{"id":29730,"date":"2018-09-22T11:23:04","date_gmt":"2018-09-22T15:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29730"},"modified":"2018-09-22T11:23:11","modified_gmt":"2018-09-22T15:23:11","slug":"on-stage-locks-at-sona-debuts-with-fitzsimmons-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=29730","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Locks at Sona debuts with Fitzsimmons show"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

William Fitzsimmons<\/p><\/div>\n

On September 22, the will be an area concert that has \u201cnewness\u201d written all over it.<\/p>\n

This Saturday night, William Fitzsimmons will visit the area for a show at the Locks at Sona (4417 Main Street, Manayunk, 484-273-0481, sonapub.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The Locks at Sona is a brand-new club that opened its doors for the first time this month.<\/p>\n

Fitzsimmons in touring in support of his new album \u201cMission Bell\u201d \u2013 an album so new it was just released on September 21.<\/p>\n

The veteran singer-songwriter recently partnered with\u00a0Clash Music\u00a0to premiere the official music video for \u201cAngela,\u201d the latest single from \u201cMission Bell.\u201d The record is a chronicling of the tumultuous last year of his life — particularly of the separation from his second wife.<\/p>\n

An initial version of the new album was recorded in Fitzsimmons\u2019 home studio but was subsequently abandoned during the course of, and as a result of, the separation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album happened twice,\u201d said Fitzsimmons, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time was in the summer of 2017. For personal reasons, I decided to get rid of it and start from scratch three months later. I went to Nashville, got a completely new producer and pretended the previous album didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the songs, but I didn\u2019t love the record. Now, the songs don\u2019t even exist for me. The recordings were mired in a lot of personal turmoil. The guy I was making the record with was having an affair with my wife.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took several months of chain-smoking cigarettes and going to therapy. The idea of picking up a guitar felt awful. But, those songs were mine and I didn\u2019t want to give them up.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2018, Fitzsimmons moved to Nashville and spent a month rebuilding the lost record with producer Adam Landry (Deer Tick, T. Hardy Morris, k.d. Lang, Vanessa Carlton). The resulting 10-song album tells the story of a decade-long marriage destroyed and eventually rebuilt from the ground up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went back, the songs felt good to play,\u201d said Fitzsimmons. \u201cEight songs survived \u2013 with some rewriting. The melodies and the chords were the same, but I had to update the lyrics. They dealt with the situation directly \u2013 in every way. I wanted to exorcise it. It was hard. It was a painful thing \u2013 very cathartic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new producer Adam Landry is a wonderful man \u2013 a spiritual guy. He was the one to do it. He was a bit of a therapist as well as a producer. We recorded it in Nashville, but I was still living in Jacksonville, Illinois. Then, I moved to Nashville four months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sonically, \u201cMission Bell\u201d is Fitzsimmons\u2019 first analog tape-centric album. The sounds are raw, real, and tangible. The familiar comforts of acoustic guitars are present but now joined generously by synthesizers, electric guitars, drum loops and violins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent six weeks making the album,\u201d said Fitzsimmons. \u201cWe worked a lot in tape. It was fun, but it was also terrifying. You have to work differently when you\u2019re using tape. But, tape is great. There\u2019s just something about magnetic tape doing the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simmons\u2019 most recent previous album was 2015\u2019s \u201cPittsburgh,\u201d a collection of seven songs about the city where he was born and raised. Fitzsimmons credits the gift of music to his mother, and consequently his grandmother.<\/p>\n

In October 2014, his grandmother passed away and during the three days spent putting her to rest, \u201cPittsburgh\u201d was formed. The seven songs were in memoriam to her and in remembrance of the city they shared. The album isn\u2019t a narrative or a eulogy. Instead, it is a collection of heartfelt, insightful songs with universal appeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe emotional aspect is a big part of my music \u2013 more than anything else\u201d said Fitzsimmons.<\/p>\n

Video link for William Fitzsimmons — https:\/\/youtu.be\/DOhnZ2n-yQw<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at the Locks at Sona will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

<PIG><\/p><\/div>\n

Raymond Watts is <PIG> and <PIG> is Raymond Watts.<\/p>\n

Watts is one of the pioneers of industrial music and has a long history of performing with, recording with or collaborating with such acts as Einst\u00fcrzende Neubauten, KMFDM, Foetus, Nine Inch Nails, Mona Mur, Schwein, En Esch, Sow and Guenter Schulz.<\/p>\n

