Slash is past the 15-year mark and looking down the road at 20 when it comes to the solid partnership and friendship he’s forged with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.
They’re gearing up for a massive 2027 that will feature extensive touring both here and abroad (you can see the dates below) — and a new album, Flying Blind, arrives Feb. 26.
As the Guns N’ Roses guitar legend tells us, his current situation fell together in a surprisingly easy fashion.
“It just it started out that way. I was thinking about this the other day because we’ve been together for about 16 years now,” he says. “It started off, just with Myles. [We] had an instant spark on that first solo record that I did.”
How He Put Together His Band
As he was preparing to put 2010’s Slash on the shelves of your local record store, he discovered Kennedy fit the bill when it came to having someone vocally who could sing the wide range of material from the album, which featured a number of guest artists. He then needed to fill out the rest of the band.
“I was looking for drummers and, you know, I know all the drummers in L.A., but somehow there was this guy named Brent Fitz that someone told me about and I’d never heard of him before,” the guitarist recalls. “He lived in Vegas, so I hooked up with him. He came out to L.A. and we jammed. And he was the perfect drummer.”
Fitz, as it happens, helped Slash fill his bass player slot as well. “Brent says, ‘I know a bass player.’ I said, ‘Everybody knows a bass player.’ And he goes, “No, I know a guy who’s really good in Vegas named Todd Kerns.’ Todd flew out and he was f—ing great. I mean, he just knew exactly what to do. We just so we had a natural chemistry from the get-go, and we started touring.”
‘We Just Keep Going Because it Feels Good to Do’
After spending time out on the road, he knew he’d landed with a group of guys that he could go the distance with for subsequent albums and tours.
“Basically, we had so much fun doing the tour and I felt so comfortable because I’m a very spontaneous live performer,” he explains. “So we had a natural cohesion, and so I just automatically thought, well, I should do a record with these guys, and that’s where Apocalyptic Love came from. We just have a very easy and sort of symbiotic kind of musical relationship. We just keep going because it feels good to do”
Watch Slash’s ‘Flying Blind’ feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators
To Be Frank About it All…
Guitarist Frank Sidoris — who fans will also know from his ongoing work with Wolfgang Van Halen and Mammoth — was the final piece of the puzzle, joining the Conspirators collective in 2012.
“We had a revolving door of guitar players, auditioning [for a] couple days in L.A. and then Frank came in,” he remembers, though the origins are a bit hazy. “I think Brent and Todd actually knew Frank, or maybe I’d met him or something. He came in — and your ear will tell you. You don’t know until you hear it, but I heard it and then it just clicked.”
Next Up: Aerosmith
This week, as the guitar hero will be back on stage with Guns N’ Roses as part of the massive California, Dream On concerts featuring Aerosmith that begin Thursday (Oct. 29) at the Hollywood Bowl. It’s a reunion with the Bad Boys from Boston that he’s really looking forward to.
“You know, Aerosmith is one of my all-time favorite rock and roll bands and they had a huge influence on me,” he tells UCR. “[It] was really integral to me picking up the guitar in the first place.”
READ MORE: How Aerosmith Became Like ‘Family’ to Guns N’ Roses
Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators 2027 Tour Dates
4/2 – Santiago, Chile @ Teatro Caupolican
4/4 – Mendoza, Argentina @ Arena Maipu
4/6 – Cordoba, Argentina @ Plaza de la Musica
4/7 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Movistar Arena
4/10 – Florianopolis, Brazil @ Arena Opus
4/11 – Curitiba, Brazil @ Live Curitiba
4/13 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Fundicao Progresso
4/14 – Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Espaco Unimed
4/23 – Reno, Nevada @ Grand Theatre at the Grand Sierra Resort
4/24 – Rohnert Park, California @ Graton Resort and Casino
4/26-27 – Los Angeles, California @ The Wiltern
4/29 – Del Mar, California @ The Sound
5/1 – Albuquerque, New Mexico @ Route 66 Casino
5/2 – Denver, Colorado @ Fillmore Auditorium
5/4 – Kansas City, Missouri @ The Midland Theatre
5/5 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Val Air Ballroom
5/7 – Windsor, Canada @ Caesars Windsor
5/8 – Niagara Falls, Canada @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
5/10 – Boston, Massachusetts @ House of Blues
5/12 – New York, New York @ Beacon Theatre
5/17 – Nashville, Tennessee @ Ryman Auditorium
5/19 – St. Louis, Missouri @ The Factory
5/21 – Norman, Oklahoma @ Riverwind Casino
5/22 – Tulsa, Oklahoma @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
6/7 – Munich, Germany @ Zenith
6/9 – Warsaw, Poland @ Letnia Scena Progresji
6/10 – Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock Festival
6/12 – Milan, Italy @ Carroponte
6/13 – Rome, Italy @ Rock In Roma
6/17 – Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain @ Azkena Rock Festival
6/23 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Grona Lund
6/28 – Dusseldorf, Germany @ Mitsubishi Electric Halle
6/30 – Cardiff, United Kingdom @ Cardiff Castle
7/1 – Scarborough, United Kingdom @ Scarborough Open Air Theatre
7/3 – Dublin, Ireland @ Trinity College
7/4 – Belfast, United Kingdom @ Custom House Square
7/6 – Halifax, United Kingdom @ Piece Hall
7/7 – London, United Kingdom @ Eventim Apollo
7/9 – Weert, Netherlands @ Bospop
7/11 – Vizovice, Czechia @ Masters of Rock
7/12 – Zagreb, Croatia @ SRC Salata
7/14 – Budapest, Hungary @ Budapest Park
7/16 – Belgrade, Serbia @ Luka Beograd
7/18 – Athens, Greece @ Lycabettus Theatre
7/22 – İstanbul, Turkey @ Bonus Parkorman
7/25 – Plovdiv, Bulgaria @ Hills of Rock
7/26 – Ghimbav, Romania @ Rockstadt Extreme Festival
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Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
