{"id":23343,"date":"2017-03-04T11:35:47","date_gmt":"2017-03-04T16:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=23343"},"modified":"2017-03-04T11:35:54","modified_gmt":"2017-03-04T16:35:54","slug":"on-stage-extra-a-big-concert-weekend-for-your-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=23343","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Extra): A big concert weekend for your Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"

By DENNY DYROFF,<\/strong> Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Seldom Scene<\/p><\/div>\n

No matter what your musical tastes are, there is probably a concert in the area March 4 that will be to your liking.<\/p>\n

The long lineup of acts performing in Delaware Valley ranges from the female rock trio Potty Mouth to the traditional bluegrass band Seldom Scene — from American reggae-rock group Tropidelic to singer-songwriter Marc Berger. And, there is a dance party with Bob Pantano that is celebrating its 40th anniversary.<\/p>\n

Potty Mouth, which is headlining a show at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/a>), is an indie rock band from Northampton, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

Abby Weems, Ally Einbinder, Victoria Mandanas and Phoebe Harris formed the band in 2011. Einbinder, Mandanas and Harris all attended Smith College<\/a>. Weems is a Western Massachusetts native who grew up in nearby Amherst. The band relocated to Los Angeles in 2016 and Harris opted to leave the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other three all went to college together,\u201d said Weems, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon as the band traveled north from Baltimore to a gig in Binghamton, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t in a band but I wanted to be. That\u2019s why the other three girls asked me to join. I was still in high school when I joined the band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Einbinder said, \u201cWe started by playing house parties. Our first show was in a basement in Holyoke, Massachusetts. We never really played on campus at Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, we ended up playing a lot at UMass and Amherst. Eventually, we were getting asked to do shows in Boston and Connecticut. It was definitely a slow process getting known.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mandanas said, \u201cWe started the band in February 2011 and released our first EP \u2018Sun Damage\u2019 in 2012. Then, we put out our first full-length \u2018Hell Bent\u2019 in 2013.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Potty Mouth<\/p><\/div>\n

Potty Mouth is always staying busy and creating new music. \u201cWe record all the time,\u201d said Weems. \u201cWe released our self-titled EP in August 2015. We were in the studio for three months off-and-on. We work with Courtney Ballard, an engineer who has an in-house studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved to L.A. June and now we all have our own places here.\u00a0 We\u2019re all in northeast L.A. in the Hollywood Park area.\u201d Potty Mouth has been hard at work making songs for its next album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have almost seven tracks finished,\u201d said Einbinder. \u201cWe have a surplus of songs \u2013 way more than we need.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs usually start with Abby. She writes the songs on guitar and brings them to us. Victoria adds the drums and I add my bass parts. Then, we work on the dynamic changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time around, we\u2019re tracking everything individually. We start with programming drums and then build on it. Eventually, Victoria goes back and adds live drums.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weems said, \u201cIn the past, we used to record live. But then we realized that if we wanted to make even one little change, we had to play it over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Einbinder said, \u201cAs soon as we finish this tour, we\u2019re going right back into the studio. When we left, I was right in the middle of tracking a bass part. We\u2019re hoping to work all through April and have the album finished by May. A fall release would be great.\u201d Video link for Potty Mouth: https:\/\/youtu.be\/Yo5DneCjIFQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Boot & Saddle, which has Tennis System and Partybaby as the opening acts, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.<\/p>\n

On March 4, the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present a concert by the legendary bluegrass band Seldom Scene. Seldom Scene has been playing Americana music a long time \u2013 longer than the term \u201cAmericana\u201d has been in existence. The band formed out of the weekly jam sessions in the basement of banjo player Ben Eldridge. These sessions included John Starling on guitar and lead vocals, Mike Auldridge on Dobro and baritone vocals, and Tom Gray on bass. Then mandolinist John Duffey, was invited to the jam sessions at the time when Auldridge arranged for the group to play as a performing band. Each of the band members had a job during the week. So, they agreed to play one night a week at local clubs, perform occasionally at concerts and festivals on weekends, and make records.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s first home scene was the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, Maryland, where it spent six years before starting weekly performances at The Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Virginia. Now, there are no original members left in the lineup. Seldom Scene kept a nucleus of Auldridge, Duffey and Eldridge through 1995 when Auldridge left and Duffey died of a heart attack.<\/p>\n

The line-up of Eldridge (banjo, guitar), Dudley Connell (guitar, vocals), Ronnie Simpkins (bass), Fred Travers (dobro, vocals) and Lou Reid (mandolin, guitar, vocals) held steady until recently when Eldridge retired.<\/p>\n

