On Stage: Philly singer-songwriters come home for shows

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

The Philadelphia area has for a long time maintained a tradition of producing top-flight female musicians – from highly-sought L.A. session bassist Lynne Davis and jazz vocal extraordinaire Billie Holiday to pop/rock singer P!NK and punk rock pioneer Joan Jett to legendary R&B/soul singer Patti LaBelle to world superstar Taylor Swift.

Included in the roster of area talent are two singer-songwriters who will be performing at Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com)  over the next two days – Kate Gaffney on June 12 and Meghan Cary on June 13.

And there will be a bonus with each show – three new female artists introduced by Gaffney and the one-night return of a local favorite with Cary.

Tonight, Jamey’s will host the inaugural edition of “Kate Gaffney’s Corner.”

According to Jamey’s website, “This immensely talented and rave reviewed singer-songwriter invites you into her “living room” for some musical conversation over dinner and drinks. As a regular monthly “Second Thursday” event, some nights will feature a full performance by Kate, some will start off with Kate followed by an open-mic, and others will feature guest artists.

“The musical theme will focus on what is currently called Americana, which is a melange term embodying folk, blues, country, singer-songwriter, roots and some low-key electric fare.

Kate is an incisive and engaging artist and has a large and loyal national following. Her music is heard worldwide, and we are so happy to offer her a regular platform to connect with her fans. Please join us!”

From now on, the second Thursday of the month belongs to Gaffney.

“Jamey called me two weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to host and curate an Americana/Folk/Roots night,” said Gaffney during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from her home on Montgomery County.

Gaffney agreed but had something in mind more than just an evening of her playing acoustic American music.

“The show will be loose in format,” said Gaffney. “He (venue owner/manager Jamey Reilly) has given me carte blanche to plan the evening.”

Gaffney has taken the ball and run with it – considering she is a former field hockey player, it might be better to say she has taken the ball and dribbled downfield with it.

According to Gaffney, “I thought it would be nice to feature some artists who are either just getting started or don’t play out solo very much.

“I’m excited to feature three songs each by Kimberly Heinreich (a young folk singer who volunteered with me for Pennsylvania Folksong Society), Laura Kellogg (a lovely woman who is married to my producer Barrie Maguire and local to area) and Autumn Walden (the fantastic singer from the band Kicking Down Doors who also sings amazing Grateful Dead music). All three of those lovely ladies are excited to play some music for us!

“I will open and close the night with sets of my music.  And the three mini-sets will sprinkled throughout. Open Mics can be intimidating, and this is a wonderful way to sweep them up on stage. It should be a great night.”

It will be a great introduction for the artists.

“Kim is 18 and in high school,” said Gaffney. “I heard her at a Philadelphia Folksong Society Open Mic and she was really great. I’m here for support and to mentor her.

“Like Kim, Laura sings and plays guitar. She’s played open mics but I think this show will be a first time for her. Autumn is really good – solo or with a band.”

Gaffney is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who was born in Lansdale and then moved west. She recently has been performing with Bob Beach.

Beach is a harmonica player from Philadelphia who moved west when he was a young man.

Now, both have returned to this area – Beach from the Pittsburgh area to Philadelphia and Gaffney from Pacifica, California to Schwenksville.

The friends from decades ago were reunited last summer.

“I ran into Bob at the Philadelphia Folk Festival last summer,” said Gaffney in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.

“We stayed in touch. I saw Bob play at the Lansdowne Folk Club earlier this year.

“Then, Bob called and asked me if I wanted to start a new project. That was such an honor. I just want to play.

“I moved back here to put music first in my life – to reunite with my connections and get back into the local music community.”

Her “urge for going” has taken her back and forth across America and provided ample fodder for interesting songs.

“I was majoring in human development/family studies at Penn State and went to San Francisco for an internship during my final semester,” said Gaffney. “I was working with a music teacher at a group home for kids.

“I came back for graduation but went out to California again because my boyfriend at the time was living in Sacramento. I got a job as a social worker there.

“I was playing music a little but not much because of my workload. It was horrible. I was really overworked – we all were. I got so stressed I couldn’t think. Finally, I said ‘enough.’

“I took temporary jobs and focused mostly on my music. I played a lot of open mic shows. I started writing songs and performing my own material. I was going back and forth between San Francisco and Sacramento and then decided to move back to Pennsylvania.

