On Stage: Howard Jones looks to go beyond pop

Also; Ex-Byrd still flies; Ruder Than You at The Flash for Strummer Foundation

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

Howard Jones, a New Wave icon who was one of the forefathers of synth-pop, is currently touring in America and treating his stateside fans to three completely different shows.

Jones, who was well-known to MTV viewers for his tufts of blond hair as well as his well-crafted songs, is performing a special multimedia show called “ENGAGE” in New York. He is also playing a string of dates across the country — some with his band and some as solo piano shows.

His two shows in this area will both be in “solo piano” mode. Jones will be performing on August 20 at the World Café Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400, www.queen.worldcafelive.com) and on August 24 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com).

“With ‘ENGAGE,’ I wanted to do something different instead of just making an album with a lot of songs,” said Jones, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in New York.

Jones recently performed “ENGAGE” in London and Los Angeles. Entirely fan-funded by PledgeMusic, “ENGAGE” is Jones’ most ambitious work to date, incorporating specially-commissioned visuals with music and an interactive live show.

“ENGAGE” is inspired by such diverse musical genres as electronica, contemporary classical and pop and fuses this audio mélange with other visual and literary arts including ballet, modern dance and philosophy. The “ENGAGE” audience is invited to participate via a specially-designed smart phone app, customized clothing and fluorescent make-up.

“I wanted to write something that would be a live event in a most exciting way,” said Jones. “I wanted to have it dramatic with a lot of visuals, including a film of ballet, and a lot of influences — classical, pop and Steve Reich. I took a real mixture of styles I really love and mashed them together. I had a special app made so fans could be part of the show. I’ve performed ‘ENGAGE’ five times so far and New York will be the sixth. I could take on the road but it would cost a lot.”

Jones had his first Top Five hit in 1983 with the song “New Song.” Four more hits followed over the course of a year and his album “Human’s Lib” reached the top spot on the U.K. album charts.

Jones’ 1984 “Like to Get to Know You Well” was “dedicated to the original spirit of the Olympic Games” and became a worldwide hit. It also was used in the film “Better Off Dead” and the computer game “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.”

“Dream into Action,” which came out in 1985, quickly became a Top Ten Platinum album in the United States and was Jones’ most successful album. Four major hits were on that album — “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life In One Day,” “No One Is To Blame,” and “Like To Get To Know You Well.”

“When I started with one-man electronic shows in 1981, right from the beginning I had TV screens that had VHS tapes that ran with the songs,” said Jones. “So, ‘ENGAGE’ is an extension of that. It took a year to put it together. I got the idea and booked the venue. I didn’t know what I was going to do. But, I got done everything I wanted to do.”

Jones, who was born and raised in Wales, has re-mastered those first two classic albums and has played them live in their entirety. He continues to tour extensively with Robbie Bronnimann on live sequencing/sampling and effects (Ableton Live and various controllers) and Jonathan Atkinson on electronic drums.

“It’s a completely electronic band,” said Jones, during a recent phone interview from his home in Somerset, England. “I have a drummer who uses an electronic drum kit and there are sequencer parts by another gentleman — Robbie Bronnimann.

“I also play keyboards. I have a new rig which is based on Mainstage — the equivalent to Logic software. Rather than carting around hundreds of keyboards, I use software. I’ve gone away from the hardware because it’s too difficult to travel with.”

Jones’ fans who attend the local shows will be in for something entirely different.

“Some shows on this tour are with the band and some are solo,” said Jones. “It’s much more involved with a full band. I really enjoy doing acoustic shows. The mix of these two worlds works really well for me.

“I decide which to use based on the size of the venue and the day of the week. It’s an organic process putting it all together. In the modern world of music, flexibility is absolutely essential. You have to work with the reality of the world. My band is based in the U.K. but I have a complete American rig for touring.”

Jones has stayed up-to-date with both music technology and musical styles, including EDM (Electronic dance music).

