BY MIKE METTLER – JULY 18, 2018
Schoolmaster Hodgson, with guitar. Photo by Rob Shanahan.
Roger Hodgson, vocalist, singer/songwriter, and co-founder of Supertramp, is back on tour in North America for a series of dates that will run through November. (See the list of those dates below.) His acuity for sound quality has always appealed to me as both a sonic appreciator and critical listener, in addition to being a fan of his music in general.
In an interview we conducted in September 2007, Hodgson told me, “The art of space in recordings can’t be overlooked. What you don’t play is just as important as what you do play.” And even back then, Hodgson was in favor of hi-res audio, another personal and professional passion of mine: “The highs and the depth of our recordings are taken out or just missing from MP3s. Lossless formats give you the best quality.”
(BTW, I do plan on running the entirety of that interview here on The SoundBard site to coincide with the cumulative 2019 anniversaries I’ve noted above, so stay tuned for that.)
In the clip below, Roger discusses the nuances of his songwriting process:
The scope of Hodgson’s songcraft cannot be underestimated. Witness the breadth of composition of the following tracks: “Give a Little Bit,” “The Logical Song,” “Dreamer,” “Take the Long Way Home,” “Breakfast in America,” “It’s Raining Again,” “School,” “Hide in Your Shell,” “Fool’s Overture,” “Had a Dream,” and “In Jeopardy,” just to name a few. Me, I’m also partial to early tracks like “Surely,” “It’s a Long Road,” “Words Unspoken,” and “Try Again,” all from Supertramp’s self-titled (and super-underrated!) 1970 debut album.
No matter where you land on the Hodgson scale, one thing’s for sure: He always gives more than just a little bit.
ROGER HODGSON – OFFICIAL SITE & SOCIALS
https://www.Facebook.com/RogerHodgson
https://www.Twitter.com/RogerHodgson
https://www.YouTube.com/RogerHodgson
https://www.Instagram.com/RogerHodgson
ROGER HODGSON – JULY 2018 TOUR DATES
July 18 Englewood, NJ, USA On Sale
July 20 Rimouski, Canada On Sale
July 21 Sherbrooke, Canada On Sale
July 24 San Diego, CA, USA On Sale
July 25 Costa Mesa, CA, USA On Sale
July 27 Coarsegold, CA, USA On Sale
July 28 Snoqualmie, WA, USA SOLD OUT
Other 2018 tour dates (and some 2019 dates, too!) can be found here.
Thanks Mike I’ll stay tuned. Roger Hodgson is a master composer and it’s great we’re starting to get more shows in the U.S. I look forward to your next post.
Thank you for the news! I cannot wait to see my favorite artist, Roger Hodgson, live in concert again. He is truly the soul and spirt of the band he founded, Supertramp. There is nothing better than seeing Roger performing his songs that I could hear every day and never tire of – Give a Little Bit, Dreamer, Take the Long Way Home, The Logical Song, Breakfast in America, and so many more. Counting the days until the California shows.