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News |  18 May 2015 18:48 |  By RnMTeam

Guns NÆ RosesÆ Ron æBumblefootÆ Thal talks upcoming Pakistan performance, Art of Anarchy and more

MUMBAI: After the Dubai and India launch of Classic Rock Coffee Co. (CRCC), Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal will be seen at the opening of the new CRCC branch in Rawalpindi, Pakistan this August. Thal, who performed alongside Blackstratblues frontman Warren Mendonsa at the India launch, revealed that he would also perform at the Pakistan launch of the coffee shop.


"At Dubai, I was performing with a singer called Nikhil, and soon after, it seemed that I was on everyone's radar. That is because, CRCC corporate executives from the US, and Avinash Agarwal, who is the Master Franchisee of CRCC in India, got in touch with me. After a few emails, everything fell into place, and I was scheduled to perform in Pune," said the coffee-loving guitarist. With two CRCC performances already under his belt, and one on the way, Thal looks to be on his way to becoming the international ambassador for CRCC. "I might become that, but 'The Ambassador of Classic Rock Coffee', I do not know if they (CRCC executives) would call me that," Thal joked.


Given that Thal is performing in Pakistan later this August, it is likely that the guitarist will be back in India for another gig. Shedding light on that he said, "It is definitely something that we spoke about. Given how close the two countries are, it would make sense to stop over and have another visit. This might be the third time I am coming to India, but, it is definitely not the last. I love it out here."


Earlier in February, Thal released his tenth solo studio album called 'Little Brother is Watching', which he started work on back in 2014. "I was writing, while on the road performing in South America with Guns N' Roses. Right after that I jumped into a tour bus and toured for another month and a half as Bumblefoot. During these gigs, I did a whole bunch of songwriting. And by the time I was off the road in mid-July, I just locked myself in the studio for as long as I could and got everything recorded. The recording was almost done in December, and right before it was finished, I did a listening party in New York City. I invited about hundred people to come and listen to the album, and discussed every song once it was played. I got some of those people to sing some parts and recorded it. So, the final recording of the album had the audience singing along," added the 45-year old guitarist.


In April, Thal released a video for the album's title track- 'Little Brother is Watching'. He also revealed that he plans to put out more videos for some of the other tracks on the album.

Thal is also part of another band- Art of Anarchy, whose first record is scheduled for release later next month. Along with Thal, Art of Anarchy features bassist of hard rock band Disturbed – John Moyer and the Votta twins, Jon and Vince.


Talking about his new band, he said, "Jon and Vince are twin brothers that have been in bands since they were kids and I have been producing for their bands for the last 18 years. Four years ago, they wanted to form this supergroup album. Jon wanted something that brings people from different personalities and musical directions, resulting in something very unique. So, we went into the studio four years ago, with John Moyer joining us a year later."


There have been differing views about Velvet Revolver vocalist Scott Weiland lending his vocals on Art of Anarchy's self-titled album. Addressing those, Thal said, "Scott wrote and sang the entire album. Everyone else did their parts in my studio, but Scott recorded it all on his own." The album's first single, called 'Till The Dust Is Gone', will be released alongside the album in June.

In addition to Art of Anarchy, Thal is also working with metal band Generation Kill, which features legendary hip hop icon- Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels. Thal revealed that he is producing the upcoming DMC Generation Kill album. "I have been working with Generation Kill, which has ex-members of Exodus and DMC, and I am producing the new record, while also playing the guitar and playing a few live shows with them," he added.


Thal, who has composed music for various video games, TV shows and independent films, recently composed the music for the upcoming horror feature 'Clean Cut' in which he plays a small role. It marks his fifth video project for which he has composed music and acted. "I am doing all the music for the film, and as the movie heads to post-production, I will resume work on the soundtrack," said Thal. Back in 1996, Thal composed music for a SEGA-developed video game, making it the first video game to feature original music, and not tunes.


Thal recently visited Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and other Indonesian regions, where he performed at river clean-up benefit concerts and children's hospitals. This is something that Thal has wanted to be part of for a long time, he revealed. "It is the best thing you can do as a musician – do what you do, but do it for a greater good. It makes a difference in people's lives and helps, motivates and inspires them to do good things for everybody," he added.

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