Annie Haslam is exactly what you expect: gentle, gracious, good-natured, and generous – not just with her art, but with her time, and (most importantly) her heart.
Since the early 1970s, we have had Renaissance in our pages, on our cover, and throughout our publication. Whether it was advertisements for local shows, features to promote events and albums, or conversations with the band itself, The Aquarian and Renaissance go further back than most. That history is also one filled with respect and adoration. When vocalist Annie Haslam graced our magazine cover herself in 1973 (during our fourth year in the regional cultural sphere), she was selling her ethereal career and multi-octave talents. She was not just a pretty feminine face leading an all-male band. Haslam represented power and focus, beauty and passion, and, at her core, was a musician we admired for those very reasons.
She is still all about the appreciation of opportunity, the maintenance of her and the band’s authentic nature, and the skillful artistry that makes up her days. (Her not-quite-a-hippie look in our then-black-and-white publication was as real as could be. It was 51 years ago and fans and critics loved her for it, even as she led the tuneful pack of musicians to some fairly unexpected mainstream success and legendary progressive status.)
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“While Renaissance is an extraordinary band, they are also very down-to-earth people. Their elegant stage affectations are used to offset their music, which is worthy of elaborate presentation. They are not at all pretentious. Rather, they are a prime example of class in a world gone sour,” we wrote later on in 1977, concluding our cover story on the intricate prog rock group. Almost 50 years later, we feel just the same about Renaissance. If anything, we think they are more grounded than before, and if they had all the time in the world, they would all be honing their craft for another set of releases over the next five decades. It’s exhilarating to have watched, listened to, and experienced this band over the last 50+ years, as it has showcased top tier musicianship and humanity to the masses.
As they embark on their farewell tour, aptly titled ‘In Gratitude,’ we can’t help but be honored to have been part of the melodious Renaissance orbit. We were thrilled to get the chance to express that to a personable, expressive Haslam firsthand on a crisp fall morning via Zoom.
In Gratitude is the name of this final tour, which I think is an appropriate name for this run of shows. (It also arrives at The Town Hall tomorrow!) How did you come about naming the tour this, and what does the phrase in itself mean to you and Renaissance at this point in your career?
It’s funny because it came up about a year ago. I write things on Facebook and I usually put ‘love and light’ or whatever at the end, and then one day I thought of ‘in gratitude.’ I don’t know how I got it; I might have heard it somewhere. I thought, “You know what? Hang on. I think I’ll add that in,” because it means everything, really. So when we decided to do the tour, it was the first thing that came into my mind. I thought it was perfect and that it kind of conjures up everything about how we feel about the audiences that have been with us all these years, and particularly recently in these years of crowdfunding projects, because there are so many heritage bands around, which is fantastic. Obviously these bands are still going – and there are some great ones, and some of them still have really good record deals. Most don’t, though, so then you have to come up with everything yourself.
When doing a new album, we started off with a Kickstarter, and that was in 2011, actually. That was the first one we did, and that was very successful. I think we have done three or four [crowdfunded albums] now through Indiegogo, as well. All the fans come out to support. I’ve had paintings, as you can see, auctioned, and I can paint guitars. That came to me from a voice at my head saying, “It’s time to start painting now.” That’s a whole different story [Laughs], but that’s what I do now. After this, I’ll be concentrating on my art and have a rest for a bit.
You’ve earned it and then some, plus that art of yours is beautiful!
I’m retiring the band, but I am not retiring myself. I did a couple of things not Renaissance related earlier in the year. My two keyboard players and I opened up for Rick Wakeman at Scottish Rite Auditorium. That was fantastic. It went down well with the audience. We did it acoustic… well, not acoustically, but semi-acoustically with no drums, and it worked. It was great. Then I got up and sang with Asia. They got the band back together and are brilliant, really unbelievable with the new band.
I recorded a song with John Wetton and Geoffrey Downes when they did their iconic set of albums. They had a song called “In the End” and John contacted me wanting me to sing on that with him. Then I was asked to do two songs at the Tropicana in Atlantic City and the Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It really was fantastic. Even on just those two shows, you could see that the tour was incredible. It was Asia, it was Focus, it was Curved Air, and Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash (since Martin Turner was in the original Wishbone Ash). It was a long evening of music, but there were no complaints. Everything went down amazingly. It was one very huge success. It was fantastic and it was great to be part of, even just for those two shows.
Things like that might come up. I’m not sure. I’m not looking for anything right now at all after In Gratitude. I’ve got my Christmas show coming up, which I do every year at The Sellersville Theater. We always have a great time there and I’ll probably do that until I drop, actually [Laughs].
I love the Christmas show out in Pennsylvania! I think there’s always been a romantic quality to the symphonic musicianship of Renaissance – and a lot of what you do. That feels perfectly in line with the holiday season and the warmth of it, so I’m so glad that it is still going on, and that you want to continue with that. Do you love that as much as it seems and as much as I can imagine?
Oh gosh, yes! I mean, it takes you back to your childhood, and for me, particularly, singing in a school concert or something doing the Christmas carols when I was about the age of 10 or something like that. Oh, but I did get thrown out of the school choir for singing too loud! [Laughs]
Look at you now! think that’s a compliment!
