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| British rock legends Wishbone Ash announce spring tour supporting 'Blue Horizon' According to a press release made available on Friday morning, Wishbone Ash, an influential British rock band incidentally marking their 45th anniversary, will soon return to North America to showcase brand new tunes from their latest album, Blue Horizon. Nicknamed "The Blue Horizon Tour, " the first leg begins April 15 in Florida and winds south and west before heading northward through the Pacific West Coast and Canada. The trek will celebrate the return of the band to areas not visited in many years. The group delights fans with high-energy performances featuring a vast catalog spanning decades of music-making. "I thought, why not ring the bell to see if our fans in the South and Southwest would come out and join the party, " says bandleader and founding member Andy Powell. "We hope our long-lost fans will come check out what we've been doing, which has been continuously touring, recording and rehearsing. The band has a fire in its belly, and we want to share that." Formed in 1969 a scant year after Led Zeppelin, many listeners became devoted disciples of Wishbone Ash after hearing their electrifying brew of hard rock, jazz, blues, acoustic folk, and prog rock on college campuses or then-burgeoning FM radio, a free-form format where deejays played any song on an album that struck their fancy. A favorite in Europe almost immediately after the release of their self-titled 1970 debut, it took three years before America finally caught up with the commotion on the best-selling Wishbone Four record. Surprisingly, the group never experienced a hit single. For evidence of the band at their zenith, give a listen to the medieval-inspired "Warrior, " an epic six-minute rock track from their 1972 masterpiece, Argus. The band has to its credit 24 original studio recordings, 10 live albums and four live DVDs including a rockumentary entitled This is Wishbone Ash. The band is currently led by Powell on guitar and vocals, who trades licks with Finland's guitar wizard Muddy Manninen. Bassist Bob Skeat, a 17-year veteran of the band and in-demand studio musician, sets the pace with Joe Crabtree, one of the best of Britain's new breed of drummers whose performance credits include Pendragon and David Cross of King Crimson. "The band basically lives together year-round, so we have a very strong level of communication that translates in our performances and recordings, " remarks Powell. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest have all cited the original, legendary twin-guitar approach of Wishbone Ash as a primary influence on their style. Longtime fans and new converts will find that The Ash offers an undeniable concert experience. Complete tour dates and more information can be found by visiting the band's official website. write your comments about the article :: © 2014 Jazz News :: home page |