Slash feat Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators - Olympia Theatre, Dublin 04.03.2013

It has been 3 years since Slash has visited Dublin, and upon announcement of his return, tickets to his 2 shows at the Olympia Theatre were snapped up in minutes. He makes his return of course with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators to play the last shows on the current European tour promoting the album Apocalyptic Love. 

Kicking things off this evening are The Treatment. Since touring with KISS and Motley Crue in the States last year, these boys have certainly grown as a band and now deliver a performance full of confidence and swagger. A set made up of mainly new material with a few older tracks thrown in, they continue to show great promise and give us a taster of what is to come. 

As always, Slash’s hugely energetic show spans material right across his career. Both solo albums, Velvet Revolver, Snakepit and of course Guns N’ Roses all feature in heavy doses, something for everyone. The opening trio of Halo, Been There Lately and Nightrain start things off perfectly and set the bar high, there is no holding back tonight. An evening of pure rock n roll faces the Olympia, as Slash launches himself into the air from the drum riser, you know he means business. 

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Fan favourite Back From Cali brings immense enthusiasm from the crowd as they sing every word incredibly loud, and Shots Fired taken from the recent release sounds fantastic live. Todd Kerns steps up to deliver his rendition of Doctor Alibi and Guns classic You’re Crazy, both with such force and energy the crowd are worked into a frenzy. Kerns is hard rock personified and his vocals on You’re Crazy are out of this world. 

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The double necked guitar makes an appearance for Civil War, which again gets the crowd singing, along with the masterpiece that is Anastasia, it proves the newer material fits alongside the old as pure classics. Myles Kennedy shows once again this evening why he is one of the most accomplished singers in modern rock. He gives a stunning performance of Starlight and the sublime Not For Me follows. 

An astounding 15 minute solo from Slash in the middle of Rocket Queen cements the fact he is a genius on the guitar, so skilled and in tune, the passion in his playing is mesmerising. Sweet Child of Mine of course blows the roof off the place, and Slither close the show with the guitar hero adding that they couldn’t have asked for a better place to finish. 

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The band are welcomed back to the stage to mighty roars for a crazy encore of Welcome To The Jungle and Paradise City. As the confetti rains down on the intimate theatre it is clear tonight has been special. Slash, Myles, Todd, Brent and Frank are solid. The chemistry they display as a band is remarkable and their performance is truly alive and kicking. For two hours they lure you in to a rock n roll euphoria and leave you begging for more. A fantastic ending to a hugely successful tour, let’s hope its not too long before they return!

Caris Smith

(top photo courtesy of Hels Bels Photograhy)

 

Todd Kerns launches Pledge Music campaign

We all know the success story that was the incredible Ginger Wildhearts Pledge Music campaign last year and what became the phenomenon of 555%. Since this amazing achievement more and more bands and artists have turned to Pledge in order to raise funds to keep producing music. The key to this is it keeps music independent, cutting out the middle man and getting the product of everyone’s hard work direct from artist to fan. Amazing right? 

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Well, Todd Kerns, of Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, Sin City Sinners, and formally of Age of Electric and Static in Stereo has gone and released his very own pledge music campaign!

He will be releasing a brand new acoustic solo album titled Hello Cruel World, and as a little bonus there will be an exclusive EP available to pledgers only, Near Life Experience which will be a covers EP of some of Kerns pre released songs in acoustic form. There is also a whole host of other goodies on offer for those who pledge, well worth a look! Check out the video below for all you need to know…

“I couldn’t be more excited about the prospects of such a venture together. This feels like an adventure the musician and the audience go on as a singular unit. I’m super excited about the possibilities of what a system like this could bring to us music lovers in the future. ”

We are super excited about this one, and you should be too! Nearly at 100% within the first 24 hours of going live, this campaign looks set to grow and grow! So do yourselves a favour and hit the link. Keep music exciting and alive and pledge pledge pledge!

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/toddkerns

 

Slash announces two UK dates

That’s right! The man in the hat is making a return to our shores to play shows at Nottingham Arena and Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom on 28th February and 1st March respectively. Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators released their first album Apocalyptic Love earlier this year and have since been on a worldwide tour. In addition, a special 3 disc edition of the album will be released in Europe on 3rd December with a handful of bonus features including a DVD of the album launch in New York.

