{"id":29014,"date":"2018-07-05T06:00:20","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T10:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29014"},"modified":"2018-06-30T08:20:30","modified_gmt":"2018-06-30T12:20:30","slug":"on-stage-steel-city-legend-keeps-to-his-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29014","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Steel City legend keeps to his roots"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Joe Grushecky<\/p><\/div>\n

Joe Grushecky is a veteran rocker who was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He released his first album in 1969 while a young musician in the Steel City. Now, almost a half-century later, he still calls the area home.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh is a blue collar, tell-it-like-it-is town and Grushecky\u2019s music shares the same attributes.<\/p>\n

Grushecky has been pumping out solid tunes since the 1970\u2019s with a favorite uncompromising voice of the everyman. He tells the stories from being in the trenches everyday as a special needs teacher to collaborating with friend Bruce Springsteen.<\/p>\n

Grushecky co-wrote \u201cCode Of Silence\u201d with Springsteen \u2013 a song that won a Grammy for best solo rock vocal performance. The two gritty rockers collaborated again on Grushecky\u2019s recent album \u201cMore Yesterdays Than Tomorrows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still in Pittsburgh,\u201d said Grushecky, during a phone interview Wednesday from his home in the western Pennsylvania city known as \u201cThe City of Bridges.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPittsburgh has really gotten nicer over the last 20 years. It\u2019s no longer a dirty steel town. And, it has the more bridges than any other city in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a coal mining region in a small town called Biddle, which isn\u2019t far from the Monroeville exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grushecky, who has 17 studio albums in his discography just released \u201cMore Yesterdays Than Tomorrows\u201d and is touring in support of the LP. The tour brings him to the area on July 6 for a show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe released the album on March 30,\u201d said Grushecky. \u201cI had been working on it on-and-off for two years. Then, I finished it and sat on it ofr a while. I stared writing a lot of songs and then I got sidetracked. I wanted to do as blues record so I was collecting blues songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grushecky\u2019s son Johnny, who has been playing guitar with his father since a very young age, altered the course of his father\u2019s plans for the record.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son Johnny listened to what I had done and said \u2013 ‘Dad, I\u2019ve got news for you\u2026it sucks,’<\/p>\n

\u201d said Grushecky.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was right. There was too much blues stuff and not enough of my old stuff. So, I started writing. I wrote seven new songs. My son got involved in the production and took more of a role with the music \u2013 playing guitar and drums. The result was one of the best records I\u2019ve made in a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote seven or eight new tracks about a year ago and recorded them fairly quickly \u2013 January through November. But, I didn\u2019t want to put the album out during the Christmas rush so I waited until the spring. When I was younger, I was always in a rush. Now, I\u2019ve slowed down in my old age.\u201d<\/p>\n

As always, Grushecky\u2019s songs have a real human touch. They are songs that almost everyone can relate to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually write a song or two by myself,\u201d said Grushecky. \u201cToward the end, Johnny was coming over with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI write primarily about what is going on around me. So, there is a thread around the town I grew up in. Usually when I\u2019m writing, I try to have a complete picture in my head \u2013 a point of view for the record along with a beginning, middle and end. With so many rock stars dripping, it made me think about mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Joe Grushecky — https:\/\/youtu.be\/PtHZU4O7hi4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville, which has Dave Goddess Group as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21.50 and $29.50.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Comedy at Sellersville<\/p><\/div>\n

On July 7, the Sellersville Theater will host \u201cLiberty Comedy Presents: \u201cShe-said, He-said\u201d\u00a0featuring Karen Bergreen and Andy Pitz with MC\/comedian Shaun Eli.\u201d<\/p>\n

A mother of two small boys, Bergreen does stand up to get out of the house. She has appeared on Comedy Central, The Oxygen Network, Nick Mom, The View and more. While the kids aren\u2019t looking, Bergreen is also a novelist. Her 2010 comic novel \u201cFollowing Polly\u201d earned praise from The New York Times, Oprah Magazine and her mother-in-law.<\/p>\n

