{"id":36814,"date":"2017-09-30T16:27:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-30T20:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=36814"},"modified":"2017-09-30T16:27:07","modified_gmt":"2017-09-30T20:27:07","slug":"on-stage-bonus-little-steven-carves-out-his-own-niche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=36814","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Bonus): Little Steven carves out his own niche"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Little Steven<\/p><\/div>\n

Some know him as Steven Van Zandt. Others know him as Little Steven. Some refer to him as Stevie Van Zandt. Still others think of him as Miami Steve.<\/p>\n

There is one thing all can agree on. Van Zandt is a rock legend \u2013 a guitarist extraordinaire who has become an integral part of rock music\u2019s DNA.<\/p>\n

Van Zandt, who might best be known as Bruce Springsteen\u2019s E Street Band guitarist, has played on around 20 of Springsteen\u2019s albums and has released eight solo albums.<\/p>\n

Little Steven\u2019s most recent album \u201cSoulfire\u201d was released earlier this year via Wicked Cool\/Big Machine\/Ume and was named one of the top 50 albums of 2017 by Rolling Stone. Now, Van Zandt is on the road working the album.<\/p>\n

On October 1, Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul will perform at the Electric Factory (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215-627-1332, www.electricfactory.info<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The \u201cSoulfire Tour 2017\u201d celebrates of\u00a0Little Steven\u2019s sensational new solo album, which is available as CD, digital download, and 180-gram black vinyl.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoulfire\u201d is Van Zandt\u2019s first solo album in close to two decades and without question his purest and most uniquely personal artistic statement thus far.<\/p>\n

He revisits songs that span the length of his career as artist, performer, producer, arranger, and songwriter, focusing directly on the hugely influential \u201csoul horns-meet-rock \u2018n\u2019 roll guitars\u201d approach he first pioneered on Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes\u2019 classic first three albums.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cut \u2018Soulfire\u2019 back in November,\u201d said Van Zandt, during a phone interview Friday afternoon as he traveled to a gig in Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did it six weeks, which was really quick. I recorded it at my studio \u2013 Renegade Studio \u2013 here in the City (New York). It\u2019s not huge but it\u2019s as big as the Chess or Motown studios were.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe studio is totally analog. I\u2019m not a fan of digital. It just sounds different to my ears. Certain instruments don\u2019t have the frequency response that I need.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though it has to go to digital at some point, it has a different quality when it hits the tape \u2013 a distinct tone and texture. Most of all, we want the essential emotional experience to be paramount. Actually, I still love mono.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Zandt is a musician, performer, songwriter, arranger, producer, music supervisor, TV producer, actor, director, Broadway producer, TV and film composer, live event producer, international DJ, activist, historian, teacher, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is recognized internationally as one of the world\u2019s foremost authorities on both contemporary and traditional Rock and Roll.
\nAfter creating the \u201cJersey Shore\u201d sound with the Asbury Jukes he became a founding member of Bruce Springsteen\u2019s E Street Band, and went on to become a successful solo artist.<\/p>\n

His songs have been performed by artists such as Jackson Browne, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Cliff, Damian Marley, Gary U.S. Bonds, Darlene Love, Nancy Sinatra, Brian Setzer, and Black Uhuru.<\/p>\n

In 2001 he launched \u201cLittle Steven\u2019s Underground Garage\u201d, his internationally syndicated radio show and it became the most successful syndicated Rock music radio show in the past 40 years. Steven also created and produces the first two channels of original content on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, the Underground Garage (Channel 21) and Outlaw Country (Channel 60). In 2006 he launched his record label, Wicked Cool Records, to further support new Rock and Roll.
\n\u201cSoulfire\u201d was arranged and produced by Van Zandt at his own Renegade Studios in New York City, co-produced and recorded by GRAMMY\u00ae Award-winner Geoff Sanoff (Fountains of Wayne, Stephen Colbert) and co-produced and music directed by guitarist Marc Ribler.<\/p>\n

Ribler was recruited by Van Zandt as Darlene Love\u2019s music director for Love\u2019s 2015 Van Zandt-produced album \u201cIntroducing Darlene Love\u201d and then \u201cborrowed back\u201d to serve that same role with The Disciples of Soul.<\/p>\n

Background vocals on \u201cI Don\u2019t Want To Go Home\u201d and \u201cThe City \u201cSoulfire\u201d was mixed and mastered by Van Zandt\u2019s career-long collaborators and friends — Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Bryan Adams), and Bob Ludwig (Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Band, Sly and the Family Stone).<\/p>\n

