Showing posts with label Classic Rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classic Rock. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

FOGHAT LAUNCHES THEIR 2024 U.S.TOUR TO SOLD-OUT ANNA MARIA ISLAND CROWD IN FLORIDA!

 FOGHAT 

L I V E 

AT THE CENTER OF 

ANNA MARIA ISLAND

WEST OF BRADENTON FLORIDA


Classic Rock & Blues legends Foghat opened their U.S. tour last Saturday night at The Center of Anna Maria Island west of Bradenton, Florida in front of a jam-packed sold-out auditorium and all the band members wives, which was made abundantly clear several times during the night by singer Scott Holt.

It was my first concert to cover at The Center in the heart of beautiful Anna Maria Island to kick off The Bradenton Gulf Island Concert Series.

A well-organized event with standing room only. Before the show I discovered Foghat taking pictures with some of their perhaps most loyal fans in a back room, so I grabbed my concert partner in crime and loyal photographer Mark Weaver and got a shot with the band. I conducted a zoom interview with legendary drummer and founding member Roger Earl on December 11th to promote their most recent release, Foghat’s seventeenth studio album ‘Sonic Mojo’ and upcoming U.S. tour.

ROGER EARL ZOOM INTERVIEW  

 Opening the show was singer-songwriter ‘Caruso’ (308 Ghost Train) with an acoustic set.

Foghat opened their set with an immediate crowd favorite, the 1975 hit “Fool for the City” written by the late Dave Peverett also known as Lonesome Dave. I witnessed the original Foghat lineup ten times over the years, from a third billing act supporting rock heavyweights to eventually top billing at large venues around the Washington D.C. area. I am usually one to criticize when only one or no original members are still performing under the original band name, but it’s certainly not the case with Foghat. In this case, Foghat could also be classified as The Rock Legend All-stars! The current lineup was simply magnificent in every way and loaded with rock legend familiarity and talent! 

FOGHAT LINEUP

ROGER EARL

 Savoy Brown member in 1968-70 and original Foghat drummer since its inception in 1971. As a side note, Roger Earl unsuccessfully auditioned for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. 

Just imagine if he got the gig.

BRYAN BASSETT 

Lead guitar and slide and has over 40 years’ experience as a professional musician and recording artist and 30 years’ experience as a recording engineer and producer. He began his career with Wild Cherry (“Play that Funky Music” a number 1 hit in 1976) and played with Lonesome Dave's Foghat and Molly Hatchet.

SCOTT HOLT
Lead singer, lead guitarist, songwriter was a member of blues legend Buddy Guy’s band. Scott has recorded and/or performed with a host of blues legends including B.B. King, Albert Collins, Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Buddy Miles, Albert King, and Steve Miller among others.

RODNEY O' QUINN

Bass player, vocalist was a member of the Pat Travers Band before joining Foghat. Rodney also performed with the likes of Derek St Holmes (Ted Nugent), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad/Mark Farner’s American Band), and Ronnie Montrose (Edgar Winter Group/Montrose/Gamma).

My favorite selections of the evening were the tracks from their new album ‘Sonic Mojo’ which entered at number one for Blues albums on the Billboard charts and remains in the top ten. “She’s a little Bit of Everything” and “Black Days and Blue Nights” from the new album followed their 1973 classic “Road Fever.” 

Ex Roger Earl bandmate from his Savoy Brown days, the late Kim Simmonds contributed several songs on the new album that were included in their set like “Drivin’ On.” Savoy Brown ex bandmates Pat DeSalvo and Garnet Grimm have recently teamed up with local guitar hero and Florida Music Hall of Fame inductee Sean Chambers to form Sean Chambers and the Savoy Brown Rhythm Section. I interviewed the band on zoom five months ago.



SEAN CHAMBERS
 WITH EX SAVOY BROWN MEMBERS
ZOOM INTERVIEW

Also, from the new album a Willie Dixon cover “Let Me Love You Baby” and one of my favs that should be a top40 hit if I had anything to do with it, “I Don’t Appreciate You.”

“I Just Want to Make Love to You” the timeless classic written by Willie Dixon in 1954 and recorded by Muddy Waters and eventually given to Foghat to record in 1972 ended the setlist before the encore. The current lineup performed the song immaculately, Willie and Muddy would be proud and honored.

The night concluded with Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” because of Bryan Bassett’s association with the band and Foghat’s most recognized rock anthem their 1975 hit “Slow Ride” from their fifth studio album, Fool for the City. “Slow Ride” was named the 45th "Best Hard Rock" song of all time by VH1.

After the show, the band came out to meet their fans.

A GREAT BAND AND A FUN NIGHT FOR ALL!

-By music journalist Ray Shasho

 Very special thanks to photographer Mark Weaver for all the Foghat photos. All the the live photos of Foghat featured in this article were shot by Mark Weaver.

Special thanks to Rose Nangano for arranging the show entry and photo access. You are the best!

And of course, special thanks to everyone at The Center of Anna Maria Island for a great evening! 



