March 4, 2011
Ten years after their well-received tour in 2001, The Monkees are back for a 45th anniversary reunion in 2011! Micky, Davy, and Peter are hitting the road this summer to once again bring their unique blend of music and comedy to fans around the world. Dates have already been confirmed for the United Kingdom in May, plus the United States and Canada in June & July! More dates are likely to be added in the coming weeks or months, so be sure to visit Monkees.com for the latest complete tour schedule!
December 20, 2008
It's been a long time since the last news update, but given the holiday season it's time for some Monkees-related goodies! First, the Smithsonian Channel will debut a new hour-long Monkees documentary titled Making the Monkees on January 10th at 8pm ET. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the show and, while it mostly consists of what we've heard before from the other documentaries, it does feature new interviews with Micky, Davy, Peter, Bobby Hart, Bob Rafelson, and Don Kirschner (who is as egotistical as ever). The only thing I wish is that they dedicated two hours to the documentary to get into the various reunions the guys have done over the years. How can the top grossing concert tour of 1986 not be mentioned? Nonetheless, the show seems to have been put together very well and is certainly worth watching.
Second, Micky is going to be a TV star again! Starting in January he will be a contestant on the celebrity-based reality show Gone Country. The show, which airs on CMT, takes a group of celebrities known for their various talents in the entertainment industry and allows them the chance to become a country music singer. The Monkees have some country influences, so Micky may have an advantage!
Finally, Davy Jones has a new holiday single out called "It's Christmas." Check it out on iTunes!
July 15, 2007
Although the first half of 2007 has been quiet on the Monkees front, there are a couple exciting things worth noting! First, Rhino Records celebration of The Monkees 40th anniversary is progressing slowly but surely with the release this week of the previously delayed two-disc deluxe editions of "Headquuarters" and "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd." You can click the links for each album to order now at Amazon.com! And if you missed the first two reissues from Rhino, "The Monkees" and "More of The Monkees" are available as well!
The Monkees have recently been getting some media attention, sparked by somewhat controversial words from Peter Tork about the band's place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Peter has been publicly blaming Jann Wenner, editor of Rolling Stone, for using his veto power at the Hall of Fame to block their nomination - based on his personal dislike of their manufactured-for-TV origins - despite their unique history and massive success. Meanwhile, numerous articles have popped up across the country and Davy has even appeared on Fox News's "O'Reilly Factor" to discuss the matter. There is also an online petition circulating, urging the Hall of Fame to reconsider and induct the guys while they're still alive and well to enjoy it. You can sign the petition here - and remember to get friends & family to support the campaign too!
One last interesting tidbit... for those of you wondering what kind of relationship the members of The Monkees currently have with each other (due to their rocky past), an article from last month quotes Peter as saying that he, Micky, and Davy last saw each other at the funeral of former Monkees backup band member Jerry Renino about 4 months ago and that he and Micky email each other "from time to time." While not a sign of a possible future reunion, at least it's good to hear they're in contact with each other again. You can check out the original article here.
January 27, 2007
The latest release from Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues, "Cambria Hotel," is now available for purchase! Visit the band's official site for more information and a complete track listing!
December 14, 2006
Peter Tork & Shoe Suede Blues are gearing up for their first UK tour in February! The band will make some EP copies of their upcoming album, "Cambria Hotel," available on the tour for promotional purposes. A little later, the full length CD is expected. More information to come!
Michel Nesmith is featured in a new article in the current "Icons" issue of Swindle Magazine. It focuses on his innovations and views on creatings new ideas. Take a look in your local book/magazine stores to pick up a copy!
The Monkees' 3rd and 4th studio albums, "Headquarters" and "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd." are expected to be re-released by Rhino on March 12, 2007! These will be special 2-disc collections, just as "The Monkees" and "More of the Monkees" were earlier this year.
August 28, 2006
The Monkees 40th anniversary celebration has officially started! Like previously posted here, the band's first 2 albums have been re-released by Rhino Records in deluxe 2-disc editions. Their next 3 albums are expected to get the same royal treatment, but anything after "The Birds, The Bees, & The Monkees" has not been confirmed at this point. There are also some DVD releases in the works, but nothing specific has been guaranteed. You can find these 2 new CD releases in your local music stores or online. In fact, Rhino has even set up a new Monkees website to coincide with the discs.
