So what happens when your band splits apart, but you’re still ready to rock?

Simple. You find others like you and start a new band.

That’s what happened when three ex-Guns ‘N’ Roses members----Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum----, former Stone Temple Pilot front man Scott Weiland along with David Kushner of Suicidal Tendencies did when they formed Velvet Revolver. According to an interview on Vh1.com, Weiland explains that “We’re all looking for a rebirth here. We’re looking to get back that same feeling we had when we all first started making music---the sense of doing it for the pure joy of making music.”

The guys started out by doing a couple of songs for movies. The first one was ‘Set Me free’, written for The Hulk soundtrack. They also did a cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ for The Italian Job. Then they signed a record deal with RCA records and began recording what would become Contraband, the band’s first album.

When the album was released in the spring of 2004, it was greeted with much anticipation. But it was well worth it. It debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. The music pays homage to the boys’ hard-rock days, with plenty of crashing guitars and enough growl to make any rocker proud. But over that music is Scott Weiland’s intensely personal lyrics.

Weiland, who had just gone through a divorce and a stint in rehab for heroin, poured out his emotions through his lyrics. Some of those show just how angry he was at his situation. “She’s givin up on you now/ Do it for the kids they say/ It’s ain’t about you anyway” he sings about his divorce from his wife on the song ‘Do it For the Kids’. The he shows his more emotional side in the ballad ‘Fall to Pieces’, where he speaks of feeling lonely. “I keep a journal of memories/ I’m feeling lonely, I can’t breathe.”

Weiland is one of the most controversial characters in rock-n-roll---he’s ranked right up there with the great Axl Rose himself---and it’s easy to see why. While the songs are very powerful and emotional, they also contain quite a bit of colorful language. And not all of it is the typical four-letter words we normally think of. Some of the content is vulgar enough to make a grown man blush. So the Parental Advisory sticker is on there just to make sure some people don’t get their hands on it just yet.

Many people were thrilled by the return of some of the biggest names in rock. And it’s easy to see how they’ve gathered so many new fans. After putting out two singles---rock-driven ‘Slither’ and ballad ‘Fall to Pieces’---, people are getting exposure to the group’s diversity and their ability to appeal to fans of all genres of music. If you have the chance to see them live, it just makes them even more appealing.

Velvet Revolver is currently on tour, after having kicked it off in Nashville, TN on October 16 at the 5th annual Buzzfest. You can learn more about them by checking out their website at www.velvetrevolver.net.

These guys show no signs whatsoever of slowing down, proving that you can’t keep a good rock star down.