Premier Guitar Magazine - March 2010 (pg. 122-123)
" ... By deleting the front part of a note, Hogarth has an intriguing and innovative teaching mechanism to convey the
concept that the human element is all powerful in the quest for good tone ..."
Continued
Back to Top
Some guitar teachers will tell you there’s a right way and a wrong way to play the guitar. But Davis Guggenheim’s rousing new documentary, It Might Get Loud, reminds us that that’s not true at all.
You can saw at it with a bow, as Jimmy Page did in “Dazed and Confused.” (For that matter, you can jam screwdrivers into the bridge and hammer at the strings with your fists, as Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo are wont to do.)
You can run it through a galaxy of effects pedals — the Wah-Wah, the Superfuzz, the Big Muff, the Echohead — and towers of amps and racks. That’s the sort of thing that enables U2’s the Edge to turn simple chords into sounds that are shimmering, shape-shifting, alive.
You can cut it open and customize it, take it apart, and put it together again. You can slice out new soundholes or add supplementary pick-ups and knobs and switches. You can even, as Jack White hired one luthier to do, install a secret compartment in which to hide a harmonica microphone, to yank out and scream into whenever the spirit moves you.
White stars, with Page and the Edge, in It Might Get Loud, a film that might approvingly be called “guitar porn.” Its soundtrack coruscates with power chords and scorching solos; its hi-def close-ups lingers lovingly on lacquered wood and polished chrome.
A guitar, after all, is “like a piece of sculpture,” as Page rhapsodizes — and also, not for nothing, “like a woman.” But it’s not just eye candy. As the Edge points out, every element of a guitar’s construction “is there in the sound.” He would know, having built an electric guitar from scratch — scrounging the materials, sculpting the wood, winding the wire for the coiled pick-ups — at age 14.
“There’s something really iconic, almost supernatural about this instrument,” says Thaddeus Hogarth, a Berklee guitar-department professor who writes a blog, “The
Quest for Tone,” about his ceaseless exploration of the guitar’s sonic palette. “The sounds you can get from it, the quality of the kinds of tones you can get. There are
some great piano players out there — but they can’t get feedback.” Continued
METRONOME MAGAZINE
Doug's Top 5 for February 2006 (In NO Particular Order):
Thaddeus HogarthTHADDEUS HOGARTH - LIVE AT BOSE
10-SONG CD
Former frontman to The Heavy Metal Horns, Thaddeus Hogarth has been
on his own for several years now and sounding better than ever. He has
literally landed the "poster boy" gig (his silhouette, head back,
wailing on the guitar, can be seen in Bose ads) for the new Bose
Cylindrical Radiating System. In fact, this album was recorded at
Bose's Live Music Technology Division Performance Center in Framingham,
Massachusetts during a one day session there on June 24th of 2004.
Joined by keyboardist David Sparr, bassist David Buda and drummer
Joey Scrima, Hogarth moves through ten funky self-penned compositions
that are so thick with groove and attitude that you'll need an entire
can of WD40 to break free. [Ed. note- Keep dropping names Doug, maybe
they'll send us some free stuff]
Continued
Back to Top
Boston Herald
October 28th, 2005 Page E11
Almost Hogarth heaven
THADDEUS HOGARTH
"Live at Bose" (Higher Ground)
Three stars
The erstwhile singer-songwriter-guitarist for Boston's late, lamented Heavy Metal Horns hits hard with this sharply recorded live date that focuses on his smoothly soulful brand of r & b, crack wah- wah guitar playing and Stevie- reminiscent chromatic harmonica playing. Hogarth's predeliction for slow jams is occasionally snooze-inducing, but his scorching guitar (he's a Berklee instructor) is usually more than antidote enough. Download: "Perfect Love." (Tonight at Ryles, Cambridge.)
Back to TopGuitarist Thaddeus Hogarth navigates new technology
The Story behind "Live at Bose", an Indie CD, is an instruction manual on how a musician can navigate unexplored waters.
The original music by Boston-based guitarist Thaddeus Hogarth is nominated for Album of the Year in the R & B category of the 2006 Independent Music Awards. Winners of the awards, co-sponsored by Border's Books & Music, are promoted to more than seven million music fans and industry professionals.
