Apocalyptic Love - Slash

Slash is an "old-school" guitarist. He's firmly entrenched in that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mindset about rock and roll. There's nothing overly complex or revelatory about what he does, but he does it better than almost anybody making records right now.

It's easy to see the schism that happened between Axl Rose and Slash, just by looking at the output generated with the projects they fully control. Rose produces Chinese Democracy, which basically thrives on just how much can be crammed into a single song. Sounds layered over and over, effects, processing. Whereas Slash, beit with Slash's Snakepit, Velvet revolver, or his "solo" projects, aims straight ahead.

Apocalyptic Love is exactly in this category. Slash has assembled a really crack band (credited as Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators on the cover), and having a set team helps this album top the first Slash solo album of a couple years ago. It's a collection of songs that are more solid than not, and, in Kennedy, I think Slash has found his best creative partner since Axl Rose.

In truth, I feel like Apocalyptic Love is almost a better showcase for Kennedy than Slash himself. Myles takes the reins as a true frontman here. It's to Slash's credit that he seems content, even if his name is at the top of the totem pole, to be the guitarist, and get down to business.

Which isn't to say it was love at first listen with this album. I have to admit, I was a little worried as I listened through the first two tracks Apocalyptic Love and One Last Thrill. Why not being offensively bad, or even poor, they weren't the kind of "grabber" tracks you'd usually want to lead off an album. They passed pleasantly without much impact.

However, once the third song, Standing in the Sun, kicked in with a rumbling guitar and bass riff, I perked up. This song starts a very strong group of four tracks, continuing with the first single You're a Lie, and into No More Heroes and Halo. The last two songs, in particular, worked for me. Halo features a rapid-fire vocal from Kennedy that is just stellar.

We Will Roam and Anastasia are not as strong, but they lead into Not For Me, a truly epic addiction track. The whole band are at their best here, with Slash bringing the type of tasteful, blues-based, emotional guitar work for which he's known, and that fits perfectly with the vocal. Bad Rain, which follows, may be my favorite track.

It's simply a rock-solid rock and roll album, with very little filler. I'll even encourage you to make sure to get the two bonus tracks, including Carolina, which is a talk-box tour-de-force for Slash, and funky as hell. It's so damn good you'll wonder why it's a bonus track, and not on the album. proper.

Very much recommended if you're a fan, or just looking for a good, old fashioned rock record.

Favorite Tracks

• Standing in the Sun
• You're a Lie
• No More Heroes
• Halo
• Not For Me
• Bad Rain
• Carolina (Bonus Track)

Stuck in My Head 5.22.2012

You're a Lie
By Slash, Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

You're the voice of reason that I can't escape,
Cut me down a thousand times a day
I don't need you anymore
I don't need you anymore
I trusted you and there was no one else
All you did was make me doubt myself
Don't believe you anymore
Don't believe you anymore

You bled me out, you tore me down
Your time has come, you can go.

'Cause you're a lie (lie), lie (lie)
All my faith has been wasted, wasted
'Cause you're a lie (lie), lie (lie)
I don't need you to save me anymore

I'm fragile, but I'm not a fool
I won't hear another word from you.
You won't hurt me anymore
You won't hurt me anymore

The hand I held just held me down
It took so long, now I know

'Cause you're a lie (lie), lie (lie)
All my faith has been wasted, wasted
'Cause you're a lie (lie), lie (lie)
I won't sit here and take this anymore

You can say anything that you wanna say
But my intention's long gone and turned away
You're such a lie, you were only the enemy
Everything you are I will deny

'Cause you're a lie (lie), lie (lie)
I'll just come out and say it, say it
'Cause you're a lie (lie), lie (lie)
All my faith has been wasted, wasted
'Cause you're a lie (lie), lie (lie)
I don't need you to save me anymore
I don't need you to save me anymore
I don't need you to save me anymore

So What Did I Learn on Saturday?

First off, I love playing with other people.

Second, Don't stand behind your amp. You can't hear anything. Especially when your combo amp speakers are at about ankle-level.

