American blues royalty, Canned Heat, have been going strong for forty years. Drummer, Fito de la Parra, has been with them for all but the first of those years. De la Parra spoke to us recently and told us the secret of the longevity
From the beginning when I joined the band I thought it was a wonderful band, and that it was the best thing to happen in my life. I believe in the message the band has, and I have been happy to stay with them for forty years. I’ve certainly played with other artists: for instance, for a while, I was playing with the John Lee Hooker band. And although Canned Heat takes up most of my time, I do play some jazz sessions, which i organize out of my house. These are open to all sorts of musicians, professional or not. We just play for the pleasure of playing.
Canned Heat are currently touring Canada and will be hitting Australia later this month. We asked Fito what fans can expect from the band on this tour.
We have a great quartet right now. This line-up has basically been together for eight years: Larry Taylor, one of the best bass players in the world; John Paulus is a bass player, guitarist and singer, who used to play with John Mayall; and Dale Spalding, a great guitarist and harmonica player. Audiences will see four, seasoned musicians, playing at their best. We’ll be playing some stuff from older albums and also some new stuff. And we are really looking forward to playing in Australia. I especially enjoy playing in Adelaide.
The boys kick off their Australian tour on October 21st in Eumundi, Queensland, and hit Adelaide on Sunday November 1st for a gig at The Gov.
This is a night-of-nights for blues fans. Grab a ticket now. It’s selling fast.
Interviewed by Tracey Korsten
http://www.cannedheatmusic.com/
http://www.thegov.com.au/index.php/gig_guide/gig/e53749
http://www.metropolistouring.com/tour.php?tour=2015-cannedheat
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