{"id":16875,"date":"2015-08-20T08:59:59","date_gmt":"2015-08-20T12:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=16875"},"modified":"2015-08-20T08:59:54","modified_gmt":"2015-08-20T12:59:54","slug":"on-stage-howard-jones-looks-to-go-beyond-pop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=16875","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Howard Jones looks to go beyond pop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Also; Ex-Byrd still flies; Ruder Than You at The Flash for Strummer Foundation<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Denny Dyroff<\/span>,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/span>Staff Writer, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"HowardJones\"<\/a>

80s Pop icon Howard Jones plays a pair of local dates, Thursday in Wilmington and Monday in Sellersville.<\/p><\/div>\n

Howard Jones, a New Wave icon who was one of the forefathers of synth-pop, is currently touring in America and treating his stateside fans to three completely different shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones, who was well-known to MTV viewers for his tufts of blond hair as well as his well-crafted songs, is performing a special multimedia show called \u201cENGAGE\u201d in New York. He is also playing a string of dates across the country — some with his band and some as solo piano shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

His two shows in this area will both be in \u201csolo piano\u201d mode. Jones will be performing on August 20 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400,\u00a0www.queen.worldcafelive.com<\/span><\/a>) and on August 24 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018ENGAGE,\u2019 I wanted to do something different instead of just making an album with a lot of songs,\u201d said Jones, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in New York.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones recently performed \u201cENGAGE\u201d in London and Los Angeles. Entirely fan-funded by PledgeMusic, \u201cENGAGE\u201d is Jones\u2019 most ambitious work to date, incorporating specially-commissioned visuals with music and an interactive live show.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cENGAGE\u201d is inspired by such diverse musical genres as electronica, contemporary classical and pop and fuses this audio m\u00e9lange with other visual and literary arts including ballet, modern dance and philosophy. The \u201cENGAGE\u201d audience is invited to participate via a specially-designed smart phone app, customized clothing and fluorescent make-up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to write something that would be a live event in a most exciting way,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI wanted to have it dramatic with a lot of visuals, including a film of ballet, and a lot of influences — classical, pop and Steve Reich. I took a real mixture of styles I really love and mashed them together. I had a special app made so fans could be part of the show. I\u2019ve performed \u2018ENGAGE\u2019 five times so far and New York will be the sixth. I could take on the road but it would cost a lot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones had his first Top Five hit in 1983 with the song \u201cNew Song.\u201d Four more hits followed over the course of a year and his album \u201cHuman\u2019s Lib\u201d reached the top spot on the U.K. album charts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 1984 \u201cLike to Get to Know You Well\u201d was \u201cdedicated to the original spirit of the Olympic Games\u201d and became a worldwide hit. It also was used in the film \u201cBetter Off Dead\u201d and the computer game\u00a0\u201cGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDream into Action,\u201d which came out in 1985, quickly became a Top Ten Platinum album in the United States and was Jones\u2019 most successful album. Four major hits were on that album — \u201cThings Can Only Get Better,\u201d \u201cLife In One Day,\u201d \u201cNo One Is To Blame,\u201d and \u201cLike To Get To Know You Well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started with one-man electronic shows in 1981, right from the beginning I had TV screens that had VHS tapes that ran with the songs,\u201d said Jones. \u201cSo, \u2018ENGAGE\u2019 is an extension of that. It took a year to put it together. I got the idea and booked the venue. I didn\u2019t know what I was going to do. But, I got done everything I wanted to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones, who was born and raised in Wales, has re-mastered those first two classic albums and has played them live in their entirety. He continues to tour extensively with Robbie Bronnimann on live sequencing\/sampling and effects (Ableton Live and various controllers) and Jonathan Atkinson on electronic drums.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a completely electronic band,\u201d said Jones, during a recent phone interview from his home in Somerset, England. \u201cI have a drummer who uses an electronic drum kit and there are sequencer parts by another gentleman \u2014 Robbie Bronnimann.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI also play keyboards. I have a new rig which is based on Mainstage \u2014 the equivalent to Logic software. Rather than carting around hundreds of keyboards, I use software. I\u2019ve gone away from the hardware because it\u2019s too difficult to travel with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 fans who attend the local shows will be in for something entirely different.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome shows on this tour are with the band and some are solo,\u201d said Jones. \u201cIt\u2019s much more involved with a full band. I really enjoy doing acoustic shows. The mix of these two worlds works really well for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI decide which to use based on the size of the venue and the day of the week. It\u2019s an organic process putting it all together. In the modern world of music, flexibility is absolutely essential. You have to work with the reality of the world. My band is based in the U.K. but I have a complete American rig for touring.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones has stayed up-to-date with both music technology and musical styles, including EDM (Electronic dance music).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done a new version of \u2018Everlasting Love\u201d and there is an EDM hit of \u2018Things Can Only Get Better\u2019 with (French DJ\/producer) Cedric Gervais. All the hits have been updated and we do play a lot of dubstep.