{"id":25094,"date":"2015-03-26T11:13:08","date_gmt":"2015-03-26T15:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=25094"},"modified":"2015-03-27T11:09:06","modified_gmt":"2015-03-27T15:09:06","slug":"on-stage-two-funny-philly-guys-hit-phoenixville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=25094","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: ‘Two Funny Philly Guys’ hit Phoenixville"},"content":{"rendered":"

Also: TUSK, Pete RG and more tune up local stages<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"cbsbigdaddybig\"<\/a>

Big Daddy Graham and partner in crime Joe Conklin perform as “Two Funny Philly Guys” March 28 at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville.<\/p><\/div>\n

The entertainment calendar is loaded with good options to hear live music in the area starting tonight and reaching a crescendo on Saturday evening. The list of onstage offerings also includes a top-flight comedy show right in the heart of Chester County.<\/p>\n

On March 28, Point Entertainment will present \u201cTwo Funny Philly Guys\u201d featuring Big Daddy Graham and Joe Conklin at the Colonial Theatre (Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-\u00a0<\/i>917-1228,\u00a0www.thecolonialtheatre.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Big Daddy Graham wanted to be a singer and now he has a career in which he gets to sing onstage — but not as he originally planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started in entertainment as a drummer in bands,\u201d said Graham, during a recent phone interview from his home in Philadelphia. \u201cI had a job as a paid actor for a few years but I wanted to be a singer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I am doing singing — funny songs. If I\u2019m singing funny songs, it doesn\u2019t need a good singer — it\u2019s to make people laugh. At first, I was singing cabaret with a piano player. Some of the songs were parodies. I built up a following of people who wanted to laugh at me not with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAround that time, comedy clubs were starting to explode. A guy from Comedy Factory Outlet booked me for two shows on Friday nights and two shows on Saturday. I liked that people came in and were quiet. In the clubs I worked before, it was hard to be heard over the crowd noise.<\/p>\n

John DiBella started hosting shows on Friday nights. I was doing a song called \u2018Nuns.\u2019 Philly being the Catholic town that it is, the song got popular. DiBella said he\u2019d play it on the radio. So, I recorded the song and it was a hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the right place at the right time. I became really popular in Philly. That\u2019s where it all started. Now, I do entire shows without any music at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because Graham is a comic who understands how to make Philly laugh. He does it onstage and on the airwaves. He is currently in his 16th year as a host on the sports talk radio station 94WIP, and hosts \u201cBig Daddy Graham\u2019s Classic Rock Throwdown\u201d on Wildfire Radio. As a comic, Graham has appeared on a number of networks including Showtime, A&E and MTV.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was about seven years ago when the Borgata put the show together with me and Joe Conklin,\u201d said Graham, who is also known as Ed Gudonis. \u201cThey wanted to put me and Joe as headliners.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe and I have been performing individually in this area for about 30 years. For some reason, putting these two names on a bill together makes people want to buy tickets. Wee only do about four shows a year and I\u2019m stunned at the amount of tickets we sell.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just revamped the show big-time. We have a whole opening and we added music to the show with Spins Nitely. We each do a few songs with him and some with all three of us together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never go onstage without 10 new jokes. I take an index card out of my pocket and look at the joke — maybe it\u2019s only one word. Some do great and become a permanent part of the show. Some bomb and some get a mixed reception.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the jokes are one-liners. For topical jokes, I take something tried-and-true and slip in something new — something topical. Joe does a lot of sports humor so I leave that to him. If I\u2019m working solo, I will do some sports stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love working the Colonial. It\u2019s one of my favorites along with the Broadway Theater in Pitman, New Jersey and the Media Theater — three old-school venues that are really fun to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conklin has been a constant in Philadelphia radio for more than 20 years, with his spot-on impressions of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Cole Hamels, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, Harry Kalas, Bobby Clarke and many others. Fearless and hilarious, he skewers some of the country\u2019s top politicians, pro athletes, sports executives and film stars.<\/p>\n

The show at the Colonial Theatre will begin at 8 p.m.\u00a0Tickets are $35 (Gold Circle), $30 (Orchestra and Front Balcony) and $25 (Rear Balcony).<\/p>\n

