After disbanding in the late 1980s, the various members of the Del Fuegos moved on. In the New Year, however, all four original members of the Boston quartet will come together for a 12-city tour, closing with a performance at Concord’s Capitol Center for the Arts on Sunday, March 4, 7:30pm. Tickets start at $26.00.
About the band: "The Del Fuegos are among a handful of legendary rock and roll exports from Boston, Mass. Recording alongside X, the Blasters, Los Lobos, and others for L.A.’s Slash Records, the Del Fuegos burned brightly through the 1980s. They played more than 200 dates a year internationally and released albums that were consistently favorites of audiences and critics alike. Even before they released their first record, Rolling Stone named them a band to watch. Touring with groups ranging from the Kinks to the Replacements to INXS, ZZ Top and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Del Fuegos played a style of rock and roll that knocked down the door. Over six busy years, they built a reputation. And then they disappeared."
"Of course, not every disappearance is of the same kind. In the case of the Del Fuegos, it ‘s the character of their disappearance that is finally so intriguing. After breaking up, none of the band members took a job at a bait shop. Neither did any of the band members take jobs at Guitar Center. The Del Fuegos dispersed . . . widely. In time, some reports filtered in: two of the band members earned PhDs, one launched a drug and alcohol rehab, and one started a new movement in family music. No one would have called it. Four members . . . and each one reinvented himself. And now they‘re back, if only for a short visit. Why?"
"Blame it on a wildly successful summer 2011 reunion show in Boston that sold out almost overnight, with extra shows added. Blame it on the audience reaction to this celebrated return. Blame it on the fact that the band came out hitting on all cylinders, somehow seeming younger than when we last saw them. Blame it on the fact that every member was able to get time away from his day job during the same two weeks. Blame it on the pure joy of elemental rock and roll."
According to Warren Zanes, “I did a motive check when the idea of reforming for a tour came up. Was I having a breakdown? Was I strapped for cash? Was there a girl in Minneapolis I couldn‘t get off my mind? The good news is that I felt like ‘no ‘ was the answer to all those questions. Musically, you have to be doing this stuff for the right reasons or the audience can sniff it out. And I think we all wanted to do this so that we could turn the amps up one more time. It was pretty simple . . . though Woody did mention something about a certain Mary in Scranton.” Brother Dan Zanes also had to ask himself a few hard questions. “I couldn’t be more committed to the family music that I’ve been playing for the past dozen years and yet when we reunited I realized I’d been secretly missing the raw teenage emotion in the songs. And the old camaraderie. And the cursing. I also realized, much to my surprise, that this was one of those rare instances in which maturity among the band members actually seems to have helped the rocking out process. In the 80’s we probably cared too much about everything. Now we’re just looking for a loud vacation.”
The Del Fuegos handpicked the cities they remembered best from years of touring. Where the memories linger, the band is now returning. Playing the best-loved songs from their catalog and keeping a few tricks up their sleeves, a little bit of Boston is, once again, making the rounds.
Opening for Del Fuegos will be New Hampshire's own Groovechild.
About Groovechild: "Groovechild is an all original band often referred to as genre bending "Biker Jazz" a mix of influences and styles with free form extended jams. formed in the late 80's by Oyster River High school students Jeff Bibbo, Bryan Killough, Andy Lanoie, and Jim Spires In Durham NH. Following the example of other local and regional acts Groovechild Quickly developed a large fanbase and by 1992 with new bass player John Leccese was outselling national artists with their 12 song demo release "Sick at Last". The single "Riverside" went on to be the #1 requested song on local rock station WHEB for over seven weeks. Attracting the attention of numerous major labels. In 1993 "Nh's Best kept secret" was only the second band to ever sell out the Portsmouth Music Hall (Phish had done so previously) with reps from 13 major labels in attendance. Over the next few years offers were made but the band ultimately turned down a recording contract independently releasing a second album "House of Life" with drummer Steve Ruhm in 1995 and continuing to play sold out performances for the next decade. Over the years the line up changed many times, but always with the two primary founding members intact, Bryan Killough who's jazz influenced guitar work is the signature of Groovechilds sound along with the lyric and vocal style of Jeff Bibbo. The rhythm section has seen a whos who of local players: bass players James Spires, John Lecess(Assembly of Dust,Percy Hill) Nate Edger (Vitamin C, John Brown’s Body) drummers Andy Lanoie, Steve Ruhm(Say ZuZu, Mr Rabbit) Ed Arnold, and former guitarist Adam Terrel (AOD) After well over ten years having gone their separate ways the primary 1990's line up of Killough,Leccese,Ruhm and Bibbo remain the Groovechild many fans remember and love."