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m also working on some songs for a couple of films. One is \u2018Eddie the Eagle,\u2019 which is a real-life story of a famous British skier. It is set in the 80s so there is a lot of 80s-style music in the show — new songs in the old style. I\u2019m also writing songs for an American animated film called \u2018Animal Crackers.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith my solo piano show, I always bring some songs I don\u2019t usually play like \u2018Back in Your Life Again.\u2019 Obviously, there are songs I need to play like \u2018What Is Love\u2019 and \u2018Everlasting Love. And, I do a new version of \u2018Things Can Only Get Better.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones also looks to the past spiritually. He is a devout follower of Nichiren Buddhism.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA friend of mine who is a fashion designer got me interested in Buddhism,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI loved the way he worked with people and his positivity. So, I got him to teach me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started straight out with Nichiren and I chant \u2018Nam-myoho-renge-kyo\u2019 (a mantra that dates back to 1253) every day. Nichiren focuses on the belief in the positive power of human beings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are three things that I feel are very important. If we want to change things, we have to change ourselves. We need to exchange dialogue with each other. And, we have to realize that we are global citizens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Howard Jones — https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hUFw5Qi0pjU<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 show in Wilmington will start at 8 p.m. on August 20 and tickets are priced at $32.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Queen are Chris Stapleton on August 21, Kindred the Family Soul on August 22,<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sellersville show will start at 8 p.m. on August 24 with IVA as the opening act. Tickets priced at $39.50 and $55.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"hillman<\/a>On August 22, the Sellersville Theater will present a show that also features long-time music veterans — the duo of former-Byrd Chris Hillman and bluegrass great Herb Pedersen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHerb and I go out and we have a great time,\u201d said Hillman, during a phone interview last week from his home in Ventura, California. \u201cWe\u2019ve added some songs — songs we haven\u2019t done in awhile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about coming out and each doing a solo set and then do songs with the duo. With just a duo, it\u2019s one-dimensional. I would like to be multi-dimensional. We\u2019re both in our seventies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine with my age. It\u2019s a good thing. I still write songs now and then. The question with writing songs now is what would one write when he\u2019s been happily married for 36 years and has two great kids.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hillman is one of the trailblazers who led the way to the development of country rock.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was one of the original members of the Byrds — a band formed in Los Angeles in 1964 that went on to be\u00a0ranked at number 45 on\u00a0Rolling Stone magazine\u2019s\u00a0list of the \u201c100 Greatest Artists of All Time.\u201d He also was a founding member of several other influential bands \u2014\u00a0the\u00a0Flying Burrito Brothers,\u00a0Manassas\u00a0and the Desert Rose Band.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pedersen, who was Hillman\u2019s bandmate in the Desert Rose Band, is a guitarist,\u00a0banjo\u00a0player\u00a0and\u00a0singer-songwriter. He has\u00a0established himself as a top-flight player in a number of genres including bluegrass, folk rock, country,\u00a0folk and country rock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe play each year from March to November — usually about 10 shows a month,\u201d said Hillman. \u201cIt\u2019s very rewarding. I feel like I\u2019m really lucky that we\u2019re still working — and that people still love it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHerb and I have known each other for 53 years now. He grew up in Berkeley and had a bluegrass band there. At the same time, I was learning mandolin when I was in high school in San Diego. We met up in L.A.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, music was just a passion for me. I never expected to make a dime. We met in 1963 and that was the first year that we both got paid for making music. He stayed in bluegrass and I got an offer to join the Byrds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The initial Byrds\u2019 line-up featured Roger (nee Jim) McGuinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke and Hillman.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had all come out of folk music,\u201d said Hillman. \u201cThen, we all plugged in to our amplifiers and made a great band. It was a great band. It has stood the test of time. We found a way to make folk music danceable. There were three bands that really did a good job of combining folk and rock \u2014 the Lovin\u2019 Spoonful, Buffalo Springfield and the Byrds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time we had a hit with \u2018Eight Miles High,\u2019 we had become a very interesting band. We were listening to Ravi Shankar, a sitar player from India, and jazz artists like John Coltrane, Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner. It definitely influenced our music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1968, the Byrds released their country-influenced \u201cSweetheart of the Rodeo\u201d album \u2014 an album that served as a template for the hundreds of country rock bands that followed over the next 40-plus years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really did love the first two Byrds\u2019 albums,\u201d said Hillman. \u201c\u2018Sweetheart of the Rodeo\u2019 wasn\u2019t my favorite record. But, it did open the floodgates.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After awhile, Gram Parsons, who had joined the Byrds as a session man prior to the \u2018Sweetheart of the Rodeo\u2019 album and was influential in the country flavor of the disc, and Hillman left the band.<\/span><\/p>\n