The Colonial will also be hopping on March 27 when\u00a0<\/strong>Point Entertainment presents \u201cTUSK \u2013 The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"tusk\"<\/a>TUSK covers all the great hits of Fleetwood Mac — the classic rock band that achieved international fame with the line-up of Mick Fleetwood, Christine and John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks and hits such as \u201cLandslide,\u201d \u201cRhiannon,\u201d \u201cGo Your Own Way,\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t Stop\u201d and \u201cDreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

TUSK pays homage to Fleetwood Mac with a band fronted by solo artists Kathy Phillips (vocals) and Scott McDonald (guitar, vocals), and supported by veteran musicians Kim Williams (keys, vocals), Randy Artiglere (bass) and Tom Nelson (drums).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a five-piece formatted to how Fleetwood Mac was when they went out on tour in the early 70s,\u201d said Phillips, during a phone interview Tuesday evening from her home in North Jersey.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve all been playing music together for over 20 years — original music.<\/p>\n

\u201cA while back, a friend told us that we should be a Fleetwood Mac tribute band. A lot of us grew up on Fleetwood Mac. I\u2019ve always loved them so, for me, it was a treat. It\u2019s such great music. We love playing it. When we play our original music, our band\u2019s name is Stockton Bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stockton Bridge is a free bridge over the Delaware River that connects Stockton in Hunterdon County, New Jersey to Solebury Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe chose that name because our band members live on both sides of the Delaware,\u201d said Phillips. \u201cWe mostly play as TUSK. We started back in 2007 and played locally. Then, an agent saw us perform and he took it up to the next level.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe honed our sound to the sound of Fleetwood Mac. We did our homework. On the web we found a lot of Fleetwood Mac outtakes and live shows. I watched a lot of video.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up listening to Stevie Nicks so I knew her stuff. I knew all her inflections and I have that tone in my voice that sounds like Stevie Nicks. Scott sounds like Lindsey Buckingham — and he plays just like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for TUSK —\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wq4JECAV5Sw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Colonial Theatre will begin at 8 p.m.\u00a0Tickets are $34.50 (Gold Circle), $29.50 (Orchestra), $25.50 (Front Balcony) and $20 (Rear Balcony).<\/p>\n

\"pete<\/a>

Pete RG<\/p><\/div>\n

Two interesting acts are coming to Philadelphia on March 26 — Pete RG at the North Star (2639 Poplar Street, Philadelphia, 215-787-0488,\u00a0http:\/\/www.northstarbar.com<\/a>) and Title Fight at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100,\u00a0www.utphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Pete RG, a singer-songwriter from Venice, California, writes songs that are deep and insightful and sings them with a voice that is deep and mellifluous. In 2012, he began his solo career with a debut album called \u201cNew Eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to that, he was the lead singer of the L.A.-based indie-pop band Last December and performed using his birth name — Peter Argyropoulos. When he departed Last December, he brought his musical partner\/life partner Brina Kabler along with him.<\/p>\n

Pete RG is now touring in support of his new EP \u201cLightning Strikes,\u201d which was released in February. The EP was recorded and mixed primarily at RG\u2019s personal studio in Santa Monica with the assistance of multi-instrumentalist\/co-producer\u00a0Kabler, who RG refers to as his, \u201cmusical Swiss Army Knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Lightning Strikes\u2019 over the last year,\u201d said RG, during a recent phone interview from his home in southern California. \u201cWe recorded all of it at my home studio except for the song \u2018Still Here.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, I\u2019d work on music at home and then would bounce around different studios. I decided I want something more permanent here on the West Side. An opportunity with space came up so I decided to go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

RG has music in his DNA.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents were musicians — struggling musicians in the 60s and 70s,\u201d said RG. \u201cThey gave me the itch. I started playing in bands when I was in college. I never played guitar growing up — instead I was playing drums, clarinet and keyboards.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my senior year in high school, I was bored so I started taking guitar lessons. In college, I met another guitarist and he needed a singer for his cover band.\u201d<\/p>\n

