{"id":17480,"date":"2015-10-22T10:35:54","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T14:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=17480"},"modified":"2015-10-22T10:35:44","modified_gmt":"2015-10-22T14:35:44","slug":"on-stage-the-legendary-al-kooper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=17480","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: The legendary Al Kooper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Also: U.S. Reggae acts swarm into Philly<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

\"al<\/a>

The legendary Al Kooper plays a rare show at the Sellersville Theater, Oct. 22.<\/p><\/div>\n

There are only a few artists in the realm of rock music who genuinely deserve to be called legends. Al Kooper is one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kooper, who will perform on October 22 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/span><\/a>), is a highly-talented singer, songwriter, keyboard player and guitarist — and one of rock\u2019s most respected producers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike many of today\u2019s artists, Kooper is not locked in to the standard process of making an album and then touring exhaustively to promote it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not writing any new songs,\u201d said Kooper, during a phone interview Monday afternoon from his home in Massachusetts. \u201cI know I\u2019m not going to make another album. I haven\u2019t written anything in a while — maybe two or three songs since my last album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kooper\u2019s last album was \u201cWhite Chocolate,\u201d which came out in 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am planning in a four-CD box set of everything unreleased from everything I\u2019ve worked on,\u201d said Kooper. \u201cI could write a book — but I\u2019d have to think about that. I already did the autobiography thing. It went up to 2008 so I guess I could bring it up to date.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kooper was just a teenager in New York when he was a member of the Royal Teens who had a Top Five hit in 1958 with \u201cShort Shorts.\u201d \u00a0He began doing session work and co-writing songs with other musicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

The New York-based Kooper played the signature organ riff on Dylan\u2019s \u201cLike A Rolling Stone\u201d and was a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears but left after the band\u2019s milestone debut album \u201cChild Is Father to the Man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Kooper released a number of solo albums and did session and production work for many of rock\u2019s top acts — such as playing keyboard on the Rolling Stones\u2019 \u201cYou Can’t Always Get What You Want\u201d and producing Lynyrd Skynyrd\u2019s first three albums, including the band\u2019s debut album that included \u201cFree Bird.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople still ask me to do session work,\u201d said Kooper, who has had health and vision problems in recent years. \u201cThe most difficult thing is talking me out of the house. I don\u2019t play that many shows anymore either. But, when they come dancing in front of me, I accept the dance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn my live shows, it\u2019s just me with my guitar and keyboards. I change the set list around a lot. I like to play songs from my various solo albums. This time around, I\u2019m doing a lot of songs from the Blood, Sweat and Tears album. I do them more like they were when I originally wrote them on keyboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy doing solo gigs because it allows me to tell the stories of the songs. I\u2019m a frustrated comedian and it\u2019s nice because I can make people laugh. Performing solo breaks down the performer\/audience role. People get who I am as a person which you never get with a band show. It\u2019s a nice intimate evening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Al Kooper — https:\/\/youtu.be\/N-Q7TrGqN1k<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 and $45.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Raheem<\/a>

Raheem DeVaughn<\/p><\/div>\n

On October 22, the TLA (Theatre of the Living Arts, 334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1011, http:\/\/www.lnphilly.com<\/span><\/a>), will present a show featuring two of America\u2019s top R&B artists — Raheem DeVaughn and Leela James.<\/span><\/p>\n

