Long Slow Ride
Drummer Roger Earl gets his fix with Foghat By Marshall Terrill
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ritish rocker Roger Earl admits that after all these years, he’s still under the influence of a powerful narcotic – music. “I never got wasted before a show, but mind you, I played with a few hangovers,” the legendary drummer and co-founder of Foghat says. “That’s not entirely a lot of fun, especially playing drums. “Music is enough fun on its own. Music is a drug. Once you start it and it gets in your blood, you can’t stop. I’m a fortunate individual being able to do something I can enjoy, and I’m not sure if precious is the right word, but it’s something close to that.” The 70-year-old Earl spoke from his Florida recording studio, Boogie Motel South, to promote Foghat’s concert at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino. Formed in 1971, Foghat has earned one platinum, one double-platinum and eight gold records. The band’s 1975 hit,
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“Slow Ride,” is considered one of the 100 greatest rock tunes. “The whole song literally came from a jam, and when it became an actual song, it hardly changed at all,” Earl recalls. “When we recorded it in the studio in Vermont, about halfway through the song when we get to the middle break, the power went out. When we came back a week later, we played the tape and picked it up where we left off and finished the end part.” The band was no one-hit wonder, and its blend of British blues and rock made Foghat a mainstay of 1970s FM. “We never tried to analyze what we did, and the only message we had for our fans was to ‘boogie,’” Earl says. “We’re a rock ‘n’ roll band, and our only duties are to play as best as we can and to entertain our fans.” While the band’s popularity tapered off in the early 1980s, Foghat has seen an uptick in the last decade thanks to clas-
sic rock radio, movie soundtracks, TV commercials and “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” which features “Slow Ride.” The (Special to Lovin’ Life After 50) game introduced a British rocker Roger Earl mans the drums for Foghat. younger generation of fans to Foghat. “At my age, what am I going to do? Sit “We have lots of people in their late teens, twenties and thirties coming to around and twiddle my thumbs or play our shows,” Earl says. “Most of the drums in a rock ‘n’ roll band?” Earl says. young folks that I talk to say that either “I think the second option sounds much their older siblings or parents turned more reasonable, don’t you?” them onto us.” Not one to rest on its laurels, Foghat continues to produce new music. Last Where: Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino’s year, the band released “Under the InOvations Live Showroom, 5040 Wild Horse fluence,” a 12-track recording that was Pass Boulevard, Chandler three years in the making. Three more When: Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m. Foghat-related recordings, including Cost: $27-$80 Earl’s other band, Earl and the AgitaMore info: 800.946.4452, wingilariver.com tors, will see the light of day in 2017.
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