Al Foreman, who plays guitar, released a solo album on June 28 of all instrumental music, titled “Al Foreman: Rock n Roll Ain’t Pretty.”
supplied photo
By Sentinel-Tribune Staff
RUDOLPH — Even in your darkest moments, something beautiful can come from it.
That is one of the philosophies musician Al Foreman, 46, of Rudolph, lives by. And he knows all about those darkest moments having lost the love of his life a few years ago to COVID.
Foreman, who plays guitar, released a solo album on June 28 of all instrumental music, titled “Al Foreman: Rock n Roll Ain’t Pretty.”
“I can sing in the shower, but that’s as much as I can do,” said Foreman when asked about vocals. “I stick to playing guitar, which is what I do best.
He said he credits his mother for his musical career.
“Mom wanted me to have something musical in my life.”
Foreman tried a variety of instruments when he was growing up.
“I started playing guitar when I was 13 (years old). Before that, I played other instruments, like the cello and clarinet, but when I picked up a guitar and started playing it, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
As he grew up, he continued to play guitar and became better as the years went by.
He eventually met his girlfriend.
“Even my dad told me not to let her slip away,” Foreman said of the girlfriend. “She inspired me so much.”
His girlfriend became his rock he could depend on. She told him not to waste his talent.
“A few weeks later, she lost her battle (with COVID).”
Foreman said he was lost without her.
“After she died, I didn’t know my right from my left.”
He gained even more inspiration from the girlfriend as he looked at pictures of her.
“No one knows where their next inspiration will come from. I don’t have a crystal ball that tells me where that next bit of inspiration will come from, but she has played a big part of it for me.”
Not only has his girlfriend given him inspiration to carry on after her death, but she also continues to inspire him in other ways.
“Many of my songs I wrote came from some of her catch phrases. One of them was about starting the day over. That’s what she used to say after she took a midday shower. She would say, ‘I’m starting my day over.’”
Foreman said he feels he is keeping her legacy alive with the recent release of his music.
That release was done as an independent work of art, not with the help of a record label.
Foreman said it would have cost him a lot of money to record the music at even a small record label.
“It didn’t make sense to (record the music) with a record label that would take about 40% (of the proceeds), so I did it myself.”
Foreman recorded the music at Toledo’s Guerilla Studios, which is owned by Wade Paul.
The 10 songs from his recent recording session can be found on multiple digital platforms, such as Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube, under alforeman44.
“People can listen to (the songs) for free, but it will cost to download them,” Foreman said, noting the downloads costs 59 cents per song and $5.99 for all 10 songs.
Because music is available digitally, the cost of recording it is substantially lower as compared to vinyl records and CDs.
“You can’t even buy a new car now that has a CD player. Everything is digital. Everything is done for the convenience of the listener.”
While Foreman has played his music at a variety of events in Northwest Ohio, such as hockey games, his biggest gig was opening for the rock band Tesla.
“That was the largest crowd I’ve played in front of. There were about 4,000 (people) there.”
Foreman is open to any gig that would gain him notoriety.
“I want the whole world to hear my music,” Foreman said. “I would like to do television commercials, video games and other playlists. Anything from hearing my music when I walk into a doctor’s office to Wal-Mart would be great. I just want to keep on keepin’ on.”
