{"id":22543,"date":"2014-07-10T14:21:05","date_gmt":"2014-07-10T18:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=22543"},"modified":"2014-07-10T14:22:39","modified_gmt":"2014-07-10T18:22:39","slug":"on-stage-enter-the-machine-july-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=22543","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Enter ‘The Machine’ July 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chester County musicians come home for performances this weekend<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>,\u00a0Correspondent, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Machine\"<\/a>

The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band, will be at The World cafe at The Queen, Saturday.<\/p><\/div>\n

The number of Pink Floyd tribute bands around the world probably is in triple figures by now. Some are good, some are bad and some simply are.<\/p>\n

One of the best is The Machine, a New York-based foursome that will be in the area for a show July 12 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-994-1400,\u00a0queen.worldcafelive.com<\/a>). What elevates The Machine above the rest is the band\u2019s authenticity and longevity \u2013 and their refreshing ability to jam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been doing this for almost 25 years,\u201d said Tahrah Cohen, during a phone interview from Manhattan earlier this week. \u201cPink Floyd has a lot to offer people. It\u2019s a very rich music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cohen, who is The Machine\u2019s drummer, is also one of the founders of the band. The other members are Scott Chasolen (keyboards, vocals), Ryan Ball (guitar, vocals) and Adam Minkoff (bass, vocals).<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first experience with Pink Floyd was when \u2018Another Brick in the Wall\u2019 came out,\u201d said Cohen. \u201cI loved the guitar. Joe (now-departed founding member Joe Pascarell) and I saw them on their \u2018Momentary Lapse of Reason\u2019 tour. And, I saw Roger (Waters) do \u2018Another Brick in the Wall.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very complete with how we handle Pink Floyd\u2019s music. We\u2019ve been in it for 25 years. We carefully have decided what to play \u2013 what we can play, what the audience wants and what the audience doesn\u2019t want. At this stage, we know what works and what doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cohen and her band mates also know that the appreciation of Pink Floyd\u2019s musical canon spans generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of younger audience members,\u201d said Cohen. \u201cOur audiences get older and younger at the same time. Younger people are discovering the brilliance of Pink Floyd. There is nothing like it out there now.<\/p>\n

Modern bands might have the sonic part or the lyrical part but not all of it. Pink Floyd\u2019s music is so complex and rich. Younger fans really like hearing this music. We play some of Pink Floyd\u2019s earliest music. But, if you do a set that is too much old stuff, it can be a problem. If you put one or two old (Syd) Barrett-ear songs in the set, it will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Pink Floyd, The Machine has a complex light show and the ability to produce sections of spacey jam music that open up in the middle of some songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur light show has evolved over the years,\u201d said Cohen. \u201cWith technology changing, we\u2019ve been able to bring video into the show. And, with new lighting technology, you don\u2019t need massive lighting equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith jamming and improvisation, our shows are very unique. Everyone in the band brings their own influences. We\u2019re very careful with our improvising and with where we improvise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Showtime at the Queen is 8 p.m. Tickets are priced at $24 and $32.<\/p>\n

The World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen will also present Hannah Gorgas on July 14 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $10.<\/p>\n

\"HannahGeorgas\"<\/a>

Internationally-acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Hannah Gorgas will perform at The World Cafe Live at The Queen, July 14.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gorgas is an internationally-acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter who grew up in Ontario and then moved to British Columbia a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to Victoria when I was 20,\u201d said Gorgas, during a recent phone interview from her home in Vancouver. \u201cI just wanted to get away. I wanted to find a place that was refreshing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started studies at the University of Victoria. I was taking a bunch of music electives to get a degree in music therapy. Then, I realized that I wanted to give my own music a try.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first started making music when I was young. I played in a bunch of different bands in high school. When I moved to Vancouver after going to school in Victoria, I started doing open mics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gorgas\u2019 first recorded output was a five-song EP in 2009 called \u201cThe Beat Stuff.\u201d She followed with the \u201cThis Is Good\u201d album in 2010 and with \u201cHannah Gorgas\u201d in 2012.<\/p>\n