PURCHASE

THE BRAND-NEW RELEASE

BY

f o g h a t

Entitled

SONIC MOJO

available at

https://foghat.lnk.to/SonicMojoPR

and amazon.com



FOR MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT

f o g h a t 

VISIT

https://foghat.com/

Official website

https://www.facebook.com/Foghat

Facebook

https://www.instagram.com/foghat_official/

Instagram

https://www.youtube.com/user/FOGHATMUSIC

YouTube

https://www.pinterest.com/foghatmusic/

Pinterest

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6x33CmZWo2Ve4hxYl2Craq

Spotify

https://vinoshipper.com/shop/foghat_cellars

https://foghatcellars.com/

Foghat wines

 

f o g h a t 

TOUR DATES

2024

Anna Maria, FL   The Center For Anna Maria Island

Jan. 20, 2024

Indio, CA   Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

Jan. 26, 2024

Enoch, AB   River Cree Resort & Casino

Feb. 2, 2024

Bremerton, WA   Admiral Theatre

Feb. 9, 2024

Las Vegas, NV   The Golden Nugget

Feb. 17, 2024

Parker, CO   Pace Center

Feb. 18, 2024

Solana Beach, CA   Belly Up Tavern

Mar. 9, 2024

Silver Spring, MD   Rock And Roll For Children 2024

Mar. 29, 2024

Van Wert, OH   NIswonger Performing Arts Center

Apr. 19, 2024

Belleville, IL   The Lincoln Theatre

Apr. 20, 2024

Tiffin, OH   The Ritz Theater

Jul. 18 - 20, 2024

Walker, MN   Moondance Jam

Aug. 23 - 25, 2024

Gatlinburg, TN   The Mountain Music Festival

 

Discography

Studio albums

Year         Title

1972 Foghat

1973 Foghat (Rock and Roll)

1974 Energized

Rock and Roll Outlaws

1975 Fool for the City

1976 Night Shift

1978 Stone Blue

1979 Boogie Motel

1980 Tight Shoes

1981 Girls to Chat & Boys to Bounce

1982 In the Mood for Something Rude

1983 Zig-Zag Walk

1994 Return of the Boogie Men

2003 Family Joules

2010 Last Train Home

2016 Under the Influence

2023 Sonic Mojo

 

Live albums

1977 Foghat Live

1998 Road Cases (live 1996)

2003 Decades Live

2007 Foghat Live II

2017 Live at the Belly Up

2021 8 Days on the Road

 

Compilations

Best of Foghat (1985)

Best of Foghat Volume 2 (1992)

Best of Foghat (Rhino Special Edition) (1992)

Slow Ride and Other Hits (1997)

Anthology (1999)

Hits You Remember Live (2001)

Live 2000 (2001)

The Essentials (2002)

The Definitive Rock Collection Double CD (2006)

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

‘SONIC MOJO’ BY CLASSIC ROCK LEGENDS FOGHAT – FIRST NEW ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS, OUT NOW! ZOOM EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DRUMMING LEGEND ROGER EARL SPECIAL EVENT!

 


‘SONIC MOJO’ 

by CLASSIC ROCK LEGENDS 

f o g h a t 

– FIRST NEW ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS

 OUT NOW! 

ZOOM EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

 with DRUMMING LEGEND 

R O G E R   E A R L 

SPECIAL EVENT!

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH 

THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW!


Sonic Mojo is Foghat’s highly anticipated and long-awaited 17th studio album—their first in seven years--on the band’s label, Foghat Records, which is distributed by Select-O-Hits (part of the Sun Records family). It will be available as a single CD with 12-tracks and a six-page gatefold cover, as well as an 11-track, limited edition 180gram, purple neon vinyl. Digital pre-orders are now available here (including CDs available on Amazon), while CD and vinyl (including autographed copies) and merchandise bundles are available to pre-order here. 

On Sonic Mojo founding member, drummer and leader of the pack Roger Earl is joined by stalwart guitarist, engineer, and co-producer Bryan Bassett (formerly with Wild Cherry and Molly Hatchet), fun-loving bassist Rodney O’Quinn (longtime member of the Pat Travers Band), and on lead vocals and guitar, Scott Holt (who toured and recorded with the legendary Buddy Guy for 10+ years). The new album absolutely cements Foghat’s title as the undisputed Kings of Boogie Rock as it showcases the band’s trademark crunchy riffs, soaring slide guitar leads, infectious melodies, bluesy influences, and their take-no-prisoners approach to their loud, heavy, blues-rock that fans everywhere can’t get enough of.


 
The album’s first single, “Drivin’ On,” has been released (co-written by the late Kim Simmonds, Roger’s friend and former Savoy Brown band mate), and a video for the song can be seen on the band’s official YouTube page. In fact, three songs on Sonic Mojo have special meaning for Roger Earl, as they were co-written by Simmonds, the man who gave Roger his first break back in 1967 as a member of Savoy Brown. Sadly, shortly after writing these songs, Kim passed away in December 2022. 

