{"id":28343,"date":"2016-03-04T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2016-03-04T14:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=28343"},"modified":"2016-03-04T08:33:02","modified_gmt":"2016-03-04T13:33:02","slug":"on-stage-extra-all-the-worlds-a-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=28343","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Extra): All the world’s a stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local productions, shows have distinctly international flair this weekend<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Staff Writer, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"tal<\/a>

Austrailia’s Tai Wilkenfeld comes to The Ardmore, Saturday.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you look at the entertainment calendar for the next week, you\u2019ll detect a very definite international vibe — musical acts from Italy and Australia, a ballet based on a Spanish novel, a musical built around the songs of a Swedish pop group and a basketball team that has played in more than 120 countries.<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 5, Tal Wilkenfeld, an internationally-acclaimed bass player from Australia, will bring her new band to the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Still in her 20s, Wilkenfeld has already toured and recorded with some of the best musicians in the world, including Jeff Beck, the Allman Brothers, Chick Corea, Jackson Browne and Herbie Hancock.<\/span><\/p>\n

She is currently on the road on her first ever headlining tour and is also the opening act for The Who on the rock legends\u2019 \u00a0\u201cThe Who Turns 50!\u201d North American tour. She will return to this area when that tour visits the Wells Fargo Center on March 14.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a teenager in Australia, I just picked up a guitar and I knew it was my calling,\u201d said Wilkenfeld, during a phone interview Thursday afternoon from New York. \u201cI figured America was the best place to go to pursue a music career. My desire to play guitar had nothing to do with any other musicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really wasn\u2019t familiar with other musicians. I just picked it up out of nowhere. Most of what I did was on my own. I looked at moving to America as a new adventure. I\u2019m pretty fearless about life because you only live once.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wilkenfeld left Sydney and relocated in Los Angeles. In 2004, she headed east to New York — at the ripe old age of 18.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to New York and started playing clubs there,\u201d said Wilkenfeld. \u201cI switched to playing bass guitar when I was still in L.A. A bunch of people heard me play guitar and said I was playing it like a bass player.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey encouraged me to switch to bass. I didn\u2019t differentiate between the instruments. It\u2019s the same 12 notes — just the roles are different. It only took me a couple days to get comfortable playing bass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Once in New York, Wilkenfeld quickly built a reputation as a talented and inventive bass player.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn New York, I was sitting in at jazz clubs several nights a week,\u201d said Wilkenfeld, who uses three different bass guitars — a Fender P-bass, a Harmony Bass and a Sadowsky Five-String. \u201cI met the guys from the Allman Brothers Band and they asked me to sit in with them. It all took off from there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It took off in a big way.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of 2007, Wilkenfeld had released her acclaimed instrumental debut \u201cTransformation,\u201d hit the road with Chick Corea, appeared on A&E with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, and joined Jeff Beck\u2019s world tour for what culminated in her global breakout moment — her performance at Eric Clapton\u2019s 2007 Crossroads Festival in Chicago, which has generated more than 10 million YouTube hits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before long, she was recording with such artists as Prince, Macy Gray, Trevor Rabin, Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Ringo Starr, Brian Wilson, Toto, Todd Rundgren and Ryan Adams — in between high profile tours with Jeff Beck.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying with Jeff Beck really gave me a lot of exposure,\u201d said Wilkenfeld. \u201cI met him through drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. Jeff flew me to London for an audition. I guess I passed it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Wilkenfeld is working on a new album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re releasing a track from the album tomorrow,\u201d said Wilkenfeld. \u201cIt\u2019s called \u2018Corner Painter.\u2019 I\u2019m hoping to have the album finished later this year. In my club shows, I\u2019m playing all new material from the album I\u2019m working on — and a couple covers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy band for the tour is Tamir Barzilay (drums\/vocals), Owen Barry (guitar\/bass\/vocals) and Chris Price (keyboards\/guitar\/vocals). Jeff Beck recommended Owen and Tamir I met in Brooklyn. Chris I just met three weeks ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy music is moving in a new direction. The new stuff isn\u2019t instrumental music. Now, I\u2019m singing in addition to playing bass. The new tracks are songwriter songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Tal Wilkenfeld (with Jeff Beck) — https:\/\/youtu.be\/nQDjSGnmYBI<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Ardmore Music Hall will start at 7:30 p.m. with opening act Hurricane Hoss. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 day of show.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"go!zilla\"<\/a>

