Wishbone Ash, one of the most influential guitar bands in the history of rock, will offer their North American fans a dynamic concert experience on the 2017 Tough & Tender Tour. In addition to the high-powered, all-out rockers the band is known for delivering, the guys will turn down the volume (but not the intensity) and treat audiences to acoustic versions of some of their classic hits.

“A great song is a great song, however it's delivered,” says bandleader Andy Powell (guitar, lead vocals). “Playing acoustically allows people to hear the 'bones' of a song and how it might have been conceived in the first place.”

Formed in 1969, Wishbone Ash finds itself in rare company these days. Not many bands are still going strong after nearly 50 years. It takes a serious lifetime of commitment to the craft of making music; but, more importantly, real skill is required to navigate the shifting seas of the music industry, and few know that better than Powell.

“We laid down strong musical roots in the '70s, and these roots continue to prove productive,” he says. “Also, we nurtured our fan base as much as possible through fan club conventions, newsletters and the like; but this was all given a great boost once the digital age came into being, with websites and social media.”

Through the years the band has delved into various musical genres, from folk, blues and jazz to pedal-to-the-metal rock and electronica. Whatever the style, Wishbone Ash’s hallmark is the distinctive twin-melodic lead guitar interplay that has influenced such bands as Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Iron Maiden and, more recently, Opeth.

True road warriors, each year the band logs around 30,000 miles, roughly equivalent to circumnavigating the earth. “The hours, days and weeks we spend touring and recording results in a close-knit group, for sure,” says Powell. “It allows us to bring a level of intensity to the table that people seem to pick up on and appreciate.”

The fruitful results of near-constant touring are evident on the latest DVD release, Live in Paris, recorded in May 2015 during a three-day residency at Le Triton Theatre in Les Lilas, Paris. Powell says, “We recorded three nights of material, including current versions of some classic songs, plus some deep tracks that people won't necessarily expect.”

The band recently released a four-disc Road Works box set, a compilation of four separate shows recorded in Germany and the UK. In October 2015, Powell completed his autobiography, Eyes Wide Open: True Tales of a Wishbone Ash Warrior, co-written with Irish music journalist Colin Harper. The book, published by Jawbone Press, has met with public and critical acclaim.

“Our concept was to root my musical story and that of the band's to the times in which I came of age,” says Powell. “That is to say, relating it to those times, decade by decade, so that the reader could get a picture of how I was impacted by the social and musical trends and how I weathered those changes. We also wanted to keep it breezy and poke a little fun at this music game at the same time.”

In addition to the Tough & Tender Tour, fall 2017 will also see the release of a 32-CD deluxe box set, Wishbone Ash - The Vintage Years, on Snapper Music.

Tour dates:

September
12 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
13 - Minneapolis, MN - Famous Dave's
14 - Davenport, IA - River Music Experience
15 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre
16 - Edwardsville, IL - Wildey Theatre
17 - Edwardsville IL - Wildey Theatre
19 - Auburn Hills, MI - Callahan's Music Hall
22 - Sherwood Park, AB - Festival Place
25 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head on Stage
26 - Richmond, VA - Tin Pan
27 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater
28 - Norfolk, CT - Infinity Music Hall
29 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
30 - Bay Shore, NY - Boulton Center

October
1 - Pawling, NY - Daryl's House Club
2 - New York, NY - BB King Blues Club & Grill
5 - Buffalo, NY - Sportsmen's Tavern
6 - Akron, OH - Tangier
7 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theater
8 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Mauch Chunk Opera House

(Photo - Stefan Johansson)