{"id":20883,"date":"2016-08-20T09:03:09","date_gmt":"2016-08-20T13:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=20883"},"modified":"2016-08-20T09:03:13","modified_gmt":"2016-08-20T13:03:13","slug":"on-stage-extra-the-bangles-keep-it-relevant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=20883","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Extra): The Bangles keep it relevant"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"p1\"><em>80s power pop group celebrates new album with show at the TLA<\/em><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">Staff Writer, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1516\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1516\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1516\" src=\"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Bangles-by-Karen-Filter-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"The Bangles. Photo by Karen Filter.\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1516\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Bangles. Photo by Karen Filter.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">There are a lot of bands from the 1980s that are coming back on the scene but they have little relevance to the bands they were three decades ago &#8212; or to what today\u2019s music is all about.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Bangles, one of the era\u2019s steadiest hit makers, are back on the road \u2013 on a tour that touches down August 20 at the Theatre of the Living Arts (334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1011, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lnphilly.com\/\"><span class=\"s2\">http:\/\/www.lnphilly.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Bangles have always stayed relevant. When they played the TLA a few years ago, they were touring in support of a new album &#8212; \u201cSweetheart of the Sun.\u201d This time around, they also have a recently-released album &#8212; \u201cLadies and Gentlemen . . . The Bangles!\u201d<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The album is a 16-track collection of songs hand-selected by the band members from their personal music archives. It features re-mastered \u201980s-era rarities, demos, live recordings and more. It also includes their debut single and all of the tracks from their self-titled EP which had been unavailable since its initial release on vinyl in 1982.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0\u201cLadies and Gentlemen . . . The Bangles!,\u201d which was released in June on Omnivore Recordings, encompasses the very first years of the band\u2019s development from their earliest days as The Bangs to their incarnation as the Bangles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This is the original line-up of Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, Vicki Peterson, and their first bass player, Annette Zilinskas.\u00a0 The band\u2019s current line-up still features Hoffs and the Peterson sisters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cPutting together that compilation was fun for us,\u201d said singer\/guitarist Vicki Peterson during a recent phone interview while she was negotiating the freeways in L.A. \u201cWe had been wanting to make these songs available for a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cIt gives us a chance to play songs from the old, sweaty rock-and-roll era of the Bangles. You can hear where this band came from. We\u2019ve wanted to re-issue our debut EP for a long time. Eventually, we found the masters which went missing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cIt\u2019s the most fun stuff to play live. It\u2019s garage band. That\u2019s where we started &#8212; playing in L.A. garages. We\u2019re playing these songs in our current shows. There are also a couple of covers that preceded the Bangs when Debbie and I were in high school. And, of course, you\u2019ll hear the hits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Bangles had a string of hits during their first incarnation, including \u201cWalk Like An Egyptian\u201d, \u201cEternal Flame\u201d, \u201cManic Monday\u201d, \u201cIf She Knew What She Wants\u201d and \u201cA Hazy Shade of Winter\u201d. In 1989, the group broke up with each of the members pursuing their own careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0\u201cBack in 1989, I didn\u2019t want to see the band split but there were others in the group who did,\u201d said Peterson. \u201cIt worked out all right for me. It led me to a move to New Orleans for 10 years and that was a great experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Peterson played and wrote songs with the New Orleans band the Continental Drifters. Hoffs pursued a solo career and Debbi Peterson performed in a duo called Kindred Spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI was ready at the end of the 90s to work with the girls again,\u201d said Peterson. \u201cSusanna was the one who wanted it to end in 1989 and she was the one who wanted to start it up again in 1999. I told Susanna that I wasn\u2019t interested in an 80s revival. We all agreed that we wanted to keep making new music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The result of that decision was \u201cSweetheart of the Sun\u201d \u2013 a fresh newly-recorded album that garnered positive reviews around the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t have a lot of expectations when we released that album,\u201d said Peterson. \u201cIt was just a process of making new music with the Bangles. I was really pleased with it. I loved the making of it. We used home studios at Susanna\u2019s house and my house. It actually got some of the greatest reviews we\u2019ve ever gotten in our career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cSome songs date back a couple of years and some were brand new. The leadoff track \u2018Anna Lee\u2019 sets the tone for the record and introduces the themes that run through the album.