{"id":42251,"date":"2019-02-23T09:03:45","date_gmt":"2019-02-23T14:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=42251"},"modified":"2019-02-23T09:03:51","modified_gmt":"2019-02-23T14:03:51","slug":"on-stage-one-degree-of-separation-from-beissel-to-musics-greats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=42251","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: One degree of separation from Beissel to music’s greats"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Danny Beissel<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cSix Degrees of Kevin Bacon\u201d is a parlor game based on the \u201csix degrees of separation\u201d concept, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you look at rock vocalist Danny Beissel\u2019s long and varied resume, you\u2019ll quickly notice that there is just \u201cone degree of separation\u201d between the Philadelphia rocker and many of rock music\u2019s all-time greats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beissel, who has spent the past decade performing with such musical stalwarts as Jeffrey \u201cSkunk\u201d Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers), Barry Goudreau (Formerly of Boston), James Burton (Elvis, Ricky Nelson) and more, is hosting the release of his debut album \u201cFeatherborn\u201d at the Centre Theater (208 DeKalb Street, Norristown, https:\/\/rotationrecords.ticketleap.com<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor \u2018Featherborn,\u2019 I used one bunch of musicians in the studio when I was making the album,\u201d said Beissel, during a phone interview Thursday afternoon from the theater in Norristown.\u00a0 \u201cFor my live shows, I just put guys together. I use different cats in different towns. Now in Philly, I\u2019m playing with all my friends from the area.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joining Beissel on stage for the Centre Theatre performance is Candlebox\u2019s Brian Quinn as well as Philadelphia musicians John McNutt (Guitar), Mike Czimback (Drums), Mike Vlaanderen (Bass) and Doug Depta (Keys).<\/span><\/p>\n

The first record from his new project \u201cFeatherborn,\u201d the album is described by Beissel as a \u201cthe culmination of [his] musical voyage\u201d after fronting such super-star bands as The American Vinyl All Star Band, which featured current and former members of Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, Boston, The Wailers and Fosterchild (with members of Candlebox, Tantric, and FUEL).<\/span><\/p>\n

The album was recorded at the iconic Blackbird Studio in Nashville with veteran engineer John McBride (Martina McBride, Stevie Nicks, Garth Brooks). It features two founding members of Train — Charlie Colin on guitar\/bass and vocals and Scott Underwood performing double duty as drummer and producer. <\/span><\/p>\n

What elevates \u201cFeatherborn\u201d to the level of an all-star project is the first-class special guest appearances by friends and former bandmates including Baxter, and Brian Quinn, who is Candlebox\u2019s lead guitarist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inspired by Elvis Presley at an early age, Beissel started his musical journey fronting The Elvis Experience, a band dedicated to preserving the Presley\u2019s integrity through music rather than theatrical stage performances<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cElvis got me into music,\u201d said Beissel, who grew up in Philly\u2019s Frankford section and graduated from Cardinal Dougherty High School. \u201cI didn\u2019t try to impersonate Elvis. Instead, I tried to capture the essence of Elvis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was always attracted to music and started playing guitar when I was young. I was also into acting and performed at Fringe Festival events. I studied method acting \u2013 the Meisner technique.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Meisner technique is an approach to acting which was developed by the American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner. The focus of the Meisner approach is for the actor to \u201cget out of their head,\u201d such that the actor is behaving instinctively to the surrounding environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the IMDb online database, Beissel\u2019s biography states, \u201cDanny Beissel is an actor and director, known for \u201cConspiracized\u201d (2003), \u201cBlush\u201d (2018) and \u201cSeptember 12th\u201d (2005).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beissel\u2019s foray into the world of films added more entries to his \u201cone degree of separation\u201d list. But, music all along has been his primary focus.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Elvis Experience started in 1995,\u201d said Beissel. \u201cI stopped it around 2001 after I had played Graceland. That\u2019s when I started writing my own music instead of just playing someone else\u2019s music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy first original band was The Daze and we only lasted for two shows. Around that time, I met Brian Quinn down on (Philly\u2019s) South Street. He and I started playing together. Then, we started writing together. Kevin Miller left Fuel and hit up Brian to join his new band Fosterchild.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fosterchild was formed in 2005 by drummer Kevin Miller and guitarist Brian Quinn soon after Miller\u2019s departure from Fuel and Quinn’s resignation from Octane. A few years later, the band\u2019s line-up was — Danny Beissel- Voice\/Guitar; Brian Quinn- Guitar\/Vocals; Mike Vlaanderen- Bass\/Vocals; and Bobby Pirylis Jr.- Drums\/Vocals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up for Beissel was the American Vinyl All Star Band. This band features celebrity members from some of the most popular groups in history ranging from the 1960s to the 2010s \u2013 Skunk Baxter, Barry Goudreau (Former member of the band Boston), Tim Archibald, Leroy Romans (The Wailers\/Third World), Robert \u201cMousey\u201d Thomson (James Brown).<\/span><\/p>\n

