{"id":30366,"date":"2018-11-29T08:50:03","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T13:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=30366"},"modified":"2018-11-29T08:50:07","modified_gmt":"2018-11-29T13:50:07","slug":"on-stage-americana-is-front-and-center-this-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=30366","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Americana is front and center this weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Old Sea Brigade<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the next few days, there will feature be several shows bound to pique the interest of fans of Americana music — concerts by Old Sea Brigade, The Bumper Jacksons and The Dirty Grass Players.<\/p>\n

On November 29, The Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150<\/a>, www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/a>) will present a concert featuring Old Sea Brigade, Tall Heights, and Frances Cone.<\/p>\n

Old Sea Brigade is the stage name of Ben Cramer, a singer-songwriter-guitarist from Nashville.<\/p>\n

Old Sea Brigade is now coming down the home stretch of a national tour that began on October 11 and includes just under 40 shows. The tour took a brief break on November 18 and resumed in Washington, D.C. on November 28.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m leaving Nashville today and heading out for the final four shows,\u201d said Cramer, during a phone interview Tuesday from his home in Music City.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a little lonely at the beginning — but, it\u2019s been fun. It\u2019s been an exciting time travelling the country with some close friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Old Sea Brigade has a new album \u2013 \u201cOde To A Friend \u2013 on Nettwerk Records.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fairly common for a music act to tour extensively when it finished a new album but OSB\u2019s tour has a difference. The album is not scheduled to be released until January 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a couple singles out and I felt that this tour was a right move,\u201d said Cramer. \u201cIt was a good way to get out to new markets \u2013 to put out the songs for people to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album itself is almost a year old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded \u2018Ode To A Friend\u2019 last December,\u201d said Cramer. \u201cWe mixed it throughout the past year \u2013 making subtle changes here and there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bulk of it was recorded in Fort Walton Beach, Florida at Print Ups Studio. It was nice to get out of Nashville. Jeremy Griffith produced most of it and I produced a few tracks. Then, I went back home to mix it. In the tracking phase, we knew how we wanted to do the mixing phase. We mixed it on an old analog console from the 1970s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Old Sea Brigade\u2019s music blurs and breaks barriers — tossing and turning between analog cinematic flourishes and provocative lyricism based on hard-won wisdom. Utilizing a variety of textures, Atlanta-born Cramer allows the emotion to resound loudest on \u201cOde To A Friend,\u201d which is his full-length debut.<\/p>\n

According to Cramer, \u201cI put myself into my own bubble. The music doesn\u2019t conform to one style. I\u2019m in Nashville, but this isn\u2019t straight ahead Americana or country. At the same time, it\u2019s not indie rock either. I chose to do something that felt like me. It\u2019s the best representation of my songwriting and what I grew up loving about music.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis go-around, I brought in a lot of production ideas, since I\u2019d been working with many artists in Nashville. I worked closely with Jeremy to bring the production to life. We went outside of the box and tried different things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cramer talked about the evolution of the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the songs, I\u2019ve had for a very long time,\u201d said Cramer. \u201cI wrote \u2018Fell You\u2019 six years ago when I was living in New York. I came in with a collection of 30 songs. We went through and picked the ones we thought were best.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted the album to be an ambient ethereal soundscape and to be a singer-songwriter record at the same time. At the core, we wanted it to feel like a singer-songwriter record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Old Sea Brigade \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/a2hvgn5cozA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The concert at The Foundry, which features Old Sea Brigade, Tall Heights, and Frances Cone, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at The Foundry are Protomartyr on November 30, Emo Night Brooklyn on December 1, Broadside and With Confidence on December 2, Eric Rachmany on December 4, and Roosevelt on December 5.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Bumper Jacksons<\/p><\/div>\n

On November 29, the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808<\/a>,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present The Bumper Jacksons with a show that is bound to get people out of their seats.<\/p>\n