“I have a lot of experience. Now, I’m devoting my life to focusing on my own music. And I want to help others.”

That’s exactly what she’ll be doing tonight on the stage at Jamey’s.

Video link for Kate Gaffney — https://youtu.be/EObnXPx4-ts.

The show on June 12 at Jamey’s will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25.

When Meghan Cary shared the bill with Marion Halliday at the now-closed Living Room and Cricket Café in Ardmore just over a year ago, it was be a party – a farewell party.

Back then, Cary said, “This special concert is not just a musical experience, but also a heartfelt farewell celebration for Marion, who is bidding adieu to Philadelphia.”

“Marion is moving back to Kentucky — back to her ‘Old Kentucky Home.’ This is her big goodbye party.”

Now, Cary and Halliday have adjusted their schedules so that they can do a one-off show at Jamey’s as part of a trip to the Northeast by Halliday.

“I booked this show at Jamey’s late last year,” said Cary, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from her home in Springfield (Montgomery County).

“I stay in contact with Marian, who lives in Louisville. We were jonesing for a show together.

“She moved away and now she’s back for one night. She said she could put this show together on her way back from Maine.”

Halliday, a native Kentuckian, is proud purveyor of her own special blend of bluegrass and bourbon-infused, original, women-powered Americana.

While a highly regarded lead singer for many years in various Irish bands, Halliday began focusing on performing her original music in 2016.  She released her debut solo EP, “Rings Around Saturn,” in July 2019.

That month, both the album and the artist landed at #3 on the US/International Folk Radio charts. Two songs from the album also landed in the Top 10. The album was included by FAI in its “Top Albums of 2019” list.

This will be the first time the two will perform together locally since that show at the Living Room.

“She’ll do the opening set, and I’ll follow,” said Cary. “But we will be playing in each other’s set. She has a beautiful voice. She can sing such rich harmonies.

“I’ve worked with Marion a lot. She’s a wonderful performer and songwriter. We’ve shared shows a lot. We’ve mashed our bands together a lot.

“She’ll have Bob Beach on her set. He plays flute, harmonica and sings and I’ll sing. On most of the songs, Peter will play keyboards and sing.

“On my set, Marion will then return the favor, adding her soaring vocals to my songs.

Peter is Peter Farrell, Cary’s husband who will accompany her during her set. They will also be joined by their son Quinn Farrell on drums.

“Our son Quinn will be playing drums again,” said Cary. “He’s 16 and attends Springfield High School. Quinn is one of the best drummers I’ve ever listened to.

“He has his own band called Bird Strike. They play Green Day style music. With my stuff, he plays great singer/songwriter drums.”

Cary’s music has been hailed as healing, inspiring and infectiously joyful. Named Billboard’s “Critic’s Choice” for her debut EP, the stage actress turned folk rocker engages listeners with masterful storytelling and anthemic songs.

Cary found solace in words and music after her fiancé unexpectedly passed away — and turned that passion into a platform to empower others to speak their truth by bravely sharing her own.

A frequent performer at venerable festivals and music venues around the country, Cary brings a message of unity and the power of raising our voices together. Her song, “Sing Louder”, has become an anthem for the music-loving community.

Many people have favorite mantras. Cary’s favorite – and very own – mantra is “Sing Louder” – and for good reason.

“Sing Louder” is one of her most popular songs. It was the title track on an EP – “Sing Louder – the Festival EP” in 2015. It is also the title of her latest album.

“The ‘Sing Louder’ album came out in November 2017, but I think of it as a 2018 album,” said Cary. “My book – ‘Sing Louder — Stories Behind the Songs’ – is all about the songs that inspired the ‘Sing Louder’ album – 10 first-person stories.”

Cary explained the inspiration for the book.

“I share a lot of my stories on stage,” said the veteran singer-songwriter. “I do a lot of storytelling in my shows – but it’s also a concert. My band would go crazy if I talked too much between songs.

“After shows, people ask me to tell them more about the songs. I’m a firm believer in sharing my stories – not only for the stories but also to help other people. People come up to me after shows all the time and say things like – I just lost my mom and didn’t realize that it was still affecting me.

“When I was making the record, I said I was going to write a book and let people pre-buy it. That way, I wouldn’t let other things get in the way. I knew I had to write the book and get it finished.

