Velvet Revolver

What do you get when you mix three parts of Guns N' Roses with one part Stone Temple Pilots? You get Velvet Revolver, a hard rock supergroup that began in 2002. Comprised of Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum from Guns N' Roses along with Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots and Dave Kushner from the 80's punk band Wasted Youth, Velvet Revolver takes the experience and expertise from years on the road and combines them for a raw, unique new take on the rock genre.

Velvet Revolver began when Slash, Duff and Sorum played together during a benefit concert for musician Randy Castillo. They decided to start their own group and considered Izzy Stradlin, another former GNR member, but Izzy wasn't fond of lead singers and hated life on the road. So, the band chose Kushner as their man to play rhythm guitar.

The Project Looks For A Lead Singer

The band originally called themselves "The Project" until they found a real name. However, they still didn't have a lead singer. So, they set out to find one. VH1 filmed the audition process where many singers sent in demo tapes vying for a spot as the front man for this new supergroup. Many people applied and some former singers were even considered, including Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, Mike Patton, formerly of Faith No More, and Travis Meeks, formerly of Days Of The New. All of these former singers declined.

Scott Weiland heard that the band had formed and offered his services as front man. Immediately, the band clicked and they formed a band. Slash came up with the name Revolver. Weiland suggested they add Black Velvet to the name, but Slash thought the name sounded too much like Stone Temple Pilots, so they shortened to Velvet Revolver.

The band recorded their first track Set Me Free for the 2003 movie Hulk. They also recorded a cover of Pink Floyd's Money for the movie The Italian Job. They played their first live show at El Rey in Los Angeles in 2003 and finally released their first album, Contraband, the very next year.

The release of the album, however, was complicated by Weiland's court appearances and rehab stays. Weiland, who has long fought a heroin addiction, was threatening the band's success.

The band persevered, however, and Contraband debuted at #1 on the Billboard Album Charts. From that album, several popular singles were released, including Fall To Pieces, which has been played extensively on the radio and has been a favorite with fans.

While touring to promote the new album, Velvet Revolver was offered to tour with Kiss, during their comeback tour, but the band declined. The reason they rebuffed the offer was because Poison was on the bill. Velvet Revolver refused to be associated with a tour of aging 80's rock bands who are now playing just to make a few dollars.

In August of 2005, Contraband went double platinum, selling over 2 million copies in the United States. And, due to their vigorous touring to promote the album, it continued to rise in popularity.

Velvet Revolver, after all the success of their first album, shows no signs of slowing down. They performed at Live 8, they have contributed two soundtracks for movies, including XXX: State of the Union, the sequel to Universal Studios' XXX, as well as another one for the Fantastic 4 movie. Also, on March 12, 2007, the band stood in for Van Halen for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And, they hope to do it all over again. The band's sophomore album, Libertad, is slated for release on July 3, 2007.