ALTER BRIDGE Singer To Front SLASH's Solo Band On Upcoming Tour

Legendary guitarist Slash (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) has issued the following update via his MySpace page:

"Things are ramping up towards the release of my solo record.

"There's a lot of cool shit going on. But, more importantly, there is George Lopez's Help Haiti benefit show at the Nokia Theater tomorrow night. I am performing a couple songs with Beth Hart, who, if you are not familiar with her is a first rate blues/rock and roll singer/songwriter.

"Raising cash for devastated Haiti has to be at the forefront of everybody's minds right now and will need to be for some time so we can help them rebuild.

"On another note, Ernie Ball, Guitar Center and I have a couple new campaigns, the details of which are at ErnieBall.com and YourNextRecord.com. I'm really into the idea of inspiring young guitar players and discovering new talented rock and roll bands and unleashing them unto the world. Up-and-coming rock and roll talent is getting largely overlooked in the business these days and I want to change that.

"Also, I want to announce that Myles Kennedy [ALTER BRIDGE] is going to be fronting the band for the upcoming tour. Something I'm really stoked about.

"Myles sang a killer track on the record and I think he is by far one of the best rock and roll singers out there today. I'm really honored and proud to be working with him.

"I will announce the other band members shortly.

"Lastly, we're starting to route the tour.

"I want all my fans to follow me on Twitter and tell me what city/country they're from and to tell all their friends and family in that city/country, who are fans, to do the same. I want to get a really good idea on where my fans are, even the obvious major cities and focus the tour around that. So if you're from Alaska or Zimbabwe or anywhere in between, I want to hear from you.

"Follow me at Twitter.com/slashhudson

"I'm excited about the new record and about the band I'm putting together for the tour.

"I've been jamming around town with everybody and their brother for the last year and I can't wait to get out and do my own show finally. It's going to be a gas."

Slash will release his first true solo album, simply entitled "Slash", in North America in April via EMI Label Services and in the U.K. on May 10 through Roadrunner Records. The album features an all-star roster of guest musicians, including Ian Astbury, Chris Cornell, Rocco DeLuca, Fergie, Dave Grohl, Myles Kennedy, Kid Rock, Lemmy Kilmister, Adam Levine of MAROON 5, Duff McKagan, M. Shadows of AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and Andrew Stockdale of WOLFMOTHER.

"Slash" was produced by Eric Valentine (QUEENS OF STONE AGE, THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS) and was completed with the rhythm section of bassist Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION) and drummer Josh Freese (NINE INCH NAILS). Slash handled the majority of arranging and songwriting duties and hand-picked each guest artist. The album's guests worked collaboratively with Slash to round out the song.

"The idea was really simple in the beginning," said Slash. "These are all artists I wanted to work with — that I thought it would be amazing to do something creative and collaborative. And I was so impressed with what everyone brought to the table. They were all so committed to doing a good job. And we had a lot of fun making these songs."

In the U.K., "Slash" will see Roadrunner Records enter into a unique and innovative association with a U.K. media partner — the special-interest media group, Future. In a brand new concept in record distribution the standard album release will be preceded by a "fan pack," in which the Roadrunner Records album will be bundled together with a highly-collectable special issue of Future Publishing's Classic Rock magazine dedicated to Slash's career. The Slash "Fan Pack" featuring his debut solo album from Roadrunner Records, along with a 132-page "Classic Rock Presents: Slash" special, will have a cover price of £14.99 and will be available on magazine newsstands nationwide, in over 3,000 non-conventional music retail outlets such as WHSmith, all supermarket chains and many independent high street newsagents.

The Classic Rock Slashpack will also be the only album version to include two extra bonus tracks: "Baby Can't Drive" (featuring Alice Cooper and Nicole Scherzinger) and a cover of the classic GUNS N' ROSES track "Paradise City" (featuring Fergie and CYPRESS HILL).

The track listing is as follows (guest vocalists in parenthesis):

01. Ghost (Ian Astbury, feat. Izzy Stradlin) (3:34)
02. Crucify The Dead (Ozzy Osbourne) (4:04)
03. Beautiful Dangerous (Fergie) (4:35)
04. Promise (Chris Cornell) (4:41)
05. By The Sword (Andrew Stockdale) (4:50)
06. Gotten (Adam Levine) (5:05)
07. Doctor Alibi (Lemmy) (3:07)
08. Watch This Dave (Dave Grohl, Duff McKagan) (3:46)
09. I Hold On (Kid Rock) (4:10)
10. Nothing To Say (M. Shadows) (5:27)
11. Starlight (Myles Kennedy) (5:35)
12. Saint Is A Sinner Too (Rocco De Luca) (3:28)
13. We're All Gonna Die (Iggy Pop) (4:30)

Bonus tracks:

14. Baby Can't Drive (Alice Cooper, Nicole Scherzinger)
15. Paradise City (Fergie, Cypress Hill)

The Ron English artwork for the CD can be viewed below.