Otherwise, I feel good. I have to admit, after playing to a drum machine and click track for, literally, years, it was nice to find out that I can lock in with a live drummer. It was GREAT to have ideas getting bounced around, because I enjoy working with other people.

I want to revisit the tunes we worked on Saturday, with some vocal material blended in, and some time to figure out proper solo sections. Everything I played on those recordings was well and truly right out of my ass. Listening back to them, I think I'd also like to work some more dynamics into what I have.

I also need to think about my songwriting more. Leave some more room. With my influences being more and more classic rock lately, I think "riff-riff-riff" is a bit much. Gotta think like Townshend, more big open chords with space for vocals. I guess that goes along with the "dynamics" thing.

It's a work in progress, as it should be.

In other news, very much looking forward to the release of Apocalyptic Love by Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, tomorrow. I was a fan of Slash's solo album, but it was the live show that really struck me. Myles Kennedy is a hell of a vocalist, and I've liked pretty much everything I've heard off this albums so far. It was streamiing over at rollingstone.com last week, and I took a couple of listens. Good stuff, and Myles sounds great.

I plan to download it tomorrow morning. 

Stuck In My Head 11.15.2011

OK, the "Slash featuring Myles Kennedy" live album Made in Stoke, came out today. I downloaded it this morning, and was enjoying it on the train. This is, as mentioned before, my favorite Appetite for Destruction track, and Slash had put together a really awesome band (they're making an album together now). I think Kennedy just kills this...



Rocket Queen
Originally by
Guns N' Roses

If I say I don't need anyone
I can say these things to you
'cause
I can turn on anyone
Just like I've turned on you
I've got a tongue like a razor
A sweet switchblade knife
And I can do you favors
But then you'll do whatever I like

Here I am
And you're a Rocket Queen
I might be a little young
But Honey I ain't naive
Here I am
And you're a Rocket Queen oh yeah
I might be too much
But honey you're a bit obscene

I've seen everything imaginable
Pass before these eyes
I've had everything that's tangible
Honey you'd be suprised
I'm a sexual innuendo
In this burned out paradise
If you turn me on to anything
You better turn me on tonight

Here I am
And you're a Rocket Queen
I might be a little young
But Honey I ain't naive
Here I am
And you're a Rocket Queen oh yeah
I might be too much
But honey you're a bit obscene

I see you standin'
Standin' on your own
It's such a lonely place for you
For you to be
If you need a shoulder
Or if you need a friend
I'll be here standing
Until the bitter end
No one needs the sorrow
No one needs the pain
I hate to see you
Walking out there
Out in the rain
So don't chastise me
Or think I, I mean you harm
Of those that take you
Leave you strung out
Much too far
Baby-yeah

Don't ever leave me
Say you'll always be there
All I ever wanted
Was for you
To know that I care

Axl's current Guns lineup is playing Allstate Arena tonight, and I have to admit I was tempted, just to see it. However when I scored Muppets preview tickets, there really was no contest. Zombie Kermit beats Zombie G'NR every time...

Slash - House of Blues Chicago 2.13.2011

Oh, my, do I love a good rock show. This was a great rock show.

I was truly just at the right age to really get hooked by Guns n' Roses when they first hit the scene. I can't recall when Appetite for Destruction was released, but I certainly, vividly recall the first time I saw the "Welcome to the Jungle" video on MTV. Yeah, when MTV played music videos, so you know I'm old.

I've long held that "grunge," and that Seattle scene that spawned it, would never have come to pass without those five guys in L.A. getting together to form what was one of the greatest Rock bands of all time, and certainly recording one of the greatest Hard Rock albums ever. You can argue that they grew into something too massive for their own good, especially in Axl's case, but that first record was the true kick in the pants that people usually claim for Grunge.

I mean, it made rock dirty and dangerous again. Yeah, sure you had the glam hair-metal acts, but they'd sorta de-evolved into something that was just safe and calculated. Yeah, they kept up the "party all the time" image, but when you're slathered in make-up, and wrapped in a sequined shirt...it kinda loses the impact.

