Art rock/soft rock’s Ambrosia headlines the show that plays Detroit and Interlochen with Walter Egan, John Ford Coley and Peter Beckett. The Local Spins interview.
From Prog Rock to Yacht Rock: Ambrosia returns to Michigan. (Courtesy Photo)
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Part art rock, part smooth pop, part R&B. and all of it packed with plenty of harmony vocals.
That’s a brief description of Ambrosia, which performs at the Roostertail in Detroit Saturday (July 18) and Interlochen Center for the Arts on Monday (July 20). The band headlines the “Yacht Rock The Dock” show, alongside Walter Egan, John Ford Coley and Peter Beckett from Player.
Like many similar bands of the late ’70s who scored hits with soft rock songs that blended a variety of influences with pristine production, the band got labeled with the yacht rock moniker. Unlike some who eschew the term – think Donald Fagen of Steely Dan – Ambrosia rolled with it, and has headlined numerous yacht rock shows over the last several years.
Just don’t make the mistake of thinking that’s all the band does or can do.
Ambrosia’s first albums adroitly mixed progressive rock with pop, and the group formed the backbone of the original Alan Parsons Project alongside the band Pilot. With three lead vocalists and plenty of instrumental punch, they essayed everything from Crosby, Still and Nash-style harmonies (as on their first hit, “Holdin’ On to Yesterday”) to quirky art-rock songs, such as “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” with lyrics from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel “Cat’s Cradle.”
The band’s second album, “Somewhere I’ve Never Traveled,” was produced by Parsons and features lush orchestration and vocal arrangements. The record sleeve folded into a large pyramid – cementing its prog bona fides – and it garnered a Grammy Award nomination.
“We’ve played prog fests in the past,” says drummer and vocalist Burleigh Drummond in a phone interview. Which makes sense as early on, Ambrosia was viewed in some quarters as America’s answer to Yes and King Crimson.
Drummond says the group still gets booked for prog shows and festivals, where it is typically asked to not play its hook-filled successes. “It’s so funny to get those calls,” he says, where they’re told, “Just don’t play the hits.”
With its third album, “Life Beyond LA,” the band had its breakthrough hit, “How Much I Feel.” It was followed by “One Eighty,” which boasted “You’re The Biggest Part Of Me” and “You’re The Only Woman.” Those songs garnered massive airplay and established the band as part of the 70s pantheon of artists famed for their polished, hook-filled sound, alongside the likes of Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers, Toto and others.
The Band: Touring the United States (Courtesy Photo)
Following 1982’s “Road Island,” the band broke up. Bassist and vocalist Joe Puerta was a charter member of Bruce Hornsby and the Range (Hornsby was briefly a touring member of Ambrosia), guitarist/vocalist David Pack turned to production and a solo career, while keyboardist Christopher North took a hiatus from music. Drummond began working with his roommate John Wood and Wood’s cousin Mary Harris, who ultimately joined Ambrosia – after she and Drummond were married. Though Ambrosia reformed various times afterward with some shifting of members, it has never recorded another full-length studio album.
Along the way, the group recorded song by The Beatles (“Magical Mystery Tour” from the soundtrack album “All This And World War II”) which it performs in concert, as well as music by onetime bandmate and Puerta’s ex-employer Hornsby. It was one of the featured groups on the original Cruise To The Edge in 2013, alongside prog royalty Yes, Carl Palmer, Steve Hackett and other such progressive rock heavyweights.
Though it mostly stayed true to the progressive rock sound on the cruise, it did break out one of its smooth hits for its last set, which the crowd loved. Drummond says that’s often the case, as the prog rock fans enjoy the hooks and harmonies as much as the band’s instrumental prowess.
Today, Drummond and bassist/vocalist Puerta are the sole remaining original members. Pack left the band permanently in 2000, and North passed away earlier this year following a variety of health challenges, including throat cancer and being hit by an automobile.
The band is rounded out by three longtime veterans. Guitarist Doug Jackson replaced Pack in 2000. Harris, a veteran of sessions with Pink Floyd, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and Jimmy Buffet’s Coral Reefer Band, joined the band as second keyboardist and vocalist in 2012.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Shem von Schroeck first joined in 1989 as a potential replacement for Puerta, when it was unclear if Puerta’s commitment to Hornsby’s band would allow him to rejoin Ambrosia. When timing allowed Puerta to return, von Schroeck moved over to percussion, while still contributing vocals and filling in elsewhere as needed. He rejoined the band in 2022, first to sub for an ailing Drummond on drums, then in 2024 subbing for North, who he has now permanently replaced.
The band’s versatility is such that it can back up a variety of solo artists as on tour. ““We played with Edgar Winter. We were the last band to play with Gary Wright,” says Drummond, referring to the 70s hitmaker whose music embraced harmony vocals and plenty of synthesizers. On this tour it will play behind Egan, Coley and Beckett.
Drummond says the group is unbothered by the yacht rock label. Fagen famously had a brief, profane reply when documentary director Garret Price called him to ask about the band’s place in the yacht rock pantheon. But like those others mentioned or interviewed in the film, Drummond doesn’t disavow the term. He just considers it limiting in terms of Ambrosia’s musical scope.
“We just try to play as well as we can. Pop can be just as challenging in its own right” as progressive rock, he says. “After all these years, you can’t phone it in.”
Ambrosia has been at this for over a half century. So what keeps them going after all these years? Drummond says it comes down to still getting a thrill from playing the music. “It’s enjoyment. We truly enjoy playing music. What else would we do?” he asks rhetorically. “Retire? We still love to play.”
Plus it’s a family affair. Both Drummond and Puerta are able to travel with their wives. Shannon Puerta is the tour manager, while Drummond has to look just a few feet away to see his wife on keys. “It’s a joy, especially at this age,” he says. “I’m very, very lucky.”
Saturday-only tickets for the Yacht Rock Detroit festival at the Roostertail featuring Ambrosia are $149, and available online here. Three Dog Night is also on the bill.
Tickets for Monday’s Interlochen appearance for “Yacht Rock the Dock” are $28-$68 and available online here.
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