Eagles' Timothy B. Schmit Sets Solo Album Release Date

Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit is planning an Oct. 20 release date for "Expando," his first solo album in eight years, on Lost Highway. The 11-track set includes a variety of guests, including Kid Rock, Dwight Yoakam, Graham Nash, Keb' Mo', Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Van Dyke Parks, Gary Burton and Greg Leisz.

Revealing his plans earlier this year, Schmit told Billboard.com that he was pleased with "Expando" because "for the first time I feel like it's totally me. I wrote the whole thing. I did it at my home studio, and I play as much on it as possible. For the first time I think it's really more me, really what I represent. It's just me, for better or for worse. It's been a really joyous experience."

"Expando" will be Schmit's first solo release since "Feed the Fire" in 2001, which he chalks up to being busy with the Eagles, both on the road and making the group's Grammy Award-winning 2007 album "The Long Road Out of Eden." "It's been taking a long time because I have been so busy with the band -- and that is not a complaint."

Schmit says the guests on "Expando" represent "people that I really admire," most of whose phone numbers he already had, so "I didn't even have to go through management...Everybody came to my house, my studio, and sounded really, really great." A case in point was Kid Rock, who joins Yoakam and Burton on the track "Downtime."

"I've bumped into him quite a lot the last couple years," Schmit says, "and he gave me his phone number one day. We would see each other in restaurants.   He invited my wife and I over to a couple of parties and get-togethers at his house. And one day I just said 'You know I'd love to have you sing on my record'...and he just drove over and did it. It was a lot of fun. Everybody I have on this record has been really great. They really were hard workers and they wanted to get it right, and it's not necessarily music that they were familiar with."

Schmit has not yet announced tour plans to promote "Expando." The Eagles are currently off the road as well.
 
The full track list for "Expando" includes:

"One More Mile" featuring Keb' Mo'
"Parachute" featuring Graham Nash and Kenny Wayne Shepherd
"Friday Night" featuring Van Dyke Parks
"Ella Jean"
"White Boy From Sacramento"
"Compassion"
"Downtime" featuring Dwight Yoakam, Kid Rock and Gary Burton
"Melancholy"
"I Don't Mind" featuring  Van Dyke Parks
"Secular Praise" featuring the Blind Boys Of Alabama
"A Good Day" featuring Greg Leisz