On April 16th, Duff McKagan will release The Living: 1982, a seven-track set of 1982 tracks by his pre-Guns N' Roses band, the Living. Rolling Stone reported the Seattle-based band, which McKagan joined when he was 17, was a staple on the city's punk scene, featured McKagan on guitar, singer John Conte, bassist Todd Fleischman, and drummer Greg Gilmore.
The album will be released “digitally and on three different color variants of vinyl” via Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard‘s label, Loosegroove. Drummer Greg Gilmore went on to play with Gossard and his fellow Pearl Jam bandmate Jeff Ament in Mother Love Bone. Duff McKagan said in a statement, “Would this even ever get out of our basement? We had something magical then, and it was ours, so who gives a f***!”
Stone Gossard said, “It doesn’t matter what year this music was recorded cause it is undeniable. But the fact that Duff, Greg, Todd and John created these fully realized songs in 1982 gives credence to the idea that this band, the Living, are ground zero for the Seattle sound.”
Drummer Greg Gilmore added: “The Living was the beginning of all things Seattle for me — a turning point in my life. I joined a band and a community. These guys are still my brothers. I’ve cherished these recordings since the days we made them. This record is a fantastic document of a loaded moment. I love it.”
Duff McKagan, a seasoned vet from his years in both Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, shared a few musical words of wisdom with us: “If I have any sort of advice, I would say, if you're a band, don't stop getting in the room and hashing stuff out yourselves. Especially if you get success. Try to keep it simple and get in a room and work out your differences.”