{"id":32301,"date":"2019-08-08T14:48:32","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T18:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=32301"},"modified":"2019-08-08T14:48:40","modified_gmt":"2019-08-08T18:48:40","slug":"on-stage-top-singer-songwriters-at-the-flash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=32301","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Top singer-songwriters at The Flash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span lang=\"EN\"><strong>By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, <\/span><em><span lang=\"EN\">Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9968\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/chapman.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9968\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9968\" src=\"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/chapman-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9968\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beth Nielsen Chapman<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">On August 9, Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org\/\">www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will present a dynamite double-header featuring two of America\u2019s most respected, veteran singer\/songwriters \u2013 Beth Nielsen Chapman and Dan Navarro.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Chapman\u2019s recording history dates back to 1980 when she released her debut album \u201cHearing It First.\u201d<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Since then, the twice Grammy-nominated artist has released 13 solo albums. She has also written seven Number One hits and songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Michael McDonald, Keb Mo\u2019, Roberta Flack, Waylon Jennings, Indigo Girls, &amp; Faith Hill\u2019s Mega-hit\u00a0\u201cThis Kiss,\u201d which was ASCAP\u2019S 1999 Song Of The Year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Chapman is now touring in support of her most-recent LP &#8212; \u201cHearts of Glass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cWith \u2018Hearts of Glass,\u2019 I was supposed to make a record with Charlie Peacock as producer,\u201d said Chapman, during a phone interview Wednesday morning as she rode Amtrak from Providence, Rhode Island to New York City.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cUnfortunately, our schedules didn\u2019t match up and we weren\u2019t able to do it. Instead, I worked with a young producer named Sam Ashworth at Art House Studios in Nashville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI put the basic performances down and then let him work with the tracks. I wanted the songs to be sparse with the emphasis on the songs rather than on the production.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI had a bunch of new songs along with three or four older ones I wanted to remake without a lot of production. One of the new songs \u2013 \u2018Epitaph for Love\u2019 \u2013 is one of my favorites. It took me 18 years to finish it and it really came out great. I just finished two more that I\u2019ve bene carrying around for six or seven years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cMy songwriting happens in different ways. I write on guitar, but I also write on keyboards, dulcimer and ukulele. Usually, I write the melody first. I\u2019ll hear the vowel sounds first.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Chapman\u2019s songs have been featured in film and TV. Diversity is a trademark of her work &#8212; from singing in nine different languages on\u00a0\u201cPrism\u201d (2007)\u00a0to\u00a0\u201cThe Mighty Sky\u201d (2012), a Grammy-nominated astronomy CD for kids of all ages. \u201cSand &amp; Water\u201d (1997), which was written in the wake of her husband\u2019s death,\u00a0was\u00a0performed\u00a0by\u00a0Elton\u00a0John to\u00a0honor the\u00a0memory\u00a0of\u00a0Princess\u00a0Diana.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">In the fall of 2016, Chapman, Olivia Newton-John and Amy Sky created and toured behind an inspiring project called\u00a0\u201cLiv On\u00a0\u2013 A New Album to Aid &amp; Comfort Those Experiencing Grief &amp; Loss While Using the Power of Music To Heal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI\u2019ve been doing a lot of different stuff,\u201d said Chapman. \u201cI\u2019ve been touring a lot in the U.K. I wrote a song for Keb\u2019 Mo\u2019 called \u2018Put A Woman In Charge.\u2019 I\u2019ve been nominated for a couple Grammys. I\u2019ve been doing a lot of teaching and writing \u2013 and being a songwriter on other people\u2019s projects.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Recently inducted into the Songwriter\u2019s Hall of Fame, Chapman is also a cancer survivor and environmentalist and\u00a0considers herself a\u00a0creativity midwife, passionate about\u00a0inspiring others to fully blossom into their creative life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">When Chapman was working on the final lyrics for the songs to be recorded for her \u201cBack to Love\u201d album in 2010, she struggled with completion. Then, a physical sign sent the alert that this was much more than just \u201cwriter\u2019s block\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u00a0\u201cI recorded it over a period of a year \u2013 2008-2009,\u201d said Chapman. \u201cThis time, when I was ready to finish it, I had a lot of trouble finding the lyrics. I got diagnosed with a brain tumor and that threw everything off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI\u2019ve always had a ringing in my ear because I\u2019ve had tinnitus since I was 11 and I still do. But I was getting this other sound in