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe were all living in southern California and reading books like \u2018Laurel Canyon\u2019 and \u2018Girls Like Us\u2019 \u2013 books about the ladies of the canyon and the era of the late 60s and early 70s.\u00a0 The late 60s is a phase period for us. It\u2019s quintessentially Californian. You can hear the influence on the album. It seemed we were wearing our influences on our sleeves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cStill, whenever we\u2019re together, I never think about trying to sound like the Bangles. Whenever Debbie, Susanna and I are in a room together, it\u2019s the Bangles sound.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Video link for the Bangles &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/SsmVgoXDq2w\"><span class=\"s2\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/SsmVgoXDq2w<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Bangles\u2019 show at TLA, whch has Cardiac as the opening band, will start at 8 p.m. at the TLA (334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-922-1011, <a href=\"http:\/\/tlaphilly.com\/\"><span class=\"s2\">http:\/\/tlaphilly.com<\/span><\/a>). Tickets are $35.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1517\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1517\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1517\" src=\"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/delta-saints-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Delta Saints\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1517\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Delta Saints<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Another interesting show in Philly on August 20 will feature the Delta Saints performing at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milkboyphilly.com\/\"><span class=\"s2\">www.milkboyphilly.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Delta Saints,\u00a0who released their album \u201cBones\u201d\u00a0last August with Loud &amp; Proud Records, just released a special edition version of it digitally in July 15.\u00a0 The \u201cBones\u201d special edition includes six bonus tracks &#8212; three B-sides and three live versions of album tracks that were recorded during the filming of live performance music videos at Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The band has spent the last nine years playing festivals and sold out headline shows in the U.S. and across Europe averaging about 200 shows per year, organically growing their audience.\u00a0 They have performed at several festivals in the U.S. including Summer Camp, Harvest, The Ride, Summerfest, Wakarusa and The Simple Man Cruise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Delta Saints &#8212; Ben Ringel (dobro, vocals), Nate Kremer (keyboards, guitar), Dylan Fitch (guitar), David Supica (bass), Vincent Williams (percussion) &#8212; have also been selling out countless venues in across Europe, including festivals in Holland, Belgium and Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe met when we were going to school at Belmont University in Nashville,\u201d said Rigel, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon as the band headed from Nashville to a gig in Raleigh, North Carolina.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe found each other as a way to battle Friday night beer drinking. Along with the beer, there were a few guitars. Eventually, I started writings. We started with four or five of them and some covers. Now, it\u2019s engulfed our lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cIn the early part, the songwriting was very one-dimensional with me writing all the songs. Over the last few years, it\u2019s become more of a group thing. One of us will start writing a song and then we\u2019ll work together to expand it. It\u2019s really nice and open.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In addition to the \u201cBones\u2019 expanded album, the band\u2019s discography includes \u201cPray On\u201d (2009), \u201cA Bird Called Angola\u201d (2010), \u201cThe Delta Saints\u201d (2011), \u201cRockpalast &#8212; Live from Bonn, Germany\u201d (2012), \u201cDeath Letter Jubilee\u201d (2013), \u201cDrink it Slow\u201d (2014), and \u201cBones\u201d (2015).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThe first couple records were centered more on Delta Blues,\u201d said Rigel. \u201cNone of us had ever played that style before. Two weeks before we were to start a European tour, our old harmonica player quit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cSo, we called Nate and said &#8212; are you free for the next few months to tour with us. He agreed and we added keyboards. That was the shift from Delta Blues to a rock-and-roll sound. It really happened naturally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The band\u2019s sound evolved and the quintet is moving along toward a new album.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe\u2019re working on it now,\u201d said Rigel. \u201cWe\u2019ve been home a lot this year and that has allowed us to spend more time on our writing. We\u2019ve also been doing a lot of pre-production. We have about 17-18 new songs ready to go. We\u2019re going to be recording in October.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Fans of the Delta Saints will see a slightly different line-up at this weekend\u2019s show.