Hodgson Joins Efforts to ‘Give a Little Bit’ to Red Cross

Nov. 7, 2012 Roger Hodgson, Legendary Voice of Supertramp, Announces Changes to ‘Breakfast in America’ Tour Schedule Due to Hurricane Sandy Hodgson Joins Efforts to ‘Give a Little Bit’ to Red Cross     Prompted by the damaging impact of Hurricane Sandy to the East Coast, legendary songwriter and vocalist ROGER HODGSON of the group Supertramp, announced several changes to the North American leg of his popular “Breakfast in America” tour, which resumes tomorrow, including fundraising for the Red Cross. "We have been closely following the effects and recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy and our sympathy goes out to all of those whose lives have been affected.” Roger Hodgson commented. “Knowing the challenges that many people are currently facing, we are working with each promoter to reschedule shows and to find ways to 'give a little bit' to help the local communities.”    Hodgson’s song, “Give a Little Bit” was used this week during ABC TV’s “Day of Giving” telethon encouraging all of us to reach out to the victims of Hurricane Sandy by giving whatever we can to the Red Cross. Click here for the lyrics. A portion of proceeds from Roger Hodgson’s Nov. 8 concert at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ will be donated to the American Red Cross. Tickets for all rescheduled shows will be honored on their new dates, and Hodgson will be offering a special bonus surprise at certain venues for current ticket holders!  So hold onto your tickets! Roger Hodgson co-founded Supertramp in 1969. His current Breakfast in America Tour celebrates his band’s top selling album, which sold over 25 million copies and was #1 worldwide. The current tour, his first US tour with a band in 30 years, features all his self-penned hit songs - “The Logical Song,” “Breakfast in America,” “Give a Little Bit,”  “Dreamer,” “School,” “Take the Long Way Home,” “It's Raining Again,” and “Fool's Overture” and many more…. Click below to hear Roger Hodgson’s classic “Give a Little Bit,” which he has again offered to the Red Cross in support of Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, as he did with Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Tsunami. The song captures a humanitarian spirit which at times like these, is an inspiring reminder of the difference we can all make by ‘giving a little bit’ to support these charitable organizations in their extraordinary relief efforts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWhqs-fvLpI ROGER HODGSON “BREAKFAST IN AMERICA” TOUR DATES: Nov 1 Westbury, NY Theatre at Westbury  - Rescheduled – New date to be announced Nov 7 Englewood, NJ Bergen PAC  - Rescheduled – New date to be announced Nov 8 Morristown, PA Mayo Performing Arts Center Nov 9 Shippensburg, PA Shippensburg University – H. Ric Luhrs PAC Nov 13 Carmel, IN Center for the Performing Arts – The Palladium Nov 16 Orillia, ON, Canada Casino Rama Nov 17 Orillia, ON, Canada Casino Rama Nov 18 Windsor, ON Canada Caesars Windsor Nov 20 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre Jan 13 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse See Roger’s website for his full tour schedule or the events page on Facebook. Click here for a video montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzrd3PmVCkw Visit Roger online at: www.RogerHodgson.com www.facebook.com/RogerHodgsonOfficial www.twitter.com/RogerHodgson www.YouTube.com/MrRogerHodgson      # # # For additional press information, please contact: Renee Pfefer, On Tour PR, 914-273-0007; Renee@ontourpr.com Randy Alexander, Randex Communications, (856) 596-1410; Randex@randexpr.com