Gn'R brought something that seemed all too real, just on the edge of destruction, with the naked aggression of Rose, and the seemingly casual drug use of the entire band. The depiction of L.A. as a place, not with a vage "party" around every corner, but an insidious place where your soul was at risk. I mean, compare "Welcome to the Jungle" to "I Want Action, " or some other such nonsense. G'NR was living L.A. life to the fullest, and giving us an inside view of how it would chew you up and spit you out.

Anyway, what's past is prologue.

Slash is a powerful, and important, guitarist. He's not a technical wizard like your Steve Vai's or Joe Satriani's, and not one to really push the instrument, like Eddie Van Halen used to be. He's a bread and butter rock guitarist, with a strong thread of the blues all through his work. I find his playing rather inspiring for that reason. It's more about feel and groove than flying all over the neck.

If you haven't heard his solo album, it's a grab-bag. These sort of "______ and friends" projects always are. The chemistry with each of the vocalists can vary widely. I did feel they hit the mark more often than not. For the tour, Slash picked Myles Kennedy as the touring vocalist. His main gig would be Alter Bridge, who I like quite a bit. It's a solid band, and Kennedy can certainly sing everything that was asked of him during the show.

The Chicago House of Blues is a pretty great venue. It's fairly large, but still feels pretty intimate, and the decor is really nice. Sound is also rarely a problem. The main floor does get a bit of a "trampoline" feel when the crowd gets going, which is a little eerie, but it's also kinda cool.

Opening acts were certainly interesting. We started out with The Fabulous Miss Wendy, who was just a bit too calculated. She seemed almost like a cartoon character, changing clothes on stage, a kinda odd guitar intro to the set. Maybe that's her shtick, but I got a bit bored with it. A Led Zeppelin cover with no vocals is just kinda...Meh. At first it was just sorta like watching a trainwreck, but that only amuses for so long. She's not a terrible guitarist, but I think the sex-kitten act (she's got a song called "Fucked-Up Bitch, for God's sake), just undercuts any sort of respect in that area.

But then, I'm not opening for Slash at a major venue, what the hell do I know?

After Miss Wendy, we got Brand New Sin. What I can say is that these guys worked hard, and they really seemed jazzed to be opening for such a major act. That positive energy did come across, and I appreciated it. The problem is, their songs just aren't that memorable. Aside form one track, "Dead Man Walking," nothing hit my ear in a "I want to buy that record" way. That may be simply a question of taste, I'll admit, and they seemed like such decent guys I wanted to want to buy an album. Just didn't feel it. Maybe next time, guys.

It was around 10 PM when Slash and crew hit the stage. They started right out with the first track on the solo album "Ghosts," which Ian Astbury (The Cult) had cut vocals for. I dig that song a lot, but I think they could've found a better track to open with, as I think a lot of the crowd didn't know it. That was a bit of a recurring problem during the night. They really dug into the entirety of Slash's career, with some relative obscure cuts from the Slash's Snakepit albums which, especially the second, aren't hugely known. They really did hit everything, Gn'R, Snakepit, Velvet Revolver, even an Alter Bridge number ("Rise Today") and a Lenny Kravitz track ("Always on the Run") Slash played on. It was cool to see all that music, with no ego about "who's song" it was.

Of course, there was a LOT of Gn'R. They played about half of Appetite for Destruction, and "Civil War," which is certainly one of the better post-Appetite tracks. The "Rocket Queen" -which I had NOT expected to hear - into "Civil War" section was, truly, the highlight of the night. Myles Kennedy really nailed all of this stuff, I've loved his voice on record for quite a while, and it held up live. I am excited to see him with Alter Bridge in May, mainly because all of the stuff on Sunday was really in his upper register, and he has such a cool lower pitch voice, I really wanted to hear it.

I, once again, found myself wishing that Velvet Revolver could land Myles as a replacement for Scott Weiland. Ah, well...I guess they're set on Corey Taylor. (SHHHH! Don't tell anyone...)

The band, as a whole, was just tight and right in the pocket. Bassist Todd Kerns even stepped up to do vocals for "We're All Gonna Die" from the solo album, which was originally cut with Iggy Pop.