Tickets are onsale from tomorrow for O2 customers and general sale on Friday.

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators

 

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators - O2 Academy, Newcastle - 15.10.12

Tonight is the final night of Slash’s six date UK jaunt, and it is Newcastle’s turn to get the guitar hero’s rock n roll treatment.
 
Opening for Slash on this tour has been the legendary Ginger Wildheart, and tonight is a homecoming show for the Geordie frontman. Watching Ginger and his band is like a workout, they are bursting with energy and rarely come up for breath. Covering all bases from The Wildhearts to solo Ginger to Silver Ginger 5, they storm through their 30 minute set which is over way too quickly. Loud, ferocious and thrilling to watch. Ginger right now is at his best, and long may it continue.
 
Next up was Alter Bridge guitarist and fellow bandmate to Slash’s frontman Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, who is over in the UK promoting his first solo outing as Tremonti. A world away from Alter Bridge and Creed, their sound is much darker and heavier and they do the job of working the crowd into a frenzy. Tremonti does a great job at playing centre stage and the band sound great. The addition of Wolfgang Van Halen on bass alongside Eric Friedman on guitar and Garrett Whitlock on drums, they almost blow the roof off, but luckily keep it intact for Slash and co to do their thing.
 
“Good evening Newcastle….” The lights low, the crowd loud and ready to go. The band emerge to Halo, one of the tracks from the brilliant Apocalyptic Love album released earlier this year, followed by Guns N Roses Nightrain which kicked off two hours of full throttle rock n roll.
 
Of course we heard material from Guns N Roses, Velvet Revolver, Snakepit as well as material from Slash’s solo album and his recent release with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, keeping the people from Newcastle on their toes and begging for more. The band are on top form, more than that, you would never believe that they have only been playing together a couple of years, even later for new addition Frank Sidoris, they are so tight they sound like they have been a band for many years.
 
Myles Kennedy breaks the boundaries with his vocal abilities, and gives an amazing performance, particularly with the Guns N Roses classic Civil War which is simply breathtaking. It’s a really great opportunity to see such a legend up close with his guitar. Some may say the 8 minute guitar solos are a bit much but when it is Slash and you can see how much passion goes into his playing it’s a pleasure to behold and makes you feel lucky to be in his presence, especially in the intimate setting of the O2 academy. The tracks from Apocalyptic Love come across fantastic live, in particular No More Heroes, Anastasia and the beautiful Not For Me which was stunning.
Mid set saw Kennedy take a break and pass vocal duties onto bassist Todd Kerns. He took centre stage for Doctor Alibi and there is a definite shift in energy. Fast paced and furious, Kerns delivers a cover of GnRs You’re Crazy and his voice is outstanding. Slash is incredibly lucky to have such talented musicians behind him.
 
As the night comes to an end, Kennedys band mate Mark Tremonti joins the guys onstage for Alter Bridge’s Rise Today. Slash hands over lead guitar to Tremonti and the fans relish in the moment. Of course Paradise City is the finale this evening, the perfect ending to the perfect night. There is something magical about this song and the way the fans react when they hear it, truly an anthem.
 The band say goodbye after a rapturous reception, and the people of Newcastle depart from their own rock n roll paradise smiling. 
Caris Smith

 

Ginger Wildheart to hit the road with Slash (and Tremonti too!)

Ginger has revealed that he is to head out on tour with Slash, Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators in October. He will join the bill with his band as guests on both the UK and European dates, which are as follows:

UK
7th Edinburgh, Corn Exchange 
8th Manchester, Apollo 
9th Birmingham, NIA
11th London, Brixton Academy 
12th London, Brixton Academy
15th Newcastle, O2 Academy 

Europe
17th Brussels, AB Club (Belgium)
18th Cologne, E-Werk (Germany)
20th Paris, Zenith(France)
22nd Zurich, Volkhaus (Switzerland)
23rd Bologna, Unipol Arena (Italy)
24th Rome, Palalottomatica (Italy)
26th Padova, Geox Theatre (Italy)

And, as if that wasn’t enough, it has been announced that Myles Kennedys bandmate, Alter Bridge’s Mark Tremonti will be joining as extra support at both of the Brixton Academy dates in London and also the Newcastle date! Tremonti released his solo album last month, and there has been much demand for him to play some shows in the UK. What a line up eh?

