This page last updated: 20 Oct 2024
Sherwood is in Yes: news on the main page. He was also in Asia, but the band now has a new line-up without him: see under Asia for details. Billy Sherwood and Tony Kaye continue as CIRCA:, covered on its own page. He was in Arc of Life with Jon Davison, Jay Schellen, Jimmy Haun and Dave Kerzner, but that band is now "parked": see the main page.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sherwood was doing online clinics
and teaching, as he explained in this Apr
2020 Facebook post and this
one, but most of all this
one. He opened his new Sherwood
Studios Online, saying:
The studio is open and operational. Anyone needing real drums, bass, gtrs, keys, vocals or mixing simply message me for details here at my FB page. File sharing makes it all doable from a safe social distance 😎 as I’m not touring nows a good time to help with any artists/bands looking for professional assistance. I love helping folks along thier musical journey 😇However, asked about lessons in Nov 2022 on Facebook, he replied, "I'm in the weeds between Yes/Asia & Arc Of Life/ Circa:".
| Solo
work Sherwood has been working on his next solo album. On 22 Sep 2018, he said on Facebook that he had, "Started working on another solo CD… The 1st track is called "pushing into the wind".... its early going of course but I'm feeling that creative wave coming on and so it begins". On 10 Oct 2019, again on Facebook, he said, "Working on my own new song , material for what will become my next solo cd. Recording guitars". In a Feb 2021 interview, Sherwood said, "I'm in the final stages of another solo album [...] called Pushing Into the Wind [...] there's a song called "Love Remains Real" [...] which is about [...] these people who have never seen each other, never touched [having met online] [...] but love remains as real as if you were there in person." (In a Feb 2021 appearance by Arc of Life on SOAL Night Live, Jay Schellen described recently working with Sherwood, which could be for this project.) In a Mar 2021 interview, Sherwood said, "It's basically ready to head over to mastering and bring it home. I just haven't had a moment to get on that because there's always stuff going on..." He posted lyrics to a song from the album called "All is Fair in Love" to Facebook in Jun 2022. Back in Sep 2016 on Facebook, Sherwood described working on a song entitled "Until Further Notice", which was also the working title for a solo album. Another song was "Talking with Siri". In early Nov 2017, Sherwood shared video on Facebook of a drum session by Jay Schellen (working with Yes, ex-Asia, ex-World Trade) for that song. These both ended up on Arc of Life. |
Tribute
albums & related
Sherwood appeared on "Pigs on a Wing 2" on the
Cleopatra Records release, Animals Reimagined
– A Tribute to Pink Floyd:
see
on main page for details. Cleopatra Records also have
some other releases with remixes of Sherwood's earlier work
for the label: see on
main page for details.
In an Apr 2008 interview, Sherwood said he was working on a tribute to The Police, saying, "I was planning on kind of inviting just like great guitar players to come on and play some great solos and play over the top of the stuff and keep the music kind of pure." However, further news on this did not emerge.
Other news
Sherwood guests on 3 tracks of The
Madrigal Project's 11th Hour: see
main page for details.
Sherwood appeared at a 3 Aug 2023 memorial concert for John Wetton: see main page for details.
Billy Sherwood and the late Michael
Sherwood appeared on
Kurt Michaels' Stones
from the Garden, out 7 Jul 2023 through Melodic
Revolution Records. The album was written and produced by
Michaels (Facebook,
Soundcloud),
who plays guitar and sings throughout. Also appearing are Len
Szymanski, Scott Williams, Dennis Keith Johnson
(ex-Survivor, worked with Dennis DeYoung), John Abbey (worked with John Cale), Jim Gully, Jeff
Abbott, Chris Ussery, Cory Hance, Annie Carlson, Amanda Lehmann (works with Steve Hackett) and Kathie Mills.
It was engineered by Mike Hagler, and mixed and mastered in Jul
2022. Art is by Krista Wallhagen (worked with
The Syn, Renaissance). Michaels began writing the album
in Feb 2016, and recording began Aug 2018.