The Canadian singer-songwriter won \u201cEmerging Artist of the Year\u201d at XM\u2019s Verge Music Awards in 2011 and \u201cSolo Artist of the Year\u201d at the Sirius\/XM-sponsored Indies. \u201cThis Is Good\u201d was put up for the Polaris Music Prize. At the 2011 Juno Awards, Georgas was nominated for both \u201cBest New Artist of the Year\u201d and \u201cSongwriter of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EP was more folky,\u201d said Gorgas. \u201cI cut five songs in five days. \u2018This is Good\u2019 had folky elements along with pop. And, some moments were more rock. That\u2019s when I started to tour and more things started happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started working on my latest album in 2012. During my process of writing here in Vancouver, I started demo-ing with synths and beats. I knew I had to find something to move in that direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began working with Graham Walsh, who has his own electronic band. We definitely had discussions about the records we loved, why we loved them and the production. We wanted to be able to play our music in alive setting and still be organic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Gorgas is out on the road as the opening act for Sara Bareilles on her national tour. Gorgas\u2019 show in Delaware fills in a night when there is no Bareilles show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been using a band on this tour \u2013 a guitarist, a bassist\/synth player, a drummer and me on synth and guitar. The show in Delaware is the only one I\u2019m doing on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other shows coming up at the World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen are the Full Effect Show Band (July 11), Renee Scott and Leslie Delqado (July 12), Sandra Bernhard (July 13) and The Sermon (July 16).<\/p>\n

Liz Longley\u2019s music career has taken her to venues all over America and to living quarters in a number of cities. But, the Downingtown High grad always finds time to come back to her home area to perform for her large number of fans around this region.<\/p>\n

On July 13, Longley, who now lives in Nashville, will return to the Delaware Valley for a free show as part of Upper Merion\u2019s annual \u201cConcert Under the Stars\u201d series (Upper Merion Township Building Park, 175 W. Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia,\u00a0www.umtownship.org<\/a>, 610-265-1071). She will be the headliner of the 7 p.m. show with Brian Dunne as the opening act.<\/p>\n

\"LizLOngley\"<\/a>

Downingtown’s Liz Longley comes home to Chester County to perform Sunday at Upper Merion\u2019s annual \u201cConcert Under the Stars.”<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThings are moving along nicely,\u201d said Longley, during a phone interview this week from her home in Tennessee. \u201cIt\u2019s always enjoyable to get back to Pennsylvania. I play there several times a year. It\u2019s good to get back to my roots.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduating from Downingtown, Longley moved north and earned a degree in songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She stayed in New England for a while after finishing at Berklee and then headed south to Nashville.<\/p>\n

In the past two years, Longley has taken home top prizes at some of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country, including the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship Competition, the International Acoustic Music Awards and the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest Songwriting Competition.<\/p>\n

Longley has recorded several albums over the last eight years, including her soon-to-be released fourth album \u201cLiz Longley.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis album isn\u2019t really new \u2013 it\u2019s just not out yet,\u201d said Longley, whose first three LPs were independently released. \u201cI\u2019m working on building a team around it and joining up with a label.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made it here in Nashville after I moved here in November 2011 and funded it through a Kickstarter campaign. I needed to raise $35,000 and I got over $55,000 in pledges.<\/p>\n

