Joe Walsh and Dan Auerbach Play Surprise Show With Former James Gang Guitarist Glenn Schwartz

A pair of former James Gang guitarists joined a Black Key for a secret show in Nashville on Feb. 27, when Joe Walsh and Glenn Schwartz took the stage alongside Dan Auerbach and his band the Arcs.

The show, which took place at local club Robert's Western World, occurred shortly after word got out that Walsh and Schwartz have been in the studio with Auerbach and the Arcs as well as Schwartz's brother Gene. Although details have yet to surface, studio photos have surfaced.

Schwartz was the James Gang's guitarist prior to Walsh, and suddenly exited the band in late 1967, moving to California and joining the Los Angeles-based Pacific Gas & Electric. He later became affiliated with a cult dubbed the Church of the Risen Christ and joined their musical outlet, the All Saved Freak Band.

In recent years, Schwartz has played out with Gene as the Schwartz Brothers, with dates generally announced via a Facebook fan group; his experiences with the Church of the Risen Christ were also recently detailed in author Jeff C. Stevenson's book Fortney Road: Life, Death and Deception in a Christian Cult.

"There’s a great quote by [All Saved Band co-founder] Joe Markko at the end of the book that sums it up so well," Stevenson told the Cleveland Scene. "He says the nicest thing. He says, ‘Glenn was such a good man with such a gentle heart. I think if he hadn’t encountered [cult leader] Larry Hill, he would have made music that influenced an entire generation.’"

Auerbach has also gone on record with his admiration for Schwartz's playing. "He does insane stuff — his personality comes through in his guitar-playing. No fences. Totally unrestrained," he told Scene in 2004. "I love the fact that he’s ours — Ohio’s — and nobody else’s."

Check out photos from the show, and watch footage from the set below.