Rock and roll legend Slash (of Guns N’ Roses fame) has found success changing lanes. The guitarist recently released Orgy of the Damned, a new blues record. Despite not being Slash’s normal hard rock fare, the album has seen massive success, charting on the blues chart for six weeks.
On top of that, Slash is embarking on the “S.E.R.P.E.N.T Blues Festival” tour, kicking off with a show in Bonner, Montana. The festival features Slash, Warren Hayes Band, Keb’ Mo’, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Samantha Fish, ZZ Ward, Robert Randolph, Eric Gales and Jackie Venson. So far, the rock icon has announced 18 dates across the United States, spanning from July 5 to August 17.
Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T tour is not only a celebration of blues, but a humanitarian effort. The acronym stands for “Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality ‘N Tolerance.” Slash has vowed to donate a portion of every ticket sold to a variety of charities including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, The Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child. According to a press release, the money given to these charities “will lift marginalized communities and support mental health initiatives that share his [Slash’s] restorative focus of elevating lives for the benefit of all.”
Orgy of the Damned features Slash pulling on his famous ties from across the music world, working with artists such as Chris Stapleton, Demi Lovato, Iggy Pop, and Brian Johnson (of AC/DC). The album debuted at #1 on the US and UK Blues Charts and #2 on the US Rock Charts, and it achieved Top 10 chart positions in 7 countries. Critically the record was given an 8/10 by Blues Rock Review and 4 stars out of 5 by Classic Rock Magazine.
As Slash continues to expand his sound and uplift other voices in blues, it remains to be seen if the hard rocking Guns N’ Roses audience will come out for Slash’s blues tour. All signs, however, seem to point to this being a promising new direction for the guitar legend.
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