DUTCH ROCK LEGENDS
F O C U S 12
AVAILABLE JULY 5TH
ZOOM SPECIAL EVENT
with SINGER...SONGWRITER
KEYBOARDIST...FLAUTIST
BANDLEADER
THIJS VAN LEER
INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS
click below
to watch the entire interview!
With their unique brand of progressive rock, Focus manifested themselves at the start of the '70s as the most successful and appreciated of all the Dutch pop-rock exports. Fronted by founding member Thijs Van Leer, and best known for their hits "Hocus Pocus", "House of The King" and "Sylvia", as well as critically acclaimed albums 'Moving Waves', 'Focus 3' and 'Hamburger Concerto', the iconic Dutch music masters are back with their tenth album, which is guaranteed to please their legions of fans!
After a comeback in the early 2000's, which resulted in the well-received albums 'Focus 8' and 'Focus 9', the band regrouped with a fantastic new line-up. Along with Thijs van Leer on vocals, flute and keyboards, back on the drums is famed Focus drummer Pierre van der Linden, who joined the group on their second album 'Moving Waves' in 1972.
Internationally renowned for his rhythmic skills, Pierre remains a defining factor in the Focus sound. Guitarist Menno Gootjes, who participated in Focus at an earlier stage, and acclaimed bass player Udo Pannekeet, complete the band's current line-up. Recently, Focus's biggest hit "Hocus Pocus" was used in a 4-minute Nike commercial before the World Cup broadcast. Focus music can be regularly heard on Top Gear and Saxondale on TV in the UK.
A new Focus era has arrived! There is a rejuvenated passion amongst the band as they released their first studio album for 6 years, Focus 11, in early 2019. They toured the world in support of the new album and are now excited re their 50th Anniversary tour. Unfortunately, the world situation had halted the 50th Anniversary celebrations, but Focus now is happy touring the world again.
Eagerly awaited, we are pleased to announce the forthcoming release of FOCUS 12, the brand-new studio album from Focus.
For Thijs van Leer (75) and Pierre van der Linden (78), age is nothing more than a number. Both continue to contribute to Focus with passion.
Thijs, who has written most of the new album, rises at 4.30 am every day in order to work on his compositions. Whilst the album boasts some of Pierre’s greatest and most energetic drum sequences to date.
Allowing the younger guard to take the audio reins for the first time, Focus 12 is produced by band members Udo Pannekeet and Menno Gootjes, who also contribute two compositions on the album.
Thijs commented “How beautiful life can be when a band plays so easily and so together.”
THE BRAND-NEW STUDIO ALBUM
BY
FOCUS
entitled
FOCUS 12
available July 5th 2024
pre-order at
https://burningshed.com/store/focus
“FOCUS TWELVE BY DUTCH PROG LEGENDS FOCUS IS A CAPTIVATING AND SUBLIME MUSICAL RESCUE. EVERY BRILLIANT TRACK IS GRATIFYING AND PERFORMED TO ITS PERFECTION. THIS ALBUM VALIDATES WHY 70S ROCK BANDS WHO STILL RECORD AND TOUR HAVE ALEADY ACCOMPLISHED LEGENDARY STATUS.”
5 STARS!
….BY MUSIC JOURNALIST RAY SHASHO
THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT TOUR
2024 DATES
HEADLINED
BY
A S I A
with special guests
FOCUS
MARTIN TURNER ex WISHBONE ASH
CURVED AIR
MC'd by ARTIST ROGER DEAN
The tour will commence on July 3rd 2024 and will incorporate 21 dates across the USA and Canada.
The tour has been masterminded by rock music keyboard legend & original Asia member, Geoff Downes (Buggles, Asia, Yes)
Wednesday, July 3: Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
Thursday, July 4: Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, ON
Saturday, July 6: Chevalier Theatre, Medford, MA
Sunday, July 7: The Paramount, Huntingdon, NY
Tuesday, July 9: Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
Wednesday, July 10: Count Basie Center, Red Bank, NJ
Friday, July 12: Tropicana Showroom, Atlantic City, NJ
Saturday, July 13: Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem, PA
Sunday, July 14: American Music Theatre, Lancaster, PA
Tuesday, July 16: Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg, SC
Wednesday, July 17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Thursday, July 18: Columbia County Performing Arts Center, Evans, GA
Saturday, July 20: Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
Sunday, July 21: Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach, FL
Monday, July 22: Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa, FL
Wednesday, July 24: North Charleston PAC, North Charleston, SC
Thursday, July 25: Macon City Auditorium, Macon, GA
Friday, July 26: Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL
Sunday, July 28: VBC Mark Smith Concert Hall, Huntsville, AL
Tuesday, July 30: The Arcada Theatre, St Charles, IL
Wednesday, July 31: The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI
DISCOGRAPHY
STUDIO ALBUMS
FOCUS
Focus Plays Focus (1970; also known as In and Out of Focus)
Focus II (1971; also known as Moving Waves)
Focus 3 (1972)
Hamburger Concerto (1974)
Mother Focus (1975)
Ship of Memories (1976) (studio compilation)
Focus con Proby (1978)
Focus (1985) (as Jan Akkerman & Thijs Van Leer)
Focus 8 (2002)
Focus 9 / New Skin (2006)
Focus X (2012)
Golden Oldies (2014) (studio re-recordings)
Focus 8.5 / Beyond the Horizon (2016)
The Focus Family Album (2017) (studio outtakes from 2012 to 2017, plus solo tracks)
Focus 11 (2018)
Completely Focused (2021) (studio re-recordings)
Focus 12 (2024) (up-coming)
THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES
BOOK TRAILER
BOOK REVIEW
-By Literary Titan (5) STARS
The Rock Star Chronicles by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.
The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.
Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.
The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.
I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.
https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/
Gold Award Winner
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