“I’ve done a new version of ‘Everlasting Love” and there is an EDM hit of ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ with (French DJ/producer) Cedric Gervais. All the hits have been updated and we do play a lot of dubstep.

“I’m also working on some songs for a couple of films. One is ‘Eddie the Eagle,’ which is a real-life story of a famous British skier. It is set in the 80s so there is a lot of 80s-style music in the show — new songs in the old style. I’m also writing songs for an American animated film called ‘Animal Crackers.’

“With my solo piano show, I always bring some songs I don’t usually play like ‘Back in Your Life Again.’ Obviously, there are songs I need to play like ‘What Is Love’ and ‘Everlasting Love. And, I do a new version of ‘Things Can Only Get Better.’”

Jones also looks to the past spiritually. He is a devout follower of Nichiren Buddhism.

“A friend of mine who is a fashion designer got me interested in Buddhism,” said Jones. “I loved the way he worked with people and his positivity. So, I got him to teach me.

“I started straight out with Nichiren and I chant ‘Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’ (a mantra that dates back to 1253) every day. Nichiren focuses on the belief in the positive power of human beings.

“There are three things that I feel are very important. If we want to change things, we have to change ourselves. We need to exchange dialogue with each other. And, we have to realize that we are global citizens.”

Video link for Howard Jones — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hUFw5Qi0pjU.

Jones’ show in Wilmington will start at 8 p.m. on August 20 and tickets are priced at $32.

Other upcoming shows at the Queen are Chris Stapleton on August 21, Kindred the Family Soul on August 22,

The Sellersville show will start at 8 p.m. on August 24 with IVA as the opening act. Tickets priced at $39.50 and $55.

On August 22, the Sellersville Theater will present a show that also features long-time music veterans — the duo of former-Byrd Chris Hillman and bluegrass great Herb Pedersen.

“Herb and I go out and we have a great time,” said Hillman, during a phone interview last week from his home in Ventura, California. “We’ve added some songs — songs we haven’t done in awhile.

“We’ve talked about coming out and each doing a solo set and then do songs with the duo. With just a duo, it’s one-dimensional. I would like to be multi-dimensional. We’re both in our seventies.

“I’m fine with my age. It’s a good thing. I still write songs now and then. The question with writing songs now is what would one write when he’s been happily married for 36 years and has two great kids.”

Hillman is one of the trailblazers who led the way to the development of country rock.

He was one of the original members of the Byrds — a band formed in Los Angeles in 1964 that went on to be ranked at number 45 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.” He also was a founding member of several other influential bands — the Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas and the Desert Rose Band.

Pedersen, who was Hillman’s bandmate in the Desert Rose Band, is a guitarist, banjo player and singer-songwriter. He has established himself as a top-flight player in a number of genres including bluegrass, folk rock, country, folk and country rock.

“We play each year from March to November — usually about 10 shows a month,” said Hillman. “It’s very rewarding. I feel like I’m really lucky that we’re still working — and that people still love it.

“Herb and I have known each other for 53 years now. He grew up in Berkeley and had a bluegrass band there. At the same time, I was learning mandolin when I was in high school in San Diego. We met up in L.A.

“Back then, music was just a passion for me. I never expected to make a dime. We met in 1963 and that was the first year that we both got paid for making music. He stayed in bluegrass and I got an offer to join the Byrds.”

The initial Byrds’ line-up featured Roger (nee Jim) McGuinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke and Hillman.

“We had all come out of folk music,” said Hillman. “Then, we all plugged in to our amplifiers and made a great band. It was a great band. It has stood the test of time. We found a way to make folk music danceable. There were three bands that really did a good job of combining folk and rock — the Lovin’ Spoonful, Buffalo Springfield and the Byrds.

“By the time we had a hit with ‘Eight Miles High,’ we had become a very interesting band. We were listening to Ravi Shankar, a sitar player from India, and jazz artists like John Coltrane, Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner. It definitely influenced our music.”

In 1968, the Byrds released their country-influenced “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” album — an album that served as a template for the hundreds of country rock bands that followed over the next 40-plus years.

