{"id":33998,"date":"2020-03-05T06:33:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T11:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=33998"},"modified":"2020-03-05T06:33:08","modified_gmt":"2020-03-05T11:33:08","slug":"on-stage-the-lil-smokies-much-more-than-a-snack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=33998","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: The Lil Smokies much more than a snack"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

The Lil Smokies<\/p><\/div>\n

If the act headlining a show at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/a>) on March 5 sounds more like a sausage links brand then a music band, there is a good reason.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band that will perform at the South Philadelphia venue is The Lil Smokies, a Montana-based bluegrass\/Americana band featuring <\/span>Matt Cornette (banjo), Andy Dunnigan (vocals, dobro), Scott Parker (bass), Matt \u201cRev\u201d Rieger (guitar, vocals), and Jake Simpson (fiddle, vocals).<\/span><\/p>\n

Around 10 years ago, the first configuration of the band was assembled in Missoula, Montana when a few musicians met at a jam while attending the University of Montana. There have been several line-up changes over the years, but the current line-up has been stable for the last few years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI joined just over four years ago,\u201d said Rieger, during a phone interview Monday morning from a tour break in Philadelphia. \u201cAnd, this is coming up on Jake\u2019s fourth year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been 10 years of being friends and musical comrades. The band took off around 2015 and became an established part of the string band world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band members are linked together in influences and can play some smokin\u2019 songs but should not because of their name be confused with Hillshire Farm Lit’l Smokies Smoked Sausage. There is a believable explanation for the band\u2019s unusual name.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Dunnigan, \u201cFor our first ever official paid gig, we were welcomed to our green room with nothing but a twelve pack of beer, toothpicks, and a silver tray of Lit\u2019l Smokies sausages. We devoured them. Being that it was our first gig, we were also nameless, and when asked after our set what our band name was, we gazed to that empty tray of toothpicks and had our answer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Drawing on the energy of a rock band and the Laurel Canyon songwriting of the 1970s, The Lil Smokies are reimagining their approach to roots music on\u00a0\u201cTornillo,\u201d named for the remote Texas town where the album was recorded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Produced by Bill Reynolds (The Avett Brothers, Band of Horses) at Sonic Ranch,\u00a0\u201cTornillo\u201d\u00a0is the band\u2019s third studio album. Formed in Missoula, Montana, The Lil Smokies have built a national following through constant touring.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe bands started in Missoula and is still based in Montana,\u201d said Rieger. \u201cFor several months of the year \u2013 the summer months \u2013 Montana is one of the most beautiful places in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe people there love this band. They see us as their child sent out into the world to achieve greatness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sonic Ranch is an internationally acclaimed live-in recording complex located on a huge pecan farm in Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

On \u201cTornillo,\u201d The Lil Smokies dove deep into their well of influences\u2014most notably Laurel Canyon songwriters from the 1970s\u2014and used their traditional string band instruments to craft very non-traditional songs and arrangements. Throughout the album\u2019s 11 tracks, the band found itself moving into new sonic territory. With Reynolds at the helm, hints of drums, baritone guitar, and synth pads wove their way into the band\u2019s usual instrumentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent 10 days at Sonic Ranch,\u201d said Rieger. \u201cIt was a great environment. We got most of the tracking done in a few days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded in one big room facing each other. Ninety per cent of what you hear came from that. The recording process was lovely \u2013 just us sitting around in a circle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur \u2018pre-production\u2019 for the album was hitting the road prior to the session to see how the new songs were received by the audiences. Now, you can expect to hear almost all of the songs from \u2018Tornillo\u2019 played every night.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Lil Smokies — https:\/\/youtu.be\/IG4bCNBaohA<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show on March 5, which has Quaker City Night Hawks as the opening act, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 6, you have a choice of live shows representing an array of music genres from which to choose \u2013 hot jazz, stoner rock, Anglo-Irish\/Cajun, sludge metal, and intergalactic space disco.<\/span><\/p>\n