Q&A: Roger Hodgson Story by John Voket SoundSpike Contributor Published November 5, 2012 06:56 AM Following the postponement of a handful of Northeastern U.S. concerts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Roger Hodgson, co-founder and original singer/songwriter from Supertramp, picked up the U.S. leg of the 2012 "Breakfast in America Tour" on Sunday (11/4) in the Boston area, which was spared the level of devastation wreaked on New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. In a media advisory issued Oct. 30, Hodgson said, "We have been closely following the path of Hurricane Sandy and witnessing how the flooding, high winds, downed trees and power outages have been disrupting the lives of millions of people. Our sympathy goes out to all those whose lives have been affected. For the safety of all those traveling to my concerts, we are shifting the dates for the first three shows." The shows originally scheduled for Nov. 1 in Glenside, PA; Nov. 2 in Long Island, NY; and Nov. 3 in Ridgefield, CT; will be rescheduled for either another day in November or the beginning of next year. The nearly three dozen scheduled dates represent Hodgson's first major U.S. tour since his departure from Supertramp in 1983. The shows -- to be staged in small to medium-sized venues -- will showcase many of Hodgson's hits, including "The Logical Song," "Breakfast in America," "Give a Little Bit," "Dreamer," "School," "Take the Long Way Home," "It's Raining Again" and "Fool's Overture." Hodgson co-founded Supertramp in 1969 and served as both the heart and creative force behind the band for the 14 years prior to his departure. He is looking to rekindle the connections and intimacy many of his songs evoke in longtime fans as well as those who have come to know Hodgson's material in the years since he departed Supertramp. In a conversation with Hodgson ahead of the tour, he talked about the fulfillment he enjoys by continuing to recreate, with his own band, the material made internationally famous by Supertramp. He also touched upon how he always approached his career holistically, paying equal attention to the detailed production aspects of his recorded material and live performances. SoundSpike: Let's begin by talking about how you go about crafting your concerts as well as your recordings to achieve that phenomenon of transporting the listener to what is still apparently a very magical place? Roger Hodgson: I'm trying to think why I started to be that way -- and I'm thinking maybe it was because of the Beatles. I was a teenager when the Beatles happened, so for me a Beatles album was like a musical journey through a lot of different emotions. But I know even with Supertramp, from "Crime of the Century" on and including "Paris," and with our stage shows too, I really think in terms of the journey it's going to take the listener through. The emotional journey; the spiritual journey -- and I became very aware from early on. So if you put the wrong song in the wrong order, you can actually kill a song. So from "Crime of the Century" on, I really took a lot of care to find the right collection of songs and the right running order to create the best listening experience for that 40 to 45 minutes. Maybe that's why "Paris" (Supertramp's only live album) works so well -- because I had done that work to figure out the best order. Maybe by that time you had become very astute at producing your material that way. I find it very difficult to just drop the needle on "Paris." It really seems to command a listener's full attention from beginning to end. It's funny today, because it's rare that people sit down for 40 minutes and listen to a whole album. But they do at stage shows, so in the show now I'm always trying to craft the best listening experience for the environment I'm walking into. If I walk into a theater, I may play one kind of show. And if I'm walking into a festival, it will be another kind of set. I look to see if people are standing or sitting -- really trying to tune into what is going to give them the richest experience for that two hours I am entertaining them. So even in the moment, you and the band can change up the setlist on a dime if you suddenly feel a change of energy in the room? Every night we're able to do that. It's kind of amazing to think that so many of the songs, particularly on "Breakfast In America," were written or conceived years and years before you even formed Supertramp. And how you had to fight to not only keep them intact, but to even to keep them on the album. Do you recall getting push back from the record company as well as your bandmates when you were fighting for the songs and the order you imagined would serve the album best? I think I was incredibly stubborn. But I don't recall getting much push back from the label. We had earned, and I had earned the record company's trust. We were lucky to be on A&M, which had a lot of faith in us. We delivered the goods before and they left us to it on that project. To me, one of the good things about creating an album is discovering the collection of songs that all work well together. That's what makes "Breakfast In America" so special. It's hard to discern why the songs work so well together, but you know it works when people tell you they get to the end and they want to go back to the beginning and listen to the whole thing over again. So when people can't get enough like that, you know you've hit it on the head. I guess when you stop the CD or take the needle off the record on track three because you've had enough, you know it isn't working. I suppose early on the execs at A&M knew they had something quite unique in Supertramp? Yes, I think so. Jerry Moss was kind of a patron of the band. He came to the studio when we were making "Crime of the Century" and realized there was some magic going on. So he really put forth a lot of his effort on our behalf. To me, that was the job of record companies, back then anyway. If they were doing their job, they would allow an artist to develop and we were very fortunate to have Jerry Moss behind us in that way. You are among a select number of musical artists like Tom Petty, Jon Anderson and Rick Allen who suffered potentially career-ending injuries, but who have come back. Can you talk about the recovery process after you fell and fractured both your wrists? Because there is no lingering evidence of such an injury in your performances. It was quite miraculous. The first thing the doctors said when I got to the hospital was, "you'll never play music again." I didn't know if it was true or not because my hands and wrists were in casts for three months. And when they were removed I could barely move my hands -- so that was pretty scary. Initially I got very depressed because I thought my musical life was over, and I didn't know what else I could or wanted to do with my life. Then I remember one day I just decided I'm not going to allow this to be my life reality. And I started to put the effort into physical therapy and prayer -- affirmation, determination, visualization, you name it. I worked very hard to get my wrists back to work again. It took about a year, but they slowly came back. It was pretty amazing that they are as good as new today. You know, John, most of us have a wake-up call in life. For some it's cancer, for others it's an accident like I had. I really believe you have to pay attention to that because life is telling you something. In my situation, life was telling me something. So I had to make some changes and it took awhile to make those changes, but it really wasn't a bad thing. I look back with gratitude for having that experience. You started writing music on guitar, and then became a self-taught pianist, and also wrote a lot using pump organ. How do you so successfully arrange and integrate so many other musical elements and instruments into your songs? I just have a natural ability to hear what a song wants in terms of color and arrangement or rhythm. If a song has a potential for something, I'll always hear that potential. And I will always use whatever is available to me whether its instruments or musicians. Obviously, with Supertramp I had a huge pallet of horns and a lot of elements to pick from to arrange these songs. When you do performances with orchestras around the world, do the conductors and musicians work off arrangements that you have created, or do you partner with an orchestral arranger? I work with an arranger for those. Interestingly enough, I don't know how to write music so, for the orchestra shows I work with someone to produce the arrangements. Since you were so influenced by the Beatles, can you reflect on your time working with Ringo Starr, and maybe share a couple of your favorite memories from that experience? It was great getting to know Ringo. Here I was, profoundly affected by the Beatles as a teenager. They changed my life and inspired me to break down my own barriers by putting the joy into music, and the willingness to experiment which ignited something in me that led me to do everything I did in Supertramp and beyond. I never got used to the fact that I was playing "The Logical Song" and "Give a Little Bit" with Ringo backing me up with that unique backbeat. It was pretty incredible. For article online: soundspike.com