The all-star band has shared the stage with rock luminaries such as Steven Tyler, Robin Zander (CheapTrick), Rick Derringer (McCoys), James Montgomery, Cliff Williams (ACDC), Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats), Hugh McDonald (Bon Jovi), Ronnie Vannucci (The Killers). <\/span><\/p>\n

Major deposits were made here to Beisell\u2019s \u201cdegree of separation\u201d account.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2012, I went to see the American Vinyl All Star Band in Fort Myers, Florida,\u201d said Beissel. \u201cI joined them a week later in Utah. I was singing all their hits from all their bands.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Beissel is focusing on Featherborn and his new album of the same name.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Beissel, \u201cThis album is extremely personal to me as these are the songs I\u2019ve been waiting to record and the players I\u2019ve been waiting to record with. I can\u2019t wait to finally come back home to share my album with my friends and family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Danny Beissel \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/SNia3nTUew8<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cFeatherborn — Philly Record Release\u201d show, which is sponsored by Rotation Records, starts at 8 p.m. with doors at 7:30 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

A full digital download of the entire record, as well as a voucher for a copy of the limited release vinyl, is included with each ticket.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Flogging Molly<\/p><\/div>\n

If you made a musical concoction based on the Southern California skateboard\/punk rock scene combined with a feisty Celtic vibe\/traditional Irish music mentality, the result would be something very much like the band Flogging Molly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flogging Molly — Dave King \u2013 lead vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhr\u00e1n; Bridget Regan \u2013 violin, tin whistle, backing and lead vocals; Dennis Casey \u2013 guitar, vocals; Matt Hensley \u2013 accordion, concertina; Nathen Maxwell \u2013 bass guitar, vocals; Mike Alonso \u2013 drums, percussion — is currently touring the states in\u00a0support of its most recent album\u00a0\u2013 \u201cLife Is Good,\u201d which was recorded in Ireland just like their career-defining album, \u201cFloat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The tour touches down locally on February 23 at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, <\/span>www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/a><\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Founded in Los Angeles in 1997, Flogging Molly has always defied categorization. The infectious originality and the urgency of their songs is a badge of honor and key to the band\u2019s creativity. They infuse punk rock with Celtic instruments\u2014violin, mandolin and the accordion\u2014and they merge blues progressions with grinding guitars and traditional Irish music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to forming Flogging Molly, Dublin-born Dave King was the lead singer for heavy metal band Fastway featuring guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke of Mot\u00f6rhead and bassist Pete Way of UFO in the early to mid 1980s. He later fronted a hard rock band called Katmandu (1991), featuring Mandy Meyer of Krokus on guitars.<\/span><\/p>\n

Afterwards, King retained a record deal with Epic records and began to work on a solo album. King reconsidered his record deal when the label opposed his idea of bringing in traditional Irish instruments. King negotiated out of his record deal to go his own way musically.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

