09-08-2025
Classic rock band removes guitarist after one concert: ‘a round peg in a square hole'
In the 'heat of the moment,' the newest guitarist for ASIA Featuring John Payne didn't make the grade.
Francis Dunnery has parted with the group after just one performance, according to a Facebook post from the band. ASIA Featuring John Payne — one iteration of the British rock supergroup — made the announcement following a show in New Paltz, New York.
'Covering Asia's works from 1982 to 2006 was not Frank's wheelhouse,' the post states, adding that 'we were trying to hammer a round peg into a square hole!'
Dunnery's résumé includes collaborations with music icons such as Robert Plant, Santana, and Lauryn Hill, as well as fronting the British band It Bites in the 1980s. His long-running solo career spans over 15 live and studio albums.
The post describes the turn of events as 'not an acrimonious parting, far from it,' and goes on to compliment Dunnery's abilities as a guitarist.
'Frank's works live and in the studio are beyond superb, from It Bites to Robert Plant and everything in between,' the announcement reads, noting that 'we both worked so hard to make this work.'
Dunnery also took to social media to explain the situation, emphasizing that there are 'absolutely no weird or hard feelings.'
'John needs a guitar player who can come in and play all the styles and all the sounds that are on the records and unfortunately that's not what I do,' Dunnery wrote in an Instagram post. 'There are much better people at doing that than me. It is impossible for me to adapt to that role, I don't have the personality or the playing style to fulfill what he needs.'
In Dunnery's place, Jeff Kollman, the band's guitarist and vocalist of 20 years, will step in for a handful of August performances.
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