Pitz\u2019s unique brand of comedy has landed him multiple appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He is also a regular performer at all of New York City\u2019s top comedy clubs including Gotham Comedy Club, Caroline’s & Comic Strip Live.<\/p>\n

Stand-up comedian Eli has rightfully been called one of America\u2019s smartest comics. Whether it\u2019s a story about dining with a vegetarian or successfully fighting a parking ticket, master storyteller Eli proves that there’s hilarity in the ordinary if you approach life with a comedic warp<\/p>\n

The show is being produced by Eli\u2019s company.<\/p>\n

\u201cI work with 40 different comedians,\u201d said Eli, during a phone interview Thursday from his home in New York. \u201cI\u2019m a comedian and I book shows for me and other comedians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eli has worked with Bergreen and Pitz for a while and paired them together once before for a show last year at the Union County Performing Arts Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always putting shows together \u2013 themed shows,\u201d said Eli. \u201cFor this one, I needed a man and a woman reflecting different points of view.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe theme is \u2018She-said, He-said.\u2019 It sounds gimmicky, but most comedians deal with personal relationships. Karen and Any are married \u2013 not to each other \u2013 and they look at marriage and family with different points of view.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the show, I also talk about relationships. Some comics have a message. I don\u2019t do political comedy. My goal is to make people laugh. My favorite thing is thinking up a new joke on the way to a show and then using it that night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese two acts along with me as an opener fit together really well. And, we do a Q-and-A at the end of the show. That\u2019s something audiences always seem to like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Shaun Eli — https:\/\/youtu.be\/zCr-pbPL5Qc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $39.50.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jeremy & The Harlequins<\/p><\/div>\n

Another interesting show at the Sellersville Theater will take place on July 10 when Jeremy & The Harlequins open for Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express.<\/p>\n

Jeremy & the Harlequins\u2019 main objective with their music is keeping rock-and-roll alive. That\u2019s something the New York five-piece — \u2013 Jeremy Fury (vocals), Craig Bonich and Patrick Meyer (guitars), Stevie Fury (drums) and Bobby Ever (bass) — has been doing since forming just a few short years ago, both with its debut album\u00a0\u201cAmerican Dreamer\u201d\u00a0(2015) and its follow-up\u00a0\u201cInto The Night\u201d\u00a0(2016).<\/p>\n

The next phase of the band\u2019s career was marked by a series of songs trickling through the airwaves via Yep Roc Records, starting with \u201cLittle One,\u201d released in August of 2017, and leading into their new album\u00a0\u201cRemember This,\u201d which is coming out on\u00a0August 17\u00a0via Yep Roc Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album in L.A. and stayed there the whole time,\u201d said Fury, during a phone interview Monday. \u201cIt took three weeks from start-to-finish. We had done most of the writing in New York before we headed to the West Coast.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Lord Huron, Scott Weiland) in the historic Beachwood Canyon and Boyle Heights areas of the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote about 20 songs and, by the time we got to L.A., it was down to a dozen,\u201d said Fury. \u201cThen, we just got in thew studio and banghed it out fats. It\u2019s a New York record that was made in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll write songs on acoustic guitar and record demos on my iPhone. Then, I\u2019ll make demos with my band on my iPhone. All the pre-pre-production was done in New York at the Music Building near Times Square.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fury, however, was no stranger to the music scene in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from Toledo, Ohio,\u201d said Fury. \u201cI moved to L.A. after my previous band\u2019s demise. I was living in L.A. for eight years. Now, I\u2019ve been living in New York for seven years. Living in New York, I realize things change here. In L.A., everything stays the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember This\u201d is an album of straight-up rock-and-roll joy \u2013 an album that reminds listeners of another era.<\/p>\n

