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Scott Weiland Pumped For Velvet Revolver LP, Solo Collabo With Pharrell

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1547746/20061211/index.jhtml#/news/articles/1547746/20061211/index.jhtml


Scott Weiland tries to avoid boredom at all costs.

In addition to being a dad and a husband (he's married to model Mary Forsberg), he fronts Velvet Revolver. He's working on his forthcoming autobiography with author David Ritz, and would like to pursue acting. The self-proclaimed "fashion whore" is mulling his own clothing line, and hopes to release his second solo LP late next year. On top of all that, Weiland has just launched his own record label, Softdrive, with his manager and production partner.

It's clear the man knows how to keep busy, and recently, he's been consumed with working on Velvet Revolver's Libertad ? the follow-up to 2004's Contraband ? an LP the former Stone Temple Pilots leader couldn't be more, well, psyched about.

"I haven't been this excited about a rock record since 1993, when I went into the studio to record [STP's] Purple," which was recorded in just 10 days, with producer Brendan O'Brien (Incubus, Rage Against the Machine) at the helm, Weiland explained. O'Brien is also behind Libertad, which Weiland called "a really inspired rock and roll album, but it's got many textures.

"It's multidimensional, which I think is one thing Brendan brings out in artists," Weiland continued. "I think he's brought out the best in this band, and, I mean, these guys" ? guitarists Dave Kushner and Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum ? "are amazing players, and they're capable of anything. They've reached completely new heights, and pulled something out of themselves. Instead of doing what's completely comfortable, what they've done before, they have gone to new places, emotionally, musically and spiritually."

Weiland said the new album, which should surface this spring, "is completely colorful in a new way, but it is definitely not a concept album." The singer said he scrapped initial plans to weave a connecting concept throughout the LP because "there's been a hurricane of concept albums that have come out this year, and I really didn't want to make the concept album that made the levee break." Velvet Revolver wrote more than 18 tracks for the disc, including "Pills, Demons, Etc.," "Just 16," "Get Out the Door," and "Queen for a Day," and started tracking December 4.

"It's an album like albums were meant to be," he said. "It's not a collection of singles, but it's not some drummed-up concept album that's contrived either."

VR first enlisted producer Rick Rubin (Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers), but ? for reasons Weiland wouldn't really get into ? opted to instead work with O'Brien. "Obviously, Rick makes things happen with people, and that chemistry creates a certain 'spiritual combustion' in some way," the singer said. "But with us, that didn't happen. I worked with Brendan on every STP record, and we needed somebody who was more in the trenches with us. When Brendan works with a band, he becomes the fifth or sixth bandmember. He gets in there with you, and he's in the thick of it. Every song that we were working on previously had a different feel, and songs that I was completely uninspired by, within a short period of time, became inspiring. Songs that I had no ideas for, I suddenly had a lot of ideas for, and took to completely different places than I think I would have taken them."

And Weiland said he's about two-thirds of the way done with his yet-untitled solo outing, his first since 1998's 12 Bar Blues. He said the disc will most likely be out next fall, "right around the time STP takes ... uh, STP ... Freudian slip ... Velvet Revolver takes its break. So that'll give me time to go do some roadwork, and do some shows, which I really didn't have a chance to do with my last album."

He's written more than a dozen tracks for the effort, including "The Man I Didn't Know," "Beautiful Day," "I Know It's Late," "She Sold Her System," "Big Black Monster," "Killing Me Sweetly" and "Happy," a cut originally slated for Libertad.

"That's the one I wrote with Pharrell Williams," he said. "I think [Williams] is incredibly talented, and what makes him great is he is completely colorblind, musically. Where his influences lie are from all different genres of music, and I think he takes you on a sonic journey, as far as his production goes. And, so, we kind of went and sort of searched him out, talked to him, and told him the ideas we had. This track we started working on with him pertained more to me, personally, than to the band, so it became one of the songs on my solo record."

Weiland's sophomore LP will be released by Softdrive, a label he'd been trying to develop for more than six years. He said he wanted to form a label "that would release various types of music, and focuses on the great music of all the genres." One of the label's first releases, the debut disc from the Actual, In Stitches, will be issued in 2007, and the label has also signed country artist Tommy Joe Wilson. Softdrive operates out of Weiland's recording studio.

"Obviously, we don't have a massive income stream to offer major dances, but we can make records here for next to nothing," he said. "We have everything in our recording studio that every major recording studio has."

 :o this stuff is getting me really excited about the new album, they've got some awesome song titles on there can't wait to hear them? :beer:

wow thanks tomass :beer: loooks like scott is on a role with his writing 18 VR songs and 12 solo tunes.....damn i'm so excited for 2007!!!

great news piece.  looking very forward to hearing the new VR album.  :peace:

Thanks for the article!  :beer:  Now I'm just as excited as Scott is! Can't wait to hear the album!  :drool:

Dam!  Strong words here!  I am so excited!  Sounds like they are almost done recording!  I hope this album rocks and meets expectations!!

wow thats pretty crazy that he hasnt been as excited about a record since Purple!! that makes me think this albums gonna be awesome. I think Purple was STP's  best album.

he basically said Rick Rubin didnt have any chemistry with them and he wasnt getting any new ideas or anything for the songs, but with O'Brien everything changed. i loved O'Brien's production jobs on the STP records. this album is getting me really excited!!

at last song titles!!!! wooo

"In the trenches" hasn't been Rick's strongsuit for quite a while, he's definitely become more of the executive producer/mogul type over the years.  Not exactly a "hands on" figure by any means. 