In 1993, King met guitarist Ted Hutt, bassist Jeff Peters, drummer Paul Crowder and violinist Bridget Regan and put together a rock band with a Celtic feel. They began to play a mix of Irish traditional and rock. Putting King\u2019s poetic lyrics to rocking melodies, they played at a Los Angeles pub called Molly Malone’s weekly and built a loyal following.<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, they wrote songs such as \u201cBlack Friday Rule\u201d and \u201cSelfish Man,\u201d which was the beginning of Flogging Molly\u2019s sound. Hutt and Peters then left Flogging Molly, so King and Regan began to find new members and the current band was formed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been with Flogging Molly since 1996,\u201d said Hensley, during a recent trans-Atlantic phone interview from a snowy tour stop in Oslo, Norway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI met Dave at Molly Malone\u2019s. That\u2019s the club where most of us met him. I had gone to see a band called Those Darn Accordions \u2013 an all accordion band \u2013 and then went to Molly Malone\u2019s to have a few pints.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend told Dave that I was an accordion player. We started talking and he gave me a cassette tape. Eight days later, I went to a rehearsal in L.A. and he said \u2013 you\u2019re in the band.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI also play with lots of acts such as NOFX and Rancid. And, I have a side project \u2013 Brogue Wave \u2013 that plays traditional Irish music bands. There is also Spy Kids, an old ska band.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always playing with friends, but Flogging Molly is always the main thing. We\u2019re on the road about eight months a year. This run is one month and then we\u2019re home for seven days before going on a full U.S. tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the early years, we all lived in L.A. Now, I\u2019m the only person in California anymore. Dave and Bridget live in Ireland and Detroit, which is where Bridget\u2019s parents live.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Flogging Molly\u2019s most recent album \u201cLife Is Good\u201d was released last June on Vanguard Records. It is the band\u2019s sixth studio album and the follow-up release to 2011\u2019s \u201cSpeed of Darkness,\u201d which reached Number 9 on Billboard\u2019s Top 200.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent a lot of time working on the new album,\u201d said Hensley. \u201cWe did a little in L.A., but most was done in Ireland. We recorded it at a studio called Grouse Lodge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Grouse Lodge is a recording studio near Rosemount, County Westmeath, Ireland. Designed by Andy Munro, it has two studios and living quarters in nine stone outhouses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe also made our \u2018Float\u2019 album at that studio,\u201d said Hensley. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice secluded studio where you find yourself hanging with dogs and farm animals. Recording in Ireland helps the vibe of our music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to King, \u201cWe\u2019re not a traditional band. We are influenced by traditional music and inspired by it. But, without question, we put our own twist on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Flogging Molly \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/rtS_qb_9Ln4<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Fillmore Philadelphia, which has Lucero as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another show this weekend at the Fillmore will be Anderson.Paak & The Free Nationals on February 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mary Fahl<\/p><\/div>\n

Mary Fahl performs concerts around the world and, every once in a while, gets to perform in \u201cher own backyard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Based in Bucks County, the versatile singer with the haunting voice can almost call Philly home but a show at the Sellersville Theater hits much closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