The Bumper Jacksons \u2013 Jess Eliot Myhre (clarinet, vocals, washboard), Chris Ousley (acoustic & electric guitar, vocals, banjo), Dave Hadley (pedal steel), Alex Lacquement (upright bass), Dan Samuels (drums), and Joe Brotherton (trumpet) — pull together a vast array of early American traditions into a cohesive sound that includes country swing, old-time blues and brass-infused bluegrass. Powerhouse vocals and a hard-swinging rhythm section are flanked by adventurous pedal steel and a grooving horn section.<\/p>\n

Based in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area, The Bumper Jacksons are described as \u201chot and sweet — painting America\u2019s story from the streets of New Orleans\u00a0to Appalachian hollers. The Bumper Jacksons elegantly balance paying homage to the traditions while fashioning their own unique, playful\u00a0style.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChris and I met at a jam in D.C.,\u201d said Myhre, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from her home in the D.C. area. \u201cIt was a bluegrass\/swing jam. Chris was bringing skills from old-time Americana and I was bringing traditional New Orleans swing jazz.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe played music together for over a year until we decided to take it to a different level. We played as a duo and toured on bicycles. We grew organically over the next few years into the band we are now.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a few years, we solidified as a six-piece band. The line-up has stayed mostly the same the whole time except for our \u201cDan\u2019 drummers. Our original drummer was Dan Cohan, who played suitcase drum. He left a few years ago and our new drummer is Dan Samuels.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bumper Jacksons released their debut album \u201cSweet Mama, Sweet Daddy, Come In\u201d in 2014 and followed with their \u201cToo Big World\u201d LP in 2015. Their latest album \u2013 \u201cI\u2019ve Never Met A Stranger\u201d \u2013 was released in May 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we first started, we played a lot of traditional jazz and old-time country,\u201d said Myhre, who grew up in Stuart (Florida), attended Wesleyan University (Connecticut) and then moved to New Orleans after graduation. \u201cThe \u2018Too Big World\u2019 album was the first time we melded the sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn \u2018I\u2019ve Never Met A Stranger,\u2019 a lot of arrangements are more intricate. We\u2019ve taken a variety of American music structures and then mixed them well. We recorded the album at Tonal Park, a studio in Takoma Park, Maryland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI produced the album along with Alex, our bass player. Charlie Pilzer, the studio\u2019s owner, and Dan Godwin did the mixing and mastering. We all worked together on it. We\u2019re pretty collaborative.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though the music is a meld of styles and has intricate arrangements, that\u2019s not the main thing. What\u2019s most important to us is that we keep our stuff simple and groovy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Bumper Jacksons \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Mq9Q7uy_51I<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theatre, which has Hambone Relay as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19.50 and $29.50.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theatre are Bobby Collins on November 30, Chris Smither on December 1, Livingston Taylor on December 2, Winterfest on December 4 and Christmas with the Celts on December 5.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Dirty Grass Players<\/p><\/div>\n

On November 30, The Dirty Grass Players will visit the area for a show at 118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

There are some similarities between The Dirty Grass Players and The Bumper Jacksons. Both have their roots in traditional American folk-country. Each had their most recent album release in May 2017. And, both bands have their roots in the \u201cOld Line State.\u201d Most importantly, they both make music that is authentic, intense and \u2018down and dirty\u201d hip-shaking.<\/p>\n

