NUNO BETTENCOURT: EXTREME Is 'Slowly But Surely' Working On New Music

In a brand new interview with Songfacts, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt of Massachusetts hard rockers EXTREME was asked about the band's plans to write and record the follow-up to 2008's "Saudades de Rock".

"I'm writing all the time," he said. "We're in the studio right now with a couple of friends that are writers, and we're working on some new stuff. So we're constantly writing."

He continued: "With EXTREME, we should have done an album ages ago, but we're slowly but surely starting to write stuff."

Asked if EXTREME will follow the lead of other artists by releasing singles or EPs in the future instead of full-length albums, Bettencourt said at last year's Hellfest festival in France: "This is the first time we've ever gone on the road without new music [to promote], and I'm kind of embarrassed about that, to be honest.

"You know, it's doing that [we were performing] the [entire 1990] 'Pornograffitti' album [on some of the record tour dates], so it gives you a bit of an excuse to not have [a new] album [to tour behind]. But we're definitely working on [new] stuff, and we should have a new album [written soon]. It won't be a little one; it'll be a regular size."

EXTREME's first studio album in thirteen years, "Saudades de Rock" (pronounced "sow-dodge") was released in the U.S. on August 12, 2008 on Open E Records and distributed by Fontana. The European version of the CD, which came out on August 1, 2008, included a bonus track, the "Americocaine" demo from 1985, the very first studio recording of EXTREME.

The iconic rock foursome — vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger and new drummer Kevin Figueiredo — recorded their fifth studio offering at NRG Studios in Los Angeles with Bettencourt at the helm as producer and mixer. "Saudades de Rock" boasted 13 tracks, including the infectious roar of "Star", the groove-laden, swagger of "King Of The Ladies", a raw funk rock anthem called "Learn To Love", and the expressive ballad "Ghost".

EXTREME's "Take Us Alive" live CD and DVD came out on May 4, 2010 in the U.S. via Frontiers Records. This performance was recorded on the last night of their tour at the House of Blues on August 8, 2009 in EXTREME's hometown of Boston.