INTERVIEW: During the pandemic, Foghat took a ‘Slow Ride,’ and now they’re back
Photo: Foghat consists of, from left, Bryan Bassett, Roger Earl, Rodney O’Quinn and Charlie Huhn. Photo courtesy of Mark Petrocelli / Provided by ABC Publicity with permission.
Foghat, one of the most cherished classic rock bands in history, had a somewhat quiet time this past year. The COVID-19 pandemic kept them off the road, enjoying the simpler things in life and staying safe from this deadly virus. Now that concert venues are opening back up again, the band behind such hits as “Slow Ride,” “Fool for the City” and “I Just Want to Make Love to You” are back with an expansive tour that includes a Sept. 11 show at the Paramount in Huntington, New York.
London native Roger Earl, who has been sitting behind the drum kit for the past 50 years, has been a steady presence in the rock band. He has been enjoying his time during this summer of touring, and he’s particularly excited about Foghat’s new live recording, called 8 Days on the Road, which was recorded at Daryl’s House Club in Pawling, New York.
“We want to let people know we have this new live album out, and actually we’re very pleased with it,” Earl said in a recent phone interview. “It’s also our 50th anniversary, so we’ve got a couple things going for us this year.”
The live album was actually recorded at the end of 2019. The band performed a few shows in the early days of 2020, and then, well, all hell broke loose. Their last show was at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, and then came an unexpected break of 18 months.
“Actually it was the first time I had a year and a half off since I was 12,” Earl said. “Even then I worked after school. … I feel a little bad about saying this. I had a good time. I was home for the first time in years, went fishing. I live on a houseboat out on Long Island, grew the garden … and I’m eating the vegetables from my garden instead of the deer and the raccoons snatching everything, mowed the lawn, fixed some stuff on the house. Actually it was very relaxing. First of all, I practice everyday, either on my pads and pedals, or I sit at the drums at least two or three times a week.”
The experience of being home and off the road wasn’t all bliss. Earl was also away from his band members, who are some of his closest friends. Three members live in Florida, which is like a world away when society is under quarantine. It was only recently that they came together and were able to see one another in person.
“We got together about two months down there,” he said. “It was very emotional because we spent a lot of time together. We were all pretty tight. We played for about three hours in a studio in DeLand, Florida, and afterward we sat down and had a couple libations and hung out. It was very emotional. It was a real tough year I know for a lot of people. We didn’t lose anybody in our immediate family, but we lost some people that we were friends with. It was a rough time.”
Earl is trying to stay positive and focus on the future. That future includes the Paramount gig on Sept. 11. He loves this particular theater because of its acoustics, and also he doesn’t live too far away. So it’s something of a hometown show for him.
“It’s always special when we play locally,” Earl said. “This is where I live, so the last time we played the Paramount was about two years ago I think. It’s a really cool room, great-sounding room. The people are terrific, and I get to see friends that I haven’t seen. … I get to see people and faces I haven’t seen because everybody gets busy with life. It’s going to be terrific. I’m really looking forward to it actually.”
He added: “I still get chills when we walk out on stage. I’m fine after I do the first count and we start the song, but I’m one of the fortunate few in this world that gets to earn a decent living in something I really love doing.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Foghat will play Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Paramount in Huntington, New York. Click here for more information and tickets.
