{"id":19795,"date":"2016-05-26T09:20:23","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T13:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=19795"},"modified":"2016-05-26T09:24:15","modified_gmt":"2016-05-26T13:24:15","slug":"on-stage-holiday-weekend-brings-light-music-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=19795","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Holiday weekend brings light music schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adam Bricks brings tour to Philly, Friday<\/em><\/h2>\n

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

\"adam

Adam Bricks kicks off the holiday weekend with a show at Ortlieb\u2019s in Philadelphia.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Memorial Day Weekend arrives in the area, the entertainment schedule seems to lighten up a bit.<\/span><\/p>\n

If acts are familiar with the pattern of many of the Delaware Valley\u2019s residents, they know there are better weekends to book a show in Philly.<\/span><\/p>\n

It all has to do with it being the first weekend of the summer season — a weekend when so many of the area\u2019s residents head to the mountains or the shore. (I\u2019d compare this exodus to the story of lemmings rushing to the sea but that\u2019s just an urban myth. The cute little rodents are not suicidal at all.)<\/span><\/p>\n

On May 27, Adam Bricks will welcome the holiday weekend with a show at Ortlieb\u2019s (847 North Third Street, Philadelphia, 267- 324-3348, www.ticketfly.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Bricks is a folksinger- songwriter from Texas who just released his sophomore album \u201cRelations\u201d on May 6, 2016. To celebrate the release, Bricks is out on a national tour that kicked off on May 14\u00a0at Cheer Up Charlie\u2019s in Austin, Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

His first recording was \u201cClock Crash EP\u201d in 2011 followed by a single called \u201cKristmas\u201d that came out in November 2012 and then his debut album \u201cCity Songs\u201d in April 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working on the new album for about two years,\u201d said Bricks, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon as he travelled through Alabama on his way to a tour stop in Atlanta.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tour wraps up this weekend with shows in Philly and Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Bricks, \u201c\u2018Relations\u2019\u00a0is a more personal record than\u00a0\u2018City Songs.\u2019 It deals with relationships with people — he bad, the sad and the wild.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote it while living in an old house in East Houston. I recorded it with my friend James Westley Essary of The Caldwell at his house. The record is rock\/country\/folk trying to cram all the stuff around us into 11 songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The album features the insightful songwriter at his most personal with topics such as love, hate, sex, sadness and longing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started with songs in a house studio — Hazard Studio,\u201d said Bricks, who is a native of Houston, Texas. \u201cSome of the songs I had been writing since I was 19 but most were written more recently when I was in East Houston.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRelations\u201d is a record about relations between lovers, friends, and people in general. There are darker songs like \u201cSad Song\u201d and lighter ones like \u201cSomething Real.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the songs are autobiographical,\u201d said Bricks. \u201cI think I did more observational songs on \u2018City Songs.\u2019 This was more my own living experience. A big part of it was from living in one place for awhile.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had moved back to Houston and decided to make it my home for a few years. When you\u2019re traveling from place to place, you don\u2019t dig into matters much. When you\u2019re living in one place, you get more involved — in as lot of different ways,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs on the new album are about a lot of love stuff — a lot of relationships — more on the dissatisfaction side. And, they\u2019re about trying to work and make a living. That totally made it a more full album — and darker.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018Relations\u2019 album is more developed — sound and lyrics. It\u2019s a little more mature and deeper into subjects. \u2018City Songs,\u2019 on the other hand, was glossing over and generalizing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The show Friday night will mark Bricks\u2019 Philadelphia debut.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019ve been doing solo shows on this tour — just me and my guitar,\u201d said Bricks. \u201cThe shows in Philadelphia and New York will be with a full band. It\u2019s important to have a full band — but it\u2019s expensive to tour with a band. The guys who play in my band are all from Houston.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Adam Bricks —https:\/\/youtu.be\/R6l-kN7wNXc<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Ortlieb\u2019s, which also features Travis J and the Rhonestones, and Los Calzones, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Ortlieb\u2019s are The Cats, Itasca, David Nance Band on May 28, and an Air Is Human residency from May 30-June 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"psychicPsychic Teens just released their new album \u201cNerve\u201d and headed out on tour in support of the new disc.<\/span><\/p>\n

The month-long tour started in Philadelphia — the band\u2019s hometown — on May 1 at the Foundry. It will conclude on May 28 in Philadelphia with a \u201cAlbum Release Show\u201d at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,<\/span><\/p>\n