With shows in 25 major cities across the United States, the two will be performing hits off of their recent chart-topping albums alongside fan favorites from their entire catalogues as part of \u201cThe Love \u2018n Soul Experience Tour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Three-time Grammy Award nominated 368 Music Group & Entertainment One recording artist Raheem DeVaughn is billed as \u201cone of the most exciting R&B artists of the 21st century.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0His fifth studio album \u201cLove, Sex, and Passion,\u201d which came out in February, debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #2 on Billboard\u2019s Independent Album chart. It has been fueled by the radio hits \u201cQueen\u201d and \u201cTemperature\u2019s Rising\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album dropped in February and it\u2019s been doing well,\u201d said DeVaughn, during a recent phone interview from his home in the Washington, D.C. area. \u201cIt did great on Billboard charts. \u2018Queen\u2019 was the first single and that got as lot of traction. \u2018Temperature\u2019s Rising\u2019 is doing real well right now.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo be an indie and to do that is something. I was on Jive Records for 10 years and that was a great journey. Now, I\u2019m independent and it\u2019s great to be still popular after 10 years. Even when I was on a label, I still operated as an indie. I did five albums in 10 years and still play songs from all five albums.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a cultural artist. I make music that influences the culture — on a lot of levels. I\u2019ve opened up lanes for a lot of artists with things I\u2019ve done like mixtapes. I\u2019m one of the forefathers of mixtapes for R&B and soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always working and recording. I was in the studio until 5 a.m. this morning. In this business, you\u2019ve got to keep working. You\u2019re only as good as your last project.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to his musical interests, DeVaughn is involved in various philanthropic initiatives run by his charity organization, The LoveLife Foundation. Launched in April 2014, the foundation currently focuses on youth education, HIV\/AIDS research, and domestic violence prevention. Throughout the tour, Raheem and the LoveLife Foundation will be hosting their national \u201cQueen for a Day\u201d campaign against domestic violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joining \u201cThe Love \u2018n Soul Experience\u201d as the opening act is the exciting new talent V. Bozeman. After his debut as the co-star of the hit Fox TV series \u201cEmpire,\u201d Bozeman is currently preparing her highly anticipated debut album \u201cMusic Is My Boyfriend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a fan of the show and a fan of her voice,\u201d said DeVaughn. \u201cI\u2019m also a big fan of Leela. I toured with her earlier this year. We have the same management and we have the same style. We even recorded a song together on one of her previous albums.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Raheen DeVaughn — https:\/\/youtu.be\/vZ_8wpPqEtg<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the TLA will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three of the top American reggae bands are Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Iration and John Brown\u2019s Body. Ironically, all three are coming to the area for shows within a three-day period — all at different venues.<\/span><\/p>\n

On October 22, Iration will perform at the Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/span><\/a>) while John Brown\u2019s Body will do a show at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

On October 24, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will play at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/undergroundarts.org<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"john<\/a>

John Brown’s Body<\/p><\/div>\n

American reggae pioneers John Brown\u2019s Body are fresh off an intense set of summer festival plays including California Roots, Reggae On The Mountain \u2013 California, Gathering of the Vibes, Reggae on the Rocks at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, among others.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band is touring in support of its recent dub release \u201cKings And Queens In Dub\u201d which came out in April on Easy Star Records. The album offers 12 re-produced dub tracks from the band\u2019s 2013 release \u201cKings and Queens\u201d and features dub producers Dubmatix, UK legend Dennis Bovell, Yesking, Lord Echo (The Black Seeds), Dubfader (10 Ft. Ganja Plant), Ticklah (Antibalas), Michael G (Easy Star All-Stars) and others.<\/span><\/p>\n

The line-up of John Brown\u2019s Body features Elliot Martin (lead vocals), Tommy Benedetti (drums), Dan Africano (bass), Jay Spaker (guitar), Jon Petronzio (keyboards), TJ Schaper (trombone), Drew Sayers (saxophone) and Sam Dechenne (trumpet).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just cruising along,\u201d said Benedetti, during a recent phone interview from his home in Boston. \u201cEverything\u2019s good. We had a nice summer of festivals. We have some good stuff going on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

