A new Slash album is headed our way! Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators are releasing a new album ‘4’ on February 11th via Gibson Records. Their most recent single, “Call Off The Dogs” was just released on January 14th and according to Slash: “This one was written pretty much on the fly, and in the spirit of the energy of the whole album 4. You can’t overthink something like this song because it kills the spirit. When we got into pre-production, ‘Call Off The Dogs’ came together fairly quickly – just jam it and that’s basically it. And it was probably the last thing that we recorded in the studio.” You can pre-order or pre-save the new album here.

PRE-ORDER HERE

We had the opportunity recently to do a Q&A with Slash on behalf of our Seymour Duncan audience. Here’s what he had to say:

Seymour Duncan Q+A with Slash

Q: We’re so excited about the release of ‘4’! What was your process trying to write and record an album during the pandemic? Were you able to get the full band in the studio, or was it a situation where you’re sending stems back and forth through email?

A: I did a lot of demos during the pandemic, which is something I don’t normally do, but since everybody was in lockdown I started working on the record via demos. I eventually managed to get the guys into my studio where we did a couple of weeks of pre-production, then we all drove out to Nashville and recorded the album live with Dave Cobb.

Q: What comes first in your process of songwriting? Does the riff come first? Or is that something you typically write after the song structure is finished?

A: It varies, but it’s usually the riff or some sort of hook that comes first. The rest of the song follows.

Q: Your father created some amazing and iconic album covers for artists like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. What’s your relationship with that part of the creative process? Do you like being hands-on when creating the album art?

A: Yeah, I’m a big fan of old school LP album covers, and I like to be very hands on during the process of designing what the package is going to look like.

Q: I know you’re very involved with the LA Zoo and animal preservation. What inspired you to get involved with that kind of work?

A: Well, I’ve always been an animal advocate, and being that I’ve lived in Los Angeles for so long, I developed a natural relationship with the LA Zoo. Over the years I started to get involved with their conservation work, and I’ve been on the board of trustees with the zoo itself for quite some time now.

Q: Now for a couple of fun questions. In the vein of Willy Wonka, we hand you the keys to Seymour Duncan. What would you do, and what products would you make?

A: Well, I guess I would make a whole lot of pickups. I would probably work on making some soap bar pickups even more quiet, I think that would be my first project. To make them even more noise-canceling than they already are.

Q: We love to talk to our artists about the food they love, and we know you’re a big fan of Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles. What was your go-to order there?

A: My go-to Canter’s order was a corned beef on rye with mustard.

HEADS-UP: The exclusive livestream performance of ‘4’ takes place next Friday February 11th at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm GT live at Studios 60. Watch on Facebook & YouTube and join Slash for a Q+A session @ Youtube’s Premium Afterparty.

 

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Let’s Talk Tone

If you’re curious about Slash’s signature tone, check out the Slash Signature Model Humbucker made by Seymour Duncan. The Slash humbuckers are hand built in Santa Barbara the same way we built his originals in the 80s, with a nickel silver bottom plate with long mounting legs, single conductor braided lead wire, maple spacer, paper tape, and wax potting.

Remember to sign up for Seymour Duncan’s free Pickup Installation 101 online course for more in-depth information, tips, and tricks.

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