{"id":34699,"date":"2017-04-27T08:08:17","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T12:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=34699"},"modified":"2017-04-27T08:08:22","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T12:08:22","slug":"on-stage-w-calns-brian-fitzy-isnt-waiting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=34699","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: W. Caln’s Brian Fitzy isn’t waiting"},"content":{"rendered":"

CASH grad hits the road in advance of new album release<\/em><\/h2>\n

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

\"\"<\/a>

Brian Fitzy<\/p><\/div>\n

Even though Brian Fitzy doesn\u2019t officially release his new album \u201cHard Times for Dreamers\u201d until May 19, he is not sitting back waiting for it to drop before playing album support shows.<\/p>\n

Instead, he has seven shows booked between now and May 19 including a concert on April 28 at Bourbon and Branch (705 North Second Street, Philadelphia, 215-238-0660, bourbonandbranch<\/a>philly.com<\/a>) and a show April 29 at Tellus 360 (24 East King Street, Lancaster, 717-393-1660, www.tellus360.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Both venues could be considered hometown shows for Fitzy who lives in West Caln Township — almost equidistant from both locations.<\/p>\n

Brian Fitzy, a.k.a. Brian Fitzgerald, graduated from Coatesville Area Senior High. He then attended West Chester University and graduated in 2007 with a musical performance\/classical violin degree. When he was a student at WCU, he had a band called Leaving Cash.<\/p>\n

His new disc \u201cHard Times for Dreamers\u201d does not have Mexican music but does have roots in Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do a lot of corporate shows,\u201d said Fitzy, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his Coatesville area home. \u201cI was in Mexico doing a series of corporate shows at lush resorts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first time I was ever in Mexico. There were these fortified resorts in great condition and, on the other side of the walls, living conditions were terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n

While on tour in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, graffiti art with the sobering slogan \u201cHard Times for Dreamers\u201d brought a lifelong music journey into stark focus for Fitzy. It galvanized him into making a musical statement about the harsh realities of today.<\/p>\n

The multimedia Mexican artist Sleepwalck made the tag. Its placement on a bleak intersection in an impoverished section of town surrounded by palatial resort and well-to-do living accommodations hit home for Fitzy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album is about the conversations I had and what I saw there in Mexico,\u201d said Fitzy. \u201cI wanted to release a summer-y record. The music is that way but the subject matter is dark and bleak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fitzy took a picture of the tag — used with permission of the artist he reached via Instagram \u2013 and that picture was used for the cover of his debut album.<\/p>\n

Even though Fitzy is experienced as a producer, he enlisted Joe Nicolo (Kris Kross, Lauryn Hill, Fugees, Cypress Hill, Schoolly D) handle the production on the album.<\/p>\n

That allowed Fitzy to focus on the album\u2019s intricate layers and the its carefully-crafted track sequence. \u201cHard Times for Dreamers\u201d features a classic A-side\/B-side flow with an uplifting conceptual sweep — the lyrical bend gets more hopeful on the second side.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded most of the album at Joe Nicolo\u2019s home studio in Audubon,\u201d said Fitzy. \u201cWe thought about using his full studio \u2013 Studio Four \u2013 but the vibe there is more polished.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want things to be too worked-on and too methodical. Joe said \u2013 we need to put some dirt on it. We worked on it throughout most of 2016.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fitzy\u2019s post-college career began on a high note when he performed with the Foo Fighters at the Grammy Awards as a Top Three finalist in the \u201cMy Grammy Moment\u201d competition. Since then, he has established a career as a solo artist and a sideman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a musical home,\u201d said Fitzy. \u201cMy mom Gloria was a singer and a guitarist in a progressive rock band from the mid-70s until 1981.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic was continually playing in our house. My earliest memories tied to music include listening to George Benson, Al Jarreau, Genesis and Peter Gabriel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started playing violin when I was nine in fourth grade at Caln Elementary School. I began picking up other instruments later, including guitar, drums, keyboards and sax \u2013 and beat-box.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had several different bands during and after college but financial restrictions drove me to become a solo act. I\u2019ve been able to do it by using a beatbox and doing live looping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Brian Fitzy \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/Axindik9aXY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Bourbon and Branch on April 28, which also features Josh Miller, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

