SLASH (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) has announced that he has recruited THE CAB guitarist Frank Sidoris (pictured at left) from Las Vegas, for his upcoming tour.

Says Slash, "He's in for a long, crazy ride. Good times!"

Slash has been holed up in a Los Angeles studio working on his new album with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. The album has been titled Apocalyptic Love, and will be released on Slash’s own label, Dik Hayd International, distributed through EMI in the US and Universal Music in Canada, on May 22nd.

Rolling Stone's Steve Baltin visited Slash late last year to discuss the making of the album, why he is a "band guy" and the importance of jamming with other musicians to stay humble. An excerpt follows:

Q: So at this point is this a full band, now?

A: "I’m a band guy. Everything I touch I turn into a fucking band. I still have my name on the marquee and everything, but I’m just not a dictator, I don’t want to rule anything. I like to hear what other people’s ideas are and so on and so forth. But the guys, like Brent and Todd, aren’t looking for any kind of glorified credit other than what it is that they do. Some people are stumbling over themselves trying to write even though they’re not inspired to do anything, but just to get their thing in there, which I deal with a lot in other situations. So I just write music, Myles writes his lyrics and his melodies, and he helps me get all that together with the music. And if anybody has any input on anything, it’s open season."

Q: When did you realize you were a band guy?

A: "I realized I was a band guy when I was 15 when I only knew like four licks and two chords and I started a band. I like working in a band atmosphere, I think something about that camaraderie. I do not want to do it all by myself. I’m like that with everything else, I don’t want to do that with music. I’m very much a loner in most respects, but when it comes to working with music, whether I’m leading it or not, the last record was very collaborative. It was just a lot of different people. But this is just one group of guys, which is really cool for me at this point after having done the last record and going in with Chris Chaney and Josh Freese and going, “Here’s the demo, let’s learn it real quick.” Then we record it and bring the vocal in, that’s how every song went. This is more my style of recording where we rehearse the shit out of it until it feels second nature and then go and bang it out in the studio."

Read more at this location.

The artwork for Apocalyptic Love can be seen below:

For the new album, Slash - along with and his bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass) - have teamed with producer Eric Valentine, who also produced the Slash disc. All the songs were written together by Slash and Kennedy, and cameras have been rolling throughout the entire making of the album.

Check out exclusive behind-the-scenes footage airing weekly below:

Slash has announced that his headlining US tour will begin May 3rd in Baltimore. Regular on-sale starting Friday, February 17th. Tickets will be available at Slashonline.com. The itinerary (see below) encompasses three festival appearances: Saturday, May 5th at Carolina Rebellion, Saturday, May 19th at Rock On The Range and Friday, May 25th at Rocklahoma.

Meanwhile, this Saturday, February 18th, Slash will join STEVIE WONDER, SEAN COMBS, CHRIS CORNELL, LENNY KRAVITZ, LL COOL J, COMMON, SNOOP DOGG, former President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, actors Anthony Hopkins, James Gandolfini and more at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for a 70th birthday celebration to honor boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

“Muhammad Ali is & always has been a role model and a hero to me,” says Slash. “It's a huge privilege to be able to perform in his honor. He is one of the great icons of American culture and history." The 16th annual “Power of Love Gala celebrates the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali and his contribution to the world and raises awareness for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s, the disease “The Champ” has been battling since 1984. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health’s work toward enhanced treatments and research of neurocognitive disorders and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. The show will also feature appearances from boxing legends such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Ken Norton, Tommy “Hitman” Hearns, and more. Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event are on sale now. ABC will also televise the show nationally on Saturday, February 25th, at 7 PM, EST/ 4 PM, PST. For tickets and more information, visit Keepmemoryalive.org.

Slash’s 2012 headlining US tour dates are as follows:

May

3 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
5 - Charlotte, NC - Carolina Rebellion, Rockingham Speedway
7 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
10 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hard Rock Live
12 - Kansas City, MO - Liberty Memorial Park
13 - Indianola, IA - National Balloon Classic Field
14 - Minneapolis, MN - The Brick
16 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theater
17 - Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
19 - Columbus, OH - Rock On The Range, Columbus Crew Stadium
20 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
25 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma
26 - Albuquerque, NM - Route 66 Casino