Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has called upon some famous friends for his latest single, “I Can Breathe”
Released under the artist Gibson Band, it’s the second single released via Gueikian’s project following on from the arrival of “Deconstruction” last December. That song also featured some well-known names, including System of a Down‘s Serj Tankian and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.
This time around, Guns N’ Roses are the source of the talent, with guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan joining the project, which aims to raise money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) via their Gibson Gives foundation.
According to Rolling Stone, the lyrics for “I Can Breathe” were penned by McKagan, while Slash added “bluesy guitar licks”. Gueikian wrote the riffs and performed both rhythm guitar and keyboards, while Seta Von Gravessen took on bass duties and Jota Morelli played drums.
The final version of the track clocks in at just under six minutes, having apparently been halved from the original demo’s runtime of 12 minutes.
“It was such a pleasure to work with Cesar and his whole crew on this tune,” McKagan said of the experience in a statement. “The musical slant and progressive rock-ness of this huge epic pushed me in a whole new direction.
“I love a challenge and Cesar killed it! Most importantly, to be of service for mental health issues and awareness is super important to me at this time. Let’s rock!”
All proceeds of the track will be donated to NAMI, with a pair of auctions also launching alongside its release.
The first is a painting by Tankian titled “They’re Coming” which serves as the cover art for “I Can Breathe”. The other is a Les Paul Guitar which features Tankian’s artwork and the signatures of all involved. Both auctions can be found via Julien’s Auctions.