John Brown\u2019s Body first arrived on the scene in the mid-1990s. The group released its debut album \u201cAll Time\u201d in 1996 and followed with \u201cAmong Them\u201d three years later. The band\u2019s last studio album of new material was \u201cAmplify\u201d in 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe core of the band has been around since the beginning and the horns have been with us five or six years,\u201d said Benedetti. \u201cWe have a real family vibe in the band. We strive for consistency and the band is really tight right now.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did \u2018Kings and Queens\u2019 two years ago and then the dub version of \u2018Kings and Queens\u2019 earlier this year. We also did some new recording in Boston earlier this year so we should be releasing some new music pretty soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe tracking is done and it\u2019s going into the mixing stage now.\u00a0 Right now, I don\u2019t know if it will be and EP or if we\u2019ll wait until we have enough for an album. We recorded five or six tracks in Boston and also did three tracks in Denver.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

John Brown\u2019s Body always does good work in the studio but the band\u2019s real strength is its rousing live show.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re fans of music,\u201d said Benedetti. \u201cWe\u2019re players. We love playing for people. We love songs — good songs and good melodies. We\u2019ve had two lime-up changes recently but everyone is still family.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did the dub version because we love dub music. We love to hear all our songs dubbed out. Between Drew and the label guys at Easy Star, they reached out to all these different producers around the world and they were psyched to get in on the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe finished album has all the songs in the same running order as they were o n the original album. We did it the classic Jamaican way. We\u2019re one of the few American bands to have ever done that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for John Brown\u2019s Body — https:\/\/youtu.be\/zvfdBsCPU9E<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show in Ardmore will get underway at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Ardmore Music Hall are Control for Smilers (Phish Tribute) and Pure Jerry (Jerry Garcia Band tribute) on October 23, Melvin Seals & JGB (Organist, Jerry Garcia Band) and Stoop Kids on October 24, and David Duchovny and Bird Watcher on October 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall will also have its first-ever family concert on October 25 at 11 a.m. featuring Alex and the Kaleidoscope. Additionally, the venue will host Ardmore Beer Hall II on October 24 at noon featuring more than 30 craft breweries, live music and tasty food.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"iration\"<\/a>

Iration<\/p><\/div>\n

Iration, which is now billed as an alternative band, digitally released its new album \u201cHotting Up\u201d on August 28 and is now headlining \u201cHotting Up Tour\u201d in its support. The tour will also feature The Green, The Movement and Hours Eastly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band began as a reggae band formed by six friends who grew up together on an island. But, the island is not Jamaica — or even another Caribbean island where the sounds of live reggae music constantly fill the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The band is from Hawaii, the home of traditional slack key guitar music and highly commercialized hula songs.\u00a0\u00a0 Even though the members if Iration attended the same high school in Waimea, Hawaii, they did not come together to form a band until they were all attending college in California.<\/span><\/p>\n

What started out as a hobby grew into a band. The group currently includes Joseph Dickens (drums), Joseph King (engineer), Cayson Peterson (keyboards), Micah Pueschel (guitar, vocals) and Adam Taylor (bass). In 2013, Iration announced that vocalist Kai Rediske had quit the band.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do most of the songwriting,\u201d said Pueschel, during a recent phone interview. \u201cKai was a good writer and it was nice to have someone to bounce ideas off.\u00a0 Micah Brown, who replaced Kai, is a god singer and writer. He wrote \u2018Stay Awake\u2019 on the new album. It\u2019s always nice to have another songwriter.\u00a0 We started working on \u2018Hotting Up\u2019 last winter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the \u2018Rebelution Tour\u2019 last summer, we had a few months off so we had time to gather ideas and write songs. We did a lot of pre-production with our new producer David Manzour. He\u2019s a lot more hands-on and he co-wrote some of the songs. We recorded it in two different spots — East-West Studio in Hollywood and Santa Barbara Sound Design. Both were great studios.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m writing, most of the time, I\u2019ll start with a guitar and strum around until I find something I like. I\u2019ll go from there and sing gibberish in places where lyrics should be. Other times, I\u2019ll get a phrase that I put on my iPhone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Iration has branched out beyond the world of domestic reggae.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think our sound has definitely come around to a broader spectrum of sound — less reggae,\u201d said Pueschel. \u201cIt\u2019s a wider range of music but still has the elements of reggae. We\u2019ve always been a band that listens to everything. We like good songs. We\u2019re not genre purists.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe all are familiar with Hawaii\u2019s great music. If you grew up in Hawaii, you\u2019ve listened to Gabby Pahinui, Koala Beamer and Cyril Pahinui. That\u2019s the sound you grew up with. You hear slack key (music) all the time. We go back to Hawaii a few times a year. On our nee song \u2018Lost and Found,\u2019 we use a slide guitar for the sound of Hawaiian steel guitar and we have ukulele on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Iration — https:\/\/youtu.be\/yZxM4R4GOYw?list=PLksQvtgGE_POc9lFe0xP9_Xiju-4bon2w<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Fillmore will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22.50.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"giant-panda\"<\/a>

