Ronnie Wood has formed a new band to keep his playing sharp during the Rolling Stones’ current break, and he is teasing the possibility of recording a live solo album. Wood spoke about the project in an interview with Rolling Stone Brasil.
Wood explained that he reunited with old bandmates Andy and Willie for a tour of full solo shows after more than 16 years away from that format. The three musicians play a style they call “Deep Groove Therapy” and have discovered they groove better together than ever before.
Question: “This tour marks your return to full solo shows after more than 16 years if I’m not mistaken. What made this the right time to bring your own band back to the forefront of your life career?”
“While the Stones have a breathing space, you know, while they have a little break, then I figured I must keep my hands and my chops together,” Wood said. “And um, there’s no better way to fill in a few months than to get my own band together and keep playing because I love to keep playing. I know Mick does too, you know.”
When asked whether the reunion had reignited his desire to record another solo album, Wood confirmed it had. “Yeah, well, this time we may record in South America, we may record a live album. So yeah, this collection of songs is unique,” he said. “And I didn’t even know the guys I started with, you know, Andy and Willie, I didn’t even know if they were still playing, you know. And to find that they were still alive and still playing is even better. And they were grooving better than ever before, you know. We call our brand of music DGT, Deep Groove Therapy.”
Wood formed the band during a break in the Rolling Stones’ schedule and teased plans to record while the group plays in South America.
The reunion marks Wood’s return to full solo performances. His last solo tour took place in 2010, when he promoted his seventh studio album, I Feel Like Playing. The current band tour features songs from across his career with bands including the Birds, the Creation, the Jeff Beck Group, Faces, the Rolling Stones and his solo work.
The Rolling Stones’ 25th studio album, titled Foreign Tongues, arrived on 10 July 2026. Wood and frontman Mick Jagger are eager to return to the stage, though guitarist Keith Richards is not pushing for an immediate band reunion.
Wood’s solo project fills the time while the Stones take a break from touring. The guitarist said he wanted to keep his skills sharp and continue performing during the band’s downtime. Finding that his former bandmates Andy and Willie were still playing and eager to work together made the reunion the right move.
