{"id":27276,"date":"2018-01-27T09:32:24","date_gmt":"2018-01-27T14:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=27276"},"modified":"2018-01-27T09:32:29","modified_gmt":"2018-01-27T14:32:29","slug":"on-stage-no-spin-zone-barron-goes-solo-at-the-flash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=27276","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: No ‘Spin’ zone, Barron goes solo at The Flash"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Chris Barron<\/p><\/div>\n

Whenever the Spin Doctors come to the area, they draw a crowd \u2013 not surprising for a band that has been popular for almost three decades.<\/p>\n

One of the main cogs in the success of the band has been Chris Barron, who is the group\u2019s guitarist and main songwriter.<\/p>\n

On January 27, Spin Doctors fans will have a rare opportunity to hear Barron perform up-close and personal.<\/p>\n

Barron will visit Chester County to present an intimate show at Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org)<\/a>..<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s fans need not worry that the Spin Doctors are hanging it up. They already have big shows booked in Miami in February and Louisiana in March. This show is just Barron doing his own thing.<\/p>\n

Barron has just released his newest album, \u201cAngels Are One Armed Jugglers\u201d on Chrysanthemum Records \u2013 a tasty collection of 11 songs that show the veteran musician\u2019s versatility and creativity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t made a solo album in a really long time,\u201d said Barron, during a phone interview last week from his home in New York City. \u201cI\u2019m the primary writer for the Spin Doctors and we\u2019re still together. We\u2019ve made a career with getting out in the summer and playing great gigs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barron\u2019s last two albums without the Spin Doctors were \u201cPancho and the Kid\u201d in 2006 and \u201cSongs from the Summer Sangria\u201d in 2010 as Chris Barron and the Time Bandits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really had been a long time since I made an album,\u201d said Barron. \u201cI wanted to do a stripped-down thing. I talked to Roman Klun, who had produced the last Spin Doctors album and he smile. We got started on the project \u2013 and then I lost my voice for a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had paralyzed vocal chords and that affected my ability to talk and sing. I was only given a 50\/50 chance that I\u2019d ever sing again. But, I recovered and got my voice back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, it happened a second time. Last year, I lost my voice again last year. It was strange \u2013 and extraordinarily rare. I gave singing \u2013 and music a rest \u2013 and now everything is O.K. again. Still, the whole ordeal instilled this urgency about the preciousness of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Barron returned from medical treatment to resume the project, he moved with all the urgency of a man sharply aware that life was short and health fragile. As it gathered pace, the album shifted shape and slipped categorization, evolving from the stripped-down solo acoustic approach that Barron had originally envisaged to the more ambitious production conceived by co-producer Klun. All they needed now was the greatest studio band on earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing was to contact Shawn Pelton,\u201d said Barron. \u201cThen, I got pals of mine. The only new guy was Jesse Murphy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having accomplished that first step really set things in motion.<\/p>\n

According to Barron, \u201cShawn is an iconic in the United States as the drummer for Saturday Night Live and a renowned studio drummer as well. Then I went to see Jesse Murphy play bass with a friend. You play music for 40 years, you only need one look to know that this guy can play. I played all the songs into my iPhone and sent those guys the files. The two of them show up with these charts they\u2019d drawn up, with all nuances of my playing, all the funky little fills. It was such a musical compliment. I can\u2019t give enough credit to the players on this record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bolstered by a crack squad of first-call New York musicians, \u201cAngels and One-Armed Jugglers\u201d paints its immersive soundscapes in full Technicolor. And yet, Barron reminds us, beneath the multi-instrumental dazzle lie the kernel of songs that can be served raw with an acoustic guitar and voice alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoman had this real vision of songs with a much larger soundscape than I had originally imagined,\u201d said Barron. \u201cLosing my voice had a huge impact. I was thinking \u2013 this could be the last record you make.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe record itself was cool because I had so much material to choose from. It\u2019s not a thematically-structured album. A person has a certain limitation trying to set out in this behavior. I didn\u2019t and I ended up with 11 songs that are all very different styles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Chris Barron \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/k1BmYljpMMk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Kennett Flash, which has Angelee as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Kennett Flash are \u201cBorn To Be Blue – Films & Words at The Flash with Matt Cappy\u201d (Trumpeter, Guest Lecturer<\/a>) on January 28 and Jane Lee Hooker and Blues Reincarnation Project on January 31.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jeffrey Gaines<\/p><\/div>\n

