Throwing it back to his nineties rock days. Darius Rucker may be mostly known as a country singer these days, but anybody who grew up in the ’90s recognizes him as the lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish. The Grammy award-winning band, which Darius founded at the University of South Carolina, was one of the hottest acts of the mid-90s with hits like “Let Her Cry,” “Hold My Hand,” and “Only Wanna Be With You” that are still massive songs today. But in 2008, Rucker released his first solo country album, Learning To Live, and found massive success in the genre with hits like “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” “Alright,” “Comeback Song,” and of course, his cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” But apparently Darius isn’t quite ready to ditch his rock band days altogether. The Hootie & The Blowfish frontman announced today that he was teaming up with members of two other legendary ’90s rock bands to form a new supergroup. The group, which is called Howl Owl Howl (Darius must really like owls), consists of Rucker along with R.E.M. co-founder and bassist Mike Mills and The Black Crowes co-founder and drummer Steve Gorman. And according to Rucker, it’s like teaming up with old friends: “It feels great to be singing with a rock band again. It’s like buddies getting together, but also getting to play with your idols. The stuff we’re writing is so different than anything I’ve tried to do before.” Mills said that the three admire each other musically, and that the chemistry between them makes for a natural fit for the new group: “You never can explain band chemistry. We all like each other. And we all admire each other musically. All those things come together and if it weren’t fun, we wouldn’t be doing it.” Howl Owl Howl will be releasing their first single, “My Cologne,” on October 31, and will be hitting the road together for 9 shows this fall. But as for what fans can expect from those shows, Gorman says even the band doesn’t know: “There’s not a single guarantee. We’re finally going to get to plug in and let it rip a little bit.” I love it. As somebody who grew up listening to these bands, the nostalgia of getting to see the three of them together in one group is off the charts. Howl Owl Howl Tour 2025: November 3  ||  Indianapolis, IN  ||  The Vogue November 4  ||  Chicago, IL  ||  Metro Chicago November 6  ||  Washington, D.C.  ||  9:30 Club November 7  ||  Asbury Park, NJ  ||  Stone Pony November 8  ||  Boston, MA  ||  Paradise Rock Club – Music Hall November 11  ||  New York, NY  ||  Webster Hall November 12  ||  Philadelphia, PA  ||  Union Transfer November 14  ||  Athens, GA  ||  Georgia Theatre November 15  ||  Atlanta, GA  ||  Variety PlayhouseThe post Darius Rucker Forms New Supergroup, Howl Owl Howl, Featuring Nineties Rock Legends From R.E.M. & The Black Crowes first appeared on Whiskey Riff.