RG\u2019s music career started with Last December 16 years ago — a band most known for its highly-acclaimed album titled \u201cHailstorm.\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast December started in 2009 and was my project,\u201d said RG. \u201cI was the leader of the band. We had a really successful indie record. We signed with a major label and had different sessions with different producers. Once the band was done, I started producing different acts.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, I was writing music for television. After doing that for a couple years, I looked at the changes in the music industry and decided it was time to be an artist again. My first solo project was \u2018New Eyes\u2019. It actually did pretty well. I was going to tour it in 2012 but I got busy with my studio instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs for \u2018Lightning Strikes\u2019 were all brand new songs. We wanted to keep it simple. I write all the songs but it was a collaborative process with Brina. Now, we\u2019re touring in support of the EP and we\u2019re coming east.\u201d<\/p>\n

RG is very familiar with eastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster,\u201d said RG.\u201dI had a great time. Coming from L.A., Lancaster County was sleepy but the people were great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show at the North Star will have co-headliners — Dave Parnell and Peter RG, whose band features\u00a0Dave Krusen from Pearl Jam and Adam Kury from Candlebox. Tickets are $12 at the door.<\/p>\n

Title Fight is another band with a Pennsylvania connection. The quartet —\u00a0Jamie Rhoden, Ned Russin, Shane Moran and Ben Russin — is a punk rock band from Kingston, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy twin brother Ben and I started playing music together when we were about 11,\u201d said Ned Russin, during a recent phone interview. \u201cI started straight to bass and Ben played drums. It sounds strange to be jamming with just bass and drums but we did. We also jammed with other guys.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all went to Wyoming Valley West in middle school. I met Jamie in social studies class. We talked about bands we liked — and about skateboarding. He started playing guitar after that. We listened to stuff like Blink 182 and to older bands like the Descendants and Minor Threat. Punk was just what we liked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a brother who is seven years older so I was exposed to punk rock when I was really young. I went from looking at it to being a part of it. It was the same with Jamie. We had a pretty cool local scene with a lot of touring bands coming through. In the early stages, there were probably about four or five venues that were into punk. The largest was Cafe Metropolis. That\u2019s where we played our first show.\u201d
\nTitle Fight released its first album \u201cShed\u201d in 2011 and followed with \u201cFloral Green\u201d in 2012. The band signed with ANTI-Records last year and released its third album \u201cHyperview\u201d on that label earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album last July in Conshohocken with Will Yip as our producer,\u201d said Russin. \u201cWe were there for a little over a month. We really like working with Will. He\u2019s a very talented guy with the board. The biggest thing — he really gets us. He\u2019s a friend and a great coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe direction we took on the new album was a conscious decision. Each of our records has a different sonic thing. This time we wanted to try something different because we\u2019re more mature.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had more life experiences and we\u2019ve heard more bands. When we sit down and write songs, we look at the continuity as a progression. It\u2019s a good balance of maturity and not repeating things.\u201d<\/p>\n

The all-ages show at Union Transfer will also feature co-headliner La Dispute along with The Hotelier. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $23.<\/p>\n

\"african<\/a>

The African Childrens’ Choir<\/p><\/div>\n

The calendar for March 27 features a lot of variety — ranging from the African Children\u2019s Choir at the University of Pennsylvania to Americana band Humming House a few blocks away at the World Caf\u00e9 Live to singer-songwriter Jacob Whitesides at the Keswick Theater.<\/p>\n

Humming House, a Nashville quintet featuring\u00a0Justin Wade Tam, Leslie Rodriguez, Bobby Chase, Joshua Wolak and Ben Jones, just\u00a0released its new album, \u201cRevelries\u201d on March 24 on Rock Ridge Music. This weekend, the band will be making a return appearance at the\u00a0World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400,\u00a0philly.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the album had been pretty well road-tested,\u201d said the band\u2019s founder Justin Wade Tam, during a recent phone interview from his home in Nashville. \u201cWe recorded it a year ago and we had played a lot of the songs live before we recorded them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first album was recorded before we ever toured. For this album, we juxtaposed and we were able to work on arrangements. We were able to flesh out everything — even old demos. We\u2019ve been playing these songs for a long time but our fans are excited because it\u2019s the first they\u2019ve been able to own them physically.<\/p>\n