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad<\/p><\/div>\n

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad — Chris O\u2019Brian, Dylan Savage, James Searl, Dan Keller and Tony Gallicchio — is also a reggae-based band that makes a variety of music. Three of its five albums have been straight-up reggae. But, \u201cCountry,\u201d which was released in 2012, and its new album \u201cBright Days,\u201d which came out in May on Easy Star Records, are Americana albums.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the release of \u201cCountry,\u201d Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (GPGDS) proved its musical identity to be as indefinable as the band\u2019s name. The Rochester, NY-based quintet was known as a reggae-jam band, relentlessly touring on the back of their debut album \u201cSlow Down\u201d (2006). The band has since released two reggae albums, \u201cIn These Times\u201d (2012), and \u201cSteady\u201d (2014), which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Reggae chart.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBright Days\u201d has nine original songs ranging from \u201cAmerican Beauty\u201d-era Grateful Dead sounds to African-inspired instrumentals to early Neil Young. The album features guests G. Love on harmonica and renowned mandolin player Eric Robertson.<\/span><\/p>\n

Milt Reder, the owner of Rear Window Studio, played guitar throughout the record. Reder, who has worked with Susan Tedeschi, Bo Diddley, and others, provided a Zen atmosphere with his playing and guided GPGDS to accomplish the goal of recording songs that had never been rehearsed or worked out previous to the studio session.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJames and I and my brother Matt formed the band around 2002 in upstate New York,\u201d said Chris O\u2019Brian, during a recent phone interview. \u201cWe grew up together and played rock-and-roll — and some high school kid funk. Then, our music went to reggae and stayed there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s mostly what we\u2019ve been putting our energy into — real roots reggae. Dylan is a life-long reggae fan. He listens to it all the time. James studied the Rastafarian religion in college and went to Africa. We went to Jamaica as a band in 2007 and played gigs down there. We were in Negril the whole time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Somehow, Americana slipped in through the side door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus is still reggae,\u201d said O\u2019Brian. \u201cOur live show is strictly reggae. We just got out of the studio making a reggae record. The shift to releasing Americana stuff is because we\u2019ve been playing it for years. But, we don\u2019t assume that our reggae fans are going to like our Americana music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAmericana is all over the place. People enjoy it so we must have done something right. The jam band link is huge. I give it a lot of credit for the association of our two styles of music. We did an eight-show acoustic tour of \u2018Country\u2019 but we\u2019re not trying to be something we\u2019re not. Our live shows are pretty much just us skanking to reggae sounds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad — https:\/\/youtu.be\/MD9DBV–xUM<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show on October 24 will start at 10 p.m. Tickets are $17.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"christian<\/a>

Christian Lopez<\/p><\/div>\n

Christian Lopez, who will play a show with his band on October 22 at the Lansdowne Folk Club (84 North Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 484-466-6213, http:\/\/folkclub.org<\/span><\/a>), is a 20-year-old with the soul of a 65-year-old Appalachian mountain musician hidden away inside — steeped in the roots of his West Virginia upbringing on the shores of the Potomac River in the Eastern Panhandle of the state.<\/span><\/p>\n

