Y&T frontman Dave Meniketti is featured in a career-spanning interview with Classic Rock History. Following is an excerpt from the chat.
Q: Why has Y&T remained dormant from a studio standpoint since 2010’s Facemelter?
Meniketti: "Part of it is that we chose to keep our focus on going on the road. We were killing it for so many years there, and that’s what made sense. But the other major issue is that our bass player, Phil Kennemore, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer just as we were heading out on tour after we released Facemelter. That threw a huge wrench in the entire thing because me and Phil were the principal songwriters for Y&T and had been since the early ’80s. We were kind of like the Lennon and McCartney of Y&T."
Q: So, you’re uncomfortable making an album without Phil?
Meniketti: "Not uncomfortable per se. It was more a case of not being ready. I mean… I was faced with my best friend and writing partner being sick, and eventually, he passed away nine months after the diagnosis. That put us in a situation where now we had a new member and had to keep things going. Had Phil not passed away, I’m sure we would have made another record. But I wasn’t into it and needed time to move on from that."
Q: Will Y&T make another record?
Meniketti: "Along the way, we finally started writing some new material, which began about five or six years after Facemelter. But in that moment, we weren’t feeling it, well… I wasn’t feeling it, to be totally honest. It stayed that way for a while; I had to be ready. And the truth is that I know we’re not going to make a ton of money from a record. That’s the reality of the music business today. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to make a new record because we do. We’ve got some material that stands up to what we’ve done, and I’m feeling ready to do it. There will probably be a new Y&T record within the next year or so. That’s what’s been floating around as I look forward to the next six, seven, or eight months."
Read the complete interview here.
Y&T have updated their tour itinerary with two new shows in California, and two in Tokyo, Japan. Find the band's current tour dates below.
Upcoming Y&T dates:
November
17 - Petaluma, CA - Mystic Theatre
18 - Petaluma, CA - Mystic Theatre (Sold Out)
January
5 - Tracy, CA - Grand Theatre Center for the Arts
6 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
20 Tokyo, Japan - Club Città
21 - Tokyo, Japan - Club Città
March
2-7 - Miami, FL - Monsters Of Rock Cruise 2024
For tickets and further details, head to Y&T's official website, here.
