returns, and you shouldn't get that so quickly, especially from a guy who really wants the gig."

According to Sorum, "There was something missing in the swagger department. His vocals were great, but the attitude, it wasn't really there, not all the way at least. Plus, I played his recordings for my girlfriend and a couple of friends and I didn't get the reaction I was hoping for. Nobody went 'Holy shit, that's amazing!' That really sent signals to me that something was wrong."

Although Velvet Revolver's 2004 debut album Contraband went platinum, Sorum now says, "We made a mistake with Scott Weiland. Even though he had a cool swagger about him, he was never 100 percent live. He was hit-and-miss when it came to performing, and eventually it became more 'miss' than 'hit.'

"When Weiland announced his decision to split the band ("He quit before we could fire him." says Sorum), the remaining Velvet Revolver members figured it wouldn't take long to find a suitable replacement. A year later, they're still looking.

"I'm shocked that we're still without a singer," says Sorum. "But if we're going to do this again, we have to find the guy who blows people away. Otherwise, why bother? We can do other things. I'm not saying we want to do other things - we'd much rather be doing a Velvet Revolver album or tour right now - but if it's not going to be awesome…"

He catches himself, then says, "The truth is, we can't wait another year or two. We need a singer. We don't want to lose momentum with one another, and we don't want to lose the fans.

"Face it: people forget. Contraband did great, Libertad did less well. We have to come back stronger than ever, or else we might be looking around for other bands, and nobody wants that. We're still very committed to Velvet Revolver."

Fortus "We, Hopefully, Will Be Announcing Dates Soon, I Hope"

via Blabbermouth
Current GN'R rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus was interviewed yesterday (Monday, April 27) on the St. Louis, Missouri radio station KDHX 88.1 FM. The chat is now available for streaming at this location.

Regarding GN'R's current status, Fortus said, "I've been in rehearsals with Guns for the last little bit here — focusing more on that world right now. . . We, hopefully, will be announcing dates soon, I hope."

He added, "I don't know of any dates in the US yet; I haven't heard any talk. I'm sure that we will . . . Right now that's not where the focus is; I know that we're gonna be probably announcing other dates first."

I hope he wasn't misquoted.
-Mack

Izzy Stradlin Makes List Druggiest Rock Star Stories

I am always on the hunt for Izzy Stradlin news.

Last week I found this "story" on the 10ZenMonkeys website:

Japan has a reputation for searching rock stars for drugs.

So when Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin was warned by his manager to get rid of any drugs he might have before going through customers in Japan, Stradlin put them someplace he knew he wouldn't lose them — in his stomach.

He must have had quite a stash, because he wound up in a coma for 96 hours.

I don't know how accurate this story is, if it's true, or if it really deserves to be mentioned on a "best of" list - because it's just not that great of a story.

However, this is a great story:

It seemed like a good idea at the time - saying hello to his father's dog chained there in the front yard.

His affections enhanced by a goodly portion of brew, Izzy Stradlin leaned over and bared his teeth in a big smile. The dog in turn put his teeth through Izzy's face.

It was a bad omen for Stradlin's flight to Phoenix later that day. Sitting in his airplane seat, with a hole through his nostril and another hole through his eyebrow, he couldn't figure it out.

He was playing rhythm guitar for the world's biggest rock 'n' roll band, Guns N' Roses, who were about to play Los Angeles with the former world's biggest rock 'n' roll band, the Rolling Stones. No musician could hope for greater success.

And yet ... his luck was growing inexplicably worse. He summoned the one proven method for dealing with such cruel irony: double Bacardi and Cokes, of which he downed several while smoking and enlightening the attendants with detailed critiques of their service.

Days later, he would find himself wishing that someone had just hit him, adding a black eye to his mangled features, adding a little more throb in his skull. As it was, he answered the call of nature.

Finding the lavatories occupied, he drained his nature in a trash bin in full view of a stewardess. Nothing was said at the time, so Stradlin returned to his seat where he passed out until touchdown.

Exiting the plane, he was suddenly surrounded by 12 cops and arrested. Thus another set of headlines for Guns N' Roses and another year of probation for Izzy Stradlin, who'd pretty much had his fill of probation from a drug bust in the mid-80's.

Thanks to ChopAway.com for the "Snake on a Plane" story.

Löjlig

A Lena Boone 'toon.

Steven Adler Schedules Australian Drum Clinics

via Blabbermouth
Steven Adler has scheduled the following Australian drum clinics (presented by Allans Music):

May 26 - Melbourne @ 7pm - 152 Bourke St
May 27 - Sydney @ 7pm - 228 Pitt St
May 28 - Brisbane @ 6:30pm - 90 -112 Queen St
May 29 - Adelaide @ 7pm - 58 Gawler Place

Tickets are $25 and they go on sale April 27 at Allans Music stores and online at www.allansmusic.com.au

American Idol?

According to Slash's Twitter, American Idol has asked the former Guns N' Roses guitarist to do the mentoring bit for their Rock Week.

Wow! It really is true that you couldn't find two musicians that are more different than Axl Rose and Slash.

I don't have a problem with Slash doing this - if it is true, I'll definitely be watching - but he really is the polar opposite of Axl.

Slash is everywhere these days, and Axl hasn't been photographed in public in almost two years.

It'll be great to watch Slash on TV, and I'm sure he can teach the contestants a thing or two about what makes a great rock song. However, I can't say that he's an expert on vocals. I'm curious to see how he gets along with the vocalists on Idol - he has had his problems with frontmen in the past.

I still think Idol contestant Adam Lambert would do a great job in Velvet Revolver.

Don't forget that Slash did some awesome guitar work on former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry's LP.

The big question: Will Axl be watching and who will he vote for?

-M

Related: What If Rock Week On "American Idol" Turned Into A Velvet Revolver Tryout?



*****UPDATE*****
Meanwhile, Chris Daughtry has posted a video blog announcing that his band will debut the first single from their hotly-anticipated upcoming second album on American Idol.

The Latest News from Slash

Hard at work in the studio, we are 6 tracks into it & it sounds really great, great playing & super killer tones, not to mention stellar vocals so far. I'm still not at liberty to publically divulge any singer's names, but trust me, they're amazing. I know a lot of you out there know who at least some of them are.

I will however, give you working titles for a couple songs; "We're All Gonna Die" is one, "These Last Words" is another. There is one song called "Crucify the Dead" & another called "Beautiful, Dangerous." We have about 8 songs left to record & I'm really excited about every one.

On the VR front, not a whole lot news to report singerwise, which is a drag. But, this is one of those situations where just when you're ready to give up, something great happens. So, we're hanging in there until then, no matter what.

Slash's MySpace Blog