Drummer Jason Bonham says singer and guitarist Joe Bonamassa was the driving force behind Black Country Communion’s reunion.
BCC confirmed earlier last month that they would return after their acrimonious split in 2012. The band’s bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes, formerly of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, clashed with singer Joe Bonamassa over his busy touring schedule.
But drummer Jason Bonham says Bonamassa reached out to his former bandmates and asked if they wanted to get together to write the follow-up to 2012’s Afterglow.
He tells Sirius XM (via Blabbermouth): “Joe sent out a message. He just said, ‘You know what? I can’t believe it’s been six years since we did the first album. I feel that we could really give it all and make another amazing album. Anybody interested?’ And that was literally it.
“At the moment, there’s no plans of anything other than, ‘Would you be interested in doing it?’ We all went, ‘Yeah.’ And, ‘How is your schedule for January?’”
Bonham says the reunited supergroup don’t plan to change their spontaneous songwriting style for the next record.
He adds: “It was a great time when we did the first album – I remember the excitement – and the second album. I loved how quickly they came together. We don’t do any really pre-arranging.
“I spoke to our producer Kevin Shirley for a while about it, and he said it would be very similar to how we did it on the first couple of albums – basically create everything on the spur of the moment.
“It’s literally eight days of recording and pretty much writing all in the same time. So every day we’d be creating, hopefully, one or two songs.
‘It’s kind of a weird way. I’ve always liked to be able to go in a little bit more prepared, but I think now I know the way process is with them. It’s a little bit easier.”
Meanwhile, Bonamassa will perform for 300 invited guests for free at Liverpool’s Cavern Club next month to warm up for his Salute To The British Blues Explosion tour in July.
Joe Bonamassa Salute To The British Blues Explosion tour
Jul 02: Preston Hoghton Tower
Jul 03: Glasgow Clyde Auditorium
Jul 05: Bristol Colston Hall
Jul 07: London Greenwich Music Time Festival
Jul 08: Nottinghamshire Newark Castle
