WISHBONE ASH Comes to City Winery Boston This Month

City Winery Boston will present Wishbone Ash live in concert on Thursday, June 15th at 8:00 PM. Known for their distinctive brand of melodic rock, Wishbone Ash will perform their landmark album, Argus, in its entirety. The band's third release, Argus is interwoven with medieval and spiritual imagery, featuring such classics as The King Will Come, Throw Down the Sword and Blowin' Free. Tickets are available for purchase at citywineryboston.com.  

Wishbone Ash entered the nascent Progressive Rock scene in 1969, taking full advantage of a fertile musical environment where they developed a unique sound and creative playing style. Inspired equally by British folk traditions and American jazz and R&B, the group played to public and critical acclaim. 50 years later, having pioneered the use of twin lead guitars, Wishbone Ash has gained worldwide recognition, based firmly on a regime of relentless touring.

 The band includes founding member Andy Powell, who covers lead vocals and trades licks with Mark Abrahams. Bassist Bob Skeat, a 25 year veteran of the band, drives the rhythm section along with Joe Crabtree, one of the best of Britain’s new breed of drummers. 

By all standards, Argus was an extraordinary achievement. In his memoir, Eyes Wide Open, Powell says, “In retrospect, nothing else we did would be quite so significant. … It turned out to be an album of powerfully if loosely connected themes: time passing, aspiration, conflict, good and evil.” 

Argus’ iconic cover design is one of Hipgnosis' legendary works - a sentry surveying a misty landscape - encapsulating the title of the album, which was taken from Greek mythology's one-eyed watcher. “There was this wonderful cinematic imagery of 'The Warrior' on the cover, the artwork bringing a visual dimension to the music within,” Powell says. Hipgnosis also designed album covers for T Rex, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, among others that are considered classics in their own right.

Released in April 1972, Argus reached No. 3 in the UK charts and was named “Best Album” in the Melody Maker's annual poll, selling more than one million copies worldwide. Argus is the quintessential Wishbone Ash recording, the holy grail of realizing the band's unique and complex vision. Remixed and remastered for the album's 30th in 2002, the reissue was one of the fastest sell out printings in MCA history.  

Wishbone Ash, the quintessential road band, is an acknowledged influence on many other bands including Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden, along with younger bands like Opeth. The Alton Telegraph’s Dylan Suttles states “Power and melody have made the Ash a hard act to follow, while they are currently being discovered by new generations of loyal rock fans.” 

With 24 studio releases, 11 live albums and five live DVDs to date, Wishbone Ash continues to prove they are not a band to rest on their laurels.