“There I one story for each song on ‘Sing Louder.’ It’s pretty straightforward. I think it’s a good read. The book I’m working on now is a companion to my first album ‘New Shoes’ from 1998. It’s about how I began my music career.”

Cary is ready to make a new LP.

“Lately, I’ve been doing singles instead of a full album,” said Cary. “Hopefully, I’ll start making a new album at the end of summer – an acoustic album. I just want to get it out there.

“I have a new single, ‘Raise your Voice,” said Cary. “We did the single in April and made the video in May. It’s a song about hope and unity and the power of raising our voices together.”

Even though “Sing Louder” dates back almost a full decade, it is still fresh and vibrant when Cary performs it onstage.

“The song ‘Sing Louder’ is a fan favorite – and very uplifting,” said Cary. “The key line is – ‘if you don’t know the words, sing louder…sing stronger…sing louder, sing stronger for all of the world to hear.

“We recorded the album at Morning Star Studio with producer Glenn Barratt. Glenn’s input on production is amazing.  We even brought 48 people – fans and friends – into the studio to sing on the title track.”

Cary is also a veteran actress who performed in the musical “Pump Boys and Dinettes” and, more recently, performed a one-woman play she wrote called “On the Way to the Waterfall!”

This autobiographical play with music was originally created as a short piece for E.A.T.’s One-Woman Standing play festival in NYC in 2013 and was developed into a full-length play this past summer by Hypothetical Theatre Company.

Two years ago, Cary performed it in the Boulder International Fringe Festival and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both the audience and the critics.

“When I lived in New York, I used to help this playwright Tina Howe,” said Cary. “She heard me playing my music and told me — you have to write a play. I didn’t know how to do it.”

The play she was about to write was based on a personal tragedy.

While performing in the musical “Pump Boys and Dinettes” years ago, Cary met and fell in love with Matthew Black, one of the show’s musicians.

Cary performed with Black as his backup singer with occasional solos. The pair became engaged, and things were going great. But Black died suddenly in 1995 and Cary’s life path took another unexpected twist.

“Music carried me through that time period,” said Cary. “Matthew and I made music together. When he died, I lost everything I had for the future. Music was something that I could keep. I wanted to keep making music. But I was writing songs with no intention of ever playing them for anyone.

“When I thought about the play, I knew had already written the story in songs. I had written music as a way to heal through this traumatic experience. The play is about going through the same thing — getting knocked off-course and ending up somewhere else.”

When Cary graduated from Hershey High a few years back, she headed off to Duke University to major in biomedical engineering. But the path of life goes through many twists and turns and that’s why Cary now wears a guitar instead of a lab coat.

She switched majors at Duke and finished with a bachelor’s degree in drama.

“I thought I wanted to be a biomedical engineer,” said Cary. “I looked at Cornell, but it was freezing up there, so I chose Duke instead. I was on a pre-med track and then got interested in theater.

“I finished Duke with a degree in drama with a minor in chemistry. Then, I got my MFA (master’s in fine arts) in acting from Florida State University.

“I realized back then that I wanted to perform. When I started, I wanted to do regional theater. I also did Off-Broadway shows and I’m a charter member of New York’s Actor’s Shakespeare Company. I love Shakespeare’s work. I love the way he used words.”

Now, Cary has established herself as a singer, actress, songwriter, and playwright. She is also the mother of two musical kids who have already participated in making music with their family.

Video link for Meghan Cary — https://youtu.be/qDPX3Bn9gak.

Video link for Marion Halliday — https://youtu.be/mgotNB4EACg.

The show on June 13 will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Livestream tickets are $15.

On June 14, the stage at Jamey’s will belong to the Borderline Bluegrass Trio and the Lewis Brothers

The Borderline Bluegrass Trio plays bluegrass music with a great amount of passion, excitement, and drive. Combined with very professional delivery, their tight, three-part harmonies and hard-driving instrumentals are their trademarks.

The Lewis Brothers (Wanamaker Lewis, Ron Greenstein, Larry Hunsberger, Peter Lorch) are a Philadelphia bluegrass institution.

The show on June 14 will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Livestream tickets are $15.

On June 15, Jamey’s House of Music will present Steve Shanahan’s The Blues Muthas at its “Sunday Blues Brunch & Jam.”

The open mic jam runs from 1-3 p.m. with the featured band playing a set from noon-1 p.m. Admission is free.