This weekend, top-flight jazz will be in the menu in Kennett Square.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Matt Cappy<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) is presenting a concert by The Matt Cappy Band on March 6.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cappy, a trumpeter, composer and arranger from Berlin, New Jersey, has been recording, touring and performing with the biggest names in music since graduating from The University of The Arts in Philadelphia. He has performed around the globe from small clubs to big venues, appeared on national television shows and performed at major music festivals for more than twenty years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cappy\u2019s studio credits include Michael Jackson\u2019s \u201cButterflies\u201d and Earth, Wind, & Fire\u2019s \u201cElevated.\u201d He has recorded on multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winning albums, including Fred Hammond\u2019s \u201cFree to Worship\u201d and Kirk Franklin\u2019s \u201cThe Fight of My Life,\u201d which both won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Album in 2008 and 2009, respectively. He also recorded on the John Legend and The Roots album \u201cWake Up!\u201d (Grammy Award for Best R&B Album 2011) and Alejandro Sanz\u2019s \u201cSirope\u201d (Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album 2015.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Cappy has recorded on nearly a dozen gold and platinum certified albums, including Experience: Jill Scott 826+, a live gold selling album that is widely considered a genre-defining staple and signature of the Neo Soul Movement. Matt has toured with Jill Scott, Maxwell, The Roots, Kirk Franklin, Mary J. Blige, The Mavericks, Queen Latifah, and Patti LaBelle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Highlights of these tours include playing at the North Sea Jazz Festival and Hollywood Bowl with Jill Scott, appearing in Dave Chappelle\u2019s Block Party with The Roots, playing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival with The Mavericks, playing at The Essence Festival and Hollywood Bowl with Queen Latifah and headlining Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Bonnaroo, Coachella and Roskilde music festivals with Jay-Z. He has also performed at Bonnaroo with Amos Lee and The Roots and headlined Bonnaroo with the Dave Matthews Band.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The highly respected trumpeter is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Ropeadope Records recording artist. He released his debut album, \u201cChurch and State,\u201d on Ropeadope in June 2017. Cappy has maintained a private teaching studio for more than 25 years and has given master classes throughout the Northeast United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

Later in March and throughout April, Cappy will be touring the states with Patti LaBelle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Matt Cappy — https:\/\/youtu.be\/rOnYShWp2h8<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Kennett Flash will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kennett Flash will keep its weekend jazz vibe going with a show on March 8 featuring The Matt Galletti Band. Show time is 3 p.m. and tickets are $15.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Poguetry<\/p><\/div>\n

On Friday night, City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, citywinery.com\/philadelphia<\/a>)will present a show billed as \u201cPoguetry – Songs of the Pogues – Featuring Spider Stacy & C\u00e1it O\u2019Riordan (of The Pogues) and Lost Bayou Ramblers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Original Pogues members Spider Stacy\u00a0and C\u00e1it O\u2019Riordan, accompanied by Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers Ramblers, will be undertaking their first proper tour of select U.S. markets playing the iconic songs of the Pogues under the banner of \u201cPoguetry.\u201d\u00a0The Ramblers will be playing their own set to kick shows off.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pogues emerged out of London in the early 1980\u2019s, playing an incendiary music that merged punk rock ferocity and Irish lyricism, an intoxicating rush of accordions, banjos and tin whistles driven by a locked tight rock-and-roll rhythm section that gathered lifelong fans along the way including Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and The Clash\u2019s Joe Strummer, who even fronted the band for a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s original bass player C\u00e1it O\u2019Riordan went her own way shortly after the release of the band\u2019s second album but has now reunited with founder member, tin whistle player and sometime singer Spider Stacy in Poguetry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poguetry is a music project that brings live audiences the songs of the Pogues, backed by Louisiana\u2019s own Lost Bayou Ramblers. The 2018 Grammy-winning group, acclaimed by many as \u201cthe finest Cajun band on the planet,\u201d adds its own inimitable fire and fury to the project.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stacy and the Ramblers have been playing together since 2015. In 2018, they added bassist O\u2019Riordan to the mix after they met again at Shane MacGowan\u2019s 60th birthday celebrations in Dublin that year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere were huge celebrations for Shane MacGowan and I got the job of playing in the house band,\u201d said O\u2019Riordan, during a phone interview last week from New York City.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI follow Spider on Twitter. He was excited about an album the Lost City Ramblers made \u2013 \u2018Kalendra.\u2019 The album won a Grammy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Stacy, \u201cI saw the Ramblers play back in 2011 and immediately recognized them as kindred spirits. I\u00a0felt they’d be a fantastic vehicle to give the old songs some new life.\u00a0I’m not ready to stop playing live but at the same time\u00a0I\u00a0don’t think the world needs any new music from me,\u00a0so this works nicely. Bringing C\u00e1it in just took us up another level\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

