{"id":36109,"date":"2017-08-10T18:16:17","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T22:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=36109"},"modified":"2017-08-10T18:16:24","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T22:16:24","slug":"on-stage-aztec-two-step-debuting-1st-new-album-in-more-than-a-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=36109","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Aztec Two-Step debuting 1st new album in more than a decade"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Aztec Two-Step<\/p><\/div>\n

Aztec Two-Step has been around for decades and has played the area numerous times over the years at a variety of venues \u2013 including Kennett Flash not long ago.<\/p>\n

So, the fact that the duo is returning to the area for a show on August 11 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>) is no big deal.<\/p>\n

The fact that the show at WCL is a \u201cCD Release Show\u201d for Aztec Two-Step — Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman — is a big deal.<\/p>\n

Aztec Two-Step\u2019s most recent studio album of new material was \u201cDays of Horses\u201d in 2004. Now, the two veteran musicians are doing shows in support of their brand-new album \u201cNaked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our first album in over a decade and the response has been great so far,\u201d said Fowler, during a phone interview Wednesday evening from his home in New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started recording at the beginning of the new year. We had three great sessions with four great musicians \u2013 Gary Schreiner, Michael Pisceglia, Thad DeBrock and Doug Yowell.<\/p>\n

\u201cGary is our producer and worked with us on the John Lennon project. We\u2019ve worked together for the last five yeqars. He po;lays keyboards, accordion and chromatic harmonica.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoug, the drummer, has worked with Koe Jackson and Suzanne Vega. Thad is the electric guitarist and Michale is the bass player. He\u2019s the bass chair in the Broadway production of \u201cKinky Boots.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded it at Gary\u2019s studio in New York City \u2013 Rich man\u2019s Den \u2013 and at Teaneck Sound Studio in New Jersey. Neal is an extraordinary acoustic lead guitarist and he played really well with Thad on electric guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the questions the new release might inspire is \u2013 Why now?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been together as a band for 46 years,\u201d said Fowler. \u201cWe felt it was way past due to make a new record of all original recordings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good mix of songs we had around for a while and new songs that we wrote for the album. We wanted to get them on record. We recorded 12 songs and used 11 on the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded live in the studio and it was magic. We had good solid basic tracks in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recording and touring non-stop since the early 1970s, Rex and Neal have accumulated 46 years of awards along with TV and radio appearances that include the David Letterman Show, World Caf\u00e9 Live, and the King Biscuit Flour Hour. They have played venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center to Kennett Flash.<\/p>\n

In 1986, the duo\u2019s \u201cLiving In America\u201d received the New York Music Award for Best Folk Album and was named in Billboard\u2019s year-end critic\u2019s poll, and in 1999 they were the subject of \u201cNo Hit Wonder,\u201d a documentary that aired on PBS.<\/p>\n

There are a number of musical acts — a very large number — that can be classified as \u201cOne Hit Wonders.\u201d The roster spans the decades from the 1950s to the 2010s and ranges from Ivory Joe Hunter with his 1956 hit \u201cSince I Met You Baby\u201d to Swedish House Mafia, which had its lone hit \u201cDon\u2019t You Worry Child\u201d a few years ago.<\/p>\n

Obviously, many of the \u201cOne Hit Wonders\u201d have faded into well-deserved oblivion but some have persevered.<\/p>\n

Modern English is still onstage singing \u201cI Melt with You.\u201d Nena, who had a worldwide hit with \u201c99 Red Balloons\u201d in 1984, is still playing to enthusiastic audiences in Europe.<\/p>\n

Then, there is Aztec Two Step.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re trying to remember any of the band\u2019s charting singles over the course of its 46-year career — good luck. There are none.<\/p>\n

The two musicians met in 1971 in Boston at an open mike at a club called the Stone Phoenix. Shulman was in a small school in Boston and Fowler was devoting his time to being a full-time folk singer.<\/p>\n

