SLASH LENNY KRAVITZ 38 the Guitar Icon Is Back with a New Solo Effort 34 After a Detour Through Hollywood, the Grammy That Showcases His Love of the Fiery Riff
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ISSUE #37 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #37 MMUSICMAG.COM BUTCH VIG LUCINDA WILLIAMS THURSTON MOORE JESSIE J CONTENTS ANNIE LENNOX Soul diva FLAMING LIPS Beatle bash LENNY KRAVITZ Rocks on COVER STORY SLASH LENNY KRAVITZ 38 The guitar icon is back with a new solo effort 34 After a detour through Hollywood, the Grammy that showcases his love of the fiery riff. winner rocks again. MELISSA ETHERIDGE ANNIE LENNOX SLASH 24 Collaborating for the first time adds a new dimension 36 The eclectic performer lets loose her powerhouse Playing with Fire to her songwriting. vocals on some of music’s most beloved classics. THE FLAMING LIPS KENNY WAYNE + Brave enough to take on a landmark Beatles album? 26 46SHEPHERD Sure, with a little help from their friends. Randee St. Nicholas WHO’S NEXT For his latest blues project, the former guitar prodigy goes back to his roots. MASTERING ART 4 ISSUE 37 DISPLAY UNTIL 2/15/15 SHOOTING STARS No37-Mag-Slash-Gold.indd 4 12/22/14 9:20 AM ISSUE #37 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #37 MMUSICMAG.COM Eighteen years after Guns N’ Roses, Slash releases an explosive new record that finds him at the peak of his creative prowess Onstage in Minneapolis, 2013 ISSUE #37 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #37 MMUSICMAG.COM ’m an energetic and aggressive player,” Despite a run of acclaimed albums, internal strife and personnel performance. With World on Fire, we went declares Slash. “I attack hard—it’s very much changes dogged Guns N’ Roses, and in 1996 following a three- into the studio and got a live feel for the basic a physical thing for me. What excites me most year hiatus Slash quit. By then his side project, Slash’s Snakepit, tracks, recording everything together, then I is the off-the-cuff, spontaneous energy you effectively launched his solo career. Velvet Revolver, the supergroup went back and dialed in the guitars, doing get from live performance. That has a huge he formed in 2002, released two successful albums before going them in the control room. I played with the impact on me.” on hiatus six years later. In 2010, Slash recruited a bevy of talent band just to capture the vibe. That impact began at a young age when including Ozzy Osbourne, Adam Levine, Dave Grohl, Chris Cornell, the future musician—born Saul Hudson—spent Iggy Pop, Fergie and Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy for his debut You spend lots of time in preproduction. his preschool years in London with his father, an self-titled solo album. He tapped Kennedy again two years later for That’s a technique I’ve never seen any reason artist who helped design album covers for the his Apocalyptic Love album, along with Slash’s touring band, the to deviate from. You get the arrangement and likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. At age 5 Conspirators—bassist Todd Kerns and drummer Brent Fitz. rehearse it until you can play it comfortably. he journeyed to L.A. to reunite with his mother, Slash’s latest, World on Fire, showcases the explosive chemistry That doesn’t mean you know it like the back a costume designer in the entertainment that began to evolve among Slash, Kennedy and the Conspirators. of your hand, it just means you can play the industry. Music was a constant presence at both locales. “In England, Most of the music was composed on the road, with Slash fleshing song confidently. Doing that allows you to get I remember my uncle and my out ideas in hotel rooms and as spontaneous a take as possible. You can dad playing the Moody Blues, during soundchecks. “It was do that inside five takes—maybe play a couple the Stones, the Kinks and the almost like it wrote itself,” he to warm up, and in the next three takes you’ve Beatles,” Slash recalls. “Then, says. “That happens very got a keeper. when I moved to the States, it rarely, where there’s a certain was Bill Withers, the O’Jays, energy that carries the Do you always record to tape? Led Zeppelin, War and Stevie creative process. It’s almost If I can. It just sounds better—warmer, more Wonder on my mom’s side. like you’re not in control of it, natural and more organic than digital. I love It was all mixed together—a where you just ride the wave.” it for drums as well. The only time I got away really musical and creative After several weeks from using tape was when I did the two environment to