Queens Of The Stone Age

Formed from the ashes of stoner rock icons Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age reunited the group's singer/guitarist Josh Homme, drummer Alfredo Hernandez, and bassist Nick Oliveri along with new guitarist/keyboardist Dave Catching. The project's origins date back to Homme, who in the wake of Kyuss' 1995 demise relocated to Seattle to tour with the Screaming Trees; he soon began working with a revolving lineup of musicians including the Trees' Van Conner, Soundgarden's Matt Cameron, and Dinosaur Jr.'s Mike Johnson, recording a series of 7"s originally issued under the name Gamma Ray.

After rechristening the group Queens of the Stone Age, Homme recruited Hernandez to begin work on their self-titled debut LP, issued in late 1998 on Loosegroove; after the album was completed, Oliveri left the Dwarves to re-join his former bandmates, with the subsequent addition of Catching rounding out the roster. In addition to extensive touring, Homme put together a series of albums for the indie label Man's Ruin; the various volumes of The Desert Sessions feature Homme's collaborations with a loose-knit, revolving-door lineup of like-minded musicians, some from bands like Soundgarden, Fu Manchu, and Monster Magnet.

In mid-2000, Queens of the Stone Age issued their sophomore album, R (as in the movie rating; some promo copies were distributed with the original title, "II"), before appearing on that year's Ozzfest tour. By that point, drummer Hernandez had been replaced by a tag-team combo of Gene Troutman and Nicky Lucero. The group built a healthy buzz courtesy of accolades from such renowned publications as Rolling Stone, and due to good-old-fashioned touring. 2001 saw the group perform at the massive Rock in Rio festival (after which Oliveri was arrested by the Brazilian police for performing nude) and a spot on the year's Ozzfest. The same year, Homme and Oliveri put together yet another volume of the Desert Sessions series, while QOTSA assembled a third studio album.

Ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl was very vocal in the press about his admiration of the Queens, which led to an invitation for him to join the group for the third album's recording and, subsequently, supporting tour. Surprisingly, Grohl accepted, putting the Foo Fighters on hold (despite having a new album completed and ready to go). One of the year's most eagerly anticipated hard rock albums, Songs for the Deaf was issued in August of 2002, and was preceded by a tour that saw Oliveri and Homme joined by Grohl on drums, ex-Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan, and A Perfect Circle guitarist/keyboardist Troy Van Leeuwen.

When asked about Rock'N'Roll in 2004, Duff said he thinks of QOTSA as one of the few real rock bands left.

Rainbow Bar & Grill

Since it's opening in 1972, the Rainbow, which occupies the building that used to be the classy Windjammer Restaurant and then the Villa Nova, has become the center of the Sunset Strip circuit, It's next door to the Roxy Theatre, a block from the Whisky-A-Go-Go. Each year, hipsters, rockers, actors and every variation of the same dine and dance at the two-level venue, united by a shared love for music that rocks hard. A quick scan at all the long hair, leather clothes and red eyes on almost any night will tell you the it's still a rock 'n' roll gathering spot. Although more often than not the crowd is made up of fans, roadies and hangers-on.

The Rainbow was planned mainly as a hangout for the record industry and as a place to hold press parties. The Rainbow is a restaurant of sorts, and a hangout par excellence; the Rainbow is also a monument to Rock Capitalism in the 70's and carries through the new century. It was originally conceived by Bob Gibson, last Press agent before the Freeway and probably the most important and influential music-biz PR nabob in the world. He gathered together a group of friends and/or associates as fellow investors in the project. These include his partner Gary Stromberg, manager extraordinaire Roy Silver, P.R.-ist colleagues like Mike Ochs (Columbia, Shelter) and Corb Danahue (ABC-Dunhill, Costa Rica), Rob Regher of Warner Records and The World of Fine Art, Ode Records honcho Lou Adler, attorney Red Flier, Elmer Valentine, and the current owner Mario Maglieri.

The first Velvet Revolver press listening party for 'Contraband' was held at the Rainbow.

>>> Los Angeles' Rainbow Bar & Grill

RCA Records

RCA Records is the record company that signed Velvet Revolver on August 22, 2003. They are part of the Sony/BMG Group and are headed by Clive Davis.

>>> RCA Records website

Reloaded

"Reloaded' was the first band name reported for the group that would eventually be called 'Velvet Revolver'. Before officially naming the band, they were referred to as 'The Project'. When Scott Weiland was added to the lineup, they decided to name the band, and came up with different names. 'Reloaded' was reported Rolling Stone, only to be denied days later. On June 5, 2003, 'Velvet Revolver' was announced to be the official name. Slash has been quoted to say that the band came up with 'Revolver' and Scott added 'Velvet' to the name.

