Blues rock guitarist returns for show at Fraze Pavilion
It has been 17 years since Joe Bonamassa’s debut, “A New Day Yesterday, was released. He tours relentlessly taking his incendiary blues rock to fans around the globe, including a return to Fraze Pavilion in Kettering on Friday, Aug. 18.
Even with that hectic schedule, the celebrated guitarist has released 12 studio albums, 15 live albums and a variety of collaborations. Bonamassa’s latest, “Live at Carnegie Hall: An Acoustic Evening,” was released on June 23.
“It’s a different take on the songs, so it’s a lot of fun,” he said in a recent telephone interview. “That was a ninepiece band and everybody came from different parts of the world. It was a very good experience. We try to record all the cool venues we play. The live albums do fine. It’s a good catalog item and it’s a good experience for the fans. The true sense of the band is what we do live more so than in the studio.”
Bonamassa, who releases a new studio album about every 18 months, has already recorded the follow-up to 2016’s “Blues of Desperation.”
“I finished the new studio album last month,” he said. “I recorded that in Nashville. Just because you see white spots in my touring calendar it doesn’t mean I’m not working. I couldn’t say for sure when it will be released but probably sometime next year. The songs are written and that’s the hardest part.
“I budget my time to write stuff,” Bonamassa continued. “I have a place in California and a place in Nashville. I do a lot of my writing in Nashville, which is my primary residence at the moment. My girlfriend lives there so life in general has led me to a 615 area code as opposed to a 310. Most of my band lives there, too, so it’s been a transition this year.”
Black Country Communion, Bonamassa’s hard rock side project with Glenn Hughes (vocals, bass), Derek Sherinian (keyboards) and Jason Bonham (drums), is releasing its fourth album in September.
“It’s a totally different animal from what I do in my day job,” Bonamassa said. “It’s a fun band to be in. It allows me to exercise my inner-’70swannabe-rock star.”
For now, Bonamassa is focused on the live show.
“It’s good to be working,” he said. “I’ve got a nine-piece band and we’re doing a lot of original stuff this tour. We’re still getting the set list
IF YOU GO
Joe Bonamassa Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18 $89-$125 in advance, $94-$130 at the door 937-2963300 or www.fraze.com https:// jbonamassa.com where we want it, but it’s a fun show. We have a good grasp of what we’re doing and what we want to be.”