By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Liz Longley
Liz Longley, one of Chester County’s major contributions to the world of popular music, released her debut album, “Take You Down,” in 2007. Since then, she has built a very large fanbase – both here in the states and internationally.
On July 17, Longley will headline a show at Tellus 360 (24 East King Street, Lancaster, 717-393-1660, www.tellus360.com), On July 18, she will co-headline a bill with Lucy Kaplansky at the Bryn Mawr Twilight Series at the Bryn Mawr Gazebo (9 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr, www.brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com).
At both concerts, Longley will treat her fans to live versions of songs from her recently released album, “New Life.”
Longley graduated from Downingtown West High and then earned a degree in music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After a short stay in New York, she returned to Boston and then moved to Nashville in 2011.
Prior to her move to Music City, Longley established a pattern of steadily collecting accolades.
She was the Grand Prize winner of the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival’s Songwriter Showcase, the 2009 co-winner of the Mountain Stage New Song Contest, a finalist in the 2009 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition and the Grand Prize winner in the International Acoustic Music Awards.
Longley has taken home top prizes at some of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country, including the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship Competition, the International Acoustic Music Awards and the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest Songwriting Competition.
Longley released three albums prior to relocating to Nashville – “Hot Loose Wire” (2010), “Somewhere in the Middle” (2009) and “Take You Down” (2007).
She has released four “post-move” albums – “Liz Longley” (2015), “Weightless” (2016), “Funeral for My Past” (2020) and “New Life” (2025).
“My new album, ‘New Life,’ came out in March,” said Longley, during a phone interview Tuesday. “I recorded it here in Nashville.
“Paul Moak produced it, and we recorded it at his studio, The Smoakstack.”
Moak is a five-time Grammy-nominated, ASCAP award winning, producer, engineer, mixer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Nashville.
With this multi-faceted approach, Moak has amassed credits on more than 800 albums, spanning a wide variety of genres.
This impressive roster of artists includes Heart, Dolly Parton, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Imelda May, Hilary Duff, Avi Kaplan, Marc Broussard, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Sarah Brightman, Third Day, Jars of Clay – and Liz Longley.
“Paul is an incredible musician,” said Longley. “This is the fifth project I’ve done with him.”
Longley’s career has been boosted for years by her Patreon society.
Patreon is a monetization platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products. It helps artists and other creators earn a recurring income by providing rewards and perks to its subscribers.
“For me, Patreon built an incredibly supportive community,” said Longley. “I just did a concert for them last week.
“I do an unreleased song every month and I also post a cover song every month.”
“New Life” is a great title for Longley’s new disc – fueled by her new lifestyle.
Longley is a young mother.
Her daughter McKenna is closing in on her third birthday.
Longley also is pregnant with a son who is due to arrive in October.
“There are a lot of meanings to ‘New Life,’” said Longley. “There is the new life that I brought into the world – the way she changed my life.
“When I had her, it meant a new life for me too. It changed the way that I see the world. It definitely affected what I write about.
“I like to joke that I developed my career writing songs about my failed love relationships. Now, I’m writing about McKenna and my new life. A lot of the songs are about this.
“The album’s vibes are positivity and gratitude – and being present. There are a few relationship songs – but not the failed love relationships. I wrote a song for McKenna called ‘Can’t Get Enough.’
“The album is kind of a mix. There are a few songs from years ago and others I wrote right before we made the album.
“My Patreon community knows my entire catalogue and they’ve suggested a few songs from years ago.
“An important thing that I’ve learned being a songwriter is how to write from a place of gratitude. I try to be existential – and to be grateful for the life that I have.”
It seems fitting that the final two tracks on Longley’s 11-song album are “New Life” and “Can’t Get Enough.”
“It’s always enjoyable to get back to Pennsylvania,” said Longley. “I play there several times a year. It’s good to get back to my roots.
“Also, I’m looking forward to playing with Lucy Kaplansky. She’s an old friend who I haven’t seen in years.”
Video link for Liz Longley – https://youtu.be/P1hrm8f6oqs.
The show on July 17 at Tellus 360 will start at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $34.04.
