{"id":40049,"date":"2018-06-30T06:00:32","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T10:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=40049"},"modified":"2018-06-29T10:54:35","modified_gmt":"2018-06-29T14:54:35","slug":"on-stage-styx-joan-jett-to-rock-hershey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=40049","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: STYX, Joan Jett to rock Hershey"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

STYX<\/p><\/div>\n

Classic rock comes in many forms and attracts people with a variety of musical tastes. If you\u2019re a classic rock fan and you have a predilection for bands that rock hard and put out a 100 per cent effort every time they step onstage, then you need to make the short drive to Hershey this weekend.<\/p>\n

On June 30, the GIANT Center (550 West Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, www.hersheyentertainment.com\/giant-center<\/a>) will host legendary rockers STYX and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts when they make the only area stop on their co-headlining summer U.S. tour. The tour, which has Tesla as the opening act,\u00a0kicked off May 30 in Irvine, California at the FivePoint Amphitheatre.<\/p>\n

Between STYX and Joan Jett, the two acts have more than 30 Top 25 hits to their credit \u2013 including Jett\u2019s Number 1 hit \u201cI Love Rock and Roll.\u201d<\/p>\n

STYX\u2019s long list of hit singles includes \u201cLady,\u201d \u201cCome Sail Away,\u201d \u201cBabe,\u201d \u201cThe Best of Times,\u201d \u201cToo Much Time on My Hands,\u201d \u201cShow Me the Way,\u201d \u201cRenegade,\u201d \u201cBoat on the River\u201d and, of course, \u201cMr. Roboto.\u201d\u201cBabe\u201d reached Number 1 in the charts while \u201cShow Me the Way,\u201d \u201cMr. Roboto\u201d and \u201cThe Best of Times\u201d topped out at Number 3.<\/p>\n

The current STYX lineup includes Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitars), James \u201cJY\u201d Young (vocals, guitars), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), Todd Sucherman (drums) and Ricky Phillips (bass). Shaw and Young have been with the band since its start in Chicago in 1970 while Gowan and Sucherman joined the group prior to the turn of the century.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band started in 1971 \u2013 almost half a century ago,\u201d said Gowan, during a phone interview Thursday morning from a tour stop in Syracuse, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m now in my 20th<\/sup> year with the band. To be still touring the way we do \u2013 it\u2019s quite remarkable. We\u2019ve never played less than 100 shows a year. This year, we tried to cut it back to 80 but we\u2019ll still finish with about 90 shows. I also tour solo. I\u2019ve had several gold albums in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gowan, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, is a native and still resident of Toronto. Dating back to 1982, he has released a number of albums on his own in Canada and has had several hit singles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Canada, I play some of the same venues STYX pays,\u201d said Gowan. \u201cThe biggest hit I had was the \u2018Strange Animals\u2019 album which was triple-platinum. I had several members of Peter Gabriel\u2019s band at the time playing on it \u2013 including Tony Levin and Jerry Marotta. Most of my solo stuff is very keyboard-driven.\u201d<\/p>\n

All along, Gowan has retained STYX as his primary focus. It would be hard not when considering how much the band tours.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a reason we have such a heavy schedule,\u201d said Gowan. \u201cThere\u2019s an insatiable demand to see the band. There really aren\u2019t enough days. Classic rock is a gigantic stage and you\u2019ve got legions of people who want to see it live.<\/p>\n

With STYX, the crowds that fill arenas at their shows are not just old cats who grew up with STYX\u2019 hits and have been loyal followers ever since.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalf the audience is under 30,\u201d said Gowan. \u201cThere are people who weren\u2019t even born when STYX was having its hits. And, we\u2019re getting a lot of people under 20 \u2013 people from six-to-70.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of STYX\u2019 band contemporaries that are still around are touring with set lists based almost exclusively on their classic hits. Few even to try to stay contemporary. Even fewer attempt to make new music.<\/p>\n

STYX is different.<\/p>\n

Last year, the band released a new album called \u201cThe Mission\u201d \u2013 an album that is classically STYX and very up-to-date at the same time.<\/p>\n

