{"id":34990,"date":"2017-05-15T09:32:33","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T13:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=34990"},"modified":"2017-05-15T09:32:36","modified_gmt":"2017-05-15T13:32:36","slug":"on-stage-bonus-pau-kelly-sings-about-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=34990","title":{"rendered":"On stage (Bonus): Pau Kelly sings about…death"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the years, there have been a variety of songs devoted to death including tunes that were hits for Johnny Cash (\u201cCowboy\u2019s Lament \u2013 Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie\u201d) and Hank Williams (\u201cSix More Miles (To the Graveyard).\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Australia\u2019s legendary singer\/songwriter\/rocker Paul Kelly released a whole album of songs focusing on death \u2013 \u201cDeath\u2019s Dateless Night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Kelly is touring North America in support of his new music — a tour that touches down locally with a show on May 15 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath\u2019s Dateless Night,\u201d a collaboration with the highly-regarded Australian multi-instrumentalist\u00a0Charlie Owen, contains songs that they have played at various funerals.<\/p>\n

Featuring a mix of covers, traditional tunes and a few Kelly originals, the album\u2019s vibe is actually far from funereal. The spare, stirring set has been hailed as a \u201cpowerful meditation on life, death and the mess we make in-between.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2016, Kelly also released a mini-album\u00a0titled \u201cSeven Sonnets & A Song.\u201d On this record, Kelly re-worked\u00a0William Shakespeare\u2019s love sonnets into songs.<\/p>\n

Owen, a veteran of several Australian bands including the Divinyls, will be accompanying Kelly on this tour, which started on May 6 in Chicago and will conclude on May 31 in Portland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded my last two albums at Charlie\u2019s place,\u201d said Kelly, during a recent phone interview from his home in Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe pick the songs and then rehearse for a while. We\u2019re well prepared by the time we go into the studio to record them. The last song \u2013 \u2018Angel of Death\u2019 \u2013 was recorded on my phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recording of \u2018Sonnets\u2019 was a bit more piece-meal. I had been reading some of Shakespeare\u2019s work.\u00a0 It was the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare\u2019s death so I started a project of putting music to his sonnets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly has stated that Shakespeare is his favorite writer. \u201cSeven Sonnets & A Song\u201d features Kelly singing lead vocals on six of Shakespeare\u2019s sonnets — and a song from \u201cTwelfth Night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I initially got little intimidated by Shakespeare from what I learned in school,\u201d said Kelly, who has been inducted into\u00a0the Australian Recording Industry Association\u2019s\u00a0Hall of Fame\u00a0and recently was appointed an\u00a0Officer of the Order of Australia\u00a0for his distinguished service to the performing arts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sonnets are challenging. There are 154 of them and I chose the ones I liked the most. You can go to a play without having read it all. The sonnets have compressed language. Some are very dense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tunes about death and tracks based on Shakespeare\u2019s works call for a special type of performance. Kelly is spending the month of May performing intimate shows across America and Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this tour, we start of the show with most of the songs from \u2018Death\u2019s\u00a0Dateless Night,\u2019\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also play five of the sonnets and some of my older songs. It\u2019s a good mix. The older songs we\u2019re playing were chosen to complement the other songs we perform.<\/p>\n

\u201c2013 was the last time I toured North America so it\u2019s been the longest gap in a while. I\u2019m touring with my daughters. They\u2019re in their 20s and they haven\u2019t been to America since they were kids.<\/p>\n

Kelly and Owen will be joined on stage by Kelly\u2019s daughters,\u00a0Madeleine\u00a0Kelly and\u00a0Memphis Kelly.\u00a0The two, who have their own music careers, both appeared on\u00a0\u201cDeath\u2019s\u00a0Dateless Night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaddie is 25 and Memphis is 23,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cI also have a son Declan who is a musician. He\u2019s involved with electronic music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ironically, Kelly is following the release of \u201cDeath\u2019s\u00a0Dateless Night\u201d with an album to be released later this year titled \u201cLife Is Fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the new record ready to go,\u201d said Kelly, who has recorded more than 20 studio albums since his debut album \u201cTalk\u201d in 1981. \u201cI made it with an upbeat rock-and-roll band.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite a contrast to my previous two records. \u2018Life Is Fine\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s a philosophical meditation. It\u2019s ready to be released in August. I\u2019ll be back in the states with a band in October \u2013with an eight-piece band.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s expensive to tour the states with a band. That\u2019s why for the last 10 years when I play shows in the states it\u2019s just been me or a duet with Dan Kelly. I\u2019m really looking forward to bringing the band over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly\u2019s albums rather than songs will be the focus in each of the tours — \u201cDeath\u2019s Dateless Night\u201d and \u201cSeven Sonnets & A Song\u201d on the current tour and \u201cLife Is Fine\u201d on the tour in the autumn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make albums \u2013 something to be listened to as a whole,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cI think in terms of albums rather than just a collection of songs. I like the songs to be linked to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Paul Kelly — https:\/\/youtu.be\/Fvsu4huw-2I<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, which has Lily Mae as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dirty Dancing<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cDirty Dancing\u201d began as a romantic<\/a> dance<\/a> drama film<\/a> in 1987 which featured Patrick Swayze<\/a> and Jennifer Grey<\/a> in the lead roles. The cast also featured Cynthia Rhodes<\/a> and Jerry Orbach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Originally a low-budget film, \u201cDirty Dancing\u201d became a massive box office hit \u2013 and a pop culture classic. It was the first film to sell more than a million copies on home video.<\/p>\n