Hailing from Baltimore, The Dirty Grass Players have established themselves with a blend of traditional bluegrass and blazing musicianship that pushes boundaries. Featuring Josh Ballard (bass), Alex Berman (banjo), Crosby Cofod (fiddle), Ben Kolakowski (guitar) and Ryan Rogers (mandolin). The \u201cDirty Grass\u201d appellation came from their ability to mesh jam band improvisation with downhome bluegrass.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been together for four years already,\u201d said Berman, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his home in the Baltimore area. \u2018The core of the band is the original three \u2013 Ben on guitar, Ryan on mandolin and me on banjo. Josh joined the band seven months ago and Crosby has been with us for three months.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all started as an informal gathering \u2013 Ben, Ryan and me getting together every Monday drinking beer at Ben\u2019s place and jamming together. We originally net through playing music. It\u2019s been 10 years now.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen and Ryan went to school together at Delaney High School in Timonium and UMBC (University of Maryland \u2013 Baltimore County). I went to Atholton High School in Columbia and Howard Community College.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere used to be bluegrass jams every other week at this club in Ellicott City called The Friendly Inn. I listened and thought \u2013 hey, I can do this. I had been paying guitar in a rock band and picked up a banjo to start playing bluegrass.<\/p>\n

\u201cBluegrass was a pretty big thing in Baltimore in the late 1950s and through the 1960s. Bluegrass legends Del McCoury and Bill Monroe met in Baltimore in the early 1960s.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dirty Grass Band has set out on a journey to add to Baltimore\u2019s bluegrass history.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first show was in Glen Burnie, Maryland about four years ago,\u201d said Berman. \u201cIt was at an outdoor festival \u2013 on the back of a truck.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe released our first CD last year and have a new one coming soon. We\u2019ve gone from playing on the back of a truck for $200 to selling out a show at The Soundry (a new music hall in Columbia).\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s eponymous debut album was recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ernesto Ponce at Moose House Studio in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to start recording again in January,\u201d said Berman. \u201cWe\u2019re thinking about recording it ourselves and then finishing it at Patuxent Music in Rockville. We want to have the album done and released by April.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re already sliding some new songs into our live shows. We were on Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd tribute shows so we have those songs we can play too. We\u2019re trying to appeal to bluegrass fans and jam band fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Dirty Grass Players — https:\/\/youtu.be\/Qjy6_A6Kwxs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at 118 North, which has Hepner’s Rebellion<\/a> as the opening act, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Dan Rendine Trio on November 29, Smash Palace and Chris Hillis on December 1, Brian Collins on December 2, Larry McKenna\u2019s New Voices Cabaret<\/a>\u00a0 on December 4, and Open Mic hosted by Raph Cutrufello with featured act Brian Seymour on December 5.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

7Horse<\/p><\/div>\n

If you really want to rock out on November 30, head to Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528<\/a>, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/a>) to catch the show by 7Horse.<\/p>\n

7Horse is an American rock and blues duo formed in 2011 most notable for its song \u201cMeth Lab Zoso Sticker,\u201d which was featured in Martin Scorsese\u2019s film \u201cThe Wolf of Wall Street\u201d — in the second trailer and on the soundtrack. \u00a0It was also used by FoxSports on the pre-game show for the NFL playoff season.<\/p>\n

The group consists of Phil Leavitt (songwriter, drummer, and lead vocals) and Joie Calio (songwriter, guitars, bass, and vocals) — musicians who also make up two-thirds of the band dada.<\/p>\n

7Horse began as a hypothetical — What if, longtime band mates Joie Calio and Phil Leavitt thought, we bury our musical\u00a0past and see if we can discover rock \u2019n\u2019 roll\u2019s Ground Zero?<\/p>\n

That question was explored in bold fashion on the duo\u2019s\u00a02011 debut \u201cLet the 7Horse Run\u201d and continued on its sophomore album \u201cSongs for a Voodoo Wedding.\u201d. 7Horse\u2019s third album \u201cLivin\u2019 in a Bitch of a World\u201d was released in 2016.<\/p>\n

The band has a new album that will be released soon. Like Old Sea Brigade, 7Horse headed out on a national tour prior to the album\u2019s release. 7Horse\u2019s \u201cSuperfecta\u201d album will officially be released on December 7. 7Horse just released a single titled \u201cWhat Is America?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt that the next thing had to be more an incremental journey,\u201d said Calio, during a recent phone interview from his home in Seattle, Washington.<\/p>\n