Eldridge began his musical career with The Heights of Grass and then continued professionally with groups such as The Virginia Squires, Tony Rice Unit, and Emmylou Harris\u2019 The Red Dirt Boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen is still around but he left the band in January 2016,\u201d said Connell, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Gaithersburg, Maryland.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just tired of the road. He\u2019s 78 and being out on the road was getting to be a burden for him. He\u2019s still playing music but not with any band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life on the road can be a challenge \u2013 even for a band of young musicians. \u201cOne of the things that has kept this band together is that we don\u2019t go out on bus tours together,\u201d said Connell. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to go for weeks smelling each others\u2019 feet. We can get nice hotel rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connell plays a variety of guitar styles and provides powerful lead vocals for Seldom Scene \u2013 a band that has a reputation for challenging the boundaries of bluegrass. Connell\u2019s musical virtuosity has pushed the group beyond these bounds.<\/p>\n

He has become a fan favorite for his renditions of traditional songs like \u201cOld Train,\u201d folk ballads such as \u201cBlue Diamond Mine,\u201d and blues songs like \u201cRollin\u2019 and Tumblin\u2019.\u201d Connell is a former member of The Johnson Mountain Boys.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been with Seldom Scene for 21 years now,\u201d said Connell. \u201cThis is the longest-running lineup we\u2019ve had \u2013 up until Ben left. Rickie, his replacement, is a great player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seldom Scene\u2019s debut album was \u201cAct I\u201d in 1972. The band\u2019s most-recent full-length is \u201cLong Time\u2026.Seldom Scene,\u201d which was released in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Long Time\u2019 at Bias Studio in Springfield, Virginia,\u201d said Connell. \u201cWe don\u2019t do a lot of writing ourselves but everybody has a say in what we play and what we record. It\u2019s really democratic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last album had Dylan songs and old standards. Anything is fair game — from Bruce Springsteen to the Stanley Brothers. And, we have recorded a few originals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bluegrass community is a pretty tight community and we\u2019ve been around it for years. We play bluegrass our way and it\u2019s been a success. We really mix it up in our live shows. We go back to \u2018Act I.\u2019 We do the whole catalog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Seldom Scene — https:\/\/youtu.be\/4Y_ySz30ACI<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville, which has Marc Silver as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 and $45. Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theatre are Los Lobos and Matt Andersen March 5, Stringfever and INRUSH March 6, Cherish The Ladies March 7, and the Celtic Tenors March 8.<\/p>\n

When Tropidelic plays MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com<\/a>) March 4, two things are certain. The audience will be treated to tasty music played in a variety of styles. And, people will be dancing.<\/p>\n

Tropidelic<\/a> formed along the banks of the Cuyahoga River in murky Kent, Ohio in 2008. In the nine years since, the band has undergone a few massive makeovers \u2013 from relocations to member changes.<\/p>\n

Currently based in Cleveland Heights, the band has been touring and recording incessantly. Later this year, Tropidelic \u2013 Bobby, Darrick, Derek, James, Pags, Roads — will release its new album \u201cHeavy Is The Head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTropidelic has been around since 2008,\u201d said Pags, during a phone interview Wednesday from his home in Cleveland. \u201cOur lead singer Matt (Roads) put a band together when he was in college. We\u2019ve gone three major changes with band members and instrumentalization. I met up with Matt at the end of 2010 when he put the band back together. He was in Tropidelic and I was in another band \u2013 the Pirates of the Burning River.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got together and built from that period on. We realized we wanted a bigger band. There\u2019s six of us in the band now \u2013 Bobby on guitar, Matt on vocals and rhythm guitar, James on trombone and lead vocals, Derek on trumpet, Derek on drums and me Pags on bass. This lineup has been together for four-and-a-half years.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur music is a blend of funk, hip-hop, punk and reggae. We\u2019ve gone from calling our vibe \u2018reggae hip-hop\u2019 to \u2018funky hip-hop.\u2019 We fit in with anybody but our audience overlaps so much that there is no real match. I think we\u2019d do just as well in a punk bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tropidelic released its first full-length album, \u201cAll Heads Unite\u201d in 2012. Since then, the band has released multiple works such as \u201cPolice State\u201d and its most recent album \u201cGo Down With The Ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was springtime last year when \u2018Go Down\u2019 came out,\u201d said Pags. \u201cThen, we had a remix CD come out in December and added a couple new songs. It was definitely a mix-up of different styles \u2013 including EDM and hip-hop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working hard on our next album \u2018Heavy is the Head.\u2019 This album is a bit different so we\u2019ll see what happens. You\u2019re putting something out there and you don\u2019t know if people are going to accept it. The majority of the tracks are done. Hopefully, it will be out this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Tropidelic \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/2vrd6arfLqA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at MilkBoy Philly, which also features Little Stranger and The Norm, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Marc Berger<\/p><\/div>\n

