Well, to be a little more forthcoming about it, this is news I did miss. I’ve been busy with a lot of other stuff for a while, but it’s time to get back on track. Here’s some of what’s been going on with classic rock recently.

Rush Tour and Studio Time in The Works

How could I not lead with my favorite Canadian rock trio? Rush is making news lately, starting with their plans to hit the road at the end of this month for a continuation of their Time Machine tour. Demand from fans for more live Rush seems to be fueling the group’s decision to devote their time to touring between March 30th, when they perform in Fort Lauderdale, FL until July 2nd where things wrap up (according to the schedule on Rush.com) in Seattle.

In addition to their touring activities, Lee, Lifeson and Peart plan to head into the studio in September. This news comes from an interview guitarist Alex Lifeson did with Gibson last month. Work will continue on their up-coming album Clockwork Angels, which has no solid release date but according to Lifeson, they hope to have it ready for release in time to coincide with a tour sometime in the spring of 2012.

Pink Floyd’s Barrett A Painter Before All Else

It may be surprising to hear that someone so well-known as a founder of the legendary Pink Floyd considered himself a painter first and a musician second. This revelation about Syd Barrett comes from Barrett’s sister Rosemary Breen, who reveals that Barrett seemed a bit baffled about his notoriety stemming from his work with Pink Floyd when compared with his work as a different kind of artist – a painter.

Almost a half-century later, it’s not hard to understand at all. Pink Floyd went on to be one of the most recognized names in rock, making music that stands alongside the myriad of other classic rock music that can still be heard on radio, television and countless iPods, cell phones and other pint-sized devices that deliver music to the ears of fans these days. As a Pink Floyd fan myself, I didn’t even know Barrett was a painter until today.

Perhaps Pink Floyd simply turned into something bigger than Syd Barrett ever dreamed possible at one time.

Ronnie Says He’s Sorry

It’s been a while since we’ve had much to say about Rolling Stone guitarist Ron Wood, and this time the news is decidedly more positive. Wood split with his wife wife nearly two years ago after becoming involved with a young Russian woman while he struggled with his alcohol addiction problems. He contacted his ex-wife recently to apologize for his actions.

Ex-wife Jo seems happy to have accepted his apology and says that she told Wood that she forgave him now and I forgave him then, apparently making reference to when Wood first left her. “It’s the first time I’ve ever known him actually to say I’m sorry, so that was quite amazing,” she added. Perhaps Elton John had it right when he sang about sorry being the hardest word.

Wood, who has been involved with 30-year-old Brazilian Model Ana Araujo for a while, seems unlikely to ever reconcile with his ex-wife, especially since she says she happy with the way things are now and is enjoying her independence. Appearing recently on the British chat show Loose Women, she has this to say regarding the situation: “I’d never have him back now I’m too happy on my own. I love my life now.”

So it seems everyone is happy now. Kudos to Ron Wood for reaching out to say he was sorry.

Joe Satriani Says New Chickenfoot Album ‘Kicks Pretty Hard’

Reportedly about 99-percent finished, the second album from Chickenfoot should be wrapped up pretty soon.

With various commitments that must be honored by the four members of the group, it can be difficult to get them all in one place at the same time. That fact, however, might actually help put a little extra kick in the group’s second album.

“I finished my Black Swans tour, knowing that we would have Chad for only a certain amount of time because of the Chili Peppers,” Satriani said. “So we had to meet up and blast through the tracks, which resulted in a terrific amount of energy and enthusiasm. It’s like we were bottled up for so long, just waiting and waiting to get together to make this record. This isn’t going to be a laid-back album by any means. It kicks pretty hard.”

It seems the finishing touches on the new record consist of vocal track work by Sammy Hagar. Satriani sounds confident that the end result will be worth waiting for, adding that, “I think I can definitively say that the album sounds heavier and that it sounds like Chickenfoot.”