USA: Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damien Marley and A.R. Rahman team up to form the latest super band, named "Superheavy"

Record ID: 602502

  • Title: USA: Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damien Marley and A.R. Rahman team up to form the latest super band, named "Superheavy"
  • Date: 23rd September 2011
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 19, 2011) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) A.R. RAHMAN, MUSICIAN, SAYING: "Music, yeah, which I'm discovering now - I'm getting a lot of satisfaction." (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICK JAGGER, SINGER, SAYING: "I shouldn't have given him the free sampler."
  • Embargoed: 8th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA7U7B0C26CN5ZKNJELXIKTHK4W
  • Story Text: After top-secret recording sessions and meetings, the super group known as "Superheavy" is now releasing its first CD.
    Created by Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, the group is comprised of musicians from different music genres. British soul singer Joss Stone was the first to get the call.
    "Dave does this to me a lot. He called me and then said, 'I've got a really fun idea, do you want to be a part of our band. Mick and I are going to make a band, do you want to be part of our band?' I said, 'Yeah, alright.' He goes, 'Okay, cool, I'll give you a call.' And that was it - and then a couple of weeks later, or months later, we were in a studio. It was that simple, really," explained Stone.
    Reggae artist Damian Marley was added next, followed by Indian film composer A.R. Rahman, who was only vaguely familiar with Mick's work with the Rolling Stones.
    "I'm discovering now - I'm getting a lot of satisfaction," Rahman joked.
    The group tested the idea with a two-hour studio session in Los Angeles two years ago, producing what Stewart called "this huge noise."
    "It was basically, like everybody looking tentatively around and then - one, two, three, go - and this huge noise happened for about two hours non-stop. Then everybody went - 'God, let's listen to it back.' And we were all pretty amazed that it sounded pretty good and that gave us a lot of sort of confidence," said Stewart.
    "We also got songs and choruses and so we got all this stuff going, so it really made us feel better about moving on," added Jagger.
    Over the course of 3 two-hour recording sessions and 2 years that took place all over the world, Superheavy was founded.
    Not surprisingly given the band's makeup, Superheavy the album is a sort of mash-up of styles. During the recording process A.R. Rahman found his music-making process challenged.
    "Dave and Mick were saying, 'write a song now, in front of us.' So I said, 'that's not the way I work,' but 'no, no, Rahman, do it.' So that's a great change of - the way - so I started doing that now, I don't judge it, I just start playing something, if it's good, it's fine. And that's a whole new way of writing which I learned from these guys," said Rahman, who said he's not sure he'll continue using this method.
    In June, Joss Stone became the target of an attempted kidnapping and murder. Two men were arrested outside her London area home in a car allegedly stuffed with swords, rope, a body bag and forensic-style overalls. When asked about the plot, Stone deflected the question with her sense of humor.
    "These chaps come down from Manchester with a Samurai sword - it's very "Kill Bill" - and this whole plan to like kill me, put me in the river, steal money from my safe, that I don't have. And yeah, they just, they got lost," Stone said with a smile.
    After the incident happened Stone said she reached out to Stewart.
    "I mean she's having a great attitude about it but it was a bit scary, nasty thing to happen," add Stewart.
    2012 will mark "The Rolling Stones" 50th anniversary together, and rumors about a possible reunion tour have been rampant. However, when Reuters asked about the likelihood of a concert, Jagger was quick to shoot it down.
    "I've no idea, I mean, I haven't booked one yet, so don't hold your breath," said Jagger while laughing.
    "Superheavy" hit records store on September 20th.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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