{"id":42707,"date":"2019-04-25T08:47:37","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T12:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=42707"},"modified":"2019-04-25T08:47:50","modified_gmt":"2019-04-25T12:47:50","slug":"on-stage-roger-mcguinn-remains-a-major-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=42707","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Roger McGuinn remains a major influence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\"><strong>By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, <\/span><em><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9417\" style=\"width: 306px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/mcguinn-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9417\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/mcguinn-1-296x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"296\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9417\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Roger McGuinn<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">If you attend Roger McGuinn\u2019s show at the Colonial Theatre (Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610- 917-1228, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thecolonialtheatre.com\/\">www.thecolonialtheatre.com<\/a>) on April 25, you\u2019ll be treated to a great musical performance and a lesson in rock-and-roll history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">A concert performance by Roger McGuinn is more than just a music concert. It is a history lesson in the evolutionary development of rock music in America. McGuinn has had a major influence on rock music over the last four decades.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cIt\u2019s like a one-man play,\u201d said McGuinn, during a recent phone interview from his home in Orlando, Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI do the hits and I play some new stuff. What I change is the stories around the old songs. I do the same thing with the songs from \u2018Sweet Memories.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">McGuinn has released several albums in the last 15 years including \u201cLimited Edition\u201d in 2004, \u201cFolk Den Project\u201d in 2005, \u201cCCD\u201d in 2011, \u201cStories, Songs &amp; Friends\u201d in 2014 and his brand-new album \u201cSweet Memories.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI do around 50 gigs each year,\u201d said McGuinn. \u201cI\u2019m careful about the venues I play. I prefer theaters. Outdoor venues fizzle in that you can\u2019t control the sound.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of good memories and I like to share them. In my live shows, I do different stories at different times \u2014 things like how the Byrds got formed or what it was like playing with Dylan and Tom Petty.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">McGuinn has a lot of songs from which to draw for his live shows but some choices are predictable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cObviously, I do a lot of Byrds\u2019 songs,\u201d said McGuinn, whose\u00a0jingly-jangly playing style on Rickenbacker guitars influenced an amazing number of musicians (including R.E.M., the Kennedys and Sloan).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cThere are songs than fans always want to hear such as \u2018Mr. Tambourine Man,\u2019 \u2018Turn, Turn, Turn,\u2019 \u2018Eight Miles High,\u2019 \u2018So You Want To Be A Rock\u2019N\u2019Roll Star,\u2019 \u2018Feel A Whole Lot Better\u2019 and \u2018My Back Pages.\u2019 It\u2019s a loose set so I can change things in the middle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">McGuinn revisited a special time in the Byrds\u2019 history last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cLast year, I toured with Marty Stuart,\u201d said McGuinn. \u201cWe did the 50th anniversary of the Byrds\u2019 \u2018Sweetheart of the Rodeo\u2019 album. SONY still owns all those recorings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cOn my new album, I have re-recorded \u2018Mr. Tambourine Man,\u2019 \u2018Turn, Turn, Turn,\u2019 and \u2018So You Want to Be A Rock\u2019N\u2019Roll Star.\u2019 I play them as close as I can to the originals. And, I recorded a sequel to \u2018Chestnut Mare.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cThey were all done in my studio using ProTools. I play everything. It was fun to re-record them and get all the harmonies down. I cut some recently-written songs and some that have been 20 years in the making. \u2018At the Edge of the Water\u2019 was written as an ocean voyage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">As a founding member of the Byrds, McGuinn was part of a band that could be considered \u201cearly birds.\u201d The Byrds were a rock band based in Los Angeles. They are universally regarded as one of the most influential rock bands ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The Byrds led the way for the folk-rock movement with hit covers of songs by folk legends such as Bob Dylan (\u201cMr. Tambourine Man\u201d) and Pete Seeger (\u201cTurn, Turn, Turn\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">They were one of the first groups to make psychedelic rock and, along with the Beatles, pioneered raga rock with songs such as \u201cEight Miles High\u201d and \u201cWhy\u201d &#8212; compositions that spanned both genres.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">In 1967, their song \u201cGoing Back\u201d featured the use of a pedal steel guitar and that paved the way for their next album \u201cSweethearts of the Rodeo.\u201d That album featured a variety of genres (rock, folk rock, jazz, bluegrass) and laid the groundwork for the soon-to-happen country rock movement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">After numerous lineup changes, the Byrds eventually disbanded in the 1970 leaving behind a legacy of trailblazing efforts and great music. Since then, McGuinn has continued on with a solo career. In the late 1980s, he toured with Dylan as the opening act.