O\u2019Riordan and Stacy rekindled a musical flame from the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpider and I reconnected, and he invited me to New Orleans,\u201d said O\u2019Riordan. \u201cSo, I went down there, and we did a couple gigs. We did holiday shows in 2018 and 2019. We also played a gig last at Tipitina\u2019s in New Orleans. \u201cLast summer, we played a show at the Brooklyn Bowl. Al the Pogues\u2019 fans from the area showed up along with their children and sang along with all the Pogues\u2019 songs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI play bass in Poguetry. I also sing on a couple songs. I never sang on any songs with the Pogues because Shane is such an amazing singer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With Poguetry, O\u2019Riordan does lead vocals for the \u201cI Am a Man You Don\u2019t Meet Every Day\u201d and a duet with Stacy in the Pogues\u2019 cherished Christmas tune, \u201cFairytale of New York.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lafayette, Louisiana\u2019s Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers just celebrated their 20th anniversary as a group. They released a deluxe DVD\/CD package comprising the\u00a0\u201cOn Va Continuer!\u201d\u00a0documentary on the band and its mission to preserve and promote the Cajun French culture and language through their music and the \u201cAsteur\u2019\u00a0live album recorded in seven venues around New Orleans.<\/span><\/p>\n

After being awarded a Grammy for Best Regional Roots Music for \u201cKalenda ,\u201d which features a guest spot from Stacy, the group issued the\u00a0\u201cRodents of Unusual Size (Music from the Motion Picture)\u201d\u00a0featuring their original score\u00a0for this documentary. Soon after, they\u00a0composed and recorded another original score, this one for director\u00a0Brian C Miller Richard’s feature film\u00a0\u201cLost Bayou.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though quite different, the music styles of the Pogues and the Lost Bayou Ramblers mesh together nicely. It is a fluid blend of second-generation Irish music made in London and the international mixing pot of Louisiana music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys (the Lost City Ramblers) have deep, deep roots much wider than the Pogues,\u201d said O\u2019Riordan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey channel multiple cultures. And, unlike us, they didn\u2019t experience punk and setting fire to what went before. Their modernism is more in technology.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Poguetry — https:\/\/youtu.be\/IRDAqS6xI4Q<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at City Winery on March 6 will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $32-$44.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Circles Around the Sun<\/p><\/div>\n

Circles Around the Sun, which is headlining a show on May 6 at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>), has not followed a trajectory anywhere near close to any other band.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a Dead Head, then you probably thought that November 2015 wasn\u2019t going to get any better for you than it was when you picked up your copy of the Grateful Dead\u2019s \u201cFare Thee Well\u201d album. Then, Rhino Records sweetened the pot with a related release by Circles Around the Sun. <\/span><\/p>\n

Few albums have the creation myth of \u201cInterludes For The Dead\u201d by Neal Casal\u2019s Circles Around The Sun. The 10 instrumental jams that encompass the release were commissioned by Justin Kreutzmann, the filmmaker son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, to accompany the biographical visuals he was compiling to be shown during set break at the \u201cFare Thee Well\u201d concerts the living members of the Dead played in the summer of 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

