Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery has quit the band -- and the alt-rock mainstays have already announced the hired gun set to fill his shoes: former Guns N' Roses low-ender Duff McKagan.

Even though his road-doggin' ex-bandmate Axl Rose has been hogging the headlines since Chinese Democracy finally saw the light of day a year-and-a-half ago, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash has been busy too -- on April 6, the top-hatted six-stringer will release his

"Happy Valentines Day," Axl Rose said with a smirk Sunday night, addressing the 150 very beautiful, very lucky people who landed on the guest list for a private Guns N' Roses concert at the Gramercy Park Hotel's Rose Bar in New York City. Winking and referencing his band, he added: "We're the morning-after pill!!!"

Recently Guns N' Roses kicked off their Chinese Democracy tour to more than 7,500 fans in Winnipeg, Canada. But last night, 100 lucky New Yorkers caught the band at an insanely small Fashion Week gig!

Slash doesn't just help L.A.'s homeless youth with a nickel or dime, the ex-GNR axeman recruits Blink-182's Travis Barker, Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale, Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney from Jane's Addiction for an all-star benefit concert -- and debuts a ass-kicking new song in the process.

Let's make some good come out of something bad. Scott Ford, bassist for the Greg Dulli-led Twilight Singers, was recently compelled to have surgery for a life-threatening periodontal condition. The procedure cost Ford, who also hosts a popular online radio show on his website fordradio.blogspot.com, $50,000.