Confirmed: Duff McKagan To Join Jane's Addiction

[FunkyMonkey]

From Dave Navarro:

An inspired week of writing with Jane?s and it was great to jam at Perry?s party with Duff. Looking forward to the first actual Jane?s show

about 1 hour ago via UberTwitter

[FunkyMonkey]

This from LiveDaily:

Duff McKagan joins Jane's Addiction

April 2, 2010

The band's publicist subsequently confirmed via a press release that McKagan is now an official member of the group, taking over for recently departed original bassist Eric Avery.

McKagan and company are working on the follow-up to Jane's Addiction's most recent studio album, 2003's "Strays." The forthcoming set is tentatively due out in the winter of 2011 and will be followed by a world tour, according to the band's publicist.

http://www.livedaily.com/news/duff-mckagan-joins-jane-s-addiction-21830.html

[Ali]

This from LiveDaily:

Duff McKagan joins Jane's Addiction

April 2, 2010

The band's publicist subsequently confirmed via a press release that McKagan is now an official member of the group, taking over for recently departed original bassist Eric Avery.

McKagan and company are working on the follow-up to Jane's Addiction's most recent studio album, 2003's "Strays." The forthcoming set is tentatively due out in the winter of 2011 and will be followed by a world tour, according to the band's publicist.

http://www.livedaily.com/news/duff-mckagan-joins-jane-s-addiction-21830.html

If Duff is on board for the album and tour, then that may be the nail in the coffin for VR.  The album won't be out until next winter and then a world tour for roughly a year.  That's a good two years more of VR being on hiatus.  The longer they are on hiatus, the slimmer the odds of them getting back together.  Though, I understand, never say never.

Ali

[Lady Ashba]

I'd say your probably right about VR. I never really cared much for J'sA, but with Duff now I might give it a chance

[FunkyMonkey]

This from LiveDaily:

Duff McKagan joins Jane's Addiction

April 2, 2010

The band's publicist subsequently confirmed via a press release that McKagan is now an official member of the group, taking over for recently departed original bassist Eric Avery.

McKagan and company are working on the follow-up to Jane's Addiction's most recent studio album, 2003's "Strays." The forthcoming set is tentatively due out in the winter of 2011 and will be followed by a world tour, according to the band's publicist.

http://www.livedaily.com/news/duff-mckagan-joins-jane-s-addiction-21830.html

If Duff is on board for the album and tour, then that may be the nail in the coffin for VR.  The album won't be out until next winter and then a world tour for roughly a year.  That's a good two years more of VR being on hiatus.  The longer they are on hiatus, the slimmer the odds of them getting back together.  Though, I understand, never say never.

Ali

I was thinking the same thing when I saw the album release and tour info.  He is also working on a new album with Loaded, so he'll be very busy for quite some time.

[gnrjanus]

If Vr Want's myles kennedy and myles want's them.
then they can all work it out this way.

VR/Alter bridge are both off and on bands so that can work out for both myles and Duff.
Slash/matt/members AB got there own stuff going if lead projects are on hiatus

[m_rated96]

dude hate to repeat the old cliche but technicality does not mean shit. navarro writes some really cool shit.. stuff that dave douchebag mustaine couldn't even comprehend.. navarro is  a respectable guitar player who has written some great songs.. hes not a "Cover band" player... and if you think mustaines a technical god, watch him botch the cemetery gates solo on dt's tribute to pantera

hahah I highly doubt that Dave Mustaine would have any trouble comprehending anything that Navarro ever did, other than maybe his shade of eye shadow or feather boas.  You are hilarious.  By the way its not just me who thinks Mustaine is a good technical player, its the guitar playing world.  Go read a Guitar World, or any other music publication where writers are still talking about how "Rust in Peace" was 20 years ahead of its time.  Youre right, what has Mustaine ever done, he only wrote tracks on the first 3 Metallica albums, and started another band that has put out relevant and successful records for 25 straight years.  You are right, he sucks, what does he know about playing guitar?  I guess every guitar critic in the world is wrong on that one. I guess Kerry King, Slash, Zakk Wlyde, James Hetfield, John Petrucci, and Dimebag had no idea what they are talking about when they talked about what a great player Dave is.  I cant believe I am even having this discussion with someone who thinks Dave Navarro is a good guitar player, this is really an insult to my musical intelligence.  Next thing youll be telling me what a great player Mick Mars, Chad Kroeger or that guy from Hinder is.

you are right though technicality isnt everything.  The great ones have good technical ability and the talent to write riffs and songs.  Dave Navarro possesses neither of those.