www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a><\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Psychic Teens — drummer Dave Cherasaro, guitaris\/vocalist Larry Ragone and bassist Joe Decarolis — formed in 2010 and quickly released their full-length debut \u201cTeen\u201d followed by a split CD-R of cover songs with Hulk Smash and a digital EP of Misfits cover songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe started playing together six years ago,\u201d said Cherasaro, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. \u201cWe\u2019ve known each other for a long time. We had been in bands with each other but never the three of us together. So, we decided to just play with the three of us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all from South Jersey. We met each other after high school when we were playing house shows in the South Jersey punk-hardcore scene. We recorded our first album not long after we started. We were only together for about six months before we went into the studio.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat first album was a happy accident. It was supposed to be a demo. A friend of ours heard it and wanted to put it out as an album. We had actually been looking at splitting the songs up — some as seven-inch singles and some as digital releases.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not how things worked out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe put all the songs together and it worked as an album,\u201d said Cherasaro. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t planned. It was after the fact. Then, we did another full-length called \u2018Come\u2019 in 2013 and a seven-inch in 2014.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After releasing the single \u201cFace\u201d on Reptilian Records in 2014, the Psychic Teens went out on a short string of tour dates which allowed them to put the finishing touches on this new batch of songs in a live setting. The band then settled in at Gradwell House studio in early 2015 with Steve Poponi (Fight Amp, Into It. Over It.) to record what would evolve into \u201cNerve.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t sit down and specifically write songs for the new album,\u201d said Cherasaro. \u201cWe just constantly write. We really enjoy playing together and writing songs together. We began writing the songs on \u2018Nerve\u2019 in late 2013. We took two of those songs out as singles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was also a break when we did a live score for the film \u2018The Shining.\u2019 We performed it at a live show at Philamoca with the film projected behind us. It was nice having a little distraction from writing our songs — nice doing a fun project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Nerve\u2019 slowly happened. We amassed a collection of songs. It kind of came together through normal course of events. We went to the studio and recorded all the songs but we weren\u2019t sure what we\u2019d use.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we started getting the mixing done, it took shape. There was this huge jump from three guys making basement songs to actually having more polished versions. During the mixing stage, we realized how cohesive the songs were.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Psychic Teens built a reputation for making music featuring a powerful and driving rhythm section creating the base and tether for screeching, noisy guitars and a talking \/ singing style in the Jim Morrison\/ Iggy Pop vein.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s DNA is evident on \u201cNerve\u201d but there is also much more going on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lyrically, the album centers on isolationism and anger towards one\u2019s inability to exist among and relate to other people. With more focused songwriting and nuanced arrangements, the band expanded on the atmospheric and colossal guitar driven attack it is known for.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNerve\u201d was mastered by James Plotkin (Mondo, Horseback) and features a stunning gatefold sleeve with original artwork from French illustrator Amandine Urruty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis album is a bit moodier — less abrasive,\u201d said Cherasaro. \u201cWe have a propensity for tons of guitars. We\u2019re known for this huge guitar sound but we dialed that back a little.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for the Psychic Teens — https:\/\/youtu.be\/qQ-boICQ8tI<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, which also features Vivatape and, Mt. Billions, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other shows at Johnny Brenda\u2019s are Upholstery, Ill Doots, Impressionist, and Moor Mother on May 26, JMSN and Tiffany Gouch\u00e9 on May 27 and Braids and Ginla on June 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"the

The Machine<\/p><\/div>\n

The Machine \u2014 Joe Pascarell (lead guitar, vocals), Scott Chasolen (keyboards, vocals), Ryan Ball (bass, vocals), Tahrah Cohen (drums) \u2014 is a Pink Floyd tribute band that has been performing the music of the British classic rock act for more than 20 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shows by The Machine are big, impressive productions that bring the awesome power of Pink Floyd\u2019s music back to life.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/span><\/a>) on May 28 will keep the tradition intact — but in a different and special way. The concert will be an acoustic show.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLess than 10 per cent of our shows each year are acoustic,\u201d said Pascarell, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. \u201cWe do a lot of shows every year but the acoustic shows are really special.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some songs we do in the unplugged shows that we rarely do in the full stage shows — especially some of the early songs from Pink Floyd\u2019s years when Syd Barrett was in the band.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of its decades-plus history, The Machine has developed a repertoire that covers Pink Floyd\u2019s entire career \u2014 from 1967\u2019s \u201cThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn\u201d to the \u201cnew\u201d Pink Floyd album \u201cThe Endless River,\u201d which was just released last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part, it\u2019s the same group of songs people want to hear,\u201d said Pascarell. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to hear something new and we honor that. We play songs like \u2018Dark Side of the Moon,\u2019 \u2018Comfortably Numb\u2019 and a number of songs from \u2018The Wall.\u2019 Some songs are always there \u2014 songs that you hear on the radio a lot.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always fun to play theme. There are times we can leave them out \u2014 but not often. Those are times when we do special concerts throughout the year. We do things like symphonies and, from time to time, we do acoustic shows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pascarell is a founding member of the band \u2014 and the newest member to join the line-up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had a leave of absence,\u201d said Pascarell. \u201cI turned 50 and sort of re-evaluated my life \u2014 what I wanted to do. I had been in The Machine for 30 years. I wanted to find out more about me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first year was fun. Then, I realized how important The Machine was to me.\u00a0 A little while ago, the guy who replaced me left and the band asked me to re-join. The biggest difference is how I feel. The band means something different to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI came back in September. Now, I\u2019m fully comfortable again. I\u2019m getting to dig in. I\u2019m getting the chops back — the ability to pry the music open.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for The Machine \u2014 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Px3jQYWS5CA<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $33 and $45.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Brother Joscephus & The Love Revolution and Hannah Gill & The Hours on May 27, Splintered Sunlight (Grateful Dead Tribute) on May 29, Danielle Nicole and The Buicks on May 31, and Chris Duarte Group and Sister Blue on June 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"stelling\"