The revival of the musical "Pippin," starring Micky Dolenz, has extended its stay at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT by an additional five days. Now ending on September 29th, the production will be launching a national tour in October.
As reported a couple months ago, Peter Tork & James Lee Stanley are about to embark on their farewell tour as the Two Man Band. James has stated that you will be able to purchase their new live CD at his website starting September 1st. In addition to humorous stories, the hourlong recording includes the following setlist of music: Easy Rider, All I Ever Wanted, One Trick Pony, Daddy's Eyes, You Get What You Pay For, Peter's Banjo Solo, Cuckoo, Cripple Creek, Racing The Moon, There, Come Home In My Kitchen, High Babe, Touch Like Magic, Pleasant Valley Sunday.
July 30, 2006
Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues are holding a listening party for their upcoming CD, "Cambria Hotel," on August 24 in Clemmons, NC at the Village Inn Conference Center. The event will be limited to 200 VIPs and fans can join the party for $40, which includes a preview of the CD, a live performance by the band, and dinner. Click here to reserve your spot or send a check or money order to:
Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues - Cambria Hotel
c/o Woodland Moth
PO Box 487
Lewisville, NC 27023
June 20, 2006
Peter Tork and his long-time friend, James Lee Stanley, are preparing to embark on their farewell Two Man Band tour this fall. The duo has produced two albums (Two Man Band, 1996 and Once Again, 2001) and played countless acoustic shows together over the years, but it appears to be coming to an end soon. "One last Two Man Band tour, but this is it... and this time I mean it," James promised on his website. They're going to be promoting their new long-awaited live CD, which is expected on August 23. This project has been in development for over 2 years, but the audio work has been completed and only the CD artwork remains.
Micky Dolenz has landed another role in a popular musical, starting this summer. He played the part of Zoser in the touring cast of Disney's "Aida" before moving to Broadway for most of 2004. This year, he is set to play Charlemange in the revival of "Pippin." The show will start off with a stint at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT from July 14 to September 24 before launching into a national tour.
There have been reports of activity picking up at Rhino Records for The Monkees' 40th Anniversary. This is an unconfirmed report from a fan who read on an internet messageboard about a phone interview with Monkees expert & author Andrew Sandoval. Don't take everything listed as fact quite yet, but if Andrew Sandoval did indeed speak about these things, we have a lot to look forward to!
April 3, 2006
Michael Nesmith's long-awaited album, "Rays," is now available to order in CD format! This interesting new collection of music has been available for purchase & download on iTunes for a couple of months, but the commercial release of the CD has been held until now. Currently, the only place you can buy the CD is at Nez's websites, Videoranch.com or NezRays.com.
Davy Jones will make an appearance and sing a song on an upcoming episode of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on April 9 at 8pm EST.
March 27, 2006
According to a recent bulletin on Richmond, VA's Oldies 107.3 WBBT website, Davy Jones is keeping busy with numerous projects. He's reportedly writing a musical about singer Johnny Ray, a semi-autobiography called For All The Women I've Loved, and is serving as a consultant on the Monkees re-issues coming up this summer. Read the full article, which also includes some of his thoughts on the other Monkees, here.
March 18, 2006
As previously reported, Davy Jones will be featured in an upcoming episode of TVLand's new reality show, "Living in TV Land." The episode will air on May 3 at 10pm EST, but will be available to see beforehand online at TVLand.com on April 27!
March 8, 2006
Happy birthday to Micky Dolenz! The voice of many of The Monkees hit singles is 61 today!
February 13, 2006
Happy birthday to Peter Tork, who turns 64 today!
January 15, 2006
The Monkees 40th anniversary is quickly approaching and it looks as if fans will be rewarded with some long-awaited treats! In addition to the previously reported album re-issues, Davy Jones recently posted the following on his website:
- In 1997 the Monkees toured England as a four piece band my hope were to tour the following year in America however, due to other personal commitments members were unable to equally agree on dates so the tour was not meant to be…………In a recent meeting with WBM Warner Brothers. I learned they plan to launch a huge campaign and present the Monkees records and other displays in a top class modern caring way……Cream Live at the Albert hall, Ray Charles Live, Brian Wilson and Johnny Cash all brand new releases packaged with style. I personally captured 90% of the Monkees shows in England and Ireland soon to be edited and released to see. Watch this space because you'll experience the show live as it happened.
