SLASH's Bassist TODD KERNS Checks In From The Studio

Legendary guitarist Slash (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) recently re-entered Barefoot Recording in Hollywood, California with producer Eric Valentine (QUEENS OF STONE AGE, THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS) to resume recording Slash's upcoming solo album for a tentative April 2012 release. Joining Slash in the studio are the members of his touring band: vocalist Myles Kennedy (ALTER BRIDGE),rhythm guitarist Bobby Schneck, bassist Todd Kerns (SIN CITY SINNERS, formerly of AGE OF ELECTRIC),and drummer Brent Fitz (formerly of THEORY OF A DEADMAN).

In a brand new post on his official blog, Kerns writes about the latest recording sessions, "We are somewhere in the area of five songs in. I've lost track.

"We play the songs together live off the floor, capturing guitars, bass and drums all in one pass. If there's any glaring mistakes, they are repaired and we move on to the next.

"The pace has been about one song a day, though we've managed to fall off that pace here and there.

"The riffs are fat and huge and heavy.

"Slash plays solos live off the floor that are epic and as impressive as anything in his catalogue. And that's a formidable one.

"It's been fascinating working with Eric Valentine. Every day I come in and the drums are in a different part of the studio. He's big on different sounds for different songs. The kick drum sizes change, Myles and I change guitars and amps all the time dependent on the track. The only constant is Slash.

"Les Paul and Marshall. All you need is an American guitar and a British amplifier and you can take over the world.

"Slash has a very specific, distinctive sound and it would be a mistake to have him playing a Strat or a Tele. Slash needs to sound like Slash. The funny thing is I have a feeling that even if he did have a completely different set up going, it would still sound very much like him."

In a recent interview, Slash stated about the musicians in his band, "I was really fortunate. When I'd done the [first solo] record, I thought, 'I've gotta tour on this.' And I had to figure how I was gonna actually pull that off. And I set about auditioning musicians in L.A. and I just happened to meet Brent Fitz, who I'd never played before and who is not from Los Angeles; he was one of the guys I auditioned and he was great. And then he introduced me to Todd Kerns, who fit in perfectly. And it turned out to be a great band from the start — definitely worth going in and making a record with."

Valentine previously worked with Slash on the guitarist's self-titled solo album. But "the big difference," according to Slash, will be that Eric is "also gonna be mastering this one" in addition to recording and mixing the CD. "So it's like one-stop shopping, which is pretty cool," the axeman said.

Regarding the musical direction of his new material and how it compares to last year's self-titled effort, Slash said, "This one's definitely a very focused… Very hard. Some of it's very heavy. It's got sort of a more unified sound to it, especially with one vocal all throughout."