{"id":47701,"date":"2021-02-04T09:34:23","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T14:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=47701"},"modified":"2021-02-04T09:34:33","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T14:34:33","slug":"on-stage-more-options-this-weekend-for-live-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=47701","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: More options this weekend for live entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Ian Bagg<\/p><\/div>\n

There is a Jamaican restaurant in Tampa\u2019s Ybor City called Chephas\u2019 Hot Spot. Run by Rastaman Cephas Gilbert, it features delightful and authentic food dished from the island. What it doesn\u2019t have is a menu.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The meals all include fresh vegetables of the day along with beans and rice. There are no choices. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The only choice Cephas offers is meat or fish. There is a chalk board on the wall that lists one meat item (maybe curried goat, oxtail or jerk chicken) and one fish item (maybe escovitch red snapper or fish stew).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When diners arrive at the restaurant, Cephas seats them and asks just one question \u2013 meat or fish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Music fans and people in our area looking for entertainment by national acts face similarly limited choices \u2013 maybe a standup show at a comedy club or a limited-seating concert at the Sellersville Theater.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is very little from which to choose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Surprisingly, there are several choices on the schedule over the next few days. The calendar of upcoming shows features an internationally acclaimed comedian, an original funk\/jam band and a talented magician\/comedian.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The internationally acclaimed comedian is Ian Bagg, who will be in Philly for a series of five shows from February 4-6 at Helium Comedy Club <\/span>(2031 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bagg is a comedian from western Canada who has become one of the best standups in North America and is especially respected for his ability to work the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing comedy for a long time \u2013 but I didn\u2019t buy my first microphone until last July,\u201d said Bagg, during a phone interview Tuesday from his home in Long Beach, California. \u201cDoing comedy was always something I wanted to do even before I went to university.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne night, I went to an open mic at the Vancouver Punch Line. It was a contest. I didn\u2019t win but the manager said he liked what I did and asked me to come back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I practiced and practiced. All my jokes were written on my hand, but I got nervous and sweated them off. I do remember doing an impression of a fish. And I talked about my last name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most comedians will tell you that being onstage is addictive \u2013 like the comedy world\u2019s version of heroin (unlike musicians\u2019 version of heroin which is usually white or brown powder).<\/p>\n

\u201cI got immediately addicted,\u201d said Bagg. \u201cI started doing open mics right away. I did comedy wherever I could.<\/p>\n

\u201cPat Bullard (a legendary Canadian television writer and comedian) came to town and saw me perform. He told me \u2013 you\u2019re really funny\u2026promise me that you\u2019ll get out of Canada as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put all my effort into trying to get to America \u2013 and I lucked out. It\u2019s not easy for Canadians to make it in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is an established fact.<\/p>\n

There are bands who are huge in Canada and virtually unknown in the states. The Tragically Hip regularly sold out 25,000 seat venues all across Canada and never really got off the ground in America. The list also includes FM, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, Nash the Slash and plenty more.<\/p>\n

Bagg\u00a0was born in a little town approximately 750 miles north of Vancouver — Terrace, British Columbia. Terrace has a link to Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe and Jimmy Watson, who played for the Flyers\u2019 Stanley Cup teams, were from the area,\u201d said Bagg. \u201cI played hockey when I was younger and went to Joe and Jimmy Watson\u2019s hockey camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

While\u00a0bringing his love of comedy and hockey together, Bagg has performed multiple collaborative NHL Alumni shows for\u00a0teams such as the\u00a0Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, and the Toronto Maple\u00a0Leafs.<\/p>\n

Bagg\u00a0has also been featured on the History Channel, the Food Network and the Biography Channel. His most recent one-hour specials are \u201cIan Bagg: Getting to F**king Know You\u201d that airs on Showtime and \u201cConversations\u201d, available\u00a0on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.<\/p>\n

