Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Mama's Fallen Angels Interview with DJ Ashba of Guns N Roses and Sixx AM

January 11, 2012

Great interview with a man who works with some of the biggest names in rock and roll, and is EASILY identifiable as one of the premiere guitarists you can catch anywhere today.  We all know DJ Ashba from his high profile gigs with GNR and Sixx AM, and I was awarded the honor of sitting down with the extremely talented songwriter/guitarist late last week. 

@ 12:30 he talks about a new Guns N' Roses album.  He says he's written 12 songs for Axl that he really likes and a new album "absolutely is our main priority."

@ 9:50 Dj Ashba: "As far as February, I believe we have some Guns dates booked."

Here's how it all went down:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6huTbmVuPuk

http://www.mamasfallenangels.com/forum/topics/mfa-interview-with-dj-ashba-of-guns-n-roses-and-sixx-am

Axl's 'vault' must be stuffed full of stuff now.

2012 could be a very exciting year!

DJ is the man!  He seems to have really motivated Axl.

Did I hear right? GNR dates in February ?

I heard that too!

Can't wait too hear what they come up with, now that Dj is aboard.

Axl likes a lot of stuff.  Did he sing and dance to it?  :D

Curious how this works for Axl. If Axl has certain songs he wants to be on the next album but then DJ wrote other songs, would Axl feel pressured to include some tracks DJ worked on as to not offend him or some shit? Also, whatever happened to collaborations? I think all future tracks would be written by Axl or co written. Kind of like Better (Axl and Fink) or If The World (Axl and Pittman). I guess DJ maybe just supplied music and Axl if he digs them would do his thing with the lyrics. I don't want any "So Fine" nonsense on any future GNR album.

Eh I think Ill cut DJ some slack due to how fucking fantastic Mi Amor and Ballad are. Goddamn I wish the next album would come out before the end of the world.

With the pocket of Ashba/Stinson/Rose/Fortus ya can bet your ass we'll be hearing a great fucking album!

I've been wondering the same.  If Axl already has a finished album that may just require some "sprucing up", where does this leave all these songs DJ's written?

I wonder if we'll get the rest of the CD Era tracks before the "DJ album" just to tide the fans over while they're working on that...

I don't think you can call it the DJ album.  If you'll recall DJ said Axl has stuff he has showed DJ.  We may have a writing duo but we are also load with other composers in camp.  We may still have some who are not stage performers.  We could have any combination/number of people working with each other on different songs.

Although I'm excited to hear this amazing band in the studio I hope we can see some new tracks with Bucket/Robin/Paul at the future too.

If Axl likes this material and decides to do anything with any of it I trust his judgement plus I doubt it'll be a case of everybody playing to the letter exactly what DJ has written. I'd guess it'll be more like taking some of his ideas as a starting point and then building on them.

Lets just hope "the muse" stays with Axl....

I want to here these also, but I'm getting the feeling we never will-he mentioned these in the chat 3 years ago.

DJ wrote 12 songs for the new album, i don't think that Bucket and Robin are played any guitar parts in it.
And this is just DJ, maybe Dizzy, Tommy, Richard and the other guys wrote/co-wrote songs too.

Here's more of what he says about the new music in this interview:

DJ ASHBA Says He Has Written 12 Songs For Next GUNS N' ROSES Album - Jan. 12, 2012

Mama's Fallen Angels recently conducted an interview with GUNS N' ROSES/SIXX: A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

When asked how soon fans can expect to hear a new GUNS N' ROSES album, Ashba replied, "I can't give anybody a definite date, because I'm not gonna give anybody false hope. But what I can say is [making a new album] absolutely is our main priority. And I cannot wait to get [working on it]. I mean, Axl [Rose, GN'R lead singer] has tons and tons of stuff recorded as it is. I mean, he sits there in his hotel room and he'll play me hours of stuff. And I've written over ten songs ? I think 12 songs now ? for him that he really likes. And I think now that we're off tour, we're gonna kind of start talking about, 'Hey, let's start piecing together what we feel would be the next best GUNS N' ROSES record.' It's absolutely everybody's goal to get out an album within a reasonable amount of time. That is everybody's focus."

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=168183

Considering Bumble is a writer, I can't help but wonder how much stuff he's come up with over the last few years as well

There must be a full album's worth of material & ideas from the Chinese recordings too

Fingers crossed they spend as much time in the studio as they just did touring

Awesome!!! i will try not to get too exited just yet. Personally i think they should release the remainder of the Chinese sessions and then a brand new album and not mix the 2 together

As much as I'd love to have a new Guns album, especially this current line-up of Guns, I'm not gonna get excited about this.
If it happens, it happens.




Alright, fine, I'm already a little excited about the prospect of this happening. But let me tell you why!



