Legendary Michael Schenker Returns To U.S. With New CD And Tour

Michael on his current tourTo be Published in Goldmine Magazine
Legendary guitarist Michael Schenker, after reuniting with his original Michael Schenker Group (MSG) vocalist Gary Barden after some 30 years, the duo returned in the spring of 2008 with a couple new CDs and a tour that found its' way throughout Europe and yes, to America.
In fact, they even brought back drummer Simon Phillips (The Who, Toto) and also keyboard player Don Airey (Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple) and bassist Neil Murray (Black Sabbath, Whitesnake) to record In The Midst Of Beauty, before releasing the Schenker/Barden Acoustic Project's Gypsy Lady in June of 2009.
So how did this Schenker/Barden reunion come about after all these years? "After many tales of rock-and-roll, I decided it was time to ask Gary what he though about working together and one thing just led to another," Schenker said in a recent, exclusive interview. "We were just ourselves and everything worked out well."
Upon its' release in May of 2008, In The Midst Beauty debuted in the Top 100 in Germany, Sweden and Japan, as the MSG lineup shifted slightly by adding Chris Slade on drums, Wayne Findlay on guitar & keyboards and Robbie Cray on bass, before going on a theatre tour throughout England, Germany and Japan.
Solo height of Micheal Schenker Group(AC/DC/The Firm)In the fall, Schenker and Barden also began working on new material for the acoustic album. Schenker also found time to tour throughout the UK with his brother Rudolf and the Scorpions. Michael joined in on songs from Lonesome Crow and Lovdrive, the two Scorpions albums he was a part of.
The new Acoustic Project CD titled Gypsy Lady was released in April 2009 on the Inakustic label, with many of the lyrics from project written "on the fly" by Barden in the studio, while the duo also got a helping hand from producer and guitarist Michael Voss, who ran the controls and also pitched in with some guitar and backing vocal work. Kai Luennemann also adds in on percussion.
An American tour to ensued in early June of 2009, which began a little late because of some last-minute Visa problems delayed the bands' arrival in the states. The tour got rolling in Las Vegas and took the band through California, Texas, Seattle, Detroit, Cleveland, New York and back to Pheonix, with some 25 shows in all. "A lot of the material we played was taken from the Gypsy Girl and In The Midst Of Beauty releases," Schenker added. "But with a few old favorites mixed in too."
Heading into this new year, the Michael Schenker Group will be continuing with "Acoustic Rock" tour as well as a "30th Anniversary Tour" continuing in Europe and 70's hey day with UFOJapan featuring a classic line up with Barden on vocals, Murrary on bass, Philips on drums and Findlay on guitar and keyboards. After a recent series of December shows in Spain, Russia, Finland, Ireland and England, the "Gypsy Lady Acoustic Project" American tour picked back up in late December and early January with eight sold-out shows throughout California. Next up, the Michael Schenker Group "30th Anniversary Japan Tour" picks back up in late January with shows in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.