According to Fury, \u201cBy the time \u2018Into the Night\u2019 was released, I had about two thirds of\u00a0\u2018Remember This\u2019\u00a0written. I wrote the songs in my apartment in Hell\u2019s Kitchen and then we worked on the majority of the arrangements as a band together at the infamous Music Building near Times Square.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album could have been recorded anywhere \u2013 anywhere there was a studio that met Fury\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made the album at Palomino Studio in Boyle Heights,\u201d said Fury. \u201cWe had Rick Parker as the producer. We recorded with Rick 10 years ago on a project that never got off the ground. We knew Rick was a really good producer. Once this album started to take shape, we knew we had the right guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPalomino Sound is an analog studio. Recording at an analog studio was important. It\u2019s a different sound. This band sounds better recording through analog gear as they play live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember This\u201d\u00a0has all the hallmarks of a Jeremy & The Harlequins record, but at the same time it sees the five-piece expanding on their own musical boundaries. This new record sees the band widening its sonic horizons with the help of Parker.<\/p>\n

According to Fury, \u201cWe wanted to make a classic American rock record. I love music and I wanted to take the best aspects of the things that I like and roll them into our sound. I feel like America is in a period of reinvention right now — everything from fashion to what we drink to the restaurants we eat at are all being reinvented — and I wanted to take things from the past that I loved and create something refreshing and new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Jeremy & The Harlequins \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/2oD9g9DsjH4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21.50 and $29.50.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Jag Panzer on July 5, Eric Steckel and Dustin Arbuckle & the Damnations on July <\/a>8, and Armored Saint on July 11.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Karen Akers<\/p><\/div>\n

On July 7, Karen Akers, a world-famous vocalist and cabaret artist will headline a show \u2013 \u201cSing the Shadows Away\u201d — at the<\/p>\n

Rrazz Room (6426 Lower York Road, New Hope, 888-596-1027, www.TheRrazzRoom.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Akers, one of America’s most arresting and successful concert and cabaret stars, has performed throughout the United States, Europe and the former Soviet Union.<\/p>\n

She has appeared in many prestigious venues worldwide from Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, New York’s Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and London’s Pizza on the Park. Her career also includes three performances at the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe full title of the show at the RRazz Room is \u2018Sing the Shadows Away \u2013 Songs of Doubts and Reassurances\u2019,\u201d said Akers, during a phone interview from her home in New York City.<\/p>\n

\u2018Originally, I was a folk singer. Accompanying myself on guitar. People would ask me for my autograph because they thought I was Joni Mitchell. She and I both had bangs, played acoustic guitar and sang.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came out at the time when there were great folksingers like Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, Carolyn Nester and Joan Baez. I saw Carolyn Hester play when I was in college. I was so impressed with her guitar playing that I cut off my fingernails to play like her.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, I couldn\u2019t play what I wanted to sing so I moved over laterally to more music theater and acts like Edith Piaff. Even when I was nine years old, I was impressed with the music of Edith Piaff. It was so emotional and direct. I also loved Harry Belafonte and a lot of Broadway scores.\u201d<\/p>\n

Akers\u2019 career path eventually led to Broadway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was singing in clubs in the late 70s into the early 80s,\u201d said Akers. \u201cThen, my life took another shift \u2013 to Broadway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Akers first appeared on Broadway in the original production of \u201cNine<\/a>,\u201d a musical directed by Tommy Tune<\/a> and based on the Federico Fellini<\/a> film \u201c8\u00bd<\/a>.\u201d She played <\/u>Luisa Contini, the wife of promiscuous film director Guido Contini (played by Ra\u00fal Juli\u00e1<\/a>). The show opened May 9, 1982, and had a successful run of 732 performances, closing February 4, 1984.<\/p>\n

Akers won a Theatre World Award<\/a> for her performance. She was one of three actresses in the show nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical<\/a>, with the award eventually going to fellow cast member Liliane Montevecchi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven years later, Tommy (Tune) cast me in \u2018Grand Hotel,\u2019\u201d said Akers. \u201cI loved doing those shows. It was very different than cabaret.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1985, Akers appeared in such feature films as Woody Allen<\/a>\u2019s \u201cThe Purple Rose of Cairo<\/a>\u201d<\/u> as a celluloid<\/a> chanteuse<\/a>, and in \u201cHeartburn<\/a>\u201d as the mistress of Jack Nicholson<\/a>\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

