Progtopia Archives

Flutes and yodels don't find a home in many genres, but luckily for fans of those musical expressions, prog rock is open to them, perhaps never exemplified better than in the music of Dutch quartet Focus. Having been around for over 40 years with some breaks in between, the current lineup consists of Menno Gootjes (guitar), Bobby Jacobs (bass), Pierre van der Linden (drums), and Thijs van Leer (keyboards, flute, vocals). They've just released an album of reimagined takes of past songs called Golden Oldies (though some aren't so old), and they're touring this year in support of it. Host Mark Ashby talked with original member van Leer about the making of their iconic song "Hocus Pocus," influences from classical and classic rock musicians, and why only one band really counts as progressive rock in his view -- and it's not his own. Find them on the web at www.focustheband.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"House of the King"
"Focus 1"
"Hocus Pocus"
"Sylvia"
"Aya Yippie Hippie Yee"
"Brother"

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Originally posted 6 May 2014

Direct download: Progtopia_050_Forty_Years_in_Focus.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:59pm EDT