{"id":43843,"date":"2025-01-09T09:41:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T14:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=43843"},"modified":"2025-01-09T09:41:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T14:41:31","slug":"on-stage-kaz-and-grace-share-bill-again-this-time-at-jameys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=43843","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Kaz and Grace share bill again, this time at Jamey’s"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/div>\n
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Gina Kaz<\/p><\/div>\n

Last summer, Gina Kaz opened for Ciara Grace at a show on August 8 at the Lounge at World Caf\u00e9 Live in Philadelphia. It was a release party for Grace\u2019s new album, \u201cWrite It Down\u201d on RedEye Worldwide.<\/p><\/div>\n

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On January 10, Kaz and Grace will share a bill again with a show at Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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Actually, they will do more than just share a bill and share a stage, they will share a band \u2013 a quartet featuring Ross Bellenoit (guitar), Chico Huff (bass), Erik Johnson (drums) and John Conahan (keyboards).<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe both have the same band,\u201d said Kaz, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from her home in Ambler and a hair salon nearby where she was getting her hair dyed pink.<\/div>\n
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The four musicians are like a house band and recording crew at MorningStar Studios in the Norristown area.<\/div>\n
MorningStar Studios is a professional recording studio featuring an impressive array of production and recording services and top-class equipment.<\/div>\n

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Grace\u2019s father is producer\/engineer Glenn Barratt, owner of MorningStar Studios in East Norriton. Her mother is acclaimed singer-songwriter Lizanne Knott.<\/div>\n
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The list of MorningStar\u2019s clients includes Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Grover Washington Jr., Bootsie\u00a0Barnes, Kevin Eubanks, Jill Scott, Marianne Faithful, The Crossing, Cherish the Ladies, Janis Ian, Christine Lavin, Brother Sun Reggie Harris, Greg Greenway, Craig Bickhardt, Melody Gardot, Lizanne Knott, and, of course, Kaz and Grace.<\/div>\n
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Kaz, Grace and the four musical aces all record at MorningStar.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI recorded my new album \u2018Walk Through\u2019 with these guys at MorningStar,\u201d said Kaz. \u201cI co-produced it with John Conahan.\u201d<\/div>\n
The new album was introduced on April 21, 2024 at a release party at the Fallser Club in East Falls.<\/div>\n
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Two singles preceded the LP release \u2013 \u201cHoney\u201d and \u201cWalk Through.\u201d A new single, \u201cPretty,\u201d was recently released.<\/div>\n
\u201cThe single was produced at MorningStar and then sent to London,\u201d said Kaz. \u201cI had Patch Boswell (a highly regarded producer based in London) do the final production.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Musically, \u201cPretty\u201d is a song that makes you want to get up and dance.<\/div>\n
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Lyrically, the song deals with body positivity. It invites the listener to reject self-doubt and embrace self-love \u2013 to bury internal insecurities and focus on freedom.<\/div>\n
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\u201c\u2019Pretty\u2019 dropped in October (October 18),\u201d said Kaz. \u201cIt\u2019s available on all platforms.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Right now, Kaz is in the second incarnation of Gina Kaz the musician.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI started performing as Gina Kaz in the early 2000s,\u201d said Kaz. \u201cI did it for four or five years. Then, I became a mom and stopped for 15 years. Then, I brought Gina Kaz the musician back.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m also a songwriter and I became a well-known children\u2019s artist in Philadelphia. Now, I\u2019m expressing a fuller version of who I am.\u201d<\/div>\n
Kaz grew up in Narberth and then attended Merion Mercy Academy where her extracurricular activities included theater and basketball.<\/div>\n
She graduated from Elizabethtown College with a degree in music theater and then did intern work in Asheville, North Carolina.<\/div>\n
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Later, she met Matt Ferragame \u2013 her future husband.<\/div>\n
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They got engaged in 1999 and returned to Philadelphia to be near their families. In 2001, they returned to North Carolina for their wedding, which they held on Black Mountain.<\/div>\n
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Time passed and another life-changing thing happened.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI was in an auto accident,\u201d said Kaz. \u201cI was a passenger.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI had a brain hemorrhage, vertigo, broken clavicles and a broken back. Then, I remember waking up and seeing Matt.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt was a traumatic experience. It changed me when we got hit by a truck. But it was also a beautiful experience. I realized I wanted to become a mom.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Kaz hit the \u2018pause\u201d button on her music career and pursued her dream of becoming a mom. Now, she has three kids.<\/div>\n
