{"id":29188,"date":"2018-07-23T09:17:59","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T13:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29188"},"modified":"2018-07-23T09:18:04","modified_gmt":"2018-07-23T13:18:04","slug":"on-stage-madison-cunningham-is-more-electric-than-she-might-seem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29188","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Madison Cunningham is more electric than she might seem"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Madison Cunningham<\/p><\/div>\n

Madison Cunningham is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Southern California. If you look at publicity photos of her, you\u2019ll see a pleasant-looking artist with long blonde hair holding an acoustic guitar.<\/p>\n

So, you might be tempted to think \u2013 here\u2019s another young, sensitive singer-songwriter ready to strum chords on her nylon-stringed guitar while singing heartfelt sings about almost anything.<\/p>\n

Then, if you listen to her music, a light goes off inside your head and you\u2019re reminded of the old adage \u2013 don\u2019t judge a book by its cover.<\/p>\n

Cunningham does play acoustic guitar, but she really shines when she plays electric guitar. Listen to her music and you hear rock and blues-influenced riffs that perfectly complement her complex, insightful lyrics.<\/p>\n

Cunningham will make her area debut on July 23 when she shares the bill with Punch Brothers at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Cunningham\u2019s new single \u201cBeauty Into Clich\u00e9s,\u201d is out now via\u00a0Verve Forecast. The single is accompanied by a second track, \u201cSo Long, Frank Lloyd Wright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cunningham recently signed to\u00a0Verve Forecast\u00a0and is currently recording her debut full-length LP.\u00a0Her new music follows the release of last year\u2019s debut EP,\u00a0\u201cLove, Lose, Remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Orange County native first picked up a guitar at age seven, and by age 12 was singing and performing alongside her five siblings in church.\u00a0By the time she was 15, Cunningham realized songwriting was a passion she wanted to pursue — citing Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan as key inspirations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew in Costa Mesa but I now live in North Hollywood,\u201d said Cunningham, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Arizona.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a family for five girls and my father was a worship leader in church. The first time I sang was at church when I was four. By the time I was 12, I was singing at church three-to-four times a week \u2013 for four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really fell in love with guitar. I found it interesting and gratifying. I didn\u2019t think of its as a career. It was a really fun hobby.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was 16, my friends introduced me to new artists. I thought to myself \u2013 I\u2019d love to do this. I got in the mode of trying to practice and have a deeper understanding of guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cunningham worked hard at the craft and before long was ready to take it public.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first gig was with a friend at House of Blues Disney when I was 17,\u201d said Cunningham. \u201cOne of my first L.A. performances was at a comedy club. I was playing coffee shops in Orange County. After a little while, I was playing shows in L.A. every week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cunningham discovered singer\/songwriters who became her primary influences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was listening to a lot of 70s music and that influenced me,\u201d said Cunningham. \u201cI was listening to Jeff Buckley, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neal Young.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded my EP when I was 16 at a studio in Burbank with my friend Tyler Chester. We recorded two days live in the studio and then released the EP on our own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI opened a show at Mollusk\u2019s Surf Shop in L.A. The people there knew Mike Viola at Verve and arranged a meeting. When I sat down with him, it felt good. It fit like a glove, so I signed with Verve last October. The rest is history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next on tap is her debut album.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just wrapping up the writing phase,\u201d said Cunningham. We\u2019re going to record the album live in El Paso, Texas in August at the Sonic Ranch Studio. It will probably take seven days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI already have 15 songs written. For me, something that launches a song is a riff or a melody. Then, I try to write the lyrics right away. I try to let my subconscious roll.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Madison Cunningham \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/FJACaLQLQ_w<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Union Transfer, which also features Punch Brothers, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Union Transfer are Raphael Saadiq on July 24 and Lucius on July 25.<\/p>\n

July 25 is a good day to look to the past in music. There will be area shows by Tom Bailey, who was a founding member of the Thompson Twins in 1977; D.O.A., a Canadian punk rock band that had its start in 1978; and the Tartan Terrors, who have been making music for more than a quarter-century.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tom Bailey<\/p><\/div>\n