\"humming<\/a>\u201cWe\u2019re still an up-an-coming band so not a whole lot of people know us. We come from a variety of backgrounds — pop, folk, Celtic, ballads, rockabilly and bluegrass. We\u2019re an acoustic ensemble but we\u2019re not playing traditional folksongs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to tell stories as best as possible. Storytelling is a big part of our music. Our songs are narratives — and some can be just about a moment. \u2018Great Divide\u2019 was about going out to Colorado. It was our first trip out west. Ben wrote a poem about the tour and we tried to capture it in a song. Almost every one of our songs has a story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humming House also has a variety of backgrounds with regard to the band members\u2019 hometowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from San Diego,\u201d said Tam. \u201cJosh is from Detroit. Ben is from Columbus, Ohio. Leslie is from Louisville and Bobby is from Washington, D.C. We all came to Nashville for the music.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur new album has a very live feeling. It\u2019s a very upbeat, fun record. The majority of the parts were done live and then we did some overdubs. There was only one outside musician — a guest cello player on a few tracks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded it at Sputnik Sounds in Nashville with Mitch Dane as the producer. The songs really came into their own during the arranging process. The first album was all my songs but now the songwriting has become more collaborative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band was kind of born backwards. I worked with Mitch (Dane) on Humming House\u2019s first album \u2018Gypsy Django\u2019 and brought musicians in — Ben on upright bass and kick drum and Joshua on mandolin so they are founding members. Bobby filled in on piano and viola and was an amazing fit. Leslie has been in the band for two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tam\u2019s observation that not a whole lot of people know Humming House is on its way to being outdated. With a strong album recently released and a tour schedule that includes more than 100 shows a year, Humming House is well on its way to greater recognition in the music world.<\/p>\n

Video link for Humming House —\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=hNneZWboVIo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Humming House\u2019s show March 27 on the WCL\u2019s Downstairs Stage will be a co-bill with Drew Holcomb. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $14.<\/p>\n

\"jacob<\/a>

Jacob Whitesides<\/p><\/div>\n

Jacob Whitesides is a talented young singer from Sevierville, Tennessee — an artist who appears destined for fame. But, no matter how popular he might become, he will never be his hometown\u2019s most famous star.<\/p>\n

Sevierville is the hometown of Dolly Parton and it\u2019s an accepted fact that \u201cDolly Rules.\u201d There is even an amusement park named Dollywood that occupies the site that once was an amusement park named Silver Dollar City Tennessee in nearby Pigeon Forge\/Gatlinburg area, a tourist Mecca in the Smoky Mountains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Dollywood,\u201d said Whitesides, during a recent mid-tour phone interview en route from New Mexico to Arizona. \u201cI like all the tourists. A lot of my fans come and visit Gatlinburg and they get surprised when they run into me there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitesides will be performing at the\u00a0Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) on March 27 as part of \u201cThe\u00a0Reflection Tour,\u201d which\u00a0is the first major headlining tour by Fifth Harmony. Whitesides and Mahogany Lox ware the tour\u2019s opening acts.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad was always in bands — playing guitar in bands,\u201d said Whitesides. \u201cSo, I was exposed to music at a very young age. As I got older, I listened a lot to acts like John Mayer, Jack Johnson and Maroon Five. My dad listened to a lot of singer-songwriters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was middle school, I liked sports. But, when I was 13, I was still pretty short. So, I decided to try music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whitesides built a following entirely on his own — one that is deeply rooted in his connection with his ever-growing international fan base.\u00a0 That fan base has skyrocketed to\u00a01.42 million Twitter followers, increasing by roughly\u00a020,000 per week, almost\u00a01.3 million Facebook likes, almost\u00a0900,000 Instagram fans, almost\u00a0700,000 Vine subscribers\u00a0and\u00a0over 10 million views on YouTube.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I was posting covers of popular songs and getting 20,000-50,000 hits,\u201d said Whitesides. \u201cI posted a One Direction cover and Liam, one of the guys in the group, tweeted that he liked it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that, I got a half-million hits in a couple days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no clue because my fan base wasn\u2019t that large. The first original I posted was \u2018You\u2019re Perfect\u2019 — a super-catchy pop song that I\u2019m not really proud of.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy music has come a long way since then. I got new management. I knew who I wanted to be as an artist. I got a place in Nashville and wrote what I was feeling. \u2018Not My Type At All\u2019 was a song about my dad. I also wrote a song called \u2018Rumors.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just writing about whatever things I was feeling at the time — writing stuff that I was passionate about. I like to think that I\u2019m the John Mayer of my generation. My fan base is getting more mature as my music gets more mature. I talk to parents at my shows and they say that they like my songs too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Jacob Whitesides —\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ATS_yuko34Y<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Reflections Tour will have its final show of the tour on March 27 at 7 p.m. at the\u00a0Keswick Theater. Tickets are $32.50 & $42.50.<\/p>\n

