{"id":43853,"date":"2019-09-26T15:22:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-26T19:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=43853"},"modified":"2019-09-26T15:23:04","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T19:23:04","slug":"on-stage-dont-sleep-on-toby-lightman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=43853","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Don’t ‘sleep’ on Toby Lightman"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Toby Lightman<\/p><\/div>\n

Toby Lightman, who is headlining a show on July 26 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>), released her latest album \u201cWhen The Lion Sleeps\u201d earlier this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lightman, a talented pop singer-songwriter, has been making albums since 2004. Her new LP is unlike anything she has ever done before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen The Lion Sleeps\u201d is a collection of acoustic covers \u2013 and so much more. It is an album of rock songs performed as lullabies for her two-year-old son Leo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are acoustic versions of songs I listened to when I was young and want my son to hear,\u201d said Lightman, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from Manhattan, where she currently lives with her husband and young son.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was pregnant, I got a lot of gifts and a lot of lullaby albums. A lot of the lullaby albums were instrumentals and Leo didn\u2019t really react to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, I was having a hard time writing anything original. So, I looked for and found songs that were so right to sing to him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The songs Lightman chose to record come from a variety of genres — classic reggae (\u201cThree Little Birds\u201d by the Wailers); doo-wop (\u201cGoodnite Sweetheart Goodnite\u201d by The Spaniels); jazz (Louis Armstrong\u2019s \u201c(What a) Wonderful World\u201d); Motown (\u201cHow Sweet It Is\u201d by Marvin Gaye; \u201cThe Way You Do The Things You Do\u201d by the Temptations); classic R&B (\u201cThat’s How Strong My Love Is\u201d by Otis Redding: \u201cDedicated to the One I Love\u201d by the Shirelles; \u201cIn the Still of the Night\u201d by the Five Satins); classic rock (\u201cMoonshadow\u201d by Cat Stevens; \u201cBlackbird\u201d by the Beatles).<\/span><\/p>\n

There is also one original \u201cYou\u2019re the Best\u201d) as well as the title track \u2013 a remake of a traditional African song that was turned into a chart-topping hit by the Tokens in 1961.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on a new album,\u201d said Lightman. \u201cI\u2019m compiling songs and hoping to release a single in late fall or early spring. I\u2019m working on a lot of songs and singles are part of the plan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lightman is currently producing her new recordings entirely on her own, playing all of the instruments and mixing the tracks as well.\u00a0 These songs represent and were inspired by her desire to get pregnant — something she had to struggle to accomplish.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Lightman, \u201cThese songs are extremely personal to me as they are what came out of a hard battle with infertility.\u00a0 I wanted the song as well as the production to be 100% from me and it is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lightman still prefers albums.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019m working on building a story and making an album,\u201d said Lightman. \u201cI\u2019ve done so many singles which are fun but not representative of the emotional journey an artist is on. I like to think of the whole picture. I have seven songs written. Some might be stand-alones.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just letting the creativity flow. I start with a melody. I\u2019m a melody person tried and true. The melody is most important and then the lyrics come after. I have a lot of melodies circulating in my brain. In the end, melodied sand lyrics have to be the perfect match.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lightman grew up in the Philly suburbs on the Jersey side of the Delaware River and graduated from Cherry Hill East H.S. So, coming back to play a how here is a welcomed homecoming.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Lightman, \u201cI am always excited to play a show at World Cafe Live, but this show feels extra special because I\u2019ll be playing some new material off of my latest release as well as trying out new songs for my next project. My Philly crowd is always so fun and energizing. I know it will be great\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Toby Lightman \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/TAVtALpSZ-U<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, which has Andrea Nardello as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live are Philly Music Fest on September 27 and 28 and Lucinda Williams on October 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

