Some context: Saul Hudson was born in Hampstead, London. He was named for Saul Steinberg, an artist. His mother, Ola J. Hudson (nee Oliver; 1946-2009), was an African-American costume designer, whose clients included David Bowie, and his father, Anthony Hudson, is an English artist who created album covers for musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell., Of his mixed background, Slash later remarked, "As a musician, I've always been amused that I'm both British and black; particularly because so many American musicians seem to aspire to be British while so many British musicians, in the 'Sixties in particular, went to such great pains to be black."
In 2002, Slash reunited with Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum for a Randy Castillo tribute concert. Realizing that they still had the chemistry of their days in Guns N' Roses, they decided to form a new band together. Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin was initially involved, but left after the others decided to find a lead singer. Dave Kushner, who had previously played with McKagan in Loaded, then joined the band on rhythm guitar. For many months, the four searched for a lead singer by listening to offered demo tapes, a monotonous process documented by VH1. Eventually, former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland joined the band. In 2003, Velvet Revolver played several concerts during the summer and released their first single, "Set Me Free". In June 2004, they released their debut album, Contraband, which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. chart and sold two million copies, re-establishing Slash as a mainstream performer. A year-and-a-half-long tour followed in support of the album. In July 2007, Velvet Revolver released their second album, Libertad, and embarked on a second tour. During a show in March 2008, Weiland announced to the audience that it would be the band's final tour; he was fired from the band in April 2008, Slash insisted "chemical issues" led to the split. The following month Weiland rejoined Stone Temple Pilots. Despite Weiland's departure, Velvet Revolver did not officially disband. In early 2010, Velvet Revolver began writing new songs and auditioning new singers. By January 2011, the band had recorded nine demos, and was reportedly due to make a decision on their singer. However, the following April, Slash stated that they had been unable to find a suitable singer and that Velvet Revolver would remain on hiatus for the next few years while its members focus on other projects.
Is the band still together?
A: Velvet Revolver would remain on hiatus for the next few years while its members focus on other projects.
Some context: Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. The band was formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes in 1999. The band's members are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals), Eddie Reyes (rhythm guitar), Shaun Cooper (bass guitar) and Mark O'Connell (drums). The band has released three studio albums with various past members Fred Mascherino (guitar, vocals), Matthew Rubano (bass guitar), and Matthew Fazzi (guitar, keyboards, vocals).
Prior to the release of their debut album Tell All Your Friends, a music video for "Great Romances of the 20th Century" was released on March 4, 2002. It was directed by Christian Winters, a friend of the band. Winters made the video before the group signed with Victory, and the record company enjoyed it. The song was distributed to radio stations on March 12, and the full album was released on March 25. Around this time, Nolan (citing exhaustion from touring) left the band, and Cooper followed shortly afterwards. According to Lazzara, Nolan and Cooper were "having trouble because everything was happening so fast. Going from being home ... to being gone all the time and having your whole life consumed and almost defined by the band that you're in is a lot to handle". The band briefly considered breaking up. Nolan and Cooper formed Straylight Run with Nolan's sister, Michelle, and Breaking Pangaea drummer Will Noon. Taking Back Sunday added Fred Mascherino on guitar and vocals as well as Matt Rubano on bass. The group's second album, Where You Want To Be, was released on July 27, 2004, on Victory Records. Although sounding slightly different from Tell All Your Friends by using some different musical instruments, the new album managed to do well commercially; propelled by the single "A Decade Under the Influence", Where You Want To Be went on to debut at the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with around 220,000 copies sold. It became one of the best-selling independent rock albums within a year, selling 634,000 copies by June 2005. Rolling Stone Magazine listed Where You Want To Be as one of the top fifty records of 2004. Instead of spending marketing money towards trying to get radio play, Victory Records used the internet and fans to spread the word about the upcoming album. They targeted consumers familiar with Victory Records as well as fans of emo music. They distributed a label sampler that included songs from Where You Want To Be to get fans excited about the release. They used the Taking Back Sunday street team, consisting of about 25,000 individuals, to promote the album. In return fans could get pre-sale tickets, win shoes and other various prizes. Taking Back Sunday toured frequently for eight months in support of Where You Want to Be. The band received even more mainstream exposure by appearing on late night talk shows Jimmy Kimmel Live!; as well as contributing Where You Want to Be's second single, "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)", to the soundtrack for Spider-Man 2. They also contributed the song "Your Own Disaster" to the Elektra soundtrack.
was the album successful?
A:
the new album managed to do well commercially; propelled by the single