The show on July 18 at the Bryn Mawr Gazebo will start at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $18.
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams
The legendary New York band, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams has a strong following in this area – avid fans who will be heading to Bucks County for the band’s show on July 20 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com).
The band’s annual area schedule includes the traditional New Year’s Eve Eve show at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.
There is also an annual midsummer concert at the Sellersville Theater along with occasional shows at various venues such as Ardmore Music Hall, Havan in New Hope and Elkton Music Hall.
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, which has been making music since 1998, features a trio of founding members Joziah Longo (singer, songwriter, guitarist, leader of the band), his wife Tink Lloyd (accordion, cello, flute, ukulele, theremin, keyboards) and Sharkey McEwen (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals).
The current line-up also features RJ McCarty (keys, sax, banjo, backing vocals), Bob Torsello (bass), and Matthew Abourezk (drums).
The band returns to Sellersville bringing a psychedelic-folk-rock ritual that’s equal parts sincerity and spectacle – stirring up the strange brew they’ve been perfecting since their first gig at the theater in 2006.
This mid-summer show features the band’s “Summer Festival set list with new “groovacious” tunes and classic fan faves.”
Led by Longo — equal parts frontman and mystic — they’re a traveling Americana seance with accordion, mandolin, slide guitar, the occasional banjo and more. This Woodstock-tinged psychedelia also taps into Southern Rock, Folk and British Invasion.
The Slambovians have fared really well in the U.K. with positive reviews for shows and strong record sales.
They have even caught the attention of British rock legends such as the Waterboys’ Anthony Thistlethwaite and Ian Anderson, the founder and leader of Jethro Tull.
Anderson said this about the Slambovian Circus of Dreams – “A breath of fresh air in a sometimes stagnant world — especially as a live act — with varied eclectic influences and great musicianship.
Plus moustaches, hats and stage presence gild their interesting and thought-provoking lyrics for the curious adult mind.”
The Slambovians’ show at the Sellersville Theater this Sunday has similar function as a sports team’s pre-season session.
“We’re getting ready for Falcon Ridge,” said Lloyd, said Lloyd, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from upstate New York where she and Longo reside.
The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music and dance festival currently held at the Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut
The first festival was a two-day event in 1988.
The festival is held during the first full weekend of August, currently from Friday to Sunday. Festival attendance in past years has approached as much as 15,000 throughout the long weekend.
“Sellersville is a prelude to Falcon Ridge,” said Lloyd. “It gets us ready for our festival season.”
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams’ 2025 festival slate includes visits to Music on the River (East Haddam, Connecticut), Porcupine Mountain Music Festival (Ontonagon, Michigan), Sawyer County Fairgrounds (Hayward Wisconsoin), and Colorscape Chenago Arts Festival (Norwich, New York).
When autumn arrives, the festival season ends but the Slambovians stay on the road and visit Pennsylvania in October for a show at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe.
“We took off January to record,” said Longo. “I’m always writing. I’m much more prolific writer than recorder.”
Lloyd said, “We completely rewired. Now, we’re picking songs for the next album. Some are already done.”
According to Longo, “The new album is started. But it’s hard to get the band in the studio because everybody is so far away.
“Matthew lives in Connecticut. Bob lives wherever Legoland is (Goshen, New York) and RJ lives in Massachusetts.
“Sharkey lives in the same town as us – Cold Spring (NY). It’s a town where Don McLean lived. He wrote ‘American Pie’ right up the street. Also, we’re just a half mile from Pete Seeger’s home. Cold Spring is a vortex of creativity.”
Longo is a Philly native who went to St. John Neumann High which back then was called Bishop Neumann High. Both the school and Longo’s childhood home are located in South Philadelphia.
The Slambovians have been described as, “Exploring the depths of Americana one trippy tune at a time, influences and elements of Dylan, Bowie, The Band, Incredible String Band, Syd Barrett and The Waterboys flavor the musical mix.”
The Slambovian Circus has released more than a dozen studio albums. Right in the middle was “The Circus Does Dylan”, an album released in June 2010 featuring 12 Dylan tracks recorded live between 2005 and 2009.
