INTERVIEW: Foghat finds its ‘Sonic Mojo’ on new album
Photo: Foghat features, from left, Scott Holt (lead vocals/lead guitar), Rodney O’Quinn (bass), Roger Earl (drums) and Bryan Bassett (lead/slide guitar). Photo courtesy of Jake Coughlin / Provided by ABC PR with permission.
Foghat, the classic rock band behind such hits as “Slow Ride” and “Fool for the City,” has been offering its sonic vibes to fans for more than 50 years. Today’s lineup looks a little different than it did back in the 1970s, but those vibes are still present and accounted for. In fact, the band refuses to sit back and simply play the hits; they continue to produce new music.
The group’s latest record, their first in seven years, is called Sonic Mojo, featuring the singles “Drivin’ On,” “She’s a Little Bit of Everything” and “I Don’t Appreciate You.”
Foghat began in earnest back in 1971 when Lonesome Dave Peverett and Roger Earl left Savoy Brown to start a new band, according to the group’s official biography. Earl, the drummer, remains the only original member still in the group. He’s joined by guitarist Bryan Bassett, who is also the band’s engineer and producer; guitarist Scott Holt, who is also the lead singer, taking over those duties from Charlie Huhn; and bassist Rodney O’Quinn.
“They were actually starting to work on the record when I joined the band,” Holt said in a recent phone interview. “In fact, I was in Florida at their studio doing some writing with Roger and Bryan when Charlie decided to retire, so I was already in the camp as far as being a co-writer on a lot of their stuff. I had done a couple of fill-in dates when he couldn’t make a gig, so I have been around the camp since … 2014. It was a natural progression for me to join the band.”
One of Holt’s favorite tunes on the new album is “Drivin’ On,” which the group has been playing live at their shows these past few weeks. He reported that the audiences have enjoyed hearing the song alongside the classic hits.
“I love it because Kim Simmonds [of Savoy Brown] wrote it especially for us,” he said. “That was a real cool feather in the cap to have him take the time to write some songs for us. I like the way the song came together. It started out with just me and Roger in the studio listening to the demo, which was just Kim and an acoustic guitar, if I remember right. We both looked at each other and said, ‘Well, let’s channel Slim Harpo on this and see what we get.’ So Slim Harpo with a little dash of John Lee Hooker, and you’ve got ‘Drivin’ On.'”
For Holt, whether the band is bringing to life a 50-year-old composition or breaking out the new tunes from Sonic Mojo, a Foghat concert is defined by the conviction of the players on stage. That’s what links old and new, in his mind.
“I think it’s all in the amount of conviction that the artist puts into it because we were talking about the fact that there are some bands that kind of reach a point where they rest on their laurels and play their hits, and Foghat certainly has enough songs in their catalog to do that,” he said. “But we’re really a band, and we’re continuing to move forward. When we play shows, it’s a mix of the classics that the fans want to hear and new material we want to put forth for them. We play it all with the same conviction and the same energy, and people seem to dig it.”
Holt counted himself as a fan of Foghat before he joined the band. In fact, he grew up listening to the iconic riffs on “Slow Ride” and “I Just Want to Make Love to You.” “Those were the soundtrack to my youth, you know, so having a chance to play the songs with the drummer that actually played on all those songs and work with the guys that I get to work with is just a blessing,” he said. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”
One of the coolest bullet points on Holt’s résumé is his time playing with Buddy Guy, who is currently on his farewell tour. The legendary blues guitarist taught Holt many important facts about music and life.
“That was a tremendous blessing,” Holt said. “That was my first gig. I had never been away from home. I didn’t know anything. I was just a green kid, and Buddy took me under his wing and showed me the world, taught me everything that I know.”
Holt has always loved the blues, and that love is evident on Sonic Mojo.
“I heard Jimi Hendrix, and I said I have got to have a guitar, and I’ve got to play like Jimi Hendrix,” he said. “And then through listening to Jimi Hendrix’s music, I started going back and saying, well, OK, who’s he into? That’s how I’ll figure out how to play the guitar, and I’d read old interviews with him. And he was talking about B.B. King. He was talking about Muddy Waters, and he mentioned Buddy Guy. And so I started listening to the blues at that point, and it just became my soundtrack. And so when I got in Buddy’s band, I was a hardcore blues aficionado. I didn’t think about any other kinds of music, and I thought, well, I’ll get in this band with these blues guys, and they’re all going to be listening to the blues, too. The funny thing was they weren’t listening to the blues because it was already part of their DNA, too, so they were listening to Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder and African music and jazz. So it gave me a deeper appreciation for all forms of music, but the blues was there from the beginning.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Foghat, featuring Scott Holt on lead guitars and lead vocals, recently released its new album, Sonic Mojo. Click here for more information.
