{"id":25075,"date":"2017-07-14T16:35:16","date_gmt":"2017-07-14T20:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=25075"},"modified":"2017-07-14T16:35:21","modified_gmt":"2017-07-14T20:35:21","slug":"on-stage-bonus-pokey-lafarge-old-time-with-a-new-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=25075","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Bonus): Pokey LaFarge, old-time with a new twist"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Pokey LaFarge<\/p><\/div>\n

Pokey LaFarge\u2019s new album \u201cManic Revelations\u201d was just released on May 19 on Rounder Records. On the following day, he started a tour in support of the album with a special album release show at St. Louis\u2019 The Pageant.<\/p>\n

The tour makes a stop locally on July 14 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re now at the trail end of a five-week tour,\u201d said LaFarge, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in New York city.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album last year in St. Louis. That\u2019s where we live. It was in our backyard \u2013 Cherokee Street. We cut the album at Native Sound Recording.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reviews of the album \u2013 and of LaFarge\u2019s music in general \u2013 use descriptions such as \u2018old-time\u201d and \u201cold fashioned.\u201d<\/p>\n

His music does have a vibe of the past in its DNA but it is also firmly rooted in the present \u2013 especially with lyrical topics. There is a juxtaposition of the old and the new.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is juxtaposition in all different ways \u2013 especially the musical foundation with current events,\u201d said LaFarge.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople talk about an old-time genre. But, in terms of adhering to any type of genre, I don\u2019t do it. Each album has its own vibe.<\/p>\n

\u201cVibe is something you search out. It\u2019s a feeling and you chase the feeling. When making an album, you definitely want the best songs but you also want them to meld together. With my music, coming from the same source, they fit together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recorded in LaFarge\u2019s hometown of St. Louis, \u201cManic Revelations\u201d features 10 new original songs and was recorded by the Southside Collective — LaFarge, Joey Glynn (bass), Ryan Koenig (harmonica, guitjo, electric guitar), Adam Hoskins (electric guitar), Matt Meyer (drums, percussion), Luc Klein (trumpet, euphonium, piano, glockenspiel), Alec Spiegelman (saxophone, piano, tubax, organ, clarinet, flute), David Beeman (tambourine, stylophone, guitar, organ)\u2014along with additional production by Tony Hoffer.<\/p>\n

According to LaFarge, \u201cThe manic revelation is the state where artists create. I got to the point in writing these songs where I felt like a house on fire that just kept burning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis album is about confronting yourself. It\u2019s about confronting your city, its relationship with the world, and all its people.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaFarge is a prolific writer who has released eight studio albums in the last 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always writing,\u201d said LaFarge, who was born Andrew Heissler 34 years ago. \u201cIt\u2019s a daily thing. I don\u2019t do it consciously. It just comes to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re a writer, you write \u2013 it\u2019s what you do. Writing is like eating \u2013 it\u2019s every day. I went in the studio with 20 songs and whittled it down. Some of the songs were recorded live. It depends on the song.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wait for songs to come along naturally. I get a lot of inspirations for my songs from traveling \u2013 from things that I\u2019ve observed or experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n

That process results in songs like his new track \u201cRiot in the Streets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou live in the world today and there is plenty of trouble out there,\u201d said LaFarge. \u201cSt. Louis is an American city with real problems — race relations, economic disparity and Ferguson.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though \u201cManic Revelations\u201d has been out for 10 weeks, LaFarge\u2019s fans have already seriously embraced it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re playing quite a bit of new songs on this tour \u2013 anywhere from five to eight to 10 to the whole record,\u201d said LaFarge. \u201cThe audiences have tapped into the new record and is already singing along with the songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Pokey LaFarge \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/kr2akqqrpW0<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, which has Kelsey Waldon as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live are The Dukes of Destiny, Nothing Wrong on July 14; The Clock Reads, Gnarbot on July 15; Charles Havira with Band and OXBLOOD, BobbyrocK on July 16; The Nightowls on July 18; The Crane Wives on July 19; and Devon Gilfillian and Cris Jacobs on July 19.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Roselit Bone<\/p><\/div>\n