On February 23, Fahl will be playing a show just a short ride from her home \u2013a gig at the New Hope Winery (6123 Lower York Road, New Hope, 215-794-2331,newhopewinery.com<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t do a lot of shows in the winter,\u201d said Fahl, during a recent phone interview from her home in Upper Bucks County. \u201cI don\u2019t want to push my luck with the weather. I\u2019m doing New York this week and then New Hope. I love the New Hope Winery shows. It\u2019s fun and it\u2019s close to home \u2013 about a half-hour away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fahl is a singer, a guitarist and a songwriter. More than anything, Fahl is a performer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPerforming is my primary form of self-expression,\u201d said Fahl. \u201cWhen I do a show, I want to take you on a complete journey. I want to transform you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fahl has been delivering transformative shows for years. Once you\u2019ve heard Fahl sing, from that point on when you hear a song by Fahl, you immediately know who is singing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working on a new record,\u201d said Fahl. \u201cIt\u2019s a folky, ambient classical record. It has a lot of ambient guitar, cello and a little me on guitar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to the release of her next album, Fahl just put out an EP titled \u201cFour Songs.\u201d This limited-edition, signed and personalized EP is a fundraiser to help Fahl complete the full album. Each purchase enters the buyer into a drawing to receive a free copy of the fully-produced album.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cFour Songs\u201d EP is a collection of Italian arias beautifully produced by John Lissauer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in the middle of finishing up the classical album,\u201d said Fahl. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful. I\u2019m dead in the middle. I got a lot of the vocals done. I\u2019m immersed in the most beautiful music in the world \u2013 really exquisite melodies. The French part is very tricky.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working with John Lissauer, who is a composer and producer. He wrote the melody for Leonard Cohen\u2019s \u2018Hallelujah.\u2019 For this album, I wrote a lot with John Laswell. It\u2019s sort of a classical folk album. And, it\u2019s still me singing the way I do. The songs are in soprano, so I had to lower my key.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a stuffy classical record. I\u2019m less conscious about things like holding the note the right length or technique. I don\u2019t have the ability to abide by stringent operatic technique. It\u2019s a really fun project. It is music that feeds the soul.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of Fahl\u2019s fans have been with her ever since her time with October Project which lasted from 1991-1996.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOctober Project had a large body of work and I still perform some of those songs in my live show,\u201d said Fahl. \u201cIf I don\u2019t do some of those songs, fans get upset. I also like doing interesting covers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fahl has written and performed songs for several major motion pictures, including the lead song (\u201cGoing Home\u201d) for the Civil War epic \u201cGods and Generals.\u201d Her music can also be found on the original soundtrack of the 2003 movie \u201cThe Guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2011, Fahl recorded her own version of one of rock\u2019s all-time classics \u2014 Pink Floyd\u2019s \u201cDark Side of the Moon.\u201d Fahl re-interpreted the songs on an album she titled \u201cFrom the Dark Side of the Moon.<\/span><\/p>\n

For many artists, the task of re-inventing songs from an album as iconic as \u201cDark Side of the Moon\u201d could have been too much of a challenge. Not so for Fahl who crafted a disc that honored its roots but established an identity all its own.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter making the Sony classical album (\u201cClassics for a New Century\u201d), I wanted to do something that was fun,\u201d said Fahl. \u201cAn independent filmmaker I knew wanted to use me in a performance piece. I wanted to do something that I didn\u2019t have the ability to write.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when I decided to do the \u2018Dark Side\u2019 recording. It\u2019s like a classical piece of music. I did not intend to make a cover record. It\u2019s my version and it doesn\u2019t sound at all like Pink Floyd\u2019s version. But, a lot of die-hard Pink Floyd fans have responded well. They like the album \u2014 and my live versions of the songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fahl is a singer, a guitarist and a songwriter. More than anything, Fahl is a performer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPerforming is my primary form of self-expression,\u201d said Fahl. \u201cWhen I do a show, I want to take you on a complete journey. I want to transform you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Mary Fahl — https:\/\/youtu.be\/ISjBz_DIbKI<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the New Hope Winery will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 and $45.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Liz Cooper<\/p><\/div>\n

A few years ago, Liz Cooper decided to change her taste in clubs. She put her golf clubs away and switcher her focus to music clubs.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2014, she former her band Liz Cooper & the Stampede and embarked on a career in music.<\/span><\/p>\n

In June 2014, she and her band released their debut EP titled \u201cMonsters.\u201d Last August, the trio \u2013 guitarist\/vocalist Cooper, bassist Grant Prettyman and drummer Ryan Usher\u2013 released its debut album \u201cWindow Flowers\u201d on Sleepyhead Records in conjunction with Thirty Tigers.<\/span><\/p>\n

