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Hard Rock |
Formed from the ashes of two of modern hard rock's biggest names- Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots- Velvet Revolver were always destined to be big, whether they delivered on their early promise or not.
The group's roots stretch back to 2002 and the benefit concert for the late Randy Castillo, whose death of skin cancer had shaken the rock world in March of that year. Three former Guns N' Roses members, guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum, taking to the stage for the first time since Guns N' Roses' disintegration in the mid-90s, decided ...read more
Formed from the ashes of two of modern hard rock's biggest names- Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots- Velvet Revolver were always destined to be big, whether they delivered on their early promise or not.
The group's roots stretch back to 2002 and the benefit concert for the late Randy Castillo, whose death of skin cancer had shaken the rock world in March of that year. Three former Guns N' Roses members, guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum, taking to the stage for the first time since Guns N' Roses' disintegration in the mid-90s, decided to form a new band together. Early jam sessions included ex-GN'R strummer Izzy Stradlin, but he opted out when it became clear the others wanted to recruit a lead singer. Dubbing themselves 'The Project,' the trio took on board veteran punk/hardcore guitarist Dave Kushner, formerly of McKagan's band Loaded and began the search for a lead singer.
Auditions were held (and filmed by VH1) and among the names who tried out were Josh Todd (Buckcherry), Kelly Shaefer (Atheist) and Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) but none were deemed suitable. In early 2003, former Stone Temple Pilots shouter Scott Weiland offered his services to the group, having heard demo material through his friend McKagan. Deciding on the name 'Velvet Revolver,' the group writing what would become their first record, 2004's Contraband, though much of the music on the album was already written and Weiland merely wrote his own parts around it.
Not long afterwards, the group released their first single, 'Set Me Free' from the Incredible Hulk soundtrack, and a second track soon surfaced on the Italian Job soundtrack, this time a cover of Pink Floyd's 'Money.' The group's first concert was held in June 2003 at LA's El Rey and the band premiered another new song, Contraband's first single, 'Slither.' Contraband was released in June 2004 and quickly topped the Billboard album charts, buoyed by the hit single 'Slither.' 'Fall To Pieces' and 'Dirty Little Thing' followed, helping the album surpass two million sales, while the group has embarked on multiple world tours.
In late 2005, both Scott Weiland and Matt Sorum revealed details on the group's forthcoming second album, due in summer 2006. With the provisional title of 'Libertad,' Spanish for 'liberty,' the album promises to be more groove-oriented and less singles-driven than its predecessor. Rumours of Slash's return to a resurrected Guns N' Roses line-up have so far proved unfounded. « hide |
Similar Bands: Guns N Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, The Cult, Neurotic Outsiders, The Panic Channel
Contributors: SCREAM!, Dave de Sylvia, BeaZ,
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