{"id":31883,"date":"2016-10-03T09:15:01","date_gmt":"2016-10-03T13:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=31883"},"modified":"2016-10-03T09:17:17","modified_gmt":"2016-10-03T13:17:17","slug":"on-stage-fall-in-for-some-jazz-with-jason-stein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=31883","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Fall in for some jazz with Jason Stein"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"Jason<\/a>

Jason Stein<\/p><\/div>\n

Fall has arrived in the area and a huge array of bands is following close behind. This is time of year when bands hit the road \u2013 looking to get in tours before the Christmas holiday season takes over.<\/span><\/p>\n

A number of interesting acts will be performing in the area over the next few days beginning on October 3 with jazz ace Jason Stein at Boot and Saddle and Moon Hooch at Kung Fu Necktie.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stein will bring his band Hearts and Minds to town as part of an Ars Nova Workshop presentation at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Hearts and Minds has been called a \u201cbastard organ trio,\u201d weaving together various influences from jazz, rock, and noise into an intense, singular expression of contemporary composition and improvisation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Originally from Long Island, Jason Stein is one of the few musicians working today to focus entirely on the bass clarinet as a jazz and improvisational instrument. Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune wrote, \u201cThe bass clarinet does not figure prominently in jazz, but it hasn’t had many champions as ardent or accomplished as Stein.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to play a woodwind because there were so many jazz saxophonists that I lived,\u201d said Stein, during a phone interview last week from his home in New York.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI wanted to play an instrument to develop my own vocabulary so I chose bass clarinet. It\u2019s a great instrument. But, it can be a very tricky instrument to play.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Stein studied at Bennington College with Charles Gayle and Milford Graves, and at the University of Michigan with Donald Walden and Ed Sarath. In 2005, Stein relocated to Chicago and has since recorded for such labels as Leo, Delmark, Atavistic, 482 Music and Clean Feed.<\/span><\/p>\n

He has worked with a wide range of creative musicians, including Michael Moore, Jeff Parker, Ken Vandermark, Rob Mazurek, Jeb Bishop, Ingebrigt H\u00e5ker-Flaten, Michael Zerang, and Peter Br\u00f6tzmann. He also leads the avant-jazz trio Locksmith Isidore, which continues to perform before arena-sized crowds as the opening act for Stein\u2019s sister, comedian Amy Schumer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m home for the moment,\u201d said Stein. \u201cI just got back from shows in Austin and Louisville. They were with Hearts and Minds. I\u2019ve also been doing a lot of shows with Locksmith Isidore with my sister Amy Schumer. It\u2019s been totally cool opening for her. Going in, I didn\u2019t know what to expect but the audiences have been great.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hearts and Minds teams Stein with keyboardist Paul Giallorenzo, a Chicago-based improviser, composer, and producer who uses piano, synthesizer, keyboards, and electronics in a wide variety of groups and contexts, ranging from jazz and improvised music to electro-acoustic noise to sound and video performance; and drummer Chad Taylor, the co-founder of the Chicago Underground ensembles who has worked with the likes of Fred Anderson, Derek Bailey, Pharoah Sanders, Marc Ribot and Peter Br\u00f6tzmann.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHearts and Minds is a pretty long-standing band,\u201d said Stein. \u201cI\u2019ve been friends with Paul since I was 11. We went to school together in Rockville Center in Long Island. The first year Hearts and Minds started playing was around 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve played together with different drummers throughout the years. All three of us stay pretty busy with different projects. We kept talking about doing some recording but it never happened. Finally, it did. We recorded our debut album in 2014.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s debut album \u201cHearts and Minds\u201d is being released in the United States on October 7 by Astral Spirits, a record label based in Austin, Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

The collective\u2019s eponymous debut emanates from an eight-year incubation — sporadic and occasionally intensive gigging resulting in the accretion of a songbook featuring tunes and structures divided about equally between Stein and Giallorenzo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both based in Chicago, they\u2019re long established members of the creative music community — key figures in the wave of players attracted to the city in the early 2000\u2019s. \u00a0Frank Rosaly, another veteran jazz player from Chicago, played drums and did electronics on the album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album in Chicago in June 2014 with Frank,\u201d said Stein. \u201cLater, he moved to Amsterdam so we had to find another drummer. Even though it was our first recording, we were playing compositions that we had been playing for a long time \u2013 compositions that leave a lot of room for improvisation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cImprovisation is really an important part of this ban. We\u2019re just inclined to find variations. We hired Chad as our drummer because he is so good. I\u2019ve been listening to him since I was young.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith our band, keyboard and synths play the role of bass quite a bit. It\u2019s sort of a re-appropriated organ trio. The bass does a lot of walking. There are elements of noise music or even rock. But, at heart, we\u2019re all jazz musicians.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Hearts and Minds \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/xY2UNiESsNw?t=8<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Moon<\/a>