“I really did love the first two Byrds’ albums,” said Hillman. “‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ wasn’t my favorite record. But, it did open the floodgates.”

After awhile, Gram Parsons, who had joined the Byrds as a session man prior to the ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ album and was influential in the country flavor of the disc, and Hillman left the band.

They joined together with steel guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow and bassist Chris Ethridge to form the Flying Burrito Brothers and later added former Byrds’ drummer Michael Clarke.

Hillman parted ways with the Flying Burritos after a few albums. Then, a phone call from old friend Stephen Stills set him on a new musical journey — the band Manassas, which had two albums in the early 70s. Hillman’s next band after that was called Souther-Hillman-Furay, which had two albums in the mid-1970s.

“Manassas was a great band,” said Hillman. “Stephen Stills was on his game then. He’s a great player. Souther-Hillman-Furay was a good idea — but it didn’t come off. I don’t do any songs from those two albums.”

The next group for Hillman was McGuinn-Clark-Hillman — a band that released three albums from 1979-1981. After that, Hillman joined the Desert Rose Band with Pedersen, John Jorgenson, Bill Bryson, Steve Duncan and JayDee Maness.

“The Desert Rose Band had a number of country hits,” said Hillman. “Our song ‘Love Reunited’ reached Number Six on the country charts. There were great musicians in that band — and no baggage. That’s why it lasted as long as it did. We’ve all remained close friends.”

Now, Hillman is back to performing as part of a duo with Pederson — and playing a lot of tunes from his previous bands.

“I’ve been working on writing a memoir,” said Hillman. “What’s the next step for an aging rock star — write an autobiography. David Byrne said it right when he said aging rock star biographies make for a crowded shelf.

“I’ve been writing about growing up in California in the 1950s — in rural California in the post-war era. I concentrated on music and the people I worked with — in a good way.

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever make another album. With the way the music business is going now, is it just a vanity effort?

“My last album with Herb was a live album. I like doing live albums. Maybe I’ll go in the studio with friends and record live. Herb and I are both in our 70s. But, as long as we can sing and play — and people want to hear us — there is no reason we can’t keep doing this.”

Video link for Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen — https://youtu.be/fOjcoCAFTho.

The show has an 8 p.m. start time with Marc Silver as the opening act. Tickets priced at $29.50 and $45.

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Seth Walker on August 20 and The Allman, Neville & Pitchell Band on August 21.

Lithuania, which is headlining a show at PhilaMoca (531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, 267-519-9651, www.philamoca.org) on August 21, is a band that has some confusing aspects.

For example, neither member of the two-man group is of Lithuanian descent. Actually, Eric Slick and Domenick Angelella have never ever crossed the border into the Baltic country known as Lietuvos Respublika  (Republic of Lithuania).

Slick and Angelella first met in the jazz program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia and quickly realized they were the oddballs among their classical peers. They immediately connected through mutual musical interests like Husker Du, Captain Beefheart, Boredoms, and Bjork.

“We had so much in common,” said Slick, during a phone interview Wednesday morning from his home in Philadelphia. “We were the outliers of the jazz school. We had the same tastes — free jazz, noise and punk. Some of our favorites were Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Husker Du and the Minutemen.”

The duo just released its debut album. Judging by the duo’s musical tastes, you would expect an album with avant-garde flavorings and songs that veered far away from mainstream.

Again, confusion awaits listeners. “Hardcore Friends,” which came out on August 14 on Lame-O Records, is a very straightforward accessible album.

“Considering our tastes in music, it’s funny because the record we just made was a very mainstream sounding record,” said Slick. What it would sound like if we made a pop record. The songs we were writing were more straightforward so we made a catchy pop record.

“Lithuania started around 10 years ago when we were going to college at the University of the Arts. We started rehearsing together in 2005. We releasedone 7-inch and then in 2010 we made an EP so that we had something to sell when we were on tour with Hopalong. In 2013 and 2014, Dom and I were sending each other a lot of songs and then we made the album.”