Roselit Bone, which is headlining a show July 14 at The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>), has a musical style that is hard to pin down.<\/p>\n

The foundation is traditional folk and country but the final result is unsettling music with lyrics that can stimulate and disorient you at the same time.<\/p>\n

Formed in Portland in 2011 by Joshua McCaslin and Ben Dahmes, Roselit Bone has since expanded into a nine-piece featuring pedal steel, trumpets, flute, accordion, violin, guitar and more.<\/p>\n

The music combines the visceral, haunting songwriting and energy of roots-driven post-punk bands with elements of Mexican ranchera, midcentury singing cowboys, and spaghetti western soundtracks.<\/p>\n

A native of Southern California, McCaslin formed the band first as a duo with drummer Ben Dahmes, then a trio, and eventually a nine-piece ensemble.<\/p>\n

McCaslin is a versatile and accomplished guitarist, a powerful writer of vivid-nightmare poetry, and a singer unique with the ability to croon like Marty Robbins, bellow like Nick Cave, and scream, grunt and wail like a defiant, wounded animal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just generally gravitate toward morose songwriting,\u201d said McCaslin, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cI draw from Lee Hazlewood a lot. I got into country music because my grandparents listened to a lot of country acts like Marty Robbins. As I got older, I grew up in L.A. and listened to a lot of L.A. punk bands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roselit Bone \u2013 Josh McCaslin, guitar, vocals; Victor Franco, guitar; Matt Mayhem, bass, trumpet; Barry A. Walker, Jr., pedal steel; Valerie Osterberg, flute, percussion; Andy Manla, keyboards, percussion, accordion; Daniel Gruszka, trumpet, saxophone; Ben Dahmes, drums \u2013 just released its sophomore album \u201cBlister Steel\u201d on June 2 via Friendship Fever, a new Sacramento-based label distributed by House Arrest\/Fat Possum.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s 2014 self-released debut\u00a0\u201cBlacken & Curl\u201d<\/em>\u00a0set the tone. \u201cBlister Steel\u201d refines and expands it.<\/p>\n

McCaslin\u2019s lyrics are crueler and darker, the arrangements bigger and more ambitious, the vision and scope blown up into a panoramic, foreboding landscape that looks disturbingly familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few of the songs on \u2018Blister Steel\u2019 were written before the first album came out \u2013 a long time ago,\u201d said McCaslin. \u201cSome were written not long before we recorded the new album. I wrote the title track after most of the session was finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur songs are kind of all over the place. Some are traditional country melodies. Some are free-form poetry. At times, I\u2019ll sit on lyrics for a few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of literary influence that I draw from. One of the themes is drug abuse. There is a lot of darkness but even traditional country music has its darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBlister Steel\u201d took a while to come together in its final form.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was recorded in a few sessions,\u201d said McCaslin. \u201cThe first was in a cabin studio in Corvallis, Oregon.<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple months later we did a few live tracks at Get Loud Studio in Portland. And, two or three tracks were done at my house. For most of the songs, we did the basic tracks and then overdubbed later.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is always nine or 10 musicians in the band here are nine of us on tour right now. In the past, it\u2019s been hard to break even when touring with so many players. This tour has been better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Roselit Bone \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/BqrcmQvtxqo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There is no cover or ticket fee to attend. All that is asked of you is that you leave a donation at the door on your way out if you enjoyed the entertainment for the evening.<\/p>\n

On July 15, Steel City will host the Morelings and Queue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Darrell Scott<\/p><\/div>\n

Darrell Scott has been making music for a long time \u2013 both his own music and as a hired player for other acts.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the role Scott is currently playing as he tours America with the Zac Brown Band \u2013 a tour that visits the BB&T Pavilion (1 Harbour Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey, 856-225-0163, www.livenation.com<\/a>) on July 14 and 15.<\/p>\n

