{"id":24771,"date":"2017-06-22T15:18:36","date_gmt":"2017-06-22T19:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=24771"},"modified":"2017-06-22T15:19:29","modified_gmt":"2017-06-22T19:19:29","slug":"on-stage-blue-guitar-aces-young-and-old-share-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=24771","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Blues guitar aces, young and old, share stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Quinn Sullivan and Buddy Guy<\/p><\/div>\n

Guitar ace Quinn Sullivan is headlining a show on June 22 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) and will be performing dates with blues legend Buddy Guy later this summer.<\/p>\n

Three weeks ago, Sullivan was sitting in class as a student at New Bedford High School in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

On June 1, Sullivan graduated from New Bedford High. Two days later, he and his band played a blistering set at the Western Maryland Blues Festival in Hagerstown, Maryland.<\/p>\n

Last weekend, Sullivan headed to the Deep South for shows in Meridian, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was out for a few days in Meridian and Baton Rogue filming for a documentary about me and Buddy Guy,\u201d said Sullivan, during a phone interview Tuesday morning from his home in the New England whaling town. \u201cI\u2019m really excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan\u2019s history with Guy goes back more than a decade \u2013 which is pretty impressive considering Sullivan just turned 18 in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first saw Buddy Guy play was in a video of the Crossroads Festival in 2004,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cI was playing a guitar but wasn\u2019t into blues yet. Prior to that, I was playing rock. Blues came into the picture after I saw Buddy Guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan began taking guitar lessons at age three. He first gained national media attention at age six when he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I saw Buddy and how he played his guitar, I said to my family \u2013 we have to go see this guy play,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cIn 2007, he came to New Bedford to perform at the Zeiterion Theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made friends with the people at the theater and got to go backstage. I went to his dressing room and he was very welcoming and signed my guitar. I was seven or eight at the time. He asked me if I could play. I played a few licks for him and he looked at me and said \u2013 be ready when I call you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guy did follow through and make the call.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat started the journey I\u2019ve been on for the last 10 years,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cIn July 2007, he came for a show in Lowell, Massachusetts and I got to jam with him for a second time. That was when it clicked for us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kept going to see him every time he came to the area. Eventually, he asked me to open some shows for him. The first time I opened for him was in Arlington, Kentucky when I was 11. It got to a point where we were opening a lot of shows for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan has released three of his own albums \u2013 \u201cCyclone\u201d in 2011, \u201cGetting There\u201d in 2013 and \u201cMidnight Highway\u201d in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the \u2018Cyclone\u2019 album in Nashville in 2010 and it came out in 2100,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cThat was my first time in the studio and it taught me so much.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working with Buddy Guy\u2019s producer Tom Hambridge. He pushed me a lot \u2013 which was needed. I\u2019ve worked with Tom on all three albums. We recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville which is a legendary studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made the new album over the course of eight months. I was still in school so I couldn\u2019t go to the studio for months at a time. Time management came into play.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working \u2018Midnight Highway\u2019 since it came out in January. Summer is chock full of dates and we\u2019re going to keep promoting it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the live show, I\u2019m playing most of the songs from \u2018Midnight Highway\u2019 and some from \u2018Getting There.\u2019 I\u2019ll be doing shows this summer with Buddy in the United States and in Norway. I\u2019ll probably start working on a new album at the end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Quinn Sullivan \u2013https:\/\/youtu.be\/_F48l-mWfAI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Video link for Quinn Sullivan (age 8) — https:\/\/youtu.be\/ix4TNJvVk8M<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $40.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows in Sellersville are Alejandro Escovedo Band<\/a> on June 23; Voyage (Journey Tribute)<\/a> on June 24; and Fates Warning on June 28.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Los Straitjackets may be a band of instrumentalists but their latest endeavors feature rockers who are singer-songwriter-guitarists.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s new album \u201cWhat\u2019s So Funny About Peace, Love and Los Straitjackets\u201d <\/em>exclusively features songs written or co-written by the British songsmith Nick Lowe, who recently toured with the instrumental band from Nashville.<\/p>\n

On Los Straitjackets\u2019s current tour, they are sharing the bill with Marshall Crenshaw, another artist known for his way with words. The tour will touch down locally on June 22 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut www.Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Los Straitjackets are the leading practitioners of the lost art of the guitar instrumental. Using the music of The Ventures, The Shadows, Link Wray and Dick Dale as a jumping off point, the band has taken their unique, high energy brand of original rock & roll around the world. Clad in their trademark Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling masks, the \u201cJackets\u201d have delivered their trademark guitar licks to 16 albums, thousands of concerts and dozens of films and TV shows.<\/p>\n

