Velvet Revolver, led by guitar-slinger Slash and singer Scott Weiland, has released an energetic second album, "Libertad," and is already weighing a third.

The band, featuring former members of Slash's Guns 'N Roses and Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, mixes its original material with a few hits from the earlier bands in concert.

Slash, born Saul Hudson, checked in recently about sports, Velvet Revolver's music and his role in Guitar Hero III.

Q. There were some doubts about how long Velvet Revolver would last, with its combination of high-profile personalities. It must feel good to get a second album out.

A. I think people are starting to warm up to the fact that we didn't get together to just make a bunch of cash, that super-group mentality. We got together just to be a band, and we're hanging in there.

Q. Did you have any doubts about how things would meld with Scott, Duff (McKagan) and the others?

A. It wasn't about the personalities. It was something that came together more organically; there wasn't a lot of forethought.

Q. Things seem to have worked with Scott from Day 1.

A. I made a list of all the great singers who were still living and weren't necessarily in a band. It was a very short list, and Scott was at the top. Word got out that STP was splitting up, and we sought him out. It clicked.

Q. Was the recording of "Libertad" easier than the band's first CD?

A. We had a couple years of experience under a belt ... and this band is still growing in that sense. It was more relaxed, and it was the most fun I've had in a studio in a long time.

Q. Are you guys still throwing songs from Guns 'N Roses and Stone Temple Pilots into your live set?

A. It's cool because they're the easiest cover songs for us to do. But they are songs that we wrote. None of us are trying to pretend like we didn't come from where we come from.

Q. You're a modern guitar god. How do you react to being worshipped by fans and other players?

A. It's really flattering in some ways because kids come up and go, "I started playing guitar because of you." And that's really the biggest compliment you could ever get. It's also very humbling.

Q. Were you surprised when you were asked to be part of Guitar Hero III?

A. I was exposed to Guitar Hero (II) on the back of a tour bus. I got immediately hooked. It's introduced me to an entirely new demographic, all these kids who wouldn't know who I was.