On September 27, The Voltage Lounge (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602, www.voltagelounge.com<\/a>) is hosting Aetsthetic Perfection\u2019s \u201cInto the Black Tour\u201d \u2013 a large stateside tour that has Empathy Test and LAZERPUNK as support acts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Aesthetic Perfection<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cInto the Black\u201d is also the name of Aesthetic Perfection\u2019s latest album which was released on March 29, 2019 via Graves\u2019 own label –Close to Human Music.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first tour of the album in the states,\u201d said Graves, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a Wal-Mart parking lot in Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe toured the album in April in Europe. Our live lineup is Elliott Berlin on keyboards, guitar and bass and Joe Letz on drums. We\u2019ve also brought Empathy Test and LAZERPUNK with us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning, I played a couple shows solo. I found them to be uninspired and uninteresting. We\u2019ve been a three-piece ever since.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Since forming Aesthetic Perfection nearly two decades ago, Graves has released five full-length albums, numerous singles and music videos, all the while reinventing what it means to be a dark electro artist. Blending industrial, pop, goth, and everything in between, Aesthetic Perfection \u2018s music defies definitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aesthetic Perfection makes brutal industrial music that rattles listeners\u2019 ribcages and at the same time soothes their ears \u2013 often in the same song.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Graves, \u201cFor me, this era of Aesthetic Perfection feels like a new beginning. New album, new live band… it\u2019s an entirely different and amazing vibe. I can\u2019t wait to share it with the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cInto the Black\u201d features Letz, recognized for his work with artists such as Emigrate (also featuring Richard Z. Kruspe), Combichrist, Wednesday 13, Genitorturers, along with several other top-shelf heavy music artists such as Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe, Jinxx of Black Veil Brides, Mick Kenney of Anaal Nathrakh and Krischan Wesenberg of Rotersand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the primary songwriter\/producer,\u201d said Graves, an L.A. native who now lives near Linz, Austria. \u201cI consult the other guys for their feedback. I co-wrote several of the songs with Mick (Kenney). I called Jinxx and he played guitar on all but \u2018Gods & Gold\u2019 which had Richard (Kruspe).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI told myself I\u2019d finish 20 songs and then choose the best. I recorded 15 and chose 10 songs for the album. I started making all the tracks and had to arrange the songs in a way that told a vague story.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been writing a lot of these songs over the last four or five years \u2013 ever since my last full-length \u2018\u2019Til Death\u2019 in 2014. Albums are a snapshot of who you are at the time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Video link for Aesthetic Perfection \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/JMBzgU2z6WQ<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at The Voltage Lounge, which has Empathy Test and LAZERPUNK as openers, will start at 10 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets are $20.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Voltage Lounge are Hangman on September 26, Hail the Sun on September 28, Stand Atlantic and The Faim on September 29, and Jinjer on October 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTriple G\u201d is the nickname of Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin, a Kazakh professional boxer who is ranked as the world\u2019s second-best active middleweight and was the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world in 2017 and 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTriple G\u201d could also be used to describe the three-act bill at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,<\/span><\/p>\n

www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>) on September 27.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Gianmarco Cilli<\/p><\/div>\n

The lineup of acts scheduled to play at the music venue in Fishtown Friday night includes Generationals, Gemma and Gianmarco Cilli.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cilli has been part of the Philadelphia\u2019s music scene for almost two decades \u2013 but it took him a while to get here.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI moved here in 2001,\u201d said Cilli, during a phone interview Tuesday evening from his home in South Philly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was born in New York. I grew up in Atlanta and then went to college in Colorado \u2013 Colorado Colle in Colorado Springs. I started out as a chemistry major and then switched to a major in English with a minor in film.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was always into music. One of my many goals when I was in college was to be in a band. I started playing guitar when I was 10 and then started playing in bands with friends in middle school and high school.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI played in two different bands when I was in college. One was The Project Project. That band moved to Philadelphia and eventually became National Eye.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

National Eye is an American indie-rock band. The band formed in 2002 from a core of five members who had met in college. The band\u2019s sound has been described as psychedelic, post-rock, and lo-fi. National Eye evolved from The Project Project which moved to Philadelphia in 2000. <\/span><\/p>\n