The African Children\u2019s Choir, which is performing March 27 at the Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-898-3900, has a great story behind it.<\/p>\n

In 1984, in the midst of Uganda\u2019s bloody civil war, human rights activist Ray Barnett was called on to help the many thousands of orphaned and starving children, abandoned and helpless to feed and protect themselves.<\/p>\n

Realizing the enormity of the task Ray and his team came up with a unique approach. The only way to make a meaningful difference was to impact the lives of these children, one child at a time.<\/p>\n

The first Choir was formed in 1984, selected from orphaned and vulnerable children in the Kampala and Luwero areas of Uganda. After the Choir was trained to perform and readied for living in new and different cultures, the children travelled from Uganda to tour amongst the North American Church communities.<\/p>\n

They immediately impressed audiences with their vibrancy and outstanding musical talent. They quickly became a mouthpiece for the plight of the many thousands of vulnerable children like them in Uganda.<\/p>\n

The proceeds of the first African Children\u2019s Choir tour also funded the building of an orphanage back in Kampala from which a second African Children\u2019s Choir was selected.<\/p>\n

In the early years they would tour principally in United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The proceeds of their tours, and the sponsorship support they would attract, funded a growing program of establishing literacy schools to enable the very neediest children to get a foot up into proper education.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the continuing care, education and development of returning Choir children was assured through the proceeds of Choir tours and the generosity of sponsors and donors.<\/p>\n

The African Children\u2019s Choir inspires audiences through their unique blend of cultural song and festive dance. Members range from ages 7-10 and are survivors of the devastation of war, famine and disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have 18 children in this touring choir — nine boys and nine girls,\u201d said tour chaperone Emily Gronow, during a recent phone interview. \u201cThey are all from Uganda. We operate in seven African countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cUganda is one of the main ones where we\u2019re working. This is now Uganda\u2019s choir. In the past, we\u2019ve had line-ups with children from a number of countries but not recently. This is the program\u2019s 30th<\/sup>\u00a0year and we have two choirs performing in America. Choir 42 has been out for awhile and this one is Choir 43. All the students are impoverished — all from homes that can\u2019t offer education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Event co-coordinator Tina Sipp said, \u201cIn Uganda, we have a number of different projects. We support a number of different programs in and around Kampala. For the choir, children come to a weekend camp and our staff evaluates them. Then, a certain number are picked to go for training and they spend five months in a training center learning the program.\u201d The result is vibrant music performed by pure, young voices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an 80-minute show straight-through,\u201d said Gronow. \u201cThere is ethnic music, old-time Gospel music and some other songs written for the choir. The show is very lively, colorful and energetic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for choir —\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=10jrm6PxJTU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The March 27 show at the Annenberg Center will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, $30, $40 and $60.<\/p>\n

\"regina<\/a>

Regina Carter<\/p><\/div>\n

On March 28, the Annenberg Center will shift gears and host jazz violin virtuoso Regina Carter.<\/p>\n

Carter not only is a master of her instrument, she is a musician who delves into her roots with gusto. More evidence of her honoring the past can be found on her most recent album \u201cSouthern Comfort\u201d on Sony Music Masterworks.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouthern Comfort\u201d thematically connects Carter\u2019s earlier albums \u201cI\u2019ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey\u201d (2006), which features her mother\u2019s favorite early jazz standards, and \u201cReverse Thread\u201d (2010), which celebrates the tradition of African music re-imagined for violin, accordion, bass, drums and kora.<\/p>\n

