Daryl Hall & John Oates Come to Town

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After decades of a flourishing music career and achieving a worldwide status of success, there is something to be said about the coziness and connection with the audience that comes with a smaller venue. It is in this setting is where John Oates finds his muse.
“An intimate setting always makes the music sound really good,” said Oates, who will be performing at the 1,500-seat Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank on June 26 with his longtime bandmate, Daryl Hall. “I love theaters that are made and designed for music, like Count Basie.”
Hall and Oates, who were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in April of 2014, are no strangers to New Jersey or the borough of Red Bank. In addition to playing in historic Atlantic City numerous times, the duo held a concert at Count Basie a decade ago.
“Coming back to the tri state area – New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania is always great,” Oates said. “It’s where we got our start. We have a lot of family and friends here.”
But the 2015 Daryl Hall and John Oates tour isn’t the only thing Oates has on his plate. He recently released his fifth solo album “Good Road to Follow” in 2014, recorded mostly in Nashville and oozes of Oates’ soul-blues-country roots that assisted in helping the Philadelphia native crack the surface of the music business.
These roots are the main focus of Oates’ newest project, a television show called “Good Road to Follow” that is still in the discussion process with networks for airing the program. Oates acts as a guide on the show, taking the viewer on the dirt paths through the back roads of America looking for unknown artists. He will delve into the depths of these towns, showing the creative talents of these musicians and, at the end of each episode, team up with them to arrange and play their songs – which will be recorded and available on iTunes after the episode has aired.
“There are plenty of amazing artists both young and old today that people don’t know about,” Oates said. “I’m really going back to my roots with the show.”
Hall has been busy as well, and according to his website, started Live From Hall’s House, the free monthly web series in late 2007, that has since won kudos and a WEBBY award, according to the duo’s website.
As technology continues to enhance and the streaming of music, particularly singular songs, becomes the norm – it can be difficult for new artists to generate a career out of their true passion. Now that listeners no longer have to purchase albums, it’s almost impossible for musicians to maintain a steady revenue from their long hours in the studio.
“The change in the music industry is too big of a topic for one interview,” Oates said, chuckling. “Live music is the only source of valid income now.”
But it’s not all lost hope. Oates pointed out that there has been a reemergence of indie labels in today’s music – which were popular in the ‘50s and ‘60s, where some of history’s
made. “It’s all coming full circle,” he said.
What might be most interesting about John Oates is his absence of an iPod. “Silence,” he answered, laughing, when questioned what artists are on his current playlist while driving. “I rarely listen to music in that way. It’s mostly informative listening, now.”
For more information, visit www.countbasietheatre.org.