>>> Rolling Stone

Reed, Dizzy

Dizzy Reed (b. Darren Reed June 18th, 1963; Hinsdale, IL) joined GNR when he was a friend of Axl's in 1990. Before that, Dizzy joined his first band when he was only in the sixth grade.

Rose recruited Reed to play the keyboards for the band. That was the time when Steven was out of the band, a very hectic time. His first gig was Rock in Rio, which had over 10,000 people. Dizzy hasn't only worked with GN'R. He has contributed to albums by Duff McKagan, Slash's Snakepit, Gilby Clarke and Motorhead.

Dizzy also has a side-project called Dizzy Reed and Hookers-N-Blow that was formed in early 2004 by Alex Grossi and Matt Starr. Dizzy is still the only original crew of Guns N' Roses besides Axl. He has been a member of GN'R for over 14 years.

Ritz, David

David Ritz is a very successful author who based his books on soul music legends like Ray Charles, Etta James, The Neville Brothers, Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin. However, Ritz is probably most notable for his work with the legendary Marvin Gaye.

David is currently working with Scott Weiland on Scott's autobiography 'Desperation #5', which is due out later this year through Scribner Publishers.

>>> David Ritz

Rose, W. Axl

Axl Rose (b. William Bruce Rose on February 6, 1962; Lafayette, IN) is the only original member left to play under the name 'Guns N' Roses' today.

Depending who you ask, he is either considered a rock music icon who is worshipped by millions as an almost Christ-like figure, or hated as a homophobic, misogynistic, and woefully self-indulgent "rock star" (in his defense, Rose has denied that he's a homophobe or a misogynist numerous times over the years), as well as thought of as a tyrant by his ex-bandmates.

Rose suffered sexual abuse from his biological father and physical abuse from his eventual stepfather at an early age (he changed his name to William Bailey after his mother remarried). He was also an outcast in school, where he was picked on for being "different," but found solace in singing with his school and church vocal choir and eventually rock music. His rough teenage years were eased a bit when he befriended a Keith Richards-worshipping chap by the name of Jeff Isbell, who shared Rose's interest in music. Isbell left Indiana for the streets of Los Angeles in the early '80s with hopes of forming a rock band, and Rose followed shortly thereafter, changing his name to W. Axl Rose (while Isbell soon adopted the name Izzy Stradlin). [..]

They started Guns N' Roses (read more here) and released a number of studio albums between 1987 and 1991. After G N' R issued a lukewarm-received collection of covers in 1993, 'The Spaghetti Incident', they took a well-deserved rest. But after numerous aborted writing/recording sessions for their third proper studio album, the remaining other two original members (Slash and McKagan) either quit the band or were dismissed by Rose. Rose had been granted full ownership of the name Guns N' Roses, so he slowly formed a whole new band around him. He has been completely out of the spotlight between 1994 and 1999, and had a couple of failed startups for his new GN'R lineup.

Rubin, Rick

From Wikipedia: Frederick Jay Rubin (born March 10, 1963 in Long Island, New York), is an American record producer best known for his work with rap and heavy metal, as well as the "American series" albums with Johnny Cash. He was a major figure in the fusion of rap and hard rock, bringing together Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith for the hit song "Walk This Way". He was also a major figure in the fusion of rap and heavy metal into Alternative metal, Nu metal and other forms. MTV has called him "the most important producer of the last 20 years."

Esquire's 2006 Esky Music Awards said in the April issue: "In four words we trust: produced by Rick Rubin. ... While he hides behind a mysterious bearded-shaman schtick, the secret to his success is obvious; He's one of the few industry giants with the confidence to just let artists be themselves." Well known for collaborating with Red Hot Chili Peppers since Blood Sugar Sex Magik, his work with Thrash Metal band Slayer resulted in Reign In Blood, which is regarded by many as the best album of the Thrash Metal genre.

In mid- to late 2006, Rubin worked briefly with Velvet Revolver when the band was trying out different producers for their second album. The collaboration didn't work out and the band opted for Brendan O'Brien instead.

Schulman, Mark

Veteran drummer Mark Schulman replaced Matt Sorum for a stretch of tour dates in the summer of 2005 after Matt Sorum fractured his hand in a boating accident. Mark played all of the Ozzfest 2005 dates as well as VR's headlining shows between August 23 and the end of September..

