Is anyone ready for some new music from Sturgill Simpson? It hasn't been too long since his last outing in 2024. He released Passage du Desir, a warm, solid return to form under the alias Johnny Blue Skies. Now, he's wrapping up his time on the road after embarking on his Why Not? tour. With only a few festivals left on his slate, it seems like he's ready to get back to what he does best: making music.
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Recently, Sturgill performed at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, North Carolina. There, he tells the crowd that the stage is truly making him feel alive. He's never been happier than he has been on the stage. This could be plain sentimentality, getting the crowd to cheer or he could be sincere about how much he's loved this particular tour. Regardless, he knows what he needs to do to bring him back on tour: Simpson needs to work on some new records. Apparently, he plans on doing just that.
Sturgill Simpson Says He's Heading Back to The Studio After Tour
"We are, after tonight, 3 shows away from the end of a year long tour. It's been the best time I've ever had on stage, the best music, the best band I've ever got to play with," Simpson says. "But after that, it's safe to say we've done two complete laps around the United States and all over Europe, it's probably time to get in the studio and make some new music... and then turn around and do it all over again."
It seems like tour life keeps Sturgill from sinking into despair. In a conversation with GQ last year, he candidly admits his vocal chord surgery left him despondent. Consequently, he tells his wife that he needed to get out and see the world before he starts sinking. "The endeavors of man just seemed pointless, to put it lightly." Stuck at home and unable to speak, much less sing, he knew he wasn't in the proper setting to get his head right. "So I just told my wife, 'I gotta go, because I'm having some dark ideas here," the story reads.
