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Slash's Snakepit began promoting their new
release, Ain't Live Grand (Koch), before it hit the shelves, in fact, you've
probably already seen them on the road with AC/DC. But
what you may not know is that since the release of It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
(Geffen), Slash has assembled a completely new line-up of musicians for his
Snakepit.
Rod Jackson (Vocals) ...
Fronting the new effort is vocalist Rod Jackson,
who delivers a blues-influenced hard rock sound and sites Marvin Gaye, Al Green,
Robert Plant, Stevie Wonder, and Steven Tyler as some of his main influences.
Jackson says that he first met up with Snakepit's
Johnny Blackout, when his own band was in need of a bass player. While Blackout
had filled in, he was more interested in seeing Jackson tryout for Slash's
Snakepit. After asking who had already auditioned for the vocal slot, Jackson
learned that he was up against some pretty big names. He is really not sure what
made him stand out from the crowd, but attributes getting to know the band as
being part of the reason he was selected.
"I went 'awe f*ck, there's no way that I'm
going to get this gig, and it turned out that I got it…I think I got to know
them. I really got to know everybody well. I think a lot of the singers that got
there, just did their thing and left. I wanted to get to know everybody,"
said Jackson.
Jackson says that despite the legendary status of their lead
guitarist, he has never actually looked at the band as
revolving around Slash. He describes them as one big unit where everybody
contributes equally. "When we're playing up there everybody is just pulling
their weight and doing their thing."
Johnny "Blackout" (Bass) and
Teddy ZigZag (Keyboards)...
Johnny Blackout, who has done session work in Los
Angeles and worked with former Guns 'N Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, first
joined Slash as a member of his Blues Ball project, which formed after Slash
received an offer to headline in Budapest. Blackout says that they played
anything that was in demand covering everyone from Elvis to Hendrix, but never
recorded any of the material.
He was recruited along with former Guns 'N Roses
keyboardist Teddy ZigZag, who regularly jammed with him at the Baked Potato in
Hollywood. While the two were expecting to only work with Slash for a single
show, things snowballed and the cover band received enough offers to necessitate
a small tour. And after that, Blackout says, "it was time to get serious
and put together a real band and start writing songs."
Matt Laug (Drums) and Keri Kelly (Guitar)
...
Blackout explained that Matt Laug, a session
drummer, had actually got involved at the tail end of Blues Ball, so he stuck
around as well, and guitarist Ryan Roxie was recruited when Slash went down to
Mexico to perform with Alice Cooper. After recording the new album, however,
Roxie parted with the Snakepit when the band was still shopping for a new label.
He chose to join Cooper on the road again, and was replaced by his Dad's Porno
Mag bandmate Keri Kelli (also Ratt, Warrant), who is now considered a permanent
member.
Jackson says that though he wishes they could
keep their keyboardist Teddy ZigZag on tour with them, along with their horn
section, they are not able to do so at this time. He says that maybe when the
album really breaks and they are doing their own things they can use the full
band, but for now ZigZag has joined Roxie on tour with Alice Cooper.
Slash (Lead Guitar)
When Slash began making his mark in the hard rock
world as a guitarist, he says "there wasn't any preconceived sound."
He had a basic idea of what he liked and what he didn't like, and then he set
his sights on trying to establish a sound of his own, which he has maintained
over the years. He learned all about being one of the black sheep on the block
when he joined Guns 'N Roses, and eventually learned to embrace his
individuality.
"God knows I'd like to be successful at what
it is I do for a living as well, and at the same time, part of the struggle and
part of the going against the grain and part of being original is part of the
whole fun of putting up with the other bullsh!t that goes with this industry,
which I think is overall a corporate piece of crap in the first place."
Slash first introduced his solo project with the
album It's Five a Clock Somewhere, which he says didn't even start out as a
record. He originally formed his band during a break from Guns 'N Roses with
other musicians who had commitments to established bands, and eventually, their
demo recordings turned into an album that ultimately resulted in a four-month
four-continent tour. Unfortunately, by the time Slash official quit Guns 'N
Roses, he was left without a band.
Taking things much more seriously this time
around, Slash found a band that could dedicate themselves completely to Slash's
Snakepit, and a record label that could give them personalized attention that
they need. He chose to switch labels after mergers and consolidation transformed
what was formerly Geffen Records, and settled on Koch.
When Geffen became Interscope he soon realized
that he didn't know or trust anybody there. Knowing that he would get lost in
the shuffle, he worked towards an amicable separation and began his search for a
new label that was a bit more knowledgeable than he was personally. And thus
far, the band has been pleased with the move. In fact, Jackson says that being on a smaller label has given them more freedom, because there
are fewer hands involved.
Despite the small label, Blackout
believes that having a
big name artist in the band has helped Snakepit bypass some of the typical obstacles
that new bands face like showcases and club tours. They began touring with AC/DC
before their album was even released, and had been scheduled to catch up with them again in
Florida for their second US leg.
(Editorial Note: While we've had no official statement from management,
unfortunately beginning with Pittsburgh, the band began canceling both club
shows and their performances with AC/DC for the upcoming weeks stating illness
as the cause. We hope that they will be back on the road by early April to
update this with a road report and live photos from Cleveland.)
Interestingly, Slash says he doesn't want to restrict the band to
just playing in front of stadium and arena audiences. He believes that one of the most personal things
about playing in front of an audience that's intimate, is that you have such a
personal relationship them, and you really can't establish that kind of
relationship playing in front of a stadium even if they know your whole record.
"I like doing all of it, I like to the
stadiums, I like doing the theaters, I like doing the clubs, I like doing
impromptu gigs where you just happens to show up for the gig and there happens
to be on or two or three of you from the band and just getting up there and
winging it…I think the whole fun of it is just getting out there and just
putting your heart and your soul into it," says Slash.
Jackson also stands behind the bands live show and explains that unlike the contemporary pop stars that have their
songs, clothes, and images chosen for them, Snakepit sets out to do it their own
way. The band prides themselves on being one of the only bands out there that
are still delivering old school rock, says Jackson, "It's 'hard rock, blues-based
ass kicking sh!t…you come to our show, your gonna sweat, your gonna drink,
your gonna have a good f*cking time."
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