>>> Mark Schulman's website
>>> Interview with Mark about the VR shows (from davesontour.com)

Sex Pistols

From AllMusic.com: The Sex Pistols may have only been together for two years in the late '70s, but they changed the face of popular music. Through their raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, the band revolutionized the idea of what rock & roll could be.

In England, the group was considered dangerous to the very fabric of society and was banned across the country; in America, they didn't have the same impact, but countless bands in both countries were inspired by the sheer sonic force of their music, while countless others were inspired by their independent, do-it-yourself ethics.

Even if they didn't release any singles by themselves, there was an implicit independence in the way they played their music and handled their career. The band gave birth to the massive independent music underground in England and America that would soon include bands that didn't have a direct musical connection to the Sex Pistols' initial three-minute blasts of rage, but couldn't have existed without those singles.

Like his future bandmates Slash and Axl, Duff was totally into the Sex Pistols; in fact, Duff cites Sid Vicious as his sole musical influence because... he was the coolest bass player ever. Steve Jones, the guitarist for Sex Pistols played with Duff in Neurotic Outsiders. Scott Weiland has been quoted as saying that 'Never Mind The Bollocks' by the Sex Pistols had a big impact on him.

Velvet Revolver covered the Sex Pistols' 'Bodies' at the El Rey Theatre on June 19, 2003 - their first show.

Shaeffer, Kelly

INeurotica singer Kelly Shaeffer auditioned to be the singer for the band before they found Scott. Kelly was listed in Rolling Stone magazine as one of the final 4 that were up for the gig. He recorded 3 tunes with the band, called "Eye for an Eye", "Rm 169", and "End of the line".

Slash's Blues Ball

In 1996, With all the uncertainty of GN'R, Slash formed a band to just have fun and play with. They toured short tours in the U.S. and played covers. Completing the lineup were members Bobby Schneck (rhythm guitar), Teddy Andreadis (vocals, harmonica, organ), Johnny Griparic (bass), James Bradley Jr. (drums) and Dave McClarem (saxophone).

Slash's Snakepit

After GN'R finished the Illusion world tour, everyone took a break, except Slash. He put together a new band to keep busy. He recruited Mike Inez from Alice In Chains on bass, Gilby Clarke on rhythm guitar, Eric Dover (formerly of Jellyfish) on vocals. Matt Sorum played drums. They put out an album titled 'It's five o' clock somewhere' through Geffen in 1995.

In 2000, Slash's Snakepit returned in a completely different lineup: with vocalist Rod Jackson, former Warrant and Ratt guitarist Kerri Kelli, bassist Johnny Blackout, drummer Matt Laug, and former Guns N' Roses road alumni Teddy "Zigzag" Andreadis on keyboards. They released the album 'Ain't Life Grand' in November 2000.

Softdrive Records

In 2006, Scott launched his own record label, Softdrive Records. The Softdrive staff is headed up by Weiland’s long-time manager and business partner, Dana Dufine as General Manager along with his producer partner Doug Grean.

General Manager Dana Dufine notes: “Throughout Scott’s extensive travels he has been witness to a wealth of talent from around the world. Softdrive will provide an outlet for an eclectic group of artists to express themselves creatively, as well as achieve their personal and professional goals. My respect for Scott both musically and as a business partner make it an honor to be partnered up with him in launching Softdrive Records."

Los Angeles based band The Actual will mark the official launch of the label when their Softdrive debut album is released in early 2007. Rolling Stone said of lead singer Max Bernstein “…he knows his way around both a melodic hook and an understated chorus” and Law of Inertia declared “If there's any disc in the world that proves pop-punk is still very much alive and a viable source of enjoyment, let The Actual's debut full-length be the harbinger of such greatness.” Softdrive proudly agrees and looks forward to introducing The Actual’s Softdrive album debut “In Stitches” and first single “This Is The Worst Day Of My Life (do you want to come over)” to the fans in 2007.

Along with providing a home for Weiland’s anticipated second solo album, Softdrive’s second release currently in production is Tommy Joe Wilson; one of Nashville’s best and brightest up & coming country talents. With a combination of earthy good looks, charm and an old school country voice; Tommy is primed to be country music’s Next Big Thing.

>>> Softdrive Records @ MySpace

Stone Temple Pilots

Stone Temple Pilots originally started out as 'Mighty Joe Young in 1987 and released a four-song demo under that name in 1988. Two years later, the band (Scott Weiland - vocals, Robert DeLeo - bass, Dean DeLeo - guitars, Eric Kretz - drums) had recorded eleven songs for a demo and played small venues in the Los Angeles and San Diego area. Their strong songs attracted the attention of record labels and on April 1st 1992 the band signed a deal with Atlantic Records. A handful of their demo songs were re-recorded together with new material and the band released their debut album 'Core' in September 1992, shortly after changing their name to Stone Temple Pilots.