When a band sends out an e-mail to fans with a message about an upcoming show, it’s usually an invitation and/or an update on concert details.

Humbleman Band will be performing on June 14 from noon-4 p.m. at “Art on the Ridge: Saturday Artist Market” at Pocket Park (6170 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, roxboroughpa.com).

On the band’s website, it is asking fans to stay away from the event, which is billed as a “A cultural initiative supporting local artists through rotating exhibits, pop-up markets, interactive installations, along with sip, treats with live music.”

The band has no problem with the promoter, the sound system or event vibe. It’s just that the scheduling creates a conflict of interest.

Here was the message from Humbleman Band –

Go to the “No Kings” rally.  It’s the thing to do.

But YOU should go to the “No Kings” rally. 

“We made the commitment to play ‘Art on the Ridge’ a while ago,” said Humbleman Band singer/guitarist Charlie Cooper, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Germantown.

“We’d much rather be at the ‘No Kings Rally.’”

The Philadelphia edition of the “No Kings Rally” is the flagship event for anti-Trump rallies across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe on June 14.

Protesters are rejecting “Trump’s birthday parade” as a “lavish display of dominance” that strips Flag Day of its true purpose. The parade has an estimated $45 million total cost

Indivisible and the 50501 Movement, among other activist groups, are rallying against what they say are Trump’s attempts to stage a spectacle of strength in Washington, D.C. during the Army’s 250th Birthday Parade.

The anti-Trump nationwide movement known as “NO KINGS Nationwide Day of Defiance” coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday.

There were more than 1,700 “No Kings” protests planned in the U.S., the Virgin Islands, Mexico, Canada, Africa, and across Europe as of June 10.

The Philly event will take place from noon-3 p.m. at LOVE Park, which is located at Arch and North 15th streets in Center City Philadelphia.

“We just finished wrapping up our next album which has been two years in the making. We went into the studio a month ago.

“We recorded the rhythm section in a big studio — Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown. Then we did the overdubs at our home studio.

“The last recordings happened in March. Then we sent it to Rittenhouse Sound for mixing and it will probably be mastered there too.

“We’ll have a record release on August 23 at Black Squirrel Club in Fishtown. The people that run that club saw us at our recent show at the Mermaid Inn. They liked what they heard and sked us to play their club.”

The album’s title is “Looking Up” and it is well-named. The LP, which has an uptempo feel and an uplifting vibe, is the band’s best recording yet.

“The title track – “Looking Up” – showcases the group’s optimism with lyrics such as, “Not so bad, could be worse, could be surrounded by flowers in the back of some hearse” and “Things are looking more up, my friend, that’s how I’m feelin’ today.”

Like many of the songs on the album, the title track gets your lips smiling and your foot tapping.

“We’ll be playing some songs from the album this Saturday,” said Cooper. “Our current set list is 14 songs – old and new.”

Humbleman Band is one of the Philadelphia area’s longest-running rock bands — and a band which has been involved in projects all over the country.

The talented sextet, whose members reside mostly in the northwest region of the Philadelphia area, will have the opportunity to play a gig in its own backyard this weekend.

Humbleman Band’s current line-up is Charlie Cooper – writer, vocals, guitar; Wain Ballard – lead guitar; Kim Alexander – vocals; Boz Heinly – bass; and Buck Buchannan – drums.

“Humbleman Band was formed in 1999,” said “Cholly” Cooper, during a phone interview from his home in Germantown. “I was in a band with our drummer Buck Buchanan. Three of us were living near each other in South Philly and we gradually picked up people.

“The third guy was bassist Bruce Koch, who just died a year ago from a massive heart attack. That was a real loss – as a friend and as a bandmate.

“We weren’t sure we were going to pick up the pieces. We were using hired hands to fill in. We added a permanent bass player – Boz Heinly, who lives in Plymouth Meeting.

“We get along really well musically and as friends. We have a lot of respect for each other.”

Humbleman Band, which is billed on the Mermaid Inn’s website as “Orig blues, funk, rock & reggae,” is not very prolific when it comes to releasing albums.

“We seem to have a cycle of putting out an album every five years,” said Cooper.  “We put out an album a few years ago called ‘Least Bad of Humbleman 1984-2009.’ That album was a 25-year compilation starting with our days in 1984 as a punk band called The Proles.”

The band released its albums “Late Bloom” in fall 2014 and “Beautiful Day” in November 2018.

