On Stage: McKeown headlines People’s Light Drive-In

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times 

The live music scene in the area started to come to life a few weeks ago and has been picking up momentum ever since. The schedule of live shows is getting meatier after months and months of looking anorexic.

People’s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, peopleslight.org) has resumed its Drive-In Concert Series, following current PA regulations for outdoor events. These drive-in concerts, held in the theater’s back parking lot, are designed for small groups within the same “social bubble” to safely enjoy outdoor entertainment together. Tickets are limited and social distancing is enforced.

On June 25, the stage will belong to Erin McKeown.

McKeown (pronounced “MICK-yone”) is a musician, writer, and producer known internationally for her prolific disregard of stylistic boundaries. She has released 10 full length albums over the last 20 years, all the while refining her distinctive and challenging mix of American musical forms. Her singing voice is truly unique —clear, cool, and collected. Over the last 20 years, she has performed around the world, released 10 full length albums, and written for film, television, and theater, all the while refining her distinctive and challenging mix of American musical forms.

Leading her own band, she has performed at Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, and the Newport Folk Festivals. A familiar presence on NPR and the BBC, McKeown’s songs have also appeared in numerous commercials and television shows.

While a student at Brown University, she was a resident artist at Providence, Rhode Island’s revolutionary community arts organization AS220. A 2011-2012 fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, she is also the recipient of a 2016 writing fellowship from The Studios of Key West and a 2018 residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Additionally, McKeown is a 2020-21 Professor of the Practice at Brown University.

Her first musical, “Miss You Like Hell,” opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater in 2018, where it was nominated for five Drama Desk Awards, including Best Lyrics, Best Music and Best Orchestrations. The Wall Street Journal named it Best Musical of 2018.

“The musical did great,” said McKeown, during a phone interview from her home in western Massachusetts.

“I spent a lot of time writing the original musical. Writing a musical takes over your whole life. I’ve probably already written over three albums worth of music. It was first staged in fall 2016 at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. We learned a lot from the run in California.

“It’s about a mother and daughter who take a road trip across the country, and it’s set in the Obama years. I did the music and the lyrics and Quiara Alegría Hudes did the book and lyrics.”

Immigration is a focus of the play — a daughter who is allowed to stay, a mother who may be forced to leave, and the unexpected cadre of American originals they meet on the way to the mother’s citizenship hearing.

“We had a nice run with the show,” said McKeown. “We did three full workshops before we had our first production in California. The shows in New York went really well. It’s been great getting to work with artists on this level.

“The highest measure of success was that we got to make a cast album. It makes it accessible. We licensed the production and anyone around the country can do it. Eight productions are happening now all over America. Next is writing a new show.”

McKeown, who has had a strong following in the Philadelphia area for years, has seen her recording career come full circle – and then some.

She released her debut album “Monday Morning Cold” in 1999 on her own label — TVP Records. After releasing another album on TVP in 2000, McKeown recorded albums for Nettwerk Records, Righteous Babe, and Signature Sounds.

In 2011, she returned to TVP for an “anti-holiday” album. Since then, she has added four more releases to her TVP catalog – “Manifestra” (2013), “Small Deviant Things, vol. 2 + 3” (2013), “According to Us” (2016) and the “Mirrors Break Back” EP, which was released on March 31, 2017. Her most recent releases are singles – “The Escape” in 2020 and “IS / HE DOES / HE” in 2021.

Here are the ground rules issued by People’s Light:

These drive-in concerts are designed for small groups within the same “social bubble” to safely enjoy outdoor entertainment together. Tickets are limited and social distancing is enforced.  Each vehicle is limited to 5 people or less and assigned a parking spot and adjacent “Home Space” for setting up lawn chairs. We require concert attendees to remain in their designated area as much as possible and avoid mingling with other parties.

This socially distanced drive-in concert will take place in the back parking lot of the People’s Light campus at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA. The concert will last 75 to 90 minutes in total, including both sets. It is our goal to start and end on time. The musicians will perform on a raised stage at the back of the lot.

