Photo: Justin McWilliams
On the occasion of the concert of John Fogerty and his band inside from the Cap Roig festival (Friday 19th July, tickets here) Pau Peñalver was cited with Shane and Tyler Fogertytwo of his six children, to chat about ‘The Celebration Tour’which is taking them with their father around the world, and the plans they have for the future. The two have a band called Hearty Har which acts as the opening act on most of the tour dates, except for events such as the festival that will be held in Calella de Palafrugell (Girona), and it is its only date in our country.
You played in Saratoga yesterday. How is the tour going?
(Shane) “It was great. It was an incredible event. And the fans were some of the best on tour so far.”
How do you feel about being a Fogerty? Is it a blessing or a curse?
(Tyler) “I think the experience is just kind of intense, on both sides of the spectrum, but it feels like a natural intensity, I don’t know. I feel like it helps you have a much more exciting experience of things that happen in your life. Because we’ve seen and experienced great things, you know.”
John Fogerty. Photo: Lee Cherry
You are six Fogerty brothers. You could form your own band, like Kings Of Leon.
(T) “We already have it. Her name is Hearty Har and we are all members of my father’s band. We like rock from the sixties and seventies, reggae, soul, psychedelic soundtracks. We have the doors open for what we want to record. We have our own studio and do all the recording ourselves, and most of the artwork. So we’re pretty busy. “There are no people to help us, we have only thought about how to do it, so we are doing it.”
(S) “Yes, but we are usually quite busy. My father is 79 and he is still playing because he has had the publishing rights to all his songs returned to him. So what he is really doing is celebrating the Creedence Clearwater Revival catalogue. Bringing those songs back has given it a new life.”
Photo: Mike Morgan
Tell me a little more about these rights that you have recovered.
(S) “Actually, it was a couple of years away, but he made a deal with the record company to get them a little earlier so he could get control of everything back and not have to wait. He’s reclaimed a legacy of songs he made when he was 22. He’s just come full circle in his life and now he wants to celebrate those songs and that gives him life. It’s amazing to play on stage with him and celebrate that huge catalogue. And if you have Hearty Har as a backing band on top of that, it’s even more fun.”
The Cap Roig festival is John Fogerty’s only date in Spain. Will you play the same 18 songs as always?
(T) “I don’t think so. It will be a new list of songs. And we’ve learned some new songs and some forgotten cuts from the early days.”
Let’s talk about covers because I’ve seen some by Ray Charles.
(S) “We do some cuts that were stored away in the memory box. Like for example “Fight Fire” by The Golliwogs. Yes, that was the band our father had before Creedence. And yes, you’re right, we play a song called “Night Time is the Right Time”, written by Roosevelt Sykes, made popular by Ray Charles. We’ll see if we play some more.”
I know you are fans of Blink-182’s punk rock. What do you think of his return?
(S) “Yeah, I think I’m the one who’s talked about my love for Blink-182. We were skateboarders and we’d listen to the soundtrack to Tony Hawk’s: The Offspring, The Vines and Blink-182. I think it’s great that they’re back with Tom. There are a lot of people our age who loved that music as kids and to be able to see it live and celebrate it is wonderful. I think it’s good music, they’ve got good songs and they really connect with people.”
Photo: Mike Morgan
How many times have you played in Spain with your father?
(T) “Not many, just a couple of times, I would say. The last time we came was in 2018, maybe. I would say it was a festival that took place in the north. I would swear it was in Bilbao. (ed: we imagine he is talking about Azkena). And everything was great.”
What do you like most about playing in Spain?
(S) “We enjoy playing in Europe. The audience response is very different than in the States. It’s a mix of feelings. The passion here is different. The audience there is more focused. Still, I think there are more young people now, for some reason parents are passing on their passion for Creedence to their children. We make great music and we love playing in Spain. We’re excited to come here because the feedback from the audience is so positive that it makes us want to play harder and enjoy ourselves as a united community.”
The Cap Roig festival welcomes you for the first time. Do you know it?
(T) “The festival is held in a very unique place near the beach. But we won’t be able to enjoy the surroundings because this summer we have such a tight schedule that we are going directly home. I think we will play in Canada immediately afterward” . (Ndr: According to the tour announced on its official website, the next stop is in the United States, but the festival is its only date in Spain and the last of the European tour).
Can you define John Fogerty, first as a musician and, second, as a father?
(S) “I would say it’s the same, I don’t know. He’s been a great father to us all our lives. He’s really been there for us and for us. I think he thinks as a father first and then as a musician. It’s great that we can now play rock on stage and do it as a band. It’s a unique moment.”
And are there going to be future plans for you and the band?
(S) “Yes, we are working on the new studio. We just set up the new recording studio last year. We are probably halfway there songwriting-wise. It is a continuation of what we did on the last album, but maybe a little more focused.”
Let’s talk about the pandemic. It’s been four years, but it was a blessing on a creative level.
(T) “Yeah, we made our first album, ‘Radio Astro,’ and it took us like four years to get it done. Then we signed a deal with BMG, and then the pandemic wiped everything out. So the release was postponed, we had to change all our plans to go south and the infrastructure got blurred and basically when the album came out they didn’t even give us any publicity or offer us any dates to play. They didn’t give us any money to support that release. Now on a group level we’re like dead fish in the water. It’s like nobody talks to us and we don’t exist.”
Photo: Mike Morgan
Are you talking about your band or John Fogerty’s band?
(T) “Our band, of course. It’s called Hearty Har. It’s always been clear to us that the heart comes first and then the mind. We’re emotional people and it’s a bit of love and a bit of humor. We want to confuse you, but that’s our spirit. If you listen to our music, I think you’ll understand it better.”
Haven’t you asked your father about going on tour together?
(S) “That’s what we’re doing now. The thing is that they haven’t scheduled us as an opening act at Cap Roig. We want it and we want it, but you’d have to talk about it with my father and the promoter. In Berlin we’ll take advantage of the opportunity to do our own concert. It will be the only concert in Europe.”
I promise to listen to you and thank you for your time..
(T) “It was a pleasure talking to you, my friend. Bye, see you soon.”
Listen to John Fogerty, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Hearty Har on Spotify:
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