The current line-up features Danny Amis, guitar<\/a>; Eddie Angel, guitar; Pete Curry, bass<\/a>; Chris Sprague, drums<\/a>; and Greg Townson, guitar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve bene with the band 14 years and we\u2019ve got a lot of records out,\u201d said Curry, during a phone interview Wednesday morning as the band traveled from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to a gig in Richmond, Virginia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album is a departure for us. It\u2019s all Nick Lowe songs. Someone suggested the idea to us and we said O.K. We had toured with Nick and some some instrumental versions of his songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, it\u2019s difficult to come up with different interpretations of songs. You have to embellish each verse to keep it interesting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a list of 25-30 Nick Lowe sings that we went through and tried. Every song we started, we finished except for one. We had a lot of pretty good ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the song selection was complete, Los Straitjackers set about making the record.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded it at my studio \u2013 the Pow Wow Fun Room,\u201d said Curry. \u201cWe did it in four days in March 2016 on 13-trck tape. The tracking was all analog. We always do it that way. It fits our sound better.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, Neil Brockbank, who is Nick Lowe\u2019s producer, took it back to England to do the mixing. Nick Lowe seems to like what we do. We\u2019ve done three tours with him. We play four Nick Lowe songs on this current tour with Marshall Crenshaw.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s new tour is a bit different.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all one long show,\u201d said Curry. \u201cIt\u2019s partly our show and partly Marshall\u2019s show. The first half hour is just us and the second half hour is Marshall Crenshaw. Then, we finish up together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Los Straitjackets \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/FOEOKST5nlU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, which also features Sarah Borges & Feast of Snakes along with Marshall Crenshaw, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live are The Joe Trainor Trio and Friends present An Evening of Billy Joel Songs on June 24; Dr. B\u2019s Groove<\/a> on June 27; and Dan Mills and Andrew St. James on June 28.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

RG Lowe<\/p><\/div>\n

Interestingly, there will be a show in Philly on June 23 featuring an artist named Lowe who is known for his long-time work with an instrumental band and is now touring solo after releasing a singer-songwriter rock album.<\/p>\n

On Friday night, Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com<\/a>) will present a show by RG Lowe.<\/p>\n

Lowe\u00a0is a core member of Austin, Texas-based band\u00a0Balmorhea. This instrumental group is known for post-rock compositions for scoring a variety of movies and television shows.<\/p>\n

Lowe just released his solo debut record\u00a0\u201cSlow Time\u201d just came out on Western Vinyl, an Austin-based label that is also the home of Balmorhea.<\/p>\n

The new disc presents a musical side of Lowe that was not exhibited with Balmorhea \u2013 a side that features songs with well-crafted lyrics and influences of R&B and old-school pop.<\/p>\n

\u201cBalmorhea\u2019s music is a real particular thing,\u201d said Lowe, during a phone interview Wednesday evening from a tour stop in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s post-classical, emotional and somewhat dark. We have our own world sonically. The band started with Michael Muller and me when I was 21, I\u2019ve spent a lot of years touring with that project.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the while, I knew it wasn\u2019t the only music I wanted to pursue. I knew I wanted to try my hand at writing pop songs. And, I knew I had to step away from the project and fulfill my desire \u2013 so I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, it was really hard to shift modes. It took me quite a while t figure it out \u2013 a year to develop the idea, a year to get songs, a year to record and a year to get the record out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lowe still lives in Austin \u2013 as he has for the last 14 years — but he considers Philadelphia his second home. So, he came to Philly to make the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded a lot of the album in Philly over the last few years,\u201d said Lowe. \u201cI\u2019ve spent a lot of time in Philly. My friend Jeff Ziegler lives in Philly.<\/p>\n

\u201cJeff produced my new album. We recorded it at Uniform Recording in Philly\u2019s Eraserhood neighborhood. And we did some mixing at Kawari Sound in Wyncote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I didn\u2019t want to make the record in Austin. With Balmorhea, everything had been recorded in Austin. I wanted a new landscape. And, my girlfriend was living in Philly at the time. The fit was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately for fans of Balmorhea, Lowe\u2019s neew album is just a side project not an indication of the demise of the band.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Balmorhea, we were in a long hiatus for the last three years,\u201d said Lowe. \u201cThat was when I worked on my own album. Balmorhea has a new album coming out in late September and then we\u2019ll be out on tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for RG Lowe — https:\/\/youtu.be\/OBZxdhrqPHA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Kung Fu Necktie, which has Rosali and Valley Exit as opening acts, will start at 8 p.m.<\/a> Tickets are $7.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Kung Fu Necktie are Wo Fat<\/a> and The Well<\/a> on June 22; TWRP<\/a> and X-Hunters<\/a> on June 24; Super Doppler<\/a> and My Son Bison<\/a> on June 25;Thelma and the Sleaze<\/a>, The Robotrippers, and Mirrorsigns<\/a> on June 26; Liz Cooper & The Stampede<\/a>, Airpark, The Dawn Drapes<\/a> on June 27; and Pronoun<\/a>, Aster More, and So Totally<\/a> on June 28.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jon Cleary<\/p><\/div>\n

