In a new interview with Minnesota's 93X radio station, ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell was asked if he pays attention to what online detractors have to say about him or his music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You're not gonna get very far if [you are bothered by] somebody that you don't know that doesn't play music who doesn't particularly get what you do thinks you suck. [Laughs] I'm, like, 'Fuck you. Whatever. I don't know you. You don't know me.' I think rather than focusing on the one dissenting voice, you might look at the 99 others who are digging it. So that's where I kind of keep my focus.
"I don't really spend a whole lot of time reading press — good or bad, 'cause I just don't think it's really a healthy thing to do," he explained. "I'm human, so, of course, I see some shit like that, and I'll fucking fill the need once in a while to check something out. But just in general, I kind of try to stay away from that stuff. I'm not doing it for somebody else's approval anyway, initially. Of course, you want people to like your music, and if you've got an audience, you don't wanna fucking take an awkward left turn somewhere and throw somebody, like, 'What the hell is this?' You want your audience that you've come to find and they found you. But the litmus test, in my band, has always been if we dig it. We're making records for us; we're writing songs for us. And if we dig it, collectively, and we're proud enough to put it out there, there's probably a good chance that somebody else is gonna dig it too. So that way it doesn't matter what anybody says — good or bad — about it; you're good. I feel right with myself and it's a good piece of work. And only you and a handful of people actually went through that whole journey — nobody else. So it's an ode to me and to the folks that I made the record with — any record that I've been on; that's kind of part of the coolness of it. It's also kind of exclusive."
Jerry's latest solo album, "Brighten", came out last October.
Cantrell is preparing to hit the road in North America in support of "Brighten". The trek will kick off on March 24 at the Palace Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota and make stops in major cities such as Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Los Angeles, to name a few.
To make this tour even more attractive for fans, Jerry recently announced special VIP event packages at each show that offer fans tiered selections of exclusive experiences. These experiences include a meet-and-greet and photo opp with Jerry, personal autographed items of your choice, premium merch items, and at the top tier, a signed official "Atone" Gibson JC Signature Acoustic guitar. The guitar includes a letter of authenticity. Packages start at $100 all the way to $5,500, which includes the Gibson guitar.
Jerry's band for the tour will consist of Tyler Bates (guitar), Greg Puciato (backing vocals), Gil Sharone (drums), George Adrian (bass), Michael Rozon (pedal steel) and Jason Achilles (keyboards). The set will include songs from "Brighten" along with favorite hits from Jerry's catalog.
"Brighten" has received praise from critics, including Kerrang!, which called it a "vivid, contemporary self-portrait of one of the most distinctive voices in hard rock. A long-overdue show of individual brilliance." Classic Rock proclaimed it "his best yet. The work of a songwriter who is happy within his life, it spans a broad arc of styles." The Sun commented: "A rich, organic album... 'Brighten' is brilliant."
"Brighten" is Jerry's first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years. Co-produced with film composer Tyler Bates and Paul Fig (longtime engineer), the LP got its beginnings just before the pandemic hit. They welcomed a dynamic cast of supporting players, including Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) on select bass tracks, Puciato contributing to backing vocals and drummers Sharone and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney). Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) handled the mixing of "Brighten".
Jerry's new effort marks his first full-length release since "Degradation Trip", the epic solo album he made in 2002 with future METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin.
Jerry's career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two previous solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell's first solo album, "Boggy Depot", was released in 1998, followed by his second album, the aforementioned "Degradation Trip". In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including "Spider-Man", "The Cable Guy", "John Wick 2", "Last Action Hero" and "The Punisher".
ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.
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