{"id":38745,"date":"2022-03-03T09:48:27","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T14:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=38745"},"modified":"2022-03-03T09:48:29","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T14:48:29","slug":"on-stage-the-connells-return-to-the-area-with-show-at-brooklyn-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=38745","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: The Connells return to the area with show at Brooklyn Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"

The Connells<\/p><\/div>\n

When music fans talk about Southern rock, they are usually referring to a subgenre of music that is a blend of rock, country and blues with the focus on electric guitar.\u00a0 Southern rock started in the 1970s and featured such bands as the Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd.<\/p>\n

There is another Southern rock subgenre that appeared in the South in the 1980s. Often called \u201cjangle pop,\u201d it featured more conscious lyrics and jangly guitar work in the style of the Byrds and early Bob Dylan.<\/p>\n

The three major bands in this genre \u2013 R.E.M., Let\u2019s Active and the Connells — all came from the Mid-South\u2026from college towns that had a progressive vibe.<\/p>\n

R.E.M., the first and the most famous, hailed from Athens, Georgia, the home of the University of Georgia. Michael Stipe provided the cerebral lyrics and vocals, and Peter Buck was responsible for the jangly guitar. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Active formed in 1981 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, home of Wake Forest University. The band is often identified with the jangle pop guitar work of the group\u2019s frontman and songwriter Mitch Easter.<\/p>\n

The Connells formed in 1984 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Raleigh, part of the \u201cResearch Triangle,\u201d is the home of North Carolina State University. The triangle also includes Chapel Hill with the University of North Carolina and Durham with Duke University.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Active disbanded in 1990 and R.E.M. called it quits in 2011.<\/p>\n

The Connells are the only ones that are still an actively working band \u2013 although they did have a stretch of semi-dormancy in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n

Now, the veteran band is playing shows around the Mid-South and the Mid-Atlantic in support of their new album, \u201cSteadman\u2019s Wake.\u201d<\/p>\n

On March 5, the Connells will make a long-awaited return to Philadelphia with a show at the Brooklyn Bowl (1009 Canal Street, Philadelphia, www.brooklynbowl.com\/philadelphia<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s line-up still features three original members — David Connell, bass\u00a0(1984\u2013present); Mike Connell, guitars, lead and backing vocals\u00a0(1984\u2013present); and Doug MacMillan, lead and backing vocals, guitars\u00a0(1984\u2013present) — along with another longtime member, Steve Potak \u2013 keyboards\u00a0(1991\u2013present). The two \u201cnew kids\u201d in the Connells are Mike Ayers, guitars\u00a0(2001\u2013present) and Rob Ladd, drums\u00a0(2012\u2013present).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re coming up your way this week for a show in Brooklyn on Thursday and a show in Philly on Saturday,\u201d said Mike Connell, during a phone interview Wednesday evening as the band drove north through Virginia. \u201cWe\u2019re really excited for these shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always had a great time in Philadelphia. We had many shows at the Chestnut Cabaret that were a lot of fun as well as great shows at JC Dobbs and the Troc.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Connells built a strong fanbase in this area during the time between 1983 and 1993 \u2013 a time when they released five strong-selling albums<\/p>\n

\u201cDarker Days\u201d\u00a0(1985), \u201cBoylan Heights\u201d\u00a0(1987), \u201cFun & Games\u201d\u00a0(1989), \u201cOne Simple Word\u201d\u00a0(1990), and \u201cRing\u201d\u00a0(1993).<\/p>\n

They followed with \u201cWeird Food and Devastation\u201d\u00a0(1996), \u201cStill Life\u201d\u00a0(1998) and \u201cOld School Dropouts\u201d\u00a0(2001) \u2013 and then sort of became dropouts themselves.<\/p>\n

Though somewhat dormant since the turn of the century, the Connells never officially broke up and have continued to occasionally perform during the last two decades.<\/p>\n