"Beyond
a Dream" is a digital single released by Cameron Carpenter
(keys, harmony vocal), who wrote the piece. Sherwood plays
fretless bass, produced and mixed the track. Also performing are
Robbie Carpenter (lead vocal) and Wendi Whipple (harmony vocal),
and the track was mastered by Maor Appelbaum. "The
Fountain of Light, Pt. 2" (3:30) followed on 6 Oct 2023,
credited to Carpenter and Sherwood.
Sherwood guested on vocals on "The Ocean" (3:29) on the
12-track album Songs
for the Future (Apollon Records) from Norwegian band
Laughing Stock, released 3 Feb 2023. The band consists of Jan
Mikael Sørensen, Håvard Enge and Jan Erik K Nilsen. The album
was produced and mixed by Sørensen with Laughing Stock, and
mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow).
Other guests on the album include Colin Moulding
(ex-XTC) and Colin Bass (Camel).
Sherwood provided backing vocals to "All the Tears That Shine" on David Paich's 2022 release Forgotten Toys, co-written and with lead vocals by older brother Michael: see under Michael Sherwood for details. In a Feb 2021 interview, Sherwood said he'd "recently been doing some sessions with Paich, doing some vocal things". In the Mar 2021 interview, Sherwood said, "I'm working with David Paich on some stuff for his solo album".
Directions
is the debut EP from Middlesong,
Joe Schneider (vocals, guitar, keys) and Phil Tomczak (keys,
guitars). Sherwood produced, mixed and played bass, drums,
keys and guitar on the release; Maor Appelbaum mastered.
Tracks: "See This Through" (3:53), "Rain to Sun" (4:45),
"Directions in D Minor (Make Sure that You Learn)" (5:53).
Tracks can be heard on their SoundCloud
page. Middlesong are continuing to work on a full
album.
|
Sherwood co-produced, co-wrote and played on In Extremis and Giants, the second and third releases from Los Angeles prog band, Days Between Stations. The band consists of guitarist Sepand Samzadeh and keyboardist Oscar Fuentes Bills. Samzadeh and Fuentes were in rehearsals in Apr 2021, for planned live shows with Sherwood (drums) and Jennifer Jo Oberle (bass) later in 2021, but they didn't happen. The quartet had previously rehearsed in Nov 2020. The set was expected to include "Giants" and "Eggshell Man". The band then announced a one-off live show/filming session on 15 May 2022 in Los Angeles, CA. The band were Samzadeh (guitars) and Fuentes (keys), with Scott Connor (CIRCA:; drums, backing vocals), Jarrad Lander (bass), Persephone Godwin (backing vocals), Michelle Aragon (vocals) and David Hussey (XNA; vocals). Sherwood and Durga McBroom (works with Dave Kerzner, worked with Pink Floyd) were also billed on vocals as special guests. The show was recorded for Blu-ray/DVD/CD/digital release. A 2025 release is expected. Samzadeh, Sherwood and Oberle (vocals) are working on a
side project. Samzadeh described working on "a side
project with Billy Sherwood" in the promo for Giants. Sherwood said in a Jan 2019 interview
that he is producing a solo album by
Samzadeh, but I think that has become this collaboration.
Oberle mentioned on Facebook in 2019 recording vocals for
a project with Sherwood and Samzadeh, which she later
referred to as the debut album by The Settlements. |
Sherwood works extensively with Dave Kerzner
(worked with Steven Wilson, Jon Anderson), live and on
albums. They were both in Arc of Life. Sherwood has guested on
several of Kerzner's studio albums and is also on Kerzner's Sonic
Elements projects, including IT - A
Celebration of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, due
2024. See on the main page for
details.
Billy also guested on the instrumental "The Answered Prayer"
(3:37) on the 7-track Projekt
Gemineye album, In
the Year 3073 - Book II.
Any news, additions or corrections, please e-mail Henry Potts. Thanks.