On Stage: Tom Rush returns for show at Sellersville

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

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

In March, Rush came back to Chester County again – back to the Colonial Theatre to perform at the Second Annual Gene Shay/Founders’ Awards Benefit Concert.

At the event, which was sponsored by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, David Bromberg and Rush received Founders Awards for their lifetime music achievements.

Now, Rush is heading back this way again. This time, it’s to headline a show at the Sellersville Theater  (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) on August 15.

“I’ve played the Sellersville Theater a lot over the years,” said Rush, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon during a tour stop in Clayton, New York.

“This is my 65th annual farewell tour. Actually, it’s the 67th if you go back to my street singing in Paris in the summer of 1959.

“I don’t really do tours anymore. I do tourlettes – four days in a row, maybe five days if it’s out on the West Coast. I’m doing dates with Judy Collins out west in November that will have five shows in eight days.”

Rush has every reason to avoid grueling long tours. The veteran singer/songwriter turned 84 on February 8.

“I don’t do long tours but I want to keep doing live performances,” said Rush. “I love what I do so I see no reason to quit.”

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 four 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. “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,” said Rush. “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 –‘Glory Road’ — 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 26 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 60-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.

Rush was among the 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.”

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.

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.”

There might be another album in the works fro Rush.

“I haven’t done a whole lot of writing,” said Rush. “I’m about to take a couple weeks off to focus on writing songs. I also have five different books in the works.”

Video link for Tom Rush — https://youtu.be/fPj1YoiIhfI.

The show at the Sellersville Theater on August 15 will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets prices start at $39.50.

Other upcoming shows at the venue are Tinsley Ellis on August 14, Black Sabbitch on August 16, The Jersey Beach Boys on August 17, “Deconstructing The Dark Side Of The Moon with Scott Freiman” on August 17, The Nelsons on August 19 and Cordova on August 20.

While Rush hooks up with his friends and other talented guests on his podcasts, Stephen Kellogg is spending the year hooking up with his musician friends as live guests on his 2025 tour – the “Old Friends Tour.”

Kellogg explained on his website – “I give you the “Old Friends Tour.’  I’ll be sharing the stage with more than a dozen different friends over the course of this tour. Every show will feature both myself and my guest on stage for the entire night, swapping songs and stories. See who I’ll be playing with in a city near you and if you haven’t made it out to a show of mine in a minute, or even if you have, this would be a good tour to join for. To list my guests in a line does no justice to the weight of their accomplishments, but I’ll be talking a lot about them, what they’ve done and what they mean to me in the coming months, so for now I’ll tell you that I’ll be doing shows with: The Alternate Routes, Will Hoge, Marc Roberge (of O.A.R.), Melissa Ferrick, David Ryan Harris, Isaac Hanson (of Hanson), Jon McLaughlin, Javier Colon, Pat McGee, Drew Holcomb, Tyrone Wells, Rachel Beauregard, Heather Morgan, Pete Muller, Chris Trapper, Chris Barron of Spin Doctors, and The Kellogg Sisters.”

Kellogg will be in the area this weekend for a show on August 15 as part of the Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts series (9 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr, brynmawrtwilightconcerts.com).

“I’m just working hard,” said Kellogg, during as phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a vacation break in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

“The ‘Old Friends Tour’ is 50 dates with 16 old friends. Each show is me and an old friend swapping stories on stage. The tour has 50 shows like this and a few that are not.”

One of the shows that falls in the “are not” category is the date in Bryn Mawr.

“I’ve been doing the Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts for years,” said Kellogg. “So, I’m coming back again this year with just my usual show.”

Rounding the corner of 25 years in the music business, Kellogg is celebrating his new release “To You, Old Friend.” by touring with his favorite artists.

The brand-new record from Kellogg is an album about friendship as seen from many different angles and features an all-star cast of musicians from Lori McKenna to the Counting Crows.

“I recorded the album last fall, and it came out at the end of May,” said Kellogg, who received the Armed Forces Entertainer of the Year award and has had his work nominated for a Grammy.

