By the time you have come off the stage, it is all over Facebook and other media sites, before we are even back in the dressing room getting changed. You are only as good as your last show, and that is a thought that the collective Heep take on stage with them every night. The downside of that is that the touring marketplace is saturated. With the advent of Spotify and the like, royalties for the band have become pretty non-existent, so touring is the only way you can get any income. So much has changed over the years with technology and how we make the music and how it is now listened to by the fans. However, it is the music of the people and they vote by buying your album and concert tickets.įans know their have been considerable changes in the music industry over the years, but from an insider’s perspective, what have you experienced, and how you’ve adapted to them? It has always been difficult to get our music on to radio in the early days but later on when things started to happen it became a little easier. Was that the type of feeling in the early days of the band and others of the like? Often times with progressive rock, there’s a sort of “us against the world” mentality, because it’ a genre that hasn’t exactly been embraced by radio, at least in the last 30 years. If a song said what it needs to say in 3 minutes, then that is fine, but some of our music needed to stretch out. We steered away from the 3-minute song and let the music dictate where it should go, hence the longer, more adventurous tracks. When you listen to “Salisbury” “Demons & Wizards” and “Magicians Birthday,” you can see why. Our early albums had our collective toes firmly in prog rock, and we are seen as one of the pioneers of that genre. What’s more important: the longevity the band has had, or its legacy as one of the founders of the genre? We were part of the big four - Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. Prog rock means a lot of things to a lot of people, but Heep is certainly one of the “Mount Rushmores” in the genre. Uriah Heep is known as one of the institutions in progressive rock, alongside Yes, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, etc. Our set list begins with a song from our first album “Very ‘Eavy, Very Umble,” right to the last one called ‘Outsider.’ It is a musical journey through our career. Ticket sales are more than healthy, and the band is on fire. We have started in Ottawa with sell out shows and it looks like there is a buzz about the band seeping through to the rest of the tour. You just began an extensive North American tour. From any genre of music, it is always the songs that are remembered.Īll major iconic rock bands have had one thing in common in their respective careers: their willingness to hit the road and tour to build a base. It is always the same answer - good songs. What have been the keys to this longevity?
Couple that with a reputation for being a good live band and the fact that we have the same passion and energy for our music that we have always had. What sets Uriah Heep apart from the others? We have been lucky enough over the years to have a number of songs that have stood the test of time that people still like to hear in the live arena. There are very few acts in any genre with that many years under their collective belts that can say they are still a viable entity. Uriah Heep has had an incredibly long run, nearing five decades now. ListenIowa caught up with Box for a brief email interview to discuss the band’s place in the prog rock pantheon, the evolution of the music industry, and the secret to longevity. Guitarist and founder Mick Box has once again teamed with long-time bandmates Phil Lanzon (keyboards, vocals) and Bernie Shaw (vocals) as well as Russell Gilbrook (drums, vocals) and Davey Rimmer (bass) to bring Uriah Heep back into the spotlight with the new tour and album, the band’s 25th of its career. In their nearly five-decades-long career, Uriah Heep has sold 45 million records worldwide and performed more than 4,000 shows in 60 countries while delivering prog rock staples such as “Gypsy,” “Lady in Black,” “July Morning,” “The Wizard,” “Easy Livin,’” “Sweet Lorraine” and “Stealin.” Uriah Heep, one of the few remaining original progressive hard rock bands still in existence, recently began an extensive North American Tour in advance of their forthcoming studio album, “Living The Dream.” The trek will include a stop at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines on March 14.
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