A Moody Blue Talent Will Color Santa Barbara

Singer-songwriter and guitar player Justin Hayward is winding up another tour with his mates, the Moody Blues. Following a series of Lake Tahoe gigs, the veteran cosmic rocker is slated for a three-night stopover at the Coach House in Santa Barbara beginning Tuesday night. For this gig, he will be performing solo, with a backup band.

The Moody Blues, like seemingly every British band in those silly ‘60s, started as a blues band. That didn’t last long, as the Moodies became the first band to popularize the combination of rock and classical music. Their “Days of Future Passed” was a surprise hit in 1968, and four-fifths of that album’s lineup is still creating heavenly harmonies 30 years later.

Hayward is responsible for some of rock’s most memorable tunes such as “Tuesday Afternoon,” “Knights in White Satin” and “A Question of Balance,” to name a few. While the band as a whole has created a considerable body of work, each of the individual members has solo endeavors as well. Hayward’s third solo album, “View From the Hill,” was released last year.

Before a Moody Blues gig in Lake Tahoe, Hayward submitted to a modest grilling by phone.

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So are there a bunch of 45-year-old hippies descending upon Caesars Palace to see the Moody Blues?

Well, you know how difficult it is to get anyone our age to go anywhere. Lately I’ve noticed--what I can see from the stage, anyway--is that most of the people are between 18 and 35 years old, which is, of course, the age of most people who actually do go out.

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So it’s the Moody Blues and the Rolling Stones still standing. How do you account for your band’s longevity?

Not one of us could bear to go on without the others. Really, we have a lot of music that means a lot to a lot of people, and no one wants to give that up. We get a lot of pleasure from doing this. We’ve had a lot of crisis points, but we’ve managed to sort things out. Plus, we’re all still great friends.

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What was it like being a rock star in those silly ‘60s?

For me, as time goes by, I realize how lucky we were to be part of that scene in London. It was a wonderful party, really, that lasted until around 1971. We were lucky to have been brought to America by Bill Graham in 1968. We only had two gigs, but we tapped into that whole flower power thing, and developed a solid following.

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What was your big break?

Like I said, it was probably hooking up with Bill Graham. We were a pretty bad blues band before we found ourselves. We had hit the bottom and had gone back to live with our parents. Then we started writing our own songs and that changed everything.

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For these solo gigs, is it just you or do you have a band? And is this a Moody Blues II type of thing?

Yes, I have a band--there’s four of us on stage. It’s not really the Moody Blues II. I do a lot of my solo stuff plus some obscure Moody Blues songs that we usually don’t do as a band like “Watching and Waiting.” I get to do songs that I’ve always loved that somehow have been passed by. It’s a labor of love.

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How do you deal with life on the road?

I enjoy it a lot more than I did when I was a kid. These days, you get to where you’re going faster and the hotels are better. Also, I have a bit of money now and don’t have to stay in the kinds of places we used to stay in. Also, I’m not as intense and serious as I used to be.

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What advice would you give to aspiring songwriters?

I would say to write from the heart--always write from the heart, and never write in front of the mirror. Also, never sign away your copyrights. I did that when I was a kid and I’ve regretted it all my life.

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When can we expect a new Moody Blues album?

Actually, we hoped to have it done already, but the studio we use in Italy has been taken over by the Spice Girls for six months. While we were negotiating for a price, they paid what the owner wanted, so now we’re looking at this time next year for a new Moody Blues album.

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I understand your daughter went to UCLA. So did you get excited about the Bruins’ basketball team in the tournament?

Yes, my daughter did go to UCLA for a year; and no, I absolutely don’t care about basketball. I’m afraid a lot of English people couldn’t give a damn about basketball, probably because we just don’t get it. I live in France now, and the French seem to like basketball, but not the English.

BE THERE

* Justin Hayward at the Coach House, 110 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets $32.50. (805) 962-8877.