{"id":29397,"date":"2018-08-14T09:49:06","date_gmt":"2018-08-14T13:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29397"},"modified":"2018-08-14T09:49:10","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T13:49:10","slug":"on-stage-ladysmith-black-mambazo-at-longwood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29397","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Longwood"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Ladysmith Black Mambazo<\/p><\/div>\n

There are dozens of music acts with \u201cSmith\u201d in their names including Aerosmith, Echosmith, Gunsmiths, Smiths, DJ Whitesmith, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Robert Smith, Locksmith, Smith, Goldsmith, Smithereens, Patti Smith, Wordsmith, Silversmith, G.E. Smith, Tinsmith, Elliott Smith, Blacksmith, and The Tunesmiths.<\/p>\n

Two of them will be performing in the area on August 14 \u2013 Ladysmith Black Mambazo here in Chester County and Echosmith on the Camden Waterfront.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday evening, Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000,\u00a0www.longwoodgardens.org<\/a>) will host the legendary South African a capella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.<\/p>\n

Very few music acts from Africa have become popular around the world rather than just in their home countries. One of the exceptions is Ladysmith Black Mambazo \u2013 South Africa\u2019s high-stepping, globe-trotting vocal group that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just got nominated for a Grammy for our album \u2018Shaka Zulu Revisited\u2019,\u201d said LBM singer Albert Mazibuko, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Truro, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original \u2018Shaka Zulu\u2019 album was the first record that got us nominated for a Grammy. We also released a children\u2019s album last year that got a nomination.\u201d<\/p>\n

On November 28, 2017, Ladysmith Black Mambazo received Grammy Award nominations for the group\u2019s two 2017 albums.\u201d\u00a0Songs of PEACE & LOVE for Kids & Parents Around the World\u201d\u00a0has been nominated for Best Children\u2019s Album of 2017.\u00a0\u201cShaka Zulu Revisited\u201d\u00a0has been nominated for Best World Music Album of 2017.<\/p>\n

It marked Ladysmith Black Mambazo\u2019s 18th and 19th Grammy Award nominations during the past 30 years. Ladysmith Black Mambazo has won Grammy Awards four times– 1988, 2004, 2009 and 2013. The group was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2016 for the album\u00a0\u201cWalking in the Footsteps of Our Fathers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s name comes from the singers\u2019 hometown (Ladysmith), the ox (Black) and the ax (Mambazo) because of the way LBM cut down its opposition in singing competitions.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Shabalala started the group in 1960 and I\u2019ve been with them ever since 1969,\u201d said Mazibuko. \u201cWe grew up in the same family. His grandfather was married to my grandfather\u2019s sister. We were all born in Ladysmith, which is 200 miles from Johannesburg and 200 miles from Durban.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his family, there were eight and in my family six. We all lived in one place and the music was always there. My grandparents were ifingoma \u2013 fortune tellers. My grandmother would sing every night to the spirits that possessed her \u2013 traditional singing with drums and dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shabalala and Mazibuko still are the foundation of the group as well as the musical directors.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph is 76 now so he has been staying home,\u201d said Mazibuko, who still lives in Ladysmith. \u201cI\u2019m in my 70s and I\u2019m still dancing. I\u2019m surprised that my body is still the same as it was when I was in my 40s. Our body is something that is amazing. With what I do, if I stretch and prepare properly, I have no problems singing and dancing like I always have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ladysmith Mambazo took a real look at its past with one its most recent albums \u201cSongs from a Zulu Farm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph and I had been talking about all the time we were visiting places when we were growing up. We realized it would be nice if we could record the songs we sang as children. So, that\u2019s what we did on \u2018Songs from a Zulu Farm\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt came out really well. We sang the songs, expanded them and added more music. Then, when we went into the recording studio, other songs came up. The only song that was new to my ears was \u2018Old McDonald\u2019. Some of Joseph\u2019s grandsons and relatives knew the traditional songs so we invited them to join us in the studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so enjoyable doing all those old songs. Selecting which songs to sing and record was a collective effort. Everyone contributed. And, we talked a lot about the songs and what order to put them in for the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew all the songs from when I was young. My favorite is \u2018Leliyafu\u201d which is about clouds in the sky. It means \u2018Clouds, Move Away!\u2019. When I was a child, it would be cold, so we\u2019d sing to the clouds — telling them to go away so the sun would be out.\u201d<\/p>\n

