{"id":35127,"date":"2017-05-25T08:54:15","date_gmt":"2017-05-25T12:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=35127"},"modified":"2017-05-25T08:54:22","modified_gmt":"2017-05-25T12:54:22","slug":"on-stage-shadows-of-knight-moves-beyond-gloria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=35127","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Shadows of Knight moves beyond Gloria"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>The Shadows of Knight are one of those bands that most people know. They may not recognize the band\u2019s name but they\u2019re very familiar with the band\u2019s greatest hit.<\/p>\n

In 1966, the Chicago-based quintet formed by Jimy Sohns and friends had a Top 10 with their version of \u201cGloria,\u201d a song originally recorded by the U.K. band Them.<\/p>\n

Sohns has kept the Shadows of Knight going since the band\u2019s formation in the mid-1960s \u2013 with many different incarnations.<\/p>\n

He will bring the latest incarnation of the band to the area on May 25 for a show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The band was formed in 1964, originally as The Shadows. They became The Shadows of Knight in 1965 featuring Jim Sohns, Warren Rogers, Wayne Pursell, Tom Schiffour, and Norm Gotsch. Right as they were hitting it big, Pursell and Gotsch left the band.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in high school when it started,\u201d said Sohns, during a phone interview Wednesday evening from a tour stop in Cleveland, Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started messing around \u2013 playing songs by the Stones, the Yardbirds and the Animals. We were also playing songs by blues acts such as Howlin\u2019 Wolf and Muddy Waters. You can hear it all in our early albums.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helped that Chicago had one of the first teen clubs \u2013 The Cellar. In 1965 sand 1966, the record was out and we played there every Friday and Saturday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my idea to do \u2018Gloria,\u2019 a song Van Morrison wrote and sang when he was in Them. We learned the song, put an extra chord in and made it more rhythmic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThem had already broken up when we did the song and Van had moved on to a solo career. It worked out well for both of us. We had the hit and he had the royalties.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Shadows of Knight were starting to tour more and become more popular around the states.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original band was only together 17 months,\u201d said Sohns. \u201cI actually fired all the original guys \u2013 and they didn\u2019t really care. They weren\u2019t committed to doing what it took to make a bad a success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right around this time, the Shadows of Knight recorded their two most well-known albums — \u201cGloria\u201d and \u201cBackdoor Men.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 37 years of no new albums, the Shadows of Knight released \u201cA Knight to Remember\u201d in 2006. More recently, the Shadows of Knight released an album titled \u201cLive and Dirty.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album spans 1974-2004 and features three different sets of musicians,\u201d said Sohns. \u201cIt\u2019s out now. I just picked up the CDs the other day and we\u2019ll have them for sale at the shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a real good representation. It has five or six older songs and some new stuff \u2013 including the song \u2018Red -Blooded American Boy.\u2019 And, we do a cover of \u2018Hush\u2019 by Deep Purple.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for the Shadows of Knight \u2013https:\/\/youtu.be\/W0U2b4SoDqw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville, which has the Peace Creeps as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21.50 and $29.50.<\/p>\n

On May 26, there will be shows at most of the regular venues around the Delaware Valley. And, there will also be shows at venues unfamiliar to most area music fans.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Chairman Dances<\/p><\/div>\n

The Chairman Dances is an unusual Philadelphia band that will be performing on May 26 at an unusual Philadelphia venue — World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Cira Green Beer Garden (1129 South 30th Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>). The venue is located on top of a parking garage.<\/p>\n

The Chairman Dances lists its band roster as — Dan C., Dan F., Ben, Kevin, and Eric; also, Ashley when she’s stateside and Luke when he’s not in Mississippi.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis show is at an outside beer garden on a skyscraper at Cira Green,\u201d said The Chairman Dances founder\/leader\/vocalist Eric Krewson during a phone interview Monday evening from his Philly home.<\/p>\n

The band will be focusing on songs from its most recent album \u201cTime Without Measure,\u201d which was released in October on Black Rd Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did the album last March in two weeks,\u201d said Krewson. \u201cI wrote over the course of a year and brought the songs to the band. I write a song and use ProTools to record the bare bones demos myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cOccasionally, I\u2019ll have fun and add a few things. I write most of the songs away from instruments. I write melodies and lyrics first.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy songwriting varies. It could be a story first…or a lyric\u2026or a melody \u2013 or all of the above. Usually, I have the idea for the scenario of a song \u2013 but not all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album depicts the lives of 10 (mostly) activists who demanded progress and, in return, were demonized by the powers that be.<\/p>\n