Bailey, who has established a solid solo career over the years, will be performing Wednesday night at The Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 202-730-3331, www.thequeenwilmington.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The Thompson Twins had huge hits on both sides of the Atlantic, with songs such as \u201cHold Me Now,\u201d \u201cDoctor Doctor,\u201d \u201cYou Take Me Up\u201d and \u201cLove On Your Side.\u201d The band also enjoyed big success on the US dance chart with \u201cLies,\u201d \u201cIn the Name of Love,\u201d \u201cHold Me Now\u201d and \u201cIn the Name of Love \u201888\u201d all reaching Number 1.<\/p>\n

In 1985, the band played Live Aid at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia where they were introduced by Madonna to a crowd of over 100,000 and an estimated global TV audience of 1.9 billion across 150 nations. They were later joined on stage during their performance by Madonna and Nile Rodgers.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhiladelphia will always be special to me,\u201d said Bailey, during a phone interview last week. \u201cLive Aid \u2013 what an event and we were right in the middle of it. We were making an album with Nile Rodgers at the time. The three of us were in New York so we put together a live band for the gig. It was a superstar event.\u201d<\/p>\n

After many years away, Bailey returned to the live stage in 2014 with headline shows in the U.S. and Japan \u2013 including the Retro Futura Tour. He headlined six major festivals in the UK.\u00a0 In April 2016, Bailey won the \u201cBest Live Show 2015\u201d award in UK\u2019s Classic Pop magazine ahead of Duran Duran, Kylie and Kraftwerk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Retro Futura Tour really got me back into playing Thompson Twins songs live again,\u201d said Bailey. \u201cHoward Jones asked me if I wanted to do the tour. I did \u2013 and, for some reason, it just kept going. I\u2019ll still slip some Thompson Twins songs into my live set now \u2013 depending on how much time I have to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bailey released his first new music in 25 years earlier this month with a solo album \u2013 \u201cScience Fiction\u201d \u2013 that came out on July 13. The album is produced by Bailey along with production assistance from Hal Ritson (Chemical Brothers, David Guetta).\u00a0 It was recorded all over the world (France, New Zealand, London) with the studio being Bailey\u2019s laptop and set of headphones.<\/p>\n

The songs on \u201cScience Fiction\u201d cover a variety of genres from synth-pop meets soca to stadium pop. All the new songs feature Bailey\u2019s signature flair for hook-laden, radio-friendly tunes.\u00a0\u00a0 The first single from the album, \u201cWhat Kind Of World,\u201d recently had its premiere on AXS.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the album in a lot of different places over the last few years,\u201d said Bailey. \u201cI was working on it using my laptop and headphones. I developed this way of working where I don\u2019t have to use studios.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to writing songs, it can start with a riff, a lyric, a melody or a story idea. It\u2019s easier if a hook, line or lyric appear early in the process. If I spot something good, I go after it. The mood of the song informs me the way to play it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this album, it was an umbrella idea \u2013 using images of looking up at the sky. When the song \u2018Science Fiction\u2019 came along, it seemed to be a good title for the album. It covers the area of the album \u2013 the mindset of looking at the sky. I\u2019d been doing some work with songs about astronomy.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the songs were about cosmic relationships \u2013 the view out the window. As a pop writer, the make-up is to have songs that people can sing along with.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Thompson Twins made songs that people can sing along with. The 80s was a golden age of pop music. That music \u2013 including the Thompson Twins music \u2013 has withstood the test of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Tom Bailey \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/uY44qxXuYfA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Queen will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

DOA<\/p><\/div>\n

D.O.A., Canada\u2019s legendary pioneering punks who set the bar high for punk and basically invented hardcore, are ready to rip it up to celebrate their 40th anniversary. They have a brand-new album \u2013 \u201cFight Back\u201d \u2013 and have embarked on a worldwide tour to support this impressive new effort. D.O.A.\u2019s line-up features the \u201cGodfather of Hardcore\u201d Joe \u201cShithead\u201d Keithley (guitar, vocals) along with the manic rhythm section of Paddy Duddy (drums) and Corkscrew (bass).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re doing 22 shows in 28 days \u2013 15,000 miles,\u201d said Keithley, during a recent phone interview from his home in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