While an accurate total of albums released by Ladysmith Black Mambazo is almost impossible to determine, it\u2019s safe to say that the band\u2019s latest album \u201cWalking in the Footsteps of Our Fathers\u201d is somewhere between the 60th\u00a0and the 70th.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s patriarch Joseph Shabalala may have left the touring band but his influence is still strong. And, the mantle is being carried by his four sons \u2013 Joseph Shabalala, Thamsanqa Shabalala, Sibongiseni Shabalala and Thulani Shabalala.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the new album last year,\u201d said Mazibuko. \u201cIt was a very exciting project because it was the first time that the Shabalala boys went to the studio without their father\u2019s guidance. Everything was up to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur aim is that, if possible, Ladysmith Black Mambazo will be around for a long time \u2013 even though we are threatened by the modern way of music.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lively singing group has achieved a status as South Africa\u2019s cultural emissaries at home and around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was nine, I formed my own group \u2013 Isicathamiya, which is a Zulu word meaning tiptoe dancing,\u201d said Mazibuko. \u201cYou lift the leg up and then stomp it hard when you bring it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The music style known as Isicathamiya was born in the mines of South Africa. Black workers were taken by rail to work far away from their homes and their families.<\/p>\n

Poorly housed and poorly paid, they would entertain themselves after a six-day week by singing songs into the wee hours every Sunday morning. When miners returned to the homelands, the tradition returned with them.<\/p>\n

Mazibuko said, \u201cWe feel that if Ladysmith Black Mambazo can continue singing isicathamiya, younger people will realize that if you do your own thing and work hard, you can be a success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Ladysmith Black Mambazo \u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/iUH7PM0-cpI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Longwood Gardens will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $33, $43 and $53. Ticket price includes all-day Gardens admission.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Echosmith<\/p><\/div>\n

On August 14, Echosmith will bring its lively, energetic brand of indie-rock to the BB&T Pavilion (1 Harbour Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey, 856-225-0163,\u00a0www1.ticketmaster.com<\/a>)\u00a0when it shares a bill with headliner Pentatonix.<\/p>\n

Even before Echosmith released its debut album \u201cTalking Dreams\u201d in 2013, the Los Angeles alt-pop band had been gaining popularity at an amazing rate. The Sierota siblings — Sydney (vocals\/keyboard), Jamie (vocals\/guitar), Noah (vocals\/bass), and Graham (drums) \u2013 grew up in Southern California in a musical household and shared a love for playing instruments and listening to bands as varied as Coldplay, The Smiths, U2, Joy Division, and Fleetwood Mac.<\/p>\n

The multi-platinum alt-pop sibling trio just completed a 25-show headlining tour and then almost immediately returned to the road to join Pentatonix on a massive North American summer tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting on this tour was random,\u201d said Noah Sierota, during a phone interview at the beginning of the month from a tour stop in Pelham, Alabama.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t get asked until just weeks before it started. We had just gotten back from a headlining tour that ran from mid-May until mid-July. We also had a show in Japan between the tours. We haven\u2019t been home a bunch this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Echosmith most recently dropped the infectious radio single,\u00a0“Over My Head,”<\/a>\u00a0which has accumulated close to 20 million streams and is ridung high on the Hot AC chart.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Over My Head,\u2019 which will be on our new album, came out in late March \u2013 right before our headline tour,\u201d said Sierota. \u201cWe\u2019re now thinking about another. We have a song \u2013 a mid-to-uptempo song \u2013 that we\u2019re thinking about. We\u2019ll make the decision soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