On September 23, Watts will bring his latest incarnation of <PIG> to the stage at PhilaMOCA (531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, 267-519-9651,www.philamoca.org<\/a>). He will also be performing with his band on September 26 at the Chameleon Club (223 North Water Street, Lancaster, 717-299-9684,http:\/\/www.chameleonclub.net<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Watts, a native of London, England, first got noticed by music fans in the early 1980s in Germany. Watts contributed his skills as a songwriter and vocalist to several KMFDM albums, including the band\u2019s first album \u201cOpium\u201d in 1984. KMFDM, which is closing in on its 35th anniversary, still is going strong under founding member Sascha Konietzko.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved from England to Germany \u2013 to Hamburg \u2013 and met Sascha and En Esch,\u201d said Watts, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Dallas, Texas. \u201cWe started making some recordings together as KMFDM. I also had my own band called Pig.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pig and KMFDM are two of the earliest bands to bring industrial music to mainstream audiences.<\/p>\n

Pig\u2019s debut album was \u201cA Poke in the Eye… With a Sharp Stick\u201d in 1988. Watts and his band released seven albums over the next 17 years \u2013 \u201cPraise the Lard\u201d (1991), \u201cThe Swining\u201d (1993), \u201cSinsation\u201d (1995), \u201cWrecked\u201d (1996), \u201cGenuine American Monster\u201d (1999), \u201cPigmartyr\u201d (2004) and \u201cPigmata\u201d (2005).<\/p>\n

After a long hiatus, Watts\/<PIG> released \u201cThe Gospel\u201d in 2016 and \u201cRisen\u201d in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cI finished \u2018Risen\u2019 earlier this year,\u201d said Watts. \u201cIt was done by February. I recorded it at a little studio in West London \u2013 my home studio Ranch Apocalypse in Acton. The studio has a lot of analog gear and synths and I used some of them. The main thing when making the album was guitar and vocals.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy last album \u2013 \u2018The Gospel\u2019 \u2013 was me co-writing with Z. Marr (formerly with Combichrist). We also co-produced it. \u2018Risen\u2019 has more co-writing. Some of the songs started with riffs \u2013 bits and pieces that I had sitting on a shelf. I write and record quite quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m writing, sometimes it\u2019s on guitars and sometimes on keyboard. A lot of times, I write in my head. I\u2019ll sing it into my cell phone or scribble it down. I\u2019ve got reams of paper with bits of songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album is slightly an uncomfortable marriage \u2013 dark but with some celebration. One of the subjects is religious bigotry \u2013 but it\u2019s not just pointing fingers. I like religious music but it means different things to me than it does to most people.\u201d<\/p>\n

For this <PIG> tour, which is billed as the \u201cHell To Pay\u2026In The USA\u201d tour, Watts\u2019 band features Ben Christo on guitar and Vinny Velazco on drums.<\/p>\n

Christo, who was in Killswitch U.K. and Sisters of Mercy, also was in the Swedish band Ghost as one of the band\u2019s \u201cNameless Ghouls.\u201d Velazco, who was in Diamond Black and Pendragon, was also a \u201cNameless Ghoul.\u201d In Ghost, Christo was \u201cFire\u201d and Velazco was \u201cEarth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a leaner and younger <PIG>,\u201d said Watts. \u201cBen and Vinny, who played together in Ghost, are really good musicians. We\u2019re playing songs from \u2018Risen\u2019 and \u2018The Gospel,\u2019 some older <PIG> songs — and some KMFDM stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for <PIG> — https:\/\/youtu.be\/x3FqWvF-fcI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The all-ages show at PhilaMOCA, which has 7th Victim (Rodney from Dead Milkmen) as the opening act, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $17.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at PhilaMOCA are Steve Hauschildt (Emeralds), Helen Money and Brett Naucke on September 25 and Dark Web \u201cClone Age\u201d on September 26.<\/p>\n

The show at the Chameleon Club on September 26, which has Silver Walks as the opener, will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Chameleon Club are Supersonic on September 21, Heroes 4 Ransom on September 22, and The Ultramarines on September 22.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Steven Page<\/p><\/div>\n

