PETER NORTH MUSIC

The latest theme project for Front Porch Roots Revue rides under the banner, Classic Country Rock.

As many as seven members of the Front Porch family rip across the Classic Country Rock songbook, drawing on tunes from The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Linda Ronstadt, The Band, Commander Cody, k.d. lang and the reclines and more.

With a cast that includes the Front Porch “Core Four”, Ron Rault, Crawdad Cantera, Gord Matthews and Thom Moon, the quartet has been joined by long-time Front Porch alumni from show to show including

J. R. Shore, Karla Anderson, One Horse Blue lead singer Ian Oscar, Bobby Cameron, and keyboard ace Garth Kennedy.

“This is music that hasn’t been mined much in recent years and it is such a deep well of material. I think we’re onto something, bringing some of these tunes back,” says Front Porch bassist/singer Ron Rault.

“J.R’s second disc on his State Theatre release was a great take on some of that material and we just keep adding tunes to the list. You can see audience members singing along as we go through Linda Ronstadt’s When Will I Be Loved, Ray Willie Hubbard’s Redneck Mother or k.d.’s Hanky Panky. Gord Matthews was an original member of k.d.’s reclines and he co-wrote Hanky Panky so there’s a great connection to that song,” added Rault.

Classic Country Rock earned rave reviews as it debuted at Festival Place in Sherwood Park and The Ironwood Stage and Grill in 2016.

Dates during Calgary Stampede 2018, and the Centrefield Festival in St. Paul are just a couple that have been added to the Front Porch itinerary as are early 2019 dates with special guest and former Byrd John York. York was at the epicenter of the country-rock explosion when he cut albums like Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde and Ballad of Easy Rider with The Byrds.

Stay tuned for updates on Classic Country Rock.