grow up in.” of rehearsals in L.A., Slash Velvet Revolver records. That was because By 1981 Slash had brought in producer Mike everyone was using Pro Tools, and I never formed his first band, enlisting “Elvis” Baskette to capture questioned it. But I had an eye-opening childhood friend Steven Adler the right sound. “He came experience recording the first Velvet Revolver on drums and Duff McKagan in with a great attitude,” says record. I left the studio one night and later on bass. The group sputtered, Slash. “He also brought realized I had forgotten something, so I went but fortunes changed after a work ethic that was back. The engineer was sitting there with Pro Slash met guitarist Izzy refreshing. Not only did he Tools scooting everything around. I was like, Stradlin and singer Axl Rose. work his ass off to get the “What are you doing?” and he says, “Making Christening themselves Guns optimal performance from a it perfect.” I’m like, “That’s not what the band N’ Roses, the five bonded sonic perspective, he also sounds like.” and honed their chops in L.A. pushed everyone to perform clubs—garnering a reputation at their peak.” Enjoy developing multiple guitar parts? for spectacular shows and Spiced with the I enjoyed it on this album. It’s funny, I never set equally spectacular excess. occasional ballad, World on out to be in a two-guitar-player band—prior to But their compatibility as Fire is nonetheless focused Guns N’ Roses it was always just me. Then songwriters yielded a trove firmly on what Slash does when I started playing with Izzy in GNR, I did my of rock classics. “Chemistry best—delivering searing, thing and he did his—and the result was some sort of magic chemistry that gave us that unique was a natural thing,” Slash Onstage in L.A., 2011 guitar-drenched rock. In recalls. “When we got past the his near three-decade sound. But that was a one-in-a-million pairing. distractions and just played, career, that consistency has Since then I’ve mostly done all the guitars, then there was a synergy.” never wavered. “I’m really had somebody play live with me to fill things Proof of that synergy was ‘I never jumped on that passionate about what I do,” out. Apocalyptic Love was an exception, in that captured on the band’s debut he says, “and I’m fortunate Myles played an Izzy kind of role. But for this album Appetite for Destruction bandwagon where you’re trying to that other people seem to album Myles wanted to concentrate on vocals— in 1987. Powered by a cache of dig it, too. Probably the only he didn’t want to play guitar. That opened the riff-driven rockers—“Welcome reason I’ve managed to excel door for me to do more of the things I’d been to the Jungle,” “Sweet Child outflash the next guy.’ at this is because music and hearing in my head. It was fun fleshing out those O’ Mine” and “Paradise City,” the guitar have always been guitar parts in the studio. to name a few—the record blew up. Sales topped 18 million, making 150 percent of my being.” From L.A., Slash spoke with us about the it the best-selling debut record of all time in the U.S. The album also new album, elements of a great riff, and what drew him to the guitar How do you craft solos? established Slash as one of rock’s most incendiary guitarists. “I’m a in the first place. As we’re rehearsing I just go for what I’m riff guy,” he says. “Even as a kid, way before I started playing guitar, I hearing in my head. It’s a lot like coming up always gravitated to songs that had a cool guitar or piano riff, some How’d you approach the new album? with a vocal, in the sense that the melody All portraits by Randee St. Nicholas. Performance image by James Minchin lll. image by James Minchin Performance All portraits by Randee St. Nicholas. sort of instrumental melody.” And his slightly dangerous image—the Actually I approached this record the way I’ve typically made lll. image by James Minchin Performance All portraits by Randee St. Nicholas. comes spontaneously. Because we do a lot ubiquitous top hat, dark shades and corkscrew locks, along with a albums. Apocalyptic Love was the exception, in that I wanted to of preproduction before we go into the studio, low-slung Les Paul—only further shrouded him in mystery. record the guitars live with the bass and drums—just get a live, raw I have time to get familiar with the solo section. 40 41 No37-Mag-Slash-Gold.indd 40 12/22/14 9:35 AM No37-Mag-Slash-Gold.indd 41 12/22/14 9:35 AM ISSUE #37 MMUSICMAG.COM ISSUE #37 MMUSICMAG.COM Has the era of great riffs passed? Riffs have always been one of the things I love most about rock ’n’ roll.