“It’s an independent release. This record features a bunch of friends including Javier Colon, Lori McKenna, Chadwick Stokes and Danny Black. It’s a collaboration. There are all different songs about friendships.”

When asked what the catalyst was, Kellogg replied, “It’s the moment that I’m in in my life right now – what’s happening in each phase of my life.

“It’s about life and having a family. My oldest kid is 20 and in college. I have three other daughters – two in high school and one in middle school.

“My oldest daughter Sophia attends the University of Maryland. She started a band there called Silkworm. Adeline is 18, Greta is 17 and Noelle is 14.”

The Kellogg Sisters are on Kellogg’s “Old Friends Tour” roster.

They will be the “Old Friends” for the final five shows of the tour from December 26-29. One of the shows will be in Lancaster on December 29 at West Art.

Kellogg has always maintained a dual career – as a solo artist and as a leader of his own band. He spent the first decade of the 2000s recording and touring with his band The Sixers.

This weekend, Kellogg is returning to a venue that was the site of one of his first post-Sixers era shows — the Bryn Mawr Twilight Concert.

Kellogg’s first seven album releases were solo releases starting with “Invest in Us” in 1994. His albums with the Sixers started with “Bulletproof Heart” in 2004 and concluded with “Gift Horse” in 2011.

The singer/songwriter/guitarist’s solo releases have been “Blunderstone Rookery” (2013), “South West North East” (2016), “Tour De Forty: Greatest Hits (So Far) Live” (2017), “Objects in the Mirror” (2018), “Keep It Up, Kid” (2022) and “To You, Old Friend.” (2025).

“Family is always a big thing, but the new album is more of an exploration of friends than family,” said Kellogg, who is a wordsmith, TedX speaker, stand-up comic, author and troubadour. “It made me think about what friends are about. We all need friends — and we’ve never needed friends more than we do now.”

Video link for Stephen Kellogg — https://youtu.be/9A21dnbUMEU.

The show in Bryn Mawr, which has Madisun Bailey as the opening act, will start at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $18.

While Kellogg’s focus was on “friend” for his current tour guests, Kate Gaffney opted for the German word for friend when she chose her guest for this month’s “Kate Gaffney’s Corner” at Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com).

On August 14, “Kate Gaffney’s Corner” will feature highly respected singer-songwriter Tom Freund. The German word for friend is “Freund.”

“Kate Gaffney’s Corner” is held at Jamey’s on the second Thursday of each month.

According to Jamey’s website, “This immensely talent 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.”

Over the course of his career, Freund has released more than a dozen records and collaborated with legends such as Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, and his longtime collaborator Ben Harper, with whom he’s made numerous albums and toured the world.

Freund joined rock legend Graham Parker on a world tour and appeared with him in Judd Apatow’s “This Is 40.”

Freund has spent much of his career traversing genres, melding whatever sounds happen to catch his whimsy. He is also well known as a multi-instrumentalist, performing on guitar, upright bass, mandolin, ukulele and piano.

“I grew up in New York City,” said Freund, during a phone interview last week from his home in Palms, California. “I went to the High School of Music and Arts and did some Off-Broadway.

“I was into punk-rock, punk-folk and punk-jazz. I was the weird guy listening to Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and jazz.

“I started school in New York at Columbia University and then transferred to Berklee College of Music in Boston. After that, I moved to California and finished school at Claremont Colleges.”

Freund focused on string instruments.

“I played guitar, upright bass, ukulele, mandolin – anything with strings,” said Freund, who pulled a half-decade stint on bass for alt-country pioneers The Silos. “I also played piano and other keyboards.”

His songs have been featured on TV shows including Better Things, Parenthood and One Tree Hill.

For his latest television project, the Amazon show “Pete The Cat,” Freund has co-written, sung and played songs with Elvis Costello, KT Tunstall, Dave Matthews and Diana Krall.

