Supertramp comes to Hub City
The band who brought up Bloody Well Right takes its latest album on a worldwide tour which includes this weekend’s stop in Moncton

They’ve seen it all and done it all for the last 33 years and this weekend, they will be in Moncton. On Saturday night, Aug. 24, Supertramp will be playing at the Moncton Coliseum. The show is part of Supertramp’s current tour for their just released album, Slow Motion.

"We’re already up to more than 70 shows in this tour," said Supertramp founder Rick Davies in a recent telephone interview from his Long Island, New York, home. The tour that got under way in the spring included 13 countries in its European tour. The North American tour kicked off this past Tuesday in St. John’s, Newfoundland. It will take the band across Canada and into the United States and wind up late next month.

Slow Motion is the third album since the band became active again in 1997. That year they released Some Things Never Change, their first album since 1987’s Free As A Bird.

"We just kind of let things go for a while. There was no decision made to really stop things. I was considering a solo album for a while and am still considering ideas for one, but I haven’t done it yet," Rick said.

The band played 102 shows in Europe, the United States and Canada in support of their ‘97 release, which earned them Pollstar’s Performance Artist Comeback of the Year Award. A double live album, It Was The Best of Times, followed.

Supertramp’s history begins in 1969. Rick Davies was in a group called the Lonely Ones. A Dutch millionaire known as Sam offered to fund Rick’s music career if he started a new band. Rick recruited several musicians and took the name "Supertramp" from a book by W.H. Davies called The Autobiography of a Supertramp.

The band released its first self-titled album in 1970, but it didn’t fare very well. Every member of the band departed with the exception of Rick and Rodger Hodgson. New members came in and the band continued, releasing Indelibly Stamped in 1971. They were making a bit of a name for themselves, but it wasn’t until 1974’s Crime of the Century that the band hit it big with songs like Bloody Well Right and Dreamer. The success continued for the next several years with more hits like Give A Little Bit (Even In the Quietest Moments, 1977) and The Logical Song (Breakfast In America, 1979).

This continued until Rodger Hodgson left in 1982. Supertramp had lost one of its chief songwriters. Rick continued writing and to this day writes nearly all of Supertramp’s music.

"I write most of the music, but the other guys have their say too. They are quite open about what they like or don’t like," Rick said. "For the new album, there was a song I wrote, an instrumental called Flight 29. They didn’t like it, so it wasn’t included ... but don’t worry though, I’ll get it out one day," he laughed.

Rick says that his approach to songwriting hasn’t changed much over the years, but technology has made it easier. "Computers have allowed me to be able to record everything the way I want it to sound. I then show the tunes to the other guys and they check them out, and figure out what they like. They all add their touch to everything when we actually go into the studio to record."

Another difference between now and Supertramp's early days is that "we're no longer playing at colleges and in clubs in England to a bunch of drunken students."

After 11 studio album, along with a few live albums and compilations, Supertramp are still kickin' and show no signs of slowing down. Rick and company - John Helliwell on saxophone and woodwind; Bob Siebenberg on drums; Bob's son Jesse on guitars and percussion; Mark Hart on keyboards and guitars; Cliff Hugo on bass; and Carl Verheyen on guitars - have 21 Canadian dates to go on their current One More for the Road Tour.

Next up may be Rick's solo album, another Supertramp record, it's really anyone's guess. For now, you can check out the band at their concert this weekend at the Moncton Coliseum.

ERIC LEWIS
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF