{"id":42932,"date":"2019-05-20T08:42:39","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T12:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=42932"},"modified":"2019-05-20T08:42:44","modified_gmt":"2019-05-20T12:42:44","slug":"on-stage-uriah-heep-keeps-it-heavy-for-nearly-50-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=42932","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Uriah Heep keeps it heavy for nearly 50 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Uriah Heep<\/p><\/div>\n

In 1969, guitarist Mick Box formed a band in London called Uriah Heep \u2013 its name taken from a Charles Dickens character.<\/span><\/p>\n

Box has remained the core element of the band and has kept it going for more than five decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

On May 20, Uriah Heep visits the area for a show at the <\/span>Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

More than 25 musicians have passed through the band in the last 50 years. Over this period of time<\/span>, Uriah Heep has released 25 five studio albums, two albums<\/a>composed of re-recorded material, 18 live albums and 39 compilation albums. Twelve of the band\u2019s studio albums have made it to the U.K. Albums Chart with \u201cReturn to Fantasy\u201d reaching Number 7 in 1975.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uriah Heep\u2019s current lineup features Mick Box: Guitars, Vocals; Phil Lanzon: Keyboards, Vocals; Bernie Shaw: Lead Vocals; Russell Gilbrook: Drums, Vocals; and Dave Rimmer: Bass, Vocals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith this lineup, Phil and Bernie have been with the band since 1986. Russ joined in 2007 and Davey has been with us since 2007. I\u2019ve been in it for 50 years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Uriah Heep\u2019s debut album was \u201c..Very \u2019Eavy …Very \u2019Umble\u201d in 1970. The band\u2019s 25th and latest LP is \u201cLiving the Dream,\u201d which was released in 2018. The band\u2019s two previous albums were \u201cOutsider\u201d in 2104 and \u201cInto The Wild\u201d in 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn album every couple years is fine,\u201d said Box. \u201cIt takes a while to get back in the studio \u2013 usually every two years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Living the Dream\u2019 with producer Jay Ruston in January 2018 at Chapel Studios in England,\u201d said Box. \u201cIt took us 19 days. We played as a band live in the studio \u2013 old school. A lot of people want perfection. They want a recording to sound just right \u2013 to sound perfect. We don\u2019t do that. If you choose a backing track, it should always be the best \u2013 but it doesn\u2019t need to be perfect. It\u2019s more important to be real \u2013 to be organic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The album was released worldwide on September 14th, 2018 on Frontiers Records.\u00a0 An extensive world tour is underway now to support the release.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe play about 150 shows a year,\u201d said Box. \u201cWe\u2019ve played in 61 countries.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ever since the release of \u201c\u2026Very \u2019eavy… Very \u2019umble,\u201d Uriah Heep has sold in excess of 40 million albums worldwide. Along with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, Uriah Heep helped invent a decorative and uniquely British form of heavy metal.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is from those roots, with classic, crucial slabs of nascent metal such as \u201cGypsy,\u201d \u201cBird of Prey\u201d and \u201cWalking in Your Shadow,\u201d that Uriah Heep began its ascendance both at home and in the U.S., culminating in their most enduring works, \u201cDemons and Wizards,\u201d \u201cThe Magician\u2019s Birthday\u201d and \u201cSweet Freedom\u201d — all of which went gold in the states and entered the Billboard Top 40.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uriah Heep has been responsible for the most elevated and intelligent use of vocals in a heavy metal context among the major bands having invented the genre in the 1970s. It is for this reason Heep was referred to as the Beach Boys of Heavy Metal. The band was also one of the forerunners of using the Hammond organ.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur band has a lot of versatility by its nature,\u201d said Box. \u201cWe play prog rock festivals. We play metal festivals. We play rock festivals. We\u2019re quite malleable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In celebration of the release of \u201cLiving the Dream,\u201d Uriah Heep is joining fellow British rock icons Judas Priest on an extensive North American tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn this tour, we play a shorter set than we do when we\u2019re headlining our own shows,\u201d said Box. \u201cOn the Priest tour, we rock from the start.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately for area Heep fans, the band\u2019s show at Sellersville is its own headline show \u2013 meaning no truncated set.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll play some songs from the new album along with a lot of older songs that are fans\u2019 favorites,\u201d said Box. \u201cFor example, we always play \u2018Gypsy.\u2019 We never get tired of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Uriah Heep \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/PHgDPxLlFW4<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $65-$85.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dressy Bessy<\/p><\/div>\n