From “Breakfast in America’ to a ‘full course meal’

Entertainment From “Breakfast in America’ to a ‘full course meal’ Roger Hodgson returns to the Keswick Published: Friday, October 26, 2012 By Paul Lucas Correspondent The distinctive voice that we have come to know as the voice of Supertramp belongs to one of its principal songwriters and founding members — Roger Hodgson. Hodgson has enjoyed a successful solo career since leaving Supertramp in 1983, but revisits the band’s most successful album with his “Breakfast in America Tour,” which comes to the Keswick on Nov. 1. “I always saw albums as a journey,” says Hodgson. “Now adays it’s different because people don’t really listen to albums anymore. Back then you were creating a 40-minute listening experience.” That listening experience was so well-crafted that many made the mistake of thinking that it was a concept album. “Music that has any depth to it can really take people’s imaginations in all kinds of directions. That’s what makes it interesting for people — for it to have different dimensions,” said Hodgson. One of the reasons his songs touch so many of us may have to do with where Hodgson draws them from. “My songs have always been very personal expressions of my heart and life experience — my joy, my pain, my questions, my longing for love, my dreams,” he says. “If somebody studied my lyrics, they would get a pretty good sense of my quest for peace and belonging and the joys and trials and tribulations that I went through to be the man and musician I am today.” Hodgson has often toured by himself in the past. But for his “Breakfast in America” tour he has put together an extraordinary group of musicians. “The band that I have assembled on this tour are of an incredible caliber, the songs have never sounded better. The vocal harmonies are especially superb,” says Hodgson. “Many are comparing the spirit and passion they feel from the show now with what they remember from Supertramp in its heyday.” We may never see a Supertramp reunion, but with this tour we can at least relive a little piece of our past. “When I play these songs in concert, you can tell that people have a huge relationship with them. A song that you’ve been listening to for 30 years, that you were playing when you were falling in love or getting married or when you were having children, it brings back amazing memories,” says Hodgson. “I think a large part of what they’re doing is really taking people back to times in their lives when life was a little bit simpler and reminding them of how good life can be.” I was fortunate enough to see Hodgson when he played the Borgata in August. The songs really do sound fabulous. But there was something more. There is an inner light that comes through Hodgson, both when he plays and when he interacts with the audience. It at once speaks of tranquility and a gentle kindness. You can tell that his songs really do come from the heart and for that one evening, he has agreed to let you in and share the love. I have met a lot of people over the years. Very few of them represent the good that came out of the ’70s. Pierre Robert of WMMR is one. Roger Hodgson would be another. As an album, “Breakfast in America” is the complete package. As is Roger Hodgson. This tour is probably the closest you are ever going to get to hearing “Breakfast in America” as it was meant to be heard. So come to the Keswick. Let’s have Breakfast together. Or as Hodgson put it, “My goal was to leave people at the end of the album with a really great full-course meal.” If you go: Roger Hodgson will perform at the Keswick Theatre, Easton Rd. & Keswick Ave., Glenside, PA 19038, Thursday, Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $45 & $69.50. Info: 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com or Roger's Tour Page. For article online: montgomerynews.com

