GnrDaily.com - Newswire

Kevin Cogill: "I do apologize to Axl for that disrespect"

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:57:20 GMT

Kyle Anderson of MTV News reports: Last year, music blogger Kevin "Skwerl" Cogill got into a bit of hot water when he posted tracks from the then-still-unreleased Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy on the music blog Antiquiet. Though Cogill could have received as much as a year in jail and nearly $400,000 in fines, he was given a year of probation. As part of his sentence, he also must assist the RIAA in producing a PSA about piracy.

The details of his probation (which includes two months of home confinement) still need to be ironed out, though he'll still have computer access. "They made it clear that the court did not want to hinder my ability to earn a living as a Web developer or to continue running Antiquiet," Cogill told MTV News via e-mail.

GN'R Uploader Gets House Arrest, Will Make Anti-Piracy Ad

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:59:39 GMT

A Los Angeles man who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of uploading pre-release Guns N’ Roses tracks was handed one year probation and two months’ home confinement Tuesday after agreeing to cooperate with the Recording Industry Association of America to produce an anti-piracy message.

Kevin Cogill was arrested last summer at gunpoint and charged with uploading nine tracks of the Chinese Democracy album to his music site — antiquiet.com. The album, which cost millions and took 17 years to complete, was released in November and reached No. 3 in the charts.

Axl Rose: Do You Know Where You Are?

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:08:31 GMT

A long but well written article about the current status of Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses.

In 1999, Axl Rose spoke with MTV’s Kurt Loder over the phone. Their discussion centered on the inevitable: the former rock star’s withdrawal from the public eye and the details of his pending record, 2000 Intentions, which Rose claimed had just received a new working title: Chinese Democracy.

Over the span of the following decade, these two words would take on an immeasurable notoriety and inadvertently come to represent the decay of the traditional music industry. If Guns N’ Roses’ early career – with the band’s all-time-best-selling debut album — was representative of the old industry’s peaks, Chinese Democracy would signify the final nail in its coffin.

Adler To record On Slash's Solo Record Next Week

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:44:45 GMT

According to a posting on Slash's Twitter account, the guitarist's former Guns N' Roses bandmate Steven Adler will play on Slash's forthcoming solo album. Adler is scheduled to lay down his drum track sometime next week.

Adler: People Thinks Our Show Is 'Better' than GN'R

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 15:20:46 GMT

Former Guns N' Roses and current Adler's Appetite drummer Steven Adler has issued the following update:

"Oh, man, this [most recent Adler's Appetite U.S.] tour was great.

"The audiences were fabulous! We put on such a big show; it's an arena show we put out! You go see bands at clubs and bars, you don't usually see people chanting, singing along with every word with their hands and arms up in the air. Even if it's just a hundred people, it looks like so much more with all the hands in the air 'cause they all are so into it! I swear (the audience ages) were anywhere from six to sixty! I felt like a politician, I was taking pictures with babies! And girls, throughout the decades, you got better looking! I couldn't believe it, but all I can say is so many people really loved our show and said it was better than when they saw what Axl [Rose] was doin'. It's crazy, but that's the main thing I heard! So we're workin' on getting more goin', there's a few shows comin' up that's listed on here, and hey, I love you all, God bless, and thank you!"

Total Guitar's Top 10 Collaborations

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 21:09:01 GMT

Good on Slash for laying down guitars on R&B star Estelle's new song, which the Velvet Revolver axeman tweeted this morning. It got us thinking that there have been some inspired (and some not so inspired) guest guitar spots in the past, so here's our pick of Guitar's Top 10 Collaborations:

1. Slash and Lenny Kravitz

The Guns N' Roses axeman took a break from world domination in 1991 to lay down one of the tastiest rock licks ever on Lenny's classic track Always On The Run.

Click here to view all the best guitar collaboration videos.

More New Chinese Democracy Artwork

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 08:48:13 GMT

Here's a post from artist Sandra Yagi's blog:

"Axl Rose had purchased three of my paintings late last year, of which two pieces were to be included in a limited edition album release. To my knowledge, it was never widely released, though I received a copy from the band. I was looking at some stats for my website, and noticed a big spike in views and it appears that there is a big discussion among the GN'R fans about the unreleased album, and in particular the images."

GN'R Guitarist To Take Part In Online Chat

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 08:41:06 GMT

Guns N' Roses guitarist D.J. Ashba will take part in an online chat on Wednesday, July 15 at 7:00 p.m. PST / 10:00 p.m. EST at AshbaLand.com.

Ashba, who replaced current Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck in March, is best known as co-founder of hard rock bands Sixx: A.M. and Beautiful Creatures.

