Mike D Announces New Music and Solo Shows

Mike D, a founding member of the Beastie Boys, confirmed on Wednesday that he is working on new music and announced his first solo live shows in years, kicking off Thursday in Los Angeles.

The 60-year-old rapper, whose real name is Michael Diamond, shared the news on Instagram with the post: "Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Its happening. Shows. New music. Switch Up. Lets Go." The performances include a show tonight, May 7, at Plaza Nightclub and Dance Hall in Los Angeles, followed by one on May 10 at Sid the Cat Auditorium in South Pasadena, California. He will then play two nights, May 22 and 23, at Xanadu Roller Arts in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets went on sale immediately after the announcement.

The shows come on the heels of a surprise appearance Diamond made on April 11 at the Ojai Valley Womens Club in California, where he joined his sons band, Very Nice Person, as their advertised "very special guest." The set featured lively renditions of Beastie Boys classics "So Whatcha Want," from the 1992 album Check Your Head, and "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun," from the 1989 album Pauls Boutique. The performance, which followed a similar gig with the band in Malibu days earlier,...