LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ Republic Records) - When one thinks of the original Woodstock Festival, classic performances of such bands as the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, and
Santana immediately come to mind. But one group that handed in one of the festival's show-stopping (and certainly, one of the most rocking) performances was Ten Years After, who subsequently built a sizeable fanbase of people starved for classic blues rock. Now, 40 years after the group's original formation, Ten Years After - Joe Gooch (vocals, lead guitar), Chick Churchill (keyboards), Leo Lyons (bass guitar), and Ric Lee (drums, no relation to Alvin) - is rocking the tour trail once more.
During the group's first go-round (from 1967 to 1974), the focal point of Ten Years After was guitar hero/singer Alvin Lee. It was the Lee-fronted line-up that rocked Woodstock, and also scored several hits (tops on the list being "I'd Love to Change the World" and "I'm Going Home") as well as the hit albums 'Sssh' (1969), 'Cricklewood Creek' (1970), and 'A Space in Time' (1971), before splitting up. The group reunited briefly in the late '80s, before going their separate ways once more. Come the early 21st century, Ric Lee had unearthed a gem from the vaults, 'Live at the Fillmore East' (from 1970), which got the band members considering another go 'round. With Alvin Lee the only member not willing to move forward, Gooch stepped in, and the group has been a lean, mean, rockin' machine ever since.
"It's better - has more of a band feel than before" explains Ric Lee about the Gooch-fronted Ten Years After. "The energy level is frightening from three old bastards and a young dude who is able to play the signature licks, and yet impart his own original stamp on everything." Lyons adds that the move to replace Alvin was out of necessity to keep the band alive, but has worked out for the best. "Alvin Lee did not have the enthusiasm to tour. Joe joining Ten Years After has been a very positive thing and has given the band a renewed energy. I think the band is now playing like it did when the fire was first lit way back in 1967. We have more fun on stage than we've ever had and it shows in our music."
And although it's been 40 years since Ten Years After first took shape, the upcoming Anniversary Tour will show the quartet is still firing on all cylinders. "We're determined to give them as good a time as we have playing for them," says Lyons. "It's a real pleasure to be back on tour. We'll play a selection of the most requested songs from our earlier records plus new material from 'Now' (2004) and 'Roadworks' (2005). We'll also be slipping in some as-yet-unrecorded material. After the show we'll come out to meet our fans and sign any albums or CD's they bring along."
And if the upcoming tour wasn't enough to satisfy longtime fans, Lee unveiled that the group is also currently hard at work on an all-new studio set. "Writing is going on as we speak, and a new album should surface in early 2008. The music will no doubt still have a blues base but will move forward from where 'Now' and 'Roadworks' left off."
After the 40th Anniversary Tour winds down, Ten Years After plans on finishing off the forthcoming album, before hitting the road again, says Lyons. "The 40th Anniversary tour runs until May 2008 and travels all over the world. It's a heavy commitment. We plan to release at least one DVD and one studio CD. After that I guess we'll start the 41st Anniversary tour. We all enjoy playing."
In addition to U.S. dates, Ten Years After also plans on performing this year in such exotic locales as the Far East, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. According to Lee, expect to be rocked. "A powerful, ass-kicking Ten Years After - playing old and new like the fans have not seen or heard before."
Confirmed Ten Years After tour dates:
May 23 Sellersville, PA Sellersville Theater
May 24 Roanoke, VA Festival In The Park
May 25 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's
Jun 15 Chattanooga, TN Riverbend Festival
Jul 11 New York, NY B.B. King's
Jul 12 Northampton, MA Iron Horse
Jul 13 Ottawa, Canada Ottawa Blues Festival
Jul 15 Milton, Canada Escarpment Blues Festival
Jul 17 Detroit, MI Magic Bag
Jul 20 Huntington, NY IMAC Theater
Jul 21 Annapolis, MD Rams Head