There was one nice, big surprise when Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick came on stage and joined the band for "Ain't That a Shame." Lots and lots of fun, Nielsen was his usual spastic self, all over the stage and egging the crowd on, throwing massive handfuls of picks. Pandemonium, Kennedy was laughing out loud during the entire affair.

It was a great time, but a long night. The band played for well over two hours, and by the time we walked back into our apartment, it was about 1:30 AM. Monday morning came awful quick, that's for sure.

Setlist:

1. Ghost

2. Mean Bone (Slash's Snakepit)

3. Nighttrain (Guns n' Roses)

4. Been There Lately (Slash's Snakepit)

5. Rocket Queen (Guns n' Roses)**

6. Civil War (Guns n' Roses)*

7. Nothing to Say

8. Back From Cali

9. Starlight

10. Always on the Run (Lenny Kravitz)

11. We're All Gonna Die

12. Ain't That a Shame (Cheap Trick-style w/Rick Nielsen)

13. Jizz Da Pit (Slash's Snakepit)

14. Just Like Anything (Slash's Snakepit)

15. Mr. Brownstone (Guns n' Roses)*

16. Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns n' Roses)*

17. Rise Today (Alter Bridge)

Encore

18. Slither (Velvet Revolver)

19. My Michelle (Guns n' Roses)

20. Paradise City (Guns n' Roses)*

* = Highlight number
** = Favorite number

Short Week, and the Mind Wanders....

I'm actually dreading tomorrow, for no other reason but that I'm going to pick up my comics. This is a pretty big week. Last week, which I didn't get to pick up, was a big week. It means a rather large bill when I stroll in there tomorrow.

Oh well...It's a hobby that, on occasion, is expensive. I am beyond overjoyed that both Marvel and DC have announced that they're going to roll back the $3.99 price point they started about a year, or so, ago. Yeah, it means the end of some great back-up features, but it also means titles like Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and Justice League of America, which jumped to the higher price with no additional content, will be back in a reasonable price range.

Tonight, CByrd and I will be heading to The Vic to see The Frames. I'm excited, frontman Glen Hansard, who's possibly more familiar from his side project The Swell Season, which sprung from the film Once, is a pretty dynamic stage presence. So much so that he pretty much runs over Swell Season partner Markéta Irglová, and the Swell Season backing band is...The Frames. So, if you see The Swell Season, you're essentially seeing The Frames, with Irglová adding a couple of numbers. 

I've commented on this unequal partnership before. It's not that I think Glen's doing anything on purpose, just that the lady seems ill-suited to commanding a large audience. Now that it seems, by some reports, that The Swell Season has run it's course, it'll be interesting to see what Markéta can/will do on her own.

Which really doesn't impact on The Frames, at all, other than that the two times I've seen The Swell Season, I felt that I might as well be watching a Frames show. It ought to be a good time. 

I'm also really looking forward to The Sword at Metro on December 12th. Their latest album, Warp Riders, has been seated pretty firmly as my favorite album this year. I've written about the album in the past, but the short form is that it's old-school hard rock/heavy metal, with Warp Riders being a step into a more concise and hooky form of songcraft. There's an almost Thin Lizzy kinda feel to the record, with groove and less sprawling guitar work.

The show was originally set for October 23rd, but the entire tour got canceled/postponed when drummer Trivett Wingo left the band, apparently because of panic attacks leading to a desire to get off the road. He's very upfront and frank about the decision in this interview. I have to say, I respect the guy pulling the eject button when he knew he wasn't going to be able to pull his share. The timing sucked, and he seems fully aware of that, too. I can't say I'm happy that I had to wait another month, or so, to see the band, but the whole thing's been handled as well as anybody could expect. Wingo going on record about his problems is brave, and appreciated by this fan.

That said, I am disappointed. I saw The Sword open for Metallica a couple of years back, and the band had a really nice, laid back, "hey, we're just dudes who put a band together" vibe. I also found Trivett magnetic on stage. His look is certainly not that of a typical metal drummer, but the dude can pound.

There wasn't a ton of super complex or what you might call "elegant" drumming going on, but he just wailed. I also found Warp Riders, and the, as I said, more groove-oriented sound really served up his work well. I'm still very excited for the show, but I'll miss seeing his work. 

