Southern rock icons, Lynyrd Skynyrd, are currently in the midst of their Last Of The Street Survivors Farewell Tour. Mark Dean of Madness To Creation recently spoke with vocalist Johnny Van Zant about his impending retirement; an excerpt follows:

A lot of bands quit touring but the still release music. I just wonder if you guys had any plans maybe to still release music?

Johnny Van Zant: "Yeah. You know, Gary (Rossington, guitarist) said that. We have an album in the can really, to be honest. We have a bunch of songs that we’re all the time writing. And you know, so probably after this tour we’ll have that album, do a studio thing and we actually recorded our last show here in Jacksonville. Did a DVD and actually the CD for it and that’ll come out sometime along the way too."

What about yourself then musically? Do you have any plans to reactivate the Johnny Van Zant Band or any other musical things?

Johnny Van Zant: "You know what I’m always making  new music – me and my brother Donnie we’re creating all the time and we live right next door to each other here in Florida and I got a little place in the back and we go out there and we bang around and make music. So we’re actually, one of my things on my bucket list is to do a gospel album. Really would  be right, one of the things I would like to do. I lost my oldest daughter last year due to cancer and it kind of got me back to where I should have been at a long time ago with God. So I’m a true believer in that and that’s one of my things and maybe make a blues record. I’ve done a couple of country albums. But I’d love to do those things before I go on to the mighty big heaven up in the sky too."

Read the complete interview at this location.

Last Of The Street Survivors Farewell Tour US dates:

April
27 - Indio, CA - Stagecoach 

May
10 - Tuscaloosa, AL - Tuscaloosa Amphitheater 
11 - Arlington, TX - KAABOO Texas 
17 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center 
18 - Lafayette, LA - Cajundome 
24 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
31 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion 

June
1 - Bangor, ME - Darling's Waterfront Pavilion 

July
13 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Brands–Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
19 - Welch, MN - Treasure Island Resort & Casino 
20 - Walker, MN - Moondance Jam 
26 - Portland, OR - Sunlight Supply Amphitheater 
27 - Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheatre 

August
9 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
16 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
17 - Wheatland, CA - Toyota Amphitheatre
23 - Irvine, CA - FivePoint Amphitheatre presented by Mercury Insurance
30 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion 
31 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center 

September
13 - Southaven, MS - Bank Plus Amphitheater 
14 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre 
20 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheater 
21 - Denver, CO - Fiddler's Green
27 - Jackson, MS - Brandon Amphitheater 
28 - Orange Beach, AL - The Wharf Amphitheater 

For tour lineups in your market or to purchase VIP Packages, visit lynyrdskynyrd.com.

Watch Lynyrd Skynyrd's performance of "Free Bird", taken from the album Live In Atlantic City: