{"id":38811,"date":"2018-03-17T16:02:30","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T20:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=38811"},"modified":"2018-03-17T16:02:35","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T20:02:35","slug":"on-stage-keith-harkin-brings-a-bit-of-ireland-for-st-pattys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=38811","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Keith Harkin brings a bit of Ireland for St. Patty’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff,<\/strong> Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Keith Harkin<\/p><\/div>\n

Keith Harkin couldn\u2019t have picked a better day to play a show in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a musician from Ireland, it is almost mandatory to have a gig in the states on St. Patrick\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always tour in March,\u201d said Harkin, during a phone interview Monday afternoon from a tour stop in Atlanta, Georgia. \u201cI love playing live shows that time of year. Actually, this year I\u2019m booked most of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

On March 17, Harkin, who is from Derry in Northern Ireland, will headline a show at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a fan of Celtic music and you regularly attend shows featuring Irish musicians, then there is a pretty good chance you\u2019ve seen Harkin perform onstage. Harkin was part of the popular Irish music group Celtic Thunder for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n

After being discovered by Grammy-winning producer David Foster, Harkin signed to Verve Records and released his self-titled debut solo album in 2012. The LP became the Number 1 best seller on iTunes in addition to reaching Number 1 on the World Music Chart in both the U.S. and Canada. \u00a0Harkin\u2019s sophomore recording, \u201cOn Mercy Street,\u201d was released in 2015, followed by his 2016 holiday release, \u201cNollaig,\u201d — both of which also reached Number 1 on Billboard\u2019s World Music chart.<\/p>\n

Harkin recently released a live, acoustic album \u201cIn the Round\u201d on Blue Elan Records. It was recorded and filmed last summer at Full Circle in Venice Beach, California \u2013 which just happens to be Harkin\u2019s current hometown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI left Derry when I was 18 and moved to London,\u201d said Harkin. \u201cAfter living in London for a while, I moved to Los Angeles. I do miss the seasons from Ireland. But, if I\u2019m there during the winter, it only takes me about a week until I\u2019m ready to head back to California.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always travelled my whole life. I\u2019ve surfed all over Ireland \u2013 especially the west coast. My parents took me camping a lot when I was young. And, I toured America many times when I was in Celtic Thunder. I still go back to Ireland a lot because I have a studio in Donegal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harkin is thriving on his own \u2013 free from the restrictions of performing with an act like Celtic Thunder.<\/p>\n

According to Harkin, \u201cI was with Celtic Thunder for a great 10 years, but I never got to actually show what I do best. A lot of people didn\u2019t know I could even play three chords on guitar, much less hold a whole concert together on my own. They didn\u2019t know I wrote my own songs. So, the time finally came for me to show that side of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harkin has been fairly prolific with four albums in five years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pull songs from everywhere,\u201d said Harkin. \u201cI\u2019ve been playing songs in clubs for 20 years. I have four solo records and I\u2019m in the midst of making a fifth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe live record was recorded nearly three years ago. It took so long to get it out that, in the middle, I record a Christmas album. I\u2019m delighted with the way the live album came out. People say it\u2019s the best record I\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I play live, it\u2019s just me. I mainly play on my own. On this tour, I\u2019m just going out and doing my own thin. I want to develop on my own. I\u2019ve got all the songs written for my next album and I\u2019ve been talking to a few different producers and engineers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this tour, I\u2019m playing songs from all my records. And, there are songs I play that I\u2019ve never recorded. And, there are always a few Irish songs I knew growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Keith Harkin — https:\/\/youtu.be\/5IYD3a2PsAQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at MilkBoy Philly, which has Joey Harkum as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kerri Powers<\/p><\/div>\n