Dressy Bessy, which is opening for Filthy Friends on May 21 at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,<\/span><\/p>\n

www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>), will be releasing its new album \u201cFast Faster Disaster\u201d on June 14.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is the band\u2019s seventh studio album and second for Yep Roc Records. It comes as the band celebrates its 20th anniversary as \u201cpioneers of the fuzzy, buzzy lo-fi rock.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dressy Bessy — Tammy Ealom, John McDowell Hill and Craig Gilbert — has released six prior studio albums \u2013 \u201cPink Hearts Yellow Moons\u201d\u00a0(1999),\u00a0\u201cSoundGoRound\u201d\u00a0(2002),\u00a0\u201cDressy Bessy\u201d\u00a0(2003),\u00a0\u201cElectrified\u201d\u00a0(2005),\u00a0\u201cHoller and Stomp\u201d\u00a0(2008) and\u00a0\u201cKINGSIZED\u201d\u00a0(2016).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the new album at home \u2013 just like we did with \u2018KINGSIZED,\u2019\u201d said Ealom, during a phone interview earlier this month from her home in Denver, Colorado. \u201cWe recorded it over the past couple years \u2013 after \u2018KINGSIZED\u2019 had run its course. John and I have a pretty nice studio in our house, and we recorded it there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe finished in October \u2013 right around Halloween. We did a cover of the Buzzcocks\u2019 \u2018What Do I Get\u2019 as a tribute to their singer\/guitarist Pete Shelley.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shelley passed away while Dressy Bessy was finishing the album. \u201cWhat Do I Get\u201d was recorded prior to Shelley\u2019s passing, but then immediately adopted as a tribute following Shelley\u2019s death.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Buzzcocks were one of England\u2019s all-time best punk\/power pop bands and were an influence on Dressy Bessy \u2013 even though they disbanded more than a decade before Dressy Bessy started in the mid-1990s<\/span><\/p>\n

Ever since its formation in 1996, Dressy Bessy has been one of the top music acts to come out of Denver, Colorado — joining a list that includes Lothar & The Hand People, Zephyr, Flobots, Kip Winger, Jill Sobule and The Lumineers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI met John back in 1995,\u201d said Ealom. \u201cI was in a band called the Minders. I quit that band and wanted to form my own band. That band was Dressy Bessy. Ironically, we\u2019re still together after 20 years — as a band and as a couple.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great band. We actually all really like each other. We have a new bass player \u2013 Eric Allen. He\u2019s from Denver and had played in the band Apples In Stereo. This is his first run with us. We have to get used to being on stage again and he has to get used to playing with us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKINGSIZED\u201d was the band\u2019s first studio album in seven years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess there was a little bit of a gap there between \u2018Holler and Stomp\u2019 and \u2018KINGSIZED,\u2019\u201d said Ealom. \u201cAll of \u2018KINGSIZED\u2019 was inspired by the terrain of world society and American politics. When it came out, we thought the situation would get better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFast Faster Disaster\u201d is a 12-track set featuring engaging new tunes like \u201cIt\u2019s Not That Hard,\u201d \u201cFearless,\u201d \u201cCheer Up Teardrop\u201d and \u201cStay True\u201d —\u00a0 songs that reflect on universal emotional foibles with the same pointed insight that Ealom has brought to her lyrics since the band\u2019s early days as iconoclastic indie pop darlings.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Ealom, \u201cI think this is our best album yet. There\u2019s an undeniable sense of honesty and freedom to it, lyrically and sonically, and it came with a humbling ease. We pay close attention to current events, including politics, and have been profoundly impacted by the recent climate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing like the threat of losing your basic freedoms and realizing the fragility of democracy to open up your eyes and pull you out of your personal bubble. More than ever, we\u2019ve come to appreciate the importance of family, friends and community<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do the songwriting. The songs all came in a chunk. When the songs started to come, they just kept coming. When the muse arrives, I start writing. Something inside me has to come out and tell me to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI write mostly on guitar. It usually starts with chords and riffs and some sort of catch line. Usually, it all comes at the same time. The main thing is being in the mood. John\u2019s parts come last. He gets inspired when he hears the bass and the melody.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn this tour, we have a 45-minute set,\u201d said Ealom. \u201cWe go all the way back to our early albums. We have a good mix. We have 22 years of songs and usually play a song or two from every album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Dressy Bessy \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/B8g_Yu9_OPk<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, which has Filthy Friends as the headliner, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jonatha Brooke<\/p><\/div>\n

