Keanu Reeves picks up the bass guitar again as his band Dogstar ready new music and live dates

Keanu Reeves looks to be taking a break from his movie career to pick up the bass guitar once more as his long-dormant band Dogstar tease new music and live dates.

Completed by guitarist/frontman Bret Domrose and drummer Robert Mailhouse, the LA alt-rock trio were originally active from 1991 to 2002, gaining considerable attention as Reeves’ film career broke in 1999 with the release of The Matrix.

In July last year, the band heralded their return on social media, which they used to document the recording of a new album – their first since 2000 sophomore effort, Happy Ending.

Activity from the group has now been mounting in recent weeks, culminating in a behind-the-scenes snap from a recent photoshoot, which teases “exciting news coming soon”. The band have also been in rehearsals, captioned “getting ready for the summer”, pointing towards future live dates.

“We will be rolling out some new music this summer, followed by some gigs,” the band shared [per Blabbermouth]. “As soon as it's all figured out we will let everyone know immediately. So much to do, but rest assured, we are on it and have assembled a fantastic team that are helping us. We are also going to make a music video to support our first tune. That's all I can say now.”

A keen pick player, Reeves used what looks to be a vintage Fender P-Bass for the recording sessions, and has also been spotted playing custom instruments in rehearsals.

The John Wick star is one of several Hollywood actors who have been known to play bass from time to time.

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Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as more than 20 years performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.