Butch Vig on ‘Beat It Wally’

Following the end of their ‘Bleed Like Me’ tour in November 2005, Garbage decided they needed a hiatus. “There was never any talk of an official breakup or anything,” drummer-producer Butch Vig tells AOL Music, “but I think after four records in 10 years and four long tours, everybody needed to do some serious decompression.”

That sabbatical ends later this month, when the group reunites for a Jan. 31 gig in Glendale, California. The show, which also will feature Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Freedy Johnston and many more, is a benefit for musician Wally “Llama” Ingram. Ingram, a drummer who has played with Raitt, Sheryl Crow and Jackson Browne, among others, is suffering from throat cancer.

Vig, who put the ‘Beat It Wally’ benefit together, says that other musicians have been eager to jump on board. “When I heard about this, I just sent a blank e-mail out to a bunch of our friends, and everybody was like, ‘Oh, my God, we want to help. We love Wally so much,'” Vig says. “He’s the sweetest guy in the world, so the response has been overwhelming.”

With the eclectic lineup assembled, Vig is looking forward to a memorable night and possibly some dream collaborations. “I’m kind of hoping that Bonnie is going to do some acoustic songs and then maybe she can get up and play some blues,” he says. “We kept thinking maybe she can play over something like ‘Queer,’ a Garbage track, and just play some cool, wicked razor-blade guitar because she’s such a phenomenal player.”

He says he’s encouraging other musicians to think outside the box, in the Garbage manner. “I think Garbage is going to do three or four songs using a string quartet,” he says, “and we kind of decided that rather than go out and play ‘Stupid Girl’ for the thousandth time, we’d rather do some things that really mean something to us and would give any fans who come to the show a chance to see something a lot more rare.”

Source: AOL, thanks to Asbjorn for bringing to our attention.

Garbage fans attending the gig on the 31st may also get a rare chance to see the KIAB perform.