Writing “Hardcore Friends” was a completely contrasting experience for the two: Angelella was used to being the sole songwriter in DRGN KING while Eric was usually playing drums in a band. The first half of the album contains older songs from 2007 when Slick was staying with friends in Asheville and emailing song ideas to Angelella in Philadelphia. The second half is all brand new songs written over the past year.

“We recorded the whole album in five days with Joe Reinhart and Kyle Pulley at The Headroom Studios in Philadelphia,” said Slick, who is also the drummer for Dr. Dog.

“We love having Joe as our producer. We went in the studio with the intention of just doing two singles and then realized we had enough songs to make an album.”

Both musicians are also staying active with their other bands.

“With Dr. Dog, we’re in rehearsals now for a theater performance September 9-12 called ‘Swamp Is On.’ It’s a full theater show.”

The Dr. Dog Pop Detachment & The Pig Iron Psychedelic Signals Auxiliary will present ‘Swamp Is On” for four days at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com).

“And DRGN KIMG is going to be really active in September,” said Slick, who previously and played in Adrian Belew’s Power Trio along with his sister Julie Slick. “We’ll get back together and tour as Lithuania in October and November. We’ll be touring all over the country.

“For our live set, we’ll play pretty much the songs from new album in sequence and two songs that weren’t on the record. The album just came out last week. We put it out on vinyl and digitally but there are no CDs.”

Video link for Lithuania — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iYLS0fwZf9k.

The show at PhilaMoca, which starts at 7:30 p.m., also features the Sidekicks, All Dogs and Marge. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the doors. 

A lot of bands have members who have played together since they were high school students or younger. The members of ROMP, a rocking quartet from New Jersey, never knew each other until they were in college together.

ROMP — vocalist/keyboardist Madison Klarer, guitarist Lucas Dalakian, drummer Mitch Gollub and bassist Chris Beninato — came into existence a little over a year ago. Now, the band is on the road touring in support of its debut EP “Sorry, Not Sorry. “

The band’s tour touches down twice in the area this weekend — August 22 at the Home Grown Café (126 E Main Street, Newark, 302-266-6993, www.homegrowncafe.com) and August 23 at the Mantua Yacht Club (North 35^th and Mantua streets, Philadelphia, 215-382-3639, http://www.td4wbutton.com

 “We all met in spring 2014 through shows and parties in New Brunswick,” said Klarer, during a phone interview last week after a band rehearsal. “None of us were friends. We didn’t even know each other before a year ago. I met Devon, who was our first bassist, and he introduced me to Mitch. Our bass player now is Chris.

“We practiced every day for the entire summer. When I was away at school at F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan), I’d come home every weekend during the school year for rehearsals.”

Gollub said, “Me and Lucas graduated from Rutgers. I was a computer engineer major and he was a business major. Now, we’re both software engineers.”

ROMP steadily developed its own blend of punk and alt-rock.

“We first learned a bunch of covers,” said Klarer. “After we started playing at bars, we wrote about six songs. We played some punk shows at bars in New Brunswick but most of the punk shows there happen in basements. Four of those six songs are on the EP. Since then, we’ve written two more — ‘Hobo’ and ‘Burrito.’

“All our songs are in the punk vein. I’ve always been into punk and emo. Mitch likes punk and hardcore and Luca is into rock bands.”

Earlier this year, ROMP ventured into the recording studio.

“Back in the spring, we talked about making a record,” said Klarer. “We wanted a big release so we could tour more. We recorded the album in Union City (NJ) with Jesse Cannon as our producer. When we were researching producers, we came across Jesses name and he had worked with a lot of bands that we liked. When we recorded the EP, we wanted it to be the best we could do. So, we wanted an experienced producer.”

Dalakian said, “We did our pre-production work. We played songs live and went on feedback from our friends. Most of the songs we wrote were short. We didn’t want to be too self-indulgent. We cut five songs down to four and then added ‘Burrito’ as a bonus track. For our live show, we have nine more songs on top of that five.”