dude your musical intelligence is practically non-existent. Not only was that video the worst thing i've ever seen (he's hosting a SHOW of course he's going to be incredulous to make mustaines lame techical trick look slightly interesting), but it proves my point that mustaine is reknowned purely for his technical skill. Let my put what i'm sayin in point form

- Mustaine is, as you originally said, a GREAT technical player. his metallica songs and solos are all based around technique and fast playing and headbanging; the emotion behind his music is "im drunk, lets jump"!
-If you deconstruct his "spider techique", u realise that the riff is constructed purely so he can finish his "spidering" on the A... he's not outpouring any emotion into his music. When he does, rarely in megadeth, its not emotion its just fantasy, megadeth attracts star wars fans and musicians (a big audience, i'll grant)

- Navarro is not a whiz techical player, but hes much more versatile and he can outpour some sort of emotion into a guitar riff.. And thats why he's NOT a cover band player, because he can WRITE his OWN music which is GOOD.

- You are repeating Guitar World magazine and schoolyard guitarist discussion cliches. "Mick Mars sucks"... (he doesn't technically, by the way, well at least no where NEAR the same league as chad kroger! And he can DEFINETLY PLAY FASTER THAN SLASH. Do you even play guitar?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDTiFLpqh20&feature=related) 
-But i'm not arguing mustaine cant play he's economy picking excersized quickly , as PETRUCCI and ZAKK and KERRY have complimented him for (although he's nowhere near the best technically out there... dimebag shits on his lilly ass, as does petrucci and zakk). We're talking about WRITING music, the CREATIVE mind, which uses technicalitly as ONE aspect in creating . The best riffs of all time arent at 6000 bpm, they're slow, and navarro could probably play them with more feeling then mustaine. who writes better music? Navarro, and disagree with me fine, but I value real emotion over fantasy...

- People who insist that this debate is completely subjective; its not, music has too many rules behind it to not be objective these days.. ie you can not LIKE nirvana, but they objectively bring accross the emotion of "i dont give a fuck". You can not LIKE GnR music, but you can't deny that they are fucking "cool" 80's style.

- sorry for turning this well off topic, PM if you want to continue this fun discussion Bodhi

[Butch Français]

^ huge fan of both Daves. Navarro is slightly ahead in my taste, but they're both brilliant.
Mustaine, incredibly solid metal guitarist, fast riffing, cool shit. and then there's Navarro, who's lead guitar skills are superior to most. not just that, but the mood he brings about in his playing is stunning.

also, yeah, Mick Mars rules!

i find it really awesome that Duff's with JA now, one of my fav bands. Im sure they can cook together a really kick ass album and I can't wait to hear it.
also, if JA stick to their style of music, which im sure they will in a way, then Duff's sound will be more visable than in any other band he's been in. the bass is usually really loud and groovy in JA songs.
really excited to hear how Duff will sound with them!

[FunkyMonkey]

Dave Navarro answers a few fan questions, a little on GNR and Duff:

Time To Start Up Here Again? (1-5)

by DAVE NAVARRO on APRIL 3, 2010

1. Did you take Axl?s offer (joining GnR) seriously, but then your ?personal life? got in the way? Or did you not really even want to try out? (Circa 91)

You hit it right on the head, actually. The truth is that I was pretty conflicted. I was interested in playing with GnR but I wasn?t certain that I wanted to jump into such a huge band at that time, right on the heels of the first Jane?s break-up. In addition, I was pretty heavily strung out back then. Even though I wasn?t sure about the move, I did want to jam with those guys but my drug use prevented me from even making it down to the rehearsal space. Another consequence of addiction. Since then I have had the pleasure of playing with each member of the band separately. After I cleaned up I went on to record Deconstruction with Eric Avery which remains one of my favorite collaborations.

2. You stated that the time with Billy and the Spirits recently was an enjoyable experience, What do you think of the First 3 new songs from the Pumpkins?

I think that the new SP songs are incredible and I was lucky enough to play some of them with Spirits. Billy is one of the most talented musicians I have ever worked with and I learned a lot from him in the short period we toured together. I am hopeful that we will one day do something similar again. We found that we had unique chemistry when we were both on the guitar. We locked up in a pretty amazing way and played off one another in a way that neither of us had experienced while at the same time pushing each other to really delve into our instrument.

3. What guitars/amps are you using for recording? Also, you dropped down a full-step for the live Jane?s stuff ? are you planning to do that for recording as well? Does that affect your playing at all?