Stone Temple Pilots was able to make alternative rock into stadium rock; naturally, they became the most critically despised band of their era. Accused by many critics of being nothing more than rip-off artists, pilfering from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains, the band nevertheless became major stars in 1993.

And the influences of those bands are apparent in their music, but Stone Temple Pilots does manage to change things around a bit. STP is more concerned with tight song structure and riffs than punk rage. Their closest antecedents are not the Sex Pistols or Hüsker Dü; instead the band resembles arena rock acts from the '70s — they're popular hard rock that sounds good on the radio and in concert.

No matter what the critics might say, Stone Temple Pilots has undeniably catchy riffs and production; there's a reason why over three million people bought their debut album, Core, and why their second album, Purple, shot to number one when it was released.

Following the success of Purple and its accompanying tour, the band took some time off, during which the group's lead singer, Scott Weiland, developed a heroin addiction. In the spring of 1995, he was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine, and was sentenced to a rehabilitation program. Following his completion of the program, Stone Temple Pilots recorded their third album. Released in the spring of 1996, Tiny Music...Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop, entered the charts at number four. Shortly after its release, Stone Temple Pilots announced that Weiland had relapsed and entered a drug rehabilitation facility, thereby canceling the group's plans for a summer tour. Weiland's drug problems and the group's inability to support Tiny Music with a tour meant that the album couldn't replicate the success of its predecessors — by the end of the summer, it had fallen out the Top 50 and had stalled at platinum, which was considerably less than what the group's two previous albums achieved.

Still battling his personal demons, Weiland recorded a 1998 solo album, 12 Bar Blues, while the remaining members of STP recruited vocalist Dave Coutts to record a self-titled LP under the name Talk Show. To the surprise of many onlookers, Stone Temple Pilots then reunited, although shortly after completing 1999's No. 4, Weiland was sentenced to a year in a Los Angeles county jail for violating his probation stemming from an earlier conviction for heroin possession.

A newly rejuvenated Stone Temple Pilots and a sober Scott Weiland emerged stronger than ever during the new millennium. The band got back to basics on Shangri-La-Dee-Da, released in summer 2001. Two years later, STP issued the ambitious greatest hits package Thank You. The audio-only edition featured 15 tracks - 13 hits spanning the group's entire career, an acoustic version of "Plush" dating from 1992, and the new track "All in the Suit That You Wear". Thank You also appeared in a CD/DVD format that included three hours of videos, live performances, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Stradlin, Izzy

Izzy Stradlin (b. Jeff Isbel on April 8, 1962; Lafayette, IN.) is a former original member of Guns N' Roses, who has jammed with Velvet Revolver when they were doing auditions for singers and pre-production for 'Contraband'. It's still unsure if any of the songs he worked on made the final cut of the album. Izzy occasionally joins the band for gigs, as he did in 2003, when he played guitar with VR and Douglas Grean at the Smashbox Fashion show. He also appeared with Camp Freddy, the band that includes VR drummer Matt Sorum.

Here's Izzy's biography from AllMusic.com:

The gals dug Axl and the musicians dug Slash, but the man in the back, guitarist Izzy Stradlin, was just as much an integral part of Guns N' Roses. Stradlin's exit from the group in 1991 also signaled the beginning of the end for G n' R, as they became more of the ‘Axl Rose Show' and less of a full-fledged band.

Born in Lafayette, Indiana on April 8, 1962, Stradlin (whose real name is Jeff Isbell) developed a deep appreciation of the Rolling Stones, and particularly, Keith Richards. It wasn't long before Stradlin had picked up the guitar himself and began penning his own Stonesy/punk-inflected songs, which led to his relocation to Los Angeles, in search of his rock n' roll dreams. Playing in several glam metal bands on the Sunset Strip, Stradlin fell on hard times, but continued to persevere.

An old friend from Indiana, Axl Rose, followed Stradlin out to L.A., which eventually resulted in the formation of Hollywood Rose. Through numerous line-up changes, Hollywood Rose eventually became Guns N' Roses, when Rose and Stradlin were joined by lead guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. Although the group fit in with the Hollywood glam scene, Guns N' Roses was a different beast entirely — their roots laid in gritty punk and blues rock, and were a reaction (at least initially) against all the glossy pop that was glutting the charts and airwaves at the time. It was also around this time that Stradlin adopted a ‘gypsy look,' and played almost exclusively classic-looking guitars (undoubtedly based on his hero Richards).