They joined together with steel guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow and bassist Chris Ethridge to form the Flying Burrito Brothers and later added former Byrds\u2019 drummer Michael Clarke.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hillman parted ways with the Flying Burritos after a few albums. Then, a phone call from old friend Stephen Stills set him on a new musical journey \u2014 the band Manassas, which had two albums in the early 70s. Hillman\u2019s next band after that was called Souther-Hillman-Furay, which had two albums in the mid-1970s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cManassas was a great band,\u201d said Hillman. \u201cStephen Stills was on his game then. He\u2019s a great player. Souther-Hillman-Furay was a good idea \u2014 but it didn\u2019t come off. I don\u2019t do any songs from those two albums.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The next group for Hillman was McGuinn-Clark-Hillman \u2014 a band that released three albums from 1979-1981. After that, Hillman joined the Desert Rose Band\u00a0with Pedersen, John Jorgenson, Bill Bryson, Steve Duncan and JayDee Maness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Desert Rose Band had a number of country hits,\u201d said Hillman. \u201cOur song \u2018Love Reunited\u2019 reached Number Six on the country charts. There were great musicians in that band \u2014 and no baggage. That\u2019s why it lasted as long as it did. We\u2019ve all remained close friends.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Hillman is back to performing as part of a duo with Pederson — and playing a lot of tunes from his previous bands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working on writing a memoir,\u201d said Hillman. \u201cWhat\u2019s the next step for an aging rock star — write an autobiography. David Byrne said it right when he said aging rock star biographies make for a crowded shelf.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been writing about growing up in California in the 1950s — in rural California in the post-war era. I concentrated on music and the people I worked with — in a good way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ll ever make another album. With the way the music business is going now, is it just a vanity effort?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy last album with Herb was a live album. I like doing live albums. Maybe I\u2019ll go in the studio with friends and record live. Herb and I are both in our 70s. But, as long as we can sing and play — and people want to hear us — there is no reason we can\u2019t keep doing this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen — https:\/\/youtu.be\/fOjcoCAFTho<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show has an 8 p.m. start time with Marc Silver as the opening act. Tickets priced at $29.50 and $45.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Seth Walker on August 20 and The Allman, Neville & Pitchell Band on August 21.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"lithuania\"<\/a>