As guitarist in the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and a sometime participant in Dead bassist Phil Lesh’s Phil & Friends jam sessions, Casal was a natural for the project. He brought on Brotherhood keyboardist Adam MacDougall, bassist Dan Horne and drummer Mark Levy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt originally started as pre-recorded music commissioned by Justin Kreutzmann,\u201d said Levy, during a phone interview Tuesday evening from a tour stop in Hamden, Connecticut.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Fare Thee Well people asked Neal and then Neal asked Adam. The, Neal and Adam decided to give me a call. Neal knew dan from a previous project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was done at a two-day recording session at Castaway 7 Studios in Ventura. We recorded five hours\u2019 worth of material in just two days there. We all played together live in one room. We recorded 80 tracks. There was a ton of material I didn\u2019t hear play until \u2018Fare Thee Well.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a band. We weren\u2019t called Circles Around The Sun until well after \u2018Fare Thee Well.\u2019 It was pretty cool \u2013 and unique. We found our own little slice of the jam world. It was an intergalactic space disco vibe. The whole process was very organic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The material received a rapturous response, which was a pleasant surprise to Casal, who admitted, \u201cWe figured it would be low-volume background music that people would ignore in their eagerness to hear the headliners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of its reception, Rhino Records decided to give the music a proper release — issuing it digitally and as a two-CD set<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRhino came to us and wanted to issue it as a CD,\u201d said Levy. \u201cRhino also did our second record. We wanted to make another record and they were cool with it. That album was \u2018Let It Wander\u2019 in 2018.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The third album by the band \u2013 \u201cCATS III\u201d \u2013 has a great sound and a sad story. Not long after the recording was finished, so was Casal\u2019s life.<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 26, 2019, a week after laying down his tracks for Circles Around the Sun, Casal committed suicide. He left behind a note for the group, asking for them to continue in his absence\u2014to continue recording, touring, and playing together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe wrapped up the record on a Tuesday and Neal was gone on Sunday,\u201d said Levy. \u201cIt was a complete shock. He was in his own hell and we couldn\u2019t see it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe dedicated the album to Neal. He left us a letter. He specifically told us to get the album out and to keep going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve chosen to honor his wishes.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Levy, \u201cOur mission is to extend Neal\u2019s musical legacy. He was a classy dude and had a regal vibe about him. The other side of it is the mental health legacy. Maybe there are people out there in the same sort of darkness Neal was in, who can hear us and say we can work positively on multiple fronts in his memory.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Circles Around The Sun enlisted Casal\u2019s longtime friend and collaborator Eric Krasno to help complete the album.<\/span><\/p>\n

For live shows, the trio has not added a permanent replacement and has opted to use different guitarists for various live shows. The current run \u2013 including the show in Ardmore — features Scott Metzger.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Circles Around the Sun — https:\/\/youtu.be\/Puv2dHdxeUc<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Ardmore Music Hall, which has Frank LoCrastro as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets prices range from $20-$39.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the venue are <\/span>Little Brother on March 5, Bill & Fred of Little Featand NOLA Suspects on March 7 and Melvin Seals & JGB on March 8.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Weedeater<\/p><\/div>\n

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/undergroundarts.org<\/a>) will be a primary destination for area metalheads on March 6 when the venue hosts a quadruple-bill featuring Weedeater as the headliner with Atomic Bitchwax, Goddamn Gallows and Worshipper as the support acts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weedeater, which hails from Wilmington, North Carolina, is a trio of southern rockers featuring Dave \u201cDixie\u201d Collins (bass, vocals), Dave Shepherd (guitar, vocals) and Ramzi Ateyeh (drums) \u2013 a trio that steers away from playing traditional southern rock.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weedeater has been described as a sludge metal band, a stoner metal band, a doom metal band, a weed metal band and sludge outlaws. It\u2019s metal but don\u2019t expect prog metal, technical metal or anything too complicated \u2013 \u201cstoner sludge\u201d says it all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cave metal,\u201d said Collings, during a phone interview Wednesday evening from a tour stop in Brooklyn, New York. \u201cOur writing is all in the same vein as when we started. We\u2019re not trying to re-invent the wheel here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Formed in 1996, Weedeater have since released five full-length albums — \u201c…And Justice For Y\u2019All\u201d (2001, Berserker); \u201cSixteen Tons\u201d (2003, Berserker\/Crucial Blast); \u201cGod Luck and Good Speed\u201d (2007, Southern Lord); \u201cJason… The Dragon\u201d (2011, Southern Lord); and \u201cGoliathan\u201d (2015, Season of Mist).<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on the pattern established over the course of its last four albums — the band drops a new album every four years \u2013 there should have been an LP release in 2019 but it never happened.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working on a new album,\u201d said Collins. \u201cBut we\u2019ve been so busy touring with the band that we really haven\u2019t had the time to record it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been touring non-stop. We took a couple months after our shows in Russia around Thanksgiving, but we didn\u2019t get in the studio.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Weedeater isn\u2019t the type of band that spends months writing songs, doing pre-production work and making demos to take into the recording sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe like to do it spontaneously in the studio,\u201d said Collins. \u201cMe and Dave Shepherd write pretty much all the riffs, I leave the drumming to the drummer. Ramzi Ateya, our current drummer, has been with us since last year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ateya is a Carolina drumming legend formerly with Sourvein<\/a>, Betrayer, CWIC, Notch, and Buzzov*en. Ramzi grew up with Collins and Shepherd and was bandmates with Collins in Buzzov*en for the recording of the \u201cAt a Loss\u201d album and subsequent tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re writing now is very similar to what we\u2019ve always done,\u201d said Collins. \u201cWe\u2019re a metal band but our sound is groovier than a lot of technical metal bands. It\u2019s more basic. I don\u2019t want it to go over people\u2019s heads.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a European tour coming up followed by a South American tour. As soon as we get off the road, we\u2019re going to start working on our next record. We\u2019re going to do it at Electrical Audio in Chicago with Steve Albini \u2013 the same as we did with \u2018Goliathan.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn this tour, our set s usually run around 60 minutes because most shows have three or five bands. We\u2019re not focusing on \u2018Goliathan\u2019 anymore. We go all the way back and play songs from every record.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Weedeater — https:\/\/youtu.be\/SQkTQIN_5Fk<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Atomic Bitchwax<\/p><\/div>\n