Marc Berger is a free spirited musician who has two main passions in life. On March 4, the veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist will perform two shows in the area.<\/p>\n

His primary gig will be a show in the evening at Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547,\u00a0www.burlapandbean.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Berger, who is being accompanied by guitar ace Rich DePaolo, will also play a set at the Tredyffrin Public Library (582 Upper Gulph Road, Strafford, 610-688-7092, https:\/\/www.tredyffrinlibraries.org\/marc-berger<\/a>) from 2-3 p.m. Berger\u2019s life has been about pursuing twin passions — creating and recording his American roots songs, and exploring remote areas of the desert and mountain in the West.<\/p>\n

After signing his first publishing contract while in law school, he fronted rock bands and performed regularly in New York City clubs like CBGB, Wetlands and The Knitting Factory. All through this period, Berger found ways to get out West where he picked up details from fellow wilderness junkies about off the beaten path locales and filed them away for future reference.<\/p>\n

Berger now is playing shows in support of his latest album \u201cRIDE.\u201d The album features 10 cinematic recordings reflecting his romantic connection to the American West and exploring the value of its myths to contemporary culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started on \u2018RIDE\u2019 a really long time ago,\u201d said Berger, during a phone interview Monday afternoon from his home in Ithaca, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t so much writing and recording songs. I made it with my drummer Mike Ricciardi and we didn\u2019t know much about recording gear. It was a very visual sonic idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, I was working with producer Eric Amber. I went into the studio with him producing. After a few tracks, he said he wanted to pan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panning is the distribution of a sound signal (either monaural or stereophonic pair) into a new stereo or multichannel sound field determined by a pan control setting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the opposite of what I wanted,\u201d said Berger. \u201cI don\u2019t want you to think about instruments when you listen to the album. I want it to be like a movie \u2013 to be visual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we decided to do it on our own. Mike and I had to get recording gear and find our way. We put together a studio in the basement of an apartment in the East Village. We were like two blind men. That\u2019s what took the bulk of the time to make the record.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we mixed the songs and got to the end, our recording skills had improved so much \u2013 so much that we had to go back and remix some of the earlier songs. We learned how to mix the album to get the effect that I wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal was to combine visual and audio into something that would create effects on the listener. Because I have a history that\u2019s legit \u2013 a law school graduate\/songwriter with a sense of American history \u2013 I was suited to make this record.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all that was done, I needed a CD package that looked like the record sounded. Mile took his camera and headed to the West. The cover picture was shot in Monument Valley. The rock formations are known as mittens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is located on the Arizona-Utah border.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a love of the West forever,\u201d said Berger. \u201cI\u2019m an Eastern guy. I grew up in Philly and New York. My first trip out west was when I was 21. It rocked my world.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the next five years, I got in my car every summer and drove west. I still go out West a lot. I always choose just one destination and then get out to the remote country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Marc Berger \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Z_0ymnCjAmQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Burlap & Bean, which has Alex DiMattia as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

When Bob Pantano hosted his first Saturday Night Dance Party, gasoline was 65 cents a gallon, Jimmy Carter was elected President, the first Apple Computer kit went on sale for $666.66 and Shakira was born.<\/p>\n

The year was 1977. It\u2019s now 2017 and Pantano is still going strong. On March 4, Pantano is celebrating his milestone 40th Anniversary on FM radio as host of \u201cThe Saturday Night Dance Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

The party will be broadcast live from the Adelphia Restaurant and Nightclub (1750 Clements Bridge Road, Deptford, New Jersey, 856-845-8200, www.bobpantano.com<\/a>) starting at 8 p.m. The party will feature special guest live performances by Tavares (\u201cHeaven Must Be Missing an Angel\u201d), The Blue Notes (\u201cThe Love I Lost\u201d), Kenny Jeremiah (Soul Survivors original lead singer), Cecil Parker (\u201cI Think I\u2019ll Tell Her\u201d), Jimmy Phillips (\u201cGot to Get You Back\u201d), A Tribute to the Trammps by Night Fever with Jimmy Lee, A Tribute to Donna Summer by Rainere Martin, and a host of other surprises.<\/p>\n

Pantano, a South Philadelphia native, started spinning at the record hops in the late 1960s and then the nightclubs in the 70s. His professional radio career began on WCAM in Camden, New Jersey in 1971.<\/p>\n