On his debut album \u201cOnward,\u201d he emulated the sound produced by the region\u2019s resident pickers and strummers and wrote all but one of the songs on the disc. Some of the key tracks are \u201cLeaving It Out,\u201d \u201cSeven Years,\u201d \u201cMorning Rise\u201d and \u201cOh Those Tombs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom started me on piano when I was five years old,\u201d said Lopez, during a recent phone interview from his home in Martinsburg, West Virginia. \u201cBut, I didn\u2019t really get into music until my dad gave me his classic rock album collection when I was 13. He knew I loved music and they were sitting in a storage unit not being used. That music started to really hit me. I grew up a crazy AC\/DC fan and Creedence fan. I was into a lot of 80s bands a lot of hair metal. At the same time, I loved The Band. They made me pick up acoustic guitar. I was also into Willie Nelson, the Outlaws, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. I was on a folk rock\/country\/folk path.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before long, Lopez was making his own music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was around 15 when I started to write songs,\u201d said Lopez. \u201cI always sort of had a band in my head when I was writing the songs.\u00a0 Joe Taxi was my first band. We started to travel and get some gigs. We even got a spot on the Warped Tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLater, those two guys left and I put together the Christian Lopez Band which is Chelsea McVee on banjo and vocals, Mark Schottinger on bass and Pete Teselsky on drums. Chelsea and I have been playing together for awhile and then my manager helped me find a bass player and a drummer. With these guys, it felt like a good fit. We made the album last December in Nashville with producer Dave Cobb at Low Country Sound Studio.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had been sending him recordings by phone but we didn\u2019t really dig into the songs until we got in the studio. The recording went quickly. Fresh and fast — that\u2019s how he likes to do it. We recorded most of the songs live in the studio. By recording the songs live, there was more energy and it was stripped down to a more organic flavor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Christian Lopez Band — https:\/\/youtu.be\/6rhaU_uY-EU<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show in Lansdowne will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"transviolet_web\"<\/a>

Transviolet<\/p><\/div>\n

Transviolet, which will visit the area on October 23 for a show at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/undergroundarts.org<\/span><\/a>), is one of the top new pop bands to emerge this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band — Sarah McTaggart, Judah McCarthy, Michael Panek and Jon Garcia — is so new that its debut recording the \u201cNew Bohemia\u201d EP (Epic Records is just a few weeks old. Transviolet is so new that its current tour with Mikky Ekko is the band\u2019s first time on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur first show ever was in Costa Mesa a few weeks ago,\u201d said vocalist Sara McTaggart, during a phone interview last week from tour stop in Ohio, \u201cBut, we\u2019ve been rehearsing for a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe started working on the EP a few months ago — around April. I do most of the songwriting. I also collaborated with our producer Alex Reed. They\u2019re my stories.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McTaggart definitely has stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI graduated from high school in Paso Robles (CA) and three weeks later moved to Grand Cayman,\u201d said McTaggart. \u201cWhen I was in Grand Cayman, I set up a profile on a musicians\u2019 site. I said I lived in San Diego.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMike found me online. He sent me a track and it was better than what I had been hearing. I was immediately sold. I started writing stuff over his track. I liked the challenge. I recorded vocals on this shitty little microphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a few months, I decided to move to San Diego. John and Mike were living in New York City and Jeff, our guitarist, was living in Rochester (NY). The guys all knew each other from going to high school together in Rochester.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to L.A. and so did Mike and John. Jeff came out for a week tryout and it went really well.\u00a0 He went back to Rochester, sold everything he owned and drove back across the country. When we added Jeff, the sound changed quite a bit. The real start of Transviolet was when we all moved to L.A.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for the band to develop its own take of adventurous pop music — especially with McTaggart\u2019s writing skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m writing, sometimes I feel like a medium,\u201d said McTaggart. \u201cI write on piano, guitar and ukulele. My writing is different for every song. At times, I\u2019ll get a melody first or maybe it will start with a story. We\u2019ve got about 60 songs written already. We picked the best four for the EP and we\u2019ll pick 11-13 for the album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a writer, with each song, you learn something new. My biggest influences are the Beatles, Radiohead and Nirvana as well as Lana Del Rey and Tame Impala. I also like Imogen Heap a lot. And, Freddie Mercury is a god.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/b_aQgB7xkjA<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show is slated to get underway at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"next<\/a>