On February 23, Liz Cooper & the Stampede will bring the album support tour to this area for a show at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, <\/span>www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/a><\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Cooper grew up in Baltimore and then attended Towson University on a full athletic scholarship for golf. After her freshman year, she stopped playing golf and left school to pursue a musician\u2019s path in Nashville.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t love what I was doing when I was at Towson,\u201d said Cooper, during a recent phone interview. \u201cGolf was fun but I was more passionate about music. I just love music so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI worked for a year to save enough money to move to Nashville. I worked on a maintenance crew at a golf club. Then, I got enough moneyy to make the move. I thought about Los Angeles and New York, but L.A. was too far and New York was too big.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNashville was a very unfamiliar place for me. But, when I got there, I wasn\u2019t overwhelmed completely. It has a good rock scene. Rock, alt-country, Americana \u2013 they all intertwine. Everybody collaborates with each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first gig as Liz Cooper & the Stampede was in 2014. It was all me. When I started playing, I was playing with a bunch of different people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cooper\u2019s music is rock with a lot of added flavors.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Cooper, \u201cDream-folk psychedelic rock is what we\u2019ve heard on the streets and we dig what the people think. I suppose the blending of my unique vocal texture with my no rules, what-the-hell-am-I-doing picking and playing style from acoustic to electric guitar is the dream folk. The psychedelic is the way Grant Prettyman makes his very rare, very sexy Red Lobster red bass sometimes sound like a scary monster that lives in your basement, or a beautiful melody that makes you want to cry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd our rock? Ryan Usher. He\u2019s always creatively thinking outside the box, always bringing the vibe, and is always there to reel us back in from a jam we\u2019ve lost ourselves in. All together we like to sing sweet, sweet harmonies. We live to be wild, we love getting weird, and we always have fun — pure bliss.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After a few years, Liz Cooper & the Stampede finally dropped its debut album \u201cWindow Flowers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe made the album in 2016 in Nashville\u2019s Welcome to 1979 studio,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cIt came out in August which is just the right timing. It took a long time to finally get it finished. We went to Atlanta to finish it up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to the studio, we were just playing and learning. We just toured and toured \u2013 toured the songs on the album. I had a lot of these songs for a long time. I just get a vibe of what I want the flow to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m writing, there is no rhyme or reason. I\u2019m open to all of it. Now, I have an easier time of coming up with the melody first. Writing is never easy. One key is getting to where there are no distractions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our live set now, we\u2019re playing as many songs from the new album as we can. There is this challenge to do something creative every day \u2013 even if it\u2019s just meeting new people. Being creative has become a natural habit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Liz Cooper & The Stampede \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/K_mTsrvdpSI<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle, which has Harpooner and Ian Ferguson as opening acts, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Boot and Saddle are Crying in Public on February 24 and Twen on February 27.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

James McMurtry<\/p><\/div>\n

James McMurtry, who will headline a show on February 24 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0<\/span>www.st94.com<\/a><\/span>), spends many days and weeks each year moving \u2013 moving from town to town to perform his music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Right now, he\u2019s doing a different kind of moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had to move out of Austin after living here for 18 years,\u201d said McMurtry, during a phone interview Friday from a tour stop in the Washington, D.C. area.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey tore down the building. The owners decided to sell because the ground underneath the building is with a half-million dollars. I\u2019m moving to Lockhart, which is 30 miles south of Austin. I just hauled the last load.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I got a new house with an empty room where I can breathe. I wrote the last couple records in iPhone and didn\u2019t need a space. I like Apple products because they work with each other.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McMurtry\u2019s new single, \u201cState of the Union,\u201d is now available as a free download via his website — www.jamesmcmurtry.com<\/a>. The singular songwriter\u2019s razor-sharp sociopolitical commentary surely will turn heads.<\/span><\/p>\n

