BUMBLEFOOT: Don't Hold Your Breath For New GUNS N' ROSES Album
November 11, 2010GUNS N' ROSES fans shouldn't expect a new studio album from the band anytime soon, according to the band's guitarist, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal. Even though GUNS N' ROSES axeman D.J. Ashba said in an interview at last week's launch party for the "Call Of Duty: Black Ops" video game that the band is "throwing around a bunch of ideas" for its next CD, Bumblefoot doesn't believe that a new GN'R album will surface in the foreseeable future. He writes on his Facebook page, "We've yet to get in a room and write as a band." He adds, "[I] know D.J. mentioned something about a new album, but don't want y'all expecting anything soon. Other than old unreleased ['Chinese Democracy'] songs, songs need to be written, jammed, recorded, tweaked, re-worked, re-recorded, mixed, re-mixed, mastered, re-mastered, art, new art, label approval, a game plan from the label that Axl [Rose, lead singer] approves.... not as simple when it's on such a big scale... Just don't want ya getting frustrated if a GN'R album doesn't happen quick..."
Rose himself hinted in an interview back in 2002 that he had compiled enough songs to release follow-ups to "Chinese Democracy" in rapid succession, saying, "The plan is to drop the record. Have a bunch of extra tracks . . . about a year or so down the road, drop another record, and drop a third record. This is a three stage thing; we'll be touring for a real long time."
In addition to Ashba, Thal and sole original member Rose, the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarist Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.
GUNS N' ROSES' latest album, "Chinese Democracy", was released in November 2008 as a Best Buy exclusive, 17 years after the last all-original GUNS sets, "Use Your Illusion I" and "II". The album was a commercial disappointment, selling 609,000 copies in the U.S. so far (according to Nielsen SoundScan) despite the long wait.
Bumblefoot joined GUNS N' ROSES in early 2006 as the replacement for Buckethead. He made his live debut with the band at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on May 12, 2006.
Ashba joined GUNS N' ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck.
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