In 1989, Akers appeared on Broadway in \u201cGrand Hotel<\/a>,\u201d a musical adaptation of the novel and film, scored by Robert Wright<\/a>, George Forrest<\/a>, and Maury Yeston<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the Tony Award-winning musical \u201cGrand Hotel,\u201d Akers was reunited with Tommy Tune and \u201cNine\u201d cast members Liliane Motevecchi and Kathi Moss. The show opened November 12, 1989, for a run of 1,018 performances, through April 19, 1992.<\/p>\n

Akers is considered one of the best cabaret singers in America. She has a long history of performing in this area including benefits for People\u2019s Light and Theatre Company in Malvern and headlining shows at the long-gone Hotel Atop the Bellevue Cabaret<\/p>\n

Video link for Karen Akers — https:\/\/youtu.be\/xfD4_0wInLM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Rrazz Room will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Late Bloomer<\/p><\/div>\n

On July 10, Late Bloomer will be part of a quadruple-bill at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/a>) along with Bandname, Hurry and Yankee Bluff.<\/p>\n

Late Bloomer \u2013 drummer Scott Wishart, bassist Josh Robbins and guitarist Neil Mauney \u2013 are touring in support of the band\u2019s new album, \u201cWaiting\u201d (6131 Records).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album\u2019s release date was June 29,\u201d said Robbins, during a recent phone interview from his home in Charlotte.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a release show this Friday at Snug Harbor in Charlotte and then we head out on a three-week tour. \u2018Waiting\u2019 is our third full-length. We\u2019ve been together since 2012 and we put out a self-titled LP in 2013 in our post-college days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been out of college a few years and found the drummer at our local record store. Ever since I moved to Charlotte, I talked to Scot about starting a band. I met the guitar player in another band. We were all friends \u2013 and we liked playing together. We\u2019ve always been comfortable as a trio.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn \u2018Waiting,\u2019 Late Bloomer\u00a0showed that it is a band that has come into its own — both sonically and lyrically. The trio effortlessly harness the massive hooks of 90s alternative with the raw energy of punk and hardcore.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Waiting\u2019 in Northampton, Massachusetts,\u201d said Robbins. \u201cWe made the album with producer Justin Pizzoferrato at Sonelab last October. We did a demo in another studio, edited it down and did some demos on our own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started with close to 20 tracks and did demos of 14 of them. Then, we narrowed it down to a straight 10. Then, we did the final product with Justin. We spent four days at Sonelab with Justin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Late Bloomer took time to get the album ready for the recording session with Pizzoferrato, who had produced records for Dinosaur Jr, The Pixies, Speedy Ortiz, and Parquet Courts.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince we wrote over a period of time, I\u2019d write, and Neil would write. We realized we were hitting the same topics. Our experiences with life were just really close that way. As the songwriting progressed, we knew what the other person was thinking. The songwriting was a common experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this tour, we\u2019re doing a 30-miute set and 75 per cent of it is new sings. We play seven new songs, one from our first album and two from our second. Some of the songs we\u2019ll be playing live for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Late Bloomer \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/gWF9DIGB0Qs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle, which also features Bandname, Hurry and Yankee Bluff, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will present<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

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

\u2013 \u201cUnusual Ideas\u201d — An Evening of Magic, Mentalism & Comedy along with Marc Staudenmaier and Cassandra Dee on July 6;<\/p>\n

46 Sherman, Knightlife, and Los Festingos on July 7; and \u201cThe Second Annual Ben Arnold Summer Residency — Week 1\u201d along with Bet Williams on July 10.<\/p>\n

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

Splintered Sunlight (Grateful Dead tribute)<\/a> from July 5-7.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Joe Grushecky is a veteran rocker who was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He released his first album in 1969 while a young musician in the Steel City. Now, almost a half-century later, he still calls the area home. Pittsburgh is a blue collar, tell-it-like-it-is town and Grushecky\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[6518,10409,10405,10408,10407,10406],"class_list":["post-29014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-jeremy-and-the-harlequins","tag-joe-grushecky","tag-karen-akers","tag-late-bloomer","tag-shaun-eli"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29014","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=29014"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29015,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29014\/revisions\/29015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}