GnR not over says Ashba

Guns N’ Roses guitarist DJ Ashba has shot down the notion that the band have split.

Mainman Axl Rose fell silent after a residency in Las Vegas in May and June last year, while speculation remains that guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal has either left, or wants to leave.

Rose last spoke out to condemn a rumour that he’d retired.

Now Ashba tells the Las Vegas Sun: “Ever since I joined GnR six years ago, it’s been almost non-stop touring.

“But we’ve kind of talked of more touring, and I’m looking at this more as a hiatus than the end.”

He adds of his boss: “I’ve got his back whenever he needs me.”

Last summer the frontman suggested the band were still looking at following up 2008 album Chinese Democracy. Rose said: “We recorded a lot of things before Chinese was out. We’ve written a few new things but we have what I call the second half of Chinese. That’s already recorded.

“Then we have a remix album made of the songs from Chinese. That’s been done for a while, too. After Vegas, we’re going to start looking very seriously at what we’re doing in that regard.”

Ashba is currently concentrating on Sixx:AM, led by Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx. They launched third album Modern Vintage last year.

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.