In 1972, they began performing together as Aztec Two-Step, which got its name from a poem by beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. One year later, they were in Los Angeles doing their first album for Elektra Records.<\/p>\n

The Elektra album \u201cAztec Two Step\u201d started it. ATS\u2019 second record \u201cSecond Step,\u201d which was released by RCA Records, solidified the duo\u2019s career. That album stayed in print with RCA for 17 years.<\/p>\n

Even without a hit, Aztec Two Step was able to build a dedicated following — a fan base that has allowed the duo to release more than 20 albums and a number of live DVDs.<\/p>\n

Now, Aztec Two-Step has a new album, a single featuring the title song and the possibility of a hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind one little hit,\u201d said Fowler.<\/p>\n

Video link for Aztec Two-Steep — https:\/\/youtu.be\/ydj0x9Zy4i0<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live are John Sebastian<\/a> on August 10, Kyf Brewer<\/a> on August 11, Snake Club<\/a> and City in the Clouds<\/a> on August 12, Roger Street Friedman<\/a> on August 13, Southern Avenue<\/a>and Big Mind<\/a> on August 15 and Paula Boggs Band on August 16.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tancred<\/p><\/div>\n

Jess Abbott used to be a member of the band Now, Now. When she is playing in a band, she goes by the name Jess Abbott.<\/p>\n

However, when Abbott is recording or performing on her own, she goes by the name Tancred \u2013 a name she shares with an Italo-Norman leader of the First Crusade who later became Prince of Galilee and regent of the Principality of Antioch.<\/p>\n

On August 11, Tancred will be in Philly for a show at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a very busy time this year,\u201d said Abbott, during a phone interview Tuesday as she traveled from Chicago to a tour date in Detroit. \u201cWe did a lot of touring. I did some shows in Europe. It\u2019s been real busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ever since Abbott went out on her own as a solo artist, staying busy has never been a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started Tancred in 2011 as a side project,\u201d said Abbott. \u201cAt first, it was just a recording thing. I never tried to tour with it before. It\u2019s been about two years now that I\u2019ve been putting everything into it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I decided I was going to take it on the road, I didn\u2019t want a solo project. I wanted a fuller sound.\u00a0 So, I put together a trio with a bass player, a drummer and me on guitar and vocals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote all the songs myself. I started in late 2014 and wrote the last one in January 2015. Then, I went into the studio in May. It was produced by Anna Waronker from That Dog and Steven McDonald from Off! and Redd Kross at Whiskey Kitchen Studio.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, Abbott has turned her attention to making a follow-up album.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did a lot of writing in the last year,\u201d said Abbott. \u201cI\u2019ve been working on my next album. I just finished recording it in L.A. after one month.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had Louis Pesacove as my producer. A good friend of mine used to do radio and now she\u2019s his manager. She knew he was looking to produce and co-write with people. We did a little co-writing but he was mostly just procuring. We cut it at his home studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started writing demos for this album in the summer of 2016. I\u2019ve been going through so many phases of demos \u2013 in and out. I got it down to 11 songs and that ended up being the golden number. We only just finished mixing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy music has gone through so many phases. The new album is definitely a little softer than \u2018Out of the Garden.\u2019 It seems like a whole new thing. I started Tancred when I was 19. There has been two or three years between each album, so they always sound different.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Abbott, \u201cOut of the Garden\u201d was shaped by her experiences living in Minneapolis and working at a liquor store in a rough part of town \u2014 \u201cI learned how to speak up when I needed to and how to truly be myself without reservation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt afraid walking home at night, and after a couple of months I just got sick of it and started getting into self-defense and self-empowerment as a means of coping. Finding my own strength changed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Abbott composed the songs for the album, she knew where she wanted it to go musically.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote them with a full band in mind,\u201d said Abbott. \u201cThis is the third Tancred album but it feels like the first because the songs are so different \u2014 not only a new page but a new book.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always write on guitar. I\u2019ll pick up the guitar and it will always start with a riff for a chord progression. Ideas for songs will pop in my head and I\u2019ll jot something in a notebook and then come up with a riff. But, I\u2019ve never written lyrics first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tancred\u2019s live set will feature a mix of songs from the soon-to-be-released album and \u201cOut of the Garden\u201d and be delivered by a tight band.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been playing with these guys for a while,\u201d said Abbott. \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten so much tighter. We know more about each other as musicians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Tancred \u2014 https:\/\/youtu.be\/-GAeWVKi6CU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Union Transfer, which also features Slothrust and Mal Blum And The Blums, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/p>\n