I think so!
It’s all about keeping it going, which you have with an understated grace. There’s longevity to this music, not because of the original fans sticking around, but because it’s still powerful. Even though the music is far from simple – it’s very complex, there’s a lot to it – there’s beauty that can, will, and always has stuck with listeners. When you are going out and doing these shows, especially since the 2009 reunion time, what goes through your mind? Are you seeing the generations of fans coming out, like people bringing their kids?
And their grandkids! [Laughs] The word is still spreading, you know? And it’s good. Great music… it makes you feel good. That’s what we all need now. We don’t need all of this angry heavy music. I mean, some of the heavy stuff is great and has wonderful melodies. For instance, I like Opeth. The lead singer, Mikael Åkerfeldt, is a huge fan, and he contacted me a couple of years ago. I didn’t really know their music, but I’d heard of them. He said, “We are playing in Philadelphia and I’d like to meet you. We’ve got to go out before the show or if we got a day off, then maybe we could all go and have dinner.” So, I had dinner with all of them, and that was fabulous. Oh my God, they were wonderful. The people in Opeth are really great people and very gentle. You would never think they were in a band that growls, you know?
The next night, Jeffrey Langley and his father-in-law and myself went to see them in Philadelphia. The show was really quite amazing. There’s a song called “Blackwater Park,” a hit of theirs, that I love. The music was loud, but I was getting into it. Music can be loud, but still melodic. When they came to playing “Blackwater Park,” Mikael introduced me. He said “There’s somebody in the audience tonight – blah, blah, blah, blah.” Then he says, “She’s from Renaissance.” There were a lot of people there, and a lot of people knew who I was and everything – that was great. So, anyway, he dedicated this song to me and it was against a beautiful background. The lighting was incredible. They had like a forest behind them on film. Oh my, it almost filled the whole stage, including them in a way. It was done very tastefully. Then the song started. It was gorgeous and I thought, “Oh my God, this is beautiful. What a lovely song to dedicate to me.” All of a sudden they started growling! [Laughs] Jeffrey and his father-in-law looked at me and we started laughing, because even though we knew [the growling] was gonna come at some point, we didn’t know it was going to be on the one song that was dedicated to me. I enjoyed it, though, it was a very enjoyable show. The music truly is melodic and has a great pattern.
It is.
Yes, and now you never know who is listening. There is so much great music out there. If it is positive and it gives good messages, then that’s great.
Positivity is key, for both the artist behind the song and the people listening. You’re correct with that, Annie. We enjoy Opeth over here, too, and thinking about it now, quite a lot of their work is lengthy and detailed and evoke visceral reactions just like your own catalog of songs. I would never suspect any Renaissance crossover with Opeth until discussing it now, but I think Renaissance’s influence is clear even in the modern metal world.
[Laughs] Well, somebody took a photograph of us – me and Mikael of Opeth – in the restaurant Budokan – yes, it was an amazing Budokan restaurant in Philadelphia. Anyway, I put the picture on Facebook and the title was “Music Has No Boundaries.” People said. “My God, you’re right, Annie,” and “Very true,” and all these different comments about it. Many that came through were very interested.
Music is the universal language. I’m also curious – with these shows specifically and the air being filled with the idea of a ‘farewell’ and having gratitude, how are you and the band going about making a setlist? With that in mind, you might be thinking that that some songs might not be performed again…
Yeah, and that’s always been a problem with the setlist to be honest, and knowing what it is that we’re gonna do because the songs are so long and you can only put so many long songs in the set, because otherwise you won’t be hearing me singing so much. They’re long songs. Mickey and I used to say, “Well, we’re going to do this one, this time,” because there are so many great songs over the years that it was difficult to choose. Things like “Running Hard” and “Day of the Dreamer,” for example, we’ve been playing that for the last five years. We played those then and now we need to change it around. This time we’re starting off with “Prologue,” which we haven’t done for a few years now. That’s always a great song for me to get sung in. because it has my easiest notes in it – those high notes. I jump straight in and it’s good for easoning my voice and prepping my voice for the rest of the show. We’ll do a “Carpet of the Sun” and we’ll be doing “Ocean Gypsy.” We’ll be doing “Song for All Seasons,” which is one of my favorites. We’ll do part of “The Young Prince and Princess,” because it’s not too long, and “Island,” which is longer, but it’s what got me into this band over 50 years ago.
I did not know that that was the song you auditioned with! If I can say that, of course. That song must have a little bit of extra weight to it because of that… with the memory and history and where you are today.
Yeah, it’s fantastic. We flew Jim Karti over to see us in 2019 when we did our 50th anniversary tour. He came over and he joined us for “Island” and also “Fresh is a Burning.” We came full circle with Jim, and it still feels like that.
I bought the first Renaissance album when I leant of the band Renaissance. I learnt everything on it. By the time I went to the audition, they asked me to sing “Island” and I did. I was hoping they would ask me to do that song, too, because it was my favorite. I just knew I was meant to be in that band when I walked in the door.