These activists \u2014 each of whom has a song devoted to them, with their name serving as the song title \u2014 include Fannie Lou Hamer (a black civil rights leader reviled by southern Democrats), Dorothy Day (a Catholic anarchist), and a group of religious protesters dubbed the \u201cCatonsville 9\u201d (who, during the Vietnam War, broke into a government selective service building and burned draft files).<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote for about a year and had a lot of material that I eventually whittled down,\u201d said Krewson, who was a music student as an undergrad at Drexel University and a grad student at Temple University.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the songs were about people \u2013 many of whom were activists. I just wrote straight-away \u2013 what comes naturally. There were songs that I wanted to write for people. After a while, I realized I was writing biographies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a fun project that involved a lot of research. Another attribute I was looking into specifically were religious voices that weren\u2019t given much recognition \u2013 progressive Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Chairman Dances — https:\/\/youtu.be\/a7w-0Q1lT0Y<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will run from 5-9 p.m. Tickets are free. The Cira Green Beer Garden event will start every week with a limited release keg tapped at 5 p.m. and feature eight different beers, ciders, eclectic wines and a limited release cocktail creation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Joey Agresta<\/p><\/div>\n

On May 26, the Sound Hole (43rd<\/sup> Street and Osage Avenue, Philadelphia, https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SoundHolePhilly<\/a>) will host a show featuring Joey Agresta, a musician from North Jersey who now lives in Burlington, Vermont.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t recognize Joey Agresta\u2019s name, you might know him by his name in previous projects such as Joey Pizza Slice, Son of Salami, or Salami Junior.<\/p>\n

Agresta just released his latest album, \u201cLet\u2019s Not Talk About Music\u201d on May 12 via Wharf Cat Records. The first single from the LP is titled \u201cI Feel Like Shit And I Want To Die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the album over the course of three years \u2013 2013-2016,\u201d said Agresta, during a phone interview last week from his home in the scenic Vermont lakeside town.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like a long time \u2013 but it\u2019s not. It\u2019s all home-recorded. I was playing all the parts \u2013 although the girls from Palberta sang on one track. And, I did all the mixing.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo computers were used on this album. The majority of the recording was done on the Akia MG-614 (1\/8″ cassette 4 track) and MG-1214 (1\/2″ cassette 12 track). I find the tape on eBay. I like to use weird equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, I love it. For this album, I just recorded a bunch of songs and threw them in a bucket. Over time, these 12 tracks emerged as the right ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agresta has a history of recording bizarre\u00a0songs on erase headless, multi-layering, portable tape recorders under various, food themed\u00a0pseudonyms (Joey Pizza Slice, Son of Salami, Salami Junior).<\/p>\n

He also has numerous releases on the\u00a0venerable Night People and Feeding Tube labels as well as countless self-released and custom,\u00a0one-off cassettes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve recorded three full-lengths,\u201d said Agresta. \u201cThis new album is a little more personal \u2013 and more earnest. It\u2019s also more sonically mature.<\/p>\n

\u201cLyrically, it deals with themes of sadness and love. The world is going through a dark time so that also helped shape some of the songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Joey Agresta \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/2Bybu9HKsGg?list=PLD7y0Grq-_SFmECpQHl0FV47HuisfCLe0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sound Hole will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Milk<\/p><\/div>\n

With its important role in the dairy industry, Wisconsin might seem like the home for a band called Milk.<\/p>\n

But, Milk, which will play a show on May 26 at Power Tower (Ninth Street between Indiana Avenue and Clearfield Street, Philadelphia, www.facebook.com\/powertower<\/a>), has no relation to the state known for its \u201cCheese Heads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milk is a band with its roots in Boston, Massachusetts. On June 2, Milk will release its new album \u201cHorsetown Threshold\u201d<\/em> on Midnight Werewolf Records.<\/p>\n

Milk was born when Matt Brady\u00a0(vocals, guitar) and\u00a0Sam Taber\u00a0(keys, vocals) started playing together in 2012.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band has been together for six years,\u201d said Brady, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Windsor, Ontario.<\/p>\n

