SLASH bassist TODD KERNS - who also fronts SIN CITY SINNERS - has written a new blog, part of which focuses on his affinity for New York City, an excerpt follows:

"Anyone who knows me knows that I looooove NYC. I have spent a lot of time there and have been going there since like ’91.

CBGB’s - It’s now a John Varvatos store but it will always be CBGBs to me. The first time I walked into the new store I hated it. It would be like turning the Whiskey A Go Go into an Urban Outfitters or Toronto’s Horseshoe into an American Apparel, That said I have to give credit where credit is due. There is a rock and roll spirit within everything Varvatos does and they’ve managed to keep some of the spirit of the old club within it’s walls still. Regardless i’m not paying $6000 for a fucking jacket. Not ever. That jacket better be able to give me the power of flight or the ability to travel time at that price. You can take the boy out of Saskatchewan but you can’t take the Saskatchewan out of the boy. I have bought cars for less. Seriously.

I played CBGBs back in the '90s and it was a great thrill. It was an awful little place by any standard but magic had been made there and those ghosts are there still. I think it’s important to enter that building and pay homage. To me it is a holy place and should be treated as such. John Varvatos is it’s caretaker for now.

The weirdest thing is that when I first started coming to NYC the bowery, the area where CBGBs is located, was super gnarly. You would park your car never sure that you’d see it again. It was rough and rich with the most colorful of street people. Now there are coffee shops everywhere and it seems as safe as Robson Street in Vancouver. I’m not sure how my Rock N Roll heart feels about that. Rock N Roll needs danger. All the artists and musicians that used to populate these areas have all moved out to Harlem and the Bronx I understand. It must be impossible to afford to live in Manhattan. I’d like to take a shot at it someday. I’m gonna try and talk SLASH into making the next record there. That would be amaaaaazing."

To read Todd's blog in its entirety, click here.

Catch Todd on tour with Slash at the following shows:

September

29 - O'reilly Family Events Center - Springfield, MO

October

2 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA
3 - The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
7 - Corn Exchange - Edinburgh, UK - SOLD OUT
8 - Manchester Apollo - Manchester, UK - SOLD OUT
9 - NIA - Birmingham, UK
11 - Brixton O2 Academy - London, UK
12 - Brixton O2 Academy - London, UK
15 - Newcastle O2 Academy - Newcastle, UK - SOLD OUT
17 - AB Club - Brussels, Belgium
18 - E-Werk - Cologne, Germany - SOLD OUT
20 - Zenith - Paris, France - SOLD OUT
22 - Volkhaus - Zurich, Switzerland
23 - Unipol Arena - Casalecchio Di Reno Bo, Italy
24 - Palalottomatica - Rome, Italy
26 - Geox Theatre - Padova, Italy

November

2 - Fundicao Progresso - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
4 - Opera Hall - Brasilia, Brazil
6 - Espaco das Americas - Sao Paulo, Brazil
7 - Master Hall - Curitiba, Brazil
9 - Pepsi On Stage - Porto Alegre, Brazil
11 - Maquinara Festival - Santiago, Chile
13 - Velodromo Nacional de Montevideo - Montevideo, Uruguay
15 - Estadio Orfeo Superdomo - Cordoba, Argentina
17 - Estadio Malvinas Argentinas - Buenos Aires, Argentina
18 - El Teatro Vorterix - Buenos Aires, Argentina
21 - Terraza Centro Ciudad Comercial Tamanaco - Caracas, Venezuela
24 - Banamex Theater - Monterrey, Mexico
25 - Telmex Theater - Guadalajara, Mexico
27 - Sports Palace - Mexico City, Mexico