Video link for Erin McKeown — https://youtu.be/Oao8Lil52RQ.

Tickets are $75 per car and limited to 5 passengers per car (not including children under 12). There are no physical tickets for these events. Attendees will receive a confirmation email receipt immediately following purchase, as well as a reminder email with more details a few days before a concert.

McKeown will also perform on June 24 at Tellus 360 (24 East King Street, Lancaster, 717-393-1660, www.tellus360.com) with Natalia Zuckerman.

Friends and collaborators McKeown and Zukerman have long been members of a weekly songwriting group, creating wildly different tunes from the same writing prompt. At Tellus 360, they will play separate mini-sets and then in-the-round.

Tickets are $20 general admission.

There must be times when fans with broad musical tastes look at the schedule of shows at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) and seriously consider booking a room for a few days at the adjacent Washington House Hotel.

This could be one of those weeks because the theater’s line-up includes a new country artist (EmiSunshine on June 24), a veteran prog rock keyboardist (Jordan Rudess on June 25), a nationally acclaimed Fleetwood Mac tribute band (Fleetwood Mask on June 26), a talented young rock trio (The Restless Age on June 27) and a jazz/blues/rock duo (Gabrielle Chapman & The Vortex on June 29).

Fleetwood Mask will headline a show on June 25 at the American Music Theatre (2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, 800-0 648-4102, www.AMTshows.com) and then head 75 miles northeast to perform at the venue in Sellersville on June 26.

The AMT show is a rescheduled date, originally scheduled for May 29, 2020. Any tickets held, and not refunded, from the original date remain valid for this performance.

The Sellersville Theater — and the American Music Theatre — have a history of presenting top-flight cover bands and the band that is performing at both venues this weekend is one of the best – Fleetwood Mask.

There are tribute bands of every size and shape for more music acts than you could possibly imagine.

The list of Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks tribute bands is huge with such acts as White Wedding Band, Fleetwood Macked, Rumourz, Seven Wonders, Fleetwood Mac Mania, World Turning Band, Fleetwood Max, Dreams Crystal Visions of Fleetwood Mac, True Rumours, and Little Lies Band.

One thing they all have in common is the reality that none can compare to Fleetwood Mask. The California-based band is on a plateau all its own.

Fleetwood Mask’s line-up features Christopher Zerbe (guitars, vocals), Barbara Martin (keyboard, vocals), Don Oberempt (drums, percussion), Claudette Rodrigues (vocals, percussion) and Paul Jones (bass, vocals).

The band was formed to pay living tribute to the legacy of Fleetwood Mac. After meeting with Mick Fleetwood in Maui several years ago, Fleetwood Mask has the distinction of having Mick Fleetwood’s only endorsement in America.

Fleetwood Mask brings audiences the very best of Fleetwood Mac’s 50-year history with a focus on the 1975-forward version of the band’s line-up that catapulted the group to super stardom – the line-up featuring John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Christine (Perfect) McVie.

“The band was formed in 2012,” said Zerbe, during a phone interview last week from his home in Alameda, California.

“It got started like a lot of projects. People are fans of Fleetwood Mac and get together to see what it sounds like. I joined two years ago.

“There was a point in time a couple years later when a couple band members went to Hawaii. They met Mick Fleetwood and got an endorsement from him.”

In a video about Fleetwood Mask, Fleetwood said, “This band does it right – a terrific group of musicians who have dedicated themselves to paying tribute to my band, Fleetwood Mac. The members of Fleetwood Mask are here to bring you an experience you will remember – the Fleetwood Mask experience. They play music as it was intended – with passion and with style. Not only do they sound great — they even look like us. I’m proud to know the music of Fleetwood Mac is in good hands. Give it up for Fleetwood Mask.”

Fleetwood Mask has only undergone minor line-up changes in nearly a decade.

