Condolences go to Suzanne Prentice whose dearly loved mother, Rose, has just passed away. However Suzanne says “the show must go on”, and she will be ready to honour her Mum on the THAT’S COUNTRY tour that opens in her home town, Invercargill, on Friday 2 March.

40-year-old Californian, Jon Davison, has been selected to replace the ailing Benoit David in the forthcoming Pacific & Asian tour by the prog-rockers YES. Early in his musical career he was in a band with Taylor Hawkins (current drummer for the Foo Fighters) and subsequently performed with Sky Cries Mary, Glass Hammer, and the tribute band, Roundabout.

Respected journalist and feature-writer, Grant Smithies, has had an exclusive conversation with Eve Graham in Scotland, ahead of her New Zealand concerts. He also spoke with an internationally famous songwriter who wrote a massive hit for Eve when she was the lead vocalist of The New Seekers – but I can’t tell you more about that until Grant’s article appears, as my lips are sealed!

After having had to cancel the last 3 dates on their pre-Christmas European tour, due to the illness of lead singer, Benoit David (who is still ill), the band are delighted to have recruited Califormian, Jon Davison, who they say “will satisfy all YES fans”.

At every performance of the upcoming THAT’S COUNTRY tour, starting on the 2nd of March in Invercargill, the stars will come out after the show to meet and greet you, and autograph their respective CD’s and DVD’s so that you have an item to treasure as memorabilia of a fabulous concert. Expect to meet Suzanne Prentice, Ray Columbus, Tony Williams, Jade Hurley, Dennis Marsh and others.

True, tickets for SMASH HITS 70′S, the concert featuring original lead singers Eve Graham (The New Seekers) and Philip Wright (Paper Lace) go on sale 9am Tuesday 7 February. These original lead vocalists perform all the major hits of the groups that they were in. Time to re-live the 70′s, and hear the songs they way you remember them by those who sang them!

Gearing up for the THAT’S COUNTRY tour starting in Invercargill on the 2nd of March, Suzanne is in a studio in Auckland with the Musical Director of the tour, Mike McCarthy. They are working thru the songs that Suzanne will perform, such as 24 Hours From Tulsa, That’s What Friends Are For, and It’s Only Make Believe.

“Being called a ‘music legend’ is a very funny thing,” says Yes bassist Chris Squire. “It’s nice to know that my work has been appreciated and that people have given me that status. On a personal level, however, I can’t think about it too much. It means a lot…but then it doesn’t.”

Which is another way of saying that Squire isn’t letting accolades go to his head, nor is he resting on his laurels. In 2011, Yes released two albums, a glorious studio set, Fly From Here, helmed by longtime producer (and onetime band singer) Trevor Horn and featuring classic-lineup members Squire, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White, along with returning keyboardist Geoff Downes and 2009 singer recruit, Benoit David.

In addition, the group recently issued an elaborate live set, In The Present: Live From Lyon, also produced by Horn, which highlights the talents of Oliver Wakeman, son of legendary keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who temporarily assumed his father’s spot in Yes. (Downes has since rejoined the fold.)

Recording the studio album was, in Squire’s words, “a fantastic experience. In fact, Steve Howe said something that was pretty amazing: ‘My God, I think we’ve actually made an album that everybody in the band likes!’ That has never happened before. The vibe was quite good the whole time. And working with Trevor was a real pleasure.”

This May tour is already causing a stir as Stewart has been in the studio making the radio and television commercials.  People who have heard the commercials have loved these hits being played again.  Keep an ear out for them – in February.

2012 is upon us and, despite the unfortunate cancellation of the 10cc dates by the Promoters of the ill-fated RetroFest that was to be held at Mystery Creek in the Waikato – which had the knock-on effect of us losing our two dates in Hastings and Palmerston North, we are looking forward with optimism to the other concerts already scheduled, and those that we are in discussion about. Watch this space!