Hogarth heard the good news via a text message on his cell phone as he talked
about his upcoming CD release concert on Friday, Oct. 28, at Ryles Jazz Club
in Cambridge.
Continued
Download free Adobe Reader
Back to Top
Artist: Thaddeus Hogarth
Title: Live at Bose
Genre: R&B
Label: Mad Fad Music
Website: http://www.thaddeushogarth.com/
"You guys are kinda getting a little treat because a lot of these
songs have not been recorded." So says local guitar maestro (and Berklee professor)
Thaddeus Hogarth, ironically introducing one of the tracks on this
impeccably produced live album.
Continued
Back to Top
World Music, Adult Contemporary, Reggae, Jazz, Blues, Classical
Thaddeus Hogarth - Live at Bose
As the principal singer/songwriter of the band Heavy Metal Horns, Thaddeus made a bit of a
name for himself in the Boston music scene. Now as a solo act he hopes to continue that with
a funky jazzed up rock album that recalls ‘70’s soul. Recorded live at the Bose
Live Music Technology Division Performance Center in Framingham, Massachusetts, “Live at Bose”
is a testament that Sly Stone still provides influence even to this day. His guitar and vocals
complement his truly great harmonica performances well. Get your funky groove on!
Thaddeus Hogarth is a man of many talents. Some may even call him a renaissance man. He is best known for giving great live performances, writing groovy songs, and teaching classes at Berklee. Recently, a new title can be added to his already impressive resume: Concert Producer.
Thaddeus' relationship with BOSE began about two years ago. At that time, BOSE was in search of
presigious live performers to experience a new system intended for live performances. After
a friend hear of this, he sent Thaddeus the URL to the recruiting team. Thaddeus went ahead and
plugged some of his original music into the company, and within
a couple of months, BOSE responded.
Continued
Back to Top
Former songwriter/guitarist/vocalist
and general power behind Boston's legendary Heavy Metal Horns, Thaddeus
Hogarth brings his creative music to a unique setting on his fourth album, Live
at Bose. Recorded on June 24, 2004, at the Bose Live Music Technology Division
Performance Center at Bose Mountain, Framingham, MA, this funk/jazz/pop sounds
like a studio recording, which was the general idea. The sonics remind one of
'70s classics like George Benson's Weekend in L.A. and Jackson Browne's
Running on Empty and feature Hogarth's chromatic harmonica, smooth soulful
vocals, and boss band, a trio that includes David Budaon bass, David
Sparr on keys, and drummer Joey Scrima, whose résumé includes work
with Connie Stevens, David Benoit, and British/American singer
Jules Ellison. The ten tracks are well paced, "The Long Goodbye" finding
a nice Earth, Wind & Fire groove but sounding like it was penned by David
Crosby midway through CSN&Y — a good blend of diverse styles. Continued
Back to Top
Remember the days when R&B music was created with real instruments, including
prominent guitars, and had tunes that were written around melodies instead of
rhythm? Remember when soul songs were more than just showcases for the singer's
voice lessons? Remember when R&B artists respected roots beyond the last Dr.
Dre album? Thaddeus Hogarth remembers.
- Michael Toland
"Steppin’ Out" isn’t just the title of a Joe Jackson song and an instrumental that Eric Clapton used to play. It’s also a party. The biggest in Boston, unless you consider First Night a party. I don’t, because it’s usually too cold out and First Night doesn’t serve booze. First Night is a good time, sure, but not a party. "Steppin’ Out," on the other hand, is an annual event that’s packed with music, food, soul, and style. Now in its 16th year, it’s become one of the city’s peak cultural events and major fundraisers. The beneficiary is the Dimock Community Health Center, which provides care each year to about 40,000 residents of the inner-city neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain from its main campus in Egleston Square and 15 satellite locations. Continued
Back to Top
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
Thaddeus Hogarth is on the faculty of Berklee College of Music in Boston,
which tells you basically all you need to know about the level of musicianship
on It Might As Well Be Now. Along with a crack rhythm section, Hogarth
conjures the black music of the seventies in all of its lush, multi-tracked
glory. Equally at home playing funk, soul, reggae or R&B, he usually settles
in a groove somewhere in-between the four, with his fret-busting guitar lines
smoothing out any friction around the edges. This is one smooth record, but
with enough punch to sidestep the AOR abyss. It's also surprisingly tasteful,
a designation not often applied to albums by academics or virtuosi; there
are no instrumental showpieces, no awkward genre fusions, and the spectre
of musical theory is mercifully absent. Sadly released at the tail end of
barbecue season, Might As Well Be Now should nevertheless find heavy
rotation as a lazy Sunday afternoon album par excellence.