“The founding members were Paul Jones and Claudette Rodrigues,” said Zerbe, who grew up in Santa Barbara, California.

“Paul and Claudette really started the group quickly. They reached out and got Don and Barb next. Like Fleetwood Mac, they went through guitar players. We had five or six guitarists in the first few years. Now, we’ve got a set line-up. And we’re all Bay Area residents.

“Prior to COVID-19, we were doing 50-60 shows a year. In the last 15 months, we’ve had about 12 shows – mostly drive-in concerts.

“The season starts for us around July typically. This season, our first show is June 19. After that, we’re booked weekend – and some mid-week – through December.

“Our set list changes every show. We make sure of that because we have repeat customers who see us every year. The spine of the set list touches every album since Lindsey and Stevie joined along with a Peter Green song. And we always try to incorporate specialty numbers – deep cuts. We take this very seriously.”

Video link for Fleetwood Mask — https://youtu.be/six4w40npAU.

The show on Friday night at the American Music Theatre will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28.

The shows on Saturday at the Sellersville Theater will start at 3 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $33 to attend the show in person. It will also be available via Livestream. Tickets for the Livestream presentation are $19.50.

If you’re a fan of bands that feature beautiful vocal harmonies and well-crafted songs, you definitely need to check out The Restless Age soon. Once you hear this band, you’ll likely be inclined to buy a ticket for The Restless Age’s June 27 show at the Sellersville Theater.

The Restless Age is a trio featuring Will Bryant, Lee Falco, and Brandon Morrison.

“We’re based out of Marlboro, which is in New York’s Hudson Valley,” said Bryant, during a phone interview last week from his home along the Hudson River. “I’m originally from Texas. I grew up in Austin while the other two grew up in the Hudson Valley.

“I met the other two through my uncle and bass player Byron Isaac. We each live in different places in the Hudson Valley and have a recording studio in Marlboro called The Building.”

Building Records is a recording studio in Marlboro, housed in a converted church that was once the original site of music venue The Falcon. In 2013, the space took on new life as Building Records, a recording studio operated by musicians Lee Falco, Brandon Morrsion and Will Bryant.

The Falcon is a legendary Music Venue and Restaurant perched on the banks of the beautiful Marlboro Falls. The site has two venues – a concert hall upstairs, and the Falcon Underground Tap Room & NY Beer Garden. The Underground is home to music museum, The Avalon Archives.

“Our studio is located in the building that was the original site of The Falcon,” said Bryant. “When it moved, we moved into the old building. We have a nice studio with a lot of analog gear – including 16-track tape machines.”

The three musicians have played together for quite a while. It did take them a long time to become a headline act. Actually, it took them a long time just to become their own act.

“We played on other people’s bands on recording sessions,” said Bryant. “For a long time, we were just a backing band for people to use in the Hudson Valley. It just sort of happened naturally where we were playing our own songs.

“We started out playing with our friend Connor Kennedy and it spread from there. We toured with Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), Kate Pierson (The B-52’s) and Amy Helm. When we toured with Fagen, we were his band – the Nightflyers.”

The three musicians may have started as apprentices btu now are masters.

“The Restless Age came to exist as a band three years ago,” said Bryant. “We had been playing in other people’s bands for eight years. It wasn’t a decision to stop playing with other people. We still do that, but we really liked the chemistry of just the three of us playing.

“We wanted to do it more and more. We loved the direction the music was going. We wanted to play our own songs. We’ve always done harmonies with other people. So, we put special attention to it with The Restless Age. There are only three of us on stage, but we wanted to make it sound like a record. We’re always trying to find ways to make it fuller.”

The trio is a combination of three strong songwriters, three good guitarist and three beautiful singers.

“All three of us write songs and sing leads,” said Bryant. “And we do co-writes. Then, the song takes on a different look when we finish it together. We have good rapport between the three of us.

“We’ve released eight singles so far and we’re coming out with an album in August or September. We’re finishing up the mastering right now.”

Video link for The Restless Age – https://youtu.be/3HF-nEWc_T8.

