Uli Jon Roth calls his new show “quite an extravaganza.”
His upcoming show at The Coach House is essentially two concerts, which, he said, “reflect my split personality.”
“One of my personalities is more classical, and one of which is more rock,” said Roth, a former guitarist for the Scorpions.
“The first part is called ‘An Evening with Uli Jon Roth,’ where I’ll be telling stories and playing some of my classical repertoire. I’ll perform Vivaldi with the orchestra on the screen, and several pieces that I wrote especially for this. Including one on the nine-string flamenco Sky guitar.”
Also during that section, he’ll set aside 15 minutes for a TED Talk about his new book, In Search of the Alpha Law, a nearly 600-page tome with 1,000 photos and illustrations.
“It’s an integral part of the first part of the show,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a journey in some respects, artistically speaking. It’s impossible to put nearly 600 pages into 15 minutes, but it will be challenging. I’ll just pick and choose certain things to talk about.”
After the intermission, he’ll return with his full band and present a “complete rock show devoted to all my early stuff from the Scorpions, Electric Sun and a little Jimi Hendrix, and that concludes the evening.”
Roth — who brings the show to The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on Friday, April 5 — has a second reason for the split performances. He scheduled one-man solo shows in 2020 – just before the pandemic halted the world.
“Here we are, four years later,” he said with a laugh. “We thought it might be a good idea to do that show and bring the band, so people get the full 360 spectrum.”
Inspired by Hendrix, Roth – born Ulrich Rich in December 1954 – discovered the electric guitar in 1968, playing his first concert with Blue Infinity soon thereafter at age 13.
While in high school, the German musician studied classical guitar and piano, admiring Andrés Segovia and Julian Bream, but also flamenco guitarists such as Manitas de Plata and violinist Yehudi Menuhin. He has stayed passionate about music, because it really isn’t in the forefront of his mind.
“I don’t do so much of it,” said Roth, calling from Lincolnshire, England. “In the morning, I’m playing piano when I first get up. I don’t play that much guitar – only when I have to learn a new piece or when I’m writing something.
“I don’t spend a lot of time practicing. Each time I pick up a guitar, it’s for a very specific reason. Each time I pick it up, I get new ideas right away. It’s like clockwork. I think it’s because I don’t play so much. That’s why it’s still very fresh. It’s never become mechanical with me. It’s always an experience.”
Roth said he “respects and loves music too much to have it be mechanical.” He rarely listens to music, either.
“If I did that nonstop, maybe it wouldn’t have the same effect on me. I’m loving it,” he said.
WHO: Uli Jon Roth w/The Alvarez Band
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, April 5
WHERE: The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano
COST: $28
INFO: 949.496.8930, thecoachhouse.com