my ears \u2013 a very loud drone. I knew something was wrong, so I went to get an MRI done. The doctors told me that I had nothing wrong with my ears but that I had a brain tumor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">So, Chapman opted to have surgery done to remove the tumor. Fortunately, everything came out all right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI was so happy to wake up from surgery and see my brain working,\u201d said Chapman. \u201cThe good news was that all the trouble I had finishing songs was gone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cThe location of the tumor had it pressing on the left central lobe, which is the part that translates emotions into words. After the surgery, my brain was working again and writing lyrics was no problem. It\u2019s ironic because a lot of songs I was working on before the surgery actually related to what I was dealing with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Throughout her career, Chapman has been in demand as a keynote speaker and teacher of workshops on creativity, songwriting, grief, and healing through art, using a unique inspiring approach to tapping into the creative process. She has also taught at universities internationally including the Royal Scottish Academy of Music &amp; Drama, The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, and the Berklee School of Music among others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cHearts Of Glass\u201d is a powerful collection of songs that reach into the place within us where vulnerability meets strength &#8212; a place which is often where Chapman\u2019s songs will take you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cIn my live shows now, I\u2019m playing a lot of songs from \u2018Hearts of Glass\u2019 along with some new unrecorded ones,\u201d said Chapman. \u201cI also go all the way back and pull songs from all my albums. It\u2019s a pretty good mix.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Video link for Beth Nielsen Chapman &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/yj17oBIKBuU\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/yj17oBIKBuU<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9969\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/navarro.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9969\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9969\" src=\"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/navarro-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9969\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Navarro<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">There is a very strong probability that you know Dan Navarro\u2019s music \u2013 even if you\u2019ve never even heard his name. If you recognize the song \u201cWe Belong,\u201d you\u2019ve heard his music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Many, many music fans know Navarro \u2013 not as a solo artist but as one-half of the popular duo Lowen &amp; Navarro.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Lowen &amp; Navarro was a songwriting team composed of David Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro, who met in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">They wrote the song \u201cWe Belong,\u201d which became a major hit for Pat Benatar in 1984.\u00a0 They became active as a performing group in 1987. In 1990, they began to release a number of records of their own, including \u201cLearning to Fall\u201d and \u201cPurpose.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">In March 2004, Lowen was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease. Because of compromises to his playing and singing, Lowen ceased touring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The duo played its last shows in June 2009. Lowen died of complications of ALS on March 23, 2012 at the age of 60.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Now, Navarro is touring on his own \u2013 touring in support of his new album \u201cShed My Skin.\u201d After a career spanning decades and a dozen albums with Lowen &amp; Navarro, Navarro recently released his first true studio-recorded solo album this spring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI took it to Folk Alliance a little over a year ago,\u201d said Navarro, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Venice, California. \u201cIt was released to folk radio.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cThe record was taking a really long time to finish. I wanted to wait on promotion until it was completely finished. So, it came out sporadically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cIt went to community and college radio last year and reached the Top 10 in August 2018. It was officially released in February. Then, we got Europe distribution and released it overseas in March. It\u2019s gotten a lot of good reviews in Europe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Recorded and produced by Steve Postell, the album features Navarro (vocals, guitar, percussion) along with Postell (guitars), Jon Ossman (upright bass),\u00a0Brendan Buckley (drums),\u00a0Peter Adams\u00a0(piano),\u00a0Phil Parlapiano (accordion),\u00a0David Glaser (mandolin),\u00a0and Debra Dobkin (percussion).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI was determined to write everything alone,\u201d said Navarro. \u201cIt took some adjusting after writing for 20 years in a partnership. I went in with the 12 songs we used. The 12 songs include eight originals, a few obscure covers and a standard thrown in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Navarro<\/span><span lang=\"EN\">\u2019s career started as a songwriter &#8212; most often with\u00a0Lowen &#8212; for artists as diverse as\u00a0Pat Benatar, The Bangles,\u00a0Jackson Browne,\u00a0Dave Edmunds,\u00a0The Temptations,\u00a0Dionne Warwick,\u00a0The Triplets, Marco Borsato, and Rusty Weir.