Crosby Loggins Closes Out a Year on the Road at SOhO

Crosby Loggins is nothing if not his own man. Despite his impeccable musical pedigree, the Santa Barbara-based singer/songwriter has never been content with having anything handed to him. Nor has he ever expected anything to be. And nowhere is that more apparent than on his beautifully crafted new album, We All Go Home. Born among the creativity-inspiring, lush surrounds of Ojai in 2004, and bearing the empathetic stamp of his musical inner circle, the album is not only a testament to Loggins’s undeniable musical charm and prowess, but also to his level-headed approach to the musical medium.

Sure, some of the latter comes from having a Grammy Award-winning father and being raised around the likes of Jackson Browne and Graham Nash, but as Loggins is first to affirm, destiny is all about the path you choose to take. Recorded in Ventura’s Brotheryn Studios in early 2006, the album quickly met major label interest. But rather than jumping right in and signing on the dotted line, Loggins took a step back to carefully consider his options. And his chosen path? Well, that came to Loggins in the form of blues-rock icon Joe Bonamassa.

“In November of last year we did some industry showcases in Los Angeles,” recalled Loggins. “Some agents from William Morris came along, and one of those guys just happened to work with the agent who books Joe Bonamassa’s [shows]. Joe was looking for an opening act at the time and they hired my trio to play for him. At the end of those shows, Joe offered us a record deal with his label. He and his manager felt they were ready to sign an artist that could help expand the label and, fortunately, I was it.”

For Loggins, deciding whom to go to when it came to releasing his album came down to a number of factors. Given that the record was self-financed and the recordings were owned by Loggins, most of the deals that sprang from the major labels came with some form of proviso. That proviso was usually that the album be re-recorded to reassign the rights.

“I’m hip to that,” said Loggins. “The point of re-recording wasn’t that they didn’t like the recording, it was so they could own the rights to the masters. I knew what I would be sacrificing if I did that. And it’s a numbers game too. If you do it on a small label and sell 100,000 units, you have made a quarter of a million dollars, whereas if you sell the same on a major, you’ve only just broken even. I know the game, so I’m really happy with this alternative.” Re-recording also would have meant the album would not have been released until 2008 or, in some cases, even 2009.

Bonamassa’s label, J&R Adventures, offered We All Go Home immediate distribution throughout both North America and Europe. And, along with providing an effective vehicle for the release of the album, the partnership is also a reflection of the connection the two musicians forged. Subsequently, 2007 has seen Loggins out on the road with a guitar in his hand for most of the year, spending a good deal of that time playing in support of Bonamassa himself.

“It’s a unique working relationship,” affirmed Loggins. “Here I am opening for the guy who has invested time and energy into my record. Usually when you’re an opening act you are fighting tooth-and-nail to be heard, but in this case I am out with someone who has an interest in my success and really puts me in a good light and goes to bat for me. I am somebody that, on a grand scale, nobody has really heard of, but here I am playing a different city every night and riding around on a bus.”

By the time the current run of shows comes to its conclusion, Crosby Loggins will have undertaken some 70 performances and crisscrossed the country numerous times over. But he is not done for the year just yet. When Loggins finally gets back to Santa Barbara, there is one show that remains, as the singer/songwriter plans to close out his year with an intimate performance at SOhO. Joining Loggins onstage for this special acoustic evening will be longtime musical ally Kathrin Shorr.

“I’m really looking forward to this show,” said Loggins. “It’s just going to be a simple acoustic evening with Kathrin and me each doing a set, and then we will do some duos. And we might even throw out some quirky Christmas music or whatever else we can dig up. It is just going to be fun night. This, for me, will be the perfect way to come home and close out the year.”

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Crosby Loggins and Kathrin Shorr’s “3rd Annual Silent Night” takes place this Wednesday, December 12 at SOhO (1221 State St.) at 8 p.m. Admission is $10 and the show is open to all ages. Visit sohosb.com or call 962-7776 for details