Go!zilla<\/p><\/div>\n

Go!zilla, which will play on March 7 at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com<\/span><\/a>), is an Italian fuzz\/psychedelic\/punk band based in Firenze, Italy. It features Luca Landi (guitar\/vocals), Fabio Ricciolo (drum\/vocals) and Mattia Biagiotti (guitar\/vocal).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our big influences was the \u2018Nuggets\u2019 album collection,\u201d said Landi, during a phone interview Thursday afternoon from a tour stop in Fort Wayne, Indiana. \u201cWe also have been influenced by grunge — especially Nirvana.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNuggets\u201d was a series of compilation albums released by Elektra Records in the 1970s. The albums focused primarily on relatively obscure garage and psychedelic rock songs from the 1960s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Go!zilla first began, it was me and a drummer from the Philippines,\u201d said Landi. \u201cHe left so I started to play with Fabio in 2013. In early 2014, Mattia joined the band — also on guitar. He plays bass lines on his guitar and, on some songs, plays second guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I had Go!zilla in the studio was early 2012 when we recorded the \u2018Go!zilla\u2019 EP. Our first album was \u2018Grabbing a Crododile\u2019 in 2013. With the release of the new album, we have three EPs and two LPs altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the new album \u2018Sinking in Your Sea\u2019 about a year ago in the north of Italy — in Treviso — at Outside Inside Studio with Matt Bordin. It\u2019s a great studio with a lot of analog equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe started playing outside Italy in 2014. Playing festivals came later after we got booking agents in France and Germany. Now, our biggest number of followers is in France. In Italy, it\u2019s harder for us to find places to play because we don\u2019t play bars anymore and we\u2019re not big enough to play large theaters. We are known in Italy — but not famous.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy previous band was an Italian beat band and we had songs in Italian. With Go!zilla, English is the better language. I started studying English in college but really learned it when I began travelling. I speak English with more of an American accent than a British accent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith Go!zila, I generally write all the songs. I do the lyrics and a lot of the guitar riffs. Then, I bring the songs to the studio and we all work on them. I like to describe our music as similar to what we are in our lives — anxious, confused, over excited. It\u2019s psychedelic and punk music put together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Go!zilla — https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GRTSO2JDEco<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The show at KFN on March 7, which starts at 8 p.m., also features Skeleton Hands, The Roaring 420s, and Nose Goblins. Tickets are $7.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"mamma<\/a>The music of one of Sweden\u2019s all-time best-selling pop bands will be filling the air this weekend at the Playhouse on Rodney Square (10<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span> and Market streets, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-0200, www. duponttheatre.com<\/span><\/a>). From March 4-6, the theater in downtown Wilmington is hosting the national tour of \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The jukebox musical was written by British playwright Catherine Johnson. The lively show is based on the songs of ABBA — songs composed by Benny Andersson and Bj\u00f6rn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. The title of the musical is taken from the group\u2019s 1975 mega-hit \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ulvaeus and Andersson, who composed the original music for ABBA, were involved in the development of the show from the beginning. ABBA\u2019s Anni-Frid Lyngstad has been involved financially in the production and she has also been present at many of the premieres around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

