Contraband

It's cool to see that Velvet Revolver's first CD "Contraband" finally saw release today. The band which features former members of Guns N' Roses (most notably Slash and Duff), and Scott Weiland, frontman for the recently disbanded group Stone Temple Pilots, is a welcome addition to the rock scene, and proof that there is life after Axl Rose and his ridiculous antics.

When GNR first broke onto the national scene in early '87, it was hard not to notice them. They played straight ahead rock music that was heavily influenced by bands like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith. For a time it seemed like they were going to rule the world of guitar driven music for many years to come.

Then Axl became a man mad with power and the core members of the band quit to go make music on their own.

The most visible band that emerged was Slash's Snake Pit, and the less I say about them the better. To break it down, a few key ingredients were missing: quality song writing and a solid frontman.

Enter Velvet Revolver.

As Axl tried to unsuccessfully re-launch GNR with new musicians, Slash and Duff quietly got together with former GNR drummer Matt Sorum and began to play music together again. Scott Weiland, the main songwriter in STP, came on board and the rock community took notice.

I haven't listened to all of the new CD yet, but what I have heard is pretty damn good. Hopefully (to put Axl in his place, if nothing else), the band is successful and decides to stay together for awhile.

Who knows? Maybe they'll even eclipse GNR.