The show on Sunday at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19.50 to attend the show in person. It will also be available via Livestream. Tickets for the Livestream presentation are $10.

On June 29, the Sellersville Theater will present Gabrielle Chapman & The Vortex as part of its Soundbooth Sessions Series.

Gabrielle Chapman & The Vortex is a jazz/R&B duo fronted by Chapman and featuring guitar work by Robert Reynolds.

Chapman is from Honduras but don’t expect the duo to be playing anything punta style. Punta is the main “ritmo” of Honduras. It is the most common Garifuna music in Central America.

On their Facebook page, Gabrielle Chapman & The Vortex describe their music as “Melancholy bops to smoke weed to.”

“I grew up in Honduras – in San Pedro Sula,” said Chapman, during a phone interview last week from her home in the Kensington area in Philadelphia. “Our family moved to the United States when I was seven. I’m going back to Honduras for a visit in July – for the first time in five years.”

Chapman’s family settled in South Jersey, and she graduated from Cherry Hill East High School in 2013.

“At East, I did theater productions and sang in the chorus – a small group with 8-to-10 girls.

“I was always in band. But I always wanted to be more stylized. Now, I do R&B and soul with jazz roots.

“After high school, I went to Columbia College in Chicago and majored in jazz vocals. Then, I moved back east.”

In recent years, she has released several singles including “Side by Side,” “Alone,” “Boundaries,” “Serendipity,” “and “Trigger.”

“We’ve released five singles so far,” said Chapman. “It’s going to be six when the new single, ‘Twenty Twenty,’ is released this month. We also recently posted a video for our song, ‘Serendipity.’ We’re going to release an EP this summer and we have a couple albums in the can.”

Chapman and Reynolds have established a productive partnership.

“Ed and I started performing together three years ago,” said Chapman. “Robert and I had a mutual friend who was an actor. Robert is an artist and producer, and he was looking for an artist to work with.”

Voila! Gabrielle Chapman & The Vortex was born.

“I kept coming back to him,” said Chapman. “We were always a duo. I used to just go out as Gabrielle Chapman. So, I added a name to it. Sometimes, we go up to an eight-piece band.

“This will be our first time to play the Sellersville Theater. I do all the booking myself. We had friends that played there before, and they really liked it. So, I contacted the theatre and they offered me this show.

“Even though we’ve been together for three years, we haven’t performed live that much. We’ve only done about 100 shows – many other shows were cancelled because of the pandemic restrictions. We’re still a very new band.”

Video link for Gabrielle Chapman & The Vortex — https://youtu.be/UCxMT53untE.

The show on June 29 at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.

This weekend, Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com), will present a pair of shows that are extremes regarding genres and performers’ ages.

The show on June 25 will feature a pair of young singer/songwriters with pop music in their DNA – Alyssa Garcia and Skylar Love. The show on June 26 features a Celtic rock guitarist who has been making music professionally for 45 years – Seamus Kelleher.

Alyssa Garcia is a Philadelphia-based, award-winning singer-songwriter and pianist with an indie-pop sound. Living by the mantra “Music is the cure”, she strives to use her original music as an outlet of positivity and relatability. With influences such as Regina Spektor and Sara Bareilles, Garcia pens soulful tunes telling personal stories her audience can often relate to.

Like most musicians, Garcia’s schedule of live shows was thrown into limbo by the pandemic shutdowns. Fortunately, the situation is changing.

“Yesterday at Sister Cities Park in Philadelphia was my first show since the shutdown,” said Garcia, during a phone interview last week from her home in Norristown. “I have a show today at the Rail Park and then next weekend at Jamey’s. It feels great to be playing live shows again.”

Garcia has released several EPs including the latest, “Year One,” and one full-length album, “three little words.” Currently, two tracks on her album (“Loved Actually” and “Better Life”) are featured in the film “Getting Grace” directed by Daniel Roebuck.