Lithuania<\/p><\/div>\n

Lithuania, which is headlining a show at PhilaMoca (531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, 267-519-9651, www.philamoca.org<\/span><\/a>) on August 21, is a band that has some confusing aspects.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, neither member of the two-man group is of Lithuanian descent. Actually, Eric Slick and Domenick Angelella have never ever crossed the border into the Baltic country known as Lietuvos Respublika\u00a0 (Republic of Lithuania).<\/span><\/p>\n

Slick and Angelella first met in the jazz program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia and quickly realized they were the oddballs among their classical peers. They immediately connected through mutual musical interests like Husker Du, Captain Beefheart, Boredoms, and Bjork.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had so much in common,\u201d said Slick, during a phone interview Wednesday morning from his home in Philadelphia. \u201cWe were the outliers of the jazz school. We had the same tastes — free jazz, noise and punk. Some of our favorites were Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Husker Du and the Minutemen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The duo just released its debut album. Judging by the duo\u2019s musical tastes, you would expect an album with avant-garde flavorings and songs that veered far away from mainstream.<\/span><\/p>\n

Again, confusion awaits listeners. \u201cHardcore Friends,\u201d which came out on August 14 on Lame-O Records, is a very straightforward accessible album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cConsidering our tastes in music, it\u2019s funny because the record we just made was a very mainstream sounding record,\u201d said Slick. What it would sound like if we made a pop record. The songs we were writing were more straightforward so we made a catchy pop record.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLithuania started around 10 years ago when we were going to college at the University of the Arts. We started rehearsing together in 2005. We releasedone 7-inch and then in 2010 we made an EP so that we had something to sell when we were on tour with Hopalong. In 2013 and 2014, Dom and I were sending each other a lot of songs and then we made the album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Writing\u00a0\u201cHardcore Friends\u201d\u00a0was a completely contrasting experience for the two: Angelella was used to being the sole songwriter in DRGN KING while Eric was usually playing drums in a band. The first half of the album contains older songs from 2007 when Slick was staying with friends in Asheville and emailing song ideas to Angelella in Philadelphia. The second half is all brand new songs written over the past year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the whole album in five days with Joe Reinhart and Kyle Pulley at The Headroom Studios in Philadelphia,\u201d said Slick, who is also the drummer for Dr. Dog.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe love having Joe as our producer. We went in the studio with the intention of just doing two singles and then realized we had enough songs to make an album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Both musicians are also staying active with their other bands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith Dr. Dog, we\u2019re in rehearsals now for a theater performance September 9-12 called \u2018Swamp Is On.\u2019 It\u2019s a full theater show.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dr. Dog Pop Detachment &\u00a0The Pig Iron Psychedelic Signals Auxiliary will present \u2018Swamp Is On\u201d for four days at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd DRGN KIMG is going to be really active in September,\u201d said Slick, who previously and played in Adrian Belew\u2019s Power Trio along with his sister Julie Slick. \u201cWe\u2019ll get back together and tour as Lithuania in October and November. We\u2019ll be touring all over the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor our live set, we\u2019ll play pretty much the songs from new album in sequence and two songs that weren\u2019t on the record. The album just came out last week. We put it out on vinyl and digitally but there are no CDs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Lithuania — https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iYLS0fwZf9k<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at PhilaMoca, which starts at 7:30 p.m., also features the Sidekicks, All Dogs and Marge. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the doors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ROMP\"<\/a>

ROMP<\/p><\/div>\n

A lot of bands have members who have played together since they were high school students or younger. The members of ROMP, a rocking quartet from New Jersey, never knew each other until they were in college together.<\/span><\/p>\n

