{"id":30520,"date":"2018-12-15T08:25:41","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T13:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=30520"},"modified":"2018-12-17T16:51:38","modified_gmt":"2018-12-17T21:51:38","slug":"on-stage-lindsay-sterling-does-it-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=30520","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Lindsey Stirling does it all"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Lindsey Stirling<\/p><\/div>\n

Lindsey Stirling is a rock musician \u2013 and a lot more. She dances, blends genres of music, does her own choreography, plays violin and is the consummate entertainer. She also is a successful writer who has several books to her credit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stirling released her eponymous debut album in 2012 and followed with \u201cShatter Me\u201d in 2014 and \u201cBrave Enough\u201d in 2016. Last year, she broke the two-year cycle and released \u201cWarmer in the Winter,\u201d an ebullient Christmas album, on October 20, 2017. <\/span><\/p>\n

On October 19, 2018, Stirling released \u201cWarmer in Winter Deluxe Edition.\u201d Now, Stirling is touring in support of the new disc with a holiday show billed as \u201cThe Wanderland Tour,\u201d named after one of the Deluxe Edition tracks \u201cI Wonder As I Wander.\u201d  The tour touches down locally on December 18 at The Met (858 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, <\/span>http:\/\/themetphilly.com<\/a><\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had wanted to do a Christmas album for a while,\u201d said Stirling, during a phone interview Friday afternoon from a tour stop in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love Christmas music. It\u2019s the time of the year when we celebrate Christ\u2019s birthday and the spirit of giving. The album was originally released last year. This year, we added extras and released the \u2018Deluxe Edition\u2019 with five additional tracks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The initial edition was a collection of 13 classic holiday songs including \u201cAll I Want for Christmas,\u201d \u201cJingle Bell Rock,\u201d \u201cLet It Snow,\u201d \u201cWhat Child Is This,\u201d \u201cI Saw Three Ships,\u201d and \u201cWarmer in the Winter.\u201d Also featured were \u201cDance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,\u201d \u201cAngels We Have Heard on High,\u201d \u201cTime to Fall in Love,\u201d \u201cYou’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,\u201d \u201cChristmas C\u2019mon,\u201d \u201cCarol of the Bells\u201d and \u201cSilent Night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had more songs done last year but some weren\u2019t ready yet,\u201d said Stirling. \u201cSo, I added five new songs this year like \u2018Santa Baby\u2019 and \u2018I Wonder As I Wander,\u2019 which is my favorite song on the album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The other three added tracks for the 2018 edition were \u201cMain Title from \u2018Home Alone\u2019 (Somewhere in My Memory),\u201d \u201cHallelujah,\u201d and \u201cWe Three Gentlemen (Medley of \u201cWe Three Kings\u201d, \u201cGod Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen\u201d and \u201cCarol Of The Bells\u201d).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Stirling explained what inspired her to do a Christmas album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople love these songs so much,\u201d said Stirling. \u201cI also realized they like their Christmas music to stay the same. It was a challenge to stay true to the originals and add my own touch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Stirling had the right response.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese songs have been done thousands of times in a lot of different ways,\u201d said Stirling. \u201cBut I\u2019m a violinist and there are not many violin Christmas albums. My music has a lot of variety \u2013 classical, big band, whimsical, spiritual, electronic \u2013 the Lindsey Stirling vibe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the past six years, Stirling has forged a path all her own \u2013 a sparkling blend of classical music and EDM (electronic dance music). She is equally at home playing a violin concerto with an orchestra or whipping the audience into a frenzy at an EDM rave.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was six, I started taking violin lessons,\u201d said Stirling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stirling also was involved in dance \u2013 ballet and modern \u2013 and pageants. When she was in high school in Arizona, she wrote a solo violin rock song, and her performance helped her to win the state title of Arizona’s Junior Miss and claim the Spirit Award in the America’s Junior Miss Finals competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI played classical music all my life,\u201d said Stirling. \u201cWhen I got to college, I lost my passion for it. I searched for a way to invigorate it. I was a student at Brigham Young University and started to listen to electronic dance music \u2013 Skrillex and dubstep. So, I combined EDM and classical. That\u2019s when I started to enjoy it again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Stirling incorporated dance, theater, electronica, ballet, classical music and personality into her music, her videos and her stage performances \u2013 and created something unique.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, the music is never the full story,\u201d said Stirling. \u201cI\u2019m such a visual person. When I\u2019m writing, I\u2019m not writing just for the music, I\u2019m writing for the visuals too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her current tour has a singular focus.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s solid Christmas,\u201d said Stirling. \u201cIt\u2019s a one-month tour from Thanksgiving to Christmas and it\u2019s all Christmas songs and Christmas visuals. It\u2019s that time of the year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Lindsey Stirling \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/4rR8jc6EPQM<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at The Met will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $39.95-$99.95. Every ticket for this show includes a digital download of \u201cWarmer in the Winter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another area show featuring an act that merges genres will take place on December 15 when the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, <\/span>www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a><\/span>) hosts Neville Jacobs \u2013 a two-city amalgam of funk and soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ivan Neville and Cris Jacobs<\/p><\/div>\n