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI\u2019ve been in L.A. since high school,\u201d said Navarro. \u201cI grew up in Calexico (CA) and went to UCLA to study music. I moved to L.A. in 1969 and I\u2019m still living here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cThe thing about this run, it\u2019s not a comeback tour. It\u2019s what I do \u2013 and I keep doing it. I still have the energy to tour and do the drive. It\u2019s just me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cAbout 90 per cent of my shows are just me. It maximizes the finances. And, it\u2019s easier to move around. I\u2019m playing folk clubs so I can get away with solo shows. And, I never need to rehearse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Navarro<\/span><span lang=\"EN\"> has transitioned smoothly into a busy solo career over the past decade, touring nationally almost constantly.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">He has a parallel career as a voice actor and singer in films such as \u201cPirates of the Caribbean 5,\u201d \u201cThe Book Of Life,\u201d \u201cRio,\u201d \u201cHappy Feet,\u201d and \u201cThe Lorax\u201d and TV work on variety of shows including \u201cFamily Guy\u201d and \u201cAmerican Dad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI\u2019ve been doing solo work for 10 years now and I\u2019ve got it down,\u201d said Navarro. \u201cI do close to 100 dates a year. I don\u2019t see any need to retire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI do have to find new things to say. Our generation has to find a way to stay relevant. To do that, you have to say something worth hearing. I\u2019m not trying to be hip \u2013 but, I want to remain relevant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI look at success in a different way. I\u2019ve sort of separated myself from outcome. It\u2019s not that I don\u2019t care but I don\u2019t care. I wasn\u2019t that concerned about charting. I sang what I wanted to say the way I wanted to say it. With the new album, people tell me that they\u2019re moved by it and I consider that a success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Video link for Dan Navarro \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/H_uZGnqFlUc\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/H_uZGnqFlUc<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The show at Kennett Flash will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Other upcoming shows at Kennett Flash are Better Than Bacon on August 8, Warchild on August 10 and Ben Arnold on August 13.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9970\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/the-steel-woods.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9970\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9970\" src=\"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/the-steel-woods-350x213.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"213\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9970\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Steel Woods<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The Steel Woods are coming back. After playing a show at the Fillmore last year, the band is returning to Philly for a concert in the same building. On August 9, the band will be back in Philly for a show at The Foundry at the Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thefillmorephilly.com\/\">www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/a><\/span><span lang=\"EN\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Like their name, The Steel Woods are a hybrid musical force, part hard-edged, part Americana roots country folk, man-made, yet organic, rock but also bluegrass, R&amp;B, blues, gospel, soul and heavy metal \u2013 \u201cthe materials which America is built on\u201d according to co-founder Wes Bayliss.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The Nashville-based band is also steeped in the ethos of Southern Rock, with the music on its debut Woods Music\/Thirty Tigers release, \u201cStraw in the Wind,\u201d both timeless and indefinable, sounding like it could\u2019ve been recorded at any point during the past half-century.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">In January, The Steel Woods released their sophomore album \u201cOld News\u201d via Woods Music\/Thirty Tigers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Centered around the soulful and commanding vocals of lead singer Wes Bayliss and the instrumental prowess of guitarist Jason (Rowdy) Cope, The Steel Woods \u2013 Bayliss, guitar and vocals; Cope, guitar; Jay Tooke, drums, vocals; Johnny Stanton, bass &#8212; are a band steeped in Southern culture with a modern approach and powerful intensity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cWe\u2019ve been together for a little more than three years,\u201d said Cope, during a phone interview Wednesday evening from a tour stop in Connecticut. \u201cWe started touring pretty heavily in early 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cWes and I first met in 2015 in Dixon, Tennessee. We were backing a singer named Larry Fleet. Wes was hired to play guitar and sing. I was hired to play guitar. When Larry took a break that night, Wes and I stayed on stage and started playing a couple tunes. I was very impressed with his playing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cAfter that night, Wes and I started hanging out and fishing. We\u2019d hang out at fishing holes in Kingston Springs, Tennessee \u2013 and we\u2019d bring our acoustic guitars. We were fishing for smallmouth bass, redeye bass \u2013 anything that would bite. We were also fishing for songs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cIn spring 2105, it started to get real. We wrote together and cut some songs. Some were Wes\u2019 songs, some we co-wrote and some were from Brent Cobb. We did strategic songs in Nashville. We wanted to get in the radar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">One of the paths the duo travelled to get on the radar was unique.