MATT SORUM Says There Has Been No Discussion About VELVET REVOLVER Reuniting With SCOTT WEILAND

VELVET REVOLVER reunited with singer Scott Weiland for a one-off performance at the January 12 "Love You Madly: A Concert For John O'Brien" at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. The band played a four-song set — including a cover version of the PINK FLOYD classic "Wish You Were Here" — at the event, which paid tribute to award-winning ASCAP composer John O'Brien, who was found dead in his Chicago hotel room last August.

Speaking to Frankie DiVita, radio personality for 96.7 KCAL Rocks, at the 2012 NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show (see video below),VELVET REVOLVER drummer Matt Sorum stated about the experience of playing with Weiland again, "It was cool, man. We hadn't played together in a long time. We soundchecked a few songs. We only played, like, three songs. But it was cool to be on stage and play music again. It was like riding a bike. Everyone had a good time and we raised some money for a really sad situation. John O'Brien passed away and left a pregnant wife and another child. And a lot of people turned out for the show… Amazing turnout."

He added, "We had a good time. Me and Scott worked out some stuff backstage and had talked, and that was nice. He came up to me and he was real humble and really cool. 'Cause stuff happens when you're out on the road and people are tired and you say shit. Everything is on the Internet now; you can't get away with anything.

"Being in the music business for as long as I have been, I'm still learning lessons. We were out on the road for 18 months. And we got tired and things happened. There's a lot of pressure. You think you'd always wanna do it differently, but stuff goes the way it's gonna go; I can't explain it.

"We made some good records [with Scott]. The second record [2007's 'Libertad'] didn't get as much action as the first one [2004's 'Contraband'], but I think it's a cool record, too. I liked a lot of that record, and working with [producer] Brendan O'Brien. The first record, obviously, was a huge success for us."

When asked about whether there is any chance of VELVET REVOLVER working with Weiland again, Sorum said, "I don't know… We'll see what happens. [VELVET REVOLVER guitarist] Slash is booked up for about another year [touring in support of his upcoming solo album], so I don't know what's gonna go on with anything, to be honest. We haven't discussed it. . . I don't know… I can't say. It hasn't really been discussed, so I don't wanna speak out of turn."

On the topic of why it's been so hard for VELVET REVOLVER to find a replacement for Weiland, Sorum said, "We were trying [to find a new singer last year], but it didn't work out that way. . . We had Corey Taylor [from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR coming in and writing songs with us]; it's kind of well known. We did some songs, and it just didn't turn everybody on completely. So we, basically, put the brakes on that. I think I was a little bit excited to get going, but maybe that was more excitement than… I thought it was cool, but Slash wasn't into it. And if we're not all firing on the same cylinders, we don't usually… We respect that, you know."

VELVET REVOLVER's setlist for the January 12 performance with Scott Weiland at the "Love You Madly: A Concert For John O'Brien" event was as follows:

01. Sucker Train Blues
02. She Builds Quick Machines
03. Slither
04. Wish You Were Here (PINK FLOYD cover)

Fan-filmed video footage of VELVET REVOLVER's entire performance can be seen below.

Weiland reunited with his original band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, just as his run with VELVET REVOLVER was coming to a close. STP has toured constantly since and recorded a new album in 2010.

Interview:

"Love You Madly: A Concert For John O'Brien" performance: