{"id":48018,"date":"2021-04-01T08:48:41","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T12:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=48018"},"modified":"2021-04-01T08:48:50","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T12:48:50","slug":"on-stage-aziza-nailah-brings-music-back-to-the-queen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=48018","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Aziza Nailah brings music back to The Queen"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Aziza Nailah<\/p><\/div>\n

Live music is starting to slowly return after being relegated to the trash heap for more than a year because of COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.<\/p>\n

This weekend, there are a variety of shows around the area including several that can be classified as \u201cfirsts\u201d \u2013 including Aziza Nailah\u2019s show at The Queen and shows at the Sellersville Theater featuring the Nighthawks and John Kadlecik.<\/p>\n

The show on April 3 at The Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, https:\/\/thequeenwilmington.com<\/a>) is billed as \u201cOpening Night: Aziza Nailah & Company<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Queen has gone through various incarnations since it opened on April 1, 2011 \u2013 including various owners and promoters. The show on April 3 will be the first post-pandemic-shutdown concert at the comfortable venue in downtown Wilmington. It will also be Nailah\u2019s first show in front of a paying audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did my first solo gig in 2017 right after I had my youngest child,\u201d said Nailah, during a phone interview Tuesday evening from her home in Wilmington. \u201cIt was at a restaurant on the Riverfront in Wilmington.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nailah\u2019s live performances started when she was very young, but it took a long time for her involvement to evolve to where it is today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can remember the beginning stages,\u201d said Nailah. \u201cI can remember as far back as kindergarten being in a play. Then, throughout grade school and high school, I\u2019d put on talent shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, the real world interrupted her world as a performer, and she has spent the last 18 years as a single mom.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy oldest daughter Sanya is 18,\u201d said Nailah, who works as a para-educator with kids ages three to five. \u201cMy son Anthony is 16 and plays several varsity sports at Mount Pleasant High. My baby girl is Savannah, and she is four now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to Wilmington in 2011 and didn\u2019t think about performing — until I lost my job a few years ago. I had gotten fired unfairly and that sent me into a period of depression. My mom told me to try karaoke. When I did that, I realized that music was therapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started doing karaoke in 2015. I was living in North Wilmington and I walked over to the bar across the street to do it. That bar \u2013 Shades of Blue \u2013 isn\u2019t there anymore. Doing karaoke was great. I gave myself my own natural therapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople told me I should be doing more than singing karaoke \u2013 that I should be singing in a band. Members of the Delaware band Best Kept Soul used to frequent that bar and they told me the same thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dibbled and dabbled to see if I fit in singing with a band \u2013 and I didn\u2019t fit in. It wasn\u2019t as easy as I thought it would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began working with local artist and bands such as Richard Raw, Jae Focus, Ladyy and Best Kept Soul. I worked with Richard Raw for a while and then I embarked on being really solo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still wasn\u2019t sure I wanted to pursue a career as a solo artist. Then I did my first solo gig with my band in 2017 and I\u2019ve been doing it ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nailah\u2019s repertoire is based on classic R&B and soul music \u2013 acts such as Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and Jill Scott.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all influences along with Shemekia Copeland, Mary J. Blige and Adele,\u201d said Nailah, who grew up in the Germantown section of Philadelphia and graduated from Philly\u2019s Youthville Charter School.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll that I knew growing up was Mary J. Blige from my mom because she was one of my mother\u2019s favorites. My mom sang in church and graduated from The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts where she studied singing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nailah is living up to the name given her by her mom.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0name Aziza<\/em>\u00a0is of Arabic\u00a0origin<\/em>\u00a0and means \u201cmost cherished and beloved.\u201d It is also a palindrome. Nailah<\/em>\u00a0is name\u00a0that means <\/em>\u201cdestined to succeed\u201d \u2013 \u201cacquirer,\u201d \u201cobtainer,\u201d \u201cwinner\u201d — in both Arabic and Urdu.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was given a name that means a precious one who succeeds,\u201d said Nailah.<\/p>\n