On \u201cSouthern Comfort\u201d, Carter explores the folk tunes her paternal grandfather, a coalminer, would have heard as he toiled in Alabama. She expanded the project to include other folk tunes of the region.<\/p>\n

Intent on making the past, present, Regina sought out distant relatives and books about the era in which her grandfather lived.\u00a0 From there, she went to the Library of Congress and the renowned collections of folklorists such as Alan Lomax and John Work III digging deep into their collected field recordings from Appalachia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was researching my family before I even thought about the record,\u201d said Carter, during a phone interview last week from her home in North Jersey. \u201cMy grandfather was a coal miner in Alabama. I started re-connecting with relatives. I got pictures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I wondered what the music was like at that time — the late 1800s. I found a lot of interesting field recordings. The Lomax Collection had a lot. Some tunes were children\u2019s games. Some were verse songs sung by miners as they were working.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was drawn to the voice of Vera Ward Hall. Most of the songs I found were pretty sparse. It gave us room to color around that but I also wanted the arrangements to stay close to the melodies. I spent over a year researching. There are so many ways you can get pulled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter had some assistance along the way with her research. She\u00a0was awarded a MacArthur Fellows Program grant, also known as a \u201cgenius grant,\u201d in September 2006. The award includes a grant of $500,000 over five years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was with Verve Records for a long time,\u201d said Carter. \u201cMy last album with Verve was in 2006. I released \u2018Reverse Thread\u2019 in 2010. It took a long time because I used money from the MacArthur grant to research the music.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I have more than enough material for my next CD. I always like to have too much. In my show, I\u2019m still playing a lot of music from \u2018Southern Comfort.\u2019 I also do some of my older songs and some classics. Basically, it\u2019s a hodge-podge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Regina Carter —\u00a0https:\/\/vimeo.com\/87814819<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Carter\u2019s show at the Annenberg Center on March 27 will get underway at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25, $40 and $60.<\/p>\n

On March 27, David Uosikkinen will bring In the Pocket to the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>)\u00a0to celebrate the release of the group\u2019s new single \u201cPunk Rock Girl\u201d — a song that was\u00a0originally recorded in 1988 by The Dead Milkmen, one of Philly\u2019s first punk rock.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just had to pay tribute to the Dead Milkmen,\u201d said Uosikkinen during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. \u201cIt\u2019s such a great song.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uosikkinen is a member of one of Philadelphia\u2019s all-time favorite bands — the Hooters. For his In the Pocket project — both live and in the studio — Uosikkinen uses a revolving lineup of Philadelphia\u2019s most celebrated musicians to perform covers of tunes from Philly\u2019s rich rock music history.<\/p>\n

In the Pocket\u2019s\u00a0version of \u201cPunk Rock Girl\u201d features Richard Bush (The A\u2019s) on lead vocals, Tommy Conwell (The Young Rumblers) on guitar, Pete Donnelly (Figgs\/NRBQ\/Shelby Lynne)\u00a0on bass, William Wittman (Cyndi Lauper) on guitar, Rob Hyman (The Hooters) on melodica, Eric Bazilian (The Hooters) on hurdy-gurdy, and Uosikkinen (The Hooters) on drums.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I produce any song for In the Pocket, I grab a cool group of guys and do sessions,\u201d said Uosikkinen. \u201cI do it old school with everybody playing together. And, all the sessions are saved on video. I use ProTools to record the music. I use the console and then run it through tape. It just gives it that nice hug.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cut \u2018Punk Rock Girl\u2019 two months ago — mid-February at Studio Four with Phil Nicolo producing it,\u201d said\u00a0Uosikkinen. \u2018That was a lot of fun. It\u2019s one of those songs. It\u2019s like a Philly institution. It really was a fun song to record.<\/p>\n

\u201cTommy Conwell was on guitar. Phil played guitar Pete Donnelly played bass. We had a blast cutting the song. It wasn\u2019t perfect but it had the perfect vibe. It captures the spirit<\/p>\n