The song hits hard right from the opening lines — \u201cMy brother\u2019s a fascist, lives in Palacios, fishes the pier every night. He holsters his Glock in a double retention. He smokes while he waits for a bite. He don\u2019t like the Muslims. He don\u2019t like the Jews. He don\u2019t like the Blacks and he don\u2019t trust the news. He hates the Hispanics and alternative views. He\u2019ll tell you it\u2019s tough to be white.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to McMurtry, \u201cEvery region of the United States seems to have its own way of Anglicizing, or rather, Americanizing Spanish names. There\u2019s a town called Palacios on the Texas coast. Texans pronounce it \u2018Palashuss,\u2019 which just happens to kinda rhyme with \u2018fascist.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile there\u2019s usually at least one in every town, I don\u2019t know for a fact that there\u2019s even one actual fascist residing in or near the town of Palacios, Texas. This song, like most of my songs, is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of any of my characters to actual persons, living or deceased, is just plain lucky.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s a case of \u2013 \u201cIf the shoe fits, wear it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing in the song that I haven\u2019t heard said,\u201d said McMurtry. \u201cIt\u2019s just what\u2019s out there. I wrote it probably a year ago. My friend Chris Fullerton has a home studio. We brought Warren Hood in to play fiddle and a bunch of us sang.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cchoir\u201d on the single included Jenni Finlay, Brian T. Atkinson, Hood, Fullerton and McMurtry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember what the catalyst for the song was,\u201d said McMurtry. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing strictly autobiographical. It\u2019s a mixture of a lot of people \u2013 some of whom are my relatives.\u201d
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

McMurtry\u2019s most recent album is 2015\u2019s \u201cComplicated Game,\u201d which was released in 2105. \u201cComplicated Game\u201d is McMurtry\u2019s latest collection of narratives and another display of his astute writing. It covers personal and political topics delivered in McMurtry\u2019s inimitable style.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI try to avoid writing like the plague,\u201d said McMurtry. \u201cI don\u2019t really start with a topic. Usually, I get two lines and a melody together. It\u2019s — O.K., who said that? When I find a character, I start to build the story. Once I find the character, I step into his shoes. The biggest thing is to not break character.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the songs on \u2018Complicated Game,\u2019 some are old and some are new. \u2018You Got to Me\u2019 started 20 years ago while \u2018Ain\u2019t Got a Place\u2019 took 15 minutes. For my set list, I play whatever works. Some songs work and some don\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McMurtry will making this tour without his band.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a solo tour. I can\u2019t fly a band anymore — except for festivals where they provide the gear. And, we\u2019ve run out of routing gigs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just signed a deal with New West Records. Hopefully, we can have a record out by summer \u2013 by the end of June. I have one or two new songs written. That\u2019s the only new material I\u2019ve been doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Larry McMurtry — https:\/\/youtu.be\/DFEtebvenJ4<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville Theater, which has Bonnie Whitmore as the opener, will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22.50 and $39.50.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Corey Smith on February 25, Gaelic Storm on February 26 and The Fitzgeralds: Fiddle & Step Dance on February 27.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Columbia Icefield is an imposing behemoth, the largest icefield in the Rocky Mountains, a glacial structure that feeds into the Columbia River, and, eventually, into the Pacific Ocean. It\u2019s alien, unapproachable, and yet, somehow, a striking metaphor for man\u2019s relationship to nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nate Wooley<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cColumbia Icefield\u201d is also the name of Nate Wooley\u2019s new group and the title of the quartet\u2019s new album which was released on February 22 on Northern Spy Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had been working on a lot of music for bands that already existed, and I was getting a little bored,\u201d said Wooley, during a phone interview from his home in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wooley had just returned that morning from a tour in northern Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m home finally,\u201d said Wooley. \u201cI did a Scandinavian tour for a week with shows in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Then, the snowstorm on Wednesday here caused my flight from Toronto to New York to be cancelled. But, now I\u2019m finally home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEuropean audiences are more open to my music. There is a larger audience there that has heard my music before. They\u2019ve heard more of it that people here in the states.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway, I was getting bored before I made this last album and friends took me to Columbia Icefield. When I was there, I just started to get ideas to write new music. By the time I got back, I knew who I wanted in the band.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wooley\u2019s choices for the new band were Mary Halvorson on guitar, Susan Alcorn on pedal steel, and Ryan Sawyer on drums.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got back from the Icefield and put the band together,\u201d said Wooley. \u201cMary and Ryan live here in Brooklyn and Susan lives in Baltimore. We recorded \u2018Columbia Icefield\u2019 around this time last year. The compositions were inspired a lot by the icefield and some of it came from music I had already been working on<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaking the album was an interesting thing. We hadn\u2019t played any gigs. We rehearsed one day and then recorded the album. There was a lot that was written before we went in the studio and that was new for me. Usually, it\u2019s 50 per cent improvisation \u2013 or more.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe there is 30 per cent of this new music that\u2019s improvised. The strength of the record is that you can\u2019t when the improvisation starts or stops. It\u2019s very fluid. The music is tension and release over something static.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On \u201cColumbia Icefield,\u201d the veteran trumpeter attempts to deal with his relation to the Icefield and, more generally, humanity in the face of the unapproachable. But this alien entity is laced with contradiction and imposes itself onto Wooley\u2019s music in a magnificent way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wooley grew up in Oregon near the mouth of the mighty Columbia River, which flows more than 1,200 miles from the Canadian Rockies through Washington and into the Pacific. He saw the Columbia empty into the ocean nearly every day of his youth.<\/span><\/p>\n