ROMP — vocalist\/keyboardist Madison Klarer, guitarist Lucas Dalakian, drummer Mitch Gollub and bassist Chris Beninato — came into existence a little over a year ago. Now, the band is on the road touring in support of its debut EP \u201cSorry, Not Sorry. \u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s tour touches down twice in the area this weekend — August 22 at the Home Grown Caf\u00e9 (126 E Main Street, Newark, 302-266-6993, www.homegrowncafe.com<\/span><\/a>) and August 23 at the Mantua Yacht Club (North 35<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span> and Mantua streets, Philadelphia, 215-382-3639, http:\/\/www.td4wbutton.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWe all met in spring 2014 through shows and parties in New Brunswick,\u201d said Klarer, during a phone interview last week after a band rehearsal. \u201cNone of us were friends. We didn\u2019t even know each other before a year ago. I met Devon, who was our first bassist, and he introduced me to Mitch. Our bass player now is Chris.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe practiced every day for the entire summer. When I was away at school at F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan), I\u2019d come home every weekend during the school year for rehearsals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gollub said, \u201cMe and Lucas graduated from Rutgers. I was a computer engineer major and he was a business major. Now, we\u2019re both software engineers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

ROMP steadily developed its own blend of punk and alt-rock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe first learned a bunch of covers,\u201d said Klarer. \u201cAfter we started playing at bars, we wrote about six songs. We played some punk shows at bars in New Brunswick but most of the punk shows there happen in basements. Four of those six songs are on the EP. Since then, we\u2019ve written two more — \u2018Hobo\u2019 and \u2018Burrito.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll our songs are in the punk vein. I\u2019ve always been into punk and emo. Mitch likes punk and hardcore and Luca is into rock bands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, ROMP ventured into the recording studio.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBack in the spring, we talked about making a record,\u201d said Klarer. \u201cWe wanted a big release so we could tour more. We recorded the album in Union City (NJ) with Jesse Cannon as our producer. When we were researching producers, we came across Jesses name and he had worked with a lot of bands that we liked. When we recorded the EP, we wanted it to be the best we could do. So, we wanted an experienced producer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dalakian said, \u201cWe did our pre-production work. We played songs live and went on feedback from our friends. Most of the songs we wrote were short. We didn\u2019t want to be too self-indulgent. We cut five songs down to four and then added \u2018Burrito\u2019 as a bonus track. For our live show, we have nine more songs on top of that five.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

ROMP\u2019s show at the Home Grown Caf\u00e9 is free and lists a 10 p.m. start time. The show at the Mantua Yacht Club starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"mystery<\/a>

Mystery Skulls<\/p><\/div>\n

Mystery Skulls is the name of the latest music project by sound architect Luis Dubuc — a project that had its start back in 2011. That year, Mystery Skulls released a self-titled EP and a single titled \u201cAmazing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2014, Mystery Skulls, who will be performing on August 25 at Ortlieb\u2019s (847 North Third Street, Philadelphia, 267- 324-3348, www.ticketfly.com<\/span><\/a>), had four singles — \u201cGhost,\u201d \u201cParalyzed,\u201d \u201cNumber 1\u201d and \u2018Magic\u201d — \u00a0and then released the debut album \u201cForever\u201d in October.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mystery Skulls has been even busier this year with live dates. Following some time off after two tours with Cherub, spot dates around the globe, and commissioned remixes, Mystery Skulls is now on the road with a seven-day, seven-city tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

