Jeff “Skunk” Baxter Announces West Coast Tour Dates

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 22, 2022) – Legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, known to millions from his groundbreaking work with Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and Spirit, as well as from countless smash hit recordings he’s performed on as an in-demand, first-call studio musician, has announced a West Coast tour set to kick off July 30th in Sutter Creek, CA.

Baxter is hitting the road in support of his debut solo album Speed of Heat, which was released June 17 by BMG/Renew Records. The just-announced West Coast tour is a follow-up to his triumphant debut solo tour of the East Coast in May.

Listen To Speed of Heat HERE.

His band, made up of A-list musicians including the album’s co-producer CJ Vanston on keyboards, also features Mark Damian on drums and Hank Horton on bass. “CJ suggested Mark and Hank and I didn’t actually meet them until we started rehearsing for the tour,” said Baxter. “But we meshed immediately, and the initial dates went so well we don’t want to stop”.

Current dates are as follows, with more to be added:

July 30 – Sutter Creek, CA – Sutter Creek Theatre

July 31 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall

August 1 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s

August 2 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour

August 3 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up

August 4 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House

The May tour, booked by Trip Brown at New Frontier Booking, was an overall success. As Michael Jaworek at The Birchmere said, “The show was excellent. The level of musicianship was brilliant (no surprise there!). As for the business, the band made a strong percentage, confirming a draw. I hope we may see them again!”

According to Trip Brown, “The reaction from promoters was initially very positive and the few shows we’ve done prove Skunk Baxter draws a crowd. There are many more dates to come.”

Following the West Coast tour, Baxter and his band will head to Japan for a few headlining dates.

For music fans of all stripes, and particularly those who have followed Baxter’s remarkable career through the years and have long hoped for the guitarist to record a solo project, Speed of Heat will prove well worth the wait. The 12-song disc is a riveting and rewarding musical experience that features a host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by the guitarist and his producing /music partner, CJ Vanston, as well as inspired versions of some of the great classics. Along the way, Baxter is joined by guest vocalists and songwriters such as Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone.

Baxter has pre-released two tracks including an intense, hard-driving remake of Steely Dan’s “My Old School,” which features a rare lead vocal by Baxter himself.

“I always felt that the song had a lot of rock potential,” the guitarist says. “That was my goal going in, to muscle it up.” He reveals that his gutsy vocals came about by accident: “I laid down a scratch vocal because I really wanted Steven Tyler to sing it. He heard what I’d done and said, ‘Hey, who’s singing on this?’ I told him it was me, and he said, ‘Well, it’s really great. You should do it yourself.’ I thought he was kidding, but he wasn’t. So I took a shot and the reaction has been very positive.”

The second single “Bad Move” was co-written by Baxter, Clint Black, and CJ Vanston, Speed of Heat’s producer. Clint Black reveals his mastery of musical eclecticism with his powerful and compelling vocal performance on “Bad Move,” which also includes an incendiary lead guitar and organ duke-out between Baxter and his music partner Vanston.

For more information, please visit www.jeffskunkbaxter.com.