On April 19, innovative folk-rock singer\/songwriter Jonatha Brooke\u00a0released her new EP \u201cImposter\u201d via Bad Dog Records. Now, she is on the road playing a few shows to introduce the new EP, including a show on May 22 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got all my ducks in a row and made the EP last fall,\u201d said Brooke, during a phone interview earlier this month from her home in Minneapolis, Minnsesota.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having lived in Minneapolis for two years, Brooke was eligible for \u2013 and received \u2013 a grant from the Minnesota\u2019s McKnight Foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, MacPhail Center for Music announced the four recipients of the 2018-19 McKnight Fellowships for Musicians and Brooke was one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nine finalists were selected by a panel of national judges to audition. Following the audition, four recipients were awarded the $25,000 McKnight Fellowship for Musicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got an artist grant last year which allowed me to make the EP\u201d said Brooke. \u201cI had two days to do the whole thing. I had great musicians and a great arranger \u2013 Adi Yeshaya.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cImposter\u201d is a Minnesota record. Recorded at Creation Audio in south Minneapolis, it features a cast of top-flight Minneapolis musicians including bassist Jeff Bailey, drummer Joey Van Phillips, keyboardist Adi Yeshaya and several string and horn players.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was sitting on these five songs,\u201d said Brooke. \u201cAdi was the perfect complement to my weird, quirky songs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The combination of Brooke and these fine musicians resulted in an EP that has been getting great reviews.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Brooke, \u201cI explored a few different themes on \u2018Imposter,\u2019 — feeling like the emperor with no clothes, a very cinematic excursion into revenge, that ever-present struggle with faith and loss. These are songs I developed and fell in love with over a longer period of time than usual, so I had the luxury that they turned out exactly as I had hoped and dreamed they would.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Formerly of the New England-based duo The Story, Brooke has been writing songs, making records, and touring since the early 1990s. After four major label releases, she started her own independent label in 1999 \u2013 Bad Dog Records — and has since released eight more albums. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing with four major labels was good,\u201d said Brooke. \u201cBad Dog is my label. \u2018Midnight. Hallelujah,\u2019 which came out in 2016, is my most recent album. The EP is a good way to go now for me. It\u2019s good to have something to sell at gigs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brooke has co-written songs with Katy Perry\u00a0and The Courtyard Hounds\u00a0among others. She\u2019s also written for four Disney films and numerous television shows including composing\/performing the theme song for Joss Whedon\u2019s\u00a0\u201cDollhouse.\u201d\u00a0In 2014, Brooke debuted her one woman musical and companion album\u00a0\u201cMy Mother Has Four Noses\u201d\u00a0at the Duke Theater\u00a0in New York City. The show ran for three months to rave reviews and was a critic\u2019s pick in the New York Times who called it \u201cboth funny and wrenching.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWriting is a constant thing for me,\u201d said Brooke. \u201cI write 50-50 on guitars and keyboards. My writing really varies. I like the sound of words and the way they fall together. As time goes by, the songs really evolve and take on their own meaning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Jonatha Brooke \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/BJaeaMBTLnA<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times In 1969, guitarist Mick Box formed a band in London called Uriah Heep \u2013 its name taken from a Charles Dickens character. Box has remained the core element of the band and has kept it going for more than five decades. On May 20, Uriah Heep visits the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[12173,7426,12172,12171],"class_list":["post-42932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-dressy-bessy","tag-featured","tag-jonatha-brooke","tag-uriah-heep"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42932","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=42932"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42933,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42932\/revisions\/42933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}