New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Following the announcement of his highly anticipated sixth solo album Orgy of the Damned, due out May 17 on Gibson Records, the iconic, GRAMMY-winning guitarist and songwriter SLASH, has confirmed a North American tour in celebration of the Blues this summer.
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 5 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.
SLASH formed the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival which stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N' Tolerance to bring fans together to celebrate the spirit of the Blues, and to perform with other Blues artists he admires who share his love of the genre. SLASH also has a strong desire to give back to charities that he has supported over the years, as well as to help lift marginalized communities that share his restorative focus of elevating lives for the benefit of all.
A portion of the proceeds from each VIP package and S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival ticket sold will directly benefit the following charities that SLASH has selected The Equal
Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child. S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival has partnered with PLUS1.ORG to support these charitable endeavors.
"The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. tour is a celebration of blues and rock 'n' roll music, and a celebration of unity and togetherness in these uncertain and divisive times," says SLASH. "S.E.R.P.E.N.T is a vehicle to help support and uplift people and communities suffering from the injustices of racism and equal rights violations, as well as to support children adversely affected by war and poverty across the world. So, we are contributing a portion of every ticket and VIP package sold from the tour to those ends. S.E.R.P.E.N.T. will also provide an environment where folks can get together for a day of great music and hang out and have a good time."
General on sale for tickets begins Friday, March 15 at 10am local time. For pre-sales, visit www.serpentfestival.com. A limited number of S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival VIP packages are available now which include access to watch SLASH's soundcheck before the show, hand-signed vinyl of Orgy of the Damned, and more, go to: www.serpentfestival.com.