Moon Hooch<\/p><\/div>\n

After spending the better part of the summer touring Europe,\u00a0Moon Hooch\u00a0returned the states for an extensive tour. Supporting the new studio album, \u201cRed Sky\u201d’ which was released in June, the tour includes a performance for the Brooklyn-based band on October 3\u00a0at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

With the exception of a handful of U.S. festival appearances, Moon Hooch\u2014the explosive horn-and-percussion trio featuring Mike Wilbur (horns), Wenzl McGowen (horns) and James Muschler (drums)\u2014has spent the majority of this summer touring Canada and Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

While on tour in the U.K., Moon Hooch impressively received to\u00a0an invitation to perform on BBC Two\u2019s prestigious \u201cLater\u2026With Jools Holland\u201d television program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have two days off here,\u201d said Muschler, during a phone interview last Wednesday from his home in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe just came back from a big tour of Europe, including Serbia and Russia. We have two days off and then we head out to san Francisco to start the next tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from Cleveland. Mike is from Boston and Wenzl is from the Canary Islands. We met in 2009 when we were in school at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.\u00a0 But, we didn\u2019t start playing together until the summer of 2010.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was playing with Mike on the side in various groups and Wenzl was in different groups on his own. We knew each other but had never played together. One day, I was busking in Washington Square with Wenzl \u2013 sax and drums. Mike was there busking on his own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before long they were performing as a trio \u2013 with musical harmony but not personal harmony.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMike and Wenzl had some differences at the beginning,\u201d said Muschler. \u201cThey didn\u2019t like each other at first. It took a few years of deep psychological searching. We were all just young boys growing up. Still, it\u2019s always been about the music. Mike is a fire. You can\u2019t replace Mike.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mixing elements of indie rock, virtuosic jazz and pulse-pounding electronic dance music with a DIY spirit, Moon Hooch\u2019s\u00a0latest album \u201cRed Sky\u201d captures the spontaneous, manic energy of the trio\u2019s live shows, while at the same time demonstrating the marked evolution from their early days busking in the New York City subway system with just two saxophones and a drum kit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all composers,\u201d said Muschler. \u201cThe writing process usually starts with one of us having an idea and then approaching the group with the song. Other times, we\u2019ll all just be there working together on something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Though the band is heavily inspired by electronic music, the three musicians made a conscious effort to use as little in the way of \u201cstudio tricks\u201d as possible on \u201cRed Sky,\u201d — aiming instead to capture the sound of their live show, which has evolved significantly from their days underground.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur new album is our best,\u201d said Muschler. \u201cWe recorded \u2018Red Sky\u2019 in the spring of 2015 at a studio in Brooklyn called The Bunker. We\u2019ve done all our records there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the new one, we did a lot of pre-production. I think we were all better prepared for this one. The compositions were more focused and interesting. There is more variety. It\u2019s really diverse but it\u2019s also homogeneous. And, it\u2019s definitely dance music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our live show, we do a mix of all our albums \u2013 all kinds of stuff. We play four songs from \u2018Red Sky\u2019 \u2013 and a lot of new material that\u2019s been made since the album came out. There is a lot of energy in this show.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Moon Hooch \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZHOGHS0NqF0?t=34<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Kung Fu Necktie, which has Honeycomb and Mindboys as openers, will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cattle<\/a>

Cattle Decapitation<\/p><\/div>\n

When a band has a name like Cattle Decapitation, it\u2019s a pretty safe bet that the group isn\u2019t playing soft ballads and wistful Americana tunes.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Cattle Decapitation takes the stage at the Voltage Lounge (<\/span>421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602,<\/span> www.Voltagelounge.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>)<\/span> on October 4, the walls of the club will be shaking from the band\u2019s dense, ultra-intense music.<\/span><\/p>\n