It finally looks as if the never-before-seen video footage of the historic 1997 UK Justus Tour will soon be in our hands! Davy mentoned that he is working on a new album, as well.
Though it was previously announced as a live broadcast, Davy's concert from BB King's club in New York City earlier this year will air on XM Satellite Radio's 60s on 6 channel on February 4 at 10pm ET.
Michael Nesmith's new album, "Rays," is now available to download on iTunes for $9.99! For those of you who prefer a physical hard copy of his work, the CD is not expected to be released until April.
January 8, 2006
According to a Fox News article, Micky Dolenz has entered a partnership with movie producer Stuart Gross to establish a production company called Independent Entertainment.
December 30, 2005
Happy birthday to Michael Nesmith (63) and Davy Jones (60)!
December 9, 2005
In addition to his new children's story, Micky Dolenz has another book coming out in 2006. The paperback book is called Micky Dolenz' Rock 'n Rollin' Trivia: Put Your Knowledge of Pop Music Legend, Fact, & Myth to the Test and is expected to be released in March.
Michael Nesmith's upcoming album, "Rays," is scheduled for release in April 2006. Videoranch recently offered two limited edition runs of 100 advance copies (for $100), but they quickly sold out. The new music should pop up on digital music providers such as iTunes and Rhapsody in the near future, as well. While fans wait a few more months for the actual CD, you can visit www.nezrays.com to hear samples of "Rays." Promotional information for the album can be found at Workhouse Underground.
November 11, 2005
Davy Jones has a lot going on in the next week or so! On November 18, he will guest on the Tony Danza Show. Since this is a daytime talk show, channels and times vary based on your location. The next day (Nov. 19), XM Satellite Radio will be broadcasting Davy's concert at BB King's Club in New York! The show is scheduled to start at 8pm ET. Additionally, Davy's out-of-print Christmas CD is being re-issued in a limited edition run on November 22. It can be pre-ordered now at DavyJones.Net.
Micky Dolenz has a new book coming out in 2006 --a children's book, that is. The 32-page story, titled Gakky Two-Feet, will be released on May 18. Micky's latest project is available for pre-order now.
Peter Tork & James Lee Stanley's long-awaited Two Man Band live CD is now looking at an early-2006 release date. James recently said he's working out the kinks and is hoping to get it out in Janaury.
September 26, 2005
Finally, after many years of perfecting his work, Michael Nesmith is ready to release his latest album, "Rays." According to Videoranch, the new music will be available just after New Year's 2006. It is unknown at this time whether "Rays" will be released as just online downloads or also in CD format.
Still lacking a legitimate release in the United States, Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart's 1976 studio album has just been officially re-issued by a record company in the U.K. Fans in other areas of the world can purchase this long-awaited CD as an import at many online vendors such as Amazon.com.
September 9, 2005
There is an online interview with Monkees historian/author Andrew Sandoval from last month that mentions plans of possibly re-issuing the band's albums in 2006! Check it out here.
For those who haven't been able to catch Micky's live shows this year, you can now buy his live CD at his official site's online store. The CD was recorded a few years ago at Cactus Pete's Casino Showroom in Jackpot, NV. In addition, some of Micky's artwork is currently on display at the Long Island Museum of Science and Technology. For more information, click
The Monkees will be featured in the re-run of VH1's "50 Greatest Funny Moments In Music" September 16 at 1am EST. On September 30, you can catch a brief Peter Tork cameo in 1968's "Wild in the Streets" on Encore Action at 12:05am EST.
July 3, 2005
Micky Dolenz mentioned a few of his upcoming projects in a recent interview, including some Broadway shows, developing various TV shows, and a children's book which he hopes will be published before the end of the year. Read the interview, listed as "Micky Dolenz Monkees Around", on the Articles page.
The 3rd season of "The Brady Bunch" will be released on DVD on September 13. This season, of course, includes the infamous "Getting Davy Jones" episode where Davy sings solo favorite, "Girl."