The \u201cDirty Dancing\u201d soundtrack<\/a>s were both multi-platinum<\/a> albums and featured multiple hit singles — including \u201c(I\u2019ve Had) The Time of My Life<\/a>“, which won both the Golden Globe<\/a> and Academy Award for Best Original Song<\/a>, and a Grammy Award<\/a> for best duet.<\/p>\n

Now, the show is a stage musical that is touring North America. From May 16-21, \u201cDirty Dancing — The Classic Story On Stage\u201d will play the Kimmel Center\u2019s Merriam Theater (250 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-893-1999, www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The production is part of Broadway Philadelphia, presented collaboratively by The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Organization.<\/p>\n

Written by Eleanor Bergstein, who also wrote the screenplay, the stage\u00a0musical has all of the well-known songs from the movie, as well as some new ones that Bergstein was never able to use in the hit film.<\/p>\n

The famous choreography (including the\u00a0dance lift made famous by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey)\u00a0and many scenes from the movie are also incorporated into the musical.<\/p>\n

Christopher Tierney of Broadway\u2019s \u201cSpiderman\u201d will star as Johnny Castle alongside Bronwyn Reed as Frances \u201cBaby\u201d Houseman. Jennifer Mealani Jones plays the role of Penny Johnson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started rehearsals in August in New York City and then did a tech week in West Lafayette, Indiana,\u201d said Jones during a phone interview last week from Seattle, Washington. \u201cWe opened in September in Memphis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joined the ensemble last year in April on the previous tour. It was my first time to see the play. Prior to joining the cast of the national tour, I had only seen the movie.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, it had been such a long time since I saw the movie, I had forgotten a lot about the story. I was curious to see how they were going to do everything the movie had. But, they did it with a lot of color and movement. And, Eleanor put in all the scenes she couldn\u2019t put in the movie.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more scenes showing Johnny and Baby\u2019s relationship and more scenes of baby\u2019s family and their relationship dynamic. And, you see more of baby\u2019s sister Lisa. I\u2019m Penny \u2013 the one who gets pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penny is very strong-willed. She comes from the other side of the tracks. She\u2019s been through the wringer so she\u2019s tough. She and Johnny are partners. They take care of each other.<\/p>\n

Then, Penny sees Johnny taking an interest in a young rich girl and doesn\u2019t approve. Penny is a dancer and is pregnant so her livelihood is at stake.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Penny\u2019s character,\u201d said Jones. \u201cShe gets hit with a lot. She falls in love with the wrong guy. But, she\u2019s a fighter and has a lot of grit. I think I have a good bit of grit too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones is a native of Ellicott City, Maryland with her own history in Philadelphia. She graduated from the University of the Arts with a degree in jazz dance.<\/p>\n

While living in Philadelphia, Jones performed with Philadanco, was featured on \u201cSo You Think You Can Dance\u201d (Season 10), and was an NBA 76ers Dream Team dancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been living in L.A. for the last two-and-a-half years and I\u2019m so excited to be coming back to Philly,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI lived in Philly for six years from 2009-2015 and I have so many things to do when I come back for a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tierney and Reed lead a company of 26 that includes Matthew Amira as Robbie Gould, Jordan Edwin Andr\u00e9 as Billy Kostecki\/Singer, Alyssa Brizzi as Lisa Houseman, \u00a0Rachel Bell Carpenter as Marjorie Houseman, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman as Tito Suarez, Gary Lynch as Max Kellerman, Jon Powell as Dr. Jake Houseman, Alan Scharf as Mr. Schumacher, and Matt Surges as Neil Kellerman.<\/p>\n

