Guns N' Roses' DJ Ashba on New Material and 'Unique' Vegas Residency

[Estranged#9]

Source:http://m.rollingstone.com/?redirurl=/music/news/guns-n-roses-dj-ashba-on-new-material-and-unique-vegas-residency-20121009?utm_source=dailynewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Guns N' Roses** have plenty on their plate this fall. The rockers will play Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit, which runs October 20th and 21st in Mountain View, California, and then take to Las Vegas on Halloween for a 12-date residency through November 24th at the Hard Rock Hotel's Joint club. The band's guitarist, DJ Ashba, believes these dates will bring the band closer to releasing some of the plentiful new material they have.

"[Axl Rose] has tons of stuff done [and] recorded that he's played for me and wants my input on," Ashba tells Rolling Stone. "Axl's put together such a talented group of musicians and there are so many songs that are already worked out. So we've got a good jump on it, for sure."

Guns N' Roses' two concert experiences will be ambitious as well, promises Ashba. For the Bridge School Benefit, Guns N' Roses will perform an entirely unplugged set in tribute to the event's founder. "A lot of the acoustic shows in the past, I would still play on the [electric] Les Paul ? but for this, we're going all acoustic, no electric anything. That's how Neil kind of envisioned the whole thing, so we're gonna stay true to that, for sure," Ashba explains. "We're gonna add a couple [songs] that the band's never played... I know Axl is really excited to do it."

This year's Bridge School bill also features Jack White, k.d. lang, Steve Martin's bluegrass act and Lucinda Williams. "I think Jack White's a brilliant musician and Steve Martin, k.d. lang [are] really good live. It's just gonna be a fun day," enthuses Ashba. "I'll be a little kid that day."

For the group's plugged-in Sin City run, Ashba claims, "It's gonna be a different experience for sure. The whole entire stage looks different." Their Appetite for Democracy residency will include new live production and set lists and is timed to this year's 25th anniversary of their landmark debut album, Appetite for Destruction.

"We're playing three shows a week and our main goal is to make every show unique and really change it up because we do realize there are going to be a lot of people flying from all over the world to see maybe one, two, three shows," says Ashba. "But there are the local people that we do take into consideration that may show up to every single show. That's kind of what's been cool about Guns: it's so spontaneous live, we've never followed a set list."

The Vegas residency may also prove the most fruitful period for creating new material, notes Ashba. "This is the first time we're all gonna be in the same place for a month solid and that will be, and already has been talked about, our main focus. So I think we're gonna get a lot of done," he says. "There's a lot of stuff recorded and I think it's just a matter of sitting down and working together as a band, putting together what we feel is gonna be the next best Guns N' Roses record. And I can't wait; I'm so excited to dive even deeper into that."

Source:Rollingstone.com

[russtcb]

It'll be cool to see a new stage and maybe some material we haven't heard in a while 

[HBK]

NEW Material... Songs Not Play, New production, Axl Happy, etc... All Beatiful !!

Maybe Nothing

 

Good Interview

[deadflowerII]

so f'n cool!!!!    i cant wait to see how this next 2 months plays out!

[LuanVictor]

Hoping for more Chinese Democracy songs, Oh My God, and Silkworms. New songs would be amazing!

[HBK]

Prostitute & Twat Whit Orchesta, ft RB

 

[GNR4L]

It's an exciting time for being a Guns fan that's for sure.  I can't wait for the Vegas shows ! i've been to two shows last year and they were awesome.  Excited to possibly hear new material or older classics songs, if the band decides to play them.  Very cool of them to do a residency.

[LIGuns]

Wish I could make Vegas...very good interview....

[imcrazy]

Hey axlrosegnr - I think DJ specifically referenced you!

 "But there are the local people that we do take into consideration that may show up to every single show"

[LunsJail]

So it sounds like there could be some recording going on when the boys are in Vegas? Or am I reading too much into that?

[zombux]

That's kind of what's been cool about Guns: it's so spontaneous live, we've never followed a set list.

this alone is not true, so take this with a huge grain of salt.

[jarmo]

That's kind of what's been cool about Guns: it's so spontaneous live, we've never followed a set list.

this alone is not true, so take this with a huge grain of salt.

They have a "set list". But it's not set in stone.

Some things were the same on the past tours (such as opening songs), but then after that things can change depending on the band...


So yeah, there's no definite setlist that they have to follow. A good example of this is playing There Was A Time as the first song in the encore in Dublin, Ireland.




/jarmo

[Lord Stan]

So it sounds like there could be some recording going on when the boys are in Vegas? Or am I reading too much into that?

Well, the problem is that it's DJ saying stuff again. He's done it before. We'll just have to wait and so on.

[westcoast_junkie]

Nice. Looking forward to read reviews, seeing youtube clips and seeing the setlists from the Vegas and unplugged shows. And even further ahead in time, from India. The Indians are known for loving loooong shows, so bring it on 

[SkeletorSerpent]

The next couple of months are going to be awesome. I still think Axl needs to do a stripped down acoustic album with a few old school honky tonk/country covers. I think he could sing the hell out a few old George Jones songs.

Check out the following videos: The elusive, mystique of "No Show Jones" is very comparable to the mystique of Axl. They both have vocals that are other worldly and almost non-human. Their ranges are so vast and their soul is raw and powerful. Axl is to class rock what Jones is to classic honky tonk. Axl is a John Wayne, Johnny Cash, Marlboro Man, modern day Cowboy Outlaw. He needs to live up to that Outlaw image.

Axl needs to cover the following Jones songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QZzrVKGnOk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNGSJbE6JT4

[Z?phyr]

Pretty cool insights and reasoning, 4 days off and all of them in the same place sounds like a good idea to me.
On top of that Vegas has some kick ass studios  (still wish I was there though)

[slashsbaconpit]

There's not one part of that article that's bad news! Awesome stuff!

[Halo69]

Given the past i dunno if we should take this "new material" thing seriously. It seems to me that probably they're gonna have Ashba recording his parts on songs that are already done. Question is: How long will that take? How long will it take for a new GNR record to drop?

Seriously i think the new album will be out in November or December 2014, i think that's the most realistic date at this point.

[wight gunner]

Given the past i dunno if we should take this "new material" thing seriously. It seems to me that probably they're gonna have Ashba recording his parts on songs that are already done. Question is: How long will that take? How long will it take for a new GNR record to drop?

Seriously i think the new album will be out in November or December 2014, i think that's the most realistic date at this point.

YAWN!

Yep, of course you have the low-down on whose doing what, when and how in the world of GnR and we can all sleep easy knowing that the "truth" is finally out.    You know Jack$hi7 so why do you continue as if you do?  Whilst what DJ says at times is only a repeat of previous statements he's made before, I'm more inclined to run with his view of what occurring. Halo69=Mick Wall, speaks as if his finger is on the pulse, when in truth its so far up his ass that he's feeling his eye-lids fluttering. 

[jarmo]

Given the past i dunno if we should take this "new material" thing seriously.

More seriously than your posts.

"New material"?

It's new if it's not been released. No matter how much you and people like you complain about songs being written and/or recorded in the past.





/jarmo