The songs on \u201cSoulfire\u201d all have their own history.<\/p>\n

The title track \u201cSoulfire\u201d was co-written with Anders Bruus of The Breakers. \u201cI\u2019m Coming Back\u201d was originally found on Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes\u2019 1991 LP,\u00a0\u201cBetter Days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Blues Is My Business\u201d was written by Kevin Bowe and Todd Cerney and recorded by Etta James in 2003. \u201cI Saw The Light\u201d was written for Richie Sambora & Orianthi. \u201cSome Things Just Don\u2019t Change\u201d was originally found on Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes\u2019 1977 LP, \u201cThis Time It\u2019s For Real.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLove On The Wrong Side of Town\u201d was co-written with Bruce Springsteen. \u201cThe City Weeps Tonight\u201d was going to be the first song on his first solo album.\u00a0\u201cDown and Out in New York City\u201d was written by Bodie Chandler and Barry De Vorzon and originally recorded on James Brown\u2019s 1973\u00a0\u201cBlack Caesar\u201d\u00a0soundtrack.<\/p>\n

\u201cStanding in the Line of Fire\u201d was co-written with Gary U.S. Bonds originally found on Gary U.S. Bonds\u2019 1984\u00a0album \u201cStanding In The Line Of Fire.\u201d \u201cSaint Valentine\u2019s Day\u201d was originally found on The Cocktail Slippers\u2019 2009 LP,\u00a0\u201cSaint Valentine\u2019s Day Massacre.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI Don\u2019t Want To Go Home\u201d was originally found on Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes\u2019 1976 debut LP,\u00a0\u201cI Don\u2019t Want To Go Home.\u201d \u201cRide The Night Away\u201d\u00a0was co-written with Steve Jordan and originally found on Jimmy Barnes\u2019 1985 LP,\u00a0\u201cFor the Working Class Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe half the guys who played on the album are on the road with me now,\u201d said Van Zandt. \u201cPeople come and go these days. Top musicians are booked years ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 10 different genres of music in my current live show so I need them to play with authenticity. It\u2019s hard finding the right guys.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 15 of us onstage \u2013 including five horns and three girls — and we\u2019re travelling with 27. I\u2019m hearing things bigger now. It\u2019s expensive but it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only bits and pieces of previous albums. I\u2019m doing covers for the first time in my life \u2013 including songs by James Brown and Etta James.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m re-introducing myself to my fans and introducing myself to a whole new generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, there is one more difference about \u201cSoulfire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time in my life, I\u2019ve put out a record that is not political,\u201d said Van Zandt. \u201cIn the past, it was politics through music. This time, it\u2019s music first. I just don\u2019t feel I need to explain Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul — https:\/\/youtu.be\/yRqIfs1qXE8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The all-ages show at the Electric Factory will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $50.<\/p>\n

These days, a lot of solo recording artists use band names instead of their own names when embarking on a career in music.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

RVBY MY DEAR<\/p><\/div>\n

Gabbi Coenen is one of them.<\/p>\n

Instead of going out as Gabbi Coenen, the singer-songwriter from Perth, Australia records and tours as RVBY MY DEAR.<\/p>\n

A formally-trained pianist from the age of four, Coenen formed RVBY MY DEAR as an outlet for her songwriting in late 2012. The new RVBY MY DEAR EP, \u201cCycles,\u201d was just released on September 22.<\/p>\n

Now, Coenen is touring the Northeast in support of the disc with a stop scheduled for September 30 at Trafalmadore (South Hicks and Dickinson streets, Philadelphia, https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tralfamadorezoo<\/a>).<\/p>\n

After a year-long hiatus of writing and recording with producer Andrew Lappin (St. Lucia, Jack + Eliza) and engineer Chris Gehringer (Nick Jonas, Rihanna, The 1975) in 2016, RVBY MY DEAR returned to release the first single and video from\u00a0\u201cCycles,\u201d \u2013 a song called \u201c10:17.\u201d<\/p>\n

RVBY MY DEAR\u2019s sound is influenced\u00a0by 90\u2019s British acts such as Portishead and Massive Attack, the\u00a0orchestral balladry\u00a0of Bjork and Fiona Apple, as well as the modern beat-driven sounds of Daughter,\u00a0Beach\u00a0House, James Blake, and London Grammar.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy background is singing jazz,\u201d said Coenen, during a phone interview last week from her apartment in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI studied jazz at the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts. There are a lot of talented musicians in the Perth jazz scene. I came to the United States because I needed a fresh start. I came here in 2011 on an artists\u2019 visa to study at the New School for Jazz in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, I was interested in writing my own songs instead of just doing jazz. Another reason I came to the states was that my mom lives in Los Angeles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once established in New York, Coenen began writing pop\/rock songs and performing with a band. Coenen\u2019s\u00a0music\u00a0explores the space between quiet melancholy and simmering rage, with a cinematic\u00a0sheen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started the early version of my band in 2012,\u201d said Coenen. \u201cI\u2019ve released an EP every year\/year-and-a-half since then. Each one builds on what I\u2019ve done before.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tough to get shows here in New York because so many D.I.Y. venues have been shutting down. Still, my career has been steadily growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