It somehow seems that things are always \u201ca long time coming\u201d for Jeffrey Gaines.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been more than a quarter of a century since Jeffrey Gaines signed his first recording deal with a major label. It\u2019s been 25 years since his debut album \u201cJeffrey Gaines\u201d was released on Chrysalis Records.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 15 years since \u201cToward the Sun\u201d on Artemis Records — his fifth overall and most recent studio album.\u00a0\u00a0And, it\u2019s been 11 years since his last album release \u2014 \u201cJeffrey Gaines Live,\u201d which is also on Artemis Records.<\/p>\n

Finally, fans of Gaines can rejoice in the release of a new album by their favorite.<\/p>\n

On January 26, Gaines released \u201cAlright,\u201d his first\u00a0Omnivore Recordings<\/a>\u00a0release and his first set of new studio material since 2003. On January 28, Gaines will celebrate the LP\u2019s release with a show at Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

During an interview three years ago, Gaines said, \u201cA new album \u2014 it\u2019s not in the works. The new album hype happens every year \u2014 but it doesn\u2019t come from me. I\u2019m not reluctant to do it \u2014 maybe reluctant to do it myself. I don\u2019t even know how that happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always made records for labels (recording companies). I just know how to do what I have to do. I go into a performance room with engineers and producers in the other room and big glass separating us. And, they\u2019re assured they\u2019re getting paid. If they\u2019re looking for their money, I can just refer them to the grown men in suits.<\/p>\n

\u201cI write new songs from time to time. But, it would have to be a commercial release for me to put them on a record.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time, the circumstances were right.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album is on the WEA Group and that makes a difference,\u201d said Gaines. \u201cAs I\u2019ve always experienced with making records, it\u2019s always been someone coming up to me saying \u2013 let\u2019s make a record.<\/p>\n

\u201cI played SXSW last year. I met people from Omnivore Records and they were interested. That\u2019s what got me into the studio. That\u2019s how it was in the 80s \u2013 record companies saying they wanted to make a record.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like playing live and albums create opportunities to play live. They\u2019re a vehicle to get live gigs. And, that\u2019s what I do \u2013 travel and play gigs\u2026play gigs and travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recorded in Los Angeles with producer\/multi-instrumentalist\u00a0Chris Price,\u00a0\u201cAlright\u201d\u00a0features an all-star studio band consisting of guitarist\u00a0Val McCallum\u00a0(Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams), bassist Davey Faragher\u00a0(Elvis Costello, Cracker, John Hiatt), and drummer Pete Thomas\u00a0(Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Elliott Smith), who also record on their own as\u00a0Jackshit.<\/p>\n

According to Gaines, \u201cThe whole experience of making this album was just a joy from beginning to end. We didn’t have a lot of time, so there was no fooling around. We just went in and knocked it out. Everybody played great, so it was an inspiring situation. The musicians have similar influences to me, so we were all on the same page, and I picked the songs I thought would suit this group of musicians. It was cool to have a structure, but at the same time it was also loose and organic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChris and I have a lot of shared interests, so that definitely helped. And, I had really wanted to work with the\u00a0Jackshit\u00a0guys.\u00a0Val McCallum\u00a0had played guitar on my album\u00a0\u201cTowards the Sun\u2019 and I wanted to work with him again. And, I love to record with rhythm sections that already play together, which Davey and Pete do, so they\u2019ve already got the non-verbal communication going.”<\/p>\n