The show at Tellus 360 on April 29, which also features Josh Miller along with Jacopo & The Late Saints, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The New Pornographers<\/p><\/div>\n

On April 27, the New Pornographers will visit Philadelphia for a show at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The New Pornographers \u2013 Carl Newman, Blaine Thurier, Dan Bejar, Joe Seiders, John Collins, Kathryn Calder, Neko Case, Todd Fancey — released a new album called \u201cWhiteout Conditions\u201d on April 7.<\/p>\n

It is the first release on the band\u2019s own label — Collected Works Records \u2013 and the first New Pornographers album to be written exclusively by frontman Carl Newman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album just came out and we\u2019ll be touring it for the next few months,\u201d said Newman, during a recent phone interview from a tour stop in Oakland, California.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was recorded on-and-off throughout 2016. It\u2019s always been our way to do things piece meal \u2013 nine months in and out. We did a lot of it at my home studio, some in Seattle and some in L.A. We mixed it in Boston and Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s how we\u2019ve always made records. So much of the writing of the album is the arranging. That just focuses the whole thing. We record first as a skeleton power trio \u2013 me, John and Joe \u2013 to get going with the arrangements.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pretty much wrote all the songs \u2013 but the other members contributed a lot. I\u2019m not the one who makes them sound the way they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Newman, \u201cAt the beginning of this record, there was some thinking that we wanted it to be like a Krautrock Fifth Dimension.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, our mutated idea of what Krautrock is probably doesn\u2019t sound like Krautrock at all. But we were thinking — let\u2019s try and rock in a different way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to get sounds that sound artificial. I just like it that way. The synthesizer is essentially an artificial sound. A lot of people use the synth to sound like other instruments. I like to use a synth to sound like a synth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band is celebrating the new album with a world tour that kicked off on April 12 at Los Angeles\u2019 Theatre at the Ace Hotel. After headlining venues throughout the U.S. and Europe, the group joins Spoon in select cities this summer. Tickets for all headlining U.S. shows include a free download of the new album.<\/p>\n

Since their debut in 2000, The New Pornographers have released six studio albums including the 2014 release \u201cBrill Bruisers<\/em>,\u201d an album that was hailed as an \u201cexuberant, synthpop-infused set\u201d by Rolling Stone<\/em>, and \u201cinfectious\u201d by Harper\u2019s Bazaar.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still playing stuff from \u2018Brill Bruisers\u2019,\u201d said Newman. \u201cMost of the songs from \u2018Whiteout Conditions\u2019 are playable live so we\u2019re doing a lot of them. We usually always play one or two songs from every album.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for the New Pornographers \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZAlHISTNbwY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Union Transfer, which also features Waxahatchee, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $36.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Union Transfer are Turnpike Troubadours<\/a> and\u00a0 Charley Crockett<\/a> on April 28, Emily King on April 29,\u00a0 Nicole Atkins and Old 97s on May 2 and the Black Lips on May 3.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Blair Crimmins and The Hookers<\/p><\/div>\n

On April 28, Blair Crimmins and The Hookers are bringing their \u201cYou Gotta Sell Something Tour\u201d to the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cYou Gotta Sell Something\u201d is the title of the just-released album by the band which features Blair Crimmins (vocals, tenor banjo, guitar),\u00a0Justin Roberts (bass), Colin Agnew (drums), Taylor Kennedy (sax\/clarinet), Darren English (trumpet), and Dustin Cottrell (piano).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just got done shooting a video for \u2018You Gotta Sell Something\u2019 yesterday,\u201d said Crimmins, during a phone interview last week from his home in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe song is about commercialism in music. It was a lot of fun. It\u2019s a satire that embraces the way the industry is today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did a couple festivals last weekend. We\u2019re home for a few days and then we\u2019re off for our big East Coast tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s debut album was \u201cThe Musical Stylings Of\u201d in 2010 and was followed by their \u201cState Hotel\u201d\u00a0EP in 2011. They released \u201cLive in Little Five\u201d and \u201cSing-a-longs!\u201d in 2013 and then \u201cYou Gotta Sell Something\u201d in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the new album all of last year,\u201d said Crimmins. \u201cWe started working on in in January 2016. We cut the album at Stonehenge Studio in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some scheduling problems so it wasn\u2019t finished until the end of last summer. By the time it was done, we decided to wait until this spring to release it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crimmins\u00a0began his current music career in Atlanta with a determination to bring Ragtime and 1920\u2019s style Dixieland Jazz to new audiences.<\/p>\n

