Anderson recently discussed the band in advance of this weekend’s appearance.
Q: What can fans expect from this stop at Rose Music Center?
A: (It’s) our Seven Decades Tour so it will be a little bit of music from each of those decades in which we have been active since the early 1960s. We’re featuring some of the elements of all those many years of concerts. We haven’t been to the (United) States since 2019 so we’re glad to be coming back.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Q: What does it feel like to revisit some of the older music?
A: It’s just nice to have some music you can enjoy performing that comes from those various points along the way. Some of it is quite tricky stuff to play and some of it is a lot easier. It varies really but some of the music was a little ambitious at certain points along the way. I enjoy doing music that reminds me of my own past as a musician. We feature a little music from “The Zealot Gene,” released in January of last year, and “RökFlöte,” which is the album released in April. Fans that have heard all the old things before will get to hear some of that and they’ll get to hear a selection of classic Jethro Tull songs. I tell people what albums the songs are from and what year they were in just to place them in a little bit of history.
Q: You mentioned, “The Zealot Gene,” which was the first studio album in nearly 20 years. What made it the right time for new Jethro Tull music?
A: That’s a moot point. Since “The Jethro Tull Christmas Album” in 2003, I released “Thick as a Brick 2″ in 2012, (which) came out under my own name rather than Jethro Tull even though it was the guys in Jethro Tull playing on the record. Then, two years later, I did “Homo Erraticus,” which I really should’ve called a Jethro Tull album. I can’t remember why I didn’t, but I didn’t. Then there was the Jethro Tull string quartet album in 2018. In fact, I started recording “The Zealot Gene” in 2017 and only got so far with it because of the pressure of touring. By the time I finished four songs and was ready to reconvene the band to do the final five songs, COVID hit and that was the end of everything for a year-and-a-half. So, I finished the album up at home and presented it to the record company. “The Zealot Gene” was released last year but I had started to work on it three-and-a-half years before that.
Q: The new records sound like classic Jethro Tull on one hand but they don’t sound like you’re grasping for an early sound. How do you strike that balance?
A: The trick is to try to not lose sight of where you’ve been but keep your eye on the horizon in front of you. That’s the goal but sometimes look back over your shoulder just for the reassurance you have traveled a path that is worthy of reexploring. That’s what I do and that’s what most composers have done. Few would venture into totally new territory that had nothing to do with that previous adventure. It’s a question of finding new things but not losing sight of the old things.
Q: A lot of artists, seven decades into a career, aren’t necessarily putting out new music. Some wonder why bother making albums when they don’t sell like they did 30 years ago. What keeps you pushing forward creatively?
A: That’s a very valid point. Financially, it’s of less importance now than it might have been in years gone by because physical sales are simply a fraction of what they used to be. What we do will hopefully do more than breakeven but nonetheless it’s not going to put a huge amount of money in the piggy bank. The answer to that question is some of us bother because we feel we have something we want to say. Whether anybody is listening or not is not as important as getting the job done and feeling positive about what you’re doing.
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Jethro Tull presents The Seven Decades Tour
Where: Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
When: Sunday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $52.50 to $107.50
More info: 513-232-6220 or www.rosemusiccenter.com
Artist info: jethrotull.com
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