The timing and the circumstances were very right.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very short turnaround from \u2018we should be doing this\u2019 to \u2018we are doing this,\u2019\u201d said Gaines, who grew up in Harrisburg and now lives in Bryn Mawr. \u201cIt was a really great session. It was done at a studio at a private residence \u2013 Fox Force Five. It was a great studio \u2013 very cozy\u2026very natural. It had great vintage gear. The guy was a collector.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did the record in Hollywood Hills \u2013 very near the Hollywood sign. Thousands of tourists from around the word line up to take pictures with the sign. I was thinking \u2013 I\u2019m working here\u2026I\u2019m part of the Hollywood dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cChris Price is a great producer. We had a lot of things that connected, and I brought the Jackshit guys in. I knew it was going to be fun. I went in with about 14 things and we whittled it down \u2013 picked the ones that made the most sense as a group. It\u2019s an album you can listen to all at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the live shows I\u2019m doing now, it\u2019s just me and my guitar. The new songs are different when they\u2019re done as a solo \u2013 different arrangements. The show is a conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Jeffrey Gaines \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/n1Pp0oFubUw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Ardmore Music Hall, which has Amy Faden as the opener, will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Keys N Krates<\/p><\/div>\n

Keys N Krates\u00a0is releasing its debut album \u201cCura\u201d in early 2018 via\u00a0Dim Mak Records and has already treated fans to a number of previews.<\/p>\n

The Toronto-based live electronic act\u00a0just released a single \u201cDo What U Do\u201d\u00a0following its recently-released Boxing Day giveaway\u00a0\u201cFlute Loop (feat. Ouici).\u201d \u201cDo What U Do\u201d is the third single from\u00a0\u201cCura.\u201d.<\/p>\n

On January 27, the trio will play at District N9ne (460 North Ninth Street,\u00a0Philadelphia,\u00a0215-769-2780,\u00a0http:\/\/districtn9ne.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Keys N Krates is one of the most popular — and creative — groups in the EDM (electronic dance music) scene is Keys N Krates. The Toronto-based trio continually produces great music but in a way different than most electronic acts. Keys N Krates features\u00a0Adam Tune on drums, David Matisse on synthesizer and keyboards and Jr. Flo (Greg Dawson) on turntables.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album drops on February 2,\u201d said Dawson, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in Buffalo, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working on it just over a year. We didn\u2019t put any EPs out \u2013 no music at all. Just the three of us — we were just focusing on the album even though we never stopped doing shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been together since 2007. We started as a live act. We didn\u2019t become producers until 2010. Then, we were doing remixes at first. It took us a while to become producers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keys N Krates\u2019 first release was the \u201cBlackout\u201d EP in 2011. Since then, they have released four more EPs — \u201cLucid Dreams,\u201d \u201cSOLOW,\u201d \u201cEvery Nite,\u201d and \u201cMidnite Mass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll three of us are always digging for samples, sounds, melodies, chord progressions,\u201d said Dawson. \u201cWhatever we all get inspired by is what we work with. Then, we all collectively start attacking it \u2014 turning it into something we like.<\/p>\n

\u201cSampling is wide open for us. We have no qualms about what we sample. It all comes down to \u2014 is it something that sounds like what we want? But, getting clearance to use samples can sometimes be a real pain in the ass.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, we get commissioned to do re-mixes for other artists. We\u2019re doing less of that lately so we can concentrate on our own stuff. We\u2019ve also commissioned friends to re-mix songs from our new EP. We won\u2019t re-mix something ourselves unless we feel that it is original. It has to really feel like a Keys N Krates record.\u201d<\/p>\n

