NASHVILLE |FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/KRISTINE ASHTON-MAGNUSON
VELVET REVOLVER
CREATE COMPELLING AND POWERFUL VIDEO FOR
“FALL TO PIECES”
FROM THEIR PLATINUM ‘CONTRABAND’ DEBUT ALBUM’;
BAND WRAP SUCCESSFUL AND ACCLAIMED EUROPEAN TOUR;
DATES FOR THEIR U.S. FALL TOUR TO BE ANNOUNCED IMMINENTLY
VELVET REVOLVER–lead singer SCOTT WEILAND, guitarist SLASH, bassist DUFF McKAGAN, drummer MATT SORUM and guitarist DAVE KUSHNER–have created a compelling and powerful video for “Fall To Pieces,” the newly released second single from the band’s platinum debut album CONTRABAND (RCA) that’s already stormed the charts (#4 Mainstream, #6 Active, #8 Modern). SCOTT, the band and director Kevin Kerslake’s visualization draws upon the previous drug experiences of WEILAND, something that is true-to-life for all the band members. The video was world-premiered at VH1, Fuse and Yahoo, with airplay on MTV and MTV2 to follow.
“If there was a turning point for me over the last year and a half it was the
day ‘Fall To Pieces’ was written,” says SCOTT. “The night before, I had just gotten arrested. It wasn’t the first time obviously, but to the point of which I had sunk in my soul had seemed as if there was a bottomless oblivion that I would never be able to crawl out of. I had lost my wife and children recently, my old band STP had fallen apart, and now the spectre of losing my
freedom loomed over me like dark heavy wet blankets. The only thing positive
in my life was the new band Velvet Revolver.
Continues SCOTT: “New blood. New start. The song symbolizes both. It really is the cornerstone of this record for me; if it wouldn¹t have happened, the record wouldn’t have happened. The only way to be real about the subject matter of the song was to tell the truth on film. It wasn’t hard to sell this to the band, they lived it with me. I felt Kevin Kerslake would be the only director that could possibly get me to the point of reliving some of those narcotic nightmares and re-drudging some of the pain out of the old wounds that have healed from Mary’s and my 12-year relationship.”
“In short, it was the most difficult video I’ve ever done from a fear perspective, yet at times with beautiful, sweet memories that are chronicled on paper and in the heart and mind. All in all it was somethin’ else! “She’s still my little Rock-n-Roll.”
Kerslake, who also directed the video for the band’s #1 single “Slither,” says: “The challenge was to create a video that was honest and ultimately redeeming, at the same time satisfying all the other necessities of a music video in terms of band performance. It was important to give justice to the dark side and also, more importantly, the redemptive side of Scott’s journey.”
The dramatic concept scenes are merged with performance footage that shows the dynamism of VELVET REVOLVER. They are filmed in a late ’70s setting that recreates the legendary Los Angeles club the Starwood, which the band members frequented in the glam and punk era.
SCOTT’s wife Mary Weiland plays his girlfriend in the video, and their relationship is poignantly depicted in flashback scenes of happy and sad times, as well as in the club when things unravel for SCOTT. Also appearing in the video as band girlfriends are DUFF’s wife Susan Holmes and DAVE’s wife Christine Kushner. The video climaxes with an electrifying performance by VELVET REVOLVER that shows the redemptive, healing power of music.
VELVET REVOLVER just wrapped a successful and acclaimed European tour (their first-ever swing there), and “Fall To Pieces” is the strong follow-up to the group’s #1 success with “Slither” at Active, Modern and Mainstream Rock for five weeks. CONTRABAND debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart, selling over 250,000 copies. Notably, this marks the best-ever debut for a new rock artist in the SoundScan era. Rolling Stone calls the album a “powerhouse,”Newsweek describes the band as “truly explosive” and Maxim says, “Slash and Scott Weiland bring unpredictability back to rock.” Look for VELVET REVOLVER to soon announce a major fall tour in the U.S. Check outwww.velvetrevolver.com for updates.
Contacts:
MSO 818-380-0400:
Mitch Schneider mschneider@msopr.com ext. 235
Kristine Ashton kashton@msopr.com ext. 233
Amanda Hale ahale@msopr.com ext. 238
RCA Records:
Pamela Murphy pamela.murphy@bmg.com 212-930-4394
Maggie Wang maggie.wang@bmg.com 212-930-7007
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