(Super)tramps like us

Roger Hodgson gives (more than) a little bit on stage 

  Nov 2, 2012 |

  Roger Hodgson at the keyboards. 

Written by Bill Nutt
For the Daily Record

The man who wrote and sang “Give a Little Bit” is feeling more than a little generous these days.

Roger Hodgson, whose distinctive tenor voice and introspective lyrics were signatures of the band Supertramp, has returned to performing after a hiatus of some 20 years. And, in his own words, he’s “having the time of (his) life.”

“It’s better now than it ever was,” says Hodgson. “I’m older and wiser. I feel I have more to give the audience. I don’t think I’ve ever sounded better, and I have to say that my band is the best band I’ve ever put together.”

Hodgson, who is playing two dates in New Jersey, finds himself in an odd position, however. The songs he did with Supertramp in the 1970s and early 1980s – such as “The Logical Song,” “Take the Long Way Home,” and “Dreamer” – are still staples of radio.

 But Hodgson’s own name is less well known than that of Supertramp. “I’m not a known quantity to a lot of people,” he says. “People have been hearing these songs for years, but it’s taken me a while to establish my own name.”

His recording career actually dates to 1969, when he played guitar on the song “Duck Pond” by a group called People Like Us. At the time, he was fresh out of boarding school in Buckinghamshire. Less than a year later, he was tapped to sing lead on “Mr. Boyd,” a song by a pop band called Argosy. The members of that impromptu group included the piano player Reginald Dwight, who would later change his name to Elton John.

“Yes, Reggie did a very nice job on that song,” says Hodgson with a laugh. More seriously, he adds, “I was totally tongue-tied. I was 19 and working with these red-hot musicians. It was an amazing baptism.”

Hodgson then answered an ad placed by Rick Davies for a new progressive rock band being formed. The result was Supertramp. Initially, the two men composed music for songs with lyrics by fellow founding member Richard Palmer.

After Palmer left the group, Hodgson and Davies took over as lyricists. Albums such as “Crime of the Century,” “Crisis? What Crisis?” and “Even in the Quietest Moments…” found a home on progressive rock radio.

 Supertramp reached the zenith of its popularity with “Breakfast in America” in 1979. “We spent eight months in the studio,” Hodgson says. “We fought to get the mix right. There was a really positive feeling making that record. We hit it right.”

The key line in his oeuvre, for Hodgson, is from “The Logical Song”: “Please tell me who I am.” “It’s a universal question,” he says. “I wanted to know why I was here. My childhood, my schooling left me more confused, rather than giving me answers.”

 “Music has always been a place to express what’s been going on,” says Hodgson. “I’m no different from other people. I wanted to share my joy, my pain.”

For that reason, Hodgson is pleased that his songs found a receptive audience. For example, “Give a Little Bit” from “Even in the Quietest Moments…” received an ASCAP award as one of the most played songs of 2005, nearly 30 years after its release.

