SLASH
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sings on the cover of the Motown classic “ Papa Was a Rolling Stone .” Most people wouldn ’ t expect to see her on a record like this , but Slash couldn ’ t think of anyone else who could knock out the song . “ We didn ' t do [ that song ] in Slash ’ s Blues Ball . I did a version of it in a band called Snake Pit a little bit after that , and I really enjoyed playing it . So , when we were doing this record , I wanted to do that song . But rather than have a guy sing it , I wanted to have a young girl ' s voice who was telling the story about the infamous estranged late father . I just thought it would be more poignant . “ So , I called Demi because I know what great fucking falsetto she has . It ' s very soulful , but she also has this sort of young singing voice , and it fits perfectly . She had a connection to the song , which was really important because that was sort of the telling factor . This was only going to work if the song meant something to her because you were going to get the most sincere , emotive reaction from them vocally . So , in Demi ' s case , it worked out great . She really dug that song , and it had personal [ meaning ] for her .”
Lovato wasn ’ t the only artist who found meaning in their chosen song . Accomplished blues singer Beth Hart delivered a powerful rendition of “ Stormy Monday ” that ’ s downright chilling . The girt , hurt , and sadness are
bleeding from her voice , and that was no accident . “ She had just come back from Jeff Beck ' s memorial that day ,” reveals Slash . “ So , she was really emotional , to begin with . “’ Stormy Monday ’ is probably the most traditional blues approach because she ' s a blues singer , but even then , we changed the way the song was from its original to where we did it in a minor key . It just made it a whole different sort of flavor than the original or the other versions of it .”
“ She belted out that song while we were rehearsing . I didn ' t even know she was in the booth . We had only just started playing that song in this different kind of mode on that day . So , we were really trying to rehearse it just so everybody was on the same page . And she just started singing . It was the only take we did because when she was done , she was floored . She gave it her all .”
With the album finished and finally released , Slash couldn ’ t wait to take it on tour . But when the opportunity to curate a festival was presented to him , he couldn ’ t refuse . Introducing the S . E . R . P . E . N . T ( Solidarity , Engagement , Restore , Peace , Equality N ’ Tolerance ) Festival , “ a celebration of blues ” featuring artists like Larkin Poe , Samantha Fish , ZZ Ward , and Warren Haynes Band . Just the idea of the festival takes Slash back to his childhood . “ I jumped at the chance [ to do a festival ] because I wanted to pick the artists that were going to play the festival . To be able to pick artists I really like and put them all together and have a concert that ' s during the
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