The San Diego-based band — <\/span>Travis Ryan: Vocals; Josh Elmore: Guitar; Derek Engmann: Bass; David McGraw: Drums \u2013 released its first album \u201cHomovore\u201d in 2000 and its seventh album \u201cThe Anthropocene Extinction\u201d last year on Metal Blade Records. It was Cattle <\/span>D<\/span>ecapitation\u2019s sixth straight album for Metal Blade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe probably have another year of touring on \u2018The Anthropocene Extinction\u2019 cycle,\u201d said Elmore, during a phone interview last week prior to the band\u2019s trip to a gig in Toronto.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter this tour, we have nothing for the rest of the year. In the spring, we\u2019re going to Mexico and South America and then probably do another U.S. tour. Then, we\u2019ll go back to Europe for festivals in the summer. Next fall, it will be time to get back to work \u2013 to get back in the studio.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe toured Europe three times this year. It\u2019s pretty grueling but the festivals were great. Festivals put us in front of a lot more people. The first time we played Hellfest (an annual French music festival that specializes in extreme music), we played in front of 80-90 thousand people.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur first time to Europe was in 2007 after the \u2018Karma.Bloody.Karma\u2019 album. We\u2019ve had a slow build over there ever since and then dramatic growth in the last two years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cattle Decapitation has been in the \u201croad warrior\u201d category for a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom \u2018Homovore\u2019 in 2000 to \u2018Karma.Bloody.Karma\u2019 in 2006,we were on the road constantly \u2013 eight months a year,\u201d said Elmore. \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely scaled it back since. We\u2019re still constantly consistently out but we\u2019ve learned how to pick the stuff that is worthwhile.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Anthropocene Extinction\u201d took Cattle Decapitation\u2019s music to a new level \u2013 far different than the previous album \u201cMonolith of Inhumanity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s press release explained the differences \u2013 \u201c<\/span>Whereas Monolith Of Inhumanity\u2019 dealt with what could become of the earth and its life forms had humans continued their present course, with \u2018The Anthropocene Extinction,\u2019 we have been transported forward to man\u2019s last gasps, reminiscent of what is currently going on with the Laysan Albatrosses on the island of Midway Atoll.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe birds and aquatic wildlife of the Pacific Ocean are mistaking the vast amounts of man-made plastic items for food, ingesting it and are dying in large numbers, rotting where they fall and exposing to the world what is happening to the ecosystems of the earth\u2019s oceans \u2013 the most unknown and unexplored part of our planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch of the North Pacific Gyre is just part of the problem \u2013 there are five gyres on planet earth and they\u2019re all filling with plastic waste outnumbering the plankton vital for the ocean\u2019s ecosystems. The breakdown of the earth\u2019s ecosystems has begun long ago due to human interaction as well as the domino effect that will surely seal the fate for our species.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album was very unlike our last one,\u201d said Elmore. \u201cAnd, the album we make next year will definitely be different than \u2018The Anthropocene Extinction.\u2019 We want to keep growing \u2013 keep getting better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Cattle Decapitation \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/u8t8g8lU4ms?t=2<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Voltage Lounge., which also features <\/span>Brujeria, Pinata Protest and Eat the Turnbuckle, <\/span>will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"wayne-krantz\"<\/a>On October 4, guitar fans will be in for a treat when legendary guitarist Wayne Krantz brings his \u201cUnderground pop Tour\u201d to the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Krantz, one of the country\u2019s most respected guitarists in modern jazz (and longtime member of Steely Dan) i<\/span>s bringing 2x Salvation with him. The group also features Kevin Scott on bass and Zach Danziger on drums.<\/span><\/p>\n

