On Stage: Veteran acts hit local venues

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

Over the next few days, there will be several music acts playing shows in the area which have longevity as part of their DNA.

There will be singer/songwriter Eric Andersen, whose first album was released in 1965.

There will be Orleans, a veteran band of hitmakers who have been making music since 1972.

There will be Humbleman Band, a Philly staple that formed just before the turn of the century.

Actually, there are six if you count Eric Clapton at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on September 13, Janis Ian at the Sellersville Theater on September 11 and The Who’s “Farewell Tour” show in Atlantic City which was rescheduled for September 12 after a cancellation of their August 23 show.

On September 11, Eric Andersen will headline a show at the Fallser Club (3721 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, thefallserclub.com) and treat fans to an introduction to the songs from his new album, “Dance of Love and Death.”

The album, which features 17 new songs, is the first studio album of the artist’s songs since 2003. He will perform songs from the new album as well as others spanning his career.

“I didn’t write the songs all at once to make the album,” said Andersen, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from New York City.

“I’m in New York now at an apartment that I’m renting for five weeks. All the shows on this tour are in the Northeast from Maine to Washington, D.C. So, we can do a show and then head back to New York.

“I’ve been living in the Netherlands for a while with my wife Inge. We have a house near the German border in a town called Ede.

“I had done previous recording in Germany for literary albums. I recorded songs for the painter Oliver Jordan’s Albert Camus exhibition called ‘Paintings Out of Revolt.’ I also did another one about Lord Byron.

“For the new album, I was recording over here in New York. The songs are all basically new – they were me.

“It’s an album about truth and love. I had a lot of guest artists including Larry Campbell and my wife.”

The list of special guest musicians including Lenny Kaye, Eric Lee, Joyce Andersen, Tony Garnier, Michele Gazich, Robin Batteau, Mark Dann, Abby Newton, Mike Visceglia, Jagoda, Cheryl Prashker and Wyatt Offit. The album was produced by Steve Addabbo.

Addabbo is also on the bill at Thursday night’s show as is Philly’s legendary singer/songwriter Kenn Kweder. Addabbo will accompany Andersen on guitar in his headlining set.

“Other musicians have told me that this is the best album I’ve done since ‘Blue River’ in 1973 and ‘Ghosts Upon the Road’ in 1989. It has 17 songs. The songs just came prancing along the way.

“Songwriters take dictation. The song taps you on the shoulder and you write. The songs come through lyrics and guitar. You just take the dictation. That’s not to say that you don’t go back and tweak it later.”

Some of the songs destined to be crowd pleasers in the upcoming shows are “After This Life” and “Season in Crime (Crime Scenes).”

“I have a new song that I wrote a few days before I came over,” said Andersen. “It’s called ‘Stand Up and Resist.’

“I’m going to record it in New York. It’s kind of an anthem. Why is it so difficult to stand up from the chair and resist?”

Andersen first came to prominence as a performer in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s and immediately became part of the Village folk and songwriter scene and was at the epicenter of the

American Greenwich Village singer-songwriter explosion.

Aside from his own classics, he’s co-written songs with Lou Reed, Townes Van Zandt, Rick Danko, and Bob Weir (Grateful Dead). And his songs have been covered by many artists including Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, Fairport Convention and Peter, Paul & Mary.

He is featured in an Andy Warhol film (“Space”) and in many music documentaries. A full-length documentary about Eric Andersen, “The Songpoet” (released 2019) is available for streaming on PBS.

He has broken the boundaries of songwriting with a 26-minute recitative and incorporating literary influences and works in his writing. He is currently working on a memoir.

Andersen has toured the world and released more than 30 albums of original music. In 2022, a 3-CD tribute album was released with artists (including Bob Dylan, Janis Ian, Richard Shindell, Linda Ronstadt, Happy Traum, Dom Flemons and many others) interpreting and covering his songs.

“Eric Andersen in (Spoken) Pieces” is a compilation of his spoken/recitative works. It was released as a
digital album on November 29, 2024.

The live album, “Blue River Live in Tokyo” from a 2012 performance in Japan commemorating the 40th anniversary of his “Blue River” album was released earlier this year as a digital album and CD.

“Dance of Love and Death” was released this year as a digital album, 2-CD set and a double LP. This is his first major collection of all new material since 2003’s “Beat Avenue.”

Andersen’s best-known songs from the 1960s folk era are “Thirsty Boots,” “Violets of Dawn” and “Come to My Bedside.” “Thirsty Boots” was recorded by Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, and John Denver to name a few.

“Do I have to play ‘Thirsty Boots’ in every show,?” said Andersen. “Is the Pope Catholic?”

The evening at the Fallser Club will start with a pre-show interview with Andersen and The Fallser Music Director, Garry Lee.

Anderson and Lee will talk about the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s and also about his long recording career including his lost (and then found) album “Stages,” his later work with The Band’s Rick Danko, his move to the Netherlands, the changes in the music industry and what keeps him touring and playing after 50-plus years.

It is billed as “an interesting evening of conversation and music.”

Video link for Eric Andersen – https://youtu.be/Cs6VY_KvBdE.

The show at The Fallser Club on September 11 will start at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $35 online and $40 at the door (online ticket sales end at 6:30 p.m. on the day of the show).

Other upcoming shows at The Fallser Club are Bakithi Kumalo, Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa and Youba Cissokho on September 12, Jim Boggia on September 13 and The Wildwoods with Joshua Finsel on September 17.

The band Orleans has had more than 20 different lineups since its early days in 1972 — and the group has remained in all but three of those years since then.

Bassist/singer Lance Hoppen is the only original member still with the band. He was still a teen when he joined the group started by his brother Larry Hoppen (guitar/keyboards) along with John Hall (lead vocals/guitar) and Wells Kelly (drums/keyboards).