Christopher Paul Stelling<\/p><\/div>\n

Christopher Paul Stelling, who will play a show on May 29 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, philly.worldcafelive.com<\/span><\/a>), is like a troubadour from the Middle Ages or a griot from West Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

He is a singer-songwriter whose songs tell stories. He spends most of his time travelling from town to town performing his story-songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stelling accompanies the songs with music from a stringed instrument. Instead of a kora (which is used in West Africa) or a vielle (a European bowed stringed instrument used in the Medieval period), he uses a guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stelling grew up in Florida but says he left at an early age, searching for an identity, living for stints in Colorado, Boston, Seattle and North Carolina before settling in New York City.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During those years, he worked in a used book store soaking up the great works, and for a time, played guitar for ten hours a day, eventually perfecting a melodic finger-picking style influenced in large part by blues legends such as Skip James and\u00a0Mississippi John, masters like John Fahey, and banjo greats Dock Boggs and Roscoe Holcomb.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stelling is not alone in taking the stage with just an old guitar and the stomp of his foot. What sets him apart is an imagination that is completely his own, yielding stories that feel like parables that you slowly realize have never before been told.<\/span><\/p>\n

His imagination also lives in his fingertips as he traverses from country blues to flamenco to claw hammer banjo all on his trusted \u201cBrownie,\u201d an old nylon string guitar that\u2019s been traveling the globe with him for years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stelling is now touring in support of his new album \u201cLabor Against Waster,\u201d which was recently released on Anti-records. His previous two albums were \u201cFalse Cities\u201d and \u201cSongs of Praise and Scorn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI put out \u2018False Cities\u2019 in June 2013,\u201d said Stelling, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Atlanta. \u201cI toured pretty extensively for a year. It was on that record that I caught on playing in Europe. I went back-and-forth to Europe several times.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI finished recording \u2018Labor Against Waste\u2019 by October 2014 but, because of the label\u2019s schedule, it had to wait awhile for its release. I started writing songs for it the day after I finished making my last record. I\u2019m always thinking about songs. But, I don\u2019t schedule songs — I let them happen. I was in and out of the studio over a course of six months. I\u2019d go in and do a session between tours.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the period between the release of \u201cFalse Cities\u201d and \u201cLabor Against Waste,\u201d Stelling had played over 400 shows at home and abroad in a three-year period.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on the road a lot — club dates, festivals, you name it,\u201d said Stelling. \u201cI work with an agent and I\u2019m very involved in every aspect of my career.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Right now, I\u2019ve been out for a year without coming home. It started on the third of June 2015 and it will end on the third of June 2016. The longest breaks in the tour have been four days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Christopher Paul Stelling — https:\/\/youtu.be\/Sn9aOq9aJ3w<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, which has Driftwood Soldier as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live Upstairs Stage are The Black Atlas <\/span>with Mock Suns on May 26, Ode To Omni presents Matters of The Heart on May 27, David Ford with Joseph Alton Miller on May 28, Grant Calvin Weston\/Phoenix Orchestra on May 31 and Matt Roach and Lisa Chosed on June 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live Downstairs Stage are Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real and Cornmeal on Thursday, May 26, Gad Elmaleh and Harrison Greenbaum on May 27, Radical Face and The Little Books on May 28, the HYPE! On May 29, and Christine and the Queens on June 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Old

Old Ezra<\/p><\/div>\n

The Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/span><\/a>) will present Open Jam with Davey Dickens & The Troubadours on May 26, Chet Lawrence, Andy Wolfe, dain, and Greg McCarthy on May 27, and The Subterraneans, Old Ezra, Area 302 and Felizzi & McKinnon on May 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/span><\/a>) will host Big Empty and Raymond & Steve of ROFO Audio on May 27, and Gina Castanzo, Julie Danese, and Natalie Bermudez on May 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"splinteredThe Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/span><\/a>) will present Splintered Sunlight (Grateful Dead Tribute) and Hayley Jane and the Primates on May 27 and Glen David Andrews, Stoop Kids, and Juli Davidson & Jasserie on May 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doc Watson\u2019s Public House (150 North Pottstown Pike, Exton, 610-524-2424, docwatsonspublichouse.com<\/span><\/a>) will present 4 Base on May 27.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adam Bricks brings tour to Philly, Friday By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times When Memorial Day Weekend arrives in the area, the entertainment schedule seems to lighten up a bit. If acts are familiar with the pattern of many of the Delaware Valley\u2019s residents, they know there are better weekends to book a show in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[7533,7536,6518,7535,7534,4687,5568],"class_list":["post-19795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-adam-bricks","tag-christopher-paul-stelling","tag-featured","tag-old-ezra","tag-psychic-teens","tag-splintered-sunlight","tag-the-machine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19795","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=19795"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19796,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19795\/revisions\/19796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}