The Dead Daisies to Play + Record in Cuba as Part of Cultural Exchange

Rockers The Dead Daisies have arrived in Cuba to play live shows and do some recording for a new album. It's all part of a cultural exchange with an invite issued by the Cuban Ministry of Culture, the Cuban Institute of Music and the Cuban Rock Industry.

Members of the collective that made the trip include guitarists Richard Fortus (Guns 'N Roses) and David Lowy (Mink), bassist Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake), keyboardist Dizzy Reed (Guns 'N Roses) and drummer Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol). Also traveling to Cuba are vocalist John Corabi (Motley Crue, Ratt), Darryl Jones (Rolling Stones, Sting) and Bernard Fowler (Rolling Stones). The band will do some recording at Abdala Estudios in Cuba with producer Ben Grosse (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots).

“I'm honored and excited to be invited by my friends in The Dead Daisies to be part of this adventure of music and cultural exchange in Havana,” says Grosse. “These guys are all pros, every one of them a star in his own right. I expect this to be an amazing journey, forging into the unknown down here."

Grosse continues, "We're all looking forward to the many guests planned for the sessions. I'm hoping the Cuban engineers and studio can show me a thing or two, they've been making great records and music here for a long, long time. I, in turn, will show them how we crank up the guitars back home.”

The Dead Daisies will play both acoustic and electric shows along with visiting schools and conducting workshops with students and local musicians. The venture is one of the first for an American band since President Obama loosened travel and trade rules for Cuba.

The trip wraps up Feb. 28 with the Cuba Rocks For Peace concert that will see the band sharing the stage with Cuban artists at the legendary Salon Rosado de la Tropical.

After their trip to Cuba, the Dead Daisies will continue recording the follow-up to their 2013 self-titled album in Sydney, Australia. In June they will be playing European dates with KISS.