Released on the band\u2019s label, Alpha Dog 2T\/Ume, it debuted on various Billboard\u00a0charts, including: #6 Top Rock Albums, #11 Physical Albums, #11 Vinyl Albums, #13 Current Albums, #14 Top 200 Albums, #16 Retail, #17 Mass Merch\/Non-Traditional, #29 Digital Albums, and #45 Billboard 200 (includes catalog and streaming).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had been a while since our last album,\u201d said Gowan. \u201cOver the years, we had so many good ideas for new music \u2013 a lot of good pieces. We decided to make the album ourselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album in Nashville using two-inch tape and analog gear. We used John McBride\u2019s Blackbird Studio.\u00a0 We pretended that digital didn\u2019t even exist \u2013 until it was time for editing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAltogether, it took about two years \u2013 writing, making demos, re-writing, making more demos. Finally, we brought everyone together under one roof. The creative effort continues to galvanize this band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for STYX — https:\/\/youtu.be\/i1gVIBKZ6cg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $29.50, $69.50 and $99.50.<\/p>\n

Back in the 1970s, there was a Monty Python album \u2013 \u201cThe Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief\u201d \u2013 that was designed to confuse listeners.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Isenordal<\/p><\/div>\n

The album\u2019s original vinyl LP edition was mastered with two concentric grooves on side two, so that different material would be played depending on where the\u00a0stylus\u00a0was put down on the record’s surface.<\/p>\n

One person could play the album for you and you\u2019d hear one thing and another friend could put the same album on the turntable and you\u2019d hear something entirely different.<\/p>\n

The Seattle band Isenordal can bring about similar scenarios for listeners.<\/p>\n

If your introduction to the music of Isenordal was the band\u2019s new album \u201cSpectral Escape,\u201d you\u2019d think of the act as a neo-folk band with a slightly creepy vibe.<\/p>\n

If your first taste of Isenordal was \u201cEternal Winter of the Mind,\u201d which is the band\u2019s track on the new split single with Void Omnia, you would think that the band was a black metal doom band ready to slowly level anything in its path.<\/p>\n

In reality, either scenario would be accurate.<\/p>\n

Isenordal, which is playing on July 1 at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com<\/a>), is a Seattle-based black funeral doom\/dark folk project that began in 2013 in the Cascadian region of northwestern United States.<\/p>\n

On June 1, Isenordal — Kerry Hall, Guitar, Vocals; Marisa Janke, Viola, Vocals; Sam Smallidge, Guitar; Brian Spenser, Drums; Jeff King, Bass; Lieu Wolfe, Piano, Organ — released \u201cSpectral Escape\u201d via Eternal Warfare Records. On June 10, the band released the \u201cEternal Winter of the Mind\u201d single.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album, which is neo-folk, in April,\u201d said Hall, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also did the song for the split single with Void Omnia at the same studio session. When we play live, we have basically two sets we can play \u2013 metal or neo-folk. We have a funeral doom full-length we recorded last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to cover our influences. We\u2019ve wanted to do a neo-folk record for a year or so. Our last record before this was the \u201cShores of Mourning\u201d in 2017.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a press release, \u201cProduced in 2016 as a testament to grief and an exploration of purgatory, in a time where the group itself was going through arduous lineup changes,\u00a0\u2018Shores of Mourning\u2019\u00a0is a monument to\u00a0Isenordal\u2019s camaraderie with members past and present — a study in loss.\u201d The album was described as a mixing Cascadian black metal influences with funeral doom, Viking metal, and neofolk.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll our influences are coming together,\u201d said Hall. \u201cIf we\u2019re headlining festivals this summer, we\u2019d like to do split sets in one show. Black metal, funeral doom and neo-folk all have their place. On this tour, we\u2019ve been playing just metal stuff. Last year, we did a neo-folk tour and it went over well.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur music isn\u2019t the evil-sounding band metal \u2013 but, it\u2019s depressive. It\u2019s reflective, depressive slow funeral doom metal. The main thing is the emotional weight of the music. Everybody in the band has things they struggle with every day. This music is very cathartic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Isenordal \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/BsQ8Hq3qobQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Kung Fu Necktie will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7.<\/p>\n

With so many varied events offered in Philadelphia\u2019s Independence Day celebrations this year, making choice can be difficult.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>If you\u2019re a fan of Broadway shows \u2013 or if you\u2019re just interest in getting exposed to live theater \u2013 there\u2019s an event you shouldn\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n

On July 2, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>), in association with Wawa Welcome America, is presenting Kimmel Center\u2019s Broadway on Independence.<\/p>\n