Nailah, who has also achieved success as a songwriter, composer and vocal instructor, will perform at The Queen with her own band — Aziza Nailah & Company!<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definitely an R&B\/soul kind of girl,\u201d said Nailah. \u201cBut the set I\u2019m doing at The Queen will also have a Lenny Kravitz song. I like to mix it up.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerformance is my way to escape day-to-day life \u2013 to do what I want to do. The show at The Queen is giving me motivation to do more. This whole show is about me. I\u2019m being selfish \u2013 and that\u2019s O.K.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Aziza Nailah \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/rl7GVDczLwM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at The Queen on April 3 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at The Queen are Maya Belardo on April 9, Ladyy on April 17, Best Kept Soul on April 23 and Funkitorium on April 30.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

John Kadlecik<\/p><\/div>\n

On April 1, the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present a show billed as \u201cJohn Kadlecik Solo Acousti’Lectric.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kadlecik has an extensive musical resume \u2013 much of which relies heavily on association with the Grateful Dead.<\/p>\n

He was a founding member of Dark Star Orchestra, one of the country\u2019s premier Grateful Dead tribute bands. DSO formed in 1997 and Kadlecik was a member until 2009.<\/p>\n

According to his website bio, \u201cJohn Kadlecik is a singer, songwriter, and musician based in the DC-area who can play most string instruments but is primarily known for being a guitar-slinging sideman to Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir in the band Furthur.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn original co-founder of the group Dark Star Orchestra, John has been performing improvisational-oriented shows regularly since the late 1980\u2019s and touring nationally for the last 20 years. His work also includes several studio releases of original music.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is currently active with Melvin Seals and JGB in addition his own group, The John Kadlecik Band. He also plays with the supergroup, the Golden Gate Wingmen, and occasionally with Phil Lesh & Friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amazingly, despite performing on the road for almost a quarter-century, Kadlecik will be making his Sellersville Theater debut this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ll be playing at the Sellersville Theater and I\u2019m looking forward to it,\u201d said Kadlecik, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Takoma Park, Maryland.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really know about the theater. I found the place when I was stopping for breakfast. When I\u2019m on the road, I always look for good breakfast places and this one was about a half-hour from my hotel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI parked for the restaurant and it was across the street from the theater. I checked it out and realized it had rock shows there. So, I got in contact with them when I got home.\u201d<\/p>\n

With some states loosening restrictions on gatherings, opportunities to play have begun to appear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m booked pretty much every weekend through June,\u201d said Kadletic, who grew up in the Midwest \u2013 mostly Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m one of the few D.I.Y. guys from the 80s and 90s that got national. Next week, I\u2019ll be in Denver to play at the Rocky Mountain Grateful Dead Revue. There will be two shows a day for four days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though his DSO days are more than a decade in the past, Kadlecik still has a lot of band activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the John Kadlecik Band \u2013 although the players are scattered around the country,\u201d said Kadlecik. \u201cI have the Golden Gate Wingmen which started in 2014 and has all members who have played with the Dead. There is also a spinoff band — the Fellowship of the Wing — if I have to substitute.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy main gig is waiting to again play with Melvin Seals, who is the keyboard player with JGB. That\u2019s my main priority. Things might be happening in the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, there are only solo gigs for Kadlecik.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I like about solo gigs is that I can play nice venues that now have reduced capacity,\u201d said Kadlecik. \u201cWith solo, I know 500 songs that I can just play. I don\u2019t have to call anyone to rehearse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I do a solo show, I use guitar, synth and looping. I can create drums and piano. And with looping, I can build a big wall of sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for John Kadlecik \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/LG5ebgd9KAc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville Theater on April 1 will start at 8 p.m. and will be both live and Livestream. Tickets for the theater are $25. Livestream tickets are $15.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

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

The Nighthawks\u00a0are band from Washington, D.C. that has built a reputation as a top-flight live act performing blues, roots and blues-rock music. On New Year\u2019s Eve 2021\/2022, the Nighthawks — Mark Wenner (vocals and\u00a0harmonica), Dan Hovey (lead guitar), Paul Pisciotta (bass guitar), and Mark Stutso (drums) — will celebrate their 50th<\/sup> anniversary.<\/p>\n