For this project, Krantz has challenged himself to respectfully re-imagine some of the major influencers on his own music and create something completely new — compositions inspired by diverse artists such as\u00a0<\/b>Nine Inch Nails, <\/b>Bob Dylan, <\/b>Prince,<\/b> and Sonic Youth.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis tour we\u2019re doing now is almost al covers<\/span> \u2013 almost randomly chosen<\/span>,\u201d <\/span>said Krantz, during a phone interview last week. \u201cI figured out what\u2019s going to be the most fin for us to play. Calling it a cover is a stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe play compositionally in every show but the improvisational part is the main focus. Part of its value is that it only happens once. In a way, that\u2019s how it should be. The virtue of it is that it\u2019s not going to be heard again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Krantz has a catalogue of 10 solos albums including his latest — \u201cGood Piranha\/Bad Piranha.\u201d The album features Krantz performing four different tracks with two different interpretations of \u201cBlack Swan\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/b>from Thom Yorke,\u00a0Ice Cube\u2019s\u00a0\u201cMy Skin is My Sin\u201d, Pendulum\u2019s \u201cComprachicos\u201d and MC Hammer\u2019s \u201cU Can\u2019t Touch This.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In the 1970s, Krantz moved from Oregon to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBack when I was in high school, rock bands all had their own vibe,\u201d said Krantz. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I started listening to jazz that I really discovered guitar. I worked my way through my dad\u2019s collection and found an album by Barney Kessel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was this album \u2018The Poll Winners\u2019 by the Barney Kessel Trio. I was fascinated by the complexity of it. And, I was blown away by the playing on it. After that, I quickly discovered Joe Pass, George Benson and Jon McLaughlin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went to college at Berklee, that\u2019s when I heard all these jazz musicians who were close to my age. I\u2019m not sure I would have gotten into jazz if I wasn\u2019t a player. Once I got out of school, I started practicing a lot and put together a fusion quartet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that, I went to New York and began working as a sideman. But, there was something I wasn\u2019t getting out of being a sideman. I put together my first trio with Zack Danziger on drums and Lincoln Goines on bass. I moved to New York in 1986 and I\u2019ve been there ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that the music I\u2019ve been playing is so improvisational makes it hard because improve requires a very specific talent. Improv has reduced my options so I\u2019ve had to stick with my stable of musicians. To my detriment, I\u2019ve never thought about what I do as an effort to rise to the top. The important thing is that I\u2019m motivated by the music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Wayne Krantz — https:\/\/youtu.be\/egt-z9SCt-A?t=4<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $39.50.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kishi<\/a>

Kishi Bashi<\/p><\/div>\n

The show on October 4 at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/span><\/a>) will feature Kishi Bashi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym of singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi \u2013 a talented musician who is touring in support of his new album \u201cSonderlust.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents are academia and I grew up in several university towns where they were professors,\u201d said Kishi Bashi, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Asheville, North Carolina. \u201cMy dad was a civil engineer and my mother taught Japanese.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think I had an inclination toward music when I was young. I started piano lessons when I was four and began studying violin when I was six. In high school, I played guitar. I was a metal head and also liked bands like Nirvana and the Chili Peppers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got serious about music when I was a student in engineering at Cornell University for two years. After that, I went to Berklee College of Music to study music. It was do-or-die because music was all I had.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy major was music composition and film scoring. I began playing a lot of jazz venues. I even got to perform with Stephane Grappelli before he died. I graduated from Berklee in 1999. David Bowie was our commencement speaker.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Form Boston, Kishi Bashi headed down to the BigApple.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to New York and began playing in different jazz groups,\u201d said Kishi Bashi. \u201cIn 2011, I started Jupiter One, which was an instrumental jazz group. I also played in the Big Apple Circus.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a while, I started singing and writing songs. I went solo and that\u2019s when Kishi Bashi started. My first album was in 2012 and \u2018Sonderlust\u2019 is my third.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSonderlust\u201d is an album forged through heartbreak. After his two previous studio albums (\u201c151a amd \u201cLighght\u201d), Kishi Bashi was at a musical impasse.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the versatile musician, \u201cAs I sat down to write songs last summer, I went to all my usual conduits of creation: violin loops, guitar, piano, and I came up with the musical equivalent of fumes. I tried to create orchestral pop recordings that I assumed were my forte, and in turn I found myself standing in front of a creative wall of frightening heights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At this very same moment of musical uncertainty, Kishi Bashi\u2019s personal life was falling apart. He and his wife of 13 years had briefly separated and were struggling to keep their marriage together. Touring and his music career had taken a toll on his personal life and his family.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the help of producer Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear), engineer Pat Dillet (Angelique Kidjo, David Byrne) and drummer Matt Chamberlain (Morrissey, Fiona Apple, of Montreal), Kishi Bashi created his most personal and artistically adventurous work to date.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI realized that it was O.K. for the album to be different from my previous albums,\u201d said Kishi Bashi. \u201cI used electronics and funky rhythms. I got a Wurlitzer and listened to Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. I wanted to experiment more with my singing style.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018In my live show now, I\u2019m playing songs from all three albums. I play most of the songs that are on the new album. People seem to know the new album pretty well already.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Kishi Bashi — https:\/\/youtu.be\/0C6g7JfYztE?t=58<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Union Transfer, which has Twain as the opening act, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Underground<\/a>