The upcoming schedule for Union Transfer also includes The Districts (Record Release Show!), The Spirit Of The Beehive, and Abi Reimold on August 11.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Donna McKechnie<\/p><\/div>\n

Acclaimed vocalist and Broadway legend Donna McKechnie, who is bringing her one-woman show \u201cSame Place: Another Time\u201d to the RRazz\u00a0Room at The Clarion Hotel (6426 Lower York Road, New Hope, 888-596-1027, TheRRazzRoom.com<\/a>) on August 12, never lets the grass grow beneath her feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very busy this year,\u201d said McKechnie, during a phone interview Tuesday morning from her home in Manhattan\u2019s Upper West Side. \u201cI love to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just spent a couple months in London in a wonderful jazz opera at The Other Place, a theater in the West End that used to be called the St. James Theater. The show was Drew McOnie\u2019s \u2018The Wild Party.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI came back to the states and just did a three-city tour of the show I\u2019m bringing to New Hope. I played Palm Springs, San Diego and Los Angeles. And, I just now did a play reading for a new musical.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m also getting ready to do \u2018Pajama Game\u2019 at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. I\u2019m really excited about this show. We will be building it from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maintaining a schedule like this is impressive for any stage performer.<\/p>\n

If you consider that this performer will turn 75 later this year, it becomes way more than impressive. It becomes awe-inspiring and inspirational.<\/p>\n

McKechnie, the Tony Award-winning star of \u201cA Chorus Line\u201d is regarded internationally as one of Broadway\u2019s foremost dancing and singing leading ladies.<\/p>\n

Her Broadway credits include\u00a0\u201cHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,\u201d \u201cPromises, Promises,\u201d \u201cCompany,\u201d \u201cOn The Town,\u201d and\u00a0\u201cState Fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKechnie, has also performed extensively on the concert stage, in cabaret, and with symphony orchestras, has also starred in such classic musicals as\u00a0\u201cSweet Charity,\u201d\u00a0\u201cA Little Night Music,\u201d \u201cMack and Mabel,\u201d \u201cGypsy,\u201d \u201cFollies,\u201d and \u201cAnnie Get Your Gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKechnie\u2019s new show,\u00a0\u201cSame Place: Another Time,\u201d is a musical\u00a0d\u00e9j\u00e0\u00a0vu celebrating the scintillating 1970s in New York City \u2013 an era marked by the heyday of Studio 54.<\/p>\n

The journey she takes puts a personal spin on the \u201cing\u00e9nue\u201d coming to New York, finding love and success, losing her innocence along the way, perhaps,\u00a0but\u00a0never her spirit.<\/p>\n

It is beautifully illuminated by the music of Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Allen, Jim Croce, Leroy Anderson and the musical arrangements of Emmy Award winner John McDaniel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love this show,\u201d said McKechnie. \u201cI love the songs. I love it even though it\u2019s about me. It\u2019s fashioned after my life. I had this idea to put something together featuring the music of the late 60s and early 70s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose days in New York during the Studio 54 era were magical. I love the songs from that time and I\u2019m singing them again. My show has some of the old standards \u2013 and it also has some new music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Donna McKechnie — https:\/\/youtu.be\/RWxaYGYnGyU<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at the RRazzRoom will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the RRazz Room are Tony Nominee Charles Busch with \u201cNaked And\u00a0Unafraid\u201d on August 19, Tony Nominee Beth Malone on August 25 and The Kinsy Sicks with \u201cThings We Shouldn\u2019t Say\u201d on August 26.<\/p>\n