For the last two decades, Freund has released a new album every three or four years – “Collapsible Plans” (2008), “The Edge of Venice” (2011), “Two Moons (2014), “East of Lincoln” (2018) and “The Year I Spent In Space” (2022).

“It’s been a little while since I played Philly,” said Freund. “The last time was pre-pandemic. I used to play a long time ago at the Painted Bride Art Center.

“I also did a lot of shows in Philly with the Silos. It’s actually been a long time so it’s really important for me to come back to the Philly area.

“I met Kate in the Bay Area about 12 years ago. I ran into her again out west last year. She said – let’s stay in touch and play some music together.”

Gaffney said, “Tom Freund is an incredible songwriter and touring musician and I’m thrilled he’ll be joining us at Jamey’s. He’s one of the many undersung musicians in my personal orbit that more people should hear.

“His collaborations include Ben Harper, Jackson Browne and many others. He’s a pal from Cal and tours extensively on the East Coast. I would love to see him carve out a regular tour stop in the Philly area and Jamey’s is a perfect place for his music.

“Tom will be playing a full night of his music on August 14. I will host and play a few songs to get the night started and then introduce Tom and his music. He’s got a bluesy, rootsy vibe and he will fit right in at Jamey’s.”

Freund said, “I’m definitely going to bring her up for three or four songs and maybe we’ll also do two of hers.”

Gaffney will be back at Jamey’s later in the month when she performs on August 31 with the Philly Blues Kings at Jamey’s “Sunday Blues Brunch and Jam.”

Video link for Kate Gaffney – https://youtu.be/fHoaryMngKw.

Video link for Tom Freund — https://youtu.be/LpqzMwTHnW8.

The show at Jamey’s on March 14 will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Pay-Per-View streaming of this show is also available for $15.45.

Other upcoming shows at Jamey’s House of Music are Alex Lopez Xpress on August 15 and Brandon Santini on August 16.

Every Sunday, Jamey’s presents “Sunday Blues Brunch and Jam.” This week’s show features Steve Shanahan’s Blues Muthas.

This 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.

People’s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, www.peopleslight.org) is known for its top-flight theatrical productions but every once in a while, presents something very different – Comedy Night at The Farmhouse.

On August 16, the venue’s Comedy Night will feature Samantha Ruddy as the headliner with Marc Staudemaier as the opener.

Ruddy has established herself as a notable figure in the comedy scene. She has worked with prominent comedy outlets such as someecards and CollegeHumor, where she has honed her skills as a writer and performer.

Her comedic style and wit have garnered her significant following on social media platforms.

“At the end of the day, I’m a joke writer – a misdirection or a one-liner,” said Ruddy, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from her home in Philadelphia.

“Other times, it’s observations of my life and what is going on around me.”

Ruddy grew up in Mayfield – a small town in the Scranton area.

Mayfield is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately 14 miles northeast of Scranton.

In the past, it contained a silk mill and a coal mining industry (two industries that naturally went with each other). The population was 1,763 at the 2020 census.

“Mayfield is a very small town,” said Ruddy. “We had to go up to Carbondale or down to Scranton to find things to do. Although Mayfield did have a great bowling alley.

“I got my start as an entertainer when I was 14-15 in an improv group at the Scranton Cultural Center. I did my first stand-up set at an eighth-grade talent show.”

After graduating from Holy Cross High, Ruddy went to Syracuse University.

“I graduated from Syracuse – Go Orange! – in 2013 with a degree in information science. I worked in tech for a little bit after I graduated.

“I got into more theatrical things when I was at Syracuse. I was in a sketch comedy group.

“Around that time, I realized that comedy rather than tech was what I was mostly interested in.

“I had moved to New York City. I started doing open mics – free open mics – at places like The Creek & The Cave in Long Island City in Queens. It closed a few years ago and moved to Austin, Texas.”

Ruddy performed on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in 2018 and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in 2022.

She was featured on NPR’s End of Year 2020 Comedy Special and nominated for a Best in Comedy Shorty Award for her social media.