In the United States, the Connells had three top 10 hits on the\u00a0Billboard\u00a0Alternative Songs\u00a0chart, but they are best known for their song \u201c\u201974-\u201975\u201d,\u201d which was a number one hit in Norway and Sweden in 1995 while reaching the Top 10 in a total of 11 European countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter 2000, we all had day jobs and families came along,\u201d said Connell. \u201cThings were slowing down with the band. Coming off the road was inevitable. Being in a rock band that tours all the time is a young person\u2019s game \u2013 and we weren\u2019t young.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the years since then, we remained a band and did about a dozen shows a year — at best. There were never tours. The shows were scattered out. It was a question of logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Connell focused most of his energy over the last two decades on being a family man and a highly respected lawyer, he never abandoned his artistic side \u2013 nor did his bandmates.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the summer of 2016, we realized we had a bunch of songs written so we started on a new album,\u201d said Connell. \u201cIt took us five years to complete it. That\u2019s why we\u2019re coming back north first the first time in 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ironically, one aspect of the album featured Easter, who is the thread that links Let\u2019s Active, R.E.M. and the Connells. Easter produced several of R.E.M.\u2019s early albums. The Connell\u2019s new disc, \u201cSteadman\u2019s Wake,\u201d was produced by John Plymale and recorded by Easter at his Fidelitorium studio in Kernersville (NC) and Plymale at Overdub Lane in Durham.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did four or five tracks with Mitch Easter in February 2016,\u201d said Connell. \u201cThen, we shifted to Durham where we could work and stop for as long as we wanted whenever we chose to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album was mastered in New York in March 2020. It was supposed to come out back then, but everything got pushed back because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was finally released in September 2021 \u2013 self-released on our label, Black Park Records. After its release, some promoters decided to take a chance on booking us. I\u2019m excited about playing Mid-Atlantic shows. Right now, the tickets sales in Brooklyn are decent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans of the Connells have been waiting 22 years to hear the band perform live once again. They\u2019ll have the opportunity this Saturday. Odds are good they won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n

Video link for the Connells \u2013 https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheConnellsOfficial\/videos\/260548779240222\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, which has Wesley Stace as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia are Live at the Fillmore on March 3 and Tauk on March 4.<\/p>\n

This weekend, Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) is presenting Justin Gonzalez Trio ft. Justin Gonzalez of 33 1\/3 Live\u2019s Killer Queen Experience on March 6.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gonzalez is an internationally touring choral musician, classical soloist, award winning operatic singer, ukulele player, pop singer, and musical theater lead.<\/p>\n

The Justin Gonzalez Trio features two other classically trained musicians — Celina Velez and Barry McCommon.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez, who is also a stand-up comedian and magician, is a local Renaissance Man. He is an independent musician based in Philadelphia who travels throughout the tri-state area and beyond.<\/p>\n

Gonzalez, who began performing professionally at the age of 11, now performs with a repertoire that includes classical, big band, Broadway and opera. Most recently, he added a new genre when he assumed the role of lead vocalist for \u201c33 1\/3 LIVE\u2019s Killer Queen Experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m originally from Northeast Philly,\u201d said Gonzalez. \u201cI went to school in South Philly at GAMP.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP) is a college preparatory school for students in grades 5 through 12 that provides a unique educational environment, focusing on college and career readiness, while allowing all students to pursue music as a major subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was at GAMP for eight years,\u201d said Gonzalez. \u201cI studied voice and instruments starting with lower brass. Voice was a large chunk of it. I got my first professional performance in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the age of 13, Gonzalez was asked to join a chorus as a soloist on its two-week tour of Germany and France. On that trip, he had the opportunity to perform in many castles, mansions, and historic houses of worship. The most memorable moment for him was singing in the Cathedral Notre Dame in Paris, France.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d said Gonzalez. \u201cI was 13 and I was singing at the Cathedral Notre Dame. I was just a poor Puerto Rican kid from North Philly, and I was singing in places like a castle in Germany and a cathedral in Berlin.\u201d<\/p>\n

After years of laying the groundwork for a promising career as an opera singer, Gonzalez was diagnosed at the age of 18 with Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune disease. One of the symptoms of MS is memory loss. His opera career was over just as quickly as it began.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt affected my brain\u2019s ability to memorize,\u201d said Gonzalez. \u201cI still sing classically at venues around the East Coast and on Broadway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, 20 years since that first tour, Gonzalez is still a sought-after classical music soloist. He is also a practitioner of the American Song Book and the music of Broadway. He uses all of this music to entertain, educate, and share his story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also have several music projects,\u201d said Gonzalez. \u201cThere is the Little Big Band Lounge Revival, which does\u00a0lounge and popular standards along with classic love songs, and the Justin Gonzalez Jazz Trio, which is a pop trio that uses classical instruments. And there is also \u201833 1\/3 LIVE\u2019s Killer Queen Experience.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n