One of those shows will be on July 25 at the Voltage Lounge (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602, www.voltagelounge.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started writing songs last August and November and then did the recordings in February and March. It was up by May and then we had the tour coming up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made the album with Cecil English. He has a great studio in his basement. He\u2019s done it for ages and he\u2019s 62 now. We\u2019ve recorded five of our albums with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early reviews indicate that\u00a0\u201cFight Back\u201d\u00a0is the most innovative\u00a0D.O.A.\u00a0album since\u00a0\u201cWar on 45,\u201d a seminal album that was released in 1982. D.O.A.\u00a0has always been right on the pulse of what\u2019s going on in our screwed-up world.\u00a0\u2018Fight Back\u201d\u00a0deals with what we have left.<\/p>\n

According to Keithley, \u201cWhen you really think about it, income inequality and disparity is at the root of a lot huge problems, like environmental degradation, war, sexism and hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFight Back,\u201d which was released on Keithley\u2019s own label Sudden Death Records, is a scathing and timely piece. The album opens with acerbic \u201cYou Need an Ass Kickin\u2019 Right Now,\u201d rips right into the startling \u201cKiller Cops,\u201d and then smashes into the anthemic \u201cTime To Fight Back,\u201d which is street punk resistance at its fiercest. The vibe of the album is also obvious in other track titles \u2013 \u201cGonna Set You Straight,\u201d \u201cI Just Got Back From the USA,\u201d \u201cWe Won’t Drink This Piss\u201d and \u201cYou Can’t Stop Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keithley said, \u201c”In our modern world that is stuffed with ever increasing episodes of racism, sexism, greed and warmongers, it\u2019s time say enough is enough — time to fight back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album when Trump was running for president. We took our old song \u2018F***ed Up Ronnie\u2019 and re-did it as \u2018F***ed Up Donald.\u2019 We had it out in about five weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sensed that he was going to win. He\u2019s been successful in everything he\u2019s done \u2013 hook or crook \u2013 and he\u2019s gotten away with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

D.O.A. was formed amidst a whirlwind of controversy and upheaval. In 1978, three guys fresh out of high school from the backwaters of Canada’s suburbs heard about the punk rock revolution. In February of that same year the band formed and started playing shows. They soon realized that there were no record deals coming in any time soon.<\/p>\n

Keithley, who was working towards being\u00a0a civil rights lawyer before he found punk rock, formed a fledging record label called\u00a0Sudden Death Records and the label released D.O.A.\u2019s first record — the\u00a0\u201cDisco Sucks\u201d 7-inch EP.\u00a0 The song soon became an underground hit and the band started\u00a0touring from Vancouver to their newly adopted home base of\u00a0California five to six times a year.<\/p>\n

In 1980,\u00a0Keithley\u00a0coined\u00a0the term \u201chardcore\u201d and the band soon released its landmark album\u00a0\u201cHardcore 81.\u201d The album became a hit, the hardcore movement took\u00a0off, and\u00a0D.O.A.\u00a0pushed that expression into common vernacular.<\/p>\n

Over the last four decades,\u00a0D.O.A.\u00a0have released 17 studio albums,\u00a0sold over a million albums, and played 4,000 shows on five different\u00a0continents. The band’s albums, shows, and attitude have won over three\u00a0generations of fans and influenced the likes of Green Day, Nirvana,\u00a0Offspring, Henry Rollins, David Grohl and The Red Hot Chilli\u00a0Peppers.<\/p>\n