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI was inspired by Pete Seeger when I was a kid and he\u2019s been my inspiration ever since,\u201d said McGuinn. \u201cFor my live shows, it\u2019s just me and my instruments \u2014 just like Pete Seeger. I play a seven-string guitar that was custom-made by Martin, a five-string banjo, and a 12-string Rickenbacker \u2013 a signature model from the \u201980s.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The Rickenbacker guitar became part of McGuinn\u2019s signature sound almost 50 years and still figures prominently in his songs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cRickenbacker did a signature 12-string for me in 1989,\u201d said McGuinn. \u201cIt was a limited edition of 1,000. It was very much like they did with Pete Seeger.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI\u2019m still writing. I\u2019ve got some new songs so the next thing will be to go into the studio. Writing is the same as always. You have to sit and work on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">McGuinn, who will turn 77 in July, knows the key to staying young is to stay busy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI play my guitar an hour a day,\u201d said McGuinn, referring to his regimen for staying young and healthy. \u201cAnd, I walk every day. Performing live shows also helps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cIt\u2019s nice because I\u2019m seeing a new crop of fans \u2014 fans in their late teens and early 20s. They figured it out somehow. I get a lot of 17-year-olds telling me how much they love the early Byrds\u2019 albums.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cBut the demographics are definitely changing. I used to have people asking for my autograph for themselves. Later, they were asking for autographs for their fathers. Now, they\u2019re asking me to write an autograph for their grandfathers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Video link for Roger McGuinn &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/1ez7VFDwfhU\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/1ez7VFDwfhU<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The show at the Colonial Theatre will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $29.50-$52.50.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9418\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/squirrel-nut-zippers.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9418\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9418\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/squirrel-nut-zippers-350x262.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9418\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Squirrel Nut Zippers<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">A few years ago, Jimbo Mathus, the founder of the band Squirrel Nut Zippers, visited the area for a solo show at XO Lounge. Mathus had been on his own for the last 15 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Now, the Squirrel Nut Zippers have come back to life and will headline a show on April 25 at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ardmoremusic.com\/\">www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cThe Zippers broke up in 2000,\u201d said Mathus, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Rockport, Massachusetts. \u201cIt was a good challenge for me after that &#8212; a challenge to regroup and re-invest in what I\u2019m all about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">At the time, Mathus had just released \u201cBlue Healer\u201d on Fat Possum Records. It was his 12th solo album.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cRecently, I was approached and asked about doing a reunion tour for the 20th anniversary of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. I really didn\u2019t know how to feel about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cThen, I thought \u2013 I know so many great musicians in New Orleans. I thought I could put together a great band. I cherry-picked the best people I thought could make the greatest Squirrel Nut Zippers of all time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Mathus got the players and started to play live dates as Squirrel Nut Zippers. The led to a new SNZ album \u2013 \u201cBeasts of Burgundy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cBeasts of Burgundy\u201d was released in March 2018 via the band\u2019s own label &#8212; Southern Broadcasting. Performers on the album include Mathus (guitar, vocals), Dr. Sick (fiddle, banjo, various instruments, vocals), Cella Blue (vocals), Vanessa Niemann (vocals), Tamar A. Korn (vocals), Dave Boswell (trumpet), Kevin Louis (trumpet), Aurora Nealand (clarinet), Charlie Halloran (trombone), Colin Myers (trombone), Henry Westmoreland (tenor and baritone saxophone), Kris Tokarski (piano), Leslie P. Martin (piano), Tamara Nicolai (upright bass), Neilson Bernard III (drums) and Chris Phillips (percussion).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cWe were on the road a lot \u2013 playing a lot of shows \u2013 so we didn\u2019t have a lot of time to go into the studio,\u201d said Mathis. \u201cWe just grabbed days here and there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI scraped some money together and we got in the studio whenever we could. It was a lot of fun. Dr. Sick is a great historian. He\u2019s also a great musician and a great partner in the band. The record was finished last year \u2013 July 2017. I wrote the whole thing. The songs came really fast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cThere\u2019s a book called \u2018The World That Made New Orleans\u2019 by Ned Sublette. I got a lot of story ideas from that. The history of New Orleans is intriguing to me \u2013 thinking about the old entertainers that are now almost extinct. It\u2019s a lost art form \u2013 the New Orleans hot jazz, cabaret, vaudeville era.