By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Tom Rush
Tom Rush, one of America’s most revered folksingers, is a New Englander through and through. However, in recent years, he has built a connection with Chester County.
One of his last live shows prior to the COVID pandemic was a concert at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester. Rush returned to the area in March 2023 for a show at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville.
Now, the veteran troubadour is coming back to Chester County again – back to the Colonial Theatre (227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, thecolonialtheatre.com).
On March 11, Rush will be performing in Phoenixville at the Colonial Theatre. This show is the Second Annual Gene Shay/Founders’ Awards Benefit Concert.
At the event, which is sponsored by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, David Bromberg and Rush will be receiving Founders Awards for their lifetime music achievements.
“They called me and asked if I’d like to be involved with a tribute to David Bromberg,” said Rush, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his home in southern Maine.
“I immediately said – yes. Then, they told me that David had asked for me.
“There will also be a fundraising auction. I’m offering a silk-screened poster of David and me from 2012.
“The show will have three acts with Jay and Molly opening followed by Larry and Teresa. Then, I go on. I have a 25-minute set from 9:05-9:30 p.m.”
The Philadelphia Folksong Society posted the following on its website:
“Philadelphia Folksong Society presents the Second Annual Gene Shay/Founders’ Awards Benefit Concert. We will be honoring David Bromberg, “the Godfather of Americana,” along with Folk Legend Tom Rush! It is happening on the evening of Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at The Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge Street in Phoenixville. Tickets on sale now!
The musical acts for the evening include Jay Ungar & Molly Mason (perhaps best known for “Ashokan Farewell” from Ken Burns’ “Civil War” series), the wonderful Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, and yes, Tom Rush! In lieu of a performance by David Bromberg, the night will feature a musical tribute to his iconic catalogue.
In addition to presenting our two Founders’ Awards to David Bromberg & Tom Rush for their lifetime musical achievements, the Society will present our Gene Shay Awards to two Folk Festival volunteers, Mike Flagg and the late Ellen Superfine, the Folk Festival’s Wonder Woman, for their long and dedicated service.”
As a singer/songwriter/musician, Rush is a pro but, as a recording artist, he is not prolific.
Rush releases an album just slightly more frequently than blue supermoons appear in the Northern hemisphere skies.
His last three albums – “What I Know” in 2009, “Celebrates 50 Years of Music” in 2013, “Voices” in 2018 and “Gardens Old, Flowers New,” in 2024 — were all released via West Chester-based Appleseed Records.
Add in two albums released in 2001 and 2006, and you have all his recorded output (six albums) since 1981.
“I’ve been doing great,” said Rush, who turned 84 in February. “I’ve been juggling rattlesnakes – that is, I’ve been very busy.”
Rush has been on the road a lot – touring in support of “Gardens Old, Flowers New.”
The album has a link to April Fool’s Day.
“We recorded it in March 20-23 – from March 28 to April 3. Then, it was released on April Fool’s Day last year. I was happy with that project.”
The album was recorded in New England but not at Rush’s house in Maine.
“I have a studio at home but it’s more camera gear for my Rockport Sundays podcasts,” said Rush.
“My producer Matt Nakoa found a very nice studio in Connecticut – Carriage House Studio – and we were there in spring 2023. We did 13 tracks and some instrumentals.
“One is a brand-new track that is 53 years old that was never released. It was taken from a radio show I did in Philly with Gene Shay. I played it for Matt, and he said we’ve got to record this one.
“Another song was one I wrote for my baby daughter and she’s now 25 years old. And there are some brand-new ones. The last song was titled, “I Quit” – but I’m not quitting.
“The songs are all originals. ‘Voices’ had two traditional songs. This one has ‘Gimme Some of It,’ which I heard somewhere. It sounds like a traditional jug band song, but I don’t know where it came from.
“We spent five days in the studio. The first take on each was just a practice and the second was for real. We got a lot on the second take and never did more than three takes.
“The album has a lot of songs that I felt good about including three songs that are different – takes on a breakup. As usual, I’m just all over the place – silly songs and songs that will make you cry.
“I’m not quite sure why I’m making an album. With Spotify, the royalty I make for 1,000 listens is one cent. The good news for me is that I’ve always made my living on stage.”
What was the catalyst for making a new album after a five-year gap?
“Matt got tired of me saying someday I’ll make a new album,” said Rush. “He got tired of waiting, so he booked the studio and lined up musicians including Seth Glier on accordion and harmonium and Joe Nearney on sax and harmonica.
Rush has worked with Nakoa in the past and is using him as his sideman for the current shows.
