Guns N' Roses enlists temp drummer for rest of tour

Guns N' Roses has confirmed that drummer Frank Ferrer will be behind the kit for the group's entire North American tour. Ferrer temporarily replaced regular drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia during the band's summer European trek when Mantia went home after his wife gave birth to a baby daughter. Writing at the official Guns N' Roses web site, band "insider" Del James explained, "Prior to the U.S. run, Brain asked if he could sit this one out so he could be with his newborn baby. Had it come down to not being able to do it without him, Brain would have done the tour but management and the band support his decision to be with his family. Frank Ferrer is not a replacement drummer or some backup playing because of an injury."

Ferrer, a friend of Guns guitarist Richard Fortus, has previously played for the Psychedelic Furs, Perry Farrell and Honky Toast, among others.

There's no word on when Mantia will return to the group full-time.

James, a former journalist and longtime friend of Guns frontman W. Axl Rose, touched on the much-altered band lineup in his post, writing, "When certain former members of Guns N' Roses quit, like (guitarist) Slash and (bassist) Duff McKagan, had they had their way that would have sounded the death knell for G N' R. Guns N' Roses was never their original vision."

James also addressed reviews of the band's live show in which it has been criticized for coming onstage late, saying, "This is supposed to be an all-night party. When the fuck did rock 'n' roll...get a Flavor Flav-sized time clock wrapped around its neck like a hangman's noose? Rebellion and punctuality do not go hand in hand and for those of you too young to remember, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin rarely went on before midnight in their heyday."
Submit the above story to:

Del.icio.us   Digg   reddit   StumbleUpon   Facebook