Jon Wiederhorn from AOL's Noisecreep caught up with drummer Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Noisecreep: The focus for Velvet Revolver 2011 is full steam ahead?

Sorum: "Yeah, we're really gonna make 2011 a new period for Velvet Revolver."

Noisecreep: How has the audition process been going?

Sorum: "We tried out a lot of new guys, and basically it's quite a process. Scott Weiland is one of the best frontmen out there. And I've been in bands with Axl Rose and Ian Astbury. Those are big shoes to fill. So we're looking for a tried and true individual that can mesh with guys like us that have been out there doing this for a long time. It hasn't been an easy task, and that's why it's taking a long time. But we don't want to come out half-cocked. We want to create something that people are gonna go, 'Wow, that's awesome.' We've had a couple situations where we've been with some singers, and we've pulled out of because we didn't feel completely secure in the fact that going forward the the guy was the right move. We tried out some fairly unknown guys and some guys that have been out there a little bit. But the guy we're really excited about know is a pretty known guy. I don't want to say anything yet because we're still in the dating phase. We haven't consummated the relationship or made a gentleman's agreement. So I can't let the cat out of the bag until there's an official stamp of approval on the deal.

Noisecreep: Have you and Slash already written material for the next album?

Sorum: "Yeah, we've got some tunes. We've got some great riffs. We're trying to strip it down a little bit. There's some good stuff. I would say we've probably got about four or five pretty good contenders with lyrics for stuff I'd be happy on a record. It's definitely rocking. But overall, we don't have too much music yet, because we're gonna just get in there and do it. The beauty about being in a band with these guys for so many years is we know what we've all got to offer on that front. So we don't have to pre-think things a whole lot. Even though we can dabble in ballads and play in other styles, we're pretty much comfortable being in a rock 'n' roll unit. We don't have to make ourselves something that we aren't. We're traditional in that sense."

Noisecreep: Was it healthy for the band for Slash to do his solo record, or were you frustrated because you would have preferred to work with him on Velvet Revolver?

Sorum: "At first I felt frustrated, but then I understood where he was coming from and I kind of put myself in his shoes. He's always been a ring leader. As far as work ethic goes, Slash is one of the hardest working guys I know. Last year, you couldn't turn on the TV without seeing him. It was actually, enough already. Did I want to be out there playing? Yeah, to be honest. But he needed to do the solo thing again and come back to a band and feel that environment, which is completely different. Now it's not all riding on his shoulders anymore and I think that can only be good for us."

Read the entire interview here.