BW&BK; spoke to VELVET REVOLVER bassist Duff McKagan (ex-GUNS N' ROSES) and drummer Matt Sorum (ex-Guns N' Roses, THE CULT) recently about a number of topics including the band's newly-released sophomore effort, Libertad. Watch for a major feature in an upcoming issue of BW&BK.; In the meantime, here are a few excerpts from the chat:

What keeps the punky attitude in Velvet Revolver? "That's a great question," McKagan says with a smile. "I think our attitude - maybe it's when we grew up, learning to play music, listening to our first records that we bought as early teenagers. There was a very rich trove to draw from. The energy that keeps this band going comes from somewhere. We don't question it. And we don't try to be angry or ferocious or try to do anything. We don't even talk about music. We just do it. We are really crappy about talking about music and that's when we get into trouble, get into fights and stuff. We don't know how to do it. We know how to communicate musically. And that goes back to the two hours on stage. Matt and I have known each other for a long time. Maybe 20 years. We are good friends. But we communicate on a whole different level musically."

"There are a lot of subtleties on this record," Sorum adds. "There were a lot of approaches that weren't brash, in-your-face or punk rock. We know we can do that all day long. Attacking songs like 'The Last Fight' - this is going down a different road. But that's part of being creative and being a musician and pushing yourself. Our producer Brendan (O'Brien) - we all had a lot of respect for him. The album takes you on a journey sonically, musically and otherwise. We even went after a song by ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA called 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' and at first Slash (guitar) said, 'I don't know man.' But now, when you listen to it - first of all, it was a great song to start with. Then give it the right treatment, play it our own way with no string section, listening to it, I think we did it really good justice."

McKagan interjects: "Even with the more subtle songs, there is that underlying edge."

"I think we are the same guys," Sorum says about the overall vibe in band these days. "Duff has a family. He's not snorting cocaine or drinking bottles of vodka every day, he's down at the gym kicking his ass. It's not what it's about anymore. When we used to fuckin' party every night and play rock n' roll. In our heads, that's what rock n' roll was to us. What we grew up with. And there will always be that part in us. It's not going to go away. There's always going to be that feeling of when were a kid and that first official reason why we got into playing rock n' roll. We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't feel that way. When we get up on stage we mean business. We throw down and it's the real thing. It's not fabricated or any of that shit."

So is this a substance-free record? "We really don't talk too much about drug-free or not," McKagan steps carefully. "We are all individuals and we all do what's best for our survival. We've learned how to survive whether it's drug free or not. Even when I was drinking two gallons of vodka a day, snorting coke and taking pills, we were still focused on the music. We'd focus when we'd record. We'd focus when we'd write. We'd focus for a gig. My personal excesses got in the way at the end. I don't remember whole legs of a tour. I don't remember gigs and that's probably not the best thing for the music. I probably didn't play great during the end. It was a hinderance. I discovered I didn't need my excesses to let my soul out, let the music out. What we do is what we do. Some of us are good and don't do stuff, some of us do and it doesn't really matter. As long as it doesn't get in the way of the music. We've got each other's back and it's all good."

Velvet Revolver begin a North American tour with ALICE IN CHAINS on August 5 in Baltimore, MD. Dates can be found here.