Velvet Revolver Biography

Velvet Revolver is a rock supergroup with three former members of Guns N' Roses--Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum--with Scott Weiland, the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, and Dave Kushner of the 80s hardcore punk band Wasted Youth.

Velvet Revolver was formed when three Guns N' Roses alumni--Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), and Matt Sorum (drums)--joined to play a benefit concert for fellow musician Randy Castillo in 2002. They then decided to form a new band. When Izzy Stradlin declined an invitation, the band recruited guitarist Dave Kushner, who had previously played with Wasted Youth and Dave Navarro. Kushner had gone to school with Slash and had worked with McKagan in Loaded, the band he'd played with before joining Velvet Revolver.
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The quartet were referred to under the temporary moniker "The Project" pending the selection of a permanent name.

The quartet then set about recruiting a lead singer with VH1 filming the recruitment process. A number of lead singers auditioned, including the Canadian rock and roll icon Todd Kerns (formerly of Age of Electric), Josh Todd (formerly of Buckcherry), Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, Kelly Shaefer of Atheist/Neurotica, and Travis Meeks of Days of the New, but were unsuccessful. Scott Weiland had become friends with McKagan and had played on the same bill as Kushner when Stone Temple Pilots were known as Mighty Joe Young and Kushner was in Electric Love Hogs. Weiland heard the material and offered his services as the lead singer and the band clicked. Slash suggested the name "Revolver" for the project and Weiland suggested the addition of "Black Velvet" to the title. Slash thought this sounded too similar to "Stone Temple Pilots," so the name was abbreviated to simply "Velvet Revolver." Many people believe that the name "Velvet Revolver" is a play on words of Slash, McKagan, and Sorum's former band "Guns N' Roses", since the word "Revolver" relates to "Guns", and the material "Velvet" is soft like a "Rose."

Velvet Revolver recorded its first track "Set Me Free" for Hulk soundtrack in 2003 and was also responsible for a cover of Pink Floyd's "Money," featured in the movie The Italian Job. The band played its first live gig at the El Rey in Los Angeles in June 2003. It recorded its first album, Contraband, in the latter part of 2003 with recording complicated by Weiland's court appearances for drug charges and his subsequent sentencing to undertake rehabilitation.

The marketing campaign for Velvet Revolver in the run-up to the release of the first album was profiled as part of the Frontline (PBS) program The Way the Music Died, which included interviews with the band members and producers.

Contraband was released in June 2004, debuting at #1 on the Billboard album charts, #11 on the British album charts, and #2 on the Australian charts. The first single, "Slither," topped a composite world modern rock chart in June, reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and #5 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Slither," which is also the band's first music video, has also reached #64 on the Billboard Hot 100, gone top 20 in Finland and top 40 on a European composite chart, in Canada, and in Australia. Since then, the band has released two more singles: the ballad "Fall to Pieces" and the hard-rocker "Dirty Little Thing," both of which have videos featured for them. "Fall to Pieces" has been remarkably successful not only on rock stations, but also on modern music stations.

As of August 2005, "Contraband" had sold almost 2 million copies in the United States, and the rigorous touring in support of the album has reached global scales. Already, the band has toured both the United States and Europe twice, while also hitting Australia and Japan. For the Spring of 2005, the band has several Canadian dates lined up as well as a headlining arena tour for the U.S. In addition to this, they are slated to open for Black Sabbath in Europe this summer, before likely finishing a second album sometime this fall.

Velvet Revolver performed at Live 8, playing "Do It For the Kids," "Fall to Pieces," and "Slither." However, only "Fall To Pieces" appears on the Live 8 DVD.

The band also recorded a new song entitled "Come On, Come In" for the 2005 movie Fantastic Four.

Also during 2005, the group announced that it has been recording its sophomore album, which is due out in spring 2006. The band's sophomore album, Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan have announced, will be a concept album, and will be less single-driven than its previous effort. In December 2005, the band set Libertad (spanish for "freedom") as the working title of the album.

VELVET REVOLVER PICTURES

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VELVET REVOLVER BIOGRAPHY