The highly-acclaimed DJ\/singer is using his eclectic genre-bending stylings to produce a specially-curated mix incorporating the sounds popularized on his \u201cForever\u201d debut last year \u00a0— an album that featured appearances from Nile Rodgers, Brandy and Snowblood.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI like testing stiff on people,\u201d said Mystery Skulls, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. \u201cI\u2019ve been working on a lot of new mixes. My current live show is stuff from the album, stuff from the EP and re-mixes. It\u2019s definitely a very varied set. It\u2019s a hodge-podge — a mash of stuff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dubuc was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela and then moved with his family to Toronto when he was a young child. He remained in Toronto until recently moving to Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis show is just me onstage,\u201d said Mystery Skulls. \u201cThere is a great visual component. It\u2019s a cool set. It\u2019s going to be unique. I sing and I DJ at the same time. There are a lot of live instruments on the record. Live — it\u2019s more of a dance party. Because I sing and DJ — which not a lot of people do — I get to play a lot of different types of shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA long time ago, I started as a drummer when I was a teenager. I also worked in a record store, I was obsessed with music. Going from drumming to where I am now was a natural progression.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first got started making electronic music, I had an old Apple notebook, a good Moog source and a Wurlitzer 200A. I spent all my paychecks on music when I was a teenage r and it\u2019s the same way now. Onstage, I use a couple computers and some controllers. I can control every parameter. It\u2019s definitely an experience — especially with the visuals and the deep songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With Mystery Skull\u2019s command of both EDM (electronic dance music) sounds and emotive vintage soul vocals, the result is music that seems to have one leg in the dance clubs of the 20-teens and one leg in the smooth sound of soul and R&B from the 1960s and 1970s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love vintage soul and I love electronic music,\u201d said Mystery Skulls. \u201cBringing them together — that was the thought. At the start, I never imagined being able to work with Nile Rodgers. Things are really moving along well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Mystery Skulls — https:\/\/youtu.be\/THNaO8pZ7c8<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Mystery Skulls show at Ortlieb\u2019s will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"juanes\"<\/a>

Juanes<\/p><\/div>\n

It has just been announced that Colombian pop star Juanes has been selected to sing for Pope Francis during his visit to Philadelphia this fall. The other acts announced as performers at the Festival of Families celebration on Sept. 26 were Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and the Philadelphia Orchestra.<\/span><\/p>\n

Juanes, whose full name is Juan Esteban Aristiz\u00e1bal V\u00e1squez, is one of the most popular — and best-selling — Latin entertainers in the world. To date, Juanes has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans of the South American superstar who want to see him perform but don\u2019t want to deal with the madness that will engulf Philadelphia on the weekend of the Pontiff\u2019s visit are in luck.<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 20, Juanes will bring his \u201cLoco de Amor U.S. Tour\u201d to the Santander Arena (700 Penn Street, Reading, 610-898-7469, santander-arena.com<\/span><\/a>). The show will also feature one of Mexico\u2019s Ximena Sari\u00f1ana.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Mexico, Sari\u00f1ana is a star. Her first album \u201cMediocre\u201d, which was released in 2008, debuted at Number 1 in Mexico and scored two Latin Grammys. Her self-titled album, her English-language debut, was released in 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

The daughter of acclaimed film director Fernando Sari\u00f1ana, she also been acting since the age of 11. Sari\u00f1ana starred in three telenovelas and 11 Mexican films including \u201cDos Abrazos\u201d, for which she won the prize for Best Supporting Actress by the Mexican Film Critics and Press Board.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me two years to make the \u2018No Todo Lo Puedes Dar\u2019 album,\u201d said Sari\u00f1ana, during a recent phone interview. \u201cAfter finishing touring my English album, the only songs I came up with were in English. I had 10 songs in English written but I wanted to do a Spanish album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nice to start fresh \u2014 to think about the new album as a body of work. I flew to Madrid. I love Madrid. It\u2019s one of my favorite cities. I have friends there who are musicians in all different styles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the songs were written in Mexico City. It was definitely a Latino-influenced album. I think people should be open to music no matter what the language. Music is a universal language. It doesn\u2019t have barriers. If you deliver something really well done with honest intentions, people will connect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Ximena Sari\u00f1ana \u2014 <\/i>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VpUeZPPktok<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for<\/i> Juanes — https:\/\/youtu.be\/VGhijvA4XTU<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ruder<\/a>

