The traveling blues fest kicks off on July 5th

Slash has added Salt Lake City to the itinerary for his upcoming S.E.R.P.E.N.T. traveling blues festival. The new stop will be on Tuesday, July 16th at Red Butte Garden with tickets available now.

In celebration of his highly anticipated sixth solo album Orgy of the Damned, due out May 17th on Gibson Records, the iconic, Grammy-winning guitarist and songwriter Slash, has confirmed a North American tour. Slash’s newly announced S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival, an anagram that stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance will kick off on July 5th in Bonner, Montana, and travel to Los Angeles, Denver, Cincinnati, Toronto, New York City, Boston, Atlanta, and many more cities. SLASH has curated an all-star blues lineup to join him on the inaugural S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival this summer, including Warren Haynes Band, Keb’ ‘Mo, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Robert Randolph, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, ZZ Ward, Jackie Venson, and Larkin Poe. On all dates, Slash will perform alongside his Blues band featuring bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy “ZigZag” Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome, and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival was designed with maximum social impact in mind. Slash has a strong desire to give back to nonprofits that he has supported over the years, as well as to help lift marginalized communities and support mental health initiatives that share his restorative focus of elevating lives for the benefit of all. Slash has now chosen a fifth nonprofit, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to directly benefit from touring proceeds from the festival. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. An alliance of more than 600 local affiliates, NAMI works in communities to educate, support, advocate, listen and improve the lives of people with mental illness and their loved ones. NAMI’s mission is to create a world where all people affected by mental illness can experience hope, recovery, wellness, and freedom from stigma.

NAMI joins the previously announced organizations including The Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child. Through PLUS1.ORG the S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival will donate a portion of the proceeds from every VIP package, as well as Ticket sold for the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival to directly benefit the nonprofits selected by Slash. As part of the VIP program, fans will have the opportunity to access Slash’s official Soundcheck Experience, take home an autographed vinyl of the new Orgy of the Damned album, receive an exclusive Slash piece of jewelry, and more.

Slash’s star-studded debut blues album, Orgy of the Damned, is a collection of 12 dynamic songs that shakes up and revitalizes blues classics with a stripped-down, instinctive approach, creating a singular expression that pays homage to the blues.

Celebrating both well-known and largely undiscovered songs, Slash offers a nostalgic nod to the past while reinvigorating the songs with his inimitable guitar playing and the spirit of collaboration. For the project, the acclaimed guitarist reteamed with storied producer Mike Clink, who produced Guns N Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, and enlisted the album’s diverse guest vocalists, which include Gary Clark Jr, Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Brian Johnson, Tash Neal, Chris Robinson, and Beth Hart, in a similar way to his 2010 self-titled solo LP Slash. Rounding out his band in the studio and on the road, Slash reunited with two of his bandmates from his Blues Ball outfit in the 90s, bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy ‘ZigZag’ Andreadis, and brought on drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

The first single “Killing Floor,” which features Brian Johnson of AC/DC on vocals and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith on harmonica, is an electrifying, raucous and gleefully unbridled take on Howlin’ Wolf’s 1964 Chicago blues standard.

Orgy of the Damned encompasses a broad range of styles within the blues genre, veering from an upbeat, rowdy take on Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” to a plaintive, twanging rendition of T. Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday.” Some of the songs, like Steppenwolf’s “The Pusher,” Charlie Segar’s “Key to the Highway,” and Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign,” had been performed by Slash’s Blues Ball, while others, like Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City,” were long-time favorites for SLASH. “Hoochie Coochie Man,” written by Willie Dixon and made famous by Muddy Waters in 1954, showcases the in-the-moment nature and unrestrained energy of Orgy of the Damned, with Z.Z. Top’s Billy F. Gibbons stepping in on guitar and vocals. The group went into a rehearsal room in North Hollywood and began hashing out soulful, rollicking takes on the classic songs. Everything was played live in the room, with an emphasis on improvisation which resulted in a collection of dynamic, energized songs that are immediate, raw, and distinctly familiar.

A vibrant homage to the Blues, Orgy of the Damned is a landmark moment in Slash’s career and a rare opportunity to bring to the forefront a rollicking musical journey through his Blues inspirations that have long been in the background of his illustrious career.