The Monkees will be featured on VH1's "50 Greatest Funny Moments In Music" on July 10 at 1am EST.
June 6, 2005
Micky Dolenz's 100th radio show celebration on Friday at B.B. King's Blues Club didn't turn out to be the party that previously hoped - it was also his last show. Micky Dolenz's morning show is no more. WCBS-FM 101.1, an oldies station in New York City for over 30 years, has been reformatted to become 101.1 JACK FM. The new station will play a variety of music styles , described as putting your "iPod on shuffle," without the need for DJs. As a result, Micky Dolenz and other members of the WCBS-FM staff are out of a job. Click here to read the full news article.
May 11, 2005
Micky Dolenz was recently presented with the Honor Legion Award for his frequent recognition of local heros at the New York City Police Department on his morning radio show. You can find out more about this award at WCBS-FM 101.1's official website.
According to James Lee Stanley, known to Monkees fans as half of the Two Man Band with Peter Tork, we may not have to wait much longer to get our hands on the duo's latest project – a live CD. "As it happens, I've been working on the live TMB CD and it should be ready by late-June," he said. The CD was recorded last spring at one of the performances during their east coast tour.
After months of mystery, fans of Michael Nesmith finally have an update on the status of his long-awaited new album, "Rays". When Videoranch was asked if they were still working toward Nez's plan of releasing the album's songs through individual online downloads rather than on CD, they said, "That’s still the plan. We’re hoping to begin making the songs available sometime in the next couple of months. We’re still working on how we’re going to do it. We might try something new – different from the downloads we have available now." Hopefully we'll start to see some of Nez's new music this summer or early-fall!
March 8, 2005
Happy birthday to Micky Dolenz, who turns 60 today!
February 13, 2005
Happy birthday to Peter Tork, who turns 63 today!
February 5, 2005
Andrew Sandoval's long-awaited Monkees book is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com! Under the title The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, the 288-page look into the guys' lives from 1965-1970 will be released on June 10 at a price of $19.95.
January 12, 2005
Micky Dolenz started his new job as host of the morning radio show on WCBS-FM 101.1 in New York City on January 10th. To his surprise, a special guest called in to wish him luck... Peter Tork! Listen to the 2 minute phone call in the Mp3 section of the Articles page.
December 30, 2004
Happy birthday to both Davy Jones (59) and Michael Nesmith (62)!
Due to his committment to his new radio show in New York City, Micky Dolenz will be unable to direct the upcoming film, "G'Day LA," in early 2005. Instead, he is reportedly going to have a cameo in the movie as himself.
December 17, 2004
Peter Tork's good friend and partner in the Two Man Band, James Lee Stanley, recently gave me word that the duo's new live CD is in the works. It was recorded at one of their performances in May and James said they plan on meeting about the project next week. He set a tentative release date of late-February or March 2005.
December 10, 2004
Andrew Sandoval's upcoming Monkees book, Daily Nightly, is almost complete. It will cover the daily events of The Monkees' lives from 1965-1970 and Andrew is currently working on 1969. A cover has been chosen, as well. According to his website, the UK may see the book a little earlier than the US's scheduled release date in June 2005.
December 7, 2004
Micky Dolenz has signed on to be the new host of Infinity Broadcasting’s morning show on WCBS-FM 101.1 in New York City. He will begin on January 10, 2005 and the show runs from 6-10am on Monday-Friday. For the complete news story, click here.
November 5, 2004
Michael Nesmith will be a guest on the radio quiz show, "“Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” on November 20. The program will air on NPR across the nation. To find your local station & airtimes, click here.
King Biscuit Entertainment has just given me word that the "Monkees - Live Summer Tour - Extended & Uncut" DVD is no longer available for sale. The limited edition concert DVD was released in January after months of campaigns led by this site & Monkees fans worldwide. The original edited version of the DVD has been discontinued as well, but the audio CD is still in print.
October 27, 2004
"The Best of Michael Nesmith," a new songbook featuring guitar and vocal parts for Nez's solo songs is now available at Videoranch for $24.95. Included with the book is a CD of all 20 songs featured in the book.