On June 23, The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will host veteran singer-keyboardist Jon Cleary.<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, Cleary, a New Orleans R&B\/funk multi-instrumentalist and Grammy winner, released his new\u00a0album \u201cLive at Chickie Wah Wah\u201d\u00a0on FHQ Records and now is on the road supporting the release.<\/p>\n

Known for his work with The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Cleary is one of the few keeping alive the tradition of New Orleans-style piano and voice.<\/p>\n

His regular Tuesday night shows at Chickie Wah Wah have become a favorite of both locals and visiting music lovers alike. The new disc, which is his first solo outing, is a simple recording of a New Orleans rhythm and blues piano player at work.<\/p>\n

Cleary\u2019s profile as a musician became a lot stronger two years ago when his album \u201cGoGo Juice\u201d was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Regional\u00a0Roots Music category. It became a lot more intense when \u201cGoGo Juice\u201d won the Grammy.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole world completely changed when that happened,\u201d said Cleary. \u201cI\u2019m still doing what I\u2019ve been doing for the last 30 years. If it (winning a Grammy) allows more people to hear my music, then it\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he was a young man, Cleary crossed the Atlantic Ocean, arrived in New Orleans and quickly adopted the Crescent City as his hometown. He was born in Kent, England but moved to New Orleans when he was 17.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I got out of school, I got on the first plane to New Orleans,\u201d said Cleary, who is a vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter. \u201cI had $100 in my pocket when I ended up in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a musical family \u2014 lots of musicians and music lovers. My uncle had lived in New Orleans and he brought back hundreds of obscure 45s \u2014 Clifton Chenier, Professor Longhair, Huey Smith and the Clowns. It was a perfect introduction to the joy and exhilaration of music.\u201d<\/p>\n

When his uncle \u2014 musician Johnny Johnson \u2014 returned from New Orleans in the early 70\u2019s and brought back two suitcases of rare and obscure local 45s, Cleary pursued his study of R&B in great depth with special attention to the New Orleans sound that increasingly captivated him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of the charm of the music of New Orleans is that it\u2019s strong and it exists even though it has been ignored by the mainstream,\u201d said Cleary. \u201cEvery once in a while, there is some notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe music business in Los Angeles is fashion industry. What we have down here is real. New Orleans music always has been hard to quantify and categorize. I like the status of being an outsider. I\u2019m a round peg in a square hole. I\u2019m a guitar player playing piano \u2014 a New Orleans musician born in England.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a huge sense of camaraderie with New Orleans musicians \u2014 not just artists but they\u2019re artisans. There is a great deal of pride down here in being a good musician \u2014 not really a sense of competition. New Orleans is one of the last vestiges of real music tradition.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll New Orleans musicians know that there are 12 notes \u2014 four beats in a bar. The idea is to improvise and pick a note to make people smile, dance and be happy. It\u2019s all music down here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Jon Cleary \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/7c15B6fLqzo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Ardmore Music Hall, which has The Sermon! as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Ardmore are Screaming Headless Torsos, Darla, and Muscle Tough on June 22; and Tarrus Riley featuring Dean Fraser and The Blak Soil Band, Jah Works, Jah People, and DJ Thriller Attoine on June 24.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Edgardo Cintron & The Inca Band<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/em><\/a>) will have Trench Boy, See Through Dresses and Carrier on June 22; Better Than Bacon on June 23; and Edgardo Cintron & The Inca Band – A Tribute to Santana on June 24.<\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/em><\/a>) will host<\/p>\n

Heston and Lori Ann Strunk on June 23; and Comedy Night at Steel City on June 24.<\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents \u201c1964\u2026The Tribute\u201d on June 23 and Purple Xperience on June 24.<\/p>\n

The Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware,\u00a0302- 475-2313,\u00a0www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org<\/a>) is presenting \u201cCrazy for You\u201d now through June 25.<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cCrazy for You\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/FsUwE4R4oXk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Guitar ace Quinn Sullivan is headlining a show on June 22 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com) and will be performing dates with blues legend Buddy Guy later this summer. Three weeks ago, Sullivan was sitting in class as a student at New Bedford […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[9086,9090,6518,7168,9087,4576,9088,9085,9089],"class_list":["post-24771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-buddy-guy","tag-edgardo-cintron-the-inca-band","tag-featured","tag-jon-cleary","tag-los-straitjackets","tag-marshall-crenshaw","tag-nick-lowe","tag-quinn-sullivan","tag-rg-lowe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24771","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=24771"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24774,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24771\/revisions\/24774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}