-- Ben Hughes
Billboard Magazine
Trying to Believe
Producer(s): Thaddeus Hogarth
Genre: R&B/hip-hop
Catalog Number: Spinning Records/Fort Point Entertainment 012
Source: PRINT
Originally Reviewed: May 12, 2001
Music junkies may remember Thaddeus Hogarth as the singing, guitar and harmonica-playing member of Boston funk-rock band Heavy Metal Horns, with whom he tasted early success in the '90s. Opting to pursue his R&B calling, Hogarth left the group and recorded a well-received solo album, 1999's When the Sun Goes Down. He plants himself squarely in soul terra firma with this second effort for which he did all the writing, arranging, and producing. Unearthing memories of such '70s stalwarts as War and Stevie Wonder, Hogarth turns in a back-to-the-roots set whose ambitious embrace of reggae, rock, jazz, and blues sometimes leaves the listener wondering exactly where he's headed. But when everything clicks, as on the album's best track, the jazzed-up "Back Street", the sweet harmonica-introed title track, and the playful "She Loves Me" it's not hard to believe in Hogarth.
Contact: 617-426-2737.‹GM
Back to Top
On his second CD after leaving the international jazz jam juggernaut Heavy
Metal Horns, Thaddeus Hogarth returns with another award-winning decalogue
of grooves. "That Was Yesterday" has the wah-wah-fed
guitar lines of Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle." "She
Loves Me" features a Cameo line that's Kool for the whole Gang.
"Trying to Believe" combines Kravitz-y ache with Hogarth's
Stevie Wonder-like blues harp. The first single, "Cold Shack",
warrants a guest spot by Grammy nominee Sister Carol and the appreciative
closing tracks, "Thank You" and "Don't Put It
Down", may even warrant a bluesy tear or two. Continued
In the grace and gospel of Thaddeus Hogarth lies one of Boston's
most underappreciated musical treasures. This one-time frontman for the
Heavy Metal Horns has been gigging around New England and New York behind
his sublime Tryin' to Believe CD, which no lover of retro soul, funk
and R&B should be without. Tonight Hogarth and his band, which include
David Buda from the Boston Pops on bass, Joey Scrima on drums, and Craig
Stevens on keys, get their groove on at Ryles Jazz Club (212 Hampshire
Street, Cambridge) at 9. Tickets are $9 -- trust us, a night with Hogarth
and crew is well worth three times that. Call (617) 876-9330. @SOUNDCHECK - profiling bands that drive Boston's musical machine Somebody to believe in Thaddeus Hogarth's organic soul by Jonathan Perry
THE FIRST 30 SECONDS OF "I Just Wanna Be Like You." the opening
track on Thaddeus Hogarth's second solo album, Trying To Believe
, provides nothing less than a window into a lifetime of listening. For Hogarth, a Boston-based songwriter born in England and raised in the
West Indies, music -- soul, pop, reggae, funk -- is all that's ever mattered.
