Good News, Bad News

Pouring over my Facebook wall yesterday, I found my way to this article that held a bit of unexpected good news - Bruce Hornsby has a new album due out in September. Called Levitate, it's the first for a new label, Verve, and the first studio album to be credited to Bruce and his long time touring band, The Noisemakers.

Unfortunately, it's not all good news:

The album is dedicated to the memory of Hornsby's talented nephew R.S. Hornsby, who frequently performed with Bruce as guest guitarist, and who was killed in a car accident six days after recording a memorable solo on 'Continents Drift.'

When I saw Bruce a few years ago at Wolf Trap, R.S. was playing with him. He fit right in with Bruce's band of seasoned vets, even at a young age. Such a shame.

It's already been a good year for tunes, what with new material from Umphrey's McGee, The Decemberists, and Phideaux. Now I can add Bruce to the list of anticipations, along with the first volume of Mike Keneally's long gestating Scambot project. Rock!