summertime in these outdoor sheds - it ' s pretty much the ultimate musical experience for me . I ' ve always had a thing for the spirit of the summer outdoor music festival . I used to go to so many of them as a kid . I still do a lot of summer festivals with Guns and The Conspirators in Europe .
“ But to do something that was blues based – I used to go to a lot of summer jazz festivals that were during the day when I was a kid . And that vibe , the spirit of that , was always so positive . All these people being together and enjoying a bunch of music all day long , it was just a really pleasant human experience .”
To further encourage the positive vibes and togetherness he felt at festivals , Slash used these shows to help give back to his favorite charities : The Equal Justice Initiative , Know Your Rights Camp , The Greenlining Institute , and War Child . A portion of the proceeds from each VIP package and S . E . R . P . E . N . T . festival tickets will directly support these organizations . “ I thought we could use [ the festival ] as a vehicle to promote togetherness because we ' ve been in such a polarizing time over the last bunch of years , and it doesn ' t seem to be getting much better . So , I wanted to do something that promoted people of some sort of exclusivity .
“ Music really brings people together , so I thought it would be a really great thing and try to use the proceeds to help people who are having a hard time in a lot of different areas . Mental illness is a big one . You know , people are having to deal with racial inequality and issues like that . I think all [ the charities ] help humanity in a kind of way that ' s sort of on a personal level .”
In some ways , Slash is bringing back the social activism that used to be an integral part of festivals like Lollapalooza and Woodstock . When these festivals first started , it wasn ’ t just about bringing together great bands for a day of amazing music . It was also about raising awareness about issues such as gun control , the environment , voting , HIV / Aids , and LGBTQ issues . You even saw it in the ' 80s with events like Farm Aid , Live Aid , and Band Aid . Over the years , festivals have strayed further away from these causes , focusing more on big headliners and the almighty dollar .
“ I hadn ' t actually thought about the fact that it ' s less so nowadays than it was back in the 60s , 70s and even the ' 80s . In the ' 90s , too , there was a lot more consciousness going on about social issues or environmental issues . We ' ve sort of gotten away from it . It just seemed really important to me that if we were going to be able to reach this many people , we
have to offer something in that direction .”
The festival kicked off in July with a different lineup playing each night , and Slash is eager to start playing . “ I can ' t wait for the tour to get underway . We ' re doing a setlist of about 20 songs . There are all these other great old standards we didn ' t do back in the 90s that we ' re doing now . So , it ’ s going to be a lot of fun .” Hopefully , this is the start of a new tradition with plans to bring it overseas . But for now , he ’ s just excited to play the blues every night .
With the old blues band reunited and the record underway , you may think Slash is ready to leave his rock days behind him . Fortunately , that ’ s not happening any time soon . “ I ' m very much a blues musician ; at the same time , I ' m still a hard rock guy who plays blues ,” he says . “ So , I didn ' t want to be jumping on the bandwagon and saying , hey , I ' ve switched gears . I ' m a blues guy now . I just wanted to do a bunch of blues covers for the fun of it .”
For Slash , the blues goes beyond a type of music he enjoys . It ’ s something that connects him to his childhood , played a big influence on his guitar playing , and , most importantly , provided a community he hopes to bring to others . “ The blues is a really great vehicle for bringing people together . It ' s the kind of music that really is about that .”
Slash ’ s new album Orgy of the Damned is out now . august 2024 illinoisentertainer . com 23