He pioneered the live-radio broadcast, \u201cThe Saturday Night Dance Party,\u201d in 1977. The show has aired every Saturday night since — live from 7 p.m.- 2 a.m. It is the longest-running radio dance party in the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I started with the dance party in 1977, I\u2019ve done every Saturday night since,\u201d said Pantano, during a phone interview Monday morning from his home in South Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t go on long vacations. I vacation from Sundays to Thursdays. Compared to the legendary DJs of Philadelphia, I\u2019ve done my part in keeping the music alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to be a DJ \u2013 all the way back to when I was in high school. I got my first shot in radio when I was a teenage reporter in 1967 with George Michael (the late Philly DJ not the recently deceased pop star).<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I graduated from Bishop Neumann in South Philadelphia, I went to Temple University\u2019s School of Communication. Growing up in South Philly in the 60s was a good time. It was a great era.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was also an era when Philly had notable DJs such as Hy Lit, Joe Niagara, Jerry Blavat and Georgie Woods.<\/p>\n

\u201cI listened to all of them,\u201d said Pantano, who was inducted into the Temple University School of Communications and Theater Hall of Fame and received a sidewalk plaque on the Wildwood Avenue of the Stars in 2007.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings started taking shape when WFIL went to a new format. I was very fortunate to meet George Michael. The first show of my own was on WCAM in Camden in 1971.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in Camden until 1976. There was an opening for a Sunday night show on WCAU-FM. I went on and did a Sunday night disco party and it went well. Then, they gave me Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat started the \u2018Saturday Night Dance Party.\u2019 We did a radio show weekly live from the Library Discotheque. Later, Steven Starr had the Ripley Music Hall and we went there. The show has had a lot of different venues over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though dance music keeps changing, Pantano has been able to keep his show going. \u201cWe started with contemporary dance music that was hit music in 1977,\u201d said Pantano, who was inducted into The Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame and later honored as the Broadcast Pioneers 2015 Person-of-the-Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy 1981, it didn\u2019t go away but it faded a bit. So, I went back to playing oldies and integrated that. It worked very well. Today, it\u2019s more 70s and 80s music with a little 60s and a little 90s. It\u2019s all about good dance music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Bob Pantano \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/dG5U6lwBk6Q<\/a>. The dance party at the Adelphia will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. On March 5, Michael Hollis will visit the area to co-headline a show at Ortlieb\u2019s<\/em> (847 North Third Street, Philadelphia, 267- 324-3348, www.ticketfly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Hoillis, who is Breakfast in Fur\u2019s guitarist, took advantage of the band\u2019s down time to work on a project of his own. A few weeks ago, Hollis released his debut solo EP, \u201cLost and Found.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, he is on tour in support of the new disc.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur show tomorrow in Kingston, New York is our first show on the tour,\u201d said Hollis, during a phone interview Monday morning from his home in New York\u2019s Hudson Valley. \u201cI\u2019m just now getting everything together.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Lost and Found\u2019 came out officially Feb. 13 \u2013 full digital release. I recorded it over the course of a year — from 2015 to 2016. It was all recorded at my home studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s unique about it is that it all came together by accident. The way it started \u2013 I was writing with my vision of an EP. I realized I had a couple songs that needed a home.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Michael Hollis<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAll these songs were coming out of different personal experiences. Several people close to me had died. The songs followed a natural process. I realized that these songs really fit together well. When I was recording \u2018Home,\u2019 the fourth song of six, the vision became realized.\u201d<\/p>\n

The EP has a very distinct vibe that sets it apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of dreamy, reflective and honest \u2013 honest in terms of reflection,\u201d said Hollis. \u201cIt\u2019s also an honest performance \u2013 no auto-tune or anything like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my shows on this tour, I\u2019m doing most of the \u2018Lost and Found\u2019 songs and two songs from Blue Museum, another side project band. There also is some new Michael Hollis material.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a trio with Ben Basile on bass and Liana Gabel doing guitar, percussion and tap dancing. I\u2019ll be playing guitar and singing. We\u2019re all Hudson Valley musicians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Michael Hollis with Liana Gabel — https:\/\/youtu.be\/3uXlhvirgRM<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at Ortlieb\u2019s, which also features Liana Gabel, Owl & Wolf, and Seesaw, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By DENNY DYROFF, Staff Writer, The Times No matter what your musical tastes are, there is probably a concert in the area March 4 that will be to your liking. The long lineup of acts performing in Delaware Valley ranges from the female rock trio Potty Mouth to the traditional bluegrass band Seldom Scene — […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[8615,6518,8611,8613,220,6792,8612,8614],"class_list":["post-23343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","tag-concert","tag-featured","tag-marc-berger","tag-michael-hollis","tag-music","tag-on-stage","tag-potty-mouth","tag-seldom-scene"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23343","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=23343"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23344,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23343\/revisions\/23344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}