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cWhen people come out to our shows, they\u2019re getting some of that lost art. There are 12 of us. It\u2019s not only great musicians, it\u2019s costumes, dance and theater. People see our show and they\u2019re overjoyed. They come away elated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Video link for Squirrel Nut Zippers &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zeC5yr--CdQ\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/zeC5yr&#8211;CdQ<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The show at the Ardmore Music Hall, which has Mighty Joe Castro &amp; The Gravamen as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Other upcoming shows at the Ardmore Music Hall are Philly Bloco on April 26, Tommy Conwell &amp; the Young Rumblers with Dynagroove on April 27, The Rock Collection: Melvin Seals, Greg Anton, Stu Allen, Dan Lebowitz, JP McLean, &amp; Stephanie Salva on April 28 and Son Volt on May 1.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">More vintage American music will be on tap on April 25 when Locks at Sona (<\/span><span lang=\"EN-GB\">4417 Main Street, Manayunk, 484- 273-0481, <\/span><span lang=\"EN-GB\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sonapub.com\/\">sonapub.com<\/a>) hosts a bluegrass twin-bill featuring the Jon Stickley Trio and Front Country.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9419\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jon-stickley-trio.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9419\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9419\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jon-stickley-trio-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9419\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Jon Stickley Trio<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The Jon Stickley Trio is a progressive ensemble from Asheville, North Carolina &#8212; a genre-defying and cinematic instrumental trio featuring deep grooves, innovative flatpicking, and sultry-spacy violin. The band is rooted in the traditions of bluegrass but performs Gypsy jazz and folk-punk as well. Jon Stickley plays flat-pick guitar, Lyndsay Pruett plays violin and Hunter Deacon plays drums.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Stickley is known as a creative acoustic guitarist who uses the instrument in both traditional and non-traditional ways. Pruett is described as a fiddler capable of producing flowing solos with her own distinctive flourishes. Deacon is a classically-trained and jazz-influenced modern drummer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cWe\u2019re all instrumental\u201d said Stickley, during a phone interview last week. \u201cWe do plug in. We also use handful of effects including a bass simulator.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cBefore putting this trio together, I was in a bunch of other bands. Usually, I was playing acoustic bass.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">With inspiration ranging from Green Day to Duran Duran to Tony Rice to Nirvana, Grateful Dead, David Grisman and beyond, the Jon Stickley Trio is catching listeners\u2019 attention with its unique sound. Along with releasing several full-length albums and one EP in the past few years, the Trio has toured incessantly over the last few years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cWith this trio, we\u2019re doing experimental progressive bluegrass with elements of jazz, rock and classical,\u201d said Stickley. \u201cOur roots are in bluegrass but we\u2019ve gone in a different direction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cWe play mostly originals. We also take classic bluegrass tunes and re-arrange them in our style. And, we also play some newgrass covers of artists like David Grisman and Bela Fleck. We\u2019re now n a club tour but we also do a lot of festivals \u2013 bluegrass, jam grass and Americana.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The band\u2019s most recent album is \u201cMaybe Believe,\u201d which was released in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cWe made four albums so far,\u201d said Stickley. \u201cWe just signed with Organic Records. We\u2019re going into the studio next week in Asheville to start working on our next album. Right now, we have six tracks that we\u2019ve already road-tested.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Video link for Jon Stickley Trio \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/_suxtehT7JQ\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/_suxtehT7JQ<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9420\" style=\"width: 311px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/front-coutry-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9420\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9420\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/front-coutry-2-301x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"301\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9420\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Front Country<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Front Country also is signed with Organic Records. In April 2017, Front Country released its second full-length album \u201cOther Love Songs\u201d on Organic Records and the album debuted at Number 2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums Charts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Front Country is an American folk pop and progressive bluegrass band founded in 2011 in San Francisco, California. The band consists of lead vocalist and songwriter Melody Walker, mandolinist Adam Roszkiewicz, lead guitarist Jacob Groopman, violinist Leif Karlstrom and bassist Jeremy Darrow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The band was initially formed as a bluegrass ensemble at a monthly jam at the Atlas Cafe in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District. In 2013, the group moved on to play a monthly residency Amnesia, a bar in the Mission District.