Underground System<\/p><\/div>\n

A Black-Italian raised in Miami and Venezuela walks into a bar. She\u2019s flanked by some instrument toting lady friends and a few dudes. There\u2019s a Filipino, a Jewish\/Brazilian, a Motswana, a Japanese man, and a couple white guys with guitars (of course).<\/span><\/p>\n

Although this might sound like a joke waiting for a punch line, it\u2019s a fairly accurate description of the origin of the New York Afropop-influenced band Underground System.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band recently released its new record \u201cBella Ciao\u201d and will visit the area on October 4 for a show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Putting its original Brooklynized stamp on the classic Afrobeat style, Underground System is a huge band with a huge sound \u2013 four horns and seven rhythm players armed and ready to whip any space into a massive dance party.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ensemble was formed in early 2010 as the brainchild of guitarist Peter Matson, who fell in love with the music and story of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti while playing in a group directed by members of the seminal Afrobeat group Antibalas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Domenica Fossati (flute, vocals, percussion), the group’s Venezuelan born Miami raised frontwoman, makes Undergorund System one of the only Afrobeat bands around to exclusively feature a female frontperson. Trilingual on top of a strong familiarity with Yoruba and Nigerian tongues, she composes original Afrobeat lyrics drawing from a pool of three or four different languages at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fossati\u2019s classical training on flute and studies of African Dance (including travels to Ghana) adds another layer of depth and diverse influence to each performance. The group also features a predominately female horn section and rotates many other great musicians on a regular basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe put the group together in 2010,\u201d said Fossati, during a phone interview last week from her home in Brooklyn. \u201cI was finishing school at The New School and learned about Afrobeat from the band Antibalas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI joined with some friends in this band and from there it\u2019s been a never-ending game of meeting people. It had a very organic genesis. I joined as lead singer a little later in the game after Peter saw me in the Afropop band Fu Arkistra. The New York family of Afropop is pretty tight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe did our first New York show in March 2010 and we did a little recording in 2011,\u201d said Matson. \u201cWe recorded and EP called \u2018B.O.B.\u2019 at Studio G in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that EP came out, we did a couple remixes. Since then, a lot of other bands have done remixes of it. One DJ in Ibiza did some remixes that were really popular throughout Europe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For quite a while, the line-up of Underground System fluctuated with a combination of core musicians and added personnel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere were times when we had 12 or more musicians on stage,\u201d said Fossati. \u201cNow, we\u2019ve narrowed it down. We keep it between seven and nine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The current lineup features Peter Matson (Guitar, band director), Domenica Fossati (flute, lead vocals), Elenna Canlas (keyboards), Jon Granoff (bass), Maria Eisen (baritone sax, backup vocals), Olatunji Tunji (percussion), Yoshio Kobayashi (drums) and Lollise Mbi (sekere).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201ce started working on an album in April,\u201d said Matson. \u201cI think it\u2019s going to be 10 songs and it will be an independent release.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe started with Afrobeat as our roots and then other members came along. It still has Afrobeat roots but there is a lot more. We added electronics and lyrics in English, Spanish and Italian. We have a lot of different influences.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Underground System \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/9pXWJie9E2M?t=4<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at World Caf\u00e9 Live, which also features Matt Cappy Collective, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Midge<\/a>

Midge Ure<\/p><\/div>\n

On October 5, the World Caf\u00e9 Live will present a show featuring two internationally-acclaimed musicians whose careers date back to the 1970s \u2013 Midge Ure (Ultravox, Visage) as the headliner and Richard Lloyd (Television) as the opening act.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ure\u2019s fans have bene waiting for a while to hear him play a full set with his band. The last two times he came to this area were with the \u201cRetro Futura Tour\u201d in 2014 which featured a number of popular acts from the 1980s playing truncated sets and then last year with his solo \u201cTroubadour Tour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Troubadour Tour was great,\u201d said Ure, during a phone interview Friday afternoon from New York City, \u201cIt was a hard work. This time, it\u2019s a whole new outlook.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a band. It feels great to strap on an electric guitar. I have guitar, bass and drums with me. The bass player also plays keyboards and I play keyboards on some songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