Scott plays his own set as the opening act. After intermission, he returns to the stage as a member of the Zac Brown Band.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s rock, folk, country or blues,\u00a0Scott, a four-time Grammy-nominated Nashville singer-songwriter, has written hits all the way from Brad Paisley and the\u00a0Dixie Chicks\u00a0to Del McCoury,\u00a0Sam Bush\u00a0and\u00a0Keb Mo.<\/p>\n

\u201cAloha from Nashville\u201d was Scott\u2019s debut album in 1997. His most recent is \u201cCouchville Sessions,\u201d which was released in 2016. Scott wrote nine of the 14 songs on album.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album came out last year but I tracked it in 2001 and 2002 along with two other albums,\u201d said Scott, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Hartford, Connecticut.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked the songs back then. Two of the albums got released and the third didn\u2019t. \u2018Couchville Sessions\u2019 is me going back to those songs from 14 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201c14 years ago, it was tracking with all the musicians in one room and microphones leaking into others. Now, 14 years later, you record in an isolated room.
\n\u201cSongs don\u2019t have expiration dates if they are good songs. The songs of greats like Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie have great staying power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Writing new songs isn\u2019t on Scott\u2019s current agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in a period where I\u2019m not really writing much unless I have something to say,\u201d said Scott.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not as prolific with songs as a lot of other musicians. When I first got to Nashville, I tried writing for other people. But, I wasn\u2019t really happy doing that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI write for myself. I like it better \u2013 and so do other people. A strength of mine is to write about whatever I want to. There is an authenticity to it I don\u2019t ever take a paint-by-number approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite writers was Ray Bradbury. He would go and face the typewriter every day. I don\u2019t have the3 discipline to do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here in Hartford and I just finished visiting Mark Twain\u2019s home. I\u2019m always curious about writers and how they do this thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the inspiration cones first and that will take me to a lyric or a melody. When it hits me, I do it. A few times, I\u2019ve written two songs in one day. Other times, I\u2019ll go nine months without writing a song.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Darrell Scott — https:\/\/youtu.be\/IBJfh3rQVsc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the BB&T Pavilion will get underway at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $35-$64.50.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sir Sly<\/p><\/div>\n

Sir Sly is an indie pop band from Los Angeles. The band features vocalist Landon Jacobs along with instrumentalists Jason Suwito and Hayden Coplen. On July 15, the band will headline a show at The Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t You Worry, Honey,\u201d the sophomore album by Sir Sly was released on June 30 on Interscope Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all from Orange County but we\u2019ve all lived in L.A. for a while,\u201d said Jacobs, during a phone interview Monday morning as the band traveled from a gig in Charlotte, North Carolina to Newark, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been a band for five years. Our first single \u2018Ghost\u2019 came out in 2012 and we were playing local shows. We didn\u2019t start touring until 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cHayden and I met singing in church when we were around 14 or 15. It was at the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. We met Jason, started making music together and formed a band.<\/p>\n