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cA lot of us had known each other for a while in the Bay Area music scene,\u201d said Groopman, during a phone interview last week from Nashville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cWe started playing together and it sounded good. We won first place in the RockyGrass Festival Band Competition in 2012.\u201dw<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Although Front Country has a foundation in traditional music, the band is creating its own path and sound, which they refer to as \u201croots pop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">An acoustic band born in the land of tech innovation, Front Country was never going to be accepted as an authentic American roots band out of the gate. Cutting their teeth in progressive bluegrass jams in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District and rehearsing in the East Bay, the band members learned to play roots music their own way &#8212; with the tools they had on hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The ensemble included a mandolinist with a degree in composition and classical guitar, a guitarist trained in rock and world music, a bassist equally versed in jazz and bluegrass, a violinist with technique that could seamlessly hop between honky-tonk and electropop, and a female lead singer with grit and soul that was also a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. In a wood-paneled country dive bar in the shadow of the San Francisco skyline, Front Country forged a sound that was focused on merging the musical past with the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cAt the start, we pretty much a straight-up bluegrass band,\u201d said Groopman. \u201cFrom the beginning, we\u2019ve been trying to push the boundaries. Nobody in the band grew up playing bluegrass. I played rock-and-roll and jazz. Melody was doing world and folk. Leif was a classical musician. We all had these very diverse influences. So, we started opening up our sound to these influences.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Although Front Country has a foundation in traditional music, the band is creating its own path and sound, which it refers to as \u201croots pop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cOur first album \u2013 \u2018Sake of the Sound\u2019 \u2013 was pretty much straight bluegrass,\u201d said Groopman. \u201cWith \u2018Other Love Songs,\u2019 we still recorded it as an acoustic band &#8212; no big production \u2013 but we started working more of a pop\/rock sound.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cAt a lot of places in San Francisco, we built an older fanbase that likes bluegrass music. But we also have a younger audience that likes the rock aspect. The Bay Area is always a great place for diverse music.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cThe \u2018Other Love Songs\u2019 album was recorded in 2016 and came out in 2017. We\u2019re starting now to work on our next album. We\u2019ve recoded five tracks so far. We\u2019re talking our time \u2013 writing new songs and road-testing them. We hope to finish the album this summer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Video link for Front Country &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-ISna1OB54c\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/-ISna1OB54c<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The show at Locks at Sona will start at 8 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Other upcoming shows at Locks at Sona are Jesse Terry and Craig and Aislinn Bickhardt on April 26 and Peter Bradley Adams on April 27.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9421\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/uli-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9421\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9421\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/uli-2-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9421\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Uli Jon Roth<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">If you\u2019re looking for music with a harder edge for your live entertainment on Thursday night, then check out Uli Jon Roth\u2019s \u201cTriple Anniversary World Tour,\u201d which touches down at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.st94.com\/\">www.st94.com<\/a>) on April 25.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Roth explained the \u201ctriple anniversary\u201d during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Ottawa, Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cIt\u2019s two 40th anniversaries \u2013 the release of \u2018Tokyo Tapes\u2019 and the start of Electric Sun \u2013 and the 50th anniversary of my first time on stage in 1968,\u201d said Roth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cThe show is a cross-section of my performing and music career. In 1968 and 1969, I was in a band with friends in school in Hannover. We played dance songs and a lot of R&amp;B. And, some Queen and Hendrix songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Roth is one of the best \u2013 and most famous \u2013rock musicians to come out of Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI was born in Duesseldorf and grew up in Germany,\u201d said Roth. \u201cIn 1980, I moved to the U.K. I still live in the U.K. \u2013 in Wales.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Roth, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players ever, played his first ever show in December 1968 &#8212; at the age of 13.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u00a0&#8211; and to celebrate his upcoming 50th Stage Anniversary, he will perform concerts across North America this spring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">He became famous as Scorpions\u2019 lead guitarist and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also the founder of Sky Academy and inventor of the Sky Guitar.