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\u201cTheo is 18 and he\u2019s going to play football in college,\u201d said Kaz. \u201cPhoenix is 16 and he\u2019s into football and wrestling. My daughter Ruby Mae is 12 and softball is her sport.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Kaz has kept a lot of irons in the fire over the last two decades.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI have \u2018Music with Gina,\u2019 where I give five 45-minute classes a week online,” said Kaz. \u201cI also work as a music therapist at a hospice.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Kaz has been through a lot and continues to like what she sees when she looks at herself.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI love myself,\u201d said Kaz. \u201cI take care of myself, lift my spirits. I hope I uplift others \u2013 uplift people\u2019s souls.\u201d<\/div>\n
Video link for Gina Kaz —https:\/\/youtu.be\/D0CnqQpXF7E<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The Kaz-Grace link predated their show together last year.<\/div>\n
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\u201cCiara and I met at MorningStar,\u201d said Kaz. \u201cWe started chatting and decided we should do a show together since we have the same band.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWith Ciara\u2019s show at World Caf\u00e9 Live, Lizanne (Knott) was doing the booking and asked for me,\u201d said Kaz. \u201cSo, I was the opener.<\/div>\n
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\u201cFor this show, I\u2019m going to play second \u2013 but it\u2019s an equal billing. We\u2019ll each do 45-minute sets. We\u2019ll be sharing the night.\u201d<\/div>\n
Grace brings a lot of music DNA with her.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe music gene is definitely there,\u201d said Grace, during a phone interview. \u201cI can feel it. I feel it most when I\u2019m playing live or playing in my room.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The environment for Grace when she was growing up was MorningStar Studios.<\/div>\n
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The World Caf\u00e9 Live describes her as \u201cthe next rising singer-songwriter to boast Philadelphia as her homebase.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Ciara Grace<\/p><\/div>\n

Grace has already performed at Liverpool\u2019s Philharmonic Music Room near the Mersey River, the Philadelphia Folk Festival in farm area outside Philly, and The Bitter End in Greenwich Village.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Grace is a singer\/songwriter who grew up in East Norriton, a \u201csuburb\u201d of Norristown, and now attends West Chester University.<\/div>\n
\u201cI graduated from North Penn in 2021,\u201d said Grace. \u201cThen, I started at West Chester where I\u2019m a psychology major.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Grace may be majoring in psychology at school, but she is majoring in music in life.<\/div>\n
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Some singers attribute their musical skills to family \u2013 \u201cI grew up with music. My parents were music fans\u201d or environment \u2013 \u201cMy parents played albums all the time and I listened to them\u201d.<\/div>\n
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Grace\u2019s music pedigree includes heavy influences from both family and environment\u00a0\u2013 real influences.<\/div>\n
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According to Grace, \u201cI was always running around, making friends with the musicians, pressing buttons I shouldn\u2019t have been touching. On another note, I was very fortunate growing up that I got to sit in on my mom making her albums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI feel like I got the artist\u2019s perspective from her, and the engineer\u2019s perspective from my dad. By the time I got around to starting my debut, I was very familiar with the process and all the time and labor that goes into it.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Grace learned a lot about what making is all about before she finished her teen years.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMy dad would teach me all about the studio,\u201d said Grace. \u201cHe was a music major in college. Being in the studio with him, I learned about engineering.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThere were also times when he would have me singing on recordings that were being done there. I\u2019m all over my mom\u2019s records.\u201d<\/div>\n
Grace\u2019s focus now is on \u201cWrite It Down,\u201d which was released on May 10, six days after her 21st birthday.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI started working on the album right after COVID started,\u201d said Grace. \u201cI was working more on the music. I started to lay down some tracks. I got a feel for what I wanted my first album to sound like.<\/div>\n
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\u201cEnglish class has always been my favorite. So, I wanted songs that built like a novel. And I wanted things that come from the heart.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI write on guitar and piano. I typically wait to record something until I have a finished product. I do a lot of self-questioning.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m writing songs, I don\u2019t fully know what they\u2019re about until they\u2019re done. There was definitely some soul searching. I relate to these songs.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Grace\u2019s songs are intense, honest, soulful and interesting. There are no forced rhymes or over-used cliches. Her voice is strong and smooth and always up to the task of delivering the songs\u2019 emotions.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMy new songs are more about what I\u2019ve learned about myself,\u201d said Grace. \u201cThere\u2019s a song about my first long relationship.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThere is a lot of family stuff. I have three sisters who are a lot older and I\u2019m now experiencing the same life events they did.\u201d<\/div>\n
