{"id":37136,"date":"2017-10-24T16:23:41","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T20:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=37136"},"modified":"2017-10-24T16:23:44","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T20:23:44","slug":"on-stage-howard-jones-is-still-a-new-wave-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=37136","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Howard Jones is still a New Wave icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Howard Jones<\/p><\/div>\n

Sometimes, when Howard Jones tours in the states it is as part of the Retro Futura Tour \u2013 a summertime tour that features bands from the 1980s playing short sets of their hits.<\/p>\n

Jones didn\u2019t even get to this area in summer 2017 because the tour\u2019s closest date was Atlantic City.<\/p>\n

The last time Jones did a show locally was last September at the World Caf\u00e9 Live at the Queen \u2013 and that show happened despite conditions that would have led many other acts to cancel the gig.<\/p>\n

Now, Jones is coming back to the same location for a show on October 25 \u2013 although the venue is now known simply as the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, www.thequeenwilmington.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The North American tour was just four dates. Jones and his band were going to tour South America in September 2017 and a few shows in the states were added to go around that. The South American tour got cancelled but Jones and his band wanted to still honor these dates.<\/p>\n

Jones, a New Wave icon who was one of the forefathers of synth-pop, toured America in 2016 with three completely different shows.<\/p>\n

The singer-guitarist-keyboardist, who was well-known to MTV viewers for his tufts of blond hair as well as his well-crafted songs, performed a special multimedia show called \u201cENGAGE\u201d in New York.<\/p>\n

He also played a string of dates across the country \u2014 some with his band and some as solo piano shows. Jones played two shows in the area \u2014 the Queen and the Sellersville Theater \u2014 in \u201csolo piano\u201d mode.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be playing a band show on this tour,\u201d said Jones, during a phone interview last week. \u201cIt\u2019s a completely electronic band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones is touring with his new Electric Band, which features Emily Dolan Davies on electric percussion, Robin Boult on guitars, Robbie Bronnimann on keyboards and sequencing and Jonathan Atkinson on drums.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working with Robbie for about 20 years and with Jonathan for 10-12 years,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI also play keyboards. It\u2019s the best band I\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving people in a band is tough and getting the chemistry right is important. Robbie and I have great chemistry and Emily is such a talented drummer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s expanded. The sound is just fuller. I have a new rig which is based on Mainstage \u2014 the equivalent to Logic software.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than carting around hundreds of keyboards, I use software. I\u2019ve gone away from the hardware because it\u2019s too difficult to travel with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 performances of \u201cENGAGE\u201d last year were ambitious and highly entertaining. \u00a0Entirely fan-funded by PledgeMusic, \u201cENGAGE\u201d incorporated specially-commissioned visuals with music and an interactive live show.<\/p>\n

\u201cENGAGE\u201d is inspired by such diverse musical genres as electronica, contemporary classical and pop and fuses this audio m\u00e9lange with other visual and literary arts including ballet, modern dance and philosophy.<\/p>\n