There are some definite similarities between The Atomic Bitchwax and Weedeater. They are from the same area in New Jersey, were formed in the mid-1990s and play a \u201cno holds barred\u201d style of music. The Atomic Bitchwax was formed in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1993 by bassist\/vocalist Chris Kosnik, guitarist Ed Mundell and drummer Keith Ackerman.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Atomic Bitchwax is a band with a \u201cwhat you see is what you get\u201d attitude. The hard-rocking trio doesn\u2019t use any gimmicks, never subscribes to current trends and refuses to give less than its best — every time out.<\/span><\/p>\n

The current band — bassist\/vocalist Chris Kosnik, guitarist\/vocalist Garrett Sweeny and drummer Bob Pantella — hails from the North Jersey shore area — a region is known for blue-collar rock acts such as Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Atomic Bitchwax is also blue-collar band like its Garden State neighbors but its music is far-removed from the rock-folk-blues sound of Springsteen and the like.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the band\u2019s bio, \u201cThe Atomic Bitchwax is an American \u2018Super Stoner Rock\u2019 band that mixes elements of 1960s psychedelic rock and 1970s riff rock, filtered through modern progressive rock.\u201d The band\u2019s music has appeared in popular TV shows including Jackass, Home Wrecker and various Fox Sports broadcasts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The group originated as a jam band playing local bars in the New Jersey and New York area<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe started playing as a band in 1993 in the Neptune, Long Branch, Bricktown area in North Jersey,\u201d said Kosnik, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in Brooklyn, New York.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just a bar band playing jams. We didn\u2019t have a lot of songs. We were all in different bands and we did this as a side project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was in Godspeed. Our original guitarist Ed Mundell was in Monster Magnet. When we weren\u2019t on tour with our other bands, we\u2019d get together and play.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe played a show at CBGG\u2019s in New York. The owner of Tee Pee Records was at the show and liked what he heard. He offered us a record contract and we made a record.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