Seeger and Dylan – especially in his early days—were known for singing political songs.
Wisely, the Slambovian Circus is not railing against the current political situation in America.
“Don’t pick a side – pick a future together,” said Longo.
Lloyd said, “We’re hiding out from politics completely.”
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams is closing in on the number 20 for albums released. The band’s latest album, “A Very Unusual Head,” was released three years ago on the band’s own label.
“I’m a pretty stormy unpredictable person,” said Longo. “So, we called our label Storm King.
“We were D.I.Y. for the first four of five albums. Then, we partnered with Sony. But that didn’t work out and then COVID happened.
“We started our label with the ‘A Very Unusual Head’ album as the first release. Since then, everything in our catalog has been re-released.”
The band has another feature that dates back more than a decade-and-a-half.
“We’ve been doing summer shows in the U.K. since 2008,” said Lloyd. “We’ve gone over every year except 2020 and 2021 because of COVID.”
In 2023, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams played the Fairport Convention’s Copredy Convention in Banbury and was named the “fans’ favorites.” They also played the Wickham Festival which had the Waterboys as headliners.
“Our first time to play in the U.K. was the Rhythm Festival,” said Lloyd. “It was a classic rock festival with acts like the Animals and the Zombies. Jim Driver, who is involved with the Glastonbury Music Festival, asked us to play at the festival.”
Last year, the Slambovian Circus headed back across the pond for a series of shows, including a pair of festivals — Devizes Arts Festival in Devizes and First Light Festival in Lowestoft.
The big news in 2024 was the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the band’s debut album, “A Good Thief Tips His Hat.”
The album was initially released in 1999 and then re-released in 2021 after the band got control of its catalogue.
“The album was never released in the U.K. and is now being released by a British label,” said Longo. “We’ve been playing songs from that album. Learning to play songs from a 25-year-old album was like learning new stuff.”
Longo has been extremely busy at his home along the Hudson.
“I’m working on three musicals and four new albums,” said Longo. “I’ve been writing a lot.
“The musicals are moving along – starting to happen. The whole skeleton is coming together. I’ve been reading books about scriptwriting. It’s really about articulation.
“The albums are written and arranged. Matthew and I have been laying down tracks for one of them.”
Longo always has multiple irons in the fire.
“I’ve also been working on a new book – a lyrics book with comments,” said Longo. “Writing was quick but the pictures took a long time – sorting through 30 years in a sea of photographs.”
“A Very Unusual Head,” which is the band’s sixth studio album, was released January 21, 2022, on their new label, Storm King Records.
“A Very Unusual Head” was recorded over four years in five studios and two countries. The album is a step away from the guitar-based Americana vibe heard on their previous albums.
“A Very Unusual Head” is a real Slambovian tribal project with contributions from many friends and a few “special guests” such as Dar Williams, Anthony Thistlethwaite (The Waterboys), Kolson Pickard (Tall Heights, Pico Romanesque), drummer Felipe Torres (protege of Carmine Appice and sideman for Davey Jones), drummer Matt Abourezk (Thin White Rope) and Tristan Tadin (keyboards).
Canadian engineer Dio Tadin (Tristan’s father) recorded the bulk of the album on a former reindeer farm near Peterborough, Ontario and at Big Blue in Cornwall, New York. Tadin’s resume includes work at Daniel Lanois’ studio in Hamilton, Ontario.
Inspired by the Surrealists and early British Psychedelia and the paths they pioneered, the songs on the album deal with topics ranging from the pseudo-scientific to the pseudo-religious realms and other forms of hob-nobbery for fun and profit.
The diverse album has a song about Steven Hawking (“Force of Nature”), the planets (“Pluto”) and an inspirational song about the importance of bees in the ecosystem (“Beez (I Know Where the Beez Have Gone”).”
As always, the Slambovians’ songs feature great instrumentals accompanied by lyrics that are intelligent, socially aware, witty and mindful. Longo is a modern-day troubadour bringing a message to the people of 2025.
The new album displays many of the band’s influences — Beatles, Bowie, Incredible String Band, Syd Barrett, Brahms and The Waterboys…along with a good measure of Woodstock-era psychedelia.