In recent years, a lot of veteran bands are calling it quits and more solo music artists are retiring. That, in turn, has led to the number on tribute bands growing exponentially.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Machine<\/p><\/div>\n

Not surprisingly, very few of these tribute bands are capable of replicating the music of the acts they are trying to imitate.<\/p>\n

The number of Pink Floyd tribute bands seems to be growing weekly. But, die-hard Pink Floyd fans know how to separate the wheat from the chaff.<\/p>\n

They know that a few of the PF tribute acts are really top-flight, most of them are ordinary and some are a downright waste-of-time.<\/p>\n

Pink Floyd fans definitely know which acts are the real deal. That\u2019s why fans from this area will be at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) on August 12 to hear The Machine perform.<\/p>\n

The Machine \u2014 Joe Pascarell (lead guitar, vocals), Scott Chasolen (keyboards, vocals), Ryan Ball (bass, vocals), Tahrah Cohen (drums) \u2014 is a Pink Floyd tribute band that has been performing the music of the British classic rock act for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

Shows by The Machine are big, impressive productions that bring the awesome power of Pink Floyd\u2019s music back to life.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) on May 28 will keep the tradition intact — but in a different and special way. The concert will be an acoustic show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show in Sellersville is an unplugged show,\u201d said Chasolen, during a recent phone interview from a tour stop in Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a stripped-down show \u2013 not what we normally do. I play accordion, acoustic guitar and melodica. And, we add one more member \u2013 a bass player named Ryan who also plays acoustic guitar and dobro.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis kind of show is more interpretive. I love it. As a player, it gives me more freedom to interpret the part \u2013 to express the same part using only one sound. There is more improvising. We\u2019re able to stretch out more. The songs are the same but there is more jamming.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the texture and depth is gone. All you\u2019re left with are the songs. With Pink Floyd songs, there is a lot there lyrically. This type of show exposes the songwriting more. It\u2019s more focused \u2013 less distractive.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Pascarell, \u201cThe acoustic shows are really special. There are some songs we do in the unplugged shows that we rarely do in the full stage shows — especially some of the early songs from Pink Floyd\u2019s years when Syd Barrett was in the band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the course of its decades-plus history, The Machine has developed a repertoire that covers Pink Floyd\u2019s entire career \u2014 from 1967\u2019s \u201cThe Piper at the Gates of Dawn\u201d to the \u201cnew\u201d Pink Floyd album \u201cThe Endless River,\u201d which was the most recent release.<\/p>\n

Video link for The Machine — https:\/\/youtu.be\/2XtQNrqy-oo<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $33 and $55.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are The Young Dubliners and John Byrne on August 10, Over The Rhine on August 11, The Outlaws and Scooter Brown Band on August 13, and Iron Butterfly and Static Flow on August 16.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Vinyl Artifacts<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will present Better Than Bacon Improv Comedy<\/a> on August 10, and Vinyl Artifacts & Olivia Swenson<\/a> on August 11.<\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>) will host Harry Walther Band on August 12 and the Philadelphia Main Line Ukulele Group on August 13.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will host Marah on August 11, Grunge-a-Palooza — Flannel, Love Killed Kurt, Last Exit, White Limo, Purple to the Core on August 12 and Dick Dale with special guest Creem Circus on August 15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Aztec Two-Step has been around for decades and has played the area numerous times over the years at a variety of venues \u2013 including Kennett Flash not long ago. So, the fact that the duo is returning to the area for a show on August 11 at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[5563,10215,7426,10214,5819,5784],"class_list":["post-36109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-aztec-two-step","tag-donna-mckechnie","tag-featured","tag-tancred","tag-the-machine","tag-vinyl-artifacts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36109","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=36109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36110,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36109\/revisions\/36110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}