Ex-Yes singer Jon Anderson says he's considering potential tour with Yes cover group The Band Geeks (original) (raw)

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Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson just finished a U.S. tour with the Paul Green Rock Academy celebrating the 50th anniversary of his old band's classic album Close to the Edge. Now the 77-year-old singer has revealed he's got potential plans for a new trek with a different group of musicians.

Anderson tells ABC Audio that he recently discovered a group called The Band Geeks that he says "do very, very good interpretation[s] of Yes music." The group is led by Richie Castellano, who's been Blue Öyster Cult's bassist since 2004.

"It kind of freaked me out how good they were," Anderson notes. "So last November, I got in touch with the bass player, and I said, 'Guys, would you be interested in going out and doing epics and classics?' And they said, 'Yes! We would!'"

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer continues, "They actually sound just like Yes. It's kind of wonderful and frightening at the same time. The bass player, perfect Chris Squire sound ... [The] guitarist, perfect Steve Howe. And [the drummer sounds like] Alan White, Bill Bruford-y Alan White."

Anderson says he's hoping to put together a set that includes the epic "Close to the Edge," as well as some lesser-known Yes songs, among them "The Ritual," "The Gates of Delirium" and "Mind Drive."

"These are really, to me, very special Yes pieces of music that got lost in the quagmire of life," Anderson maintains. "And I think they're brilliant."

Anderson says he recently shot a video of him singing some Yes material with The Band Geeks that he's planning to use "to promote the idea" of the tour. However, no official plans for the trek have been confirmed.

Find out more about The Band Geeks at RichieCastellano.com.