In 1996, Bagg moved to New York City and became a regular at the Comic Strip and the Comedy Cellar in New York and immediately ended up doing three appearances on\u00a0\u201cLate Night with Conan O\u2019Brien.\u201d In 2000, Bagg made his move to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my influences was Jonathan Winters,\u201d said Bagg. \u201cOther influences were Sam Kinison, Eddie Murphy and Bill Cosby. I like Sam and Eddie for their irreverence and Cosby for his ability to paint a picture. But I\u2019m certainly not a fan of Cosby now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bagg has appeared on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” He has two half-hour specials on Comedy Central and HBO. Additionally, Bagg fought his way to a Top 5 finish on a recent season of \u201cLast Comic Standing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bagg is also an actor and writer, known for\u00a0\u201cThe Life Coach\u201d\u00a0(2005),\u00a0\u201cCradle Will Rock\u201d\u00a0(1999) and\u00a0\u201cSave the Mavericks\u201d\u00a0(2005). It did take him a little while to find his true self as a comedian.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike any comic, after four or five years, I wasn\u2019t influenced anymore,\u201d said Bagg. \u201cIan\u2019s style was coming out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to consider myself the same person onstage as I am offstage. There are certain things I\u2019ll say or do in either situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as conversation, it\u2019s wherever it goes. No matter what the audience is like, you can always find a way to go. My show is like hanging around with your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Ian Bagg — https:\/\/youtu.be\/xoqNVm9DyRE<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shows at the Helium Comedy Club are scheduled for February 4 at 8 p.m., February 5 and 6 at 7:15 and 9:30 p.m. each night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets, which are not sold individually because of <\/span>capacity restrictions and social distancing, are $52 for a two-person table or $104 for a four-person table.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

John Westford and his wife\/stage assistant Sarah<\/p><\/div>\n

The talented magician\/comedian is John Westford who will headline a show called <\/span>\u201cA Magical Evening with John Westford\u201d at Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) on February 6.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what I do full-time,\u201d said Westford, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Newport, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a magician and a comedian \u2013 but I\u2019ve had very little work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This upcoming show is my first in-person show since March 3. I had a show schedule for the Sellersville Theater in April and that was my second show to fall to the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Westford, his career as a magician sprang from a very simple beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike most kids, I had a magic kit,\u201d said Westford. \u201cWhen I was a kid, I was in Ocean City, Maryland with my family. At the beach, I saw a guy do a sleight-of-hand trick and he wouldn\u2019t tell me how he did it. So, I taught myself how to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Westford went back and showed the guy that he had figured out how to do the trick, the guy directed him to study under Craig Diamond.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned magic from a magician here in this area,\u201d said Westford. \u201cI was 12 years old and he produced \u2018The World of Illusions\u2019 at my school.\u201d<\/p>\n

That magician was Craig Diamond.<\/p>\n

Diamond graduated from Newport High School in 1977. His CV includes performing for Ronald Reagan at the White House, Roger Moore aboard a cruise ship and Prince Albert II of Monaco. While still a student at Newport High, Diamond had his own show called \u201cThe World of Illusions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe set up shop as a high school student,\u201d said Westford. \u201cHe was producing the show and then we did it together. When I\u2019d come home from college, I\u2019d do a show here on the main stage at the high school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Westford attended Millersville University after graduating from Newport High.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did a lot of comedy when I was at Millersville,\u201d said Westford. \u201cStudents could reserve blocks of time in the student union and I\u2019d perform there. I also was doing corporate shows and banquets.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter college, I got a job at the State Senate as a messenger. After a while, I left and went to work in a show at King\u2019s Dominion in Virginia \u2013 five shows a day, five days a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the \u201990s, Westford entered Nabisco\u2019s nationwide talent search and was selected from thousands of magicians nationwide to perform live on stage with Harry Blackstone, Jr. in Atlantic City.<\/p>\n

That led to national bookings, television appearances and, following in the footsteps of his mentor (Diamond) as a hot act in the world of cruise ship entertainment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking cruise ships was fun,\u201d said Westford. \u201cThen, the recession hit in 2008 and I was put off a ship in Rome with no work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Westford got his feet back on the ground and returned to Perry County. 2008 was also the year he got married \u2013 gaining a wife and a stage assistant. His wife Susan was later named \u201cAssistant of the Year\u201d by the Magician\u2019s Alliance of Eastern States.<\/p>\n

\u201cI corrupted her with all this stuff,\u201d said Westford. \u201cBut she was a cheerleader and track star at West Perry High School, so she\u2019s used to entertaining crowds.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy magic routines are sleight-of-hand magic, comedy parlor magic and large stage illusions. I have about eight stage illusions including cutting in half, trunk, escape and fire cage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike most of the shows at the Sellersville Theater lately, this show will not be available via Livestream. \u00a0\u201cA Magical Evening with John Westford\u201d will be in-person only. The show will also feature an opening music set by Ted Holman and Michael Cullin from the Armadillos.<\/p>\n

Video link for John Westford —https:\/\/youtu.be\/kdgaVJPbee4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Magical Evening with John Westford\u201d at Sellersville Theater will start at 7:30 p.m. on February 6. Tickets are $21.50.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Tribe<\/p><\/div>\n