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cWe made a three-song EP,\u201d said Cope. \u201cThere is construction going on everywhere in Nashville. So, we went to all the construction sites and handed out free copies of our EP. We wanted to connect with the blue collar workes because our music is blue collar. We try to keep it real and honest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cThe first EP was self-titled. We followed up by adding three songs and making it a seven-song EP. Then, we added five more songs and that became the \u2018Straw in the Wind\u2019 album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Bayliss said, \u201cI met Rowdy and we had the same interests. So, we decided to put a band together. We had both been working in different projects. We found that we really had a lot of common interests. We went at it with an open mind and trusted each other\u2019s natural directions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI\u2019m more of a country player. He\u2019s a big-time pedal steel emulator but he likes to rock out. We write everything together. The main thing we wanted to focus on was to write really good songs. There\u2019s not a ton of big-league rock songs that have an Americana base. It\u2019s mostly about the lyrics first and then making it big and rocky.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The themes reflected on\u00a0\u201cOld News\u201d\u00a0range from perseverance to unity to hope and resilience. Inspired by conversations they had with people they met on the road, The Steel Woods strive to find common ground through shared life experiences and a musical connection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cOld News\u201d includes a Black Sabbath cover (\u201cChanges\u201d) and four tribute tracks that honor Tom Petty (\u201cSouthern Accents\u201d), Merle Haggard (\u201cAre The Good Times Really Over (I Wish A Buck Was Still Silver)\u201d), their dear friend Wayne Mills (\u201cOne Of These Days\u201d) and Gregg Allman (\u201cWhipping Post\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cWe started recording \u2018Old News\u2019 in June 2018,\u201d said Cope. \u201cWe spent six days at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, North Carolina \u2013 my hometown. Then, we went home and went to Blackbird Studio in Nashville to do the overdubbing and mixing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cRight now, we\u2019re trying to take our live show to the people. We\u2019re doing the West Coast for the first tine and we\u2019re playing in Europe in September. And. We\u2019re coming back to Philadelphia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Video link for The Steel Woods &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/7TNZyBPai5Q\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/7TNZyBPai5Q<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The show at The Foundry at the Fillmore, which has Lauren Calve as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Another upcoming show at The Foundry is Guccihighwaters, smrtdeath, LIL LOTUS, on August 9.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9971\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/holmes-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9971\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9971\" src=\"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/holmes-3-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9971\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christina Holmes<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">In the middle of July, Christina Holmes let everyone know what she was going to do for the rest of the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Holmes announced that she was going to join Donavon Frankenreiter on tour the remainder of the summer starting with a July 24 show in Deland, Florida. Last weekend, Holmes took a break from the tour and performed two days at the 2019 SalmonFest in Ninilchik, Alaska,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Now, she is back on the East Coast and has resumed her jaunt with Frankenreiter. The tour makes its way to the area this week and will touch down on August 8 at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ardmoremusic.com\/\">www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Holmes in on the road touring in support of her new album. Earlier this year, she released her third studio album, \u201cThe Beautiful Struggle,\u201d via her own label &#8212; Cove House Records.\u00a0 The 11-track album, which is her most personal, passionate, and powerful work to-date, made its debut at #13 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cThe album came out on May 31,\u201d said Holmes, during a phone interview Wednesday morning from a tour stop in Maryland. \u201cMaking the album was a year-and-a-half process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI recorded the album at Spitfire Studios in Los Angeles. I had recorded my second album, \u2018Stand Up,\u2019 there. I co-produced it with Warren Huart and it was a great experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cIt took two weeks to finish it the first time. Then, I wasn\u2019t happy with the way it turned out. I went to L.A. again and remade a lot of it. Then, I had to go back home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Home is Narragansett, Rhode Island for the singer-songwriter who is originally from HoHoKus, New Jersey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI grew up in HoHoKus,\u201d said Holmes, who plays guitar, bass, djembe, and piano.