“I’ve been working for nine years with Matt,” said Rush. “He steals the show. He plays piano and sings like an angel. He’s also a monster guitar player.”
Rush released his first album, “Tom Rush at the Unicorn,” in 1962. “Voices” was released in April 2018. Altogether, Rush has put out 26 albums in 60 years – and just six since the turn of the century.
Fortunately, he is much more active when it comes to live performances.
Rush is a consummate performer who always delivers an entertaining show when he takes the stage to perform his songs and choice songs by other artists.
Over the course of his 50-year-plus career, one of Rush’s defining gifts has been his ear for the faint voices of significant new songs by little-known writers.
The New England-based singer-guitarist was among the very first to record future standards by then-fledgling performers Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne on his 1968 album “The Circle Game.”
Rush brought a later generation of singer-songwriters such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences as part of his tours. James Taylor and country music superstar Garth Brooks have both named him as a major influence.
Until “Voices,” Rush has been heard only sparingly as a songwriter, with only a few tantalizing handfuls of originals – about 20 – spread out over eleven studio albums.
“Voices” was the first album ever of all-Rush originals – 10 relaxed, warmhearted, amused and sometimes thoughtful songs that perfectly reflect his wry persona.
“I always wrote on guitar,” said Rush. “Every song came differently. A lot of times, it’s a phrase – just a few words that suggest a melody. Sometimes, it starts with a melody. There is no pattern.
“My pattern is to write too much. Each song tended to end up too long. You find that out when you take them in front of a live audience.”
It has been more than a half-century since Rush made people take notice with one particular song — “Urge for Going,” which was written by Joni Mitchell and recorded by Rush in 1968. It quickly became one of Rush’s signature songs.
“Joni and I were at Club Chessman in Detroit,” said Rush. “She wanted to do a short set so I could listen to her new songs. The last was ‘Urge for Going.’ It was special.”
In “Joni Mitchell in Her Own Words,” Mitchell wrote:
“My husband Chuck was different. He had an education, a degree in literature. Chuck always said that you couldn’t write unless you read. He considered me illiterate, and he didn’t give me a great deal of encouragement regarding my writing.
But Tom Rush did.
Tom would say, “Do you have any new songs?” I’d play him a batch and he’d say, “Any more?” I always held the ones out that I felt were too sensitive, or too feminine, and those would always be the ones he chose.
“Because of Tom, I began to get noticed. I liked playing in small clubs the best, still do. I really like holding the attention of thirty or forty people. I never liked the roar of the big crowd.”
Usually, it is other artists performing songs that were written by Rush. One of the most popular has been “No Regrets.”
“The song ‘No Regrets’ has been recorded by a lot of people,” said Rush. “U2 used the chorus on one of their songs.
“The Walker Brothers had a huge hit with it in England in 1975. I made enough on the royalties from that to put my two kids through college.”
Artists who covered “No Regrets” range from country music superstar Emmylou Harris to English rocker Midge Ure, who fronted Ultravox, Visage and Thin Lizzy.
The roster of other artists who have performed “No Regrets” reads like a “Who’s Who of Modern Musicians” – Harry Belafonte, Waylon Jennings, George Hamilton IV, Lee Hazelwood and Ann-Margret, Olivia Newton-John, Shirley Bassey, Robbie Williams, Luna, and Sam Burton.
Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the veteran singer-songwriter established a tradition of performing a series of shows over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at the now-defunct Main Point in Bryn Mawr.
“I always played the Main Point at Thanksgiving,” said Rush. “I probably did that at least six years in a row. The first show would be Thursday night, and it was always a groggy show. People were showing the effects of eating a big Thanksgiving dinner.“
I did two shows a night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I enjoyed those days of doing multiple nights — and The Main Point was a great place to play. Jeannette (Main Point owner Jeanette Campbell) was the patron saint of the Philadelphia folk scene.”
Rush stayed active during the pandemic via a project he calls “Rockport Sundays.”
“I started ‘Rockport Sundays’ back in February 2020,” said Rush. “It’s a subscription through Patreon. I was living in Rockport and posted a new episode every Sunday at midnight.”
When he was first starting the series, he posted this message on his website –
“I have something I really want to do, and I’m going to need your help to do it. I’m starting a weekly series of online offerings — old songs, new songs, stories, pages from a book I’m working on. Since they’ll be coming out of my studio in Rockport, Mass, I thought I’d call the series “Rockport Sundays.”
The project met with a warm reception.
“Basically, it’s me at my kitchen table doing a song or a story every Sunday,” said Rush. “Then, it stays up for eight weeks. It’s been very well received. It’s a way of communicating with my audience.