You know Ure\u2019s music even if you fail to recognize his name.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo They Know It\u2019s Christmas?\u201d is a song he co-wrote with Bob Geldof and presented to the world as Band Aid. Ure co-organized\u00a0Band Aid, Live Aid\u00a0and\u00a0Live 8\u00a0with\u00a0Geldof. He also serves as ambassador for\u00a0Save the Children.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ure\u2019s musical resume includes \u201cBreathe,\u201d which in 1996 became the soundtrack of a massive European \u201cSwatch\u201d campaign. He was introduced to the public as the vocalist for the British hit-making band Ultravox. His list of former bands also includes Slik, the Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy and Visage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cForever and Ever\u201d was a big hit for Slik, while the Rich Kids was a band put together by ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock. Ure was the singer on such Ultravox hits as \u201cReap the Wild Wind\u201d, \u201cDancing with Tears in My Eyes\u201d and the timeless classic \u201cVienna.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One of Ure\u2019s most recent projects has been recording and performing live shows with Ultravox, a band that had an acrimonious breakup in 1985 and an amicable make-up in 2009. The classic Ultravox lineup released an album titled \u201cBrilliant\u201d in May 2012. Late last year, Ure released a new solo album titled \u201cFragile.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter such a long time, I wasn\u2019t sure if anyone wanted another Midge Ure album,\u201d he said. \u201cIt had been 12 years since my last album of original material After doing the Ultravox album three years ago, that inspired me to put my act together. I fueled myself up again. I gathered my ideas and completed them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the entire album at home where I have a Mac-based studio. I did all the instruments and was the engineer and producer. Then, I mixed it myself. I was very pleased with the whole process of doing it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to the release of the album, Ure toured America with the Retro Futura Tour 2014 \u2014 a tour that touched down at the Keswick Theater in Glenside in August. The headline acts were Howard Jones, the Thompson Twins\u2019 Tom Bailey, Katrina (from Katrina and the Waves) and Ure.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Retro Futura tour went well,\u201d said Ure. \u201cThere were some highs and some middling points. It was fun. We all got on very well and the reaction to the shows was very good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then came his solo tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI decided to do it totally alone,\u201d said Ure. \u201cI set up the shows, booked the hotels, rented the cars \u2014 all of it. It was just me \u2014 all by myself. I had my guitar, my suitcase and a bagful of merchandise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s 2016 and Ure is ready to rock again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing songs from older albums along with a few Ultravox songs such as \u2018Vienna.\u2019 It\u2019s like someone rattled your cage. I threw about 30 songs at the band and we figured it out at rehearsals. There are certain songs that people expect to hear like \u2018Vienna,\u2019 \u2018Dancing with Tears in My Eyes,\u2019 and \u2018If I Was.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe obvious ones will be in there. We\u2019re doing \u2018All Stood Still,\u2019 which was an Ultravox standard. Quite a few songs from the Ultravox era are 30 years old but they still seem fresh. I\u2019m trying my hand with \u2018Reap the Wild Wind.\u2019 I\u2019m still trying to figure out Visage\u2019s \u2018Fade to Grey.\u2019 It\u2019s part electronic sand part rock guitar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ure\u2019s next project will head in a different direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve been working on an orchestral album,\u201d said Ure. \u201cIt will be Ultravox songs and my music \u2013 from old tunes right up to \u2018Fragile.\u2019 I was always very cinematic with my writing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Midge Ure \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Vj6g8Lc2QDc?t=41<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 (SRO) and $28 seated.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Staff Writer, The Times Fall has arrived in the area and a huge array of bands is following close behind. This is time of year when bands hit the road \u2013 looking to get in tours before the Christmas holiday season takes over. A number of interesting acts will be performing in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[8933,7426,8932,8934,8935,8936,8937,6761],"class_list":["post-31883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-cattle-decaptiation","tag-featured","tag-jason-stein","tag-kishi-bashi","tag-midgeure","tag-moon-hooch","tag-underground-system","tag-wayne-krantz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31883","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=31883"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31887,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31883\/revisions\/31887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}