On September 24, area fans of Barenaked Ladies will be in for a treat when Steven Page, the band\u2019s co-founder and former front man performs at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Steven Page Trio will headline a show that has Wesley Stace (a.k.a. John Wesley Harding) as the opening act.<\/p>\n

Page, whose tenor voice is distinctive, strong and instantly recognizable, left the Barenaked Ladies in 2009 but the BNL legacy never left him. He and his former bandmates were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame earlier this year. Page reunited with the band for the induction this past March \u2013 a night capped off by an exhilarating two-song performance at this year\u2019s JUNO awards.<\/p>\n

On September 14, Page released his fifth solo album \u2013 \u201cDiscipline: Heal Thyself, Pt.\u00a0 II\u201d — via Fresh Baked Goods\/Warner Music Canada.<\/p>\n

The album follows \u201cHeal Thyself Pt. I: Instinct,\u201d which was released in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started making Pt. II several years ago,\u201d said Page, during a phone interview Thursday from his home in Syracuse, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, I had a double album ready for release in 2016. Then, I realized it was too much stuff for people to digest. So, I divided it into two parts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, when I was getting ready for Pt. II, I kept five or six songs from the original. The new ones were done in March, April and May. I worked through June to get the record done \u2013 and I was still late. I did a U.K. tour without the album being released.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a distribution deal but it\u2019s on my own label and the album was self-financed. I have my own studio northeast of Toronto \u2013 Fresh Baked Woods Studio. It used ProTools and Logic \u2013 and some vintage gear. But, I\u2019d only use tapes as an effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did some of the album here and some at Craig Northey\u2019s Doghouse of Thunder Studio in Vancouver. We\u2019ve worked together a lot in the past. Some of the songs written this year are based on a musical about making music that I\u2019m working on in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscipline: Heal Thyself, Pt.\u00a0 II\u201d includes the new single \u201cWhite Noise,\u201d which targets America\u2019s \u201cWhite Nationalists.\u201d The song has a political bite and a musical snarl reminiscent of The Clash.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Clash were a big part of my growing up,\u201d said Page, a native of Toronto. \u201cThey were an influence on the song \u2013 and you can hear a little reggae in the middle of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhite Noise\u201d provides a naked look at the current political discourse south of the 49th parallel.<\/p>\n

According to Page, \u201cI grew up in a household where social justice was a fundamental value, and I always believed that it was a fundamental Canadian value as well as a central Jewish one. I\u2019ve watched how the term has been twisted and perverted by the Right over the last several years in an effort to diminish the voices of reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough I grew up politically aware, in a left-leaning household — which, in Canada, was not regarded as anything sinister until the mid-90s and beyond — it wasn\u2019t until I discovered the politically-charged music coming from the U.K. in the 1970s with The Clash and The Jam and 1980s during the Miner\u2019s Strike and the Red Wedge movement with Billy Bragg, Style Council, and the Communards that I became excited by the power of music and activism.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis song pays tribute to that music and was written in the wake of last year\u2019s events in Charlottesville. The open displays of racism and antisemitism, and the chants of \u201cJews Will Not Replace Us\u201d made me grab my guitar and tell them I\u2019d be more than glad to replace them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Page \u2013 with the Barenaked Ladies and as a solo artist \u2013 has never been reluctant to speak out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, almost everything I write has something to do with politics,\u201d said Page. \u201c\u2018White Noise\u2019 is most obviously inspired by current events.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this tour, my trio is Craig Northey on electric guitar and Kevin Fox on cello. I play acoustic guitar and sing. When we play live, it\u2019s as energetic as a rock show and as intimate as a house concert.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Steven Page \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/VyyLNmSfVKw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, which has Wesley Stace as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live are Nothing Wrong on September 22, Paul Thorn and Gina Sicilia on September 26 and Fickle Friends on September 26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times On September 22, the will be an area concert that has \u201cnewness\u201d written all over it. This Saturday night, William Fitzsimmons will visit the area for a show at the Locks at Sona (4417 Main Street, Manayunk, 484-273-0481, sonapub.com) The Locks at Sona is a brand-new club that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[6518,10637,10639,10636],"class_list":["post-29730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-locks-at-sona","tag-steven-page","tag-william-fitzsimmons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29730","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=29730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29731,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29730\/revisions\/29731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}