This Guns line-up is incredible. They captivated me for 3 hours live, even with songs I didn't care for or didn't know. These guys could possibly be the single most talented group of rock musicians on the planet, all led by my personal favorite front man of all time. I'd love to hear what these guys come up with in the studio.



But I'm not gonna get all worked up over it.



Well, maybe a little ...

It's nice to read, if they started recording right now, I'm guessing it takes about a year to put an album out-I think we're 2-3 years away from hearing an actual album-in concert might be another thing.

Precisely, which is why it would be awesome if in 2012 Axl put out the other tracks from the CD sessions while we're waiting for them to complete this album.

The key point for me is "reasonable amount of time", and is also why we shouldn't get excited at this point.

I hate to be a pessimist but we could be here in 12 months time no further along in terms of new music.

Reasonable time could mean 2012 or 2-3 years away.

I do hope though, with all my heart that I'm wrong and we get a new album from the greatest band ever soon  :drool:

What's frustrating is that Axl has all these other tracks that are more or less finished that he could put out whenever he wants, barring any hurdles the label puts in front of him. 

Fans have been talking about songs like The General, Atlas Shrugged, Leave Me Alone, Zodiac, etc. for years.  It'd be a shame to delay their release any further.

But not on his terms I suspect, and that's the real issue here....

Right, I just hope he can find a way to get them out on his terms this year, instead of waiting until after they record however-many completely new songs which could take God knows how long.   I've said before that releasing an album of both old and new songs might affect the flow of the album, which is why I think they should consist of two completely different releases.

It's not always as easy as "finish the album and put it out".

As you pointed out, there's the issue of how to put it out. That's when the record company usually gets involved and complicates things....



In this situation no matter what GN'R does, they can't win.

Dj, and others, has said there are songs left from the Chinese Democracy era. Do you put those out as soon as possible and have people say "this isn't the same band that's touring" and/or "these songs are old, we want new material!"?

You and I both know that'll happen if GN'R goes this route.

On the other hand, if they go the other route and record a full album of newly written material, the same people will go "what happened to all the great stuff they recorded during the CD era?".

Business as usual, you can't win with certain people.
So, fuck them!  : ok:


I know that no matter what they chose to release as the next GN'R album, it won't be something released just for the sake of putting something out. As many (most?) bands do. Axl doesn't play that game.

Many bands seem to put out albums so they have an excuse to tour. And then the crowds at the shows just wanna hear the classics and the hits anyway. So you put out sub par material, with your name on it, only to play the old familiar classics everybody knows from their morning commutes to work. What's the point?

GN'R just toured in the USA and the latest album isn't even available in stores. It's the opposite of what everybody else does....  It's the most "punk rock" thing you'll see.




/jarmo

Jarmo you're right that no matter what album they put out next, there will be people bitching on both sides of the fence.  But that's standard for a lot of big name rock bands.  Aerosmith and Metallica fans come to mind in terms of moaning whenever a new release comes their way.

I have no doubt that when the next album comes, it will be something that has Axl's seal of approval, meaning it won't be something put out just to produce an album and tour.

I was just trying to say that it would be odd if the other unreleased tracks from the CD sessions, which as far as we know everyone in the current lineup but DJ has recorded on, were buried in favor of completely new recordings. 

I would imagine we'll still hear them in some way, shape, or form especially after all the work that was put into them.  I'm also definitely looking forward to some DJ/Axl compositions.  I'm thinking Ballad Of Death meets There Was A Time.  Just badass.  : ok:

He could pull a Trent Reznor and release an album online for free

Doubtful, although some kind of digital release isn't outside the realm of possibilities, especially nowadays. 

And you know this is possible because....?


What if there's a contract with a record company that's still valid? How do you think they would feel?




/jarmo

It can be done-Radiohead did it to some extent, and Billy Corgan simply put out a few songs at a time

Keep in mind, GNR began the year by asking fans what their favorite means of obtaining music online was.  Something tells me they weren't asking because they were curious about technology.  ;)

I just read an interview with Tommy Stinson in which he said the label provided no support for Chinese Democracy-contracts can be broken-I find it hard to believe Axl is going to want to go through that again-I would look at other avenues to release music-this label, or whomever, dropped the ball on one of the most anticipated albums of all time.

We don't know what GNR's contracted obligations are to Geffen & Universal, especially if they are using music/tracks they funded on future releases.  In the TMS interview, Axl said that he needed to see where the band stands with the label before looking to another release.  That doesn't sound like he's looking to break away, only to figure things out.

Exactly my point-I'm responding to a thread in which the guitarist of the band has stated that he has submitted 12 songs to the lead singer-I'm not sure asking how or when it will come out is unreasonable.

It's not unreasonable to ask/wonder how/when, what's kinda silly is to assume things like "GN'R should release it for free like artist X..." when you got no idea about if they are obliged to release the material through the record company.






