Foghat's Roger Earl: Live & Amplified EXCLUSIVE Interview
Updated: Jun 15, 2020
Last week, Live and Amplified's Tom Kwiat had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Foghat drummer, Roger Earl. With the band since its founding in 1971, Roger Earl still tours with the group today. That's dedication! Watch the full interview below:
Over the course of Foghat's career thus far, the group has achieved eight gold records, one platinum record, and one double platinum record.
The band is best know for their hit, "Slow Ride," featuring a groovy bass line by Nick Jameson, some sick slide guitar by Rod Price, and a gradually accelerating tempo headed up by none other than Roger Earl himself. The song was released in 1975 on Bearsville Records and was named 45th "Best Hard Rock" song of all time by VH1 in 2009.
Tom's connection with Roger Earl comes through his father, who flew and delivered the plane [pictured below] to Foghat that was used in the photoshoot for their fourth studio album, "Rock and Roll Outlaws." Small world!
Read on for some highlights from Roger Earl's interview with Live and Amplified:
On the current quarantine situation: "I've been quarantined with my wife. This is the first time that I've ever had April, May, June, and possibly July off. Everybody's on forced vacation; everybody in the band is okay. I don't want to put the crew or the band in any kind of forced danger, or else they won't be able to rock n' roll at all! I'm going fishing, I've got the garden done, I mowed the lawn [...]"
On Foghat's touring: "We [still] do between 60-70 shows a year."
On practicing: "I practice every day. I live in a houseboat and I have a practice kit upstairs. I'm learning some different stuff on the drums. I practice every day for one or two hours, sometimes more if I get into something. I'm relearning some stuff. You know, the thing is with playing drums, there are mechanics of actually playing. Your head, hands, and feet, they've all got to function. You have to be able to function physically."
On the band's craft: "It's serious. We take it seriously. This is what we love. Musicians are the way that they are because they want to learn how to play. They have a passion for music. I'm fortunate. I always played in great bands with great musicians right from the beginning. That stays with me. I take pride in what I do. I am one of those fortunate individuals who gets to earn a decent living doing what I enjoy."
On wine: "We have our own wine brand which is really cool. It's a lot of fun. We got into the wine business a few years back - 1995, I think. We met a winemaker out in California and he came to see us because he was a fan of Foghat's music. He emailed our manager and asked if we would be interested in making our own wine and [I] said, 'Yes, please.'"
On staying sober while playing: "We have a rule in the band - you don't do anything beforehand. Maybe if it's like 90 degrees out, having a couple of sips of beer or whatever before you hit the stage, that's not illegal. But getting inebriated, nobody does that. Afterward though, lookout."
Be sure to check out the interview for much more content!
Full Podcast here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5CE5178htY6f8lm0Ocugoj?si=-x_Yty6dRuWkde6n8jWRFg
Alisha Peru
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