TAB released its debut album \u201cAtomic Bitchwax I\u201d in 1999 and followed with \u201cAtomic Bitchwax II\u201d a year later — both on Tee Pee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually are still on that label,\u201d said Kosnik. \u201cAfter the first two albums, we went with Meteor City and they released \u20183\u2019 in 2005 and \u2018TAB 4\u2019 in 2008. Then, we came back to Tee Pee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s first release in its second stint with Tee Pee was an album titled \u201cThe Local Fuzz\u201d in 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had been recording a lot of riffs — not songs, just riffs,\u201d said Kosnik. \u201cThen, we decided to put them all together. The result was a one 42-minute track that had more than 50 riffs back-to-back. That became \u2018The Local Fuzz\u2019 album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had different line-ups with this band and the one we have now is the best. Bob and I go back for a while. He was in Raging Slab and then went to Monster Magnet. The following year, our drummer quit, and Magnet was up in the air. So, Bob joined Bitchwax.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe, Keith and Ed formed the band. Ed left in 2005 after 13 years and was replaced by guitarist\/vocalist Finn Ryan. Finn left a year-and-a-half ago and I asked Garrett to fill in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweeney and Pantella were bandmates with Kosnick in Monster Magnet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both still in Monster Magnet,\u201d said Kosnick. \u201cI left Monster Magnet last summer. I wanted to stay home more with my family and young daughter. When I played with both bands, I was on the road too much each year. It\u2019s different for Bob and Garrett. They\u2019re younger and are still single.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Atomic Bitchwax\u2019s most recent albums \u2013 both on Tee Pee \u2013 are \u201cGravitron\u201d in 2015 and \u201cForce Field\u201d in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been 21 years since our first album \u2013 \u2018The Atomic Bitchwax\u2019 \u2013 came out and Tee Pee just re-issued it. \u201cThis is our 20th anniversary tour \u2013 but not officially.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStill, more than half the set is from the new re-issue. I could guess you\u2019d say it\u2019s a re-introduction. The songs have definitely morphed a little. The main thing is that they are faster.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe just finished making a new album. It\u2019s done already. It\u2019s being manufactured now and will be released on May 29.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe title of the album is \u2018Scorpio.\u2019 It has 10 tracks \u2013 three of which are instrumentals. When we write, the music comes first, and the lyrics are always an afterthought.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Atomic Bitchwax — https:\/\/youtu.be\/vwlaoEThcJA<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Underground Arts which features Weedeater, The Atomic Bitchwax, Goddamn Gallows and Worshipper, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043,www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>) will host Rob Pallett on March 6 and the Blue Moon Band with Magnolia Street String Band on March 7.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/a>) will present SimpleFires, The Climaxers and Florida Wayne Band on March 7.<\/span><\/p>\n

Living Room at 35 East (35 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, https:\/\/thelivingroomat35east.com<\/a>) will host \u201cSongwriters Night with Craig Bickhardt, Lizanne Knott, Aaron Nathans and Avi Wisnia\u201d on March 5, The Fractals on March 6, Phil Nicolo Presents An Evening of Deconstruction on March 7, and Jeffrey Gaines on March 8.<\/span><\/p>\n

118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com<\/a>) will have Waynard Scheller\u2019s Rainbow Full of Sound (Grateful Dead tribute) on March 5, Johnny Showcase & the Mystic Ticket on March 6, Atlas Gray on March 7 and \u201cDinner & A Show: Blues w\/ Hannah Taylor + the Rekardo Lee Trio\u201d on March 8.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents Tom Papa on March 7 and Dweezil Zappa on March 8.<\/span><\/p>\n

Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, https:\/\/annenbergcenter.org\/events<\/a>) will present Jenny Lin on March 5.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present<\/span><\/p>\n

The Weight Band Ft. Members of The Band and Levon Helm Band on March 5, The Davisson Brothers Band & Special Guest John Kruk Of The Phillies on March 6, Eric Johnson on March 7, the Celtic Tenors on March 8, \u201cOn A Winter\u2019s Night\u201d featuring Christine Lavin, John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Cheryl Wheeler & Cliff Eberhardt on March 8 and Lankum on March 11.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Grand Opera House <\/span>(818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577,<\/span>www.thegrandwilmington.org<\/a>) will host Paula Poundstone on March 6 and the Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular on March 7.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) will have The Jimmy Pritchard Blues Band March 5 and Stevie and the Bluescasters on March 7.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Locks at Sona (4417 Main Street, Manayunk, 484- 273-0481, sonapub.com<\/a>) will host Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen with special guest Mark Schultz & the Wayne Rangers on March 6 and Robbie Fulks with special guests Darren & Mike on March 8.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times If the act headlining a show at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com) on March 5 sounds more like a sausage links brand then a music band, there is a good reason. The band that will perform at the South Philadelphia venue is The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[7492,11916,6518,10063,11915,11917],"class_list":["post-33998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-atomic-bitchwax","tag-circles-around-the-sun","tag-featured","tag-matt-cappy","tag-the-lil-smokies","tag-weedeaster"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33998","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=33998"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33999,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33998\/revisions\/33999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}