“‘Late Bloom’ was self-produced – and mostly D.I.Y.,” said Cooper. “‘Beautiful Day’ was also self-produced – and also mostly D.I.Y. We used REAPER.

“REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for computers, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering toolset.

“After finishing recording it ourselves, we sent it out for the mixing. We had Scoops Dardaris do it. We were extremely happy with the mixing. We mastered it at Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown.

“Jim Hamilton, a percussionist and tap dancer from the Kensington area of Philly who toured with Boyz II Men, put the studio together. He’s a terrific talent – and he knows an amazing amount of people in the music world.”

For the most part, Humbleman Band is O.K. with using a proper studio – but just for mixing and mastering.

“We’re still into D.I.Y.,” said Cooper, who was born and raised in Norristown. “A few of us have home studios and we prefer working there. We still use DAW (digital audio workstation) REAPER.

Humbleman Band, a rock quintet that is socially conscious, features songs that band members have written and arranged – songs with lyrics inspired by current events.

“We went out to Standing Rock (Indian Reservation) in North Dakota,” said Cooper. “That inspired song – ‘AIM ’21.’ The title stands for ‘American Indian in the 21st century.’”

In July 2023, Humbleman Band posted the following on its website – “Once again, we will be taking skateboards to the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe of Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

The Sioux have managed to build a skate park with the help of some professional skateboarders and some corporate sponsorship. However, poverty is so pervasive there is little money for skateboards, pads, and helmets.

The reservation is home to over 45,000 members; over half of this population is under the age of 18; over 80% are unemployed; over half are below the poverty level; and the reservation has the lowest life expectancy of any region in the United States.

Dealing with epidemics of alcoholism, drug addiction, and depression affect the entire community. I have seen the joy and the pride these kids get from skating. It is a healthy and positive thing for them, and I’ve seen the passion with which they do it!”

Humbleman Band released an EP, “Ruff Ups,” in August 2012. The disc included “Two Fires Burning,” “Summer 2020 (The Other Side of This)” and “Homo Sapien.”

The band’s most recent single was “Tattoo Removal Man” two years ago.

“On ‘Beautiful Day,’ Kim (Epsom) wrote two songs, we did two covers, and I wrote the rest,” said Cooper.

“The two covers were songs by the late Gil Scott-Heron – ‘Lady Day and John Coltrane’ and ‘Alien.’  Gil Scott-Heron was a very influential voice in music and activism and most-known for his song ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ and his poetry.”

Humbleman Band has consistently delivered social commentary and positive messages, often with humor and a light touch, using spoken word lyrics, and generally delivered with dance beat arrangement.

Video link for Humbleman Band — https://youtu.be/01Clk69MaAU.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) will present “Tribute to the music of James Taylor — Sweet Baby James” on June 13 and “The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey” on June 14 and 15.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) is presenting “BETTER THAN BACON: 14th Anniversary Show!” on June 13 and The George Crotty Trio on June 14.

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, www.ardmoremusic.com) schedule is: June 12, North Mississippi Allstars/Still Shakin’ Tour with Jontavious Willis; June 13, The Reverend Horton Heat with Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas; June 14, Chestnut Grove + JR Everhart (Cosmic Guilt) + Hezekiah Jones; and June 15, Todd Barry with Christine O’Dea.

This weekend, the Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will host Montana Wildaxe on June 13 and TRO plays Queen on June 14.

2025 Concerts Under the Stars series at the scenic Upper Merion Township Building Park (175 West Valley Forge Road, King of  Prussia, www.concertsunderthestarskop.com) offers Steve Earle on June 13 and Aimee Mann on June 14

Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts (9 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr, brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com) has Rhett Miller on June 15.

The Rose Tree Summer Festival (Rose Tree Park, Route 252, Media, www.delcopa.gov/departments/parks) schedule is: 12, The Fabulous Greaseband; 13, Minas Brazilian Jazz; 14, Rose Tree Pops; 15, Sensational Soul Cruisers; and 18, Jimmy & the Parrots.

Media’s Twilight Music Series offers a free evening of music once a month on The Green (The Community Center Lawn, Monroe Street between 3rd & 4th streets, Media, www.mediaartscouncil.org/twilight-music). The June edition will feature Steve Guyger & The Excellos and will take place on June 13 from 6-8 p.m.