“During the pandemic, I’ve had a lot of time,” said Garcia, who is entering her senior year at Drexel university with a dual major – producing and mixing and music business.

“I’ve done a lot of introspection on who I am. And I’ve been writing songs. One song – ‘People Change’ – was specifically about the idea of being alone in your house with your thoughts.

“I’ve tried to collaborate with people from around the world including a producer from Australia. I have my own home studio and I use Logic and Ableton.”

Garcia, who graduated from Pope John Paul II in Royersford, grew up in nearby Conshohocken.

“My parents are big music fans and they started me on piano lessons when I was five,” said Garcia, who lived in Philadelphia for a while before moving to Norristown.

“I’m a classically trained piano player. I studied at the Music Training Center in Conshohocken. At 11, I had a really good teacher – Stu Shames – who was a playwright and a songwriter. He taught me pop music and the art of songwriting. I started writing my own songs around that time. I was writing more as a young girl does – songs that are journals.

“When I was 15, I really started studying songwriting – and listening to music differently. I’m a big fan of lyrics so I paid a lot of attention to songwriters who could tell stories – songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Regina Spektor, Sarah Bareilles and Tori Amos.”

Before long, Garcia was releasing her own recordings.

“My first EP, ‘Music Is My Life,’ came out in 2012,” said Garcia. “My second EP, ‘Looking Glass,’ came out in 2015. My first album, ‘three little words,’ came out in 2017.

“After that, I did a series of singles and EPs and then released my ‘Year One’ EP in 2019. The three singles were ‘Running’ in July 2020, ‘This Is It’ in October 2020 and ‘Isn’t It Lonely’ in February 2021.”

Garcia won the Philadelphia Songwriters Project’s Annual contest in 2015 with her song “Better Life.” Her song “Sincerely, Me,” which is featured on her latest album, won the 2018 “93.7FM Hometown Heroes: Homey Award” for best pop song.

“I was lucky enough to win the Philadelphia Songwriters Project’s contest. That was the moment I realized that I should make music my career.

Garcia has opened for artists such as Ben Arnold, Jim Boggia, Rusty Clanton, Crash Test Dummies, American Idol Finalist Bucky Covington, and Sawyer Fredericks, the eighth season winner of “The Voice.” Her single, “Running,” was featured on legendary songwriter and producer Linda Perry’s “We Are Hear” series on July 3, 2020.

“At this point, I’m focusing on making my next album,” said Garcia. “I’m recording it at Chaplin’s in Spring City. Chris Cachuela is working with me as producer and engineer.”
Video link for Alyssa Garcia — https://youtu.be/-F9Ks0DE0-0.

Skylar Love, who will turn 16 in July, is an emerging and singer/songwriter from Bucks County.

In November 2019, Love won the School of Rock Center Stage contest. As such, she was flown out to Los Angeles by Atlantic Records for a private showcase in front of A&R reps at The Roxy Theatre. She also won studio time at APG Studios where she recorded three songs.

In early 2020, she released a two-song EP, “5pm in L.A.,” and followed with a six-song EP, “Hey, Call Me,” in October 2020.

“I entered the School of Rock contest in 2019,” said Love, during a phone interview last week from her home in Doylestown. “They pick about 25 musicians out of thousands – and I was one of them.

“I got to go to L.A. and play in front of A&R people from different record companies. I also got to play and record at Atlantic Records’ Studio.

“I recorded three songs and they’re available on Spotify. I recorded two originals and one cover. My first EP was the three songs I did in L.A.”

Her next recording session was closer to home.

“I released an EP back in October,” said Love, who cites her influences as David Bowie, Queen, Amy Winehouse, Billie Eilish and David Shaw. “It was self-released with six tracks that were all originals. It is just released digitally. I recorded it at Everloft Studio in Chalfant.”

Love got her start in music when she was 11 and performed at her school talent show.

“I’ve always been doing music,” said Love, who will be a junior at Doylestown’s Central Bucks West High School in the fall.