Keithley\u00a0has also written two books \u2013 \u201cI Shithead: A Life in Punk\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cTALK – ACTION = 0.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m writing songs, I try to get the lyrics first \u2013 a couple lines of a chorus,\u201d said Keithley. \u201cIf you have an idea, you can write the musical mood to suit the lyric. I love songwriting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, Keithley has had 16 different full-time members playing in D.O.A.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe line-up we have now has been together since March 2014,\u201d said Keithley. \u201cThe three of us have probably done 250 shows together. We\u2019ve toured Europe three times and China twice. We play really well together, and the fans keep showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for D.O.A. \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Wr-yUWGpmX8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Voltage Lounge will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/p>\n

The calendar might say that the date is July 25, but it will seem like March 17 to the music fans inside the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>). On Wednesday evening, the venue is presenting a show by the Tartan Terrors.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tartan Terrors<\/p><\/div>\n

Based on Ontario, Canada, the Tartan Terrors are their own Celtic Invasion mixing rock\u2019s energy with traditional folklore, dance, and humor. With an arsenal featuring classic pipes and fiddle, driving drum tones, and signature guitar styles, Tartan Terrors are winning over audiences everywhere.<\/p>\n

The Tartan Terrors — Keith McGonigle, Chris Kerba, Peter Mc Arthur, Daniel Pentecost, Jake Saenz, Ellen Wilkes Irmisch, and her brother Ian Wilkes Irmisch –bring a kilted extravaganza of a two-time World Champion bagpiper, championship Highland dancers, comedic fun and a most of all a Celtic musical party. They are known worldwide for their performances in festivals, Highland games, theaters and for entertaining US presidents, British queens and TV audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our 26th year together,\u201d said Ellen Wilkes Irmisch during a phone interview last week from her home in Burlington, Ontario.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all goes back to when our grandmother came to Canada as a war baby from the U.K. She wanted to keep the Celtic tradition, so she had her kids study Highland dancing. My mom continued it. She was a dance teacher and a Highland dance judge at the world level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI studied a lot of dance — tap, jazz, Highland — and musical theater. I went to Ryerson University and studied piano, percussion, dancing, performing arts and singing. That\u2019s where the roots were planted, and it\u2019s been growing ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

A member of the British Association of Teachers of Dance (BATD), Irmisch is Fellow in Ballet, Stage, Highland, and a member Scottish National, Step Dance and Freestyle. She has taught for over 29 years and, until 2009, headed the Academy of Film & Performing Arts, a facility her mother started in 1961.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tartan Terrors got started in the 1990s,\u201d said Irmisch. \u201cMy brother and I worked the Ontario Renaissance Faire. I brought up two Highland dancers and we got great response. The owners of the Ontario Renaissance Faire also owned the Maryland Renaissance Faire and they hired us for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group continued to grow and expand its repertoire. Over the years, the Tartan Terrors became an act that was in high demand \u2013 for faires, festivals and concerts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe play a lot of Celtic festivals,\u201d said Irmisch. \u201cAnd, we\u2019ve played the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire many times.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made our first album in 1998. We recorded our latest album \u2013 \u2018An Tosu\u2019 \u2013 in 2016. It means \u2018the beginnings\u2019 in Gaelic. We have a nice blend of instrumentals and vocals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our live shows now, we try to play a little from each album. From \u2018An Tosu,\u2019 we play \u2018An Tosu\u2019 and two others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also try to play a few traditional songs \u2013 self-written traditional songs \u2013 in our set. And, people always want to hear our instrumental version of \u2018Amazing Grace.\u2019 We have a lively show and we encourage everybody to get up \u2013 to sing, clap and dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Tartan Terrors \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/KMjXxLt4F7s<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $39.50<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Madison Cunningham is a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Southern California. If you look at publicity photos of her, you\u2019ll see a pleasant-looking artist with long blonde hair holding an acoustic guitar. So, you might be tempted to think \u2013 here\u2019s another young, sensitive singer-songwriter ready to strum chords on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[10456,6518,10454,10457,10455],"class_list":["post-29188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-doa","tag-featured","tag-madison-cunningham","tag-tartan-terrors","tag-tom-bailey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29188","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=29188"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29189,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29188\/revisions\/29189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}