Ivan Neville of New Orleans\u2019 first family of funk and Cris Jacobs, the soulful Baltimore-bred bandleader have joined forces to collaborate on their first full-length record \u2013 a self-titled, nine-song album that was released on September 28 via Harmonized Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

This unlikely duo came together in the most unlikely of ways. One day at New Orleans Jazz Fest, Neville and Jacobs found themselves killing time between gigs, seated next to each other at a poker table.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cChris and I met up a few times before that,\u201d said Neville, during a recent phone interview from his home in New Orleans. \u201cWe had been crossing paths for a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen we ran into each other playing poker in a casino. We talked about the music we liked and our bands \u2013 Dumpstaphunk and The Bridge. We thought it might not be a bad idea to get together and make some music \u2013 to come up with a couple songs. We came together a year later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Jacobs, \u201cI was killing some time one day during my first ever Jazzfest and I sat down to play some poker in Harrah\u2019s Casino. Coincidentally, there was an empty seat next to me and Ivan walked in and sat down.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognized each other from having crossed paths with our bands, Dumpstaphunk and The Bridge. We played poker for a few hours and chatted a bunch and left with a casual \u2018let\u2019s make some music together sometime\u2019 agreement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

About a year-and-a-half later, Jacobs and Neville got together for a few songwriting sessions in Baltimore.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a while to figure out the best way to make a record,\u201d said Neville. \u201cAnd, it took a while to find the right record company.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe got together a couple of times in Baltimore and a couple times in Louisiana. We made the record about three years ago over the period of about a week-and-a-half at Blade Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. Brady Blade produced it and played drums.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The rhythm section was completed with bassist Tony Hall, whom Neville had played with throughout his career. Hall and Blade played together as the rhythm section for Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Jewel and several others over the years. During the sessions, Jacobs and Neville invited Shreveport-based singer\/violinist Theresa Andersson to add some of her flavor to a few of the songs. And Aaron Neville, Ivan\u2019s father, lent his vocal to \u201cMakeup of A Fool.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe both brought our own songs,\u201d said Neville. \u201cAnd, we had the songs we co-wrote going back to our first musical meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe played together live a few times \u2013 Jam Cruise and a few sporadic dates. And, we also sat in with each other\u2019s band a few times.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The undeniable synergy between Neville and Jacobs created a fresh and timeless sound for their debut \u2013 equal parts soulful, funky, sweet, and dirty. This batch of well-crafted songs feature their two distinct voices and grooves complementing the other perfectly. This first chapter of Neville Jacobs is the beginning of what is sure to be a long lasting and fruitful collaboration between two truly unique talents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s chemistry, man,\u201d said Neville. \u201cThings just clicked. There\u2019s no blueprint. It happened by chance. We both are influenced by soul from the 70s and rock-and-roll. We both loved the great music that came out of the 70s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe both like the Stones, the Beatles and Sly & the Family Stone. He has a little more country flavor and I have funk. I know what I like, he knows what he likes, and we meet in the middle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Neville Jacobs \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/yVwQu6C60mg<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Ardmore Music Hall featuring Neville Jacobs with special guest Jeff Washington Band will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Another show this weekend at the venue is \u201cBeatles for Kids\u201d on December 16.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Lindsey Stirling is a rock musician \u2013 and a lot more. She dances, blends genres of music, does her own choreography, plays violin and is the consummate entertainer. She also is a successful writer who has several books to her credit. Stirling released her eponymous debut album in 2012 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[10836,6518,10835,10834],"class_list":["post-30520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-cris-jacobs","tag-featured","tag-ivan-neville","tag-lindsey-stirling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30520","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=30520"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30533,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30520\/revisions\/30533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}