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe\u2019re definitely a five-piece but for the current tour we\u2019ve been mostly a four-piece,\u201d said Rigel. \u201cNate had a back injury and he\u2019s home recovering in Louisville, where he lives. The rest of us still live in Nashville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI\u2019m from Louisiana originally. I learned to sing when my mother took me to church. Then in high school, I started to play rock-and-roll. I was going to the University of Idaho and ten transferred to Belmont University where I go a degree in music business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cOn this tour, we\u2019re playing a lot of songs from \u2018Bones\u2019 and a few songs from our early EPs. There are also four or five new songs we\u2019re putting in the set. The secondary purpose of this tour is to get the new songs in and road test them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Video link for the Delta Saints &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Qtm4V1kv6Zg\"><span class=\"s2\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/Qtm4V1kv6Zg<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The show at MilkBoy, which features Cold Roses as the opening act, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">On August 21, Blackmore\u2019s Night will make a return visit to World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.queen.worldcafelive.com\/\"><span class=\"s3\">www.queen.worldcafelive.com<\/span><\/a>) &#8212; a venue they have sold out several times in the past few years.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1520\" style=\"width: 206px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1520\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1520\" src=\"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Candice_Night-credit-photo-to-Michael-Keel-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"Candace Night. Photo by Michael Keel.\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1520\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Candace Night. Photo by Michael Keel.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Blackmore\u2019s Night is a traditional folk rock band formed in 1997 by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night. To date they have released ten studio albums. Their latest, \u201cAll Our Yesterdays\u201d &#8212; was released on September 18, 2015<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The current line-up features Ritchie Blackmore &#8211; electric\/acoustic guitars, mandola, hurdy gurdy, nickelharpe; Candice Night &#8211; vocals, chanter, cornamuse, shawms, rauschpfeife; Bard David of Larchmont- keyboards; Earl Grey of Chimay- Bass and rhythm guitar ; The Scarlett Fiddler; Lady Lynn &#8211; harmony vocals, shawm, flute, recorder; Troubadour of Aberdeen on drums<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Night and Blackmore are physically living in the 21st century. Musically and spiritually, they bridge the 16th century and the 21st century \u2013 the Renaissance era and the high-tech world of today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Their album \u201cAll Our Yesterdays\u201d features electric guitar, keyboards, bass guitar and drums. The list of featured instruments also includes hurdy gurdy, renaissance woodwinds, bombards, gemshorn, nyckelharpa, renaissance drum, pennywhistle and mandolin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe\u2019re touring in support of \u2018All Our Yesterdays\u2019 and this is also a pre-tour for the band\u2019s 20<\/span><span class=\"s4\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> anniversary next year,\u201d said Night, during a recent phone Wednesday from the husband-and-wife\u2019s home in Long Island, New York.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe\u2019re looking at doing a variety of special things for the anniversary. We\u2019re planning a box set that will have old songs and some new tracks. Also, we have lots of video footage of each of the band\u2019s incarnations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">When not on the road, Night and Blackmore live a rustic-style life away from the craziness of the music industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cSome people like to work on cars or watch TV \u2013 that\u2019s their release,\u201d said Night. \u201cWe like to get back to a simpler time. It\u2019s nice to shut things down &#8212; to unplug from all that stuff and go back to a place where light was provided by a fire. And, there is something special about a maiden in a window of a knight on a horse. With our music, we try to bring people to that escape.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For Night and Blackmore, the love of a time from long ago is not a passing fancy \u2013 or something taken lightly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWhen I first met Ritchie, he lived in this dark Tudor house,\u201d said Night. \u201cWhen I first moved in, all his Renaissance music became a soundtrack for nature. Even today, Ritchie doesn\u2019t have a computer \u2013 no e-mail or anything like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Blackmore has been one of Britain\u2019s top rock guitarists since the late 1960s. He was a founding member of Deep Purple and played with that band from 1968-1975 and 1984-1993. He fronted his own band Rainbow from 1975-1984 and 1994-1997.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Night also makes records on her own. She just released a new album called \u201cStarlight Starbright,\u201d an album of lovely lullabies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe have two children,\u201d said Night. \u2018Autumn is six going on 16 and Rory is four years old. Our daily lives are like a Broadway musical. We sing all day long. We keep music in the family.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThe idea for the lullaby album started when I was pregnant with Autumn. I was still singing and playing and recording when I was nine months pregnant. I thought about peaceful songs to lull children to sleep. I put down a couple demos. There were originals and some traditional lullabies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI had to change some of the lyrics on the traditional lullabies because some of them &#8212; like \u2018Rock-a-bye Baby\u2019 &#8212; had lyrics that were morbid. These were not words I wanted to sing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI started putting the album together when I was pregnant with my son. I love that bonding moment I had when my child\u2019s head is on my chest listening to the heart beat &#8212; that feeling of rocking them to sleep. I always sing my children to sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cSome of the other young mothers I knew looked at me with looks of horror on their faces when they thought about singing to their children. They were saying that they weren\u2019t able to sing and could never sing their children to sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThat\u2019s when my idea for the album really started. I went to the studio and started to flesh it out. I always say the album is lullabies for kids but adults have told me that listening to it makes them relax too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The album also features a track written by one of Night\u2019s family members &#8212; but not her musician husband.