With his new music, he traces it back northeast to the massive geographic feature of the same name — the place where snowmelt and glacial collapse gives rise to the river. The quartet\u2019s evocative songs — which move from confident rhythmic strut to near-pastoral drone, from drifting reverie to ghostly dissonance — convey a fitting sense of topography, of watching a landscape rise in plain sight.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Wooley, \u201cThis record really came down to trying to build structures that have a feeling of being really large and slightly disturbing, but also, natural. It\u2019s earthbound. It comes from a natural place. It\u2019s not an attack on our senses. We understand it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pacific Northwest and its link to nature is part of Wooley\u2019s DNA.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Oregon where the Columbia meets the Pacific,\u201d said Wooley. \u201cMy dad was a big band sax player. I started playing with him early on and he always found music for me to listen to.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started off on piano, but trumpet has always been my main instrument. I moved to Denver in 1997 and then to New York in 2001. I went to Lamont School of Music when I was in Denver. I was also there to hang out with (legendary trumpeter) Ron Miles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy early influences were mostly swing \u2013 Charlie Shavers and Dizzy Gillespie. By middle school and high school, it was all Miles (Davis) and then Ron Miles took over.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Wooley is bringing his new band to Philly as part of Ars Nova Workshops.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cArs Nova has been great for years,\u201d said Wooley. \u201cThey provide a mainstage for free jazz and experimental music. It\u2019s hard to find a place to see this music on a higher level.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Columbia Icefield\u2019 is released on February 22. We\u2019re on the road for three nights and then we\u2019ll have a CD release show Monday in Brooklyn. We\u2019re going to play it just as it came out on the record.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Nate Wooley \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/9WtsJoenWvM?list=RD9WtsJoenWvM<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Ruba Club will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff,\u00a0Entertainment Editor, The Times \u201cSix Degrees of Kevin Bacon\u201d is a parlor game based on the \u201csix degrees of separation\u201d concept, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. If you look at rock vocalist Danny Beissel\u2019s long and varied resume, you\u2019ll quickly notice that there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[11964,7426,11965,9628,11966,11967],"class_list":["post-42251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-danny-beissel","tag-featured","tag-flogging-molly","tag-james-mcmurtry","tag-liz-cooper","tag-nate-wooley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42251","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=42251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42252,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42251\/revisions\/42252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}