{"id":43684,"date":"2019-09-04T09:48:05","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T13:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=43684"},"modified":"2019-09-04T09:48:08","modified_gmt":"2019-09-04T13:48:08","slug":"on-stage-kingfish-roars-into-show-at-the-mann","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=43684","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: ‘Kingfish’ roars into show at The Mann"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Christone \u201cKingfish\u201d Ingram<\/p><\/div>\n

Venues around the Delaware Valley have long been favorite places for blues acts to visit when they are on tour.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s not surprising that three of the top young blues acts in the country are performing on the area over a three-week period.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week, Danielle Nicole rattled the rafters at the Ardmore Music Hall with her bass playing and her powerful band.<\/span><\/p>\n

On January 15, Vanessa Collier, who is a blues triple threat (saxophone, vocals, guitar), will headline a show at Kennett Flash.<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, the spotlight is on Christone \u201cKingfish\u201d Ingram, who is opening for Vampire Weekend at the Mann Music Center (Mann Center, 5201 N. Parkside Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-566-7900, http:\/\/manncenter.org<\/a>) on September 4.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many blues guitarists have been playing for decades. Ingram\u2019s guitar playing gives listeners the impression that he too has been at it for decades. In reality, he is barely two decades old. He was born in Mississippi in January 1999 and has been exposed to the blues since he was a toddler.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI come from Clarksdale, Mississippi \u2013 the Mecca of blues,\u201d said Ingram, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI remember seeing the PBS documentary on Muddy Waters when I was pretty young. And, I lived next door to a blues band. I was exposed to the blues a lot as a young child.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI actually started as a bass player. My first paid gig playing bass was with the All Night Long Blues Band. I was 11 at the time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for Ingram to switch from bass to lead guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was playing bass, but I always wanted to play guitar,\u201d said Ingram. \u201cBut, when I was young, my fingers were too big for guitar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was 14-15, I played guitar for a local band. I just wanted to do something different. I wanted to put my own thing together. I wanted to play guitar. Playing guitar was original.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started with a cheap Sears & Roebuck guitar. An Epiphone 335 was my first real guitar.\u00a0 I got it for Christmas when I was in middle school.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingram explained the origin of his nickname.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy mentor from the Delta Museum gave kids nicknames,\u201d said Ingram. \u201cHe called me Kingfish. He said Kingfish who was a character on the \u2018Amos \u2018n\u2019Andy Show.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest influences were Albert King, Little Milton, B.B. King, Son House, Freddie King and Skip James. I was also influenced by Ernie Isley, Jimi Hendrix, Prince and George Benson.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven though I was influenced by Jimi and Prince, I never had an actual intent to merge rock and blues. I just want to experiment and see what I come up with. I just like to create stuff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingram is known for making his guitar sing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaking the guitar sing \u2013 that\u2019s when playing with substance comes into play,\u201d said Ingram. \u201cI love playing originals. I\u2019m still writing when I\u2019m on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn tour, it\u2019s a three-piece \u2013 bass, drums and me. Both of the other guys in the band are from Mississippi. Paul is from Tupelo and Chris is from Shelby. I have two electric guitars I use and one acoustic. I play two or three acoustic songs a set.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ingram celebrated the release of his Alligator Records debut album, \u201cKingfish<\/a>,\u201d with a live performance back in July at the XPoNential Music Festival in Camden<\/em>. He is introducing the album to new audiences as he tours with Vampire Weekend for a total of 13 shows in August and September.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Christone \u201cKingfish\u201d Ingram — https:\/\/youtu.be\/VQha23zpf5k<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vampire Weekend Father of the Bride Tour with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram will start at 7:30 p.m. on September 4 at the Mann Center. Ticket prices start at $25.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

JD Simo<\/p><\/div>\n

While Florida and most of the eastern coast prepares for a storm called Dorian, the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) is getting prepared for a storm of a different nature — a concert by JD Simo and his powerhouse band.<\/span><\/p>\n

In August 2018, Simo blew the roof off the venue with his blistering set. Then, he returned at the end of January and did it again. On Wednesday night, Simo is returning to the \u201cscene of the crime\u201d to deliver another incendiary show.<\/span><\/p>\n

Simo grew up in Chicago\u2019s North Side and began playing guitar before he even started elementary school. In 2006, he moved to Nashville, where he established himself as the lead guitarist in the Don Kelley Band. This led to Simo’s employment as an in-demand session musician.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2010, he joined bassist Frank Swart and drummer Adam Abrashoff to form the rock band SIMO. The band spent much of 2011 on tour and released its debut album in November 2011. SIMO\u2019s third and final album was \u201cRise and Shine\u201d in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe old band \u2013 it had run its course with that particular lineup,\u201d said Simo, during a phone interview. \u201cA year ago, I had my first solo tour opening for Tommy Emmanuel here in America. I had never done that before. It was a very liberating experience. I\u2019d walk onstage and do whatever I wanted to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, Simo has been recording and touring with his own band \u2013 including a tour that is headed this way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, we\u2019re playing the Sellersville Theater again,\u201d said Simo. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the nicest venues in the country. We\u2019re coming as a trio.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty much always been a trio. I have always preferred the trio format. When Buddy Guy was touring in the 60s, it was always a trio. When Magic Sam toured, it was always a trio. Playing in a trio is pretty wide open. It\u2019s fun. And, it makes it really easy to improvise. You can really get out there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery night is different. We don\u2019t work with a set list and typically don\u2019t play the same songs every night. And, every song is open to where its going to go. We have 20-30 songs in regular rotation. A few follow similar structures. The rest are really wide open and can be different every night. Every show starts with an improvisation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Simo is touring in support of his new album \u201cOff At 11.\u201d Produced by Simo with his co-manager Michael Caplan, the album features eight tracks that are laid out on the record like a musical journey through a land populated by acid rock, traditional blues, folk, soul, free-form jazz.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI made the album throughout last year at my home studio \u2013 old school style,\u201d said Simo. \u201cI wanted to make an old school blues record. And, I wanted to go to Mars. When I was touring in Phil Lesh\u2019s band and told him that, he said \u2013 \u2018 JD, you can do both.\u2019 The Phil Lesh & Friends band always does a lot of improvisation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for JD Simo \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/J1guSRTv-78<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville, which has The Ardvark Felon as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19.50.<\/span><\/p>\n

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By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Venues around the Delaware Valley have long been favorite places for blues acts to visit when they are on tour. So, it\u2019s not surprising that three of the top young blues acts in the country are performing on the area over a three-week period. Last week, Danielle Nicole […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[12423,7426,12424],"class_list":["post-43684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-christone-kingfish-ingram","tag-featured","tag-jd-simo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43684","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=43684"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43685,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43684\/revisions\/43685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}