The Jonas Brothers will kick off yet another world tour in just two months – tickets for an Aug. 14 show at HersheyPark stadium and an Aug. 27 show at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, N.J., go on sale Saturday.
But it looks like there are solo albums in the future for the trio’s two older brothers, Kevin and Joe – following in the footsteps of youngest brother Nick’s foray into solo work with his band The Administration and the album “Who I Am,” which he released and did a brief tour with this past winter.
Joe Jonas, speaking in a telephone news conference Wednesday, said he’s been collecting material for a solo disc, but has no plans for its immediate release. And Kevin Jonas says he’d also love to do a solo disc.
“I’ve been working on a lot of music personally,” Joe said. “It’s been a lot of fun for me to be able to do that. … I’m not sure exactly when my music project will come out; I think when the time is appropriate. But hopefully the fans will receive it and like it.”
Nick Jonas also said he expects to do another album with The Administration in “the next couple of years.”
“I’m continuing to write things for Jonas Brothers, The Administration and other artists and there are always songs around,” he said.
And even eldest brother Kevin said, “I absolutely would love to do something musically, as well. But it’s just been an amazing year, we have a lot coming up.”
Indeed they do. In addition to the tour, the brothers plan to release a soundtrack disc to the second season of their Disney Channel TV show, “JONAS: LA,” which premieres June 20, as well as a soundtrack to their Disney Channel movie “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” due out Sept. 3.
But with all that, don’t expect a new Jonas Brothers disc to follow 2009’s “Lines, Vines and Trying Times” until at least 2011, and maybe later.
Nicks says the band decided to tour without a new record because “we knew we had a lot of material coming out in different areas, different movie and TV projects that we had coming out that there was music involved in.”
“And I think we just felt that after releasing four albums in about 3 1/2 years that it might be a bit of an overload,” he said as all the brothers laughed.
The brothers said the new tour will incorporate music from “Camp Rock” and “JONAS,” and even will have cast members come on stage to perform ensemble numbers with the brothers – especially movie co-star (and Joe Jonas girlfriend) Demi Lovato, who also will be the tour’s opening act.
There also will be video elements and perhaps even movie clips worked into the concert, the brothers said. They said they’re working on the set list now, but the movie’s songs have “Something for everyone: There’s R&B, there’s hip-hop and then there’s kind of our more pop-rock sound [and] Demi’s sound.”
Nick said the brothers actually weren’t involved in the songwriting for the film. “We were busy touring at the time,” he said. “And so they had some songwriters listen to our music and really kind of write some tunes that we feel like we would have done anyway. [But] we love the music and we’re excited for the fans to hear it and we’re excited to play it live this summer.”
The “JONAS” soundtrack also will have songs written by outside writers, but also songs that Nick wrote. “Like the first season, it has a ‘Flight of the Conchords’ feel to it,” Joe said, referring to the MTV show and the duo who star in it.
Don’t despair, though: The tour – which after North America also will hit Latin American and Europe—will still be full of Jonas Brothers hits.
“It is still a Jonas Brothers tour,” Nick said.
When the brothers do release a new album, they say they’re in no hurry to prematurely age their music or change the style that has let them sell 8 million copies of their last three albums worldwide.
“For us, our musical journey has just been a progression.” Kevin said. “We’re not trying to grow up too fast or anything -- and I’m saying that even coming from being married. [Kevin got married last winter] For us, we’re growing up with our audience and growing up with the people listening to our music, as well as the people all around us that are starting to listen to our music as well.
“For us, we’re just making the music that we love. And of course being an artist, there’s always time to try and reinvent yourself and make what you have fresh. And I think that’s a goal for every artist out there. But at the same time, you want to try to stay true to who you are as people.”