Next To None<\/p><\/div>\n

Next To None, a progressive metal band featuring Max Portnoy on drums, Ryland Holland on guitar, Kris Rank on bass, and Thomas Cuce on keyboards and lead vocals, will be in Philly on October 23 for a show at Bullshooters (14000 Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-437-1208, https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Bull-Shooters-Saloon<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

The band, which is based in the Lehigh Valley, is touring in support of its recently-released debut album \u201cA Light In The Dark,\u201d which was released on the InsideOut label on June 29. The album was produced by Winery Dogs\u2019 drummer Mike Portnoy, formerly the drummer for Dream Theater — and father of NTN\u2019s drummer Max Portnoy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working on the album for three-to-four years,\u201d said Max Portnoy, during a recent phone interview from his home in the Bethlehem area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ordinarily, this wouldn\u2019t be a surprising statement from a band member. But, it is when Portnoy and Rank are only 15 and Holland and Cuce are just 16.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the ages of only 12 and 13, the boys began writing their own music and performing live around the area.\u00a0About a year later they went into the studio to record their first three-song self titled EP.\u00a0\u00a0At that point they really started to promote themselves through social media and playing live shows around the Pennsylvania area.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew Cliff and Ryland since first grade at school,\u201d said Portnoy. \u201cWe were in Spanish immersion and we were the main kids that jammed. We were also in a program at the School of Rock. I met Thomas in sixth grade. We played at a lot of parties.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been banging on drums ever since I was born. I started lessons when I was five. I was around 10 when I got super serious about it. My dad is my biggest influence. I grew up watching Dream Theater on stage and in the studio. I didn\u2019t deliberately try to copy him but, because it\u2019s in my blood, I play like him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When the teenagers got in the studio this year, they approached the recording process like veterans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had everything rehearsed before we went in the studio,\u201d said Portnoy. \u201cWe recorded the album at this little studio in Bethlehem. The people there were awesome. For our live show, a large portion of our music is the same as it is on the album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith my frills, I\u2019ll improvise a little. We might extend a section for a little bit. But, mainly, we want to play the songs like they are on the record. It already has a jamming feel to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs are written by all of us. All the songs that we recorded are on the album. Since the album, we\u2019ve started writing new songs. But, we\u2019re not playing any of them in our live show. Some of the songs don\u2019t even have vocals yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Next To None — https:\/\/youtu.be\/jfF9qV0igWE<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Ortlieb\u2019s will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