Like love at first sight, but love at first listen! That’s beautiful, and you’ve built upon that so stunningly over the years.
It was a six piece band to start off with and I was kind of a backing singer, but I got to sing two songs. Then Miles Copeland came into the picture and managed. That’s when he changed the band, though, and pared the band down just to me and John. Then we formed a new band around me and John and the rest. “Prologue” was the one that we played to them because we hadn’t recorded anything really that we could use up until that point. (This was 1972, I guess, since that’s around when the album, Prologue, came out.) And so we played it, but because it didn’t have any words, it was kind of hard to present to somebody. We had to ask if they could play it, because it was not easy for a bass player, which is also why we did the bass player first, and then we did the drummer – Jon Camp and Terry Sullivan. Then we had an electric guitarist for a tour and on the album – Rob Hendry. After that, we realized that it was too heavy with the electric guitar, so we brought Michael Dunford back, Michael was kept on as a songwriter when Miles changed the band, and so we brought him back in as an acoustic guitarist, as well. It was immediately so much better. It was a little bit lighter and that was it.
And then, I guess as they say, the rest is history.
It is, yeah. A lot of things were going well, and, my God, we were the first English band to sell out three nights at Carnegie Hall.
That’s true!
That was pretty amazing. We played Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic, as well, and I did a solo album with the Royal Philharmonic, but you probably know that.
We do, but it’s still amazing to talk about. Those live moments elevated each of you and the music going forward. With Renaissance, I think live shows were something else completely in regard to experiencing the music. What are some of your favorite aspects of performing live, whether it be back then at Carnegie Hall or even now the Town Hall? Is it that camaraderie and that unlocking of something higher than just the music?
I think it’s the music – it’s just very special. There’s nothing like it and there really isn’t another band like us either.
No, there’s absolutely not.
It’s a combination, actually. I mean, the band is great, but you can’t say it’s better. You also can’t say it’s not as good now or whatever. It’s just the combination of the people, the six and then five of us in the early days, making these songs. It just worked. It was perfect, you know? Obviously there has to be different things today, because different people play differently and everything, but the good thing about anybody that’s ever been in the band is that they love the music so much, so they make it their own, but they play what they’re supposed to play, just in their way. It’s amazing. It’s still the music they love playing, and the audience loves it because it is our audience. That’s special because it’s all up to their own interoperation and experience.
Right, because as much as you are all so immersed in the music, you’re giving the space for fans to be immersed in that world at the exact same time when you go on tour and have these shows. I believe that is integral to these decades of the band; you’ve brought the fans in to be on the same level as all of you from the start. I love what you said about the band, as well, about how you can’t say it’s better or worse or changed, because like the music itself, it’s evolved. The heart of it all remains because everyone is part of this for the songs.
It is different. With anything, really, you can’t say something is better or worse because it’s different. I’m not saying it’s an insult, but it depends what it is you’re talking about. You’ve gotta be open-minded with a lot of things and accept things. It can’t all be the same and all be the best, but you can’t stay the same and expect the same thing every time.
Renaissance has always been about the art and evolving alongside each other, as well as evolving with that very music.
Yeah, and it’s interesting that these videos of [the band] keep popping up from years ago. Sadly, I have no idea why we didn’t film the Carnegie Hall shows and I don’t know why the Albert Hall wasn’t filmed, because they were recorded for albums, but not filmed. That was a big mistake, I think an absolutely big mistake. Maybe because of the cost for the orchestra for three days for the Albert Hall or for Carnegie Hall, but I don’t know. It just didn’t seem to make sense.
When you pay an orchestra, you have to pay for their rehearsal, and then you have to pay for their performance, and then you have to pay for the recording, so it’s a lot. Of course, a lot of people don’t know what things cost, right? I would have loved to have filmed these shows again, too, and have the orchestra, but this time round (and with the pandemic), everything is doubled. With travel and hotels, too, we wouldn’t have been able to do the tour. Luckily, though, we are just making it, to be honest. It’s not easy, but we’ve made it, even if we couldn’t use the orchestra now. I mean, we’ve still done it.
There you go. At the end of the day, we’re still here and you’re still here. Your voice and the band orchestrating the history and stories of yours will always carry the songs and shows along. It will be fantastic.
We did it and it’s on two albums, too. We are fine with using just the band, because that’s how it started off. We started off as a six piece band and that’s where we’re at now again. I just thought of that… it’s a six piece band, the same as the original.
I think that’s really beautiful and miraculous in a way with how everything comes back again, right? With that in mind, I think it’s a really interesting way to look at this tour – this farewell tour – as sort of going back to the beginning with six people. It might not be all the same people, but six people with your voice and these songs. That says something there. It’s different and it’s the same and it’s evolved and it’s celebratory symphonic rock, as Renaissance always was.
How we intended, I suppose, with this really special music that I still love.
FOR TICKETS TO RENAISSANCE’S FAREWELL TOUR, INCLUDING NYC TOMORROW, 10/17, AND NJ ON 10/25 & 10/26, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE!
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