The original funk\/jam band with a show on the horizon is The Tribe \u2013 the band featured in Sellersville Theater\u2019s Soundbooth Sessions on February 9. The show at the venue will be a meeting at the halfway point for the band\u2019s members \u2013 one of whom lives in Philadelphia while the rest reside in Wilkes-Barre.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Guitarist Andrew Sauter, a Wilkes-Barre native and Temple University grad, lives in Philly\u2019s Mount Airy section. Other band members are Jordan Ramirez (vocals), Chris Langan (<\/span>drums), Carl Krupa (alto sax, flue, tenor sax), Michael Wintermute (bass) and Angelo Miraglia (keyboards).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current line-up has been together since 2020 when Carl and Angelo joined,\u201d said Sauter. \u201cThe band has existed since 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramirez, who had played in Wilkes-Barre area bands (including Half Dollar\u00a0and\u00a0Fake Fight), decided to put his own group together \u2013 a band that blended soul, R&B, jazz, funk, and hip-hop.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all strangers,\u201d said Sauter. \u201cJordan reached out to us on Facebook. We rehearsed twice and played a show a week later. We played so well together having had just limited rehearsals.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always tough to get things rolling when starting a new band. Trying to move ahead during a pandemic-related shutdown is an almost insurmountable task.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis last year was a morale-breaker for everyone \u2013 and for us,\u201d said Sauter. \u201cWe were going to do the South Street Festival, which would have been huge for us. Then, I remember it being April and stuff coming down. I haven\u2019t felt the need to book a gig for months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lack of live shows didn\u2019t keep the band from moving forward. The sextet recorded its debut album, \u201cLanguage!,\u201d over the last few months and released it independently on December 30.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all recorded at home with our own equipment,\u201d said Sauter. \u201cWe did get together once during the summer. We got together at a venue in the Poconos called Mountain Sky and recorded some songs while we were camping.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rest of the songs were recorded with each of us doing tracks on our own and then Jordan doing all the production in his home studio. The final mixing was done by mid-November.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 10 tracks \u2013 all originals. We\u2019ve got three singles from it. \u2018Red Flag\u2019 and \u2018Bomba\u2019 came out in October and \u2018Highlights\u2019 will be out in February.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll play the full album in our live shows. It\u2019s hip-hop, R&B and funk and also a lot of throwback to early 2000 R&B and pop songs. The constant is grooves \u2013 drum and bass lines that are interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Tribe — https:\/\/youtu.be\/GGC0smUFvzU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville on February 9, which will also be available via Livestream, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for live audience and for Livestream.<\/p>\n

Other shows this month at the Sellersville Theater are Romeo Delight on February 5, Gabe Stillman on February 12, Ben Arnold & Band on February 13, Tony Sands in \u201cSinatra the Musical\u201d on February 14, Michael Borowski on February 16 (snow reschedule from February 2), AM Radio on February 19 and 20, Adam Monaco on February 23, and King Solomon Hicks on February 26.<\/p>\n

Live music will be presented in the upcoming week at several local venues.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Pat & Cole<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Brewing Company (109 South Broad Street, Kennett Square, kennettbrewingcompany.com<\/a>) will host Pat & Cole on February 6.<\/p>\n

Cedar Hollow Inn Restaurant and Bar (2455 Yellow Springs Road, Malvern, www.cedarhollowinn.com<\/a>) will present Samantha Seider on February 7 and Sunshine Jones on February 9.<\/p>\n

The Bridgeport Ribhouse (1049 Ford Street, Bridgeport, www.ribhouse.net<\/a>) will present Whiskey Logic on February 6, Vik Raolji on February 6, Eddie Kurek on February 12, Old School on February 13, and Catullus on February 20. The schedule also features performances by\u00a0Brian Quinn & Danny Beissel on February 10, 17 and 24 and March 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31.<\/p>\n

Tuned Up Brewing Co. (<\/span>135 North Main Street, Spring City, www.tunedupbrew.com<\/a>) will host Mike Kropp on February 6.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Creekside Sports Bar & Grille (<\/span>765 N Lewis Road, Royersford, http:\/\/www.creeksidesportsbar.com\/<\/a>) will present Junkyard Band on February 6.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0 There is a Jamaican restaurant in Tampa\u2019s Ybor City called Chephas\u2019 Hot Spot. Run by Rastaman Cephas Gilbert, it features delightful and authentic food dished from the island. What it doesn\u2019t have is a menu.\u00a0 The meals all include fresh vegetables of the day along with beans and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,13636,13638,13635,13637],"class_list":["post-47701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-ian-bagg","tag-john-westford","tag-pat-cole","tag-the-tribe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47701","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=47701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47702,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47701\/revisions\/47702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}