Musical journey through back catalog plus selections from recent recordings on tap
Wishbone Ash, one of the most influential guitar bands in the history of rock, bring it to their North American fans on the 2016 “Take It Back” Tour. As they celebrate their 47th anniversary at shows from Denver, CO, to New York City, the guys will present time-honored classics and deep tracks from the back catalog, as well as material from recent recordings.
“We'd like to
mix it up a little,” says founding member Andy Powell. “Perhaps include a
different epic instrumental, dust off a couple of the old
harmony-driven songs, feature an unexpected track from our latest album,
'Blue Horizon.'”
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.”
Wishbone Ash
is led by Powell on guitar and vocals, trading licks with Finnish
guitar master Muddy Manninen. Bassist Bob Skeat, an 19-year veteran of
the band, sets the pace with Joe Crabtree, one of the best of Britain’s
new breed of drummers, himself an 8-year Ash veteran who also handles a lot of the band's tech requirements.
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.”
There is no other rock band in history that has done more with the twin guitar concept than The Ash. Be sure to catch them on the Take It Back Tour this September. Tour dates and more information can be found at www.wishboneash.com.
WISHBONE ASH “Take It Back” Tour North America September 2016
SEPT 8 Denver CO Soiled Dove
SEPT 9 Colorado Springs CO Stargazers
SEPT 10 Kansas City MO Knuckleheads
SEPT 12 Milwaukee WI Pabst Theatre – Turner Hall
SEPT 13 Minneapolis MN Famous Dave’s
SEPT 16 Edwardsville IL Wildey Theatre
SEPT 17 St. Charles IL Arcada Theatre
SEPT 18 Auburn Hills MI Callahan’s
SEPT 19 Fort Wayne IN C2G Music Hall
SEPT 20 Pittsburgh PA Rex Theater
SEPT 21 Buffalo NY Sportsmen’s Tavern
SEPT 22 Albany NY The Upper Room
SEPT 23 Jim Thorpe PA Mauch Chunk Opera House
SEPT 24 Norfolk CT Infinity Hall
SEPT 25 Londonderry NH Tupelo Music Hall
SEPT 26 Annapolis MD Rams Head
SEPT 27 Sellersville PA Sellersville Theater
SEPT 28 New York NY Highline Ballroom
SEPT 29 Pawling NY Daryl's House Club
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