While many EDM acts use laptops exclusively to produce the sounds, Keys N Krates have a more organic feel \u2014 more of a band feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the album, we spent a year of making demos and using ideas like loops \u2013 picking the best ones and getting them more developed,\u201d said Dawson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d do recordings with vocalists and then put them over loops. We\u2019d be finishing instrumentals and finishing phases. We did most of the beat-making and production in our Toronto studio and also did vocal sessions in L.A. and Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just kept making beats and recording vocals. And, we were doing sessions with different musicians \u2013 like guitar and harp. We worked with a few string arrangers and did a lot of string arrangements on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, the first Keys N Krates LP is now ready for the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to tris, it was just EPs,\u201d said Dawson. \u201cThis is our first full-length. It\u2019s definitely a piece of work. Stretching out past the parameters of EDM was the most important thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always going to pivot toward music that inspires us. Music that we\u2019ve always been passionate about is most influential to us. We wanted to translate that whole sound into a different context \u2013 not just EDM but also hip hop and sample-based soul. We tried to stay clear of just EDM. We\u2019re making \u2013 and we want to make \u2013 real music that in 10 years we\u2019ll still be proud of.<\/p>\n

Video link for Keys N Krates \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/wXOhUr3YztY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at District N9ne (460 North Ninth Street,\u00a0Philadelphia,\u00a0215-769-2780,\u00a0http:\/\/districtn9ne.com<\/a>) will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Wood Brothers<\/p><\/div>\n

The Wood Brothers also have an album coming out on February 2. And, area fans will have an opportunity to hear many of the songs before that when the band plays a show on January 28 at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Wood Brothers is a trio featuring Oliver Wood (Vocals and Guitar), Chris Wood (Vocals and Bass) and Jano Rix (Drums). The group will release its sixth studio album,\u201cOne Drop of Truth,\u201d on February 2 via Honey Jar Records\/Thirty Tigers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just finished a production rehearsal and we\u2019re taking off on tour tomorrow,\u201d said Chris Wood, during a phone interview earlier this week from his home in Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go out on shorter tours \u2013 not long out\u2026not long home. It\u2019s always in-and-out. We\u2019re heading to the Northeast for 12 days. Then, we\u2019ll come home for a few days and head back out for a West Coast tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album comes out on February 2 and we\u2019re going to start adding new songs to the set list as we go. We\u2019ll probably add two or three on this run. Certain songs work when we first play them live. Others take time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first single from the album and its opening track, “River Takes The Town,” is out now. Listen and share here<\/a>.\u00a0The song is one of many poignant moments throughout the 10-track, self-produced collection. Written prior to natural disasters that decimated parts of the world this summer, it was recorded just one day after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston.<\/p>\n

While previous outings by The Wood Brothers have often followed a conceptual and sonic through-line, \u201cOne Drop of Truth\u201d dives headfirst into a deep wellspring of sounds, styles and recording approaches, treating each song as if it were its own short film.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started the album last January,\u201d said Wood. \u201cIt was different this time. We didn\u2019t write the songs first.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d write a few and then go into the cheaper studios to make demos. We\u2019d do a song, let it sit and then go back a little later and listen to it with fresh ears. It takes the pressure off instead of cramming in everything together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band extended this approach to the mixing process, sending tracks to four different mixing engineers, each selected based on what the song demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe traditional way of writing all the songs at once and recording in one shot \u2013 it\u2019s so much to wrap your brain around,\u201d said Wood. \u201cWe\u2019d finish a song, rehearse it and then go in the studio. It was always just the three of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recording in different phases and at different times can be a challenge to an album\u2019s sense of cohesiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wondered how it was going to turn out,\u201d said Wood. \u201cWe wanted to give different songs different sonic treatments. It\u2019s kind of eclectic. But, even in our lives shows, we like diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Wood Brothers \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/LKIoiVWwF5A<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Union Transfer, which also features the Stray Birds, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Whenever the Spin Doctors come to the area, they draw a crowd \u2013 not surprising for a band that has been popular for almost three decades. One of the main cogs in the success of the band has been Chris Barron, who is the group\u2019s guitarist and main […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[9896,6518,5032,9897,9898],"class_list":["post-27276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-chris-barron","tag-featured","tag-jeffrey-gaines","tag-spin-doctors","tag-the-wood-brothers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27276","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=27276"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27277,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27276\/revisions\/27277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}