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Duff McKagan’s Loaded is back with their first album in 8 years with “Sick” out on April 7th. You may know Duff from his excellent bass lines and vocals in Guns N Roses (when they were GOOD!) and more recently Velvet Revolver. Duff McKagan’s Loaded gives Duff the chance to truly showcase his songwriting and frontman skills. “Sick” is a shot of rock adrenaline that you won’t hear anywhere else. To celebrate this great new rock record, we’re giving away the CD AND A T-SHIRT FOR FREE! Just email us your name and address and we’ll contact you on April 7th (the day “Sick” comes out) to let you know if you’ve won!
Here’s a little more about Duff McKagan’s Loaded:
“When this band started in 1998, I was at college studying business,” recalls McKagan, who actually plays guitar and sings with this lot. “But I was sickened by all the crap music going around at the time. Seriously, I hated all these big bands who were coming through. So, I put together LOADED to play rock music the way I wanted to do it. We had no great gameplan or philosophy. We just wanted to get into the rehearsal room, begin writing songs and play music we felt.”
To some, DUFF MCKAGAN’s LOADED might appear to have a punk rock influence. Actually, this is closer to the mark than you might believe. Forget about the musicality being close to punk, it’s the attitude, as McKagan is keen to explain: “When I was about 14, I saw The Clash play at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. That was in 1978, and it was amazing. I was expecting this superstar band to come onstage. Instead, the opposite occurred. The Clash were telling everyone that, ‘We’re all in this together. The musicians, the fans, we’re part of one family.’ That idea never left me.”
McKagan has hand-picked the members of this band, feeling that each brings something special into the camp. “It’s not as if I bumped into all of them on the street and things happened by accident. I saw Geoff Reading play drums with Green Apple Quickstep (a cult mid-1990s Seattle band) and he was just an animal behind the kit. I knew then that I wanted to work with him at some point. Mike Squires and Jeff Rouse (guitar and bass, respectively) I watched with their band Alien Crime Syndicate, and again they really impressed me. It’s not that I’ve taken these guys out of other bands, either. It’s not like that in Seattle. Good musicians tend to play in more than one band. And our producer, Martin Feveyear, is also part of the band in many respects. He’s also our tour manager and our live sound engineer! It’s the Seattle way. A small town mentality”
The band released albums in 1999 and 2001, namely Live Episode and Dark Days, before other commitments meant that DUFF MCKAGAN’s LOADED were put on the back burner to some extent, although they never split up. “No way! We’ve been playing Xmas charity shows in Seattle on an annual basis over the last few years,” says McKagan. “These have been growing in popularity as well. Then last Xmas, we started to talk seriously about doing a record, which is what has led us to this place. I’d write something and store it away for future use, so the idea of doing a new album has always been in my mind.” The process of working on the new record, which will be called Sick, has excited Duff beyond expectations. “We all knew it would be fun to go into the studio (Jupiter in Seattle) and do a new album, but it’s actually been so inspirational. This isn’t a stellar Pink Floyd kinda effort. But it perfectly represents what we do so well.”
Apr. 09 - Crocodile - Seattle, Washington
Apr. 18 - Cannery - Nashville, Tennessee
May 02 - Showbox Market - Seattle, Washington
May 16 - Rock On The Range Festival - Columbus, Ohio
May 17 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, New Jersey
Jun. 03 - Virgin Oil - Helsinki, FIN
Jun. 04 - Teatria Club - Oulu, FIN
Jun. 05 - Sauna Open Air Festival - Tempere, FIN
Jun. 06 - Rock AM Ring Festival - Nurburg, GER
Jun. 07 - Rock IM Ring Festival - Nuremburg, GER
Jun. 10 - Caribana Festival - Crans-Pres-Celigny, SWI
Jun. 12 - Download Festival - Donington, UK
Jun. 14 - Zenith - Munich, GER
Jun. 15 - Schleyerhalle - Stuttgart, GER
Jun. 16 - Funkpark AM - Berlin, GER
Jun. 17 - Arena - Prague, CZR
Jun. 20 - Metalway Festival - Zaragoza, SPA
Jun. 21 - Nova Rock Festival - Nicklesdorf, AUT
Jun. 22 - Sportzentrum - Wettingen, GER
Jun. 23 - Palladium - Cologne, GER
Jun. 26 - Idroscalo Festival - Milan, ITA
Jun. 27 - Graspop Festival - Dessel, BEL
Jun. 28 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, NETH
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[...] here using code: 542418. (A Citi Card is not required for purchase). Also be sure to check out our Loaded contest where you can win a copy of the CD “Sick” and a band T-SHIRT! Social Bookmarking Tags: Duff McKagan, Duff McKagan’s [...]
Duff McKagan’s Loaded has reassembled seven years after their studio debut Dark Days (and only prior studio full-length) and ten years after forming following the collapse of the monumental Guns N’ Roses era. Even to the Velvet Revolver fan base, this is likely news to practically everyone. There are so many rumors and so much associated hype surrounding the quest for a new singer to front Velvet Revolver that Sick will probably lie under the radar for some time. But with the super group amidst a changing period, it’s the perfect time for McKagan to make some music of his own and get on the map. Even Slash is working on a solo project of his own.
Going back to Velvet Revolver for a moment, everyone expects a second-coming of Guns N’ Roses, but Loaded is actually more suitable of the tag. They’re more ragged and rock and roll than Velvet Revolver has ever been. It’s just that McKagan and three guys no one knows won’t get as much attention and play because of who they are… or rather, who they aren’t.
Moving on to Sick, this is even better than Dark Days, which was reasonably good for a side project debut. The sound is a little bluesier this time around, but still maintains punk and rock tones. If only the entire album were like the first half, though. The first six songs are all fast-paced and rockin’, essentially what should be expected. But the second half’s songs vary in style - “Mother’s Day” is a ballad, “I See Through You” has a punk lining, “No More” is grounded with a funky bass line, etc.
The opener/title track is hasty and a perfect way to kick things off. And “The Slide” would be a welcomed choice as an alternate opener. It’s not as sleazy, but what makes it so strong is McKagan’s lack of range - it actually works in the song’s favor because there’s nothing fancy about the riffing and drumming. Throw it all together and it’s pretty catchy. But speaking of range, “Translucent” is perplexing. Is that Duff? Why can’t he be like that every song? You can feel some emotion and power there, which is impressive for him. The only truly lacking aspect of Sick is a guitar lead. There really isn’t any soloing, and it doesn’t necessarily set the band back, but a solid lead would do nicely.
Is this a serious band to stick around, though? The answer lies in the fate of Velvet Revolver.
Just to clarify…Jeff Rouse, Loaded’s bassist, is singing TRANSLUCENT. And no guitar lead? huh? I wonder what Mike Squires is playing then?