Nashville, which has been the \u201cMusic Capitol\u201d for country-and-western music, has evolved into a primary destination for musicians from a wide variety of genres.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great city for music and I wanted to be part of the scene,\u201d said Longley, who was introduced to music at a young age by her jazz musician father. \u201cThere is a great Berklee community here. Actually, it\u2019s just a great community of musicians from all over.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy latest album was recorded at Ocean Way Studios with a lot of great musicians \u2013 musicians who had worked with artists such as James Taylor, Etta James and Stevie Nicks. It was a very intense experience working with this level of musicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs range from singer-songwriter to bluegrass and from jazz to country. It\u2019s really eclectic. Now, I\u2019ve been playing these songs for a few years so I\u2019m looking forward to new material.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been writing a ton of songs for my next album. It\u2019s not as eclectic. There is a little more blues influence. Also, it has more of a rock and pop feel. I\u2019m planning on going into the studio at the end of this year to start recording it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shift in styles can be attributed to a switch in instruments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing a lot of writing since I switched to electric guitar,\u201d said Longley. \u201cI haven\u2019t been writing that much the last few years. I was touring a lot and just felt stuck. I needed to get out of my own way.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I started journaling and doing meditation. I start the day every day with three pages of writing in my journal. Also, I meditate, which is really helpful with finding peace. I\u2019m also doing other things that are creative \u2013 things like coloring stationery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis summer, I\u2019m out touring again. At times, I have opening acts that also play with me during my set \u2013 acts like Barnaby Bright, a really talented husband-and-wife duo. For the show in Upper Merion, I\u2019ll be playing with Brian Dunne, who is a really good guitarist and singer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLong in the Tooth\u201d is a colloquial saying that means \u201cold\u201d or \u201caged.\u201d It is also the title of the most recent album by Billy Joe Shaver.<\/p>\n

Shaver, who will headline a show at the Sellersville Theatre (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) on July 12, definitely qualifies to be included in the \u201cLong in the Tooth\u201d category.<\/p>\n

One of the forefathers of country music\u2019s \u201cOutlaw\u201d sub-genre, Shaver will turn 75 this year. He released his first album \u201cOld Five and Dimers Like Me\u201d in 1973. Now, 41 years later he\u2019s still going strong \u2013 making albums and performing on tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started this tour about a month ago,\u201d said Shaver, during a phone interview earlier this week from a tour stop in Buffalo. \u201cI don\u2019t know when.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t keep up with it. I just get up and go when they vtell me it\u2019s time. I don\u2019t do the driving because I had my right knee replaced a month ago. When it gets well, everything will be hunky-dory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never get tired of touring. I just keep going. I love to travel and I love what I\u2019m doing. If I weren\u2019t in music, I wouldn\u2019t be able to travel. I couldn\u2019t afford it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy touring around the country a lot. I tour every year. One year, we did over 300 shows. Now, a lot of the time, we\u2019ll do three shows in a row and then take a day off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaver still has a razor-sharp memory \u2013 especially with regard to his music.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m playing, I go as far back in my catalog as I can,\u201d said Shaver. \u201cI remember all my songs. And, I\u2019m still writing. It\u2019s the cheapest psychiatrist there is and I need one. Writing music is fun for me. I\u2019m not writing songs to make money. I just need to get them out of me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandmother raised me in Corsicana, Texas. We lived across the river from the black cotton pickers. There was one lady who had a piano on her porch. She\u2019d play every night and there always seemed like there was someone with a bottleneck (guitar).<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d go across the river and sing with them when I was a boy. That\u2019s where I learned the blues. They also played a lot of Jimmy Rodgers songs. They thought he was black \u2013 and so did I.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was eight years old, I sold newspapers on a street corner and I sang while doing it. I had no instrument but I got away with it. I just started singing about things that happened to me and people seemed to like to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, a lot of people have shown that they like to listen to Shaver \u2013 including music legends such as Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.<\/p>\n

Waylon Jennings filled most of his album \u201cHonky Tonk Heroes\u201d\u00a0with Shaver\u2019s songs. Elvis Presley, the Allman Brothers and Kris Kristofferson all have recorded Shaver\u2019s songs. Bob Dylan mentioned Shaver in his song \u201cI Feel a Change Comin\u2019 On\u201d when he sang \u2013\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m listening to Billy Joe Shaver and I\u2019m reading James Joyce”.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to keep on writing songs and making albums,\u201d said Shaver. \u201cI like \u2018Long in the Tooth.\u2019 It\u2019s a good one. I\u2019m proud of it. And, I\u2019m going to do another album soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

There will be a special benefit show on July 13 with a very diverse musical line-up.<\/p>\n

