Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas recently hooked up with INXS in Australia and laid down vocals for a newly recorded version of that band's 1988 hit Never Tear Us Apart.
Thomas, still a member of Matchbox Twenty, is currently promoting a brand-new solo album called Cradlesong.
INXS, on the other hand, are currently without a lead singer - this after reality TV show winner JD Fortune quit/talked his way out of the band under rather bizarre circumstances earlier in the year.
For Rob Thomas - no stranger to guest shots (witness Smooth with Carlos Santana) - it's not the first time he's tackled an INXS number. On Matchbox Twenty's tour of Australia last year, the group played a couple of INXS tunes, including Never Tear Us Apart (with INXS drummer Jon Farriss sitting in, see video below) and Don't Change.
INXS are in the process of recording a new CD with various singers reinterpreting their greatest hits. There is no word on when the album will be released - and even less word on the band's search for a singer to replace Fortune.
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Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.
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