The production\u2019s book is written by Eleanor Bergstein and the North American tour is directed by James Powell with choreography by Michele Lynch based on the original choreography by Kate Champion.<\/p>\n

According to Bergstein, \u201cThe company that we have assembled for our North American tour is beautiful and truthful. I originally wrote the movie because I love to dance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd since the movie first appeared, the open-hearted audience response has made me believe that everyone has a secret dancer inside them, one they feel could connect them to the physical world in the way they dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that was true, then its natural form was theater \u2013 live audiences watching live bodies dancing and singing here and now. I have added 20 more new scenes, 36 numbers of live music, and an eight-piece band onstage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a deep pleasure for us to watch audiences around the country respond as this extraordinarily talented group of people brings\u00a0\u2018Dirty Dancing\u2019\u00a0home to North America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones said, \u201cMost of the people coming to the show have seen the movie and they loved it. We\u2019re a group of professionals. Knowing that people already know the story, we give them more. It keeps us on our toes.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the summer of 1963, and 17-year-old Frances \u201cBaby\u201d Houseman is on vacation in New York\u2019s Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents.<\/p>\n

Mesmerized by the racy dance moves and pounding rhythms she discovers in the resort\u2019s staff quarters, Baby can\u2019t wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle, the resort\u2019s sexy dance instructor.<\/p>\n

Passions ignite and Baby\u2019s life changes forever when she is thrown in to the deep end as Johnny\u2019s leading lady, both on-stage and off.<\/p>\n

\u201cAudiences love this show because the story is so relatable,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI always related to baby. Fans also love the show because of the time period, the music and the dancing. It\u2019s a great show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cDirty Dancing\u201d \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/0FhRIJO-7Cg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Merriam will open on May 16 and run through May 21. Ticket prices start at $40.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Airpark<\/p><\/div>\n

Airpark, an alternative rock\/pop duo from Nashville, just released its debut EP \u201cEarly Works, Volume 1\u201d on March 3 via\u00a0Eugenia Hall Records and are now on the road touring in support of the new disc.<\/p>\n

The three-month tour brings the band to Chester County on May 17 for a show at Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>).<\/u><\/p>\n

The members of Airpark have known each other \u2013 \u00a0and played music together– for a long time. That\u2019s because Michael Ford, Jr. and Ben Ford are brothers. They took the band\u2019s name from a long abandoned private airport in Nashville.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 28 and Ben is 30,\u201d said Michael Ford, during a phone interview last week from Williamsburg while enjoying a day off in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re brothers and we get along really well. We got all of our fighting out when we were teens. We can be honest with each other and not get mad at each other. We work really well together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grew up outside of New Orleans \u2013 in Mandeville on the North Shore \u2013 and started playing music together when we were in middle school. At first, we tried to go the sports route but neither of us excelled at any sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was 11, our dad took us to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in New Orleans. I watched the show and said \u2013 that\u2019s what I want to do for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we moved to Nashville in 2005, there were people around who could help a band succeed. We got positive reaction. We both went to Belmont University.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen graduated in 2009 and I graduated in 2011. I had taken time off because The Apache Relay did a lot of touring from 2009-2015.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspired by minimalism, melody and groove-heavy percussion, the Ford brothers started Airpark in 2016 — one year after their previous project The Apache Relay rode off into the sunset.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started writing demos about a year-and-a-half ago,\u201d said Michael Ford. \u201cWhen The Apache Relay broke up, we woodshedded in our basement and started building up songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raised in New Orleans, the Fords grew up surrounded by music \u2013 by New Orleans\u2019 swirling, deeply-infused blend of jazz, blues, funk, rock and soul. The initial result of their influences is \u201cEarly Works, Volume 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat record came out in March,\u201d said Ford. \u201cIn the midst of touring, we\u2019re working on our next EP. It\u2019s wheels to the pavement for now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we finish this leg of the tour, we\u2019ll go back to Nashville to do some more recording and then go back out on tour. We take advantage of our central location in Nashville. There are a lot of markets within an eight-hour drive from Nashville.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Airpark \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/UbhBxSIHr14<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Kennett Flash, which also features The Susquehanna Floods, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Over the years, there have been a variety of songs devoted to death including tunes that were hits for Johnny Cash (\u201cCowboy\u2019s Lament \u2013 Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie\u201d) and Hank Williams (\u201cSix More Miles (To the Graveyard).\u201d Last year, Australia\u2019s legendary singer\/songwriter\/rocker Paul Kelly released […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[9838,9837,7426,9836],"class_list":["post-34990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-airpark","tag-dirty-dancing","tag-featured","tag-paul-kelly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34990","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=34990"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34991,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34990\/revisions\/34991"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}