/jarmo

Easier said than done as far as "contracts can be broken".  Much easier said than done especially without knowing the terms of the contract.

Ali

This has got to be the longest record contract known to man, then-I wish them the best, they're gonna need it.

I was listening to a radio 1 article yesterday about the state of 'guitar rock' in the UK, and how it has been destroyed by dub step, pop, and adele. Record companies just aren't putting money into rock bands at the moment. But they made a good point - There's few really great albums out these days to inspire people (and sales).

For Gnr this record could be even more significant than Chinese democracy. They've earned some goodwill with their latest tour and proved it's not just the afd songs people enjoy live. In some ways I feel the best could be yet to come with this band - the pressure is off a little, there's none of the leaks issue to deal with it and a real chance to put out something they're all proud of.

Part of me wants to hear some of the darker songs from the cd era Axl referred to, yet another part of me would be really happy with a straight ahead good ol fashioned hard rock album. Whatever they do I'm sure it will be great!

It would be cool if they could do half CD era songs, then the other half from this current lineup.  I'm down for whatever they decide to do.  No complaints here... hopefully new music will be heard soon.  As far as putting it out for free online... easier said then done as previously said.  I've alway's thought why don't record companies have albums, new music put on band's facebook, Twitter pages for purchase.

Good news... but only if it doesn't mean Finck/Buckethead/Brain songs in the garbage... If they released in some way old ChD songs,  then I wouldn't have problem with new direction of GNR.

How about a re-release Chinese Democracy as a double cd set / deluxe edition.

The first cd could be the 14 songs we already know with the booklet like it should have been if it wasn't rushed by the record company. The next cd could contain other, unknown tracks from the Chinese Democracy sessions. This way it's still Chinese Democracy and fans won't bitch about "this isn't the same band that's touring" and/or "these songs are old, we want new material!"

By the time GN'R wants to release a new album or a re-release of CD with more songs... the compact disc itself will maybe not exisit anymore!  ::)
really, that industry is getting closely to it's end. Future is buying the songs online (with maybe vid's included etc)...or streaming services

It's great to hear this, DJ is a great performer, and his inclusion in GNR has made the band more "open" I think - especially because he is such a vibrant and charismatic person. Credit must also go to Frank and Bumble for this as well.

It's a win win because even if DJ doesn't use this material for a GNR album he could use it for Sixx AM and Motley Crue

Maybe Axl wants to have a Tupac thing (not the getting shot part), and be able to keep releasing new GNR albums long after he's gone.

I'm voting for a double album release, first some older songs and then some newer stuff.


And don't forget Soul Monster, we have to hear that!  :peace:

Axl said Leave Me Alone and Soul Monster are the same song.  ;)

Obviously I want Guns to write and record and tour as much as possible, but I also would love to see DJ with Sixx A.M. and them tour again. They were the absolut highlight of Cruefest 1 for me.

It will be interesting to see what Ashba bring into the GnR songwriting. Based on Mi Amor and BOD it will be good  :beer:

Do we know any possible album titles or even any names to songs that will be on it? ???

there is no new info.
if they are going into the studio we'd prob know by now.
all band members are taking some time off and doing side projects.
so it could take a while for that happening. on the good side though a european tour is in the works

If they have 30 songs,and the can write another 12,i would love a 10/12 track album,but a completly awesome album from start to end with the 10/12 best songs

Don't agree with that, but i can understand your thoughts.
I think at this point everyone would be satisfied with a new album, no matter what material came in it

Yes @ 9:50 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6huTbmVuPuk):

Dj Ashba: "As far as February, I believe we have some Guns dates booked."

I'd really like to hear / buy what Axl intended to put out as Chinese democracy, revised artwork, complete songs and his preferred mix etc. I think this is a great way of drawing the line between the line ups.

 I'd also like to hear completely fresh album from the current line up.

So either or both or a mix for me really! Whatever the next music is I'm sure it will be great!

Yes, people can say what they want, this album will be the most important GN'R album ever, because it will show, how much energy this band have, and DJ can shine on this album!

And this album would be good for Bumblefoot (and the other guys) too, because CHI DEM was a Bucket/Finck/Tobias album. Now i's time for an Bumble/Ashba/Fortus album!

I'd love to hear what the current line-up comes up with in album form. They are so damn good live! If it happens, I'll be excited. If not, I'll always wonder with sadness!

I'm fucking excited to hear new music. Right now, i'm listening to my "A Different Kind of Truth" by Van Halen ( very good album =p ) and i was thinking how cool it will be if Guns N' Roses put out a new album. We'll have KISS, Van Halen, Metallica, Black Sabbath. All the big bands, it would be very cool if GN'R launches a new album

          I just hope we hear a couple new things in this 2012 tour. I mean I doubt we get an album in 2012 . But it would be nice if they tour and hint at an album in 2013 for us .