“I took piano lessons when I was little. Then, I moved to guitar and started taking it seriously. I always wanted to do my own thing.

“I met Ed my drummer (Ed Packlaian) and we started doing things together last year. We started playing a bunch of gigs. We played breweries in the summer and then in heated tents when it got colder.”

Love’s first taste of performing came in 2017.

“I got called up on stage on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship,” said Love. “I got to perform in front of thousands of people.”

Now, performing live is a regular event for Love and Paklaian.

“It’s just the two of us on stage,” said Love, whose recent single, “Drunk On Love, High On Emotion,” was a semi-finalist in the International Song Competition.

“We’re booked all the way to October with two or three shows a weekend. I’ve been doing more originals but with a three-hour show at breweries, we also do covers.

“I’m working on an album. I have ideas. I guess it could be called indie rock. I just write but I’m more focused on my live shows right now.”

Video link for Skylar Love – https://youtu.be/LStdYMTBFIQ.

The show at Jamey’s on June 25 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 online advance and $18 at the door. Livestream tickets are $15.

Like Skylar Love, Seamus Kelleher lives in Doylestown. Other than playing guitar and living in the county seat of Bucks County, there are almost no similarities between the two.

Seamus Kelleher, a storyteller and master guitarist started his music career in his hometown of Galway, Ireland in the late 1960s and was the opening act for major groups like Thin Lizzy. He came to America in 1975 and since then has toured across the U.S. and Europe performing over 7,000 shows in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Excelsior in Rome and festivals across the US and Europe.

Most recently, he was the lead guitarist with Philadelphia’s legendary Celtic Rock band Blackthorn. He now performs as a solo artist traveling the U.S. and Ireland.

Now, Kelleher is back on the road after the COVID-19 lockdown forced him to cancel 150 shows in 2020. He will be performing all over the US in 2021 and will continue to spread his “Shine the Light” message to help those who struggle with their mental wellness.

“I lost a ton of work because of the shutdown,” said Kelleher, during a phone interview last week. “I did some online shows, so I kept my skills up.”

Kelleher is once again ready to be a road warrior.

“I’m about to go on a road trip, so I need my car,” said Kelleher from an auto repair shop near his home.

“I’m heading to Wildwood for a show tonight. My next open period isn’t until next March. I travel a lot.”

Throughout his career, Kelleher has battled depression, anxiety and an addiction to alcohol. In his “Shine the Light” presentation, he uses his gift of music, humor and an uncanny ability to engage his audience to tell a compelling story, and to help people focus on their mental wellness.

Kelleher was born in Galway City, a harbor city on Ireland’s west coast in 1954. The youngest of five children, he studied piano at age nine and continued to do so until he picked up the guitar when he was 14. Within a few weeks, Kelleher knew that he would be a life-long musician.

When he was 16, he joined a rock group called Spoonful and switched from acoustic to electric guitar. He quickly developed a reputation for his flamboyant blues-style guitar.  In 1974, he toured the U.S. with a band called Rock & Roll Circus. Shortly after the tour, he packed his bags and moved to New York where once again he quickly developed a large following.

“After the tour, Rock & Roll Circus was breaking up,” said Kelleher. “I liked America and wanted to study to be a musician here.

“I had gone through a tough period – depression and anxiety and suicidal tendencies. I was hospitalized for five weeks. I came out and was able to function – but the process takes a while.

“I left Galway in 1975. I lived in New York for 20 years – Manhattan and the Bronx. I moved to Doylestown 11 years ago.”

In 1996, Kelleher joined Blackthorn, Philadelphia’s legendary Celtic Rock band.

“Blackthorn had heard me play with Sean Fleming in San Francisco,” said Kelleher. “I stopped playing with Sean in 1975. Blackthorn asked me to fill in for a guitarist who was sick, and I ended up playing with that band for a long time.”

For much of his life, Kelleher did not reflect the stereotype of an Irish musician who loves the drink equally or more than the music.