Video link for Justin Gonzalez \u2014\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/jLB33yk_jVA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Kennett Flash on March 6 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $11.50 and $15.<\/p>\n

Another show this weekend at Kennett Flash is Poor Man\u2019s Gambit on March 5.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) will host Chris Timbers Band on March 4 and Kerry Kearney Band on March 5.<\/p>\n

Every Thursday at Jamey\u2019s, there is a \u201cThursday Night Jazz Jam\u201d featuring the Dave Reiter Trio and every Sunday features \u201cSunday Blues Brunch & Jam\u201d featuring the Philly Blues Kings with Maci Miller.<\/p>\n

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) will present local comedy legends Bettter Than Bacon on March 4.<\/p>\n

Jimmy Gnecco is OURS and OURS, which will be headlining a show at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com<\/a>) on March 4, is Jimmy Gnecco.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jimmy Gnecco<\/p><\/div>\n

Gnecco may be OURS but he is also definitely his own man.<\/p>\n

The veteran singer has an unmistakable voice\u2026a proud voice. His voice is strong and so is his spirit.<\/p>\n

His voice is great enough to have attracted a legion of fans over the last three decades. His spirit is great enough to have helped him survive all the bullshit aspects of the music industry and enabled him to keep moving forward on his own terms.<\/p>\n

OURS is a band that has released six strong albums from 2001-2021 and OURS is a band with no set line-up. OURS is Jimmy Gnecco similar to the way Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been at it a long time,\u201d said Gnecco, during a phone interview last week from his home in Newton, Connetcicut.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been at it for 30 years. I just chose to make music under the moniker OURS.<\/p>\n

\u201cOURS is based on my relationships with everyone around me in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The studio discography of OURS includes \u201cDistorted Lullabies\u201d\u00a0(2001), \u201cPrecious\u00a0(2002), \u201cMercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy)\u201d\u00a0(2008), \u201cBallet the Boxer 1\u201d\u00a0(2013), \u201cNew Age Heroine II\u201d\u00a0(2018) and \u201cOURS\u201d (2021).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started in 1992 in New York playing wherever we could,\u201d said Gnecco, a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist\u00a0and producer.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy 1997, I got enough of it right to get record people at that time interested. I got a record deal when I was young. I wasn\u2019t excited \u2013 I was terrified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gnecco signed with DreamWorks Records and released \u201cDistorted Lullabies\u201d not long after. His sophomore album, \u201cPrecious,\u201d also was a DreamWorks release. Then, he was signed by Rick Rubin for his label American Recordings. Gnecco\u2019s only project with Rubin was the \u201cMercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy)\u201d album.<\/p>\n

After Gnecco released two solo albums, he came back with OURS\u2019 fourth album, \u201cBallet the Boxer 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2012, OURS launched a PledgeMusic campaign to fund the recording of \u201cBallet the Boxer 1\u201d\u00a0and reached almost 150% of the goal for their crowdfunding. That LP was the first part of a trilogy. \u201cNew Age Heroine II\u201d\u00a0was the second. The new eponymous disc is the third.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like looking back much,\u201d said Gnecco. \u201cI just put my head down and work \u2013 and be proud of what I\u2019m hearing back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sing about all the bullshit that\u2019s going on and I ask the questions. I got a bad rap at one point because I was on a major label. All I care about is making great music. It\u2019s always been in me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never feel an urgency to play the game. We just do what we want. We do things on our own schedule. The moment we left Columbia and Rick Rubin and that machine, we started doing things on our own schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOURS\u201d was released on May 15, 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis record is still new to us,\u201d said Gnecco. \u201cWe were ready to put it out in 2019 and it wasn\u2019t released until May 2021. It came out during the pandemic, and we couldn\u2019t tour. That\u2019s all right. I know that if it\u2019s good enough, it\u2019s going to last.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for OURS — https:\/\/youtu.be\/7fWULRa6dZ0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Milkboy on March 4 will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Milkboy are Kat Wright on March 3, Defeated Sanity on March 8 and Art D\u2019Ecco on March 9.<\/p>\n