That growth will definitely continue as \u201cCycles\u201d starts to reach more ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to get this new music out here because I think it\u2019s really good,\u201d said Coenen. \u201cI put the single \u201810:17\u2019 out myself and it got good reviews. Hopefully, I\u2019ll have another single out by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a new album that is completely done. We did it all last year. I wrote in 2015 and 2016. We recorded four songs in the spring and five in the fall. Then, we mixed it this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded at a lot of different places. We did a couple in Brooklyn with producer Andrew Lappin. He moved to L.A. and we finished it there. He has a small studio at Sunset Sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band — Gabbi Coenen, vocals\/bass\/songs; Darren Denman, keys\/piano; Prawit Siriwat, guitar; Abel Tabares, drums — features lush synth and guitar harmonies,\u00a0propulsive\u00a0electronic-inspired beats, and Coenen\u2019s floating moody vocals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to sing and play keyboards with the band,\u201d said Coenen. \u201cNow, I sing and play bass. Bass used to be my main instrument in high school. Then, I got more into vocals. I stopped playing bass and just did voice for seven years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coenen released \u201cBalloons,\u201d her debut EP as RVBY MY DEAR in 2014, followed by the singles, \u201cFlourisher\u201d in 2015 and \u201cUnravel\u201d in 2016.
\nCoenen\u2019s songs often follow a gradual crescendo, navigating the typical verse\/chorus pop structure in new ways, and span genres from calm introspective ballads to aggressive guitar-heavy breakbeats and hook-laden pop anthems.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my live show now, I\u2019m doing eight of nine songs from the album,\u201d said Coenen. \u201cAnd, I\u2019m playing many of the songs from my EPs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for RVBY MY DEAR — https:\/\/youtu.be\/_RLJXWp3hYM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Trafalmadore will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Joon Moon<\/p><\/div>\n

Franco-American band Joon Moon will be coming to Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/a>) on October 1 in support of its debut album \u201cMoonshine Corner,\u201d which just came out September 23.<\/p>\n

As 2015 was wrapping up, an unknown outfit called Joon Moon took the music world by surprise with its first single \u201cChess.\u201d<\/p>\n

The four cuts on the \u201cCall Me\u201d EP — a mix of pop and soul, electronic music and jazz, melancholy and elegy \u2013 gave a preview of the album to come.<\/p>\n

Joon Moon is the France-based outfit of house producer\/keyboardist Julien Decoret (Nouvelle Vague), drummer Rapha\u00ebl Chassin (Vanessa Paradis, Rufus Wainwright) and American expat and singer extraordinaire Krystle Warren (Martha Wainwright, Erykah Badu).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe first started working on the album two years ago,\u201d said Chassin, during a trans-Atlantic phone interview last week from the band\u2019s base in Paris<\/p>\n

\u201cI composed all the songs and we started to produce it in our studio \u2013 the two of us playing piano, drums and bass and adding other instruments like organ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decoret said, \u201cWe\u2019ve always used a lot of different instruments but this was the first time we had them all together on one album. We\u2019re used to having a lot of instruments on our songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The talented duo has the musical versatility to expand Joon Moon\u2019s range of instruments and musical styles.<\/p>\n

\u201cJulien plays all the instruments except horns,\u201d said Chassin. \u201cMost of the strings we used were double bass. He played eight tacks with double bass. The double bass has a very distinct sound \u2013a real special sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 10 years of touring the world playing double bass with Marc Collin\u2019s Nouvelle Vague ensemble, excursions into house music on the Yellow Productions Art of Disco compilations and co-producing Florent Marchet\u2019s Bamby Galaxy album, it was time for songwriter\/producer\/renaissance man Decoret to focus on a new challenge.
\nWith Chassin on drums working on the production and arrangements and Warren on vocals, Joon Moon came to life and traveled to a world where trip-hop, jazz, soul and electronic music live side by side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe combination of piano, bass and drums \u2013 it is very important to us,\u201d said Chassin. \u201cWe wanted to have this soul music influence that we really love \u2013 old Chess Records as well as Motown and singers like Al Green.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decoret said, \u201cOur influences are soul but there is also an influence from Baroque music and Bach \u2013 and by composer Steve Reich with his repetition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The use of old sounds and recording techniques gives Joon Moon\u2019s music a sense of timelessness, and is the basis from which the band moves forward — mixing in more modern influences such as a sax line that could have been written by Steve Reich or some repetitive nature of song writing which espouses the codes of dance music.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur music is a real mix of influences,\u201d said Decoret. \u201cIf you look inside each song, you\u2019ll find different influences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chassin said, \u201cWe tried not to sequence too much \u2013 to not use loops. It was definitely our choice to be organic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Joon Moon — https:\/\/youtu.be\/5rmJuws0sdQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle, which has M.A. Kingston as the opening act, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Some know him as Steven Van Zandt. Others know him as Little Steven. Some refer to him as Stevie Van Zandt. Still others think of him as Miami Steve. There is one thing all can agree on. Van Zandt is a rock legend \u2013 a guitarist extraordinaire who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,10445,10444,10446],"class_list":["post-36814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-joon-moon","tag-little-steven","tag-rvby"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36814","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=36814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36815,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36814\/revisions\/36815"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}