Formed in 1971 when Earl, lead vocalist/guitarist Lonesome Dave Peverett, and bassist Tony Stevens left the British blues-rock band, Savoy Brown, Foghat has earned eight Gold records, one Platinum record and one double-Platinum record.  They continue to release new music every few years, and are in constant motion on the road, maintaining a rigorous touring schedule that has been a staple of the band since its formation.

PURCHASE

THE BRAND-NEW RELEASE

BY

foghat

Entitled

SONIC MOJO



Available at

https://foghat.lnk.to/SonicMojoPR

and amazon.com

“SONIC MOJO IS AN INTRIGUING ECLECTIC MIX OF COUNTRY ROCK AND BLUES WITH ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL FOGHAT SLIDE GUITAR. THE BIGGEST SURPRISE ON THE ALBUM WAS THE IMPRESSIVE VOCALS WHICH NEVER SOUNDED BETTER! FOGHAT HAS PLEASENTLY MORPHED INTO A MUSICAL RANGE OF DIVERSITY AND CREATIVITY. SONIC MOJO WILL DELIGHT LISTENERS OF MANY GENRES.”

…By Music Journalist Ray Shasho

FOR MORE INFORMATION

ABOUT

ROGER EARL

AND

FOGHAT

VISIT

https://foghat.com/

Official website

https://www.facebook.com/Foghat

Facebook

https://www.instagram.com/foghat_official/

Instagram

https://www.youtube.com/user/FOGHATMUSIC

YouTube

https://www.pinterest.com/foghatmusic/

Pinterest

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6x33CmZWo2Ve4hxYl2Craq

Spotify

https://vinoshipper.com/shop/foghat_cellars

Foghat wines

 

FOGHAT 

TOUR DATES

Nov. 17, 2023

San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House

Dec. 2, 2023

St Charles, IL Arcada Theater

Dec. 9, 2023

Atlantic City, NJ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City

Jan. 13, 2024

Anna Maria, FL   The Center For Anna Maria Island

Jan. 20, 2024

Indio, CA   Fantasy Springs Resort Casino

Jan. 26, 2024

Enoch, AB   River Cree Resort & Casino

Feb. 2, 2024

Bremerton, WA   Admiral Theatre

Feb. 9, 2024

Las Vegas, NV   The Golden Nugget

Feb. 17, 2024

Parker, CO   Pace Center

Feb. 18, 2024

Solana Beach, CA   Belly Up Tavern

Mar. 9, 2024

Silver Spring, MD   Rock And Roll For Children 2024

Mar. 29, 2024

Van Wert, OH   NIswonger Performing Arts Center

Apr. 19, 2024

Belleville, IL   The Lincoln Theatre

Apr. 20, 2024

Tiffin, OH   The Ritz Theater

Jul. 18 - 20, 2024

Walker, MN   Moondance Jam

Aug. 23 - 25, 2024

Gatlinburg, TN   The Mountain Music Festival

 

Discography

Studio albums

Year         Title

1972 Foghat

1973 Foghat (Rock and Roll)

1974 Energized

Rock and Roll Outlaws

1975 Fool for the City

1976 Night Shift

1978 Stone Blue

1979 Boogie Motel

1980 Tight Shoes

1981 Girls to Chat & Boys to Bounce

1982 In the Mood for Something Rude

1983 Zig-Zag Walk

1994 Return of the Boogie Men

2003 Family Joules

2010 Last Train Home

2016 Under the Influence

2023 Sonic Mojo

 

Live albums

1977 Foghat Live

1998 Road Cases (live 1996)

2003 Decades Live

2007 Foghat Live II

2017 Live at the Belly Up

2021 8 Days on the Road

 

Compilations

Best of Foghat (1985)

Best of Foghat Volume 2 (1992)

Best of Foghat (Rhino Special Edition) (1992)

Slow Ride and Other Hits (1997)

Anthology (1999)

Hits You Remember Live (2001)

Live 2000 (2001)

The Essentials (2002)

The Definitive Rock Collection Double CD (2006)

 



ROGER EARL 

APPEARS WEEK OF


DECEMBER 12TH 2023


ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

WITH RAY SHASHO

ORDER NOW

 WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

RAY’S BEST-SELLING BOOK

ENTITLED

THE  ROCK STAR

 CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE  

CHRONICLES,TRUTHS

 CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM 

FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS 

THAT SET US FREE!



BY MUSIC JOURNALIST ...TALK SHOW HOST...  

AUTHOR ... TV SITCOM SCRIPT WRITER 

RAY SHASHO

OUTSTANDING COFFEE-TABLE BOOK!

CHAPTER ONE SPOTLIGHTS INTERVIEWS WITH MANY OF THE MUSIC LEGENDS WHO ARE NO LONGER WITH US

THE HARDCOVER EDITION IS A BONAFIDE COLLECTORS ITEM!

Order yours today on (Collector edition) Hardcover or E-book at bookbaby.com and amazon.com

Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST

 

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

 

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show. 

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan. 

Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives. 

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music.  The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/   

Gold Award Winner



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