The band adopted the name National Eye, when it started recording \u201cThe Meter Glows.\u201d\u00a0 For its first two two albums, National Eye adhered to a communal approach to songwriting and recording. Band members William Baggott, Gianmarco Cilli, Richard Flom, Douglas Kirby, and Jeffrey Alan Love contributed equally in a \u201cdemocratic, collective\u201d recording philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was still in Colorado playing with a band there,\u201d said Cilli. \u201cBut they were all a year behind me in school. The guys from The Project Project contacted me because they had to replace a band member who left. It was good timing. It was the right time to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat led to me meeting all the players in the Philly music scene \u2013 Dr. Dog, Spintoi Band, Kurt Vile, Capitol Years. National Eye never really broke up. It just gradually became inactive after releasing the \u2018Ramparts\u2019 album in 2012.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was also playing with Winsor for the Derby around 2005 and 2006. I also played with The Silver Ages at the end of the 00s.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cilli also began his solo career at the start of the decade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was still in National Eye,\u201d said Coilli. \u201cWe all wrote songs but there were only so many that would fit on the record or in a set.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started accumulating extra songs that I liked. My first solo album was \u2018Homely Joys\u2019 in 2008. I made a home-recorded EP in 2012 and my new album is my second full-length.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cilli\u2019s new album is \u201cThe Feel is Now.\u201d His musical collaborators include Charlie Hall and Dave Hartley of The War on Drugs, Zach Miller of Dr.Dog, James Lavino and producer, engineer and mixer Nick Krill.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt had been seven years since I\u2019ve done any shows,\u201d said Cilli. \u201cI\u2019m a bit of a reluctant performer for my solo stuff.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started making my new album in May 2016. It took quite a while. My wife and I had our second child that year. And, I needed a hip replacement because of a disease that was eroding my femur. I finished the album earlier this year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Gianmarco Cilli \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/PGcA6jJUyac<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, which features Generationals, Gemma and Gianmarco Cilli, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Johnny Brenda\u2019s are Speedy Ortiz on September 26, Dressy Bessy on September 29, Acid King \u201cBusse Woods\u201d 20th Anniversary Tour on October 1 and Fred Frith on October 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Michael Sackler-Berner<\/p><\/div>\n

Singer-songwriter Michael Sackler-Berner just released his new album \u201cShort Stories\u201d on The Orchard label and is touring in support of the LP. The tour brings him to Philly on September 27 for a show at Connie\u2019s Ric Rac (1132 South Ninth Street, Philadelphia, https:\/\/conniesricrac.com<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Sackler-Berner grew up in the Tribeca area of New York City and now lives and has his recording studio in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn. The two areas are less than four miles apart, but it took a long time and a roundabout path for Sackler-Berner to make the trip.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Tribeca and then went to college at McGill University in Montreal,\u201d said Sackler-Berner, during a phone interview Wednesday morning from his Brooklyn home.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got into a few other schools and did the college tour with my parents. We visited schools like Duke and Vanderbilt that were in college towns. Then, we went to Montreal. I met a kid who was studying music tech \u2013 and it was a city. I\u2019m a city kid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So, McGill was his final choice. Soon, he realized how good a music town Montreal was \u2013 and still is.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a good time to be in Montreal,\u201d said Sackler-Berner. \u201cArcade Fire was breaking. A real music thing was happening. The arts get good government support in Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was living in Montreal, I played in a band called Hearts of Palms. We started as a college band and then made a record. We even were one of the acts at International Live8 in Montreal. After I graduated, I hung around Montreal for about six months until I headed back to New York.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sackler-Berner performed solo concerts in Greenwich Village, New York City from 2006-2009. His debut album, “MSB,” was released in 2010. “MSB” was produced by Bob Thiele Jr., and featured contributions from longtime Bob Dylan bandmates Jim Keltner and David Mansfield. Songs from “MSB” went on to be licensed more than 30 times on cable and network television programs including FX’s Sons of Anarchy, and NBC’s Law and Order. Sackler-Berner was then signed to Razor and Tie Music Publishing in 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI met David Mansfield,\u201d said Sackler-Berner. \u201cHe was a friend of my father. He had played pedal steel, fiddle and mandolin in the Rolling Thunder Revue with Bob Dylan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the only real musician I knew. I played my songs for him. He said \u2013 they\u2019re good but you need to work on them more. He introduced me to a guy named Bob Thiele, Jr. from L.A. and Bob was a big help \u2013 especially getting me started in film and TV placements.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was making the \u2018MSB\u2019 album, I was pretty young, so I didn\u2019t know a lot of the session men Bob brought in for the recording sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know who Jim Keltner was. It was like a master class working with him. He knew so much, and he shared it all with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as “the leading session drummer in America.\u201d\u00a0 The outrageously long list of acts with whom he has played includes Neil Young, Carly Simon, Jerry Lee Lewis, Traveling Wilburys, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Delaney & Bonnie, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Pink Floyd, George Harrison, Brian Wilson and John Lennon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter \u2018MSB,\u2019 I was experimenting to find the sound I loved \u2013 something that would hold up for a full album,\u201d said Sackler-Berner. \u201cI got signed to a publishing deal and did co-writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA year or so ago, I took all my best songs that I\u2019d been saving up. I took each song and had it produced based on what the song called for. I recorded it at Studio G in Brooklyn, and it has a lot of different styles \u2013 synth-pop, big band, Moroccan chants, some soul things and two pop ballads.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt represented six years of writing. I cut the album over five months in three-to-four-day spurts. I had to do it that way because different songs needed different players. For my current lives shows, I\u2019m not using a band. It\u2019s just a duo featuring Canadian pianist Cat Toren and me.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Michael Sackler-Berner — https:\/\/youtu.be\/FELCle4ZfPc<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Connie\u2019s Ric Rac will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Mojo Machine on September 28 and This Is So Fetch on October 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Bonnie McFarlane<\/p><\/div>\n