What sets \u201cWrite It Down\u201d from a lot of albums by singer\/songwriters is the music \u2013 and the musicians. There are a lot of different instruments used on the album and the arrangements are ultra-tight.<\/div>\n
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Grace\u2019s band features a bunch of Philly\u2019s best musicians \u2014 Ross Bellenoit (guitar), Chico Huff (bass), Erik Johnson (drums) and John Conahan (keyboards).<\/div>\n
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Prior to the album, Grace and the gang recorded and released three singles \u2013 \u201cLost Cause\u201d on February 9, \u201cStalker on the Internet\u201d on March 15 and \u201cDon\u2019t Love Me Now\u201d on April 12.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m always writing new music,\u201d said Grace. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m trying to nail down production stuff for myself.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI love the old stuff and performing it in my live show. But I also like adding in new stuff.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for Ciara Grace \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/5xnLkM2eNEY<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The show at Jamey\u2019s on January 10 will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the night of the show.<\/div>\n
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The show is also available live online — PromoTix<\/a>. Tickets are $15.<\/div>\n
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On January 11, Jamey\u2019s House of Music will host \u201cDennis McDoNoUgh! (aka)\u201d with his band JUNG WOMBATS.<\/div>\n
\u201cDennis McDoNoUgh! (aka)\u201d has been billed as “Master Entertainer” (Coffee With A Conscience, NJ), was called “The best thing at Folk Alliance!\u201d (2013 in Toronto) by Trespass Music founder Tracey Delfino, and \u201cA farce to be reckoned with\u201d by Pete Seeger disciple, acolyte and devotee Spook Handy. Another colleague and fan once even described Dennis as \u201cThe FOLK Enema!\u201d<\/div>\n
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Dennis presents an electrifying, eclectic mix of old, new, burrowed and blues originals, aboriginals and most noteably his eccentric “schmedleys”- two (or more!) songs played simultaneously.<\/div>\n
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\u201cDennis McDoNoUgh! (aka)\u201d was Born in the USA, raised in New Jersey and Made in America. He comes \u201cJersey Fresh From The Great Garden State\u201d not merely to entertain but also to educate, inform, enlighten, incite, and inspire.<\/div>\n
The show at Jamey\u2019s on January 11 will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the night of the show.<\/div>\n
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The show is also available live online at $15.<\/div>\n
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Every Sunday, Jamey\u2019s presents \u201cSUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM\u201d featuring the highly acclaimed blues group the Girke-Davis Project as the host band.<\/div>\n
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Brought together by fate while playing at Jamey’s House of Music, something clicked and their mutual respect for one another and deep abiding love for the blues bonded them into something greater than each of them alone – and thus was born, the Girke-Davis Project.<\/div>\n
This supergroup committed to get together at Jamey’s to celebrate the vast repertoire of blues music \u2013 the African American art form that paved the way for jazz, rock n roll and even country music.<\/div>\n
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The band features Roger Girke, guitarist, singer and writer; John Colgan-Davis, harmonica and vocals; Jamey Reilly, bass; Glenn Bickel, piano and Hammond organ; and Paul Albrecht,\u00a0drums.<\/div>\n
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Video link for the Girke-Davis Project — https:\/\/youtu.be\/LMHzfrrkRCQ<\/a><\/div>\n
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The open mic jam runs from 1-3 p.m. The host band lays down a set from noon-1 p.m. to get things rolling and then supports guest jammers as needed. The always rocking SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH rocks a Happy Hour from noon-1 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) is hosting A Night of Rock: Splitting Vision, Impolite Society, Strays & Misfits on January 10 and The Legendary Kennett Flash Open Mic Night\u00a0hosted by\u00a0Antar Goodwin.<\/div>\n
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Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) will have Swearingen & Kelli recreating the music of Simon & Garfunkel.<\/div>\n
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On January 3 and 4, Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com<\/a>) will host \u201chaZy cosmic jive – Tribute to David Bowie\u201d on January 10 and Dumb As You Are & Cure For Pain: Nirvana & Morphine Tributes on January 11.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Last summer, Gina Kaz opened for Ciara Grace at a show on August 8 at the Lounge at World Caf\u00e9 Live in Philadelphia. It was a release party for Grace\u2019s new album, \u201cWrite It Down\u201d on RedEye Worldwide. On January 10, Kaz and Grace will share a bill […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[15013,6518,15014,12271],"class_list":["post-43843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-ciara-grace","tag-featured","tag-gina-kaz","tag-jameys-house-of-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43843","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=43843"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43844,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43843\/revisions\/43844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}