The Nighthawks\u2019 show at the Sellersville Theater on April 3 will be the group\u2019s first show at the venue since the pandemic shutdown began \u2013 the first show in more than a year \u2013 the first time in recent years that the band has gone a full calendar year without a show there.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since we played there,\u201d said lone remaining founding member Wenner, during a phone interview Monday evening from his home in Kensington, Maryland. \u201cWe\u2019ve played the Sellersville Theater a lot \u2013 including two times with Billy Price.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nighthawks, who had their start in 1972, have been around a lot longer than the Sellersville Theater, which opened as a music venue in 2001. The band has had many incarnations and the present line-up is one of the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current lineup has been together about two years,\u201d said Wenner. \u201cDan and Paul joined in 2018 and Mark has been in the band for 10-11 years. I\u2019m 49 years in. In the scheme of things, there really hasn\u2019t been that many different main lineups.\u201d<\/p>\n

The original Nighthawks lineup solidified in mid-1974. Bringing together frontmen Mark Wenner and Jimmy Thackery\u00a0with a veteran rhythm section — Jan Zukowski\u00a0on bass and\u00a0Pete Ragusa\u00a0on drums — the quartet ruled the highways and honky-tonks until Thackery\u2019s departure in 1986 to pursue a solo career.<\/p>\n

The band opened many doors and forged many touring\u00a0routes for their contemporaries, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, and played with as many blues and rockabilly legends as they could. They opened frequently for acts such as Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Carl Perkins, and also backed up and recorded with John Hammond and Pinetop Perkins.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first year-and-a-half, we played once a week and guitar players and bass players came and went,\u201d said Wenner. \u201cIn 1974, we solidified a four-piece band and recorded an album.\u201d<\/p>\n

That album was titled \u201cRock\u2019n\u2019Roll.\u201d The Nighthawks have released 28 albums since. In 2011, their album, \u201cLast Train to Bluesville\u201d won the Acoustic Album of the Year at the 32nd\u00a0Blues Music Awards, sponsored by the\u00a0Blues Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the 70s, we worked a lot with Elvin Bishop, Pinetop Perkins and John Lee Hooker,\u201d said Wenner. \u201cWe got to be the house band for Rosebud Agency. They were using us as the East Coast band for their acts and they all had other bands on the West Coast. We went from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Key West with Elvin Bishop.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1976, we went from Boston to Atlanta and in 1978 played Colorado and Texas. In 1981 we went from Seattle to San Diego. As we got a little older, we started lopping off longer portions. It\u2019s been 35 years since we played the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did play in Louisiana for 20 years. We did 10 Mardi Gras in a row starting in 1978. We\u2019d play Tipitina\u2019s on Thursday and Friday and do a show in Baton Rouge on Saturdays. Then, we\u2019d come back to Now Orleans to party for Mardi Gras.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first 14 years with Jim Thackery, we played 49 states and 10 countries. We built a foundation and have been exploring it ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s most recent album is \u201cTryin\u2019 To Get To You,\u201d which was produced by David Earl and The Nighthawks and recorded at Severn Sound Studio. The album\u2019s 13 tracks showcase the breadth and expertise of the band in its explorations of all branches of roots music.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album was released on April 15, 2020,\u201d said Wenner. \u201cIt\u2019s a really good album. But, by April 15, everything was non-existent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the first album with the current group. This unit I\u2019ve got is really good \u2013 so interactive, so creative, so musical. Two guys writing and four-part harmony \u2013 it\u2019s a great version. We\u2019ve made that a real focus of the band.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nighthawks are a band that is conscious of its sound \u2013 a roots band rather than a jam band.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no lengthy solos,\u201d said Wenner. \u201cThere is no shredding. We play songs with a structure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for the Nighthawks — https:\/\/youtu.be\/Lr8lvxQVPdY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville Theater on April 3 will start at 8 p.m. and will be both live and Livestream. Tickets for the theater are $25. Livestream tickets are $12.50.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Live music is starting to slowly return after being relegated to the trash heap for more than a year because of COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. This weekend, there are a variety of shows around the area including several that can be classified as \u201cfirsts\u201d \u2013 including Aziza Nailah\u2019s show […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[13736,7426,13737,13422,13735,13421],"class_list":["post-48018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-aziza-nailah","tag-featured","tag-john-kadlecik","tag-sellersville-theater","tag-the-nighthawks","tag-the-queen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48018","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=48018"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48019,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48018\/revisions\/48019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}