As soon as they could hold instruments, the Sierota sibligs began playing music together as kids. They traded the living room for farmers markets and open mic nights, while quietly honing their songwriting chops.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalking Dreams\u201d earned a prestigious RIAA gold certification, yielding the double-platinum breakout smash \u201cCool Kids,\u201d which notched a quarter-of-a-billion Spotify streams, and the platinum-certified \u201cBright.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2014, Echosmith was named both an MTV \u201cArtist to Watch\u201d and a VH1 \u201cYou Oughta Know\u201d Artist. They have performed all over national TV, from Ellen and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with \u201cCool Kids\u201d to Live!<\/p>\n

Last month, the band released its new single \u201cOver My Head,\u201d which is the first taste of the next album that\u2019s coming this summer. It\u2019s also the latest release since the band returned with the \u201cInside A Dream\u201d EP<\/a>\u00a0last fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur dad was a musician and songwriter,\u201d said Sierota. \u201cHe played piano and drums. We all got to learn everything \u2013 bass, guitar, upright bass, synthesizer. And, we all play drums. It makes songwriting sessions more fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith songwriting, we start with what we bring to the group \u2013 melodies or an idea. We write with our dad too. We care about the message we send out. It\u2019s a fun process. Usually, a story idea comes first, and we look for a message.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though the siblings are young \u2013 Graham 19, Sydney 21, Noah, 22 \u2013 they have been doing this for a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started at a very young age,\u201d said Sierota. \u201cAbout 12 years ago, we all played together at a cancer benefit. We played songs by Rage Against the Machine, Rihanna and Coldplay. Ever since then, we\u2019ve been trying to find places to play. We avoided the pay-for-play scene in L.A. \u2013 too much pressure and not my favorite way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did our first recording when we started having a studio at our house. Eventually, we got on YouTube. But, nothing worked until we got signed to Warner Bros. We did a free concert at Warner Bros. pretty soon after we got signed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another step in the band\u2019s development was playing on the Warped Tour in 2013 and 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Warped Tour is a tough tour \u2013 but it\u2019s a fun tour,\u201d said Sierota. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like it. Every single city \u2013 it\u2019s the hottest day. But, you learn that to work in the music industry, you\u2019ve got to grind it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe released our first album in 2013 and it\u2019s been all EPs since then. Our new album is done but we\u2019re still figuring out details. It has no name yet. We do have all the songs done, mixed and mastered and we\u2019re working on the visual components. We\u2019ve had time to work on every aspect.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we just have to deal with the business timing. We\u2019re actually getting some definite plans set. It\u2019s a little more synth-heavy than our first album. We keep growing as a band and our sound is a little more diverse that it was five years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Echosmith — https:\/\/youtu.be\/W-QliajJLdE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at BB&T Pavilion, which also features Pentatonix and Calum Scott, will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices start at $25.<\/p>\n

The BB&T Pavilion will be rocking out two nights in a row. On August 15, the venue along the Camden Waterfront will host a show featuring Breaking Benjamin, Five Finger Death Punch and Nothing More.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nothing More<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the years, the Texas-based band Nothing More has established reputation for consistency, integrity and making good music.<\/p>\n

Founded in 2003 in San Antonio, Texas, Nothing More still has two of the four original members (plus another who joined two years in) \u2013 and a track record of releasing only quality material.<\/p>\n

Since the band\u2019s inception, it has cultivated a rapturous fanbase the old-fashioned way — by releasing groundbreaking music, tirelessly touring and cultivating a relationship with their fans that transcends trends<\/p>\n

In 15 years, the band has released just five studio albums. Nothing More\u2019s latest full-length\u00a0\u201cThe Stories We Tell Ourselves\u201d features Jonny Hawkins (vocals), Mark Vollelunga (guitar), Daniel Oliver (bass) and Ben Anderson (drums) pooling their talents develop a sonic palette comprised of elements ranging from progressive metal to pop.<\/p>\n

Nothing More is still touring in support of \u201cThe Stories We Tell Ourselves,\u201d which was released September 15, 2017 on Better Noise Records.<\/p>\n

