Our very own Mark Hensch caught up with Kelly Shaefer to discuss the first Atheist album in 17 years but they also discussed how Kelly's fans viewed him auditioning for Velvet Revolver. Here is that part of the exchange: antiMusic: You also tried out for the lead singer position in Velvet Revolver. Did you ever worry that metalheads would accuse you of "selling out?" Why or why not?
Kelly: Initially I sent the Neurotica record to Slash (Velvet Revolver's guitarist) and he called me three days later and said he and Duff McKagan (the group's bassist) liked what they heard from my voice so they sent me three tunes to write for. I did just that and they called me back and brought me to Los Angeles to write and rehearse. They had been looking through 650 singers before getting to me. I hit it off well with Slash and we wrote some cool music together, but in the end Scott Weiland got the gig. It was amazing being able to cross to the other side and jam with what is really The Rolling Stones of our generation. I've got nothing but great things to say about all those guys.
What about me "selling out," you ask? I don't worry about that. No one is going to tell me that if Slash calls them and asks them to sing on a tune, or if Brian Johnson from AC/DC asks you to sing some tunes he wrote, that they are not going to sing. I have no regrets – for a death metal guy from Sarasota, Florida, it was a crazy experience for me and I loved it. I love trying to fit myself around situations outside my comfort zone. I highly recommend it to broaden your horizons musically. - Check out Mark's full interview with Kelly here!
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