Saddleback Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch located in southern Orange County and affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The church was founded in 1980 by Pastor Rick Warren. Weekly church attendance averages over 20,000 people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not a Christian rock band \u2013 in the slightest,\u201d said Jacobs. Jokingly, I say I\u2019m an Apostate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ironically, Sir Sly released a single from the album in June titled \u201cAltar.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Jacobs, \u201cGrowing up in evangelical Christianity, I was taught and became convinced that divorce was synonymous with moral deficiency. Even if folks didn’t come right out and say they believed it, they’d insinuate it beyond any shadow of a doubt.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter my own divorce, I needed a song that made sense of the pain, shame, and cognitive dissonance I was feeling. The idea for \u2018Altar\u2019 was to use my roots in gospel music and storytelling to heal from those feelings of guilt and inadequacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacobs and his mates devoted a lot of time to making \u201cDon\u2019t You Worry, Honey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last two years, we\u2019ve been completely off the road and have been working on the new record,\u201d said Jacobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wrote and recorded everything at Jason\u2019s studio Noise Coalition in Costa Mesa. We kept close \u2013 the three of us plugging away and finding ourselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a period of writing, a short time off to tour and then writing again. I split with my ex-wife and then it was more writing. We tried a new producer and that didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, my mom died of brain cancer and that inspired more writing. After that, it was plugging away to make the album. We\u2019re an alternative band wearing R&B and hip-hop influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn uplifting attitude was the inspiration for this album. I use my own personal experiences to show that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Writing songs is what I do and they\u2019re personal. Music has always been a catharsis for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album isn\u2019t all about grief and sad news. It\u2019s also about treating life as a celebration. It has a hopeful vibe that hopefully will help people feel not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Sir Sly \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/qIOaU7Sm-ZE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at The Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia, which has SHAED as the opening act, will start at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $18.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming acts at The Fillmore are Splintered Sunlight on July 14, Why Don\u2019t We on July 15, Wheeler Walker on July 16, and Morgan Heritage on July 19.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>If you\u2019re looking for a concert on July 15 with a heavier vibe, check out Bloodclot\u2019s show at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/undergroundarts.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Bloodclot, which features hardcore pioneers John Joseph (Cro-Mags), Todd Youth (Warzone, Murphy\u2019s Law), Joey Castillo (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Blast!), and Nick Oliveri (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, Dwarves), is now out on a national tour with Negative Approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cUp in Arms,\u201d the new album by Bloodclot, has a July 14 release date on Metal Blade Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did one show \u2013 Power of Riff \u2013 in L.A. and people were digging the shit out of it,\u201d said Joseph, during a phone interview Monday morning from his home in New York. \u201cThat was a good sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all played in bands together at some point. Me and Todd were friends a long time \u2013 ever since he was a kid in Agnostic Front. I knew Joey from Wasted Youth and Todd had been working on stuff with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cA little while ago, Todd played me some stuff he was doing and it was dope. I started doing lyrics for songs and we got studio time to do a demo.<\/p>\n

\u201cNRG gave us studio time so we hired a drummer. We sent the demos to Joey and he said \u2013 I\u2019m in. We shopped the demos around and Brian Slagel from Metal Blade took notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe flew to New York and we talked. I needed a bass player and Nick called. Brian listened to the tracks we made and said \u2013 this is killer and I want to put it out on Metal Blade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went to L.A. to make the record. I\u2019m in New York and the rest of the guys are in L.A. So, some of the music was stuff we jammed just before making the record.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made the record at NRG Studio in the Valley and Chris Zeus produced it. It\u2019s a great studio and the vibe is really cool.
\n\u201cWe just set up and played live in the studio. This is a real record \u2013 old-school style with no samplers. I\u2019m a vinyl guy. There\u2019s nothing like the warmth and fidelity of vinyl. Joey has an amazing vinyl collection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Bloodclot is taking its music to the people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe play the whole album in our live show along with a couple cover songs,\u201d said Joseph. \u201cThis is a great live band \u2013 a band with 140 years our touring experience between us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Bloodclot \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/5k9t_-a-TOQ<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Underground Arts, which also features Negative Approach, Fire & Ice, and Please Die!, will start at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Pokey LaFarge\u2019s new album \u201cManic Revelations\u201d was just released on May 19 on Rounder Records. On the following day, he started a tour in support of the album with a special album release show at St. Louis\u2019 The Pageant. The tour makes a stop locally on July 14 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[9199,9197,6518,9195,9196,9198],"class_list":["post-25075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-bloodclot","tag-darrell-scott","tag-featured","tag-pokey-lafarge","tag-roselit-bone","tag-sir-sly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25075","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=25075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25076,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25075\/revisions\/25076"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}