Music World Mourns Michael Jackson's Death

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:36:54 GMT

As news spread about Michael Jackson’s sudden death at age 50, the biggest names in music and many of Jackson’s famous friends issued statements and posted on their Twitters to pay tribute to the King of Pop’s legacy. Here are some of their memorials:

Slash: “Really sad news about Michael, he was a talent from on high.”

Madonna: “I can’t stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless.”

Lisa Marie Presley: “I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me.”

Read more comments and condolences on RollingStone.com.

Appetite For Destruction Review

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:38:11 GMT

Well, just like Nirvana created the perfect storm in 1991 with "Nevermind," G N' R did the same thing 5 years earlier, in 1987, with "Appetite For Destruction."

By the time Axl & Co. hit the L.A. scene in the mid-'80s, Hollywood and rock music in general had become generic, stagnant, bloated, boring and depressing. And seemingly out of nowhere, came this "street-urchin" band that was everything a bad-ass hard rock band is supposed to be. Loud, abrasive, dangerous, unpredictable, drug-addled & damn funny at times. It's ironic that G N' R became the same bloated pig that they dismantled in '87 only to have Cobain & Co. do the same thing to them once Guns had become a parody of themselves during the "Use Your Illusion's" tour. But that doesn't take away from what these 5 musicians & unique characters were able to do back in 1987 with their debut record.

"Appetite For Destruction" is nearly perfect. The big singles were 'Welcome to the Jungle,' 'Paradise City' and 'Sweet Child O' Mine.' But 'It's So Easy,' 'Nightrain' and 'Mr. Brownstone' were just as good. If not better. The rest of the album rocks the way a bluesy, boozy hard-rock band should. The Indiana born & bred Mr. Rose may be the best hard-rock singer ever, despite his obvious personality problems. Slash was the guitar-slinger. Izzy was the prototypical 'Stones-style rhythm guitarist. Duff played sexy, seductive bass lines and Adler held court in the background. One amazing band that imploded much too soon. But they left this record behind and it's a monster! See what Axl's "new" G N' R are all about at www.gunsandroses.com.

Source: Examiner.com

Lick Library Release Series of Guns N Roses DVDs

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:06:33 GMT

Lick Library, one of the world leading suppliers of guitar tuition DVD’s, have just released the ultimate guide to playing Guns N’ Roses with a series of professional works shops and tutorials totaling more than eleven hours of lessons.

Gun N’ Roses tracks have it all... attitude.... excess....power... and riffs’ to die for. Their songs have for a generation of guitarists given inspiration and ideas. There are so many classic tracks Lick Library have produced three separate tuition DVD’s in easy to learn formats explaining clearly the techniques, song structures, sounds and right way to play their songs. This is a must for any guitarist wanting to learn more, not just about playing Guns N’ Roses songs, but essential to learning rock playing.

Classic Rock Roll Of Honour 09 Nominations!

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:58:02 GMT

The nominations for the 2009 Classic Rock Roll Of Honour were exclusively unveiled today by legends of rock parody Spinal Tap. The band took time out of rehearsals for their show at Wembley Stadium next week to announce the shortlists for the 6 public voted categories at a media launch in Hard Rock Cafe’s backstage Hard Rock Calling VIP garden in Hyde Park, London. The winners will be announced at the gala ceremony, which takes place Monday 2 November at the Park Lane Hotel.

Public-voted categories include:

Album Of The Year

1. Black Ice – AC/DC
2. Death Magnetic - Metallica
3. Folklore & Superstition – Black Stone Cherry
4. The Ballad Of John Henry - Joe Bonamassa
5. Everyday Demons – The Answer
6. Chinese Democracy – Guns N’ Roses
7. Consolers Of The Lonely – The Raconteurs
8. And You Were A Crow – The Parlor Mob
9. The Devil You Know – Heaven & Hell
10. Black Clouds & Silver Linings – Dream Theater

Axl Rose Brings GN'R Into The 21st Century

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:44:16 GMT

David Glisan from the blog Dance With me has written an article about Guns N' Roses.

The worst thing can be said about Chinese Democracy is that its not the wall to wall heavy metal onslaught suggested by the early release of the title track. On the other hand, it very well may be the best album of the year.

After a rock band becomes a major success, they're really in a 'no win' position. If they try to break new artistic ground, exploring different sounds or influences, they'll invariably hear complaints that they were better the way they 'used to be'. If they keep doing things the same way, a band risks losing any sort of artistic relevance and becoming a 'nostalgia act'. Some bands try to stay innovative for awhile, but eventually assume the role of a 'nostalgia act' due to the financial upside that sometimes results.

