Steve Lukather: There will be no more Toto albums

Toto founder and guitarist Steve Lukather has revealed that the band will make no more studio albums.

Speaking to Misplaced Straws to promote the band's new live album With A Little Help From My Friends, Lukather reveals that the band's newly appointed 15th line-up will not be entering the studio to record an album.

"There’s not going to be another Toto record," says Lukather. "What we do is continue doing what we do. Joe and I can make records that have some of the cats on it. We can go out and play as Toto. We get the audience, we pay off the people that sued us and we go forward.

"I’m going to dig in. I don’t roll over easily. I’ve taken a lot of punches over the last 45 plus years. Whatever the hell it is, it’s a long time. I can take a punch and I’ve taken a whole lot of them on falsities, but that’s OK. It’s behind me now. I let it all go. Peace and love to everybody I don’t carry around any hate. I’m like, 'OK, life changes. I’m sorry'.

"It broke my heart too. It’s like getting over a divorce, you got to get back on the horse again and do it. That’s what we plan on doing. There’s no malicious vibe or no, 'I’m going to get even with everybody' or anything like that. It’s such a waste of time. I’m 63 years old, man. I don’t want to play the games anymore."

The new line-up of Toto, led by Lukather and singer Joseph Williams, debuted last November with a socially distanced show for a handful of friends and family at LA’s SIR. The show was recorded for With A Little Help From My Friends, which was released on Friday.

The pair were joined onstage by bassist John Pierce (Huey Lewis and the News), drummer Robert 'Sput' Searight (Ghost-Note & Snarky Puppy), keyboardists Dominique 'Xavier' Taplin (Prince & Ghost-Note) and Steve Maggiora (Robert Jon & The Wreck), plus multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham, who has previously toured alongside Lukather as part of Toto and as part of Ringo's All-Starr Band.

Elsewhere in the Misplaced Straws interview, Lukather talks about the new line-up, about recording the live album, and about touring with Ringo Starr.

With A Little Help From My Friends is out now. Toto tour Europe next year.

Toto European Tour 2022

Jul 14: Bonn KunstRasen, Germany
Jul 15: Amsterdam Ziggodome, Netherlands
Jul 16: Halle Peißnitzinsel, Germany
Jul 19: Pratteln Z-7 Summer Nights, Switzerland
Jul 20: Tussling Schlossplatz, Germany
Jul 21: Middelkerke Proximus Pop-Up Arena, Belgium
Jul 23: Vitrolles Festival Jardin Sonore, France
Jul 28: Schwetzingen Schlossgarten, Germany
Jul 29: Graz Messe Open Air, Austria
Jul 31: Warsaw Torwar, Poland
Aug 10: Helsingborg Sofiero Castle, Sweden
Aug 11: Viborg Paradepladsen, Denmark
Aug 13: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
Aug 14: Gothenburg Partille Arena, Sweden

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.