On Stage: Josh Ritter goes for a new sound

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Josh Ritter If you’re a fan of singer/songwriters who write great songs and have strong stage presence, you have quite a few good options this Tuesday and Wednesday with shows by Josh Ritter and Art d’Ecco on May 14 and concerts by Lissie and John Shakespear on May 15. Ritter, will headline a show at the Keswick Theatre (291 N. Keswick Avenue,...

On Stage: Some options for Mothers’ Day

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Freddie Jackson If you’re thinking about taking mom out to a concert to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday night, you have several choices ranging from smooth — Freddie Jackson — to rough — Disparager. If your mom likes romantic songs delivered by a classic R&B singer, Freddie Jackson should be your choice. If your mom has...

On Stage: The Illusionists at Kimmel

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The Illusionists – Live From Broadway It’s no illusion — “The Illusionists – Live From Broadway,” which is playing Philadelphia this weekend, is the world’s best-selling magic show. Kimmel Center Presents is bringing the internationally-acclaimed production to the Merriam Theater (250 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, www.kimmelcenter.org)...

On Syage: BBMak is back

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times BBMak Back in 2000, BBMak was one of the hottest pop bands in the United Kingdom. The group’s popularity quickly spread around the world. What set BBMak apart from the other “boy band” groups of the era was that the versatile threesome won over young audiences with its music — not with flashy choreography and unlimited hype.

On Stage: Metal for everyone

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Ice Nine Kills There are concerts every night of the week just about 365 nights every year. When winter weather departs from the northern states around this time every year, the weeknight concert schedule becomes almost as heavy as the weekend night schedule. This week, there are numerous midweek concerts in the area featuring interesting acts. Fans...

On Stage: Reid brings soulful voice to The Flash

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Terry Reid This weekend, two talented acts that date back to the late 1960s and early 1970s are playing shows in the area – Terry Reid and Foreigner. On May 4, Terry Reid & The Cosmic American Derelicts will perform at Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org).

On Stage: Kategory 5 steps up for Candlelight benefit show

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Kategory 5 The Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) is a non-profit theater nestled in the village of Ardentown, Delaware — a picturesque artistic community established in 1900. The Candlelight presents a season of great – and well-attended — shows every year but...

Mixed Media: Spring into First Friday

By Caroline Roosevelt, Columnist, The Times Well, it’s been a minute since I’ve been able to write about art. I took a brief hiatus to get married, enjoy my honeymoon, and then recenter myself in the real world. Turns out the real world didn’t stop while I was gone, and there’s a lot of art to be seen, after all, First Friday is coming up and there’s a lot going on! Let’s start in West...

On Stage: A local musician lays down the law

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Michael Braunfeld Most people don’t associate being a lawyer with being an entertainer – unless they take into consideration high-profile criminal lawyers like F. Lee Bailey or Clarence Darrow. So, it’s a little unusual that two music acts playing in the area in a five-day period feature lawyers – Mike Cusimano, whose band played the Keswick...

On Stage: Slambovian knows how to celebrate

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times The Slambovian Circus of Dreams The Slambovian Circus of Dreams — songwriter Joziah Longo (vocals/guitar/harmonica), his wife multi-instrumentalist Tink Lloyd (accordion, cello, ukelele, theremin, melodica), guitarist/mandolin player Sharkey McEwen, Bob Torsello (bass) and Felipe Torres (drums,percussion) — usually has some sort of theme...