The free concert, which is now in its second year, will take place on July 2 on the mainstage during Philadelphia\u2019s Wawa Welcome America festival at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia\u2019s Historic District.<\/p>\n

During the 90-minute show, audiences will get a star-studded sneak peek at the Kimmel Center\u2019s 2018\/19 Broadway Philadelphia season, including Broadway stars singing selected songs. There will also be family-friendly Broadway trivia, games, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, this is a great opportunity to be in front of a huge audience to show what we have coming for our next season of Broadway shows,\u201d said Fran Egler, during a phone interview last week. \u201cOur next season has a good cross-section of shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Egler is the Kimmel Center\u2019s resident Tony-voter and curator of the Broadway season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great being on Independence Mall showing Broadway as an American art form \u2013 and also the connection with Wawa,\u201d said Egler. \u201cThis is a good program for our subscribers \u2013 and for thousands of people on Independence Mall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe concert will feature songs, an MC and special guests. There will be songs from shows we\u2019re featuring next season and shows that connect on a concert stage. This year, we have a lot of shows that are new like \u2018Anastasia\u2019 and \u2018Love Never Dies\u2019 and older shows like \u2018Fiddler on the Roof.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do free performances of different types each month at the Kimmel Center. This was a way to do a large production of Broadway that is free which is good especially for people who have never seen a Broadway musical. This is a celebration of America and Broadway is a major part of American entertainment. Broadway<\/p>\n

The 90-minute celebration of musical theater will feature cast members singing select performances from several of Broadway\u2019s hottest shows coming to Philadelphia, including\u00a0\u201cRoald Dahl\u2019s Charlie & The Chocolate Factory,\u201d \u201cDr. Seuss\u2019 How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical,\u201d \u201cAnastasia,\u201d \u201cCATS,\u201d \u201cBeautiful \u2013 The Carole King Musical,\u201d<\/p>\n

Students from the Kimmel Center\u2019s ShowStoppers after-school musical theater program will be on hand for special performances of \u201cHamiltunes,\u201d selections from \u201cHamilton.\u201d Dena Blizzard, New Jersey comedian and Off-Broadway star, will return to emcee this event. Additionally, Egler will share behind-the-scenes stories and insight about upcoming shows.<\/p>\n

The free concert will feature selected music from the following shows \u201cLove Never Dies,\u201d \u201cFiddler on the Roof,\u201d \u201cRoald Dahl\u2019s Charlie & The Chocolate Factory,\u201d \u201cDr. Seuss\u2019 How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical,\u201d \u201cRent,\u201d Dr. Seuss\u2019 How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical,\u201d \u201cMiss Saigon,\u201d \u201cAnastasia,\u201d \u201cCATS,\u201d and \u201cBeautiful \u2013 The Carole King Musical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Kimmel Center\u2019s Broadway on Independence — https:\/\/youtu.be\/7pyoo9nMLdI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The festive show will be held July 2 from 7-8:30 p.m. on Independence Mall, which is located at Fifth and Chestnut streets in Old City Philadelphia. This is a free event. Tickets are not required to attend.<\/p>\n

If you hurry, you can see one of the Kimmel Center\u2019s Broadway shows form this season.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Disney\u2019s\u00a0Aladdin<\/p><\/div>\n

Disney Theatrical Productions in conjunction with the Kimmel Center\u2019s Broadway Philadelphia is presenting the Philadelphia premiere of\u00a0\u201cDisney\u2019s\u00a0Aladdin\u201d\u00a0now through July 1 at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333,\u00a0www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The all-ages favorite, which offers adventure, comedy, and romance, features all of the cherished songs from the famous Academy Award-winning animated Disney film and the popular musical soundtrack.<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cDisney\u2019s Aladdin\u201d \u2014\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/2K-9vrwilEQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cDisney\u2019s Aladdin\u201d will run through July 1 at the Academy of Music. Tickets start at $20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Classic rock comes in many forms and attracts people with a variety of musical tastes. If you\u2019re a classic rock fan and you have a predilection for bands that rock hard and put out a 100 per cent effort every time they step onstage, then you need to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[11348,11349,7426,11347,8681,5839],"class_list":["post-40049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-aladdin","tag-broadway-on-the-mall","tag-featured","tag-isenordal","tag-joan-jett","tag-styx"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40049","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=40049"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40050,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40049\/revisions\/40050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}