GN’R, Stones Members Collaborate on New Dead Daisies Songs
Dead Daisies, the supergroup including current members of Guns N’ Roses and the Rolling Stones, have written their first songs as a band and are preparing to record an EP’s worth of material.
The combo’s debut album was written mainly by singer Jon Stevens and guitarist David Lowy – with some help from Slash – but Gunners Dizzy Reed and Richard Fortus, Stones bassist Darryl Jones and ex-Divinyls drummer Charley Drayton joined the creative process during a tour which has just wrapped up in Israel.
“We actually recorded three new songs in the middle of that last tour,” says keyboardist Reed, the longest surviving Guns N’Roses member after Axl Rose.”I think we do well under pressure.
“We had some riffs and I think we all sort of found a common ground. We all listened to the same music. It’s kind of what we do.
“When people hear it – there’s not a lot of bands doing this – I think they’re pleasantly surprised. You’re making people happy because you’re playing good rock’n’roll music. There’s not any other way to describe it. It’s just good rock’n’roll music.”
Reed says it’s difficult to predict his GN’R commitments but unlike guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, he has no doubts his career within and without the iconic act can co-exist.
“You know, I’m just so happy to be able to play music for a living,” Reed says. “I’m just so happy to be playing with these guys. I still like playing with GN’R – a lot.”
Thal commented late last year: “If I’m going to be painted into a corner where I have to choose between Guns and the rest of my life, and if they’re not willing to help me keep the two functioning together, then I’m out.”
Dead Daisies hope to record during a short Australian tour in February. ”We’ve got some more stuff we’ve collected and we’ve just got to get in the studio and put them down, really,” said New Zealander Stevens, formerly of Noiseworks and INXS.
“We’re doing some shows in Australia in February/March and we’ll hopefully get in then for a few days and do some stuff.”
The band have so far toured in Australia, the US, Europe and Israel. Their self-titled album – which was given away free with Classic Rock last year – has yet to be released in their native Australia.