This story might also give a glimpse of why a guy might want to get off the road. Jesus, Phil. I thought you were over that shit. I also must point out that the author of that blog seems like a bit of a douche, himself. 

In other "concert news," on an absolute whim, I bought tickets to see Slash at the Chicago House of Blues on February 13th. I've gotten some crap from people on this, which kind of amuses me. The real kicker, for me, was that Myles Kennedy would still be singing on that date. Kennedy is the vocalist for Alter Bridge, and I've written about my enjoyment of that band before, too. I saw too late that Alter Bridge is playing HOB on December 11th, and it looks to be sold out.

I just really dig Kennedy's voice, and the setlists for the Slash shows have included songs from every facet of his career, Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, and solo stuff, as well as playing some stuff from Kennedy's catalog. That seems like an entertaining evening, to me. Plus, it's Slash, and one can't deny that he's been a vastly influential guitarist in the years since Appetite for Destruction broke.

I'm still working on the acoustic set for the Stage Left Fundraiser, as well as continuing to work on tracks for a new CD. It's funny, I'm sure everybody who plays an instrument has these thoughts, wherein, depending on the day, you either can't play at all, or it just flows, almost too easy. Sunday was the latter, for me. I had a drum track that just did not work, and it didn't take me long to see that I'd simply programmed it incorrectly. I fixed it, and things really started to run smoothly. The guitar scratch track is down, I'll need to move on to bass, and build it up again.

The I just started messing around, riffing. I was really enjoying everything I was coming up with. As I've said, time and again (boy I bet this blog bores people sometimes), the "concept" is sort of a 70's hard rock thing. So much of that was blues-based, Zeppelin, Aerosmith, etc. so I just started messing around with a 12-bar blues. I really enjoyed the riffs that were coming out, and the room for variation that I was giving myself. It was fun, and I think that you'll see/hear some version of it on the finished product...whenever that might emerge.

Oh, and I got an idea for an incredibly weird spoken-word piece on the train this morning. We'll see about that.

What I really need to do is keep on that acoustic...the days are ticking away.

Waiting for Sam Fisher...

I am having a hard time getting through this day, mainly because Splinter Cell: Conviction will be waiting for me at home.



Apparently, there was a release-day glitch that came up. A problem with the title update that downloads when you start up the game. Of course, it also sounds like it's already fixed. Score one for us old farts that have to work, and don't sit around all day playing video games.

I think after I finish the single-player version of this baby, I'm gonna have a little Sam Fisher-palooza. Start with the first game, and make my way through all five. It would be interesting, and a little journey through 2 generations of game systems. It's kinda funny, but I've been waiting for this game so long that, when I purchased the last game in the series, Double Agent, it was for my original XBox. There was an XBox360 version, but I hadn't bought the system yet.

Anyway, I still have all the games. As I said before, Splinter Cell was pretty much my first "video game obsession." They all work on the 360, so...It might be interesting to follow Sam Fisher through his whole story in rapid succession.

I surprised myself last night. After listening to the New Slash album, and reading his autobiography, I had been thinking about the Slash's Snakepit album from the 90's. I was thinking, "it was an interesting album, maybe I ought to download it." Then I'm flipping through the CD rack...and there it is.

Man, I need to keep better track of my CDs.

There was a second Snakepit album, Ain't Life Grand, in 2000, which I'm reading was even better. Looks like it's harder to come by, anyway...

I really can't explain this Slash interest right now, other than really jumping in with the new record and the book. I've not finished reading it, yet, but I am struck by a feeling of honesty. He's pretty upfront about what a fuck-up he could be, and the dysfunction of G'NR that can be laid on his doorstep. He just strikes me a a decent guy.

Now, of course, I know that can be a spin. Absolutely it could be. However, there's a certain self-effacing and willingness to admit failings, accept mistakes and not lay all the blame on others. When I read this interview with Axl (it's pretty old) the other day, I couldn't help but see the huge differences between the two men talking about what, exactly happened.