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cAutumn wrote one of the sons,\u201d said Night. \u201cIt\u2019s called \u2018Lullaby in the Night.\u2019 She was a year-and-a-half old and was sitting in a rocking chair singing her dolls to sleep. She just made up the lyrics. It was a beautiful, innocent moment. I knew I had to record the song for the new album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Video link Candice Night\/Blackmore\u2019s Night &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/oRDSkaz76OI\"><span class=\"s2\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/oRDSkaz76OI<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The show at the Queen, which has Wizard\u2019s Consort as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1518\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1518\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1518\" src=\"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/save-us-from-the-archon-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Save Us From The Archon\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1518\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Save Us From The Archon<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Another good option for live music on August 21 will be the show by Save Us From The Archon at The Voltage Lounge (<\/span><span class=\"s5\">421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602,<\/span><span class=\"s1\"> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Voltagelounge\"><span class=\"s2\">www.facebook.com\/Voltagelounge<\/span><\/a><\/span><span class=\"s5\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In March, Save Us From The Archon (SUFTA) &#8212; Andrew Cresto (Guitar), Nelson Brooks (Guitar), Samantha Zunich (Bass), Devin Greig (Drums) &#8212; released its new album \u201cL\u2019Eclisse.\u201d The album was the band\u2019s debut recording for Tragic Hero Records.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe recorded the album six months ago in Nelson\u2019s bedroom,\u201d said Cresto, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Salt Lake City, Utah.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe live in the same house. I knock on his door and say &#8212; let\u2019s track. By recording on our own, we save money and retain complete artistic control. We\u2019re very D.I.Y.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cEven though we just signed with Tragic Hero, we do everything on our own. The Italian name for the album comes from a 1965 film that was part of a trilogy by Michelangelo Antonioni.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hailing from Pittsburgh, Save Us From The Archon has sculpted a unique sound that is, at once, aggressive, chaotic, heartfelt, and hypnotic. \u00a0Fast paced angular progressions are counterbalanced by soothing mellow interludes. \u00a0The broad dynamics are tied together by their progressive foundation with a distinct melodic sentiment. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">On their new album L&#8217;Eclisse, there is no human voice. \u00a0While many bands depend upon a vocalist to express their creative vision, no words are necessary for SUFTA. Their expressive writing and poignant playing tell a vibrant story all by themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0\u201cWhen we write now, we don\u2019t even consider space for vocal tracks,\u201d said Cresto. \u201cI believe you can virtually say anything you want without vocals and with just music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cOur next record will have more ambience and open space. Our music doesn\u2019t really get compared to other bands. Even though nothing in music is really unique, what we do is staying true to whatever we want to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0Video link for Save Us From The Archon &#8211; &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/INoyuU9i074\"><span class=\"s2\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/INoyuU9i074<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The show at the Voltage Lounge, which also features Sianvar and My Iron Lung, will start at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1519\" style=\"width: 308px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1519\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1519\" src=\"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/epoch-failure-298x300.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Failure\" width=\"298\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1519\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Epoch Failure<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Epoch Failure, in reality, is an epic success. The urban pop duo features singer Billy Joe Marrero (aka \u201cBilly The Kidd\u201d) and rapper Nick Young (aka \u201cNickey Knoxx\u201d). Both have overcome major obstacles in their lives and now are paired together in a successful music act.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">On August 21, Epoch Failure will be one of the headline acts at the Liberty Music Festival at the Grape Room (105 Grape Street, Philadelphia).