Area music fans might wish they were able to clone themselves prior to heading out to a show on March 5 because there are so many good options including John Byrne at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, Honey Dew Drops at the Grand Theater, Enter the Haggis at the Sellersville Theater, Nellie McKay at Tellus 360 and Stephen Marley at the Ardmore Music Hall.<\/p>\n

One of the more interesting shows on Saturday night will be Nation of Language at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/undergroundarts.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"\"

Nation\u00a0of Language<\/p><\/div>\n

Nation\u00a0of Language is a band you may not have heard of yet \u2013 but you will.<\/p>\n

PASTE magazine described the band\u2019s first album, \u201cIntroduction, Presence,\u201d as \u201cthe most exciting synth-pop debut in years.\u201d The LP landed the band major radio play from the BBC, KCRW, KEXP, SiriusXM and many others.<\/p>\n

Nation of Language, which formed in\u00a0Brooklyn in 2016, features husband-and-wife team Ian Richard Devaney (lead vocals, guitar, synthesizer, percussion) and Aidan Noell (synthesizer, backing vocals) along with Michael Sue-Poi (bass guitar).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was in 2016 when it got more serious,\u201d said Devaney, during a phone interview Wednesday morning from the couple\u2019s home in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been writing songs since 2014 as a personal project. Once Aidan joined the band, it got very serious. She\u2019s a very driven person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Devaney had previously been in a New Jersey band called the Static Jacks. He left that band and started a new band — Nation of Language. He got Noell to play synth and one of his old bandmates, Michael Sui-Poi, to play bass.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started recording singles,\u201d said Devaney. \u201cWe\u2019d save all the money we made from our day jobs and, when we had enough money, we\u2019d go in the studio and record a single. In late 2018, we recorded the rest of \u2018Introduction, Presence.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThat process stretched out while working shifts at a caf\u00e9 in Brooklyn. When Aidan and I got married, instead of having a wedding registry, we just asked people to gift us money. The main thing was getting money to record our album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went to a studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn \u2013 Transmitter Park. I had been doing some writing and recording at home, so it was nice to get into a real studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe finished the album in late 2018. We had it ready, but we weren\u2019t sure how to put it out. It was scheduled for an April 2020 release, and it got pushed back. I thought touring was the way we\u2019d get our fans \u2013 and then the pandemic hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe released almost every song on the album as a single. Then, finally we put the album out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The combination of well-crafted songs and well-made videos caught on and soon, the disc was a word-of-mouth hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn July 2012, we started working on our second album,\u201d said Devaney, who grew up in Westfield, New Jersey<\/p>\n

\u201cThat album \u2013 \u2018A Way Forward\u2019 \u2013 came out in November 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see the albums as related. In my mind, the second album has more of a 70s krautrock influence. The first record was 80s New Wave.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 80s influence came from my parents. They listened a lot to bands like the Talking Heads, New Order, Clash and Devo.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur second album is more a journey. The first album is more a collection of singles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nation of Language has already established a solid fanbase in this area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve played Philly a few times,\u201d said Devaney. \u201cWe opened for the Wombats at Union Transfer and had our own shows at Johnny Brenda\u2019s and Underground Arts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our live shows now, it\u2019s a fairly even split between the two albums \u2013 and we also play several of our singles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Nation of Language \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/meRp-CRyV28<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Underground Arts on March 5, which has Dark Tea as the opener, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Underground Arts are Jena Friedman on March 3, Sad and Boujee on March 4, and Gang of Four on March 8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times When music fans talk about Southern rock, they are usually referring to a subgenre of music that is a blend of rock, country and blues with the focus on electric guitar.\u00a0 Southern rock started in the 1970s and featured such bands as the Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[6518,13447,13445,13446,13444],"class_list":["post-38745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-jimmy-gnecco","tag-justin-gonzales","tag-nation-of-language","tag-the-connells"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38745","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=38745"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38746,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38745\/revisions\/38746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}