 

Interview: Todd Kerns

After releasing Apocalyptic Love earlier this year, guitar god Slash and his band of Conspirators have been travelling the world bringing their phenomenal show to the masses! We caught up with bassist Todd Kerns, whilst the band are currently in Canada for a little chat about the album, touring and nunchucks?!
              
Firstly, congrats on Apocalyptic Love! It is has had an amazing reception, you guys must be really proud?
I can’t speak for the other guys but I sure am! The record turned out better than I could have imagined. It’s been really rewarding listening to audiences round the world singing along!

You are touring the album at the moment, what places have you loved playing? Where are you most looking forward to visiting?
I love playing in the UK and Europe. The audiences are the best and really appreciate Rock N Roll. It’s great to get to go to places like New York City, New Orleans, Nashville etc etc.
I am currently in Canada and it’s amazingly rewarding being able to play in my home territory. Australia rocks, Can’t wait to get to New Zealand and back to Japan. 
And of course South America which is the rowdiest audiences in the world.

You have started singing more songs in the live shows, how does that feel? What is your favourite to perform?
I’ve been singing Doctor Alibi since the last tour. Sometimes I would sing We’re All Gonna Die. This tour I’ve been doing 2 songs. Alibi plus either You’re Crazy or Out Ta Get Me from Appetite. It’s always an honor to get to sing with these guys.

We hear on the grapevine that The Conspirators and Myles will be working with Slash on his next album, is this true?
It’s a little on the early side to tell just yet but I truly hope that is the case. The chemistry of this band has been undeniable. Apocalyptic Love was so successful it would be a shame not to capitalize on it by following up with the bigger and the better!

Speaking of The Conspirators, how did that name come about? 
Slash had initially wanted to call the band The Collaborators. I countered with The Conspirators and that was that. Both were taken from watching History channel shows about WWII.

And also, how is Frank settling in as the newbie to the group? 
Frank is amazing. He is my little brother. We have a good time. He plays great and is definitely 100% a Conspirator.

Your solo album Go Time! has recently become available again, has touring with Slash gained you a whole new set of fans? 
It has. I only made Go Time! Available again because of the demand for it. It means a lot to me that it has found a new life. It was initially released in 2004 so to see those songs finding life 8 years later is very cool.

You have a pretty hectic touring schedule with Slash planned for the rest of the year, can we expect to see you guys back in the UK/Europe at all?
Hell yes. We will be back your way in October I believe. We love it over there. So much of my favorite music is from over there.

We also had a few questions some of your fans wanted to ask… 

Do you have any amusing anecdotes from the recording of Apocalyptic Love? 
I think every day was amusing. We laugh a lot. We have a great time together. It was awesome to be in Hollywood recording a rock n roll record. We ate at a mexican stand almost every day. Good fun. I can’t think of any particular funny stories but the experience itself was such a good time.

What are you most passionate about offstage?
My passions have always been the same. Music, movies, some TV, comics and comic related stuff, sci fi, some horror. But mostly music. My house looks like a cross between a guitar store and a novelty/records/books/movie store.

Do you have any hidden talents or skills that not many people know about?
I’m pretty good with the nunchakus (we know them as nunchucks) believe it or not. I love Bruce Lee films and taught myself to use them watching his movies. 

If you could travel back in time and do one thing what would it be? 
I’d probably go back and tell myself to stick with it! I don’t really have regrets but there are things I would have done differently had I known I’d still have such a passion for this.
What’s your favourite band/album at the moment you are listening to?
Currently I am obsessed with Ginger Wildheart’s 3 part solo album 555%
I have always been a fan but have never gotten to see him live. Maybe next time I’m in the UK!

