Every night on the Monkees Farewell Tour, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith are supported onstage by a host of superb musicians and singers. Let's take a moment to shine the spotlight on each member of the touring band, including Micky's sister Coco, Michael's son Christian, and Wayne Avers, who first played with Davy Jones in the early 1990s. Coco Dolenz (Vocals / Percussion)Micky's sister, Coco, has a long history with The Monkees. She provided harmony and background vocals on such Monkees tracks as "Shortly Blackwell," "Little Girl," "Midnight Train," and "Mommy and Daddy." Coco wrote for teen magazines in the 1960s at the height of her brother's fame, and in the late 1970s, she toured with Micky and Davy after the dissolution of Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. In 1987, Coco released her own album, One Voice. She has been touring with The Monkees since 2012. You can also hear Coco at Micky's solo shows, where she often duets with her brother on "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Crying in the Rain" while taking over on lead vocals for Michael Nesmith's own "Different Drum." Follow Coco on Facebook, Twitter and visit her Etsy store! Wayne Avers (Guitar / Vocals)Wayne Avers is no stranger to Monkees fans. He has been a part of The Monkees' family since the group's 30th Anniversary Tour in 1996, acting as musical director through the years and handling lead guitar duties. Wayne has performed onstage with all four Monkees in London at Wembley in 1997, appeared twice on The Tonight Show with the group (1996 and 2001), and took part in The Monkees' massive 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2016. Residing in Nashville, Wayne is an ardent collector of guitars. "I play the guitar because I saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964," he told the Live Almanac in an interview several years ago. Absent during initial dates on the current Monkees Farewell Tour, Wayne joined the band once again in Austin, Texas on September 23. Christian Nesmith (Guitar / Vocals)Christian Nesmith is Michael's eldest son and first appeared in The Monkees' touring band upon his father's return to the group in 2012. Christian's songs have been heard in both film and TV (Blades of Glory, The Hills Have Eyes, Lionheart) and he has composed commercials for companies ranging from AOL to ESPN to Starbucks. His theater credits include being the musical director for the first ever production of Hair in Moscow, Russia. Christian was also musical director for Hair in Los Angeles in 2007 (which also featured Circe Link), and that production was awarded Best Musical of the Year by LA Weekly. In 2016, Christian contributed greatly to the arrangement of "Birth of an Accidental Hipster," a highlight from The Monkees' album Good Times! and a set list staple ever since. Christian joined his father in a revival of the First National Band in 2018 and produced a live album for 7a Records of the group's triumphant appearance at the Troubadour in Hollywood. Most recently, Christian stewarded Micky Dolenz's latest solo album, Dolenz sings Nesmith, featuring Micky singing the songs of Michael Nesmith. Christian and his wife, Circe Link, continue to produce and perform music. Visit Christian on the web, download music on Bandcamp, and stop by his YouTube channel. UPDATE: Christian Nesmith announced his departure from the tour on Facebook on October 12, 2021. Rich Dart (Drums)Rich Dart met Micky Dolenz in 2006 when Micky was starring in a stage production of Pippin and Rich was the house drummer. Four years later, Rich started playing drums for Micky during his solo performances. He joined The Monkees' backing band in 2012 when Micky, Michael, and Peter Tork delivered a series of concerts after the passing of Davy Jones. Rich has had an eclectic career as a free-lance percussionist. He has played with various symphonies, jazz groups, theater troupes, rock and country bands, and percussion ensembles. Rich also played drums for Avenue Q on Broadway and for its first national tour. Follow Rich on Instagram and on Facebook as he posts about his travels on the "Monkees Farewell Tour." John Billings (Bass Guitar)John Billings was brought into the Monkees family by Wayne Avers and first performed with the group in 2012. