FOGHAT Celebrates 50th Anniversary With July Release Of 8 Days On The Road Live CD/DVD; "Road Fever" Video Streaming
June 17, 2021, 3 years ago
Legendary rockers Foghat - Roger Earl (founding member/drums), Bryan Bassett (lead guitar, formerly with Wild Cherry and Molly Hatchet), Charlie Huhn (lead guitar and lead vocals, formerly with Ted Nugent, Gary Moore, Victory, and Humble Pie), and Rodney O'Quinn (bass, formerly with the Pat Travers Band) - celebrate 50 years of rock n’ roll with 8 Days On The Road, a 14-track live performance that will be released as a double CD/DVD package on July 16 on their own Foghat Records label, distributed by Select-O-Hits (which is part of the Sun Records family and is owned by Sam Philips’ son and nephew).
Pre-orders are now available on these digital outlets, which includes an instant download of “Road Fever” with purchase, as well as a pre-save on Spotify. A video for the song can be seen below. The collection will also be available on 180 gram vinyl in the coming months.
Recorded on November 17, 2019 at Daryl’s House Club in Pawling, NY, the collection features the band’s biggest and most legendary hits, including “Slow Ride,” “I Just Want To Make Love To You,” “Fool For The City,” and so many others.
As original drummer Roger Earl explains, “Eight days on the road is more like 80,000 days on the road for us, but that’s OK, I love my job! It was a change and a real pleasure to play this particular small room. I explained to a couple of folks sitting down front as we were about to take the stage that we sweat a lot, and they might want to finish eating. They just grinned and said, ‘we’re ready.’ And so were we!”
“To play in a small intimate venue like Daryl’s club was really fun and something we don’t do often,” says lead guitarist Bryan Bassett. “Combine that with the fact that this venue has been fine-tuned for acoustics by the on-site recording professionals and this became a great place for us to play and record.”
While bassist Rodney O’Quinn shares, “In 2019, we were definitely living up to the title, 8 Days On The Road. Having played at Daryl's House once before, I remember that it was such a great sounding room. The energy in the room that night was electric, and the band was hitting on all cylinders.”
Singer/guitarist Charlie Huhn concludes, “Playing in an intimate club is so much more energetic and exciting, because as a performer, when you are close to the audience it’s as though you are really in there with them and they are onstage with you. This closeness feeds on you to bring out the best which is a very cool feeling. After playing in larger, more distant stage scenarios like fairs, festivals, casinos and theaters, it was really awesome to be right in with the audience. The close proximity lends an especially exuberant feel that is infectious, and this show was no exception.”
Formed in 1971 when “Lonesome” Dave Peverett and Roger Earl left the British blues-rock band, Savoy Brown, Foghat has earned eight Gold albums, one Platinum album and one Double-Platinum album. They’ve continued to release new music every few years and have never stopped touring and recording, although there have been several ups and downs, and lineup changes over the years. They sadly lost Lonesome Dave Peverett in 2000, Rod Price in 2005, and Craig Macgregor in 2018, but founding drummer Roger Earl kept the band’s musical legacy going.
If Foghat had only given us “Slow Ride,” the band’s place in rock history would be secure, but the band is so much more than that. As stated by Roger Earl, “We are still a ‘work in progress,’ writing and recording and plan to be until the day we depart this earth.”
The band has already started to work on a new Blues/Rock studio album to be released in 2022.
8 Days On The Road tracklisting:
"Drivin’ Wheel"
"Road Fever"
"Stone Blue"
"Fool For The City"
"It Hurts Me Too"
"Take Me To The River"
"Home In My Hand"
"8 Days On The Road"
"Chateau Lafitte ’59 Boogie"
"I Just Want To Make Love To You"
"Chevrolet"
"Maybellene"
"Play That Funky Music"
"Slow Ride"
"Road Fever" video:
Check out the band’s itinerary below, with more shows to be announced in the coming weeks on Foghat.com:
July
17 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre
23 - Walker, MN - Moondance Jam (with Cheap Trick and Todd Rundgren)
30 - The Woodlands, TX - Dosey Doe
August
7 - Danbury, WI - St. Croix Casino Danbury
13 - Eldon, MO - Shawnee Bluff Vineyard
14 - Granite City, IL - Nick’s Bar & Grill (outside)
21 - Canyonville, OR - Seven Feathers Casino Resort
27 - Kennewick, WA - Benton Franklin Fair 2020
September
4 - Mulvane, KS - Kansas Star Casino (w/ Atlanta Rhythm Section, Firefall and Pat Travers)
11 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
16 - Ocean City, MD - OC Bikefest (with George Thorogood & the Destroyers)
18 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
19 - West Springfield, MA - The Big E
23 - Ashland, KY - Paramount Arts Center
26 - Roanoke, VA - Berglund Performing Arts Theatre
October
2 - Ojai, CA - Ojai Nest Fest
9 - Port St. Lucie, FL - Mid Florida Credit Union Event Center
16 - Santa Fe, NM - Buffalo Thunder Resort
November
20 - Miami, FL - Magic City Casino
27 - Hiawassee, GA - Anderson Music Hall (with Night Ranger)
February
26 - Biloxi, MS - IP Casino Resort & Spa
October
29 - November 5 - Port Canaveral, FL - High Seas Rally 2022-Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas
(Top photo - Rick Pauline; Band photo - Elijah Shark)