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cThen, I went to college at the University of Rhode Island and liked Rhode Island so much I stayed there. When I was in college, I knew that music was what I was supposed to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">After keeping a childhood songwriting ambition a secret, she went from braving open mics to brightening the spirits of bedridden hospital patients alongside the charity Musicians On Call. Following a seminal \u201cAmateur Night\u201d gig at the Apollo, she dropped her 2013 debut, \u201cPeace, Love, &amp; C. Holmes,\u201d and travelled around the country on a sold-out tour with Trevor Hall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">According to Holmes, \u201cI\u2019m so excited \u2018The Beautiful Struggle\u2019 is finally here. This album was a long time in the making and I hope that everyone feels the heart and soul that was poured into it.\u00a0 I want everyone to know that even when there is a lot of bad going on in their life or the world, they can always find the beauty in everything.\u00a0 I hope people walk away with the strength to know they can keep going on even in the darkest of days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">It took a while for the album\u2019s songs to develop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cI did most of the songwriting for the album over the last two years,\u201d said Holmes. \u201cBut, there are two songs on the album that I wrote when I was 15 or 16.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">When I\u2019m working on songs for an album, I just writer the songs and let the vibe develop. I just write what I\u2019m feeling. As I wrote the songs for the new album, I felt a theme develop \u2013 that life in general is a beautiful struggle. Struggles can be a good thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cEven making the album was a beautiful struggle. It took a few different sessions. The final session took place in early April. The album was mastered in April and I released it at the end of May<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">A true experience catalyzed the process as she mustered the courage to tell her then-girlfriend, \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">According to Holmes, \u201cWhen I met my wife, she had been previously with her husband. I was going through my thing, but I knew I was in love with her the moment I saw her. Since she was married, I didn\u2019t really express my feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cThe struggle was I knew who I wanted to be with, yet I couldn\u2019t. All of these wrenches kept getting thrown into the mix. I admittedly threw some of those in myself. Finally, we got married last year. The album covers the whole period.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">These \u201cstories of struggle\u201d comprise the entire body of work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Holmes explained the motivation associated with her new album, \u201c\u201cI hope people walk away with the strength to know they can keep walking. No matter what life throws at you, you\u2019re going to make your way through. I hope you feel good when you hear it.\u201d<br \/>\nVideo link for Christina Holmes &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/TA2fuhT5PyM\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/TA2fuhT5PyM<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The show at the Ardmore Music Hall will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">Other upcoming shows at the venue are John Eddie and Richard Bush &amp; The Peace Creeps on August 8 and Splintered Sunlight on August 10.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.keswicktheatre.com\/\">www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) will present \u201cThe Heavy Hittas of Comedy feat. DeRay Davis, Bill Bellamy, BSimone &amp; Desi Banks\u201d on August 10.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN\">The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.st94.com\/\">www.st94.com<\/a>) will host John Schneider \u00a0with Christian Davis on August 8, Blues &amp; Brews Ft. Mike Zito, Eric Steckel &amp; Damon Fowler on August 9, Shawn James \u00a0with New <\/span><span lang=\"EN\">Reveille \u00a0<\/span><span lang=\"EN\">on August 10, Edgar Winter Band with Chapell on August 13, and The Waifs on August 14.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times On August 9, Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0www.kennettflash.org) will present a dynamite double-header featuring two of America\u2019s most respected, veteran singer\/songwriters \u2013 Beth Nielsen Chapman and Dan Navarro. Chapman\u2019s recording history dates back to 1980 when she released her debut album \u201cHearing It First.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[11408,11409,10136,6518,10820],"class_list":["post-32301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-beth-nielsen-chapman","tag-christina-holmes","tag-dan-navarro","tag-featured","tag-the-steel-woods"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32301","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=32301"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32302,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32301\/revisions\/32302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}