The musical includes such hits as \u201cSuper Trouper,\u201d \u201cLay All Your Love on Me,\u201d \u201cDancing Queen,\u201d \u201cKnowing Me, Knowing You,\u201d \u201cTake a Chance on Me,\u201d \u201cThank You for the Music,\u201d \u201cMoney, Money, Money,\u201d \u201cThe Winner Takes It All,\u201d \u201cVoulez-Vous,\u201d \u201cSOS\u201d and, of course, \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/zlYifqVOqz8<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Playhouse will be performed at 8 p.m. on Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturday and 2 and 7 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets range from $45-$120.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Don-Q-Header\"<\/a>Now through March 13, Pennsylvania Ballet\u2019s Artistic Director Angel Corella is sharing his Spanish culture with audiences through his adaptation of Marius Petipa\u2019s \u201cDon Quixote.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Performances will be presented at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, http:\/\/www.paballet.org<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Dedicated to making his \u201cDon Quixote\u201d as authentic as possible, Corella purchased authentic costumes, fans, and castanets during his last trip to Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon Quixote\u201d is a classic comedy featuring intricate choreography, authentic Spanish flavored dance, and comic interludes as it brings to life Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra\u2019s classic novel, \u201cDon Quixote.\u201d Cervantes’ story takes place on the plains of La Mancha, specifically the comarca of Campo de Montiel.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ballet portrays the story of the idealistic, eccentric Don Quixote who goes on a quest in search of his ideal woman, Dulcinea. He believes he has found her when he spots the lovely Kitri.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Kitri is expected to accept the marriage offer of the rich Gamach. While Don Quixote and Gamache battle for Kitri\u2019s hand in marriage, lovers Kitri and dashing Basilio battle against her father and all odds in order to unite in true love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cDon Quixote\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/wP9XVM6SMZc<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pennsylvania Ballet\u2019s performances are scheduled for March 4 at 7:30 p.m., March 5 at 2 and 8 p.m., March 6 at 2 p.m., March 9 at 7:30 p.m., March 10 at 7:30 p.m., March 11 at 2 and 7:30 p.m., March 12 at 2 and 8 p.m. and March 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $29-$135.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"globetrotters\"<\/a>

The Harlem Globetrotters<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the next week, there will be several games at area venues featuring the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team that combines sports, clowning around, theater, athletic skill and comedy to produce its entertaining and unique show.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, the Globies have played close to 30,000 exhibition games in more than 120 countries and territories around the world. The Globetrotters, who frequently feature international stars on their roster, truly live up to their name.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for the Harlem Globe trotters — https:\/\/youtu.be\/rBg3AteaW5Y<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 4, the Globetrotters will play at the Liacouras Center (North Broad Street, Philadelphia) with game time set for 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $17 in the upper and lower levels to $100 courtside.<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 6, the high-flying hoopsters will bring their show to the Wells Fargo Center (Broad Street below Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia) for a matinees game at noon and an evening game at 5 p.m. They will return to the Wells Fargo Center for a 12:30 p.m. game on March 12. Ticket prices range from $21-$165.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"horse<\/a>

Horse Jumper of Love<\/p><\/div>\n

On March 8, Horse Jumper of Love will play its first show in the area. The Boston-based band is fronted by singer Dimitri Giannopoulos, who obviously is of Greek descent.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t written any songs with a Greek influence for the band but I\u2019ve thought about it,\u201d said Giannopoulos, during a phone interview Wednesday from his home in New York. \u201cI really like old Greek music — the Greek blues known as rebetiko.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Horse Jumper of Love is a somewhat silly name — just as silly as the names of some of the venues on the band\u2019s current tour. The trio\u2019s tour schedule includes shows at Asbestos Farm, Loner\u2019s Club, Crayola, The Sewing Room and Spider House. Their local concert will be at Goldilocks Gallery (723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-432-8564).<\/span><\/p>\n