\"BrittanyRobley\"<\/a>

Phoenixville’s Brittany Robey will be among the performer at Give the Gift of Music Foundation benefit, Sunday.<\/p><\/div>\n

Photographer Laura Keen hosting Rock & Relief fundraiser for music lesson scholarships in Phoenixville on July 13 at 12:30 p.m. It will be a house concert to benefit the Give the Gift of Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to children for musical instruction.<\/p>\n

The concert how will feature musicians from near and far \u2013 including Jann Klose, who was born in Germany and raised in South Africa and Kenya, and Brittany Robey, who grew up and still lives a few miles from the club in Phoenixville.<\/p>\n

Klose, a singer-songwriter-guitarist, is a veteran musician who has resided in the U.S. for number of years now. He has released severa,\u201dl albums in the last decade, including \u201cMosaic,\u201d which is his most recent.<\/p>\n

When not cheering on his native Germany in the 2014 World Cup, Klose is on the road performing his songs to appreciative audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been touring the new record for the last year,\u201d said Klose, during a phone interview last week from his home in New York. \u201cThe record has done really well. It charted, reached the first round of the Grammys and won four Independent Music Awards.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, I\u2019ve been co-writing with a lot of people \u2013Annie Haslam, Gary Lucas and Larry Beckett, who was Tim Buckley\u2019s lyricist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was used in the movie about Tim Buckley\u2019s life. I came in during post-production to do the Tim Buckley vocals. I did three songs \u2013 \u2018Song for Janie,\u2019 \u2018Pleasant Street\u2019 and \u2018Once I Was.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI still write a lot on my own. Staring to write with others has made it easier. I\u2019m looser \u2013 less critical. It\u2019s more fun. It\u2019s different experience. It\u2019s kind of liberating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Klose, who tours with a band and also performs as a solo act, has an impressive catalog of recorded music.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done four albums and two Eps,\u201d said Klose. \u201cIn my current shows, I play mostly songs from \u2018Mosiac,\u2019 \u2018Reverie\u2019 and \u2018Black Box EP.\u2019 I also do two or three new songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new material is in the same family as my previous material but it feels a little more pop. The stuff I did with Gary (Lucas) has more of an Americana, bluesy vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robey, on the other hand, still has yet to release an album or even an EP. The young singer, who graduated from Phoenixville High in 2012, is still in the very early stages of her musical career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always interested in music,\u201d said Robey, during a phone interview this week. \u201cI did choir in elementary school and then progressed to school musicals when I was in middle school and high school,<\/p>\n

\u201cI also play a lot of instruments \u2013 piano, guitar, flute, oboe, percussion and some ukulele. I\u2019ve played flute for 14 years. I also did music at Rock and Roll After School in Collegeville since I was 14 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I graduated from Phoenixville, I spent one year at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia as a vocal performance major and then I took the next year off. Next month, I\u2019ll start as a songwriting major at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robey has already gained experience performing her own material with shows at area venues such as Puck, Steel City Coffeee House and Chaplin\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, I just play solo,\u201d said Robey. \u201cI sing and accompany myself on piano and guitar. The music I play is indie pop-rock and pop ballads.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event will also feature performances by Willie Wisely, Cliff Hillis, Matt Spitko, Nik Everett and Eric Miller. Mimosas and lite fare will be served. In addition, Gangster Vegan will be selling their fresh organic dishes, desserts and juices.<\/p>\n

Tickets for Rock & Relief are $20 and must be purchased in advance. Payment can be made via PayPal to\u00a0CapeMayL@aol.com<\/a>\u00a0with Rock & Relief in the subject line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chester County musicians come home for performances this weekend By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Correspondent, The Times The number of Pink Floyd tribute bands around the world probably is in triple figures by now. Some are good, some are bad and some simply are. One of the best is The Machine, a New York-based foursome that will be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[287,7],"tags":[5816,5817,5818,5819],"class_list":["post-22543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-featured","tag-billy-joe-shaver","tag-hannah-gorgas","tag-liz-longley","tag-the-machine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}