On October 23, Quiet Hollers — Shadwick Wilde, Nick Goldring, Aaron West, Ryan Scott, Jim Bob Brown — will visit the area for a show at Ortlieb\u2019s (847 North Third Street, Philadelphia, 267- 324-3348, www.ticketfly.com<\/span><\/a>). Then, on October 24, the band will play Tellus 360 (24 East King Street, Lancaster, 717-393-1660, www.tellus360.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the band\u2019s website, \u201cQuiet Hollers are a cult\/gang\/band and ragtag group of misfits playing weird, sad music for weirdos like you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band is fronted by Wilde, an accomplished artist and songwriter who used to be a punk rock guitarist-for-hire for the likes of Dischord Records\u2019 Iron Cross, before moving to Louisville and forming Quiet Hollers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cQuiet Hollers,\u201d\u00a0<\/i>the bands\u2019 sophomore album, was engineered and mixed by Kevin Ratterman\u00a0(My Morning Jacket, Murder By Death, Grace Potter) and runs the proverbial gamut of the band\u2019s eclectic influences — 90\u2019s college rock, post punk and alt-country, to deliver heady, literate,\u00a0hook-laden narratives.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it first started, it was just me on acoustic guitar,\u201d said Wilde, during a recent phone interview from his home in Louisville. \u201cThere is only so much that can be said with a guy and an acoustic guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the differences between two albums? I\u2019m a big fan of the mentality of not making the same record twice. The songwriting wasn\u2019t started to go to rock from Americana but that\u2019s the way the band has gone. The first album was more Americana — traditional Kentucky instruments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The albums are definitely very different.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know that I noticed a shift in my songwriting,\u201d said Wilde. \u201cIt\u2019s just something that sort of happened.\u00a0 In my early stuff, I had to make a clear distinction from my previous punk stuff to Americana.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs my songwriting has grown, it became less important to define genre. I still primarily write with acoustic guitar. A lot of the songs were just written with a melody in mind and some were written with lyrics in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it\u2019s a mistake to have too much going on in a song. The first LP was too busy. With the new record, all the instrumentation was written before we recorded it. It lets the song speak a little more clearly without noise around.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s live show is more current.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe only do one or two songs from the first record — \u2018Road Song\u2019 and \u2018Their Dark Robes\u2019 are the two,\u201d said Wilde. \u201cMy goal was more to be a band that wasn\u2019t just Americana, alt-country or indie rock. My identity as an artist comes from songwriting and artists should be always conscious of not repeating themselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Quiet Hollers — https:\/\/youtu.be\/1glXHx1kmy8<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Ortlieb\u2019s, which also features Morning River Band and Mark Lanky, will get underway at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. The show at Tellus 360 will start at 7 p.m. and features a $5 cover.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/span><\/a>) will present Tapestry Revisited – A Tribute to Carole King with Lori Citro & The Accidentals on October 23, and Trespass – The Music of Genesis on October 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doc Watson\u2019s Public House (150 North Pottstown Pike, Exton, 610-524-2424, docwatsonspublichouse.com<\/span><\/a>) will have music by Northermn Rednecks on October 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/span><\/a>) will host Steve Zinno and Shawn Cephas on October 22, Matt Spitko on October23, Don McAvoy & The Great Whatever \u00a0on October 24 and Patty Larkin on October 25.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/span><\/a>) will host Slave Dog, Space Caravan and Seption on October 23 and Dave Karaban, Alex O’Brien and Bryan Freedman on October 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547,\u00a0www.burlapandbean.com<\/i><\/span><\/a>) will present Malcolm Holcombe with Chelsea Allen on <\/span>October 22, <\/span>Peter Mulvey with John Francis on October 23and Michael Braunfeld with MaryLeigh Roohan on October 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

Melodies Caf\u00e9 (2 East Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore, 610-645-5269, www.melodiescafe.com<\/span><\/a>) will host Jeremiah Tall, Nathan Earl & Rachel Joy, John Hufford and Doug Wartman on October 23 and Eloise Sharkey on October 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400,\u00a0www.queen.worldcafelive.com<\/span><\/a>) will have John Gorka on October 22, Box of Rain on October 23 and the October Songwriter Showcase on October 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577, www.thegrandwilmington.org<\/span><\/a>) will present Last Comic Standing on October 22 and Chris Cornell on October 23.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Also: U.S. Reggae acts swarm into Philly By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times There are only a few artists in the realm of rock music who genuinely deserve to be called legends. Al Kooper is one of them. Kooper, who will perform on October 22 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,4],"tags":[6716,6721,6720,6719,6718,6723,6717,6722],"class_list":["post-17480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-featured","tag-al-kooper","tag-christian-lopez","tag-giant-panda-guerilla-dub-squad","tag-iration","tag-john-browns-body","tag-next-to-none","tag-raheem-devaughn","tag-transviolet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17480","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=17480"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17481,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17480\/revisions\/17481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}