“I didn’t drink alcohol until the early 80s when I was 32,” said Kelleher. “I was working with Sean Fleming in New York and had a drink. One drink led to another, and that drink led to another. Fortunately, I stopped about eight years ago.

“The combination of alcohol and depression was a lethal combination. I quit alcohol with the help of a friend. I went through 12 steps and a support system.”

For most of the last decade, Kelleher has devoted much of his time to the performance of music. He also allocates a lot of time to his career as a motivational speaker.

“I’m a recovering alcoholic,” said Kelleher. “My motivational speech talks about my journey. I want to give hope for those who struggle with mental health and addiction. I also talk about suicide prevention. That’s a big, big part of what I talk about.

“I gave a motivational speech to the faculty at the Texas A&M College of Medicine. “They asked me if I would talk to faculty and staff because a lot of their people were just starting to really stress out because of COVID-19. So, I did a Zoom meeting for several hundred of their faculty and staff, and some of the students.

“After that, I did a few more meetings for them. Then they asked me whether I would consider teaching a two-week class for the med students on mental wellness because the topic that I talked about was mental health in times of crisis.”

Now, in addition to being a top-flight musician, Kelleher is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Texas A&M College of Medicine where he teaches courses on Mental Wellness in times of Crisis.

He holds a master’s degree in communication and has worked as a speech writer and communications advisor to the presidents of major organizations and Fortune 500 companies. He formerlywas an adjunct professor at Fordham and New York University in the journalism departments.

In his other career, Kelleher has built a network of fans around the world who support his music.

“All my music shows are solo right now – but I do use some live looping,” said Kelleher. “I’ve released two solo albums – ‘Four Cups of Coffee’ in 2007 and ‘The Other Side of Town’ in 2011. The music is blues with an Irish touch.

“I’m working on my next album right now at a friend’s home studio. I hope to have it out by fall. It has a bit of techno to it – some electronic music. It’s still me but using synthesizers.”

Video link for Seamus Kelleher – https://youtu.be/GMtle3Hw5PI.

The show at Jamey’s on June 25 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 online advance and $18 at the door. Livestream tickets are $15. Kelleher will also be performing at Bucks County Brewery in Bedminster on June 25.

The second show of the 2021-2022 season of Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) has arrived and has audiences dancing in their seats, smiling and laughing.

The new production is “Beehive: The 1960’s Musical.”

The members of the all-female cast ask audiences to join them for this rollicking musical tribute to the ladies who left their mark on the music of the 60s. With big voices and bigger hairdos, “Beehive” will have audience members dancing in the aisles and singing along with many of the iconic songs from the past.

The show, which was created by Larry Gallagher, is a celebration of the powerful female voices of the 1960s. This musical review will transport audiences with timeless hits such as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “My Boyfriend’s Back”, “Be My Baby,” “Son of a Preacher Man”, and “You Don’t Own Me”.

There are six performers in the cast at the Candlelight – Macy (Macy Chaplin), Tiffany (Tiffany Dawn Christopher), Phoebe (Phoebe Gavula), Tiara (Tiara Greene), Jenna (Jenna Kuerzi) and Kaylan (Kaylan Wetzel).

Wetzel is familiar with the songs in the show – but she didn’t grow up with them.

“This is the music from my mom’s era,” said Wetzel. “She grew up in the 1960s. And my father too – he loved the Beatles.”

“Beehive: The 1960’s Musical” will run from June 12-July 18. Tickets are $65.50 for adults and $33 for children (ages 4-12). All seats are reserved.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will present Better Than Bacon on June 25 and One Alternative on June 26.

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com)  will be hosting Betterducks on June 26.

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will present Friends of the Brothers on June 25, Oz Noy Trio on June 26,

Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com) is presenting Flora Cash June 26 at The Foundry.

Reverb (1402 North Ninth Street, Reading, 610-743-3069, www.reverbconcerts.com) has two live shows this weekend — Craig Owens on June 25 and Madball on June 27.