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Jonathan Davis says his solo tour isn't the end of Korn

When Korn lead singer Jonathan Davis told his bandmates he wanted to hit the road with other musicians for a solo semi-acoustic tour, he admitted he was a little nervous. But their reaction was nearly as sweet as his fans'.

"They were happy for me," Davis said during a recent teleconference. "Munk [guitarist James Shaffer] and Fieldy [bassist Reginald Arvizu] were like, 'Can I get tickets to the show?' I'm like, 'Of course! You'd better come out and watch.'"

Davis said the itch to do a solo acoustic tour is a gift for his fans and a reason to perform his own material, such as the songs he wrote for the movie "The Queen of the Damned." The set list also includes reworked Korn songs and covers, including Neil Diamond's "Love on the Rocks," which he recorded for the "Wonderland" soundtrack, Duran Duran's "The Chauffeur" and New Order's "Blue Monday."

"I've been wanting to do it for a long time," Davis said. "I never got a chance to play 'The Queen of the Damned' soundtrack, the stuff I wrote for the movie. And I just wanted to go out, just for the sake of just playing. I just love to play. I put together a really, really insane band who are, like, master musicians."

Accompanying Davis on tour is bassist Miles Mosely, Korn touring pianist Zac Baird, violinist Shenkar, percussionist/drummer Michael Jochum and guitarist Shane Gibson.

Davis explained he is planning a future CD/DVD. He and his band are going to perform for family, friends and press at his best friend's home.

"We're going to record it live on CD and we're doing a 'making-of' DVD. It shows everything from when we were trying out band members to rehearsals to the first show leading up to this. It's going to be a limited-run edition. It'll be available at the shows for [purchase]."

Davis stressed that the solo acoustic tour doesn't mean the end of Korn, which is on a two-month break. The core of Korn--Davis, Arvizu and Shaffer--are determined to continue without former drummer David Silveria (who is on an indefinite hiatus from the group) and guitarist Brian "Head" Welch.

"You know, anytime you do anything solo or something like that, it freaks people out," Davis said. "We're tighter than ever. The heart of this band was me, Fieldy and Munky. Unfortunately, losing David and Head really hurt us and we missed them, and it hurts more emotionally than anything. And we love those guys and wish them the best.

"I wish Head the best of luck. I love him to death and I'm really happy David's taking time off and spending time with his kids, and hopefully he'll rekindle that love for playing drums. But, for right now, us as a band, Korn hasn't been this strong ever, man, as brothers and creatively."

As a matter of fact, when Davis' solo tour is finished, Korn is going to tour Europe, the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, South America and South Africa. The group is also preparing a new album.

"I've been writing some songs and stuff. We've got a lot of ideas, but it always changes. I think, after we get done with this world tour, we'll probably go back in and do another done."