The new recording was the 12th<\/sup>\u00a0installment of In the Pocket\u2019s series of re-imagining Philly music classics. The other classics are \u201cFall in Philadelphia,\u201d \u201cBeat Up Guitar,\u201d \u201cA Woman\u2019s Got the Power,\u201d \u201cI Saw the Light,\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u201cAll My Mondays,\u201d \u201cOpen My Eyes,\u201d \u201cYou Can\u2019t Sit Down,\u201d\u00a0\u201cSoon You\u2019ll Be Gone,\u201d \u201cChange Reaction,\u201d \u201cDisco Inferno\u201d and \u201cI Ain\u2019t Searchin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

In The Pocket\u2019s lineup for this weekend\u2019s show in Ardmore includes Graham Alexander (Paul McCartney in Broadway production of \u201cRain\u201d), Steve Butler\u00a0(Smash Palace), David Kershner, John Lilley (The Hooters), Bobby Michaels\u00a0(Soul Survivors), Glenn McClelland (Ween), Zou Zou Mansour (Soraia), Fran Smith, Jr. (The Hooters), Wally Smith (Smash Palace, Crosstown Traffic), Greg Davis\u00a0(Beru Revue), Cliff Hillis\u00a0(Ike), Charlie and Richie Ingui\u00a0(Soul Survivors), TJ Tindall\u00a0(Bonnie Raitt Band) Conwell, Bush, Bazilian and Uosikkinen.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing about In the Pocket — everybody has been a joy to work with,\u201d said Uosikkinen. \u201cAs long as the guys participating in it want to do , I\u2019m going to keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video for \u201cPunk Rock Girl\u201d —\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N3oQzXoG4Dg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the Pocket\u2019s show in Ardmore will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 day of show.<\/p>\n

Teenage Bottelrocket, a punk rock band from Wyoming, will perform at the Trocadero (10th<\/sup>\u00a0and Arch streets, Philadelphia, 215-922-6888,\u00a0www.thetroc.com<\/a>) on March 28. Four days later, the band\u2019s new album \u201cTales from Wyoming\u201d will be released on Rise Records.<\/p>\n

The band was formed by brothers Ray and Brandon Carlisle, following the dissolution of their previous band Homeless Wonders in 2000. Their music alliance goes back much longer than that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrandon and I are twins,\u201d said Ray Carlisle, during a recent phone interview from his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. \u201cWhen we were around 10 or 11, we started learning some songs. Brandon got a drum kit and I got a guitar. When we were 12, we formed the Carlisle Trio and began playing some Ventures\u2019 songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe music we likesd when we were little was more metal. In 1994, we got into punk bands — Green Day, NOFX, Live Weasel. The first time we heard Green Day\u2019s \u2018Basket Case,\u2019 our ears perked up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Homeless Wonders was a start but not the right avenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a punk band but the sound wasn\u2019t what we wanted,\u201d said Carlisle. \u201cIt got to a point where we needed a band with simple chord progressions like the Ramones — and then strip it all down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started Teenage Bottlerocket after things crumbled with Homeless Wonders. We started writing songs we liked. We started playing shows and making a record. Our friend Zach Doe was our guitarist until he moved to Chicago and he named the band.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been playing bass but when Miguel Chen joined as a bass player, I moved to guitar. Kody Templeton, another guitar player joined in 2004. So, our line-up has been the same for quite awhile now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTales from Wyoming\u201d is the band\u2019s sixth album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album in late November and early December last year,\u201d said Carlisle. \u201cWe did it in the Blasting Room in Fort Collins. Some of the songs were older but most were written in the last year. We\u2019re playing at least five of them in our shows now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teenage Botlerocket will open for Pennywise Saturday night at the Troc. The all-ages show will start at 7 p.m. with tickets priced at $25.<\/p>\n