 “That song has taken on a life of its own,” says Hodgson. “It’s got that quality that brings out people’s hearts, especially in these times.” He adds that he often closes the show with that number.

After the release of “…Famous Last Words…”in 1982, Hodgson decided to try a solo career. After achieving limited success with those first solo records, he took time off to raise his family in California.

 For his current tour, Hodgson is mixing his hits with album cuts and previously unreleased songs. “It’s a rich show,” he says. “The great thing is that I can control the energy. There’s a connection with the audience, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

ROGER HODGSON 
WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7
WHERE: Bergen Performing Arts Center, 30 N. Van Brunt St., Englewood
TICKETS, INFO: $49-$109; 201-816-8160 or www.bergenpac.org
ALSO: 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 at Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown. Tickets: $57-$97; 973-539-8008 or www.mayoarts.org 

For article online: The Daily Record

Supertramp at Ridgefield Playhouse Benefit

Erik Ofgang

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 

Roger Hodgson, the voice of Supertramp, will perform at the Ridgefield Playhouse on Saturday, Nov. 3

 In the 1970s, Roger Hodgson wrote the song "Give A Little Bit," with his band Supertramp. He said the song was his ode to love and helping others.

"It was really my anthem championing love, championing caring and giving," said Hodgson, who was the lead singer, chief songwriter and pianist for Supertramp.
"It was a message that I really believed. At a certain point I realized that one of the secrets in life is giving. I realized that actually I get more joy and fulfillment from giving than I do in just taking," he said.

Hodgson will be giving Supertramp fans a chance to hear all the group's biggest hits when he performs at the Ridgefield Playhouse on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. The concert is a fundraising gala for the playhouse, which is a nonprofit organization. There's a pre-show cocktail party for all ticket holders from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. It includes hors d'oeuvres and an open bar.

During the 1970s, Supertramp charted such mega hits as "It's Raining Again," "Fools Overture, "Give A Little Bit, "Dreamer," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song." Hodgson wrote these songs and will perform them and others with his band at this concert.

In a recent phone interview Hodgson was sincere, thoughtful and full of genuine kindness as he discussed his career and upcoming show.

Q: Can you tell me a little about your live shows?

A: Above and beyond the music there's something that happens for people. There's a very strong emotional journey and a celebration feeling. At the beginning of the show I tell people just leave all your problems outside. Let's come together and celebrate life. Join me on a magical musical journey.
Q: What is your song-writing process like?

A: At a very early age I discovered that inspiration came when I got out of the way. I think I was so in love with music that when I sat down at the piano, or picked up my 12-string guitar, or sat at an antique pipe organ I had, each of these instruments used to transport me. Before long I was lost in the sound of the instrument. That's when magic started to happen. Music was where I went to express what was happening inside me and to express my real deep longing for love, my longing to understand what life is about, and my longing to have some kind of connection with God. Music was a place where I felt safest to access and express my deepest soul and my deepest heart.

Q: Can you tell me what inspired you to write "The Logical Song?"

A: The logical song was very personal and autobiographical; I was sent away to an English boarding school for 10 years as a child. Before that I remember also being a young boy and really being in love with life and being so happy. That's reflected at the beginning of the song: "When I was young it seemed like life was so wonderful and magical" and life was. "Then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible," they sent me to school and confused the heck out of me. It left me feeling confused and wondering who I was. Really, that's the quest that I've been on that began for me after school. I've been trying to get back to that place where I was naturally as a young child, to regain that sense of awe and wonder and love and joy, to try and uncover that again in my being. That's the quest and the journey that a lot of people are on. I think that's why that song has struck a chord with a lot of people around the world.

Q: Have you been able to complete that journey?

A: It's a journey where I definitely have found a lot of answers, but I never will say I've got all the answers. I just know enough to feel much more comfortable in my being and much more happy and fulfilled, and I have much more to give now to audiences while I'm on stage. I'm a much more integrated artist, or integrated human being, then I was back in my early 20s.

Erik Ofgang is a freelance writer in Connecticut; erikofgang@gmail.com

Read more: ctpost.com