Nice to hear the fellas have found someone they're excited with.

This sounds so good now, plus the song titles  :drool: i don't think ive been this excited for a record ever (no, not even CD)

Lots of VR articles popping up lately   : ok:

can only mean albums getting on its way :D

Couldn't agree more, I'm really so excited about this album even more than I'm looking forward to CD

good read, thanks for posting tomass! anyone have any guess on when we will see libertad? im guessing....late feb or early may

I'm liking the sounds of Libertad more and more. When Scott says things like it's "a really inspired rock and roll album" that gets me really exctited!

And I also like the fact that Scott has said that they're pushing themselves musically rather than playing the same old stuff. Should be a kickass album! :beer:

At this rate, VR's record will come out before the new GNR record.
Not to offend the sensitive people on these boards - I said - "at this rate" so I am only speculating.

Im still loving Contraband - the whole record is great and there are points where Axl really could belong with the music, but Scott Weiland is kick ass as well because he's also a fun crazy genius frontman.

The only thing VR needs to do is to put out the better songs as singles for the next record. Songs like "you Got No Right and "Suckertrain Blues" need to be on the radio, but comes next is anyone's guess.

MNW

"Queen for a Day"

I wonder who that could be about...... :hihi:

Great news, I hope his comes out soon.  :peace:

I think this album is going to wind up being VR's best album. Their "Purple" or "Superunknown" if you will.

Awesome news :]

Btw, shouldn't this be posted on HTGTH's front page?

Not really as this is really a Guns N Roses site and there is enough activity in camp for us to concentrate on them, velvet revolver has its own fan site where news can be posted, times have changed eh.

Yeah, today's anything is more interesting (including Nu-GN'R praisin' blog-critics) than that 2 original members and 1 another player from the classic (Live  :hihi:) era makes a new album.

The contrast between the two records Scott is working on should be interesting . I have always liked Scott's solo records they reach for new places.

Two for one records in 2007 from Scot. Nine number nine. the number of completion.....

Mazzal Tov..."May you have fortunate Constellations".

When there was silence from the GN'R camp VR news like this seemed to make the front page news, but I guess now that GN'R are back again, news from the VR camp isn't really big news anymore.

But the more I read and hear about this album the more I'm really looking forward to it.
And I gotta say, Contraband has been in my stereo alot lately, and it still sounds as good as when I bought it 2 and a half years ago, so I have high hopes for the new album! : ok:

Cant fucking wait for this album. I am gonna drink till i drop when it comes out. VR is still related to the name gn'r and shud still make news. Considerin the vr section has just as much activity here as the gn'r ione. Just a thought.

Get urself together, drink till u drop, forget about tomorrow and have another shot

"Keep on drinking, stinking drunk everyday" awa

hardly  ::)

GNR section:  290404 Posts in 7471 Topics
this section:  25943 Posts in 1591 Topics

Not sure that extrapolation is statistically fair to the length of time each band has been in existence. But if it makes you happy : ok:

 ???

Why not post both?  If Velvet Revolver is worth dedicating a section of the board to, surely a substantive article about the album is worth a news post, as many other VR articles have been.

Thats a bold statement which I hope ends up being true. We know this band has the talent to release something that will blow our minds. I have really high expectations for this album even though I didn't like Contraband.

Well done, and you just added another one. Bet you feel bad now.

More GNR than VR posts on a GNR board. Who'd have thunk it.

A loose extrapolation of this data:

20 years of Guns and Roses divided by 7500 post = 375 post a year

4 Years of Velvet Revolver divided by 1600 post = 400 Post a year

this might be the funniest post I've ever read, haha, wow.

I know I wasn't on the Internet back in 1986, maybe some others were....oh wait....

for use of a big word like 'extrapolation' one would think that they'd also be able to recognize that this board wasn't even created until 96, and I believe the posts were reset in 03-04.?

Anyways what does any of this matter?? I'd rather it not be on the main page because then there aren't as many people coming here and clogging up the thread.? All that matters is we're getting an album from both of our favorite bands next year...hopefully.?

I was just waiting for someone obsessive to provide the relevant data so it would not be a Loose extrapolation in the future. I see you are as lazy as me and couldn?t be bothered! Since you would really have to qualify that all the Guns and Roses post were exclusively about current members this would be a project for someone with too much time on their hands and that ain't me... Like you I am just psyched they are both kicking it up a notch.. New music for summer road trips maybe even new music for Spring break?..YES?.