While playing small rock clubs around the Southeast, Crimmins developed a sound that is at once modern while being deeply rooted in the past.<\/p>\n

A multi-instrumentalist and music academic, Crimmins writes songs and arrangements for a classic New Orleans style horn section consisting of trumpet, clarinet and trombone.<\/p>\n

In 2012, Crimmins showed his musical diversity by writing and recording the full score for the independent short film \u201cOld Man Cabbage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSing-a-longs!\u201d\u00a0went to\u00a0Number 21 on the EuroAmerican radio chart\u00a0and earned him a nomination at\u00a0The Georgia Music Awards\u00a0for\u00a0Best Jazz Artist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote most of the tunes for \u2018You Gotta Sell Something\u2019 in fall 2015,\u201d said Crimmins. \u201cI wrote all the arrangements. Then, we did some rehearsals prior to a 10-day \u2018pre-production tour.\u2019 The album came out on February 17 on our own label — New Rag Records.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grimmins and his band are approaching their 10th<\/sup> anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started the group in 2009,\u201d said Crimmins. \u201cI always wanted to have the set-up I have now with a horn section and piano. Things really started taking off with the band in 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a songwriter \u2013 and always a big fan of jazz and the musical challenges jazz presents. This early style of jazz brings two worlds together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis music is attractive to audiences because it has good energy. It makes people want to dance. And, it\u2019s not what people are used to hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Blair Crimmins and The Hookers —https:\/\/youtu.be\/bqgEHhniUB0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at World Caf\u00e9 Live are Fortunate Youth<\/a>, Josh Heinrichs<\/a> and Iya Terra<\/a> on April 27; Jon McLaughlin<\/a> and Katrina Woolverton<\/a> on April 28; The Feelies on April 29; Tom Rush on April 30; Jamestown Revival<\/a> and Ghost of Paul Revere<\/a> on May 2; and Bobby Long on May 3.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

\u201968<\/p><\/div>\n

Also on April 28, the other World Caf\u00e9 Live — World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400,\u00a0www.queen.worldcafelive.com<\/a>) \u2013 will host \u201968.<\/p>\n