I?m not sure about recording yet as we are simply in the writing phase so I have been using the PRS, Ibanez, Marshall, Fender set-up. Essentially my live rig. Lately we have been working in just a half step down. The full step down definitely takes some getting used to as I kind of had to re-learn how the strings respond in that tuning. For instance, the amount of pressure required to bend to a specific note in the standard tuning is completely different and can sometimes sound out of tune if I?m not careful. Also, I have to be wary of how hard I hit the strings, as the lower register can vibrate and buzz beyond what is desired and can sound muddy. There is a risk of dynamic loss.

4. Since Eric was such a huge part of the Jane?s songwriting and sound on NS and Ritual, why not call yourselves a different band name now that you are playing with Duff?

Eric was and remains a huge part of Jane?s. He has decided to leave for his own reasons. The three of us have spent the majority of our careers in this band and have had several line up changes over the years. Changing the name wouldn?t make sense for us. It would be another situation entirely had Eric been asked to leave or if we didn?t intend on playing music from XXX, NS and Ritual. Had that been the case, I would totally agree. I have had experience being the ?new guy? in an already existing band that had only two founding members. Never in a million years would I have expected them to change their name.

5. I know you?re working with Jane?s but are you thinking about putting out another solo album any time soon?

Thinking about it yes. Soon? Probably not. I am pretty deeply focused on working with Jane?s right now. We have been going over back catalogue and writing with Duff several days a week. However, the process of introducing a new member requires more than that. There is a musical and personal education that must take place. Learning dynamics, sensibilities, personalities and many other details is essential. We have been having a great time with all of this and have been expanding on what we can do individually and as a group. Its deeper than just learning some songs for Duff. He has to learn about us and we have to learn about him. Playing the older stuff is like a crash course on Jane?s while writing is an accelerated class for all of us. It?s pretty great to be in both classes at once, something we have really never done in the past with a new member.

[Smoking Guns]

dude hate to repeat the old cliche but technicality does not mean shit. navarro writes some really cool shit.. stuff that dave douchebag mustaine couldn't even comprehend.. navarro is  a respectable guitar player who has written some great songs.. hes not a "Cover band" player... and if you think mustaines a technical god, watch him botch the cemetery gates solo on dt's tribute to pantera

hahah I highly doubt that Dave Mustaine would have any trouble comprehending anything that Navarro ever did, other than maybe his shade of eye shadow or feather boas.  You are hilarious.  By the way its not just me who thinks Mustaine ia good technical player, its the guitar playing world.  Go read a Guitar World, or any other music publication where writers are still talking about how "Rust in Peace" was 20 years ahead of its time.  Youre right, what has Mustaine ever done, he only wrote tracks on the first 3 Metallica albums, and started another band that has put out relevant and successful records for 25 straight years.  You are right, he sucks, what does he know about playing guitar?  I guess every guitar critic in the world is wrong on that one. I guess Kerry King, Slash, Zakk Wlyde, James Hetfield, John Petrucci, and Dimebag had no idea what they are talking about when they talked about what a great player Dave is.  I cant believe I am even having this discussion with someone who thinks Dave Navarro is a good guitar player, this is really an insult to my musical intelligence.  Next thing youll be telling me what a great player Mick Mars, Chad Kroeger or that guy from Hinder is.

you are right though technicality isnt everything.  The great ones have good technical ability and the talent to write riffs and songs.  Dave Navarro possesses neither of those.

dude your musical intelligence is practically non-existent. Not only was that video the worst thing i've ever seen (he's hosting a SHOW of course he's going to be incredulous to make mustaines lame techical trick look slightly interesting), but it proves my point that mustaine is reknowned purely for his technical skill. Let my put what i'm sayin in point form

- Mustaine is, as you originally said, a GREAT technical player. his metallica songs and solos are all based around technique and fast playing and headbanging; the emotion behind his music is "im drunk, lets jump"!
-If you deconstruct his "spider techique", u realise that the riff is constructed purely so he can finish his "spidering" on the A... he's not outpouring any emotion into his music. When he does, rarely in megadeth, its not emotion its just fantasy, megadeth attracts star wars fans and musicians (a big audience, i'll grant)

- Navarro is not a whiz techical player, but hes much more versatile and he can outpour some sort of emotion into a guitar riff.. And thats why he's NOT a cover band player, because he can WRITE his OWN music which is GOOD.