Kerri Powers won\u2019t be releasing her new album \u201cStarseeds\u201d for about two months but her fans can hear a preview of some of the songs when she headlines a show on March 17 at Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547,\u00a0www.burlapandbean.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a big tour — just a three-day run this week,\u201d said Powers, during a phone interview Monday afternoon from her home in Canton, Connecticut. \u201cI just go wherever my agent sends me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Produced by Eric Michael Lichter at Dirt Floor Studios in East Haddam Connecticut, \u201cStarseeds\u201d features eight new original compositions and two choice covers — a moving take on Blind Faith\u2019s restive anthem \u201cCan\u2019t Find My Way Home\u201d and \u201cPolly,\u201d a lovely song of wistful reflection written by the late Gene Clark of Byrds fame.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be releasing the album on the fourth of May,\u201d said Powers. \u201cAfter that, I\u2019ll be touring a lot solo. And, hopefully, I\u2019ll be doing some shows with my band.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Starseeds\u2019 was about a year in the making. We just finished the mastering and we\u2019ll be doing a radio campaign in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a studio album. I recorded it at Dirt Floor Studio here in Connecticut with Eric Lichter. He played a lot of instruments as well. He also did my album in 2014 with me. We had pedal steel, bass and drums in the studio. I produced much of the album myself. It was my first time to be more hands-on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI decided to call it \u2018Starseeds\u2019 because starseed is a healer \u2013 an empath. I felt a lot of these songs were on a healing side \u2013 not just for myself. The songs are the healers. Music is really a healing force. It was important for me to ge the songs out there. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s about me. It\u2019s about putting it out there and making a healing statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs took me a long time to write. My most productive time is real early in the morning. I\u2019ll wake up with an idea and go with it. I\u2019m also a visual artist so a lot of the album is visually inspired. I\u2019m an intuitive painter and an intuitive writer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Powers has taken an unconventional approach to her music career and the hurdles that inevitably come with it.\u00a0 During an artistic youth indulging in music, painting and writing she composed her first songs when she was really young.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote my first sing when I was nine,\u201d said Powers. \u201cMusic has always been a part of my life. I came from a musical family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her creative instincts seemed to come naturally, given that there was a certain talent embedded in her genes. Bing Crosby was a distant relative on her father\u2019s side, while her mother\u2019s relatives claimed a kinship to Herman Melville. Her paternal grandmother even maintained a position playing piano as accompaniment for silent movies, as was the custom back in the day.<\/p>\n

In her teens, Powers began performing in local coffeehouses throughout New England. But when she fell in love, got married and had a child, she put her pursuits aside. Later, after raising her son and overcoming the hardship of a difficult divorce she rediscovered her passion and returned to making music.<\/p>\n

According to Powers, \u201cI lost confidence and questioned everything about my ability as an artist for a long time. I wasn\u2019t sure I would ever get back to performing. But I did continue to write. Writing the songs was what ultimately gave me the incentive to keep going.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t exactly sure what the driving force behind writing those songs was, but it kept me going. Music and art have always been a healing force in my life. I think most of us could say it has an incredible impact on us both personally and on a universal level.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the aftermath, Powers released a self-titled EP in 2014 and with zero radio or publicity assistance she was able to land the #1 spot on Roots Music Report\u2019s list of \u201cTop 50 Folk Albums of 2014.\u201d\u00a0 Over the years she has appeared at numerous prestigious venues and musical gatherings including the Boston Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Her song \u201cDiamond Day\u201d was featured in the motion picture \u201cChuck\u201d and other tracks have made their way into the television series \u201cRescue Me.\u201d and \u201cJustified.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my live shows now, I\u2019m playing some songs from \u2018Starseeds\u2019 and some from my previous two albums,\u201d said Powers. \u201cI\u2019m also doing the song from \u2018Chuck\u2019 and some songs that were used in TV shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Kerri Powers \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/1AaOz-KDUHI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Burlap and Bean will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Yungblud<\/p><\/div>\n

Yungblud is coming to America and he\u2019s ready to tear it up.<\/p>\n

One of the most promising new acts to come out of the U.K. in recent years, Yungblud will share the bill with K. Flay on March 18 at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/a>). The young Brit, who grew up in Yorkshire, just released his self-titled debut EP via Locomotion\/Geffen Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cI left Yorkshire when I was 16,\u201d said Harrison, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Buffalo. \u201cI finished a year of high school there and said \u2013 get me out of here. I went to London to fulfill my dream of being a rock star.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a musical family. There are pictures of me when I was six years old in a car seat with a Beatles ukulele and a microphone. My grandfather was an early influence. When I was seven, he introduced me to the Beatles \u2018Revolver\u2019 and other bands like the Small Faces. I just fell in love with rock-and-roll very young.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I discovered hip hop on my own. I would listen to acts like N.W.A. and Grandmaster Flash. My parents were always supportive. I remember painting my toenails when I was nine and my parents encouraged me. I got my first guitar when I was four, so I\u2019ve been playing guitar my while life. At age 11, I played a song I\u2019d written for my mom and she said it was really good. When I was 12-14, I was in a punk band playing around the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his wild take on alt-pop equally inspired by punk, hip-hop, and U.K. garage, Yungblud uses breakneck flow and tongue-in-cheek attitude to deliver pointed lyrics about everything from gentrification to disenfranchisement to addiction without getting heavy-handed.<\/p>\n