On March 29, I Prevail, a metal band from Detroit, will make its area debut with a show at the Chameleon Club (223 North Water Street, Lancaster, 717-299-9684,\u00a0http:\/\/www.chameleonclub.net)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The band has yet to sign a record deal but its most recent effort in the recording studio has brought the Michigan metal band a ton of success. The song charted as the seventh most viral track on Spotify globally, based on the number of people who shared the performance divided by the number who listened to it.\u00a0This encompassed the period from January 26th through February 1.\u00a0 Since being posted, the accompanying video has been viewed over five million times on YouTube.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, the tune posted was a cover song rather than an original song. Even more surprisingly, it was a cover of a song by pop princess Taylor Swift — \u201cBlank Space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the cover in late November and released it on December 1,\u201d said vocalist Brian Burkheiser, during a phone interview earlier this week. \u201cOur drummer is a big Taylor Swift fan. We listened to her \u2018Blank Space\u2019 and it\u2019s bubblegum. For our version, we wanted a 50\/50 mix of clean and dirty vocals. I\u2019m the clean vocalist and Eric (Vandlerberghe) is the dirty vocalist. We still wanted Eric\u2019s breakdown in the song. When we made the video, our goal was 5,000-10,000 views. Now, it\u2019s hit seven million views. It peaked in January. Billboard wrote about it. We hit 24 different Billboard charts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not long after, I Prevail quickly show its real side by flexing its musical muscles with a few pile-driving songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed people to realize that we weren\u2019t just a cover band,\u201d said Burkheiser. \u201cRight after the cover came out, we released two singles and a video. \u2018Love, Lust, and Liars\u2019 got a million views and radio play. That\u2019s great because it\u2019s one of our heavier songs. \u2018The Enemy\u2019 hit 500,000 views last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both songs are on I Prevail\u2019s new EP \u2018Heart vs. Mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent about a year making this EP,\u201d said Burkheiser. \u201cWe wanted to make sure everything was ready for a launch. The EP has a lot to offer. People can listen to one track and then go to the next track and get a different feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The all-ages show at the Chameleon Club will start at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12 and $15.<\/p>\n

It will be \u201cTribute Weekend\u201d on March 27 and 28 at The Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) with the Core (Eric Clapton tribute band) on March 27 and Countdown to Ecstasy (Steely Dan tribute band) on March 28.<\/p>\n

This weekend\u2019s show at the Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043,\u00a0www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>) will be 228 Presents: Alright Junior, Risen Resilient, Frozen Smoke and Darren Deicide.<\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/a>) will have Duke Maroon, Overfield, Aim 4 Grey, Folk by Default on March 27 and An Honest Year, Rock & Roll After School SuperGroup, and Brosef Gordon-Levitt n March 28.<\/p>\n

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547,\u00a0www.burlapandbean.com<\/a>) will have SHEL on March 27 and Ethan Pierce and Silveeo on March 28.<\/p>\n

Melodies Caf\u00e9 (2 East Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore, 610-645-5269,\u00a0www.melodiescafe.com<\/a>) will feature Capputrio on March 26 and Cynthia G. Mason, Lou Dominguez, Dylan Jane and Jason Ager on March 28.<\/p>\n

The Grand Opera House\u00a0(818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577,\u00a0www.thegrandwilmington.org<\/a>) will present Hannibal Buress on March 26, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall on March 27 and Swingtime on March 28.<\/p>\n

The Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware,\u00a0302- 475-2313,\u00a0www.nctstage.org<\/a>) is presenting \u201cHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.\u201d The play, which won seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is a comedic story that was also a hit film.<\/p>\n

A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, it follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch up the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive.\u00a0Tickets, which include a tasty buffet dinner, are $59 for adults and $33 for children (ages 4-12).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Also: TUSK, Pete RG and more tune up local stages By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times The entertainment calendar is loaded with good options to hear live music in the area starting tonight and reaching a crescendo on Saturday evening. The list of onstage offerings also includes a top-flight comedy show right in the heart […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[287,7],"tags":[6900,6901,6897,6902,6899,6898,6896],"class_list":["post-25094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-featured","tag-african-childrens-choir","tag-humming-house","tag-pete-rg","tag-regina-carter","tag-title-fight","tag-tusk","tag-two-funny-philly-guys"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25094","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=25094"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25095,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25094\/revisions\/25095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}