You can hear it in the melting pot of dub-reggae rhythms, the Mayfieldian
wah-wah guitar washes, and the seemingly effortless Wonder-ous melody
that drives the disc's first tune and nearly a dozen of its other keepsakes
of old-school soul and greasy funk. Continued
ARTS & LIVING Hogarth hard to classify, easy to like THADDEUS HOGARTH Thaddeus Hogarth's new album Trying to Believe is a music
critic's classiciation nightmare. Does he bring some sort of neo-recent
jazz to his popish songs, or is that the slide of a funk riff we're hearing
behind his soft-spoken lyrics? Is he revisiting the smooth 70's, or is
that the influence of Nirvana? Was that a circa long-hair Paul Simon looking
over Hogarth's shoulder as he was composing, or is he sitting at a musical
loom weaving from all of these different sources? Continued
NEW BLOOD By Waldo the Squid JOEY SCRIMA Even though it's great to check out
great drummers who I otherwise might never hear, I don't always care for
the music. That shouldn't matter, since I'm supposed to evaluate the
drumming regardless of what I think of the songs. Every once in a
while I get lucky, though, such as when I get a package like the one that
came from Scrima. It contained Trying to Believe - the new
CD he recorded with Thaddeus Hogarth, a local legend on the Boston music
scene that formerly fronted the Heavy Metal Horns. Hogarth blew my
mind with a sound that combined the best elements of Stevie Wonder, Lenny
Kravitz and Sly Stone. Naturally, with these kinds of influences,
Scrima had plenty of room to play the drums on the CD's ten tracks.
While he takes full advantage of the mid-tempo grinder "Cold Shack"
by throwing complex licks around the kit, he also lays down a thick carpet
on tracks like "She Loves Me". We especially dug "Back
Street", where Scrima plays a second-line pattern on brushes to soften
the groove while adding congas to provide an island vibe. This is
smart drumming and Thaddeus Hogarth is a singer to look for. Former Heavy Metal Horns frontman Thaddeus Hogarth lays down
a simmering brew of soul, funk, blues, and more on his excellent sophomore
solo disc, Trying To Believe. Comparisons to the '70s output
of Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder are apt, but there's more going on
here than mere emulation. Gems like "I Just Wanna Be Like You",
"That Was Yesterday", and especially the stunning, gritty
"Cold Shack" take those '70s R&B masters as a jumping off
point, then diversify with elements of reggae, blues, jazz, and more.
Take "She Loves Me" for example -- an upbeat ballad that
easily would have fit in on, say, Talking Book, complete with Stevie-esque
harmonica solo closing the track out, yet it still sounds fresh and original.
" Continued He has a sort a sort of '70s-inspired cool that helps songs on his
new album. Trying To Believe, seem to swagger out of the speakers.
Hogarth weaves funk, R&B and soul with his mid-range vocal delivery to create
tight tunes that hearken back to a time when Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield
topped the charts. A Berklee College of Music alum and former singer of Boston's Heavy Metal
Horns, Hogarth's delivery is honest, and you don't get the sense that
he is trying to be retro. He is genuinely retro. Trying To Believe
sounds like it's actually a re-release from that classic period. The songs
have a timeless air to them; there is no doubt that they would sound good
in the '70s, and they sound good now. Continued
THE DIN - March 14 - March 21, 2001 THADDEUS HOGARTH Trying to Believe Massachusett's own Thaddeus Hogarth takes his listeners on a one-way trip
to the 1970s with his second album Trying To Believe.
Former front man of the Heavy Metal Horns, Hogarth emulates the music
of Curtis Mayfield and Stevie Wonder through ten original tracks. The
mood of the album varies from melodic ballads like "Thank You" to the
down and dirty funk licks of "Cold Shack", but the seventies sound
is ever present. Continued March 14, 2001 CAPE COD TIMES CD Review "Trying to Believe", Thaddeus Hogarth (Spinning
Records) HHH Berklee College of Music grad Thaddeus Hogarth played with the funk-rock
Heavy Metal Horns for half-dozen years before starting a solo career.
On his second album, his chief influences come through loud and clear:
Steve Wonder, Bill Withers and Sly Stone. (For ordering information,
visit www.spinnningrecords.com)
Thaddeus will perform March 16 at the Milky Way in Jamacia Plain. Singer/songwriter finds his niche in the 70's As singer and principal songwriter for Boston's Heavy Metal Horns, Thaddeus
Hogarth had a taste of success in the early 1990's. Although the group was
popular, the aggressive brass-to-the-wall approach kept him from pursuing
the warm and rhythmic soul sounds he had always been hearing in his head.
Continued Listen Up No stranger to Boston music fans, Thaddeus Hogarth was a founding member
and songwriter for Boston's rock/soul juggernaut the Heavy Metal Horns.