In Axl's world, it seems everything is someone else's fault. Axl is this poor victim, always at the mercy of others, despite his attempts to set things right. It's just so clear that the man has checked out of reality. I'm not trying to take anything away from him as a musician with that statement, as I think Chinese Democracy is a pretty impressive album. It's certainly a extremely sharp portrait of Axl and his world. My view of the album is pretty similar to Chuck Klosterman's.

Of course, plenty of people have made compelling musical statements and been rotten human beings. In fact, I don't even think of Axl as a rotten human being, but as an EXTREMELY screwed up guy. I can't even imagine how exhausting it must be to maintain that kind of paranoia constantly, and I don't even mean that as a joke. True or not, Axl believes himself to be under assault from all sides at all times.

I can't even comprehend what that must feel like.

Slash - Album Review

Downloaded Slash's latest solo effort, Slash, on Tuesday.



I guess, technically, it's probably his first "solo" record, although, I tend to give that to the 1995 Slash's Snakepit release. That was a band project, in essence, but it certainly seemed like Slash was running the show.

Slash is a very different animal from that release, in that we have a rotating cast of vocalists/lyricists coming in and working with the top-hatted one. By it's very nature that makes this record a bit of a uneven affair. Musically, everything is pretty solid in that straight-ahead rock and roll style that Slash, and Guns 'N Roses, pretty much dragged back to life in an LA Glam scene that has supplanted bands like Aerosmith, for acts like Poison.

I also happen to be reading Slash's self-titled autobiography right now, and I've found a lot of respect for the guy. He comes off (now) as a very centered guy who's all-too-aware of what happens when you run off the rails too fast, from his own experience. He's not the near-burn-out he was was as Guns was coming together, but he's older and developed a firm grasp of exactly what he does.

He's a great Rock player. He's not a shredder, and far more into feel and groove than how many notes he can cram into a run. That's fully on display with this album, which has some great hooks and riffs that move the songs right along. To me, it's a call-back to 70's style rock, where, instead of trying to be impressive with horribly complex guitar parts, they just sit in the pocket and let the song, as a whole, have the power. It's, generally, what I would like my own playing to be, so perhaps I'm biased.

So, yeah, musically, lots of great stuff going on. On the vocal front is where things get dicey. Some of the more "legendary" vocalists on call, Ozzy, Lemmy, Iggy Pop, for example, seem to have spent very little time formulating their lyrics. (The arguement could be made that all of these guys made their names on quasi-dumb lyrics, so maybe I'm expecting too much.) On top of that, the delivery isn't exactly the most...Committed, I guess, would be the word. Iggy's "We're All Gonna Die" lost me by the 9th or 10th refrain of "Let's all piss on the ground, and then jump around." Iggy can SELL lyrics like that, but here, it didn't play. Likewise Ozzy's "Crucify the Dead," became a skip track after the 2nd time through the album. Some nice moments, but the vocals are just dull, the whole track gets dragged down with them. I do quite like the opening track with The Cult's Ian Astbury, "Ghosts." The lyric is simplistic, but Astbury brings his full "Fire Woman" baritone to bear, and it sounds cool.

What kinda shocked me was the vocalists that really did make an impact. Myles Kennedy is great on his two tracks, nice blues-rock sound, but I expected to like those. What I didn't expect was to enjoy Fergie's work on "Beautiful Dangerous" so much, or Kid Rock's on "I Hold On." That second track, in particular, showcases a hell of a blues-rock voice. It's just a good song.

The big surprise, for me, in the end was a track called "Gotten." The vocals were very sweet and clear, and played against Slash and the band's somewhat dirtier tone. The vocals are credited to "Adam Levine," and I didn't know who the hell that was. I was pretty floored when I found out that's the lead singer from Maroon 5. Who new? Nice job, kid.

A lot of the "internet folks" want to put this up against Chinese Democracy. Well, if you ask me, Chinese Democracy wins. It's a much more cohesive statement of Axl Rose's crazy, paranoid world that this is of Slash's. (I'm not getting into if Chi-Dem should be a "Guns 'N Roses" record or not, just looking at the two as reflections of their primary creative forces.) That said, I know who I'd rather spend a few hours having beers with.

Slash is worth picking up if you like straightforward rock records.