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Epoch failure\u2019s message is one of hope and ambition &#8212; an attribute gained from overcoming hard times in their respective lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Marrero and his family have experienced extreme poverty, which was actually highlighted in a 20\/20 profile of community hardships in Camden, NJ in 2007. The response to the Marreros\u2019 plight was so overwhelming that his family was chosen for a home renovation by \u201cExtreme Makeover: Home Edition\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Young committed to securing a brighter future for himself and his family. When he turned 18, he enlisted in the Army as a way to get a college education and open up more options for his future. He attended West Virginia University and now, in addition to penning brilliant lyrics and rocking crowds, he serves full-time in the New Jersey Army National Guard as a photographer and broadcast journalist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cBilly\u2019s cousin and I were in the same unit in the Army,\u201d said Young. \u201cHis cousin said he knew a street kid who was a good singer and that we should work together. I was a solo artist and so was Billy. I told him &#8212; I\u2019m not working with any pretentious singer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">At the same time, Marrero told his cousin &#8212; I\u2019m not going to work with a rapper.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cNick and I did phone time for about a year,\u201d said Marrero. \u201cI was playing hard-to-get. Finally, I got to his apartment in Trenton. We dropped the first song and it was great. We wrote four more songs that afternoon and did a show that night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Young said, \u201cThat show was in New York City in a room that was like a broom closet. There were 10 people there &#8212; six of whom we brought.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Marrero said, \u201cThat was a tough start. Now, we\u2019re playing to a lot more than 10 people. We\u2019re playing to big crowds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Marrero was living on the street at the time but Young had a solution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI had an apartment in Trenton by myself,\u201d said Young. \u201cI told Billy to come live with &#8212; that he didn\u2019t have to pay rent. All he had to do was make music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Discovered via ReverbNation by North Star Media\u2019s John Sepetys, Epoch Failure is poised for a bright future. The duo\u2019s five-song debut EP was mixed and co-produced by Grammy-nominated producer Billy Hume (Lil\u2019 Jon, Ying Yang Twins, Pitbull).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Epoch Failure\u2019s first single \u201cChampion\u201d has become a breakout sync track in the sports world. This past February, it was played during the post-game celebration of Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco. It\u2019s also been featured by The NFL Network, ESPN, Fox Sports, NASCAR, WWE, NBC Sports, NY Knicks, NY Giants, Denver Broncos, the Australian Football League, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The group\u2019s follow-up single was a reinvention of Bon Jovi\u2019s legendary anthem, \u201cLivin\u2019 on a Prayer.\u201d It reached the Top 10 on Spotify\u2019s Viral 50 USA chart, which highlights the most shared and trending tracks in the country. The song was also featured by ESPN during their NFL Sunday Countdown programming throughout the NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl lead-up coverage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Upon discovering the Epoch Failure version, Bon Jovi shared the song across all their major online platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe realized that a lot of bands gained attention by doing covers,\u201d said Young. \u201cBut, we didn\u2019t want to do it the traditional way. We also wanted people to find us. We\u2019re from New Jersey and, in New Jersey, Bon Jovi is God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In addition, Jon Bon Jovi and cowriter Desmond Child have offered the following joint statement of praise &#8212; \u201cThe powerful new version of \u2018Livin\u2019 On A Prayer\u2019 by Epoch Failure retells the intimate story of Tommy and Gina, set in an urgent urban landscape. It captures the song\u2019s timeless message, lifting the banner of hope and faith for a whole new generation of working class heroes. Epoch Failure is a winner!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">According to Marrero, \u201cEpoch Failure is the voice of everyone who has fallen or stumbled, but still had the heart to stand up again and climb back into the ring. It\u2019s about accepting our failures and turning a negative into a positive. You fight through the struggles and come out the other side better, wiser, and stronger as a result. And then, of course, always raise a glass or two to celebrate.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Video link for Epoch Failure &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Nw5CtNXLoug\"><span class=\"s2\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/Nw5CtNXLoug<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Epoch Failure\u2019s set at the Liberty Music Festival will start at 2 p.m. on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>80s power pop group celebrates new album with show at the TLA By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times There are a lot of bands from the 1980s that are coming back on the scene but they have little relevance to the bands they were three decades ago &#8212; or to what today\u2019s music is all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[7837,7839,6518,7838,7835,7836],"class_list":["post-20883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-blackmores-night","tag-epoch-failure","tag-featured","tag-save-us-from-the-archons","tag-the-bangles","tag-the-delta-saints"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20883","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=20883"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20884,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20883\/revisions\/20884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}