The band did several things differently on its new album.<\/p>\n

For previous albums,\u00a0the two veteran musicians traded ideas and riffs online. For \u201cSuperfecta,\u201d they decided to travel a new route with several months of\u00a0pre-production and writing together in person. The result was an expansive, daring take on\u00a07Horse\u2019s\u00a0blues-rock sound.<\/p>\n

Additionally, \u201cSuperfetcta\u201d marks the first time Leavitt and Calio have not produced the music themselves. Instead, they collaborated with an outside producer \u2013 Grammy Award-winning mixer\/producer\u00a0Dave Way, who is known for his work with Michael\u00a0Jackson, Foo Fighters, Paul McCartney, and Pink.<\/p>\n

And, for the first time, Calio and Leavitt added a third musician \u2013 in the studio and on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith our previous albums, I\u2019d send Phil a riff and he\u2019d send me some lyrics \u2013 or he\u2019d send me a riff and I\u2019d add some lyrics,\u201d said Calio. \u201cThe process was working.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time, we decided to frontload it more. We decided to spend two months writing together. We also decided that we needed one more rudder to steer this thing \u2013 to keep it in focus. Dave Way has been mixing out stuff since Day One. This time, we got him involved from the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother thing was the addition of Brian Whelan, a guy who we had considered to produce the album. He\u2019s a really talented multi-instrumentalist. He has a great voice and we sung really well together. And, he\u2019s a great, great keyboardist.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhil and I wrote about 20 songs for the album and then recorded 13 to get to 11 \u2013 songs about love, death, money and the power of music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest new influence was the decision to use Way in a bigger way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did everything at Dave\u2019s studio in Mulholland Hills this time,\u201d said Calio. \u201cHe makes really good decisions and has a great sense of music. His studio has a lot of good amps and guitars \u2013 and a lot of analog gear. The key is to have both analog and digital. We try to keep it real \u2013 an organic sound \u2013 a great classic sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for 7Horse \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/BRQSZrw_akg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle, which has MSB as the opener, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Boot and Saddle are Haerts on November 29, Beggars on December 1, Parker Gispert on December 4 and Marisa Nadler on December 5.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

David Bromberg<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295<\/a>,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will present David Bromberg solo on November 30 and Open Mic with guest host Sarah Koon and DJ Gingerfox on December 2.<\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043<\/a>, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>) will host Heston on December 1.<\/p>\n

The Colonial Theatre (Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610- 917-1228<\/a>, www.thecolonialtheatre.com<\/a>) presents Steve Earle & the Dukes: 30th Anniversary of \u201cCopperhead Road\u201d with special guest The Mastersons on November 30.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389<\/a>,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will host Gingerbomb with Homestead Collective on November 29, Cliff Eberhardt with Louise Mosrie on November 30,<\/p>\n

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547<\/a>,\u00a0www.burlapandbean.com<\/a>) will present Gingerbomb with Homestead Collective, and Michelle Lewis and Seth Glier on December 1.<\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650<\/a>,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents Sinbad on December 1.<\/p>\n

The Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577<\/a>, www.thegrandwilmington.org<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The Locks at Sona (4417 Main Street, Manayunk, 484- 273-0481<\/a>, sonapub.com<\/a>) present The Return of Phil Roy & Friends on November 29, Kenn Kweder and the Men From Wawa on November 30, Ronstadt Revue on December 1, and David Ryan Harris with special guest Sharon Little on December 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Over the next few days, there will feature be several shows bound to pique the interest of fans of Americana music — concerts by Old Sea Brigade, The Bumper Jacksons and The Dirty Grass Players. On November 29, The Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[7343,5590,6518,10790,10791,10792],"class_list":["post-30366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-7horse","tag-david-bromberg","tag-featured","tag-old-sea-brigade","tag-the-bumper-jacksons","tag-the-dirty-grass-players"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30366","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=30366"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30367,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30366\/revisions\/30367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}