With less than a month before the Rolling Stones’ U.S. tour begins with a show at NRG Stadium on Sunday, April 28, there has been a slight uptick in media mentions regarding the bad boys (ghastly geriatrics?) of rock and roll. Several websites, in fact, have referenced the claim in Christopher Anderson’s 2012 biography of Mick Jagger (Mick) that the Stones lead singer has slept with more than 4,000 women.

Is that even possible? Well, let’s do the math! Erring on the side of caution (not that Mick ever did) and assuming that young Mr. Jagger became active when he was 18, that would mean Ol’ Rubber Lips had enjoyed 50 years of frequent fornicating by the time the Anderson book was written. So that means these figures are on the low side, with 12 years and many conquests unaccounted for.

In any case, the figures that we have to work with translate into 80 trysts per year, or just over 1.5 per week. That may not sound like performance at a heroic level, but we must bear in mind that these numbers represent different women. Each time! So that’s not even counting (well, except for the initial roll in the hay) Mick’s longtime relationships, e.g. with Marianne Faithfull, Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall. And some people think being a Rolling Stone is easy. "Only Rock and Roll" indeed!

Ticket Alert
The Black Keys’ new album, Ohio Players (featuring guests like Beck, Noel Gallagher and Juicy J) will be released on Friday, with a national tour coming up this fall. The neo-garage rockers will perform at Toyota Center on Saturday, September 21, with The Head and The Heart opening. Presales are in progress, and the general sale on Friday.

Drive By Truckers will “revisit” their breakthrough 2001 album Southern Rock Opera on Wednesday, June 19, at the House of Blues. For those who may not recall, Southern Rock Opera features a narrative set during the 1970s, a story involving the actual band Lynyrd Skynyrd and the fictional group Betamax Guillotine. If that sounds too good to pass up, tickets are on sale now, with VIP packages available.
Journalists focus on the Black Crowes’ battling Robinson Brothers (see below) when it comes to warring siblings, but what about Ann and Nancy Wilson in Heart? After several years of estrangement stemming from a backstage incident in 2016, the sisters have mended fences and assembled a tour for this fall. The Houston date is Tuesday, October 8, at Toyota Center. There are 10 (count ‘em) presales this week, with the general sale on Friday.

You’ve got to hand it to Ray Benson, the leader of Asleep at the Wheel, a band with a history that includes over 50 years on the road and over 60 former members. Benson and his bandmates are still going strong, keeping alive the western swing tradition that goes back to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Tickets are on sale now for the Wheel’s appearance on Saturday, June 29, at the Heights Theater.

This Just In: Prog fans rejoice! King Crimson alums Adrian Belew and Tony Levin have announced a fall tour, one which will feature material from the ‘80s Crimson albums Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair. Wait, there’s more. Since Crimson founder Robert Fripp is no longer touring, Belew and Levin have brought in a ringer, none other than uberguitarist Steve Vai. The show will be on Saturday, September 21, at the Bayou Music Center. Presales and VIP / Meet and Greet packages are available now, so grab 'em while you can.

Concerts This Week
Guitarist Martin Barre will perform on Thursday at the Dosey Doe. “Martin who?” I hear some people asking. Well, Mr. Barre was the guitarist in Jethro Tull. The guy who played on “Aqualung,” “Minstrel in the Gallery” and “Locomotive Breath.” Yeah, that dude. As Bob Ruggiero’s recent interview with Barre explains, Tull front man Ian Anderson decided to disband the act several years back. So Barre is now doing his own thing, performing under the banner (one that won’t get him sued) “A Brief History of Tull.” Hey, this is a history lesson that will actually be fun!
Last year, the Black Crowes were all set to go on the road with Aerosmith, until Steven Tyler somehow managed to fracture his larynx. This development didn’t phase the reunited Robinson brothers (Chris and Rich), who recharted their course, released an album (Happiness Bastards) and put a tour together. You can hear the fruits of their labors on Friday at the 713 Music Hall. For an update on the Crowes, take a look at Bob Ruggiero’s (he gets to hang with all the cool bands) interview in the Press.
Back in the day, “disco biscuits” referred to Quaaludes, big white tablets that some felt enhanced the mirror-balled dancing experience. After their production ceased, the moniker was transferred by club-goers to MDMA (ecstasy), which was also said to provide a unique rush, this time while grooving on glow sticks. Since 1995, there has also been a band going by the name Disco Biscuits, and, as things turned out, the aggregation has pretty much outlasted its pharmaceutical namesakes, at least in terms of popularity. You can catch the Biscuits’ blend of jam-band and electronica (aka trans-fusion) on Friday at the Heights Theater.
When the subject is contemporary Texas guitarists, names like Billy Gibbons, Gary Clark, Jr. and Jimmie Vaughan usually come up. But only the more hip musos mention Eric Johnson, who has been humbly playing some unbelievable guitar since his tenure in the Electromagnets during the mid-'70s. These days, Johnson continues to get down with this bad self on a regular basis, performing on Saturday at the House of Blues.