Don’t miss Reed Fohel with Jeffrey Foucault on Thursday, April 7th @ Shine in Boulder, CO! Get Tickets Here!
Reed Foehl’s Bio:
After a move to Colorado, Reed’s clear tenor, emotional songwriting, and undeniable charisma as a front man launched Acoustic Junction in 1989, which developed a cult following in the jamband era of the 90s. The band released six albums, a collaboration with Graham Nash, and was signed to Capricorn Records and later Mercury Records. Making music with friends and seeing family all over the country fueled a tireless road schedule and devotion to high-energy performance and songwriting.
But 10 years into Acoustic Junction, Reed found himself at a famous crossroad when his son, Jaden, was born: Would he continue the life of a road warrior, or be a father to his son? “After two years of leaving Jade at home, I knew I just needed to plant myself there. To help raise my son. To build a real relationship with him. But it wasn’t easy,” Reed recalls.
He battled with the idea that if he stayed on the road, his notoriety and financial success in the industry could grow more quickly. But he’d miss out on seeing his boy grow up. “All the money in the world couldn’t buy that time,” Reed said. “Kids don’t care about money. They just want their father there. Luckily, I realized that.”
Not long afterward after getting off the road, the second event that would shape Reed’s next decade came; his father succumbed to a battle with cancer. It was a huge loss for Reed. But the responsibilities of being a dad and the burden of grief from his father’s death did not stop Reed’s growth as an artist. He treated his emotion as something intensely sacred, and poured it into his songwriting. His church and confessional were anywhere there was a microphone and an audience within an hour or two of home.
Reed found a new kind of success in short trips once or twice a year to Los Angeles, New York and Nashville that earned him placements on the silver screen, television, and commercials. He put what money he could from the royalties to make three solo records: Spark (2004), Stoned Beautiful (2007), and Once an Ocean (2009). Meanwhile, the music industry was seeing some of its deepest shifts since the dawn of Tin Pan Alley. Large labels were falling by the wayside in favor of independent artists with grit, stamina, and charisma as pioneers of a new musical landscape – traits, you might guess by now, Reed carries in spades. He continued to produce his own brand of powerfully emotional, masterfully crafted music, with each new song informed by his fresh experiences with love, death, family, and solitude.
Reed, what makes playing Homevibe shows different for you compared to other shows?
To be honest I’m fortunate enough to do a lot of these intimate shows, but Homvibe incorporates what seems to be a family vibe. People who attend home vibe shows are very appreciative of the music. Plus no other shows have lamps on the stage!
Do you remember your first Homevibe show?
I do. I believe Gregory Alan Isakov and myself played one, many moons ago. I remember the smell of fresh baked cookies (pre marijuana legalization) they offered them to the guests.
Do you plan on playing some new tunes on this upcoming show?
I do, mostly new ones but I’ll throw in one or two from the archives
We see you spend a lot of time on the road with troubadour Todd Snider. What is your favorite part about those tours?
The amazing Todd fans would have to be my favorite part of those tours. Night after night, his fans treat me with great kindness and respect.
I remember being blown away by the band Morphine at one of the earliest Lollapalooza’s back in Chicago. An unbelievable three piece, drummer, Billy Conway played all over the pocket accompanying a baritone sax and bass guitar. I hear Billy will be playing with Jeffrey Foucault at your show this Thursday. What is your history with Billy Conway?
Billy Conway and I go way back. In fact he came to my house on thanksgiving one year when i was around 16 years old. We went on the traditional post eating walk and he asked me when I was going to start writing my own songs. From that moment on I’ve been writing ever since. He’s been a big inspiration to me!
Jeffrey Foucault’s BIO:
Jeffrey Foucault One of the finest songwriters of his generation, Jeffrey Foucault has taken, in his own words, ‘the small roads;’ building a brick and mortar independent international touring career of ten studio albums, countless miles and critical accolades. He’s been lauded for Stark, literate songs that are as wide open as the landscape of his native Midwest (The New Yorker) and described as Quietly brilliant (The Irish Times), while catching the ear of everyone from Greil Marcus to Don Henley (who regularly covers Foucault in his live set have caught the attention of new fans nationwide through commercial radio airplay and placements for television and film.