Ruder Than You<\/p><\/div>\n

The Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/span><\/a>) will host a \u201cBenefit for the Joe Strummer Foundation\u201d on August 21 featuring Ruder Than You, Jeffrey Gaines, The Future Unwritten, Clashing Plaid, E. Joseph & The Sparrows, and Joe Castro.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>) will present Project Ico and Aubreylyn on August 21; and Tim McGlone, Jeff Kerchner, and Ryan Cohen on August 22.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doc Watson\u2019s Public House (150 North Pottstown Pike, Exton, 610-524-2424, docwatsonspublichouse.com<\/span><\/a>) will feature Trombo Piccolo on August 21.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/span><\/a>) will host Matt Spitko Band and Mr. Fuzzy & the Barbarian on August 21 and Jeffery Gaines with Emily Neblock on August 22.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Valley Forge Casino (1160 First Avenue, King Of Prussia, 610-354-8118, https:\/\/www.vfcasino.com<\/span><\/a>) will present Jessy Kyle on August 21.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>) will have Splintered Sunlight (Grateful Dead Tribute) and Muscle Tough on August 21; Phish Magnaball Festival Live Stream on August 22; and The Weeklings featuring Glen Burtnik (Beatles Tribute) with Broken Arrow (Neil Young Tribute) on August 23<\/span><\/p>\n

World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, philly.worldcafelive.com<\/span><\/a>) will have Melissa Ferrick on August 22, Justin Hayward on August 24, and Alice Smith on August 25.<\/span><\/p>\n

Susquehanna Bank Center (1 Harbour Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey, 800-745-300, http:\/\/www.lnphilly.com<\/span><\/a>) will host the \u201cCommon Vision Tour 2015\u201d with Every Time I Die, Real Friends, Counterparts, Brigades, and Gatherers \u00a0on August 21 and \u201cRent-A-Cops Police Tribute\u201d with Rev TJ McGlinchey\u2019s Tom Pretty Tribute along with The Rent a Cops and Krush.<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,<\/span><\/p>\n

www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a><\/span>) will have Eleventh Dream Day, Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band and Rosali on August 20; Adia Victoria, Church Girls, and Tygaton on August 21; Dead Heavens, Gondola, \u00a0and Don Devore on August 22; Whitney, Lionlimb, \u00a0and Blue Smiley on August 23; and Publicist UK, Dalek, and Psychic Teens on August 26.<\/span><\/p>\n

The American Music Theatre (2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, 800-0 648-4102, www.AMTshows.com<\/span><\/a>) will present its current house production \u201cInspire\u201d on August 21, \u00a0comedian Kevin James on August 23 and country music superstar Loretta Lynn \u00a0on August 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNunsense\u201d is running at the Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware,\u00a0302- 475-2313,\u00a0www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org<\/span><\/a>) now through August 22.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cNunsense \u201d \u2014 https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xscpTLQmrck<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings (doors 6 p.m.\/show, 8 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons (doors, 1 p.m.\/show, 3 p.m.). Tickets, which include dinner and show, are $59 for adults and $33 for children (ages 4-12).<\/span><\/p>\n

Rainbow\u2019s Comedy Playhouse (3065 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise, 800-292-4301, http:\/\/rainbowcomedy.com<\/span><\/a>) is presenting \u201cOver the River & Through the Woods\u201d now through October 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matinee performances are every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and selected Saturdays with an 11:30 a.m. lunch and a 1 p.m. curtain. Evening performances are every Friday, Saturday and selected Thursdays with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the show following at 8 p.m. There will also be \u201cTwilight Performances\u201d on selected Sundays with dinner at 2:30 p.m. and the show at 4 p.m. Ticket prices range from $30-$55.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Also; Ex-Byrd still flies; Ruder Than You at The Flash for Strummer Foundation By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times Howard Jones, a New Wave icon who was one of the forefathers of synth-pop, is currently touring in America and treating his stateside fans to three completely different shows. Jones, who was well-known to MTV viewers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,4],"tags":[6512,1892,6516,6513,6515,6514,6517],"class_list":["post-16875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-featured","tag-hillman-pedersen","tag-howard-jones","tag-juanes","tag-lithuania","tag-mystery-skulls","tag-romp","tag-ruder-than-you"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16875"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16875\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16876,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16875\/revisions\/16876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}