- You are repeating Guitar World magazine and schoolyard guitarist discussion cliches. "Mick Mars sucks"... (he doesn't technically, by the way, well at least no where NEAR the same league as chad kroger! And he can DEFINETLY PLAY FASTER THAN SLASH. Do you even play guitar?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDTiFLpqh20&feature=related) 
-But i'm not arguing mustaine cant play he's economy picking excersized quickly , as PETRUCCI and ZAKK and KERRY have complimented him for (although he's nowhere near the best technically out there... dimebag shits on his lilly ass, as does petrucci and zakk). We're talking about WRITING music, the CREATIVE mind, which uses technicalitly as ONE aspect in creating . The best riffs of all time arent at 6000 bpm, they're slow, and navarro could probably play them with more feeling then mustaine. who writes better music? Navarro, and disagree with me fine, but I value real emotion over fantasy...

- People who insist that this debate is completely subjective; its not, music has too many rules behind it to not be objective these days.. ie you can not LIKE nirvana, but they objectively bring accross the emotion of "i dont give a fuck". You can not LIKE GnR music, but you can't deny that they are fucking "cool" 80's style.

- sorry for turning this well off topic, PM if you want to continue this fun discussion Bodhi

Mrated,  I like Mick Mars, but you are falling for fast tremolo picking as fast guitar playing.   Mick is good, but I doubt he couple play the outro to Pradise City or the solo in Sweet child of Mine like Slash could.  There are a lot of bends and tricky phrasing things that Mick's left hand might struggle with. 

[CheapJon]

Thinking about it yes. Soon? Probably not. I am pretty deeply focused on working with Jane?s right now. We have been going over back catalogue and writing with Duff several days a week. However, the process of introducing a new member requires more than that. There is a musical and personal education that must take place. Learning dynamics, sensibilities, personalities and many other details is essential. We have been having a great time with all of this and have been expanding on what we can do individually and as a group. Its deeper than just learning some songs for Duff. He has to learn about us and we have to learn about him. Playing the older stuff is like a crash course on Jane?s while writing is an accelerated class for all of us. It?s pretty great to be in both classes at once, something we have really never done in the past with a new member.

when reading this you get under impression that this is not just one studio/touring member for one record/tour cycle

lookin forward to this

[jacdaniel]

lookin forward to this

im not lol.
If its true, Slash could be pretty screwed come October when his tour finishes up.
Getting VR back together minus Scott and Duff would be pathetic...

Slash seems quite convinced that VR will be back in 2011.  But then again, they all seem to have conflicting answers when it comes to VR

[CheapJon]

lookin forward to this

im not lol.
If its true, Slash could be pretty screwed come October when his tour finishes up.
Getting VR back together minus Scott and Duff would be pathetic...

Slash seems quite convinced that VR will be back in 2011.  But then again, they all seem to have conflicting answers when it comes to VR

there's no way they'll get together without duff

[faldor]

lookin forward to this

im not lol.
If its true, Slash could be pretty screwed come October when his tour finishes up.
Getting VR back together minus Scott and Duff would be pathetic...

Slash seems quite convinced that VR will be back in 2011.  But then again, they all seem to have conflicting answers when it comes to VR

I'm sure Slash won't have a problem keeping himself busy.  Maybe he'll record that album with Fergie.  The one thing though, Jane's Addiction hasn't been the most stable band over the years so there's no guarantee that this is going to be a 5 year commitment from Duff or anything.

[jacdaniel]

Thats true, i guess he could do the Fergie thing....  i like beautiful Dangerous but not so sure id like a full album with her.

Im not really into jane's at all.  Do they tour much or release many albums?  

Just did some research, they seem quite active since last year anyways. 

[faldor]

The band has broken up two times and had as many members as GNR over the years.  They've only released 3 studio albums, the last being in 2003.  All the members have/had side projects.  So like I said, even when they've reunited in the past it hasn't been very long lasting.  We'll just have to see what happens this time around.  Duff is no stranger to bands breaking up himself, so chances are this won't necessarily be permanent.

[coolman78SLASH]

nobody commented on this so I'll do it: it is ironic that while Slash uses a JA bassist to record his solo album, his GnR/VR bassist joins JA

[Bridge]

Not a fan of Jane's Addiction.  I've tried them a bunch of times but to me they were always a bland act who just happened to have a cool band name and album titles.  Though Duff's involvement does make me curious.