Recently, the band was nominated for three Grammy Awards. \u201cThe Stories We Tell Ourselves\u201d was nominated for best rock album, and its single \u201cGo to War\u201d (which scored the band its first\u00a0No. 1 on\u00a0Billboard\u2019s Mainstream Rock Songs<\/a>\u00a0chart) was nominated for best rock performance and best rock song. The group is the only act to receive nominations in all three categories.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark and Jonny formed the band in 2003 when they were still in high school in San Antonio,\u201d said Oliver, during a recent phone interview from a tour stop in The Woodlands, Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joined the band in 2005. We took a vow of poverty and dropped out of college to pursue it full-time. We didn\u2019t have a \u2018Plan B.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cOne reason that attracted me to the band was that they took it really seriously. Our philosophy was D.I.Y. We didn\u2019t need a record label. We became a big band in San Antonio. Things grew steadily, and, after a while, we were a regional band. We played enough shows that there was enough money to keep the band going. We learned how to do a lot of things on our own \u2013 including record production. Jonny is a great producer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each band member had individual skills that contributed to Nothng More\u2019s D.I.Y success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was more into mechanical engineering,\u201d said Oliver. \u201cFor example, I converted our van to run on vegetable oil. I also did welding for our stuff onstage. We\u2019re only four dudes and we made it work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nothing More made three albums in the 00\u2019s \u2013 \u201cShelter\u201d\u00a0(2004), \u201cSave You\/Save Me\u201d\u00a0(2007) and \u201cThe Few Not Fleeting<\/a>\u201d\u00a0(2009). The Texas quartet followed with \u201cNothing More<\/a>\u201d in 2014 and \u201cThe Stories We Tell Ourselves<\/a>\u201d in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything was steady cruising even before the label came on board with our self-titled record,\u201d said Oliver. \u201cWe made the album with Kickstarter before we even had a label.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band spent several years recording \u201cNothing More<\/a>, released it independently in June 2013, and then began touring in support of the album. A big break occurred in September at the 2013\u00a0Aftershock Festival<\/a>. After a successful show on the first day of the festival, the band was asked to come back and perform on the second day to replace a bigger-named band at one of the show’s larger stages.<\/p>\n

The shows exposed them to a much larger crowd than they usually played. After playing a powerful set at the second show, the band finally began getting a number of record label offers. In March 2014, the band signed a five-album deal with Eleven Seven Music<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The \u201cNothing More<\/a>\u201d LP\u00a0was then given a much wider release by the label on June 4, 2014.\u00a0The re-released album charted — debuting at number 33 on the\u00a0Billboard 200<\/a>\u00a0— and sold close to 10,000 copies in its opening week.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter signing with Eleven Seven, things really took off,\u201d said Oliver. \u201cWe toured the album a lot in 2014 and 2015. Then, we started working on the new album in January 2016. Our deadline was June 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did the drums at Orb Studio, which is located just outside Austin. The rest was tracked at our band house and at Jonny\u2019s studio in his apartment. \u2018Go to War\u2019 was the first single and the next single was \u2018Do You Really Want It?\u2019 The third single was \u2018Who We Are\u2019 and \u2018Just Say When\u2019 is the current single.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve bene playing a lot of songs from the album in our shows. We\u2019ve been on the road a lot. We just got back from playing festivals in Europe and now we\u2019re on a big tour with Breaking Benjamin and Five Finger Death Punch. As usual, we\u2019re keeping really busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Nothing More \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/T3E6AKDbI2Y<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on August 15 at the BB&T Pavilion, which also features Breaking Benjamin and Five Finger Death Punch, will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices start at $30.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times There are dozens of music acts with \u201cSmith\u201d in their names including Aerosmith, Echosmith, Gunsmiths, Smiths, DJ Whitesmith, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Robert Smith, Locksmith, Smith, Goldsmith, Smithereens, Patti Smith, Wordsmith, Silversmith, G.E. Smith, Tinsmith, Elliott Smith, Blacksmith, and The Tunesmiths. Two of them will be performing in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[10193,6518,8642,10521],"class_list":["post-29397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-echosmith","tag-featured","tag-ladysmith-black-mambazo","tag-nothing-more"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29397","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=29397"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29398,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29397\/revisions\/29398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}