Velvet Revolver

Velvet-revolver-2.jpgrd by Brandon Jenkins
It was a dark time for the genre of Alternative Rock. The 1990's had disappeared, and Alternative Rock had disappeared along with it. Rock 'n' Roll itself was at a standstill. Just when it looked like Rock 'n' Roll would die out forever, a new band, made up of old bands, rose to the challenge and helped to bring life and spirit back to Rockm 'n' Roll. This supremely excellent band was none other then Velvet Revolver.

A SuperGroup is Reluctantly Born
It had been a long time since the original members of Guns 'n' Roses (minus Axl Rose) had played a show, and an even longer time since they had last written original music. But as any musician knows, the longer you don't play for, the more you want to play. So it was no surpeise that in the late 1990's and very early 2010's the original members of Guns 'n' Roses, including Slash and Duff McKagan, were looking for a new singer in hopes of starting a new band and reentering the world of Rock 'n' Roll. Unfortunately their was no suitable singer available during that time and the group was forced to postpone thier return to Rock for a few years....

A Match Made in Rock 'n' Roll Heaven
From 2001-2002 the group auditioned multiple singers including Ian Asbury of The Cult, Mike Patton of Faith No More, and even Sebastion Bach formerly of Skid Row. None of the singers filled the gap of lead singer and wild frontman the group had been looking for. And then, in 2003, the Alternative Rock icons Stone Temple Pilots disbanded. The incomplete Velvet Revolver sent Scott Weiland, then former singer of Stone Temople Pilots, A demo tape of their music, and from then on the sky was the limit. ***The incomplete Velvet Revolver had sent Scott Weiland a demo tape in 2001, but since Weiland was still in Stone Temple Pilots, he declined the original invitation to join the group.***

The Rise and Demise of Velvet Revolver
In 2003 Velvet Revolver recorded their first album Contraband. Contraband eventually went dubble platinum and had two songs debut on the rock charts at number one: Slither and Fall to Pieces. In 2004 Velvet Revolver won the Grammy Award for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for their song Slither. Velvet Revolver Continued to tour the United States and in 2005 they started to record their second album Libertad. After finishing the record, Velvet Revolver began to tour again, but soon Scott Weiland relasped on drugs and when tension was high the band split up. Scott Weiland rejoined Stone Temple Pilots, and is still touring with them today.

Discography
Contraband (2003)

Libertad (2005)