ROMP’s show at the Home Grown Café is free and lists a 10 p.m. start time. The show at the Mantua Yacht Club starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $10.

Mystery Skulls is the name of the latest music project by sound architect Luis Dubuc — a project that had its start back in 2011. That year, Mystery Skulls released a self-titled EP and a single titled “Amazing.”

In 2014, Mystery Skulls, who will be performing on August 25 at Ortlieb’s (847 North Third Street, Philadelphia, 267- 324-3348, www.ticketfly.com), had four singles — “Ghost,” “Paralyzed,” “Number 1” and ‘Magic” —  and then released the debut album “Forever” in October.

Mystery Skulls has been even busier this year with live dates. Following some time off after two tours with Cherub, spot dates around the globe, and commissioned remixes, Mystery Skulls is now on the road with a seven-day, seven-city tour.

The highly-acclaimed DJ/singer is using his eclectic genre-bending stylings to produce a specially-curated mix incorporating the sounds popularized on his “Forever” debut last year  — an album that featured appearances from Nile Rodgers, Brandy and Snowblood.

“I like testing stiff on people,” said Mystery Skulls, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. “I’ve been working on a lot of new mixes. My current live show is stuff from the album, stuff from the EP and re-mixes. It’s definitely a very varied set. It’s a hodge-podge — a mash of stuff.”

Dubuc was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela and then moved with his family to Toronto when he was a young child. He remained in Toronto until recently moving to Los Angeles.

“This show is just me onstage,” said Mystery Skulls. “There is a great visual component. It’s a cool set. It’s going to be unique. I sing and I DJ at the same time. There are a lot of live instruments on the record. Live — it’s more of a dance party. Because I sing and DJ — which not a lot of people do — I get to play a lot of different types of shows.

“A long time ago, I started as a drummer when I was a teenager. I also worked in a record store, I was obsessed with music. Going from drumming to where I am now was a natural progression.

“When I first got started making electronic music, I had an old Apple notebook, a good Moog source and a Wurlitzer 200A. I spent all my paychecks on music when I was a teenage r and it’s the same way now. Onstage, I use a couple computers and some controllers. I can control every parameter. It’s definitely an experience — especially with the visuals and the deep songs.”

With Mystery Skull’s command of both EDM (electronic dance music) sounds and emotive vintage soul vocals, the result is music that seems to have one leg in the dance clubs of the 20-teens and one leg in the smooth sound of soul and R&B from the 1960s and 1970s.

“I love vintage soul and I love electronic music,” said Mystery Skulls. “Bringing them together — that was the thought. At the start, I never imagined being able to work with Nile Rodgers. Things are really moving along well.”

Video link for Mystery Skulls — https://youtu.be/THNaO8pZ7c8.

The Mystery Skulls show at Ortlieb’s will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

It has just been announced that Colombian pop star Juanes has been selected to sing for Pope Francis during his visit to Philadelphia this fall. The other acts announced as performers at the Festival of Families celebration on Sept. 26 were Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Juanes, whose full name is Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, is one of the most popular — and best-selling — Latin entertainers in the world. To date, Juanes has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.

Fans of the South American superstar who want to see him perform but don’t want to deal with the madness that will engulf Philadelphia on the weekend of the Pontiff’s visit are in luck.

On August 20, Juanes will bring his “Loco de Amor U.S. Tour” to the Santander Arena (700 Penn Street, Reading, 610-898-7469, santander-arena.com). The show will also feature one of Mexico’s Ximena Sariñana. 

In Mexico, Sariñana is a star. Her first album “Mediocre”, which was released in 2008, debuted at Number 1 in Mexico and scored two Latin Grammys. Her self-titled album, her English-language debut, was released in 2011.

The daughter of acclaimed film director Fernando Sariñana, she also been acting since the age of 11. Sariñana starred in three telenovelas and 11 Mexican films including “Dos Abrazos”, for which she won the prize for Best Supporting Actress by the Mexican Film Critics and Press Board.