She also worked on the talk show “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” and picked up 14,000 followers on Instagram along the way.

Ruddy has performed at comedy festivals such as New York Comedy Festival, Women in Comedy Festival, and Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

She was named to the San Francisco Sketchfest Dozen in 2020. Additionally, her debut comedy album, “Logging Out,” was named one of the best comedy albums of 2020 by NPR

Her debut 2024 special, “Baseball Mom,” is available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Ruddy’s current day job combines both tech and comedy.

“I work remotely for a company from the Midwest,” said Ruddy. ‘I do advertising and social content. I write funny ads and social content for brands including Captain Morgan, Subway and Sony.

“I also do comedy two or three nights a week in Philly at Next In Line on Hamilton Street, Tattooed Moms on South Street and sometimes at Punch Line or Helium Comedy Club. I plan on going on the road a lot in 2026.”

Video link for Samantha Ruddy — https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cjsCeJIZzI4?feature=share.

The show at The Farmhouse at People’s Light will start at 8 p.m.

A cash bar will be available throughout the night. Guests also have the option to enjoy dinner and a show with the venue’s delicious buffet dinner from 6-8 p.m.

Tickets for dinner and a show are $63. Tickets for the show only are $44.10.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will present one outdoor show this weekend.

On August 16, Kennett Flash’s Rooftop Series will feature Yesterday’s Gone: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac.

The All-Ages show will start at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $30.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) will host Captain Mike & The Shipwrecked on August 16.

Time is running out for theater patrons and Parrotheads to check out the current show at the Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org).

The popular show is the musical hit “Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville.” The show will run now through August 24.

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.

Tully’s laidback, no-strings-attached lifestyle is turned upside down when he falls for Rachel, a career-minded environmental scientist visiting the island as a tourist on a bachelorette vacation.

The show’s music consists of songs previously recorded by Buffett, and written by him and various other songwriters, with one exception, the original song “Three Chords.”

“Escape to Margaritaville” has been performed at several area theaters but this is the show’s Candlelight Theater premiere.

The show’s Director/Choreographer is Jessical Bostock and Julia Kershetsky is the Music Director.

“Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville” show will run now through August 24 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m.

Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will present “A Farewell to Kings — Rush Tribute” on August 16.

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).

On August 17, the series presents John Oates & The Good Road Band with Mutlu as the opener.

 The 62nd Philadelphia Folk Festival will be staged the weekend of August 15-17 at Old Pool Farm (1323 Salford Station Road, Upper Salford, folkfest.org).

This year’s Main Stage Evening Concert Performers are Vanessa Collier, Alejandro Escovedo, Alison Brown, American Patchwork Quartet, The April Fools: David Buskin, Robin Batteau, Christine Lavin, John Forster, and Carla Ulbrich, Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole, David Jacobs-Strain & Bob Beach, Eileen Ivers, The Gibson Brothers, John Gorka, John McCutcheon, John Moreland, The Lee Boys, Ordinary Elephant, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, Robin & Linda Williams, Solas, SONiA disappear fear, and Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius.

There will also be “Features Performances” with a huge roster that includes Brother John, Johnny Never and John Colgan-Davis, Danielia Cotton, Buskin & Batteau, Christine Lavin, Jesse Terry, John Byrne Band, John Flynn, The Kennedys, Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise, Lili Anel, Lisa Jeanette, Mason Porter, Medea, Reggie Harris and Todd Chappelle.

Curated by the famed Bethlehem venue of the same name, “Welcome To Godfrey Daniels” will feature in the round performances from songwriters Heather Aubrey-Lloyd, Danielia Cotton, Nick Franclik, and Jack Murray August 17 on the Tank Stage.

Dulcimer Grove will host music and activities for the entire family including performances from Eric Abraham, Dave Fry, The

Give & Take Jugglers, Mr. David C. Perry, Phoenix Rising Puppets, and Two of a Kind. Kids Creations will provide crafts and instruction for children to do while listening to music in the Grove.