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On Thursday May 5 at 8 p.m., Velvet Revolver will headline a concert (with Chevele as opener) that will herald the early arrival of the monster summer rock tours, as well as the first solid offering as part of the Pavilion's 15th anniversary. Up & Coming Weekly had a chance to speak with Duff McKagan, bassist for Velvet Revolver, who spoke from his home in Seattle during one of his rare "off days."
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Up & Coming Weekly: You played with Guns N' Roses (a legendary rock band), and now you're with Velvet Revolver (which has been called a Super Band). Has the change been any different for you?
Duff: Guns was a long time ago. I've been playing ever since then, but the last time I was with them was 12 years ago. That's a long time in the life of a musician. But I've grown since then as a performer and a musician ... these guys I'm with now - I have so much chemistry with them ... it's just as powerful as the original Guns, but different.
U&CW: What do you think of the "Super Band" label you've been given?
Duff: It's not that we're stars really. It's just that these guys are really fu*&ing good players (pardon my French). Nobody in this band considers themselves a "rock star," you know? We all consider ourselves musicians first, more than anything.
U&CW: Do you think of yourself as one of the only "real" rock bands out there now?
Duff: We hear it all the time ... but the truth of the matter is that when you look at it, we do what we do. We're a rock 'n' roll band, but it's really the kids that are bringing rock back. They're the ones coming to the shows and seeing us play. And hopefully, they're going out and starting bands like I did when I was a kid. I saw The Clash in '79 (I was like 12 or something), and it was one of those moments that changed my life. I knew right then that I could learn three chords and start a band.
U&CW: How have fans reacted?
Duff: We've built up this amazing fan base all around the world, and a lot of them are these young kids that maybe didn't hear too much about Guns, but are coming to check out our shows. Our fans are really great. They know that every night when we play we go out there and just lay it all out. We don't leave anything behind.
U&CW: What can we expect on the next album?
Duff: I don't know what to tell you really, because even we don't know what to expect. We don't over-think things and we don't talk a lot about it. Really what comes out when we start playing and not thinking is usually the best stuff. I think if we start to analyze things too much, we get ourselves into a quandary that we don't want to.
U&CW: What are some of your influences, creatively?
Duff: Mo Town, Funk, Outkast, Foo Fighters, AC/DC, whatever. But we still have our own way of thinking when it comes to writing songs.
U&CW: What are you listening to right now?
Duff: Prince, Muse, some Marvin Gaye. I really love the new Queens record. One great thing is that we get sent a lot of CDs from bands that want to open for us, so I get to listen to a lot of music before a lot of people get to hear it - and that's just cool. Besides, I don't have a lot of time to shop. Our schedule is like four days on, three days off, and on and on.
U&CW: What is next for you?
Duff: I hope to keep this thing going. That's the main focus. I don't look any further ahead than the gig tonight. I try to be the best I can be. I'm playing with musicians who are at the top of their game, and I have to be at the top of my game every night.
As part of the concert, on the Acoustic stage will be artist Parmalee, while on the Electric stage The Bleeding Hearts will perform. For info or tickets, go to
www.alltel pavilion.com or call 919-834-4000.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1147&dept_id=483438&newsid=14459830&PAG=461&rfi=9
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