The rest of the band today includes his younger brother Lane Hoppen (keyboards), Tom Lane (guitar), Brady Spencer (drums) and Tony Hooper (guitar). The Hoppen brothers handle the majority of the lead vocals.

The 2025 version of Orleans will perform on September 12 at Union Terrace Concert Series (200 South St. Elmo Street, Allentown, www.artsquest.org).

This show – and the show the previous night in Red Bank, New Jersey – are different than the band’s usual five-piece electric rock band concerts.

“These shows are with the Orleans Acoustic Quartet,” said Lance Hoppen, during a phone interview Monday night from his home in Nashville, Tennessee.

“There are no drums and no electric guitars. Actually, we prefer the full band but there are times when we play different sized venues.

“We have three more acoustic shows in December. The acoustic shows are very conclusive – especially in smaller clubs and 250-seaters.

“There is a narrative that goes along with the songs. It’s a 50-year story – a play with an opening, a middle and an end. It’s a 90-minute show.”

It’s a good thing for Hoppen that the band isn’t playing two-hour-plus rock shows.

“I’m heavily fatigued,” said Hoppen. “I’m 10 days into COVID and it’s not good.

“I’ve had COVID three or four times since 2021. The other times, there were little or no consequences. This time, we had to cancel last week’s shows.”

Orleans’ most memorable hits are “Still the One,” “Dance with Me,” and “Love Takes Time.” “Still the One” is Orleans’ highest charting hit topping out at Number 5 in 1976.

The ABC network used it as its theme song to promo the 1977-78 and 1979-1980 television seasons.

“It continues to be one of the most licensed songs ever for television, movies, commercials — and political campaigns,” said Hoppen.

“It is a publishing deal. They have to get rights to use the song. After they do that, they can use the original or a soundalike or a live version.”

Orleans, which has recorded 17 albums and four DVDs, still is high demand for live shows – maintaining a 50-year tradition. And the current roster continues to produce a high level of integrity and musicianship.

“When COVID came, we were coming up on our 50th year,” said Hoppen. “We did four productions for YouTube. We were going to make an anniversary record.

“Instead, we did a Christmas record in the fall of 2021. We never got back to the 50th because COVID took us off the road.

“We have been in the studio lately. We have two songs finished, two nearly done and one to go. The album will be out in the spring with as many as 15 – including some remakes.

“With the five new ones, we play all but one in our live line-up…if not four, then three…if not three, at least two.

“We do have a lot of ‘must play’ songs. These are songs people really like such as ‘Reach a Little Bit Higher,’‘Let There Be Music,’ ‘Time Passes On’ and ‘No More Than You Can Handle.’

“Of course, the main ones are “Still the One,” “Dance with Me,” and “Love Takes Time.”

Video link for Orleans Acoustic Quartet —https://youtu.be/v2YbXyYqFyc.

The show in Allentown on July 12, which has DMC DUO as the opening act, will start at 6 p.m.

Admission is free.

It’s almost inconceivable that a band would put out a pre-show request that fans should avoid the show – but that’s what Humbleman Band did this summer

Humbleman Band was scheduled to perform on June 14 from noon-4 p.m. at “Art on the Ridge: Saturday Artist Market” at Pocket Park in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.

On the band’s website, it asked fans to stay away from the event, which was 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 created a conflict of interest.

Here was the message from Humbleman Band –

Shucks!  Don’t come see Humbleman 6/14, go to the “No Kings” rally instead:

As a band we are committed to performing at “Art on the Ridge: Saturday Artist Market.” But YOU should go to the ‘No Kings’ rally. 

In peace, love and RESISTANCE!

Humbleman Band.”

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

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

The Philadelphia edition of the “No Kings Rally” was 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

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

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

The Philly event took place at LOVE Park in Center City Philadelphia.

The loss of one gig hardly proved to be a setback for Humbleman Band.

“We just finished wrapping up our next album which has been two years in the making,” said Cooper. “We went into the studio a few months ago.

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

“The last recordings happened in March. Then we sent it to Rittenhouse Sound for mixing and mastering.

“We’ll probably have an ‘official’ record release in November 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 up-tempo 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.

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; Rob Sanders – violin; and Buck Buchannan – drums.

“Humbleman Band was formed in 1999,” said “Cholly” Cooper. “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 has been billed as “Original 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.”

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.

Humbleman Band released an EP, “Ruff Ups,” in August 2021.

The disc included “Two Fires Burning,” “Summer 2020 (The Other Side of This)” and “Homo Sapien.” Only one made it to the new LP – “Homo Sapien.”

“The second is a new one – ‘Two Street Sweet.’ We did a video release show for it last Wednesday at the Attic Brewery in Germantown.

“‘Looking Up’ will be available on Spotify and Amazon in late autumn. But people can listen to all the songs right now on Bandcamp.’

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 “Portrait of Aretha” on September 12.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) has moved the Flux Capacitor show on September 13 from the Rooftop convert to an indoor show at the main venue.

Colonial Theater (227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, thecolonialtheatre.com/events) will host Tucked In on September 12.

Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) will present Kate Gaffney’s Corner with special gust John Byrne on September 11; The Peace Creeps and Skip Denenberg with special guests Michael Mennies, David Humphreys and Tommy Geddes on September 12; J.P. Reali Band on September 13; and The Girke-Davis Project on September 14.

The Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) is opening its latest run on September 13 with “Ragtime.”

Showtimes this weekend are set for 6 p.m. on September 13 and 1 p.m. on September 14. The venue will also host “Candlelight Quizzo” on September 15.

Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will present “A Musical Celebration of John Prine” on September 13, Yoke Lore with Gracie and Rachel on September 15 and Ron Sexsmith on September 16.