2008.08.07 - Billboard - McKagan, McCready To Rock Seattle Tattoo Expo

by **Blackstar** Sat May 15, 2021 11:29 am

McKagan, McCready To Rock Seattle Tattoo Expo

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Velvet Revolver's Duff McKagan and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready will rock out with their side projects in the coming days as part of the seventh annual Seattle Tattoo Expo, which kicks off tomorrow (Aug. 8) at the Seattle Center.

Both McKagan's Loaded and McCready's Flight to Mars will play an event after-party tomorrow night at El Corazon. Loaded will also play Sunday at the Expo, which is hosting a concert stage all weekend featuring Nashville Pussy, Nevermore, Tiger Army and many others. For tickets and information, visit SeattleTattooExpo.com.

McKagan fits right in at Tattoo Expo, considering he has 13 of them, the most recent of which he obtained last Friday. "My wife and I have been riding motorcycles a lot lately, and she told me I needed to get a skull tattoo," he tells Billboard.com. "The guy started in on it right in this really sensitive area. I always realize what a sh*tty idea it is. I love the result but the process sucks."

For McKagan, the shows will find him unveiling material from Loaded's debut album, due early next year via Century Media. A five-song EP will precede it in September.

"These are purely my songs. It's probably more derivative of my earlier years of punk rock," he says by way of description. "It's a good rock'n'roll band. It's fun, is what it is. There's no real business and no real drama. I'm really into no drama right now," he adds, noting Scott Weiland's recent rancorous departure from Velvet Revolver.

McKagan formed Loaded while he was taking business classes in Seattle earlier in the decade. "I started my college band in my 30s," he laughs. "At spring break, we'd go play Japan and sh*t. Then Velvet Revolver started, but Loaded kind of kept going. We play charity events every Christmas. More and more people are coming to see us play, so we decided we'd make a record."

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