As far as the "VR being possibly dead" issue is concerned, I wouldn't read too much into it.  Duff is notorious for playing in shitloads of bands and going from one band to another very quickly.  He did Neurotic Outsiders and Loaded back in the 1990s and also recorded two solo albums, before and after the aforementioned bands.  He then recorded and toured with VR, and then went back to Loaded, and is now doing Jane's Addiction.  I'd say it's perfectly feasible that he may return quickly to VR after wrapping up whatever business he has with JA.

nobody commented on this so I'll do it: it is ironic that while Slash uses a JA bassist to record his solo album, his GnR/VR bassist joins JA

Reminds me of 2003 when bassist Jason Newsted quit Metallica and joined Ozzy's band, and bassist Robert Trujillo quit Ozzy's band and joined Metallica.

[oldgunsfan]

JA hasn't been the most active band over the years; this could be a once every 4-5 year deal he does a album w the guys from jane's and tours? whats the big deal, lot's of guys have more than one band

[FunkyMonkey]

Duff McKagan Addresses the Jane's Addiction Rumors, the Velvet Revolver Talk, and Those Missed Deadlines

By Chris Kornelis, Wednesday, Apr. 7 2010

Hey, Duff. What's up, man? Column was a half-day late this week? Look, I think it's cool that you've got a book deal, but now I hear that perhaps some extracurricular activities are getting in the way of you hitting deadlines. Am I right?

McKagan: Well, it's about time I hear SOMETHING from one of you people at the Weekly! Is this what it takes? I've got to be LATE on a piece?! I'm not sure if you guys were aware that I still play music . . . or if you knew I was ever a musician in the first place! Yes, I have been busy! Not only do I have a wife and two kids and two dumb dogs, but I have been busy writing music for Loaded, and I started a book. I've also been fielding more than a few phone calls and emails because of my new association with Janes Addiction.

What? Jane's Addiction? Hey, man, if you needed some extra cash, why didn't you just say so? We're Village Voice Media, baby! I can probably come up with a couple more bucks a week for you. Would $25 do it?

I think people sometimes actually believe that because I was in Guns N' Roses, I must have a money tree growing in my backyard! Daddy (that is what they call me around here) has got to go out and earn a living just like most anyone else!

Something like a chance to write, record, and perhaps even perform with a band of the quality of Jane's Addiction does not come around every day. I have a lot of respect for this band and the guys in it. The music that we have been writing is an extension of that mutual respect.

Does this mean you've moved a set of steel drums into your house?

Not yet.

Speaking of bands, you know I played in a band too. I Pity the Foo was the region's premiere Foo Fighters cover band, but I gave it up when I started missing deadlines. Have you considered tossing in the hat on Loaded? Or perhaps Velvet Revolver? I mean, Slash is pretty busy these days, too, right?

Loaded will ALWAYS be something I do. It is more a way of life and a way to express music and have a fucking blast with those guys than anything else. I'm sure we have hopes of one day having a song that gets a lot of play on the radio or something like that, but that is not what drives us.

Velvet Revolver had an amazing climb from absolutely nothing to something that people around the planet got into. That is also an amazing thing to observe from the inside. I won't be the guy to say it was anyone's fault that we came to an end with Scott Weiland; shit just happens. If you've been doing this as long as I have, you just learn to shut your mouth and fucking move on. Velvet is in a period of downtime right now, and perhaps we will one day get a new singer. For now, though, I have to look at opportunities when they are presented.

I have been a huge fan of [JA founding bassist] Eric Avery since the mid-'80s, when I would go to see them play at clubs down in L.A. This is not, in my mind, about me replacing him, in any way shape or form. I have a lot of respect for this band and the guys in it. The music that we have been writing is an extension of that mutual respect. AND it's a blast! Perry Farrell is an absolute visionary. Dave Navarro has always been a guitar player who I have had a lot of respect for. Playing in a rhythm section with Stephen Perkins is almost trancelike. Kick-ass for sure. I also want to make it clear to JA fans that I really appreciate all of the kind words and sentiment directed to me.

I put no blame on Slash for VR not just putting everything else to the side and looking for a singer after our parting with Scott. I know Slash very well, and also know that his new record is something that he has arguably been wanting to do since the early '90s. This record is on his own terms, with no band members to deal with. I get it. I think maybe we all needed a break after what went down with us.

I have never spoken or written about this, because things of this nature are just so often better left alone. With the sheer volume of calls and e-mails I have received in the past week regarding JA, I thought it best if I was completely open about all the factors that make up my career. We are all friends in VR, don't get me wrong, but with all the different issues that plagued us, we all just needed to do something else for a while, I suppose. As I said, though, I also cannot just wait around. Life is short, and I am going to make the most of it.

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2010/04/duff_mckagan_confronts_the_jan.php