<br \/>\nThe two hour-plus program on this tour features carefully-selected highlights from Roth\u2019s entire five-decade music career. The 50th\u00a0Anniversary set will include the best of that timeless material, including \u201cThe Sails of Charon,\u201d \u201cIn Trance,\u201d and \u201cFly to the Rainbow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">He will also be reconnecting with the second very important part of his unique musical journey \u2013 his ground-breaking Electric Sun period during which he took the art of electric guitar playing to a completely new and unprecedented level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Virtually singlehandedly, Roth pioneered a unique style of guitar playing which combined complete technical mastery of the instrument with an intensely melodic and emotional appeal.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">1985 was the final year for Electric Sun as a band concept. It has been more than 30 years since Roth performed the music of Electric Sun in the U.K. in an unforgettable series of shows which included Hammersmith Odeon, Manchester Apollo and Newcastle City Hall. After all these years, he has now taken a fresh look at this unique material, drawn from the three Electric Sun albums \u2013 \u201cEarthquake,\u201d \u201cFire Wind\u201d and \u201cBeyond the Astral Skies.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Roth\u2019s musical scope is enormous and ranges from vintage Jimi Hendrix and Cream to the technically much more demanding world of classical music. Roth has written classical concertos and symphonic pieces and is equally at home in both worlds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The current tour features Roth playing excerpts from his stunning \u201cMetamorphosis of Vivaldi\u2019s Four Seasons Concerto\u201d as well as several pieces which feature him on classical, acoustic and flamenco guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI have a six-piece band,\u201d said Roth. \u201cThere are three guitars, bass, keyboards and drums \u2013 and vocals. We also have a big projector with moving images.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cI\u2019m doing songs from early Scorpions, Electric Sun and other stuff I\u2019m known for \u2013 all done as the originals. It\u2019s important to sty truthful to the song. Sometimes, the arrangements do get a little altered.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Roth is known for the legendary Sky Guitar which is his own invention. It is an instrument which allows him to play with a six-octave range. Sky Guitars are the only guitars which make it possible to play Vivaldi\u2019s celebrated violin concerto \u201cThe Four Seasons\u201d at concert pitch, but with the sound of an electric guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cOn this tour, I\u2019m playing a new prototype guitar,\u201d said Roth. \u201cIt\u2019s the Excalibur and it\u2019s the best guitar in the world. This one can do it all \u2013 and then some. It has a lot of in-built effects. It\u2019s my favorite.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">\u201cMaking the set list for this tour wasn\u2019t exactly easy. I took some time over it to get it right. Most of it worked but some needed a little fine-tuning. I\u2019m always getting feedback on what fans want to hear. The program has been well-received.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Video link for Uli Jon Roth &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/AHqOT1rCip0\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/AHqOT1rCip0<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Ticket prices range from $25-$40.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Other upcoming shows at the venue are the Slambovian Circus of Dreams on April 26, Rita Rudner on April 27, Wishbone Ash on April 28 and Brian Auger\u2019s Oblivion Express on May 1.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/bacon-flash.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9422 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/bacon-flash-350x240.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"240\" \/><\/a>Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org\/\">http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will present Better Than Bacon on April 25, Pat McGee Trio with Dan Sarkissian on April 26 and 27, and Brian Auger\u2019s Oblivion Express featuring Frank Gambale\u00a0 on April 30.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>) will host Cindy Alexander with Kevin Fisher on April 26 and House of Hamill on April 27.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/chaplinslive.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/a>) will host Obie, LaBella &amp; Poole, and Marcus Angeloni on April 27.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Burlap &amp; Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.burlapandbean.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">www.burlapandbean.com<\/a>) will present Michael Braunfeld and the Boneyard Hounds on April 27.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.keswicktheatre.com\/\">www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents The New on Apryl 26 and Chick Corea &amp; Bela Fleck on April 27.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times If you attend Roger McGuinn\u2019s show at the Colonial Theatre (Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610- 917-1228, www.thecolonialtheatre.com) on April 25, you\u2019ll be treated to a great musical performance and a lesson in rock-and-roll history. A concert performance by Roger McGuinn is more than just a music concert. It is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,12101,12098,12100,12099,12102],"class_list":["post-42707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-front-country","tag-roger-mcguinn","tag-squirrel-nut-zippers","tag-the-jon-stickley-trio","tag-uli-jon-roth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42707","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=42707"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42708,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42707\/revisions\/42708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}