After a few incarnations and three EP releases (\u201cHubba Hubba,\u201d \u201cEt In Arcadia<\/em>,\u201d \u201cContact\u201d<\/em>), the band added\u00a0H.L. Weatherby\u00a0(drums) and\u00a0Brian Engles\u00a0(bass, vocals) to fill out the line-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to Boston University with Sam and Brian,\u201d said Brady. \u201cWe\u2019d just play together \u2013 a lot of times after hours in a classroom at the College of Arts and Science Building.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoon, we wrote enough songs that we started playing out \u2013 and turned it into a band. We started as a trio with a drummer and then added a bassist.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first record was \u2018Hubba Hubba\u2019 in 2012. Our early music was similar to now. But, lately we\u2019ve been paying more attention to detail and songwriting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always want to do something different. I get bored playing the same style. As I got older, I became more interested in melody.\u201d
\nAccording to Brady, Milk plays music best described as \u201cNew England Gothic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started working on \u2018Horsetown Threshold\u2019 last summer,\u201d said Brady. \u201cWe recorded it in Cape Cod, I have a little studio set up in Chatham.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it all ourselves \u2013 except for one song that was dome at The Record Company in Boston. By doing it ourselves, we had no financial or time restraints. We set up show and recorded it in three weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, I\u2019ll come in with an idea that\u2019s finished to some degree and then we\u2019ll workshop it. The song \u2018Too High to Drive\u2019 was a collaboration between me and Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans will get to hear the new songs on May 26 \u2013 and take the songs home with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur live show is mainly the new album,\u201d said Brady. \u201cWe do play one song from \u2018Hubba Hubba\u2019 \u2013 \u2018Restless Deep Sea Blues. We\u2019re also playing some songs that haven\u2019t even been recorded yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album is scheduled to be released on June 2. But, we\u2019ve already gotten copies of the album so we\u2019re selling them at our shows now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Milk \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/8w0getzzAYA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Power Tower will start at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Fire In The Radio<\/p><\/div>\n

Another Philly band will be performing a hometown show on May 26 \u2013 getting the gig in before the mass exodus\u2026the Memorial Day Weekend in Philly \u201cdown the shore\/to the Poconos\u201d exodus.<\/p>\n

Fire in the Radio will have a CD release party at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/em><\/a>) \u2013 a show to celebrate its new disc \u201cNew Air.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fire in the Radio — Adam Caldwell (Drums), Richard Carbone (Guitar, Vocals), Jonathan Miller (Guitar, Vocals), Ed Olsen (Bass) — released its sophomore album \u201cNew Air\u201d on May 5 via Wednesday Records. The album is the follow-up to their 2015 acclaimed record \u201cTelemetry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album was recorded last May at Gradwell House Studios in Haddon Heights, New Jersey,\u201d said Carbone, during a phone interview Monday afternoon as the band was en route from Quebec City to Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was written in the 18 months leading to that point. Immediately after we finished touring in support of \u2018Telemetry,\u2019 we started writing for the next one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe figured out how we wanted to sound. Everything was well-planned and calculated. We had seven songs that captured that time period.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Air\u201d features the band propelling its signature brand of indie-punk in a fresh direction — incorporating elements of new wave, grunge, and shoegaze drone into tightly crafted pop songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis album is darker than our first album,\u201d said Carbone. \u201cThe darkness is a response to the time \u2013 the election process \u2013 where we\u2019ve been and where we\u2019re going. Once we started in that direction, things came easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show at Boot & Saddle will close out the band\u2019s two-week tour of the Northeast and Quebec.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of the songs from \u2018New Air\u2019 were played live until this tour,\u201d said Carbone. \u201cNow, we\u2019re playing all the songs from \u2018New Air\u2019 and some from \u2018Telemetry.\u2019 It depends on the vibe of the crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Fire in the Radio \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/-SuoZ4UrUG4<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle, which has Digger and Crossed Keys as the opening acts, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Eva Sheppard<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/em><\/a>) will present Eva Sheppard (of Old Ezra)<\/a>, Brandon Mesen<\/a>, and Nate Talley<\/a> on May 26; and Poetry Isn\u2019t Dead on May 27.<\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/em><\/a>) will host Dismal, Polyheist, Dear Lucid, Disenhume and K9 on May 27.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/em><\/a>) will have Macy Gray<\/p>\n

with special guest Aaron Parnell Brown on May 25 and Splintered Sunlight with special guest The Quixote Project on May 27.<\/p>\n

Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>) will host \u201cMotown the Musical\u201d from May 30-June 11.<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) presents Crack the Sky on May 26, The Everly Brothers Experience featuring The Zmed Brothers on May 27, Philadelphia Funk Authority on May 28 and Ana Popovic and The Greg Sover Band on May 30.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times The Shadows of Knight are one of those bands that most people know. They may not recognize the band\u2019s name but they\u2019re very familiar with the band\u2019s greatest hit. In 1966, the Chicago-based quintet formed by Jimy Sohns and friends had a Top 10 with their version of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[9877,7426,8443,9878,3518,9876,9875],"class_list":["post-35127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-eva-sheppard","tag-featured","tag-fire-in-the-radio","tag-joey-agresta","tag-milk","tag-the-chairman-dance","tag-the-shadows-of-knight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35127","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=35127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35128,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35127\/revisions\/35128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}