The band is currently touring in support of its self-titled full length debut, which is scheduled to be released on March 11 via Gawk Records\u00a0and Disposable America. The trio\u2019s music is about 180 degrees away from the fast-paced hyper sound of punk rock and thrash.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI like stuff that\u2019s slow,\u201d said Giannopoulos. \u201cI like everything slow — including my music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s press release describes the trio\u2019s sound as \u201csyrupy.\u201d Actually, it\u2019s more like sludge than syrup. It\u2019s slow, loud and lo-fi. The latest single form the album is titled \u201cBagel Breath.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe started making the album last February at a studio in Norwood, Massachusetts,\u201d said Giannopoulos. \u201cWe wrote one interlude type song in the studio but the rest had already been written. Some of the songs we had been playing live for two years. I just wanted to get these songs done and out of the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe still play two-thirds of the album along with a few new songs. We have a bunch of new songs and we want to start recording them. We already have some studio time booked for when we get back home from this tour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Frequently, a band will make an album and follow with a tour. After awhile, the songs from the album naturally speed up when they\u2019re performed live. It is just the opposite with Horse Jumper of Love.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs had slowed down even more once we started playing them live,\u201d said Giannopoulos. \u201cActually, they got too slow. We\u2019ve had to work on speeding them back up. It\u2019s made the songs feel a lot better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Horse Jumper of Love — https:\/\/youtu.be\/TVFFimc0XA0<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweden, Italy, Australia, Spain, Greece — can\u2019t forget about the good old USA.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"the<\/a>On March 9, The Word Alive, a veteran rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, will visit the area for a show at the Theatre of the Living Arts (334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1011, http:\/\/www.lnphilly.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

The quintet — Telle Smith – Vocals; Tony Pizzuti – Guitar\/Vocals; Zack Hansen – Guitar\/Vocals; Daniel Shapiro – Bass\/Vocals; Luke Holland – Drums — has a new album titled \u201cDark Matter<\/i>,\u201d that is set for release later this month on Fearless Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band, which formed in 2008, has released four albums — each two years apart and all on Fearless Records. The LPs are \u201cDeceiver\u201d (2010), \u201cLife Cycles\u201d (2012), \u201cReal\u201d (2014) and \u201cDark Matter\u201d (2016).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe album comes out on March 18 so this tour is pretty much a listening party,\u201d said Pizzuti, during a phone interview Wednesday from a tour stop in Cleveland. \u201cWe\u2019re doing seven songs from the new record — five they haven\u2019t heard before. We\u2019ll have the CD at our merch table in about a week.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally, we wanted to have the CD out before the tour but with routing and other things, this was the best option. So, we have cool visuals and a listening party. It\u2019s like a sneak peek. We\u2019ll have a real headlining tour in the fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have really cool lighting production on this tour including vertical foggers and a circle truss with rotating lights. It goes with the theme of the album. We like to showcase the new music. This is the first time we decided to stick with a theme. The whole set intertwines with \u2018Dark Matter\u2019 and spacey themes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band took a new approach with the soon-to-be-released album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn this record, we really worked together on the songwriting,\u201d said Pizzuti. \u201cIn the past, we worked a lot separately. This time, we really took our time. We wrote at least 30 songs for \u2018Dark Matter\u2019 and chose 12. It\u2019s our best album ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe just wanted to write undeniably great songs — regardless of what music style you like. We\u2019re sick of trying to please everyone. We just wrote the record for ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely has more of a darker tone. We were confused as a band as to what to do. We were kind of on a dark path. Our last record was so all over the place. So, this time we just wrote songs that felt right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for The Word Alive — https:\/\/youtu.be\/YlQg7sU9RRM<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at TLA, which starts at 7 p.m., has Out Came The Wolves, Fit for a King, and The Artisan as opening acts. Tickets are $18.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Local productions, shows have distinctly international flair this weekend By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times If you look at the entertainment calendar for the next week, you\u2019ll detect a very definite international vibe — musical acts from Italy and Australia, a ballet based on a Spanish novel, a musical built around the songs of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7842,7],"tags":[8132,8134,6823,8133,8131],"class_list":["post-28343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-featured","tag-don-quixote","tag-gozilla","tag-harlem-globetrotters","tag-horse-jumper-of-love","tag-mama-mia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28343","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=28343"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28346,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28343\/revisions\/28346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}