{"id":36288,"date":"2017-08-23T10:22:17","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T14:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=36288"},"modified":"2017-08-23T10:22:38","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T14:22:38","slug":"on-stage-spotlight-verite-brings-truth-to-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=36288","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Spotlight): V\u00c9RIT\u00c9 brings truth to music"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

V\u00c9RIT\u00c9<\/p><\/div>\n

V\u00c9RIT\u00c9 is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter whose fans have been waiting for her debut album ever since she self-released her first single \u201cStrange Enough\u201d in July 2014. That song reached Number One on Hype Machine and becoming the Number One Most Viral Twitter Artist the week of release.<\/p>\n

The fans who have been patiently waiting have been rewarded with a treat \u2013 an album filled with a collection of smart and tasty tunes. V\u00c9RIT\u00c9 released her highly-anticipated debut album \u201cSomewhere in Between\u201d via Kobalt Music Recordings on June 13.<\/p>\n

Now, V\u00c9RIT\u00c9 is touring in support of the new disc \u2013 a tour that features a return engagement at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/a>) on August 23.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started writing this album a while ago,\u201d said V\u00c9RIT\u00c9, during a recent phone interview from her New York home.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of it was a spillover \u2013 songs from before the last EP. I\u2019m constantly writing and doing notes. I spent time in California writing with a variety of different people. I had one month-long trip and two two-week trips.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the melodies and lyrics are mine. After the writing was done, it was about piecing it all together. Most of the album was done with three producers \u2013 two in L.A. and one in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a little over a year. It was relatively east to finalize the tracks. Once something hits the threshold, it\u2019s time to finish the track and move forward. I knew which songs would work together. There was a bunch of sheets with me drawing arrows and mapping everything out.\u201d<\/p>\n

On \u201cSomewhere In Between,\u201d V\u00c9RIT\u00c9 collaborated with producers Liam Howe (Lana del Rey, Ellie Goulding, fka twigs), Tim Anderson (twenty one pilots, Solange, Mr. Little Jeans), Peter Thomas (Selena Gomez, Betty Who), James Flannigan and Zach Nicita.<\/p>\n

The 13-track collection blends electronic and alt-pop elements together effortlessly into a rhythm-driven sound that is ornately arranged with emotionally raw lyrics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with so many producers and in so many studios can be a challenge to having a uniform sound,\u201d said V\u00c9RIT\u00c9. \u201cI\u2019m lucky to work with people who are willing to work with me. It wasn\u2019t hard musically because I\u2019m good at creative solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to V\u00c9RIT\u00c9, \u201cThe album was mostly written over the last year, somewhere between living and dying.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs travel though my over analysis of depression, apathy and boredom, and follows attempts to make meaning and balance of existential crises against distractions. Sonically, I wanted to create something dynamic, driving and melodic–songs that could hold someone\u2019s attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transparency also played a role.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy songwriting has changed in the sense that the songs on this album are much more transparent \u2013 stating something instead of using metaphors,\u201d said V\u00c9RIT\u00c9.<\/p>\n

Video link for Verite — https:\/\/youtu.be\/ndMQ062h0-s<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle, which has Tigertown as the opener, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jonny Lang<\/p><\/div>\n

Fans of blazing guitar work and blues aficionados alike were blown away by the musical prowess of Jonny Lang when he burst on the scene with his debut album \u201cLie to Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

That album went platinum and hit Number One on Billboard\u2019s New Artist chart. A year later, Lang\u2019s sophomore album \u201cWander This World\u201d earned a Grammy nomination.<\/p>\n

Those fans might be surprised when they realize that the \u201cLie to Me\u201d album was released more than two decades ago. Recent fans who have discovered Lang\u2019s impressive catalog might be surprised to learn that Lang is only 36 years old.<\/p>\n

On September 8, Lang will release a brand-new studio album titled \u201cSigns\u201d via Concord Records.<\/p>\n