Guns eventually signed with Geffen Records, and straight away, issued one of hard rock's all-time classic and best selling debuts, 1987's Appetite for Destruction. But such incredible success caused problems for the young band, especially with hard drugs. With rumors swirling of an impending break up, the group issued a spotty compilation of an early indie EP and newly recorded acoustic tracks, 1988's Lies, but it wasn't until 1991 that G n' R finally got around to issued a proper follow up to Appetite — the overblown double disc set Use Your Illusion.

With Axl Rose's ego out of control, as evidenced by late show start times and riots at shows caused by his antics, Stradlin had just about all he could handle (he was also trying to lead a ‘clean' lifestyle, which proved hard while on the road) and abruptly quit the band mid-tour in late 1991. It didn't take Stradlin long to form another band, as he launched the Stones carbon copy Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds, which broke up soon after issuing a moderately successful self-titled debut album in 1992 (Stradlin briefly re-joined Guns for a smattering of gigs the same year, before departing for good).

In the wake of the Ju Ju Hounds break up, Stradlin became quite reclusive, disappearing from sight for several years. The late ‘90s saw him reappear with fervor however, as he's issued a string of solo albums - 1998's 117°, 1999's Ride On, 2001's River, and 2002's On Down the Road, and even managed to play a handful of solo shows in Japan.

Stradlin has also signed on to help out in the songwriting department for the new G n' R-related offshoot group, the Project (sic) (featuring Guns alumni Slash, McKagan, and latter-day drummer Matt Sorum), but will not be a touring member of the group.

12 Bar Blues

'12 Bar Blues' is the first and so far only solo album released by Scott Weiland. It was recorded in 1997/1998 and released in April 1998 through Atlantic Records. Stone Temple Pilots took a break to work on side projects (the other members formed a band called Talk Show with singer Dave Coutts). The lead single taken off the album was 'Barbarella', for which Scott made a music video inspired by David Bowie's 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'.

The tracklisting for the album is:

1. Desperation #5
2. Barbarella
3. About Nothing
4. Where's The Man
5. Divider
6. Cool Kiss
7. The Date
8. Son
9. Jimmy Was A Stimulator
10. Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down
11. Mockingbird Girl
12. Opposite Octave Reaction

Scott worked with a number of well-known people on this album. Personnel included Daniel Lanois, Blair Lamb, Brad Mehldau, Tracy Chisholm, Victor Indrizzo, Martyn LeNoble, Peter DiStefano and Sheryl Crow. The latter played accordeon on the 10th track of the album, 'Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down', which was also featured on the 'Great Expectations' movie in late 1997. The album was produced by Scott and Blair Lamb. Chris Goss (Masters Of Reality) also helped record the closing track 'Opposite Octave Reaction'.

When looking at the album's artwork, some people might wonder what it reminds them of. The image on the right is the cover art for John Coltrane's 1957's album 'Blue Train'.

Tichy, Brian

Brian Tichy, who previously drummed for Ozzy Osbourne, Slash's Snakepit and Billy Idol, filled in for Matt Sorum on 7 nights of the U.S. summer tour of 2005. After Matt broke his hand in a boating accident, Brian played drums on the tour dates between August 11 and August 21. Due to previous commitments to Billy Idol, Brian was unable to do the Ozzfest 2005 dates with VR, so the band enlisted drummer Mark Schulman for these dates.

>>> Brian Tichy's website

Todd, Josh

Josh Todd is the vocalist who (together with guitarist Keith Nelson) first teamed up with Slash, Duff and Matt after they performed together at the Randy Castillo tribute show in April 2002. They parted ways in July 2002, saying Todd and Nelson "didn't fit the bill". Here's a bit more on Buckcherry:

Los Angeles rockers Buckcherry formed in 1995 when vocalist Joshua Todd met guitarist Keith Nelson through their tattoo artist. The duo began hammering out demos for several down and dirty rock songs and soon fleshed out their lineup with Jonathan "JB" Brightman, drummer Devon Glenn and guitarist Yogi.

Signing with DreamWorks Records, Buckcherry released their self-titled debut album in early 1999. The group contributed the song "Alone" to the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack in 2000, following with their second album, Time Bomb in 2001. In July 2002, they break up. Todd released a solo album called 'You Made Me' in 2004.

>>> Josh Todd's website