Bonnie McFarlane Stand-Up Comedy Show on September 27, StringSongs featuring Michael Manring, Christopher Garcia, and Tim Farrell with special guest Lisa Jeanette on September 28 and Latin Dance Party with Conjunto on September 29.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>) will host Joseph Parsons and Ross Bellenoit on September 27 and ETC Theater Company: A Night of Stand Up Comedy on September 28<\/span><\/p>\n

The Colonial Theatre (Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610- 917-1228, www.thecolonialtheatre.com<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will present Jeff Bradshaw & Friends on September 26, Steve Kimock & Friends on September 28, and Jimmy Herring with special guest Rugby Road on<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday, 9\/29 \u2013 7pm<\/span><\/p>\n

118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com).will<\/a> host Roots of a Rebellion and Big Mind on September 26.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents Steve Hackett on September 27 and 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, https:\/\/annenbergcenter.org\/events<\/a>) hosts Les Ballets Jazz de Montr\u00e9al from September 26-28 and \u201cSugar Skull\u201d on September 27 and 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present Jason Petty on September 26, Purple Xperience (Tribute To Prince) on September 27, An Afternoon Of Conversation & Song With Peter Yarrow (Of Peter, Paul & Mary) on September 28, CSNsongs (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Tribute) on September 28, Red Hot Chilli Pipers on September 29, and Blues Project on October 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Grand Opera House <\/span>(818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577, <\/span>www.thegrandwilmington.org<\/a>) presents Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi onSeptember 28 and George Thorogood and the Destroyers on October 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Locks at Sona (4417 Main Street, Manayunk, 484- 273-0481, sonapub.com<\/a>) will host Patrick Sweany with special guests The Levee Drivers on September 26 and The Nields on September 28.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Toby Lightman, who is headlining a show on July 26 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com), released her latest album \u201cWhen The Lion Sleeps\u201d earlier this year. Lightman, a talented pop singer-songwriter, has been making albums since 2004. Her new LP is unlike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[12479,12482,7426,12480,12481,12478],"class_list":["post-43853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-aesthetic-perfection","tag-bonnie-mcfarlane","tag-featured","tag-gianmarco-cilli","tag-michael-sackler-berner","tag-toby-lightman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43853","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=43853"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43854,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43853\/revisions\/43854"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}