\u201968 is a rock duo that was formed four years ago in Atlanta. The two-piece band features guitarist\/vocalist Josh Scogin<\/a>, formerly of the hardcore<\/a> band The Chariot<\/a>, and drummer Michael McClellan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2013, all of us in The Chariot parted ways,\u201d said Scogin, during a recent phone interview from his home in Atlanta, Georgia. \u201cWe all had next ideas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been doing The Chariot for 10 years and that was enough. It was better that we called it quits after 10 years. I knew that I was going to keep doing music so I figured it would be fun to do a two-piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chariot played its final show in November 2013. Just a few days later, Scogin began teasing an announcement with a countdown timer on the website \u201ctheyare68.com<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the timer ran out in December 2013, Scogin revealed that he formed a new band named \u201968 and subsequently posted a two-song EP titled \u201cMidnight\u201d for sale online.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to my friend from home Michael McClellan — an old friend who I had used as a studio drummer in the past — and asked him to join \u201968,\u201d said Scogin. \u201cWe met over burritos and he was up for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis older brother Matt worked at a studio I did my albums at. Michael and I would meet at the studio and hang out. I realized he was really good and really versatile. He was very quick and he knew what he was doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u201968, there is no set list. There are a lot of free jam parts. I knew Michael had that ability. We\u2019ve grown together and now are really in synch with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The duo has recorded two albums — \u201cIn Humor and Sadness<\/a>\u201d (eOne\/Good Fight) in 2014 and \u201cTwo Parts Viper\u201d (Good Fight\/Cooking Vinyl), which will be released on June 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the new album last year,\u201d said Scogins. \u201cIt was done in bits and pieces over a seven-month period.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tour as a duo and there are some challenges with only two of us. There was a learning curve. With my previous band, it was all heavy all the time \u2013 no guitar pedals<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I began playing with a duo, I didn\u2019t know how to split my guitar signal three ways. I\u2019m still learning the tricks and the effects just to get my signal across. I started knowing nothing about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I play my guitar and kick it down into the bass world. I know how to do what I\u2019m doing \u2013 but I\u2019m still evolving.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote our first album \u2018In Humor and Sadness\u2019 really fast. It was written with the idea that his was an aggressive rock band.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the new album, I learned to do more with effects and pedals. I\u2019m a fan of making my guitar sound like not a guitar. The songs on the new album were written with effects in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Scogin, \u201cI wanted it to be as loud and obnoxious as it can be. I want it to be in-your-face. I want people who hear us live to just be like, \u2018There’s no way this is just two dudes!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThat became sort of the subplot to our entire existence — \u2018How much noise can two guys make?\u2019 It\u2019s obviously very minimalistic, but in other ways, it\u2019s very big. I have as many amps onstage as a five-piece band.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichael only has one cymbal and one tom on his kit, but he plays it like it\u2019s some kind of big \u201880s metal drum setup. It\u2019s minimalistic, but it\u2019s also overkill. We get as much as we can from as little as we can.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just broken the tip of the iceberg. We\u2019re really just exploring all the different things we can do. I\u2019ll get more pedals, we\u2019re try different auxiliary instruments, whatever \u2013 the goal is to challenge ourselves and challenge an audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The music being created by \u201968 is loud, aggressive and different \u2013 and much more than just noise rock.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can listen to the new album and it\u2019s a journey,\u201d said Scogin.<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201968 \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/DusMs0ojo_g<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Queen, which has Every Time I Die as the headliner, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. The only other show at the Queen in the next week will be The Girlfriends on April 30.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Local H<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will have Local H and Boxcar on April 27; The Bullets, Betty & The Bullet, Origami for Addicts, and Kid Michael Davis<\/a> on April 28; Tret Fure on April 29; and Naff, Odd Men Out, Ava Wannemacher<\/a> on April 30.<\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>) will host Jake Kelleher on April 28 and Steal Your Face Band on April 29.<\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/a>) will have Jr. Wolf, Burn Cruize, and Six Years Later on April 28 and Nxt2normal and Sapphire Band on April 29.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will host Horseshoes & Hand Grenades and Billy Strings on April 27; The Clarks with special guest Linus the Moon on April 28; Everyone Orchestra with Steve Kimock, Jason Hann, Zach Deputy and members of Railroad Earth on April 29; and Jaguar Wright & Gerald Veasley on April 30.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Amy Speace<\/p><\/div>\n

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547,\u00a0www.burlapandbean.com<\/a>) will present Amy Speace and Kerri Powers on April 27, Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche on April 28, and Jesse Ruben with Kate Vargas on April 29.<\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents Doo Wop Live<\/p>\n

on April 29, Tower of Power on April 30 and Transatlantic Sessions on May 2.<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present Trace Bundy and Willy Porter & Carmen Nickerson on April 27, John Tesh on April 28, Tannehill Weavers on April 29, Eilen Jewell<\/a> and Miss Tess & The Talkbacks<\/a> on April 30 and Kathy Mattea on May 2.<\/p>\n

The Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577, www.thegrandwilmington.org<\/a>) will host Noah Gunderson on April 27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CASH grad hits the road in advance of new album release By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Even though Brian Fitzy doesn\u2019t officially release his new album \u201cHard Times for Dreamers\u201d until May 19, he is not sitting back waiting for it to drop before playing album support shows. Instead, he has seven shows […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[9741,9742,9743,9739,7426,9744,9740],"class_list":["post-34699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-9741","tag-amy-speace","tag-blair-crimmins-and-the-hookers","tag-brian-fitzy","tag-featured","tag-local-h","tag-the-new-pornographers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34699","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=34699"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34700,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34699\/revisions\/34700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}