Following a seven-year break from the studio, The Winery Dogs - Richie Kotzen, Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy - are back in full force with their aptly named third album III, which is set for release on February 3 via the band’s Three Dog Music label (via Burnside Distribution/The Orchard). Following in the footsteps of their first two albums, III was once again self-produced by The Winery Dogs and mixed by longtime band associate Jay Ruston.
The first song to be released from III, “Xanadu”, is now available on digital formats here. In this new video, Richie talks about how it was the first song to come together with vocals & lyrics during the initial writing sessions during the summer of 2021.
The Vicente Cordero-directed video for "Xanadu" can be found below.
Fans wanting to pre-order the album and enter to win a custom Fender Richie Kotzen Telecaster guitar can go here.
While the all-out smokin’ opening track and lead single “Xanadu”, title might evoke different imagery in more progressive-leaning listening circles, Kotzen’s zen-seeking, hard-rocking ruminations on “Xanadu” once again shine a light on the eternal power of good collaboration. “Coming out of the gates, that’s a barnburner,” acknowledges Portnoy. “It’s one of the fiercest tracks on the album.” Incidentally, eagle ears will also delight in picking up on how definitively Portnoy drops his drumsticks right as the song concludes. “At the end there, you’re hearing me toss my sticks — not in frustration, but very much in satisfaction of what we had just done,” he clarifies with a laugh.
In addition to the new music, fans will also be excited to hear that the trio is hitting the worldwide concert trail starting February 15 in Greensburg, PA at the Palace Theatre for their 202III World Tour. Ticket and VIP package info can be found on the band’s official website.
III tracklisting:
"Xanadu"
"Mad World"
"Breakthrough"
"Rise"
"Stars"
"The Vengeance"
"Pharaoh"
"Gaslight"
"Lorelei"
"The Red Wine"
"Xanadu" video:
Check out The Winery Dogs at any of the following tour stops, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.
February
15 - Greensburg, PA - Palace Theatre
16 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penn’s Peak
17 - Glenside, PA - The Keswick Theatre
18 - Patchogue, NY - Patchogue Theatre
21 - New York, NY - Sony Hall
22 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!
23 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
25 - Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse
26 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
March
1 - Columbus, OH - King of Clubs
2 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
5 - Green Bay, WI - Epic Event Center
6 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Café
9 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
10 - St. Charles, IL - The Arcada Theatre
11 - Westland, MI - The Token Lounge
13 - Grand Rapids, MI - DeVos Hall
14 - Harrison, OH - Blue Note
17 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
18 - Cedar Park, TX - The Haute Spot
19 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Ballroom
21 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
22 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City
24 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
25 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
26 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
30 - Virginia Beach, VA - Elevation 27
31 - Hopewell, VA - Hopewell Theatre
April
1 - Leesburg, VA - Tally Ho Theatre
2 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground
4 - Ashville, NC - Orange Peel
5 - Knoxville, TN - The Mill & Mine
6 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
27 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Vivo Rio (with Stone Temple Pilots)
28 - Curitiba, Brazil - Tork n Roll (with Skid Row)
30 - São Paulo, Brazil - Summer Breeze Festival
June
12 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
13 - Zoetermeer, Netherlands - Cultuurpodium Boerderij
15 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
16 - Wolverhampton, United Kingdom - KK's Steel Mill
17 - Nottingham, United Kingdom - Rock City
18 - London, United Kingdom - 02 Shepherds Bush Empire
20 - Cologne, Germany - Die Kantine
21 - Frankfurt Am Main, Germany - Batschkapp
22 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
25 - Cartagena, Spain - El Batel Park
27 - Angoulins, France - Crossroad
(Photo - Travis Shinn)