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee where he owns a recording studio. When performing with The Monkees live in concert, John received some good advice from Avers on how to approach the songs. "Wayne gave us a fundamental direction," John said. "Go back to the records." John has also played with Donna Summer and Wynonna Judd. In the summer of 2019 John and his wife, Amy, opened Wine Down Nashville, a boutique wine bar in Nashville. Follow John on Instagram as he documents the "Monkees Farewell Tour" and more. Pete Finney (Pedal Steel / Guitar)Pedal steel extraordinaire Pete Finney became a member of Michael Nesmith's First National Band Redux in 2018 and later accompanied Nez for a series of shows that celebrated Nesmith's classic 1972 album, And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'. "I first met Nez in the spring of 2014, when I filled in for Chris Scruggs on pedal-steel and guitar for the last few weeks of the Movies of the Mind tour. The '70s albums Nez made with Red Rhodes and the First National Band had been long-time favorites of mine, so of course I really enjoyed the experience musically, and also really enjoyed the hang and the conversations that ensued during our travels." Michael brought Pete into the band for the inaugural "Mike & Micky Show" concerts. He has also performed and toured with the Dixie Chicks, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, and many others throughout his career. Alex Jules (Keyboards / Vocals)Alex Jules is a New York born and raised singer/songwriter who, along with Pete Finney, debuted in the band on the "Mike & Micky Show" tour in 2018. He now serves as vocal director on the current "Monkees Farewell Tour." Residing in Los Angeles, Alex has also performed with Michael Nesmith's First National Band Redux. Sample some of Alex's work on SoundCloud and follow him on Instagram, where he often shares photos from the road. Circe Link (Vocals / Percussion)Circe Link joined The Monkees' band in 2014, performing backing vocals with Coco Dolenz. She has also appeared in concert with Michael Nesmith's First National Band Redux. A singer, songwriter, and musician in her own right, Circe has previously described her music as ranging from "Cowboy Jazz to Alternative to Americana." She has recorded several albums, including a live CD from a successful tour of Japan. Circe writes, records, and performs with her husband, Christian Nesmith. You can download Circe's music on Bandcamp, and don't forget to check out her YouTube channel, too! UPDATE: On October 12, 2021, Christian Nesmith announced that he and Circe Link had both departed the tour. Emeen Zarookian (Guitar / Vocals)Emeen is the newest member of The Monkees' touring band. He is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and sound designer specializing in audio for television, games, and multimedia. Emeen has recorded with several bands, including Spirit Kid and Bebopalula, the latter which also features Alex Jules.
8 Comments
Donald Jack
9/26/2021 09:08:19
This band is the perfect example of what musicianship really is! As a drummer since 1980, I was blown away at how tight, how perfect, and how inventive all of them were as a cohesive unit! And it wasn't just the "easy" stuff (like it's ever really easy")...they mastered mixed time signature numbers like "As We Go Along" (pretty much all 5/4), a VERY difficult piece to play let alone Micky sing...and it was flawless! And how cool it was to see Christian Nesmith playing on stage near his dad. What I wouldn't give to have played in a band like this!
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Rob-Roy Fingerhead
9/27/2021 20:06:20
Guys you are all absolutely amazing. Keep up the great work and all the best as well. Thanks again, Peace and Love.
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henry Babbit
9/28/2021 12:13:12
Rob... Roy... FIN.GER.HEAD???
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Linda B.
9/27/2021 20:47:05
The San Antonio concert was great! Micky has more energy than the Energizer Bunny, and you could see how much fun he was having. Mike is looking stronger every show. He stood for all the songs that he was lead or co-lead on, and only sat when Micky was the lead singer.
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Matthew
9/29/2021 10:31:20
I appreciate the backing band, but don't you wish you could go back to the early days and watch the 60s concert with with one small chance change: The Monkees burst out of their cardboard amps and greet the crowd. A man walks from stage left. Michael says to the crowd "Hey everyone! This is my good buddy John London, and he's gonna play with with here tonight and we're ALL gonna have a good time!"
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Sheriff Andy
9/29/2021 19:10:42
This is simply the finest live band the Monkees have EVER had. Period.
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Scott Scottsman
10/10/2021 18:42:17
Christian Nesmith and Circe Link have been absent for the past several shows...does anyone know why?
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jess
11/20/2021 20:29:30
I think Emeen Zarookian replaced Christian.
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