After taking a self-described five-year hiatus, Thaddeus returns with
a ten-song CD of original compositions that are steeped in the deep funk
and soul traditions of the 70s. The sounds are dead-on authentic old school
funk, evoking originators Sly Stone and Stevie Wonder and newer soul sound
re-discoverers like early 90s Lenny Kravitz or Jamaroquoi. Continued
Former frontman for the Heavy Metal Horns, Thaddeus Hogarth treks out
on his own, striking a positive chord on this funky island/urban influenced
outing. Nine originals steeped in Caribbean tempos and street-smart rhythms as
well as a cover of Stevie Wonder's Big Brother find Hogarth in
masterful command of arranging, performing and production. Continued
Thaddeus Hogarth - "When the Sun Goes Down" Thaddeus Hogarth makes the funk a personal matter on his debut CD When
the Sun Goes Down. Formerly of the explosive Boston groove outfit,
the Heavy Metal Horns, Hogarth has had extensive experience with slippery
bass-lines and chicken scratching guitar. Continued Having previously put the pedal to Heavy Metal Horns, Boston-based groover
Thaddeus Hogarth now presents a solo dripping with the sweet sounds of the
70's, including Hammond B-3, Fender Rhodes piano, wah guitar and a guest
clavinet. Hogarths sole cover of little Stevie's Big Brother combines Wonder's
wonderful blues harp with a Kravitz-y vocal lilt. Continued Smooth and soulful, Thaddeus Hogarth's first solo effort since leaving
the Boston-based outfit, Heavy Metal Horns, When the Sun Goes Down,
boasts 10 funkin' - wah-wah-B-3 - from- the - heart tunes that definitely
catch your ears and get stuck in the head. Blending contemporary sound with
a 70's temperament, Hogarth and his team of side players most certainly
deliver each cut with musical finesse. A fun and worthwhile listen, with
each song sure to please many and especially fans of the soul/funk genre. THADDEUS HOGARTH Five years after his tenure as the "songwriting force behind Boston's
Heavy Metal Horns," singer/songwriter/guitarist Thaddeus Hogarth is back
in the musical fold with a new solo album. I must admit that I was never
the biggest Heavy Metal Horns fan. Continued
The Boston Globe
Thaddeus Hogarth: Trying to Believe
By Matthew S. Robinson, Globe Correspondent, 03/29/2001
Stuff@Night
STUFF@night
January 15-28, 2002
Stuff@Night
STUFF@night
February 27-March 12, 2001
Back to Top
Volume CVII Issue 78
Friday February 9, 2001
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian
By Sam Wilkinson
Trying to Believe
Spinning Records
Back to Top
DRUM Magazine
Drums, Zildijan cymbals, DW pedals
Ink19
Thursday April 5, 2001
Thaddeus Hogarth
Trying To Believe
Spinning
Back to Top
Nude As The News
Thaddeus Hogarth is cool.
Back to Top
THE DIN
Back to Top
Cape Cod News
The Boston Globe
Sunday, May 23, 1999
Back to Top
Jamaica Plain/Roslindale Arts News
July 14, 1999
What's new and notable in the local music scene
by HOLBROOK
Back to Top
The Metronome Magazine
April 1999
Back to Top
Northeast Performer
June 1999
10 song CD Basic tracks and mixes
Back to Top
SOUNDCHECK
July/August
Back to Top
The Musicians Trade Journal
June 1999
- B. Dare
Back to Top
The Noise
April 1999
When the Sun Goes Down 10-song CD
Back to Top
Comments
"talented local composer"
-- Boston Herald, Andrew Dreyfus
"natural and intimate singer"
-- Boston Globe, Bob Blumenthal
"World Music-savvy Thaddeus Hogarth"
-- Boston Globe, Steve Morse
"adept soul stylist"
"Hogarth's vocals are relaxed and
self-assured; He's extremely smooth,
but his tenor voice is also very
evocative"
-- Patriot Ledger, Jay N. Miller
"slippery funk originals"
-- New England Performer,
Matthew Bowman
Back to Top