Lang\u2019s fans will not have to wait until an album-support tour to hear the guitar ace perform in person. On August 23, Lang is headlining a show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album is blues, R&B and rock,\u201d said Lang, during a phone interview last week from his home in Ventura, California. \u201cFor me, I don\u2019t look at genre. It\u2019s all just music. So many things overlap in genres. When I\u2019m writing, I don\u2019t think about what style it\u2019s in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new album, which is Lang\u2019s sixth major label release, is his first in four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe creative thing just turned on,\u201d said Lang. \u201cI started writing songs and I made a record. We started a couple years ago \u2013 doing pre-production and finishing songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSongs come to me and, when they do, I have this little voice recording thing with me. And, hopefully, there\u2019s a guitar around for me to use. For me, it\u2019s usually melody and music first \u2013 and the arrangements. Lyrics take longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took three days and tracked all the main tracks. Most of it was done in just a few days at Stagg Street Studio in L.A. The guys who are bon the road with me have played on my last two records.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get along pretty well. When you\u2019re together for a while, you develop an innate sense. There are five of us \u2013 rhythm guitar, bass, drums, keyboards. I paly lead guitar and sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lang and his band translated the chemistry and energy of their live shows into a powerful studio recording.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just played the songs live in the studio,\u201d said Lang. \u201cWe recorded analog. Stagg Street Studio is one of those places that still look like they did when they were built in the 1970s. We had Matt Hyde as our engineer and we got a really good sound there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lang is also surprised that his career has already spanned two decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty years feels like a blink,\u201d said Lang.<\/p>\n

Video link for Jonny Lang — https:\/\/youtu.be\/rA-BkmZ-2IM<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, which has Jack Broadbent as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Small Leaks Sink Ships<\/p><\/div>\n

Small Leaks Sink Ships, which is playing August 23 at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com<\/a>), should include the Kinks\u2019 song \u201cOne of the Survivors\u201d in its repertoire.<\/p>\n

Small Leaks Sink Ships is a four-piece progressive art-pop band from Portland, Oregon. The line-up features London Van Rooy, Judd Hancock, Jim Mandel, and Ryan Garner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot going on with the band in the last few years,\u201d said Van Rooy, during a phone interview last week from his home in Portland. \u201cTwo of our guys were on their deathbed.<\/p>\n

\u201cRyan was in a motorcycle accident that left him with shattered vertebrae and broken legs. His helmet saved his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, the doctors said he might not live \u2013 but he did. Then, they said he probably would never walk again. Three weeks later, he was walking. But, he was in recovery for a full year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, Judd found out that he had cancer. He had chemo and surgeries because of testicular cancer. He\u2019s fine now but that caused the band to go on a two-year hiatus.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band never gave up \u2013 on its members or on its future.<\/p>\n

Through perseverance and pure stubbornness, the band managed to stick together through both recoveries and put out two albums and a five-track EP.<\/p>\n

Small Leaks Sinks Ships will release its new album \u201cGolden Calf\u201d in October on Lefse Records. The rocking quartet from the Pacific Northwest just released a single titled \u201cDancing Devil,\u201d which is the first single off \u201cGolden Calf.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Golden Calf\u2019 is coming out October 13 and we just put out a video for \u2018Dancing Devil\u2019,\u201d said Van Rooy. \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing a bunch of the tracks live. There were a few songs that we played live before we recorded them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all write. We write a lot of stuff in our personal studios and we have our main studio in Portland. We record everything ourselves. A few years ago, we spent a whole year in the studio figuring out how to do it with all the mics and equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded, produced and mixed \u2018Golden Calf.\u2019 This was the second time we did everything. The first time was on our last album \u2018Face Yourself, and Remove Your Sandals,\u2019 which came out in May 2105.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, we\u2019ve gotten better at recording drums. You need to have that foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also figured out more about studio manipulation. We have this big live sound live and we figured out how to capture it in a studio. We did a five-song EP in 2011 at five different studios just to learn how to get the sound we wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other than being better recorded, \u201cGolden Calf\u201d shows other advances made by Small Leaks Sink Ships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album is far more congruent,\u201d said Van Root. \u201cWe focused on each song as a whole. The previous album was more experimental.\u201d<\/p>\n

Small Leaks Sink Ships has been together for six years but has yet to visit the Delaware Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never played Philly before but we do have an intense fan base there,\u201d said Van Rooy. \u201cSo, we\u2019re really looking forward to this show at Kung Fu Necktie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Small Leaks Sink Ships — https:\/\/youtu.be\/hYn7C0GRnAM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Kung Fu Necktie, which also features Drop Electric and Grubby Little Hands, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times V\u00c9RIT\u00c9 is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter whose fans have been waiting for her debut album ever since she self-released her first single \u201cStrange Enough\u201d in July 2014. That song reached Number One on Hype Machine and becoming the Number One Most Viral Twitter Artist the week of release. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,10283,10284,8404],"class_list":["post-36288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-jonny-lang","tag-small-leaks-sink-ships","tag-verite"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36288","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=36288"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36289,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36288\/revisions\/36289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}