{"id":30909,"date":"2019-02-06T09:26:48","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T14:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=30909"},"modified":"2019-02-06T09:26:53","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T14:26:53","slug":"on-stage-rkcb-comes-to-philly-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=30909","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: RKCB comes to Philly tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

RKCB<\/p><\/div>\n

Card players who specialize in bridge might get confused if they do a Google search and see that RKCB will be in Philadelphia on February 6. In their world, RKCB is a bridge play that means Roman Key Card Blackwood.<\/p>\n

Music fans, however, will not be confused when they see a listing for a concert by RKCB.<\/p>\n

They know that RKCB is an LA-based production duo comprised of Riley Knapp and Casey Barth, whose alchemic sound fuses neo-soul, modern electronic R&B and dreamy synth-pop with avant-garde lyrics.<\/p>\n

On February 6, RKCB will play Philly as part of the \u201cRKCB & Shoffy: See For Yourself Tour\u201d \u2013 an all-ages show at the Voltage Lounge (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602, www.voltagelounge.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both went to the same program at USC (University of Southern California) and met at a master class,\u201d said Knapp, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Dallas, Texas. \u201cCasey was a songwriter and I was a drummer. We actually were both drummers and both did production.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had heard of each other but not heard each other. After hearing each other\u2019s stuff at the master class \u2013 songs that we had written individually — we decided to work together. In our first session, we wrote \u2018Comatose<\/a>.\u2019 We decided to put it up online, and it took off. The rest is history.\u201d<\/p>\n

RKCB makes music that is original, catchy, soulful and, most importantly, genre-spanning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never sat down and said \u2013 this is the style of music we want to play,\u201d said Barth. \u201cThe blend of genres is a combination of our influences. We both have different musical backgrounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cRiley is from Arizona and he was into punk-pop and emo. I\u2019m from Boston and I\u2019ve been into R&B, soul and electro. Brian Eno has been a big influence. My older brother was into experimental music and he turned me on to Eno. The textural sounds we use to introduce ambient music into pop music are influenced by Eno.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sense of cohesiveness permeates RKCB\u2019s music.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re writing songs, it\u2019s usually an in-the-room collaborative process,\u201d said Knapp. \u201cIt ends up being more natural. We both do everything \u2013 writing, arranging, producing. We have our own studio in Highland Park. Frequently, we go in with nothing and come out with something good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both are accomplished producers and songwriters who have worked with artists such as Tinashe Julia Michaels and Kacy Hill. After spending the majority of 2018 in seclusion in the studio, RKCB returned to the spotlight late last year with the release of two singles, \u201cAlone With You Pt. 2\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cKnow Love.\u201d\u00a0The duo\u2019s new\u00a0EP \u201cShores\u201d is coming out on February 22.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be our fourth EP,\u201d said Barth. \u201cWe released \u2018Short Films\u2019 in 2014, \u2018In Contrast\u2019 in 2016 and the \u2018B-Sides EP\u2019 in 2017. We\u2019ve also released a variety of singles. We have a good amount of material out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for RKCB \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/HridIKL6fJ0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The all-ages \u201cRKCB & Shoffy: See For Yourself Tour\u201d concert at the Voltage Lounge, which will start at 8 p.m., also has Satellite Mode as the opener. Tickets are $15.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Thomas Dybdahl<\/p><\/div>\n

When Thomas Dybdahl plays the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>) on February 6, he will be focusing on songs from his new album \u201cAll These Things.\u201d The album, which was made with Grammy Award-winning music producer Larry Klein, was written and recorded in Los Angeles in June 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis album is the second that Larry Klein and I worked on together,\u201d said Dybdahl, during a phone interview Monday morning from a tour stop in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked on my \u2018What\u2019s Left Is Forever\u2019 in 2013. We just hit it off and became good friends. I\u2019d help him when he was working with other artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dybdahl, one of Norway\u2019s most notable musicians, made his U.S. full-length debut with \u201cSongs,\u201d which was released July 2011 on Strange Cargo, a new label created by Klein in partnership with Decca Records\/Universal Music Group. In celebration of the release, Dybdahl joined Tori Amos\u00a0on the U.S. leg of her Night of Hunters\u00a0tour.<\/p>\n

That record was an intimate album of lush, intricately orchestrated pop and Dybdahl was described by the British music newspaper NME\u00a0as \u201cNorway\u2019s answer to Nick Drake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strange Cargo\u2019s Klein has produced work by Tracy Chapman, Shawn Colvin, Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell and Madeleine Peyroux\u00a0among others and has won five Grammy awards.<\/p>\n

Dybdahl made his Strange Cargo\/Manhattan Records debut with \u201cWhat\u2019s Left Is Forever,\u201d which debuted at No. 1 on the Norwegian album char. The album\u2019s first single, \u201cThis Love Is Here To Stay,\u201d climbed to No. 2 on the radio airplay chart in his homeland.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll These Things\u201d is the next step in Dybdahl\u2019s continued collaboration with Klein.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an idea,\u201d said Dybdahl. \u201cWe wanted to do an album that was super old-school \u2013 to get the best session musicians available and then go to one of the big room studios left in L.A. We wanted to make a live record. We did it in three days at Sunset Sound. You have to trust your instincts when you\u2019re doing three songs a day in a studio like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album features a stellar cast of musicians with a discography long enough to fill an encyclopedia \u2013 because Klein brought in the absolute best to fit these nine new songs. James Gadson (drums), Dean Parks (guitars), Patrick Warren (keys), Dan Lutz (bass), Brian MacLeod (drums) and David Baerwald (guitar) comprise the main band on the record.
\nDybdahl has a CV that can match up with these players. He received the Norwegian \u201cAmanda\u201d award, the highest honor for a film composer. He has also worked as a producer, songwriter and as a front man in the band The National Bank, as well as guesting with other acts ranging from Morcheeba to French singer Melanie Pain all the way to folk icon Judy Collins.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe players on the record are so versatile \u2013 so good at what they do,\u201d said Dybdahl. \u201cThey take on an identity. Some of them were on the first record I did with Larry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a super-produced album like my last one. It was a totally different experience. I\u2019m used to doing all the stuff by myself and building songs piece-by-piece. I got so bored working alone. I wanted to get involved with more people.<\/p>\n

\u201cPre-production was more intense. We needed everything blocked out. We wanted a live album, but we didn\u2019t want a jamming album. It was more about the vibe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, I ended up writing with a bunch of great writers. I get little groups of writers together and block out arrangements. I worked with Lera Lynn, who is an amazing writer \u2013 and she was the bar singer in \u2018True Detective.\u2019 We co-wrote \u2018All These Things.\u2019 Working with her was a real treat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Thomas Dybdahl \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/XJC35ygCTnw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live on February 6 featuring Thomas Dybdahl and Kenny White has Norton Scott Star Vehicle as the opener. The music will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Card players who specialize in bridge might get confused if they do a Google search and see that RKCB will be in Philadelphia on February 6. In their world, RKCB is a bridge play that means Roman Key Card Blackwood. Music fans, however, will not be confused when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[6518,10960,10961],"class_list":["post-30909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-rkcb","tag-thomas-dybdahl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30909","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=30909"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30910,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30909\/revisions\/30910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}