As announced this morning, you can catch Slash with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators back in the UK this October! You can also find copies of Todd’s solo album Go Time! over at www.toddkerns.com.

 

Slash announces UK tour for October

Legendary guitarist Slash has announced this morning he is to return to the UK in October with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators for new batch of dates!

Following the success of the recently released Apocalyptic Love, the guys hit the UK shores again for 5 dates up and down the country! 

The dates are as follows…

Sunday 7th October 2012 Edinburgh, Corn Exchange
Monday 8th October Manchester, O2 Apollo
Tuesday 9th October Birmingham, NIA
Thursday 11th October Brixton, O2 Academy
Monday 15th October Newcastle, O2 Academy

Tickets go on sale Fri 3 Aug at 9am! Make sure you get involved!

 



Song of the day!

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators - Halo

 

Slash with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators- Hammersmith Apollo, 06.06.2012

Fresh from the release of Apocalyptic Love, Slash was back in London with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators in tow for a special show at the Hammersmith Apollo. Such a legendary venue, it was the perfect place for the guitar legend to debut some of his new material. 

Opening the evening with new track One Last Thrill, the guys get the evening off to a flying start. It is pretty clear the crowd know most of the words, and when Myles asks who has the new album the cheers are deafening. The band treat us to six songs from Apocalyptic Love tonight, all of which receive a roaring reception. After delivering such a brilliant record, it is great to finally hear some of the material live. Particularly brilliant is Halo, a song which Myles admits can be a struggle live, but he does a perfect job this evening. However, the surprise of the evening is the performance of Anastasia, its first live outing ever. Cited as many fans favourite from the album, it is truly a masterpiece. Epic sounding, and highlighting just what a legend Slash is on guitar. 

There is something for everyone tonight. As well as the new stuff, the band cover all bases. We hear some tracks from Slash’s previous album, including Back From Cali and Starlight, the songs which started his relationship with Kennedy, and Dr. Alibi, originally sung by Lemmy but tonight conquered by bassist Todd Kerns who steps up and nails it. Also included tonight are a couple of Snakepit tracks and of course the Guns N’ Roses staples, Rocket Queen, Nightrain etc. 

The band are on top form, and sound tighter than ever, and rather than Slash being singled out whilst the others fade into the background, they are presented more as a band, the way it should be. What started out as just a live project quickly grew into a full time band, and it is great to see. In Kennedy, Slash has the perfect frontman. The voice, the look and the ability to work the crowd. And in The Conspirators he has a fantastic set of musicians all doing a killer job. 

The night rounds off with a cracking version of Velvet Revolver classic Slither, always a crowd pleaser, before the band return for an encore of Zeppelin’s Communication Breakdown which sees Myles in fine voice, and of course they close with Paradise city, a real anthem, and looking round at the thousands of beaming faces, i’d say the people of Hammersmith just witnessed one of the best gigs they’ll see all year. 

Caris Smith

 

Jolly June gigs!

Slash

The top hatted front man returns to UK shores for a one off appearance at the legendary Hammersmith Apollo on June 6th. With Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators in tow and a brand spanking new album to show off, you don’t want to miss this! More here.

Bruce Springsteen

The Boss himself is back for a stadium tour this June after the recent release of his 17th studio album Wrecking Ball. With the trusty E Street Band joining him, the loss of the legendary Clarence Clemons will be huge, but no doubt they will make him proud! Dates and tickets here.

Pearl Jam

As part of their PJ20 world tour, Europe finally gets its turn when grunge pioneers Pearl Jam return for a couple of dates in Manchester. After their hugely successful and inspiring DVD, their visit is not one to be missed! Check it out here.

Download Festival

Now in it’s 10th year, Download has gone all out to celebrate this year and got some of the biggest names in rock on their bill including the mighty Sabbath and Metallica. As well as the big names, some of rocks future stars are also appearing giving a nice blend of new and old! Check out the website for more info.

Beth Hart

The songstress, hailing from LA, hits UK shores this month for her own headline tour. Famed for her incredibly unique soulful voice and her work with the likes of Slash and Joe Bonamassa, you really should make the effort to witness her talent yourself! All info here.