Micky Dolenz has donated a personally-designed ceramic plate to Art for the Heart, a auction event put together by CoachArt, an organization "that provides free lessons in the arts and athletics for underpriviliged children with life-threatening illnesses." The fundraiser will take place on November 4th from 6-9pm at Christie's Los Angeles. For more information, click here.
September 12, 2004
Today marks the 38th anniversary of the premiere of "The Monkees" on NBC! Congrats to everyone ever involved with the TV show & group for keeping MonkeeMania alive for so long!
Peter Tork has contributed an instrumental solo on "Let’s Spend the Night Together," a track from his friend James Lee Stanley's new CD, "All Wood And Stones." To promote the CD, James has created a contest for fans. To read his email about it, click here.
August 6, 2004
Two songs ("When You Tell Me That You Love Me" and "It's Just A Matter Of Time") from Davy Jones's latest album, "Just Me 2," have reached the Top 10 on Australia's KAOS FM charts! Visit www.isonliveradio.com to request Davy's songs and help him move up on the charts!
July 27, 2004
Rhino Records is reportedly working with XM Satellite Radio to create approximately 50 music specials based on the artists of Rhino's catalog for 2004. Among those are The Monkees, who will get their own program that will be anywhere from an hour & a half to a few hours long. Not only will the songs of The Monkees be included, but interviews and other content, as well. There is no word on when the Monkees edition of the specials will air, but it will be broadcast on various XM radio stations. See the original news article here.
July 20, 2004
Don't forget to participate in the "Hey Hey It's The Monkees" on DVD campaign! Four months after the campaign's launch, we're still working towards our goal to get this 1997 ABC TV special that featured all four Monkees recreating their famous TV show released on DVD for the first time. While Rhino Home Video refuses to give updates on our progress (or any of their other products, for that matter), they do guarantee to read every suggestion that they get sent and take it seriously. Although 4 months seems like a lot, it's not much at all in the business of home video & DVD, so don't take the delay as a sign of failure. Over time, we will get enough people to participate to make a large enough impact for them to listen to our request. We have shown what fan power can do by getting the uncut live DVD released, so let's work hard to hopefully celebrate the success of this campaign as well! All it takes is a minute or two for you to send Rhino the pre-written email message that is provided for you. Thanks to everyone who has helped so far! You can visit the campaigns page for more information here.
July 13, 2004
James Lee Stanley, Peter Tork's partner in the Two Man Band, just gave me the latest scoop on the duo's upcoming live CD. "We have a recording we're pleased with and as soon as I finish mixing this new recording project with John Batdorf and Timothy B. Schmit, I will go to work on the Two Man Band live CD," he said. Originally, one of their performances from November was set to be released, but they encountered problems and had to record again during their tour in May. James said for us to expect to see the new CD by January.
May 25, 2004
As many fans know, Michael Nesmith issued a statement on his website this January regarding his plan to release the new music from his current project, "Rays," in the form of single-song internet downloads instead of an actual album. During my latest check-in with his company, Videoranch, I was told that that may not be the case anymore. "We got so much feedback from people expressing a preference for an actual CD that it's caused some pause," a representative said. Apparently Nez has been putting a lot of thought into what to do, but hasn't come up with a decision yet. At this time, it isn't known when an announcement will be made.
March 27, 2004
The "Hey Hey It's The Monkees" 1997 TV special on DVD campaign is still going strong! Many fans have already showed their support for this project by emailing Rhino Entertainment Company, but we have to step it up a notch to achieve our goal. This nostalgic recreation of The Monkees 1960s TV show features all four Monkees back at the old beach house and features music from their then-new album, "Justus," as well as the old classics you love. We were all aware that this would be a long process with very few updates on the situation before the campaign began, but we are right on track for where we need to be. Although Rhino may not be giving us any new information at this time, they guarantee to read all of our requests, so your time will not be wasted. After the success of the campaign to get the extended & uncut live DVD released, we have shown what we can accomplish if we remain consistent and dedicated. Let's show Rhino that after seven years we are finally ready to put up a fight to for this TV special to be released on home video! Thanks to everyone who has helped thus far! Your time is greatly appreciated. For more information on how to participate in our activities, please visit the campaigns page.