Axl Rose could have taken the same route with Guns n Roses. Patch things up with former lead guitarist Slash and they could have toured forever playing the old songs for nostalgic fans and made a ridiculous amount of money. To some extent, Slash has chosen this route with his band Velvet Revolver. They play similar blues based hard rock to vintage GnR, and brought in former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland on vocals (who sounded almost just like Axl on a number of the early STP songs)

Chinese Democracy - New Artwork

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:36:14 GMT

It appears that Guns N' Roses latest album "Chinese Democracy" will be re-released with brand new artwork.

Got more pictures? E-mail us at webmaster@gnrdaily.com

Thanks: CT

Chinese Democracy - Guitar Tabs Book

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:10:35 GMT

A guitar transcriptions book of Guns N' Roses 17 year project "Chinese Democracy" is scheduled for release on June 30 through Hal Leonard Corporation.

The book will feature note-for-note guitar transcriptions of tracks including: "Better", " Catcher in the Rye", "I.R.S.", "Madagascar", "Street of Dreams" and more.

For more information, visit Amazon.com.

Six Things You Didn't Know About 'November Rain'

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:58:27 GMT

MTV celebrates an important moment in its history this week: 17 years ago, Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain” premiered on “Headbangers Ball.” Since the video dropped in 1992, plenty has changed: Axl Rose has hired and fired dozens of bandmembers (finally releasing the long-awaiting Chinese Democracy last year) and Slash has gone from solo artist to Velvet Revolver axeman. One thing hasn’t changed, though: “November Rain” is still as inexplicable as it was when it first aired on MTV. If you haven’t seen it, take the time to enjoy all 9 minutes of Axl’s magnum opus, and then check out all the things you might have missed about it.

» Though it appears as though the concert footage is real, the scenes of Guns N’ Roses performing were entirely staged: the band rented a theater in Los Angeles and brought in 1,500 extras to play an audience. Rather than simply mime playing their instruments and lip-synching along to a pre-recorded track, Guns actually played through the song (as well as a number of other tunes in their canon) in order to keep the extras entertained.

Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal On Tour With Lita Ford

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:31:23 GMT

Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal has posted a message on his MySpace page:

Hey all,

It's my pleasure to announce I'll be doing shows over the Summer with Lita Ford, playing guitar with the band alongside Bumblefoot drummer Dennis Leeflang.

To GNR fans: Lita and I have GNR's blessings to do this together, all is cool. This won't interfere with upcoming GNR plans, I'll be flying out and coming right back.

To Lita fans: lookin' forward to meeting y'all and having a great time together!

7 of the Best On-stage Fight Scenes

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:35:03 GMT

Rock concerts are usually pretty predictable, from the act appearing on-stage far later than promised to the encore that ends the evening. However, once in a while an average rock concert ends up looking more like a WWF match than a typical performance. The video clips below all show what happens when rockers stop being polite and start getting real. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Axl Rose

Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose really doesn’t like to have his picture taken. That was proved in 1991 when Rose incited a full-fledged riot after diving offstage to try to attack a concertgoer who was flashing pictures of him. Hopefully age has mellowed Rose’s attitude, but somehow we think this could happen again.

Slash's Mother Passes Away

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 09:16:04 GMT

Ola Hudson, the mother of former Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash, passed away Friday, June 5 around 6:00 p.m. PST after a battle with lung cancer. She was a professional costume designer named who tailored outfits for such acts as John Lennon, Diana Ross and the Pointer Sisters.

"[Slash] was drawing from the time he could pick up a pencil," Ola Hudson told Rolling Stone magazine in an early 1990s interview. "I've been shocked at a lot of things I've read where it sounds like I left him on somebody's doorstep in a basket. They make it seem as if he never had a family and grew up on the streets like an urchin, but that's not true. It's just part of his image. He's not all leather and tattoos."

Condolances go out to Slash and his family from GnrDaily.com.

Guns N' Roses' Classic Debut Album Still Sell Well

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 00:18:08 GMT

New bands that sell 5,000 albums a week are declared Next Big Things. These dusty, old discs keep on selling as many or more than that -- decades after being released:

"Dark Side of the Moon," Pink Floyd: A mainstay on Billboard charts since its release in 1973, the disc remains a must-have for classic-rockers of all ages.

"Appetite for Destruction," Guns N' Roses: The hard-rock band's 1987 debut has sold more than 28 million copies worldwide. It remains popular in part for its appearance on Guitar Hero, which features the band's ex-guitarist Slash in its "Legends of Rock" game (as an avatar, of course).