“We’ll play some songs from that album in Sellersville,” said Lloyd. “We have five new songs including ‘Temple of Yu’ and ‘Up Above My Head.’
“We’ll play three brand new songs that no-one has ever heard. We’ll also play songs that will be used in the dance tents at festivals – songs like ‘The Ridge’ and ‘Dream Extreme.’”
As always, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams is forging ahead and exploring new territory.
“Our current band is magnificent – a band that is like five tabs of acid,” said Longo. “We want to create the new and spread the new around.”
The show at the Sellersville Theater on July 20 will start at 8 p.m.
Video link for the Slambovian Circus of Dreams — https://youtu.be/y-z-oxjD61A.
Tickets start at $25.
Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Howie Day on July 17, Antsy McClain & The Trailer Park Troubadours on July 18, the Kingston Trio on July 19 and Doobie Others on July 19.
Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will present Nick Black with special guest Jac Conner on July 18, Kennett Flash Rooftop Concert on July 19 with Street Survivors: A Lynyrd Skynyrd Experience (ROOFTOP) and New Summer Sounds Series (ROUND 2) featuring Danny Dionysus, Anna Ritchie, Retrospex and Hear Tell on July 20.
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) is hosting The Motor City on July 18 and The Joshua Tree on July 19.
On July 10, Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) will host Ty Stephens & (The) SoulJazz on July 17.
The show on July 10 at Jamey’s will start at 8 p.m. with tickets priced at $25.
The Jimmy Carpenter Band will headline Jamey’s on July 18. Tickets are $30.
On July 19, Jamey’s will host the Rob Balducci Band. Tickets are $20.
Steve Shanahan’s Blues Muthas will perform at the Sunday Blues Brunch & Jam on July 13.
This free event features many of the top regional and national players every week and welcomes amateurs and weekend warriors to join on stage to celebrate the beautiful heritage of the blues.
The open mic jam runs from 1-3 p.m. with the featured band playing a set from noon-1 p.m.
After being closed for several months for renovations, the Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) just reopened on July 12.
The show is the musical hit “Escape to Margaritaville.”
Featuring Jimmy Buffett classics with book by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley, “Escape to Margaritaville” tells the story of Tully, a smooth-talking singer/bartender whose laidback, no-strings-attached lifestyle is turned upside down when he falls for Rachel, an environmental scientist visiting the island.
The show will run from July 12-August 24.
People’s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, www.peopleslight.org) is celebrating its Golden Anniversary year with its final production of the season – the cult musical “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“Little Shop of Horrors” is a horror comedy rock musical featuring music by Alan Menken and lyrics and a book by Howard Ashman. It tells the story of a hapless florist shop worker who grows a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh.
“Little Shop of Horrors” is running now through August 3. Tickets are $57 — $52 for youth.
Other special events this month at People’s Light are “Comedy Night” on July 18 and “Swing Night” on July 19.
Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will host Indigenous on July 17, David Nail on July 18 and Amethyst Kiah & River Shook on July 19.
Presented and produced by Rising Sun Presents!, the 2025 Concerts Under the Stars series will again take place at the scenic Upper Merion Township Building Park (175 West Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia, www.concertsunderthestarskop.com).
The 2025 Concerts Under the Stars series July schedule will feature: Trevor Hall, 19; The California Honeydrops, 20; The High Kings, 23; Grace Potter, 24; Tom Hamilton, 25; “Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew: Remain in Light,” 23; and Rachel & Vilray, 30.
The Rose Tree Summer Festival (Rose Tree Park, Route 252, Media, www.delcopa.gov/departments/parks) is a summer-long series of free outdoor shows now through August 10 at the scenic park just north of Media.
The following is the season schedule for Delaware County’s 50th Annual Rose Tree Concert Series:
JULY: 17, The Rockdale Boys; 18, Live Wire; 19, PA Symphonic Winds; 20, The Beat Tells; 23, Jamison Celtic Rock; 24, Merion Concert Band; 25, Barry Harris; 26, Van Halen Nation; 27, The Discoteks; 30, Lolly Hopwood & Friends; and 31, Mysterious Ways U2 Tribute.
