Famed Grammy Award-winning guitarist Slash, who rose to fame with the globally famous band Guns N’ Roses, has officially released his newest single, “The River Is Rising,” his first new music in three years.
Videos by American Songwriter
The song will be on the upcoming LP release, 4, which is set for release on February 11, from Slash’s other band—Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators. Check out the new song and accompanying music video below.
“It has a very spontaneous, fun kind of thing to it, and I love that,” says Slash 4 in a statement. “That’s really the major difference on this record –we did it more or less live, and the mistakes are all in there. It’s the sound of the five of us just jamming together in one room.”
He adds, “You can make an amazing album by recording the bass and drums and putting the guitars on later and all that. But when you can capture that live rock ‘n’ roll spirit? It makes the whole thing really special.”
In the new video, Slash is seen in his signature top hat, playing the bubbling, rumbling electric guitar expertly. The song harkens to ’80s metal that helped make Slash famous, complete with shrieking vocals from Kennedy.
Slash’s new album, 4, is the first release on the new Gibson guitar brand record label, Gibson Records. To celebrate the release, Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators announced a new 28-city North American tour.
To write 4, the band went to Nashville and worked with producer Dave Cobb, who also has worked famously with Jason Isbell, John Prine, and Chris Stapleton. They recorded at RCA Studio A, upon which Slash remarked, “It’s this huge, historic room that used to be Chet Atkins’ studio.”
He adds, “That first day, we came in, lined the backline up with a couple of baffles, and started recording live, just like that. We recorded two songs a day –vocals, guitars, bass, and drums–and we kept everything. Dave just let us do our thing.”
During the recording, though, COVID-19 struck and plans had to be changed. The group, which had about 90-percent of the album done, ended up recording much of the rest in a Nashville Airbnb.
“It really was this whole crisis period,” said Slash. “But we all went through it together, so in a way, it was also a great bonding experience.”
Upon its unveiling, 4 will be the first release for Slash’s band since 2018, each of the previous three albums have charted top-5 on the Billboard Top 200. The band, which has been together for a decade, also features Brent Fitz on drums, Todd Kerns on bass, and Frank Sidoris on guitar.
SMKC Upcoming Tour Dates:
| TUE | 2/8 | PORTLAND, OR | ROSELAND THEATER |
| WED | 2/9 | SEATTLE, WA | THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE |
| FRI | 2/11 | BROOKS, CA | CACHE CREEK CASINO RESORT |
| SAT | 2/12 | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | THE WARFIELD |
| TUE | 2/15 | PHOENIX, AZ | ARIZONA FEDERAL THEATRE |
| WED | 2/16 | VALLEY CENTER, CA | HARRAH’S RESORT SOUTHERN CA |
| FRI | 2/18 | LOS ANGELES, CA | YOUTUBE THEATER |
| SAT | 2/19 | LAS VEGAS, NV | THEATER AT VIRGIN HOTELS |
| TUE | 2/22 | SALT LAKE CITY, UT | DELTA HALL -ECCLES THEATER |
| WED | 2/23 | DENVER, CO | PARAMOUNT THEATRE |
| FRI | 2/25 | KANSAS CITY, MO | ARVEST BANK THEATRE-THE MIDLAND |
| SAT | 2/26 | PRIOR LAKE, MN | MYSTIC LAKE CASINO-MYSTIC SHOWROOM |
| MON | 2/28 | MILWAUKEE, WI | RIVERSIDE THEATER |
| WED | 3/2 | CHICAGO, IL | RIVIERA THEATRE |
| FRI | 3/4 | WINDSOR, ON | CAESARS WINDSOR-THE COLOSSEUM |
| SAT | 3/5 | WATERLOO, NY | THE VINE @ DEL LAGO RESORT |
| MON | 3/7 | BOSTON, MA | HOUSE OF BLUES |
| WED | 3/9 | SILVER SPRING, MD | THE FILLMORE -SILVER SPRING |
| FRI | 3/11 | ATLANTIC CITY, NJ | TROPICANA-ATLANTIC CITY |
| SAT | 3/12 | NEW YORK, NY | BEACON THEATRE |
| MON | 3/14 | RICHMOND, VA | DOMINION ENERGY CENTER |
| WED | 3/16 | NASHVILLE, TN | GRAND OLE OPRY HOUSE |
| FRI | 3/18 | ATLANTA, GA | COCA COLA ROXY |
| SAT | 3/19 | DURHAM, NC | DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER |
| MON | 3/21 | CHARLOTTE, NC | THE FILLMORE-CHARLOTTE |
| WED | 3/23 | CHARLESTON, SC | N. CHARLESTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER |
| FRI | 3/25 | CLEARWATER, FL | RUTH ECKERD HALL |
| SAT | 3/26 | ORLANDO, FL | HARD ROCK LIVE – ORLANDO |
Photo by Austin Nelson / Gibson