The \u201cENGAGE\u201d audience is invited to participate via a specially-designed smart phone app, customized clothing and fluorescent make-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018ENGAGE,\u2019 I wanted to do something different instead of just making an album with a lot of songs,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI wanted to write something that would be a live event in a most exciting way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to have it dramatic with a lot of visuals, including a film of ballet, and a lot of influences \u2014 classical, pop and Steve Reich. I took a real mixture of styles I really love and mashed them together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018ENGAGE\u2019 shows were great. I did five of them around the world. It was brilliant. I would have liked to have taken it on the road more extensively but the cost of doing that was too much.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this band, we did a couple festivals in the U.K. earlier in the year and then we did the Retro Futura Tour. The sets on that tour were really short. Now, this is great to be playing a lot more songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do a different set every night. It\u2019s a 90 to a 100-minute set so we do some new stuff. The show will span my whole career. There will be a couple things from \u2018ENGAGE\u2019 as well as something from every album. I try to play most of the hits. I have about 10-12 \u2018must-play\u2019 songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones had his first Top Five hit in 1983 with the song \u201cNew Song.\u201d Four more hits followed over the course of a year and his album \u201cHuman\u2019s Lib\u201d reached the top spot on the U.K. album charts.<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 1984 \u201cLike to Get to Know You Well\u201d was \u201cdedicated to the original spirit of the Olympic Games\u201d and became a worldwide hit. It also was used in the film \u201cBetter Off Dead\u201d and the computer game\u00a0\u201cGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDream into Action,\u201d which came out in 1985, quickly became a Top Ten Platinum album in the United States and was Jones\u2019 most successful album. Four major hits were on that album \u2014 \u201cThings Can Only Get Better,\u201d \u201cLife In One Day,\u201d \u201cNo One Is To Blame,\u201d and \u201cLike To Get To Know You Well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones has stayed up-to-date with both music technology and musical styles, including EDM (Electronic dance music).<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done a new version of \u2018Everlasting Love\u201d and there is an EDM hit of \u2018Things Can Only Get Better\u2019 with (French DJ\/producer) Cedric Gervais. All the hits have been updated and we do play a lot of dubstep.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m also working on some songs for a couple of films. One is \u2018Eddie the Eagle,\u2019 which is a real-life story of a famous British skier. It is set in the 80s so there is a lot of 80s-style music in the show \u2014 new songs in the old style. I\u2019m also writing songs for an American animated film called \u2018Animal Crackers.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones also looks to the past spiritually. He is a devout follower of Nichiren Buddhism.<\/p>\n

\u201cA friend of mine who is a fashion designer got me interested in Buddhism,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI loved the way he worked with people and his positivity. So, I got him to teach me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started straight out with Nichiren and I chant \u2018Nam Myoho Renge Kyo\u2019 (a mantra that dates back to 1253) every day \u2014 in the morning and again in the evening. Nichiren focuses on the belief in the positive power of human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones also looks to the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working on a new album to be released in November,\u201d said Jones. \u201cAmazingly, it\u2019s been 35 years since my first album.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this one, I\u2019ve been working with various producer friends. I\u2019ve got plenty of new songs that I\u2019ve been writing. Right now, I\u2019m just getting organized. I try to play piano or get in the studio every day. You need to do that to saty fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Howard Jones \u2014 https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hUFw5Qi0pjU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at The Queen will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $28.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

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

Airpark, an alternative rock\/pop duo from Nashville, performed at Kennett Flash back in May. Now, the band is returning to the area for a show October 24 at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The band released its debut EP \u201cEarly Works, Volume 1\u201d on March 3 via\u00a0Eugenia Hall and followed with a September 15 release of the EP \u201cEarly Works, Volume 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been touring a lot,\u201d said Michael Ford, during a recent phone interview from his home in Nashville. \u201cWe took some time off in August. But, by the end of the year, we will have played more than 100 shows in 2017.\u201d<\/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. \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

\u201cThe majority of \u2018Volume 2\u2019 was recorded in May. We did a lot of live tracking. \u2018Volume 1\u2019 was more of a minimalist record. We did \u2018Volume 2\u2019 after we had been touring with a full band.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in the studio working with people we had played shows with. So, the new EP has a fuller sound. What you\u2019re hearing on the record is what you\u2019ll hear live. We\u2019re touring with live drums and live keys.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn December and January, we\u2019ll be writing and making demos for our next record. At this point, we don\u2019t know whether our next release will be an EP or an album.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The show at Kung Fu Necktie, which also features The Dawn Drapes, Kirby and the Vibe Tribe, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Sometimes, when Howard Jones tours in the states it is as part of the Retro Futura Tour \u2013 a summertime tour that features bands from the 1980s playing short sets of their hits. Jones didn\u2019t even get to this area in summer 2017 because the tour\u2019s closest date […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[9838,7426,2793],"class_list":["post-37136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-airpark","tag-featured","tag-howard-jones"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37136","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=37136"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37137,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37136\/revisions\/37137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}