“I keep it short. If you do an hour, you lose the audience by the end. It’s been fun and very casual. I work with Mark Steele and the video is very professional.
“My favorite sideman is Matt Nakoa. I just finished three episodes with Jonathan Edwards who sings a couple songs on his own.
“The podcast goes back to February 2020. I had just started my ‘First Annual Farewell Tour’ when everything shut down. I started out doing cell phone videos. I was trying to figure out a way to connect with my audience.
“I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of really talented guests – Tom Paxton, Kate Taylor, Liv Taylor, Buskin & Batteau, Chris Smither, Jim Kreskin, Jackson Browne.”
Rush and Bromberg have performed together many times over the last four decades and have a long-standing friendship.
“David and I have done multiple dozens of shows together,” said Rush. “I’m looking forward to seeing David. I haven’t seen him in a while.”
The show at the Colonial will feature another pair of musical heavyweights – Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams.
Campbell won a Grammy Award for his work with Levon Helm and has played with many of the era’s greats including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Phil Lesh, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Keith Richards, Cyndi Lauper, Hot Tuna and Mavis Staples.
He has also won the Lifetime Achievement Award (2008) and Instrumentalist of the Year Award (2013) from the Americana Music Association.
Williams was a member of Southern Comfort, and later Swing Fever. She created the role of Sara Carter, the lead singer of The Original Carter Family, for the stage and for the BBC and PBS.
She has performed with Bonnie Bramlett, Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Little Feat and Hot Tuna and has toured as a member of Phil Lesh and Friends.
The event at the Colonial Theatre on March 11 will start at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $50.
Other upcoming shows at the Colonial Theatre are Jon Foreman on March 6, Seven Wonders: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac on March 7 and Alan Doyle on March 8.
Video link for Tom Rush – https://youtu.be/9pxEKfEBOWM.
Rush will also be appearing at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) on April 2.
Other upcoming shows at the Uptown! are Dueling Pianos — The Philly Keys on March 6, On the Lash on March 7, Countdown to Ecstasy on March 8 and Better Than Bacon on March 9.
There will be a Midwest vibe permeating the show on March 9 at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, www.ardmoremusic.com) Hall with headliner TopHouse (Montana) and opening act The Wildwoods (Nebraska).TopHouse was created in 2015 by two Montana music majors, guitarist/songwriter Jesse Davis and violinist William Cook before adding Joseph Larson (lead singer and guitar/banjo player,) and Andy LaFave (piano) in 2017 and 2022 respectively.
After being vaulted to local fame in their birthplace of Missoula, with the Missoulian naming TopHouse one of the top five best new bands (two years in a row we might add), the band moved to Nashville in October of 2019. TopHouse quickly set to work attaining a local residency as well as getting music played on Nashville’s premier new-music radio station Lightning 100. With some viral social media moments, a healthy dose of touring, consistent time in the studio, and a diet of Little Caesars and Red Bull, TopHouse has continued to grow to the point of selling out at venues across America.
The eclectic indie quartet just released a new EP titled “Practice.” The EP, which features an impressive mix of rock, folk, pop and Celtic influences, came out on February 14. One day later, the band made its Grand Ole Opry debut.
In the heart of Lincoln, Nebraska, The Wildwoods emerged as a folk/Americana trio — a musical tapestry woven by the husband-and-wife duo, Noah (guitar) and Chloe Gose (violin), alongside long-time friend and bassist, Andrew Vaggalis.
Their story is a symphony of exploration and connection, a journey that has taken them from venues in the Midwest to international stages, carving out a unique place in the folk landscape.
United by a passion for folk/Americana, the trio’s influences range from Watchhouse and Nickel Creek to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Their music, though comfortably under the folk/Americana umbrella, weaves intricate chord structures and emotional textures that defy genre boundaries.
The show at the Ardmore Music Hall on March 9 will start at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $25.
Other upcoming shows at AMH are Holly Bowling on March 6 and God Street Wine on March 7.
Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will have Lauren Calve on March 6, Laurie McAllister on March 7 and Beatlemania Again! on March 8. The Dukes of Destiny, a blues band that has been around for 40 years and has played Chester County for some 30 of those 40 years, are playing Saturday, March 15th at the Kennett Flash
Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) will present The Philadelphia Blues Society Night featuring special guest Tony Holiday on March 6, Johnny and the Mongrels on March 7 and Delta Generators on March 8.
Every Sunday, Jamey’s presents “SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM.” This week’s show features the Girke-Davis Project.
Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will host James McMurtry on March 7, Whiskey Feathers on March 8, Albert Cummings with the Gretchen Emery Band on March 11 and Roots Revival Roadshow on March 12.