According to Harrison, \u201cI want my music to always have a message, but I don\u2019t want to preach to anybody. This music\u2019s just an outburst of emotion and anger, and everything else going on in my head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always had a lot of energy. People misunderstood me a lot because I expressed my self in a different way. Music was my outlet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yorkshire was not the place for young Yungblud.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went to London, I went to art school and it was suffocating,\u201d said Harrison. \u201cSo, I left art school and started playing open mics. I got a manager and that didn\u2019t work out. So, I got a new manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll this underlying frustration was building up. Brexit happened. Young people were getting confused. I knew exactly what I wanted to write. I was just going to say what I think. The world is a confusing place for young people. We\u2019re an intelligent generation. So, I needed to say what I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Yungblud is bringing his music to an ever-growing legion of American fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this tour, we\u2019re playing around a 60-minutre set,\u201d said Harrison. \u201cThere are 10 sings in the set. I want people to leave the venue exhausted when we\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The show at Union Transfer, which also features K. Flay, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/p>\n

If you were asked to name places where reggae-rock bands got started, obvious answers might be Jamaica, other Caribbean countries, the Brixton section of London in England or maybe Santa Cruz, California.<\/p>\n

It is unlikely that Rindge, New Hampshire would find its way to the list.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Roots of Creation<\/p><\/div>\n

Surprisingly, Roots of Creation, one of America\u2019s highly-touted reggae-rock bands, got its start in Rindge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got started back in 2000 when we were students at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire, said the band\u2019s guitarist\/lead vocalist Breett Wilson, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in North Jersey.<\/p>\n

On March 18, the \u201cRoots of Creation: Roc\u2019s Grateful Dub 2018 Tour\u201d will visit the area for a stop at The Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been touring for about 10 years,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cOur first album came out in 2005 an that\u2019s when we started taking it seriously. In 2006, we moved in together, did another album and never looked back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rootsy reggae-rock bands have always appealed to the fans of jam bands and frequently are popular attractions at jam band festivals. Roots of Creation have appealed to a variety of fans \u2013 reggae fans, ska-punk fans and, most importantly, jam band fans.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s most recent album release cemented its appeal to all these groups. Focusing on the music of the Grateful Dead, the album is titled \u201cGrateful Dub.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roots of Creation always loved the Grateful Dead and was inspired by the legendary San Francisco band\u2019s music. In January of 2017, RoC set out to capture the spirit of the Dead in a reggae dub style.<\/p>\n

The result was \u201cGrateful Dub,\u201d which was recorded at the band\u2019s hometown studio in Brookline, New Hampshire. It was recorded with the legendary five-time Grammy winning producer\/engineer Errol Brown, who has worked with Bob Marley, Rebelution, and Peter Tosh. Recorded over a period of 10 16-hour days in the middle of winter, the album offers Roots of Creation\u2019s take on the band\u2019s favorite Grateful Dead songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis album has appealed to Dead fans,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cThey can feel the passion. When I was young, I never got to see Jerry (Garcia) play but he\u2019s always been a big influence. We had one Dead track on our last album. We also did a set with (Dead member) Melvin Seals one year at Jerry Jam. I was brought up by a hippie mom, so I was familiar with the music of the Grateful Dead from when I was very young.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy roots are the jam band circuit. I started out street-teaming and going to festivals at an early age. I learned to play guitar by listening to Dead bootlegs. I also really liked reggae and American acts like Sublime and Rancid. I wanted to combine these elements with the jam scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Roots of Creation, we developed different styles. As we went on, there was more of a reggae-rock element. Making music like the Police, Clash and 311 has always been our goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with Erol on the new album was a great experience. We like it to rock but he made sure we kept a solid rhythm section. We cut it at Studio Metronome in Brookline (NH) and he came there. He came into our element.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fruition of their work came with the album\u2019s release on March 9.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started recording the album last January,\u201d said Wilson. \u201cWe did 10 very long days in the studio to track it and then a year of listening, adding guests and tweaking. We were super-focused the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Roots of Creation \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/i-QAaSydINk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at The Foundry, which also features Darlingtyn, and The Elovaters, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $13.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Keith Harkin couldn\u2019t have picked a better day to play a show in Philadelphia. If you\u2019re a musician from Ireland, it is almost mandatory to have a gig in the states on St. Patrick\u2019s Day. \u201cI always tour in March,\u201d said Harkin, during a phone interview Monday afternoon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,11007,6529,11009,11008],"class_list":["post-38811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-keith-harkin","tag-kerri-powers","tag-roots-of-creation","tag-yungblud"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38811","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=38811"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38812,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38811\/revisions\/38812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}