“It took me two years to make the ‘No Todo Lo Puedes Dar’ album,” said Sariñana, during a recent phone interview. “After finishing touring my English album, the only songs I came up with were in English. I had 10 songs in English written but I wanted to do a Spanish album.

“It was nice to start fresh — to think about the new album as a body of work. I flew to Madrid. I love Madrid. It’s one of my favorite cities. I have friends there who are musicians in all different styles.

“Most of the songs were written in Mexico City. It was definitely a Latino-influenced album. I think people should be open to music no matter what the language. Music is a universal language. It doesn’t have barriers. If you deliver something really well done with honest intentions, people will connect.”

Video link for Ximena Sariñana — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VpUeZPPktok.

Video link for Juanes — https://youtu.be/VGhijvA4XTU.

The Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will host a “Benefit for the Joe Strummer Foundation” on August 21 featuring Ruder Than You, Jeffrey Gaines, The Future Unwritten, Clashing Plaid, E. Joseph & The Sparrows, and Joe Castro.

Chaplin’s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110, http://chaplinslive.com) will present Project Ico and Aubreylyn on August 21; and Tim McGlone, Jeff Kerchner, and Ryan Cohen on August 22.

Doc Watson’s Public House (150 North Pottstown Pike, Exton, 610-524-2424, docwatsonspublichouse.com) will feature Trombo Piccolo on August 21.

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com) will host Matt Spitko Band and Mr. Fuzzy & the Barbarian on August 21 and Jeffery Gaines with Emily Neblock on August 22.

The Valley Forge Casino (1160 First Avenue, King Of Prussia, 610-354-8118, https://www.vfcasino.com) will present Jessy Kyle on August 21.

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will have Splintered Sunlight (Grateful Dead Tribute) and Muscle Tough on August 21; Phish Magnaball Festival Live Stream on August 22; and The Weeklings featuring Glen Burtnik (Beatles Tribute) with Broken Arrow (Neil Young Tribute) on August 23

World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, philly.worldcafelive.com) will have Melissa Ferrick on August 22, Justin Hayward on August 24, and Alice Smith on August 25.

Susquehanna Bank Center (1 Harbour Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey, 800-745-300, http://www.lnphilly.com) will host the “Common Vision Tour 2015” with Every Time I Die, Real Friends, Counterparts, Brigades, and Gatherers  on August 21 and “Rent-A-Cops Police Tribute” with Rev TJ McGlinchey’s Tom Pretty Tribute along with The Rent a Cops and Krush.

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,

www.johnnybrendas.com) will have Eleventh Dream Day, Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band and Rosali on August 20; Adia Victoria, Church Girls, and Tygaton on August 21; Dead Heavens, Gondola,  and Don Devore on August 22; Whitney, Lionlimb,  and Blue Smiley on August 23; and Publicist UK, Dalek, and Psychic Teens on August 26.

The American Music Theatre (2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, 800-0 648-4102, www.AMTshows.com) will present its current house production “Inspire” on August 21,  comedian Kevin James on August 23 and country music superstar Loretta Lynn  on August 24.

“Nunsense” is running at the Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) now through August 22.

Video link for “Nunsense ” — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xscpTLQmrck.

Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings (doors 6 p.m./show, 8 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons (doors, 1 p.m./show, 3 p.m.). Tickets, which include dinner and show, are $59 for adults and $33 for children (ages 4-12).

Rainbow’s Comedy Playhouse (3065 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise, 800-292-4301, http://rainbowcomedy.com) is presenting “Over the River & Through the Woods” now through October 24.

Matinee performances are every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and selected Saturdays with an 11:30 a.m. lunch and a 1 p.m. curtain. Evening performances are every Friday, Saturday and selected Thursdays with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the show following at 8 p.m. There will also be “Twilight Performances” on selected Sundays with dinner at 2:30 p.m. and the show at 4 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30-$55.