{"id":48559,"date":"2021-07-08T09:16:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T13:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=48559"},"modified":"2021-07-08T09:16:47","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T13:16:47","slug":"on-stage-space-kamp-makes-return-to-lehigh-valley-for-free-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=48559","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Space Kamp makes return to Lehigh Valley for free show"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Space Kamp<\/p><\/div>\n

Space Kamp is a music group that started in the Lehigh Valley and now is returning to the Lehigh Valley on July 11 to perform a free show. \u201cSpace Kamp\u2019s Summer Shakedown\u201d is scheduled for July 11 at Levitt Pavilion Steel Stacks (101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, www.levittsteelstacks.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Space Kamp, a duo that delivers a swirling blend of reggae, hip hop and psychedelic rock, features Oskee (son of Latin\u00a0GRAMMY<\/a>\u00a0Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Cuco Valoy) and Adoo (formerly Adlib, a hip hop artist from Philly).<\/p>\n

Oskee and Adoo are also founders of Rebel Hippies, a cannabis culture lifestyle brand and radio show.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had Space Kamp since 2017,\u201d said Adoo, during a phone interview Sunday morning. \u201cWe were living in Allentown when we met.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe met just doing some local shows. We were both making music before we started this group and friends introduced us. We had good social interaction \u2013 really good connections. We\u2019re inspired by the same things \u2013 musically and all around. We\u2019re both cannabis advocates. We\u2019re also advocates for the legalization of psilocybin and psychedelics. <\/p>\n

\u201cMusically, we both grew up listening to all kinds of music. A lot of groups tend to listen to only one genre. We pull inspiration from a lot of influences \u2013 reggae, classic rock, hip hop, rap with cadence, Latin music, anything from the Caribbean\u2026.rock steady, Lee \u201cScratch\u201d Perry, Bob Marley.<\/p>\n

According to Space Kamp, \u201cCannabis is a part of our lives. We\u2019ll continue to advocate for legalization and law reform until every person behind bars is free and records are washed.\u00a0Everyone deserves the right to not only use cannabis but to grow if they so choose.\u201d<\/p>\n

The guys in Space Kamp could be two dudes that entered a time capsule at the end of 1969 (\u201cThe Summer of Love\/The Year of Woodstock\u201d) and emerged 50 years later \u2013 able to hold on to the love-and-peace hippie vibe and, at the same time, adapt to current music (hip hop) and technology (cell phones).<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we met in Allentown, Oskee was working in music,\u201d said Adoo. \u201cI was doing a lot of tour managing.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Oskee, \u201cI was in a previous group called Cassette Deck Kings with my buddy Gibbs before Space Kamp. Also, I had a solo album that I was making and that took a back burner once we started getting the ball rolling on everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adoo said, \u201cWe had a record released in 2017 called \u2018Terpene Station.\u2019 It was us testing the water to see how we meshed together. We did two tours with that record and really got to know each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made our next record \u2013 \u2018Electric Lemonade\u2019 \u2013 a little over a year ago. We finished it in December 2019 and released it in June 2020. We flew to B.C. (British Columbia) \u2013 to Nanaimo \u2013 and recorded it there. We had Rob the Viking as the producers and all the musicians were from B.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded nine of the 10 tracks there and then went to San Francisco to record the title track. We recorded it at Hyde Street Studio. It\u2019s a really good studio — and a really historic studio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to becoming Hyde Street Studio in 1980, Wally Heider Studio was a legendary studio in the Bay Area known for great producers and engineers (including King of Prussia native Timmy Boyle). In the 1970s, the long list of bands using the studio included Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Grateful Dead, T. Rex, The Byrds and Herbie Hancock.<\/p>\n

Space Kamp\u2019s latest record, \u201cWaiting for Summer,\u201d was just released on April 2, 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this one, we went back to Marsten House in Philly,\u201d said Adoo. \u201cIt\u2019s the same studio we used for \u2018Terpene Station.\u2019<\/p>\n

Then, we sent it to Rob the Viking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rob the Viking is a highly regarded producer from western Canada and also a member of veteran B.C. hip hop group, Swollen Members.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always working on new music,\u201d said Oskee. \u201cWe\u2019ve been writing a lot over the last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Oskee and Adoo joined forces in Allentown, neither is a native of the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from Philly \u2013 from Germantown,\u201d said Adoo. \u201cThen, we moved to Lansdale, and I went to high school at North Penn. Oskee is from the Dominican Republic and New Jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oskee said, \u201cI\u2019m from Santo Domingo and came to America when I was five. I ended up in Guttenberg, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father was a musician in the Dominican Republic \u2013 Cuco Valoy. My brother Ram\u00f3n Orlando\u00a0was also a musician there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuco Valoy\u00a0is a singer, songwriter, percussionist and guitarist who is versatile in\u00a0salsa,\u00a0son montuno, Guaracha and\u00a0merengue. He began performing\u00a0Cuban son\u00a0with his brother Mart\u00edn, under the name Los Ahijados. Cuco is the father of\u00a0Ram\u00f3n Orlando\u00a0with whom he formed the band\u00a0Los Virtuosos, which later became La Tribu.<\/p>\n

Ram\u00f3n Orlando Valoy Garc\u00eda\u00a0is a musician, singer, arranger, composer, record producer and songwriter. He has received seven\u00a0Casandra awards\u00a0including the\u00a0Soberano. In 2005, he was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award in the Best Merengue Album category.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad had me take piano lessons when I was six \u2013 classical piano,\u201d said Oskee, who obviously came from a very musical family. \u201cMy dad wanted me to be a classical musician.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, I switched to baseball. I played for Quebec City (Capitales) in the Can-Am League and later in Utica, New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Capitales have been a perennial powerhouse the Can-Am League. Since they joined the league in 2005, they have placed first eight times and only once have finished lower than third place.<\/p>\n

When people ask Space Kamp what their genre is, the reply is straight and to the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur music is \u2018Rebel Hippies Music,\u2019\u201d said Adoo. \u201cWe promote healing and love.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Space Kamp guys do more than just \u201ctalk the talk.\u201d They \u201cwalk the walk\u201d and believe in giving back.<\/p>\n

They are advocates of prison reform and federal legalization of cannabis, psilocybin, and home grow. They have donated certain profits to the nonprofit Freedom Grow Forever, which helps inmates incarcerated for cannabis receive commissary. Additionally, they host an annual Toy and Coat Drive and fundraiser for the Lehigh Valley Children\u2019s Hospital.
\nSome bands have developed a base of devoted fans who follow their shows from city to city such as the \u201cDeadheads\u201d (Grateful Dead) and the \u201cPhish Heads.\u201d Space Kamp has the \u201cKampers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every tour, \u201cKampers\u201d follow the band from show to show, and the band\u2019s brand,\u00a0Rebel Hippies, founded by Adoo with co-owner Stoney J, have become a part of the Space Kamp community — from must-have Rebel Hippie concert tees to supporters showing off Rebel Hippie and Space Kamp tattoos and custom artwork.<\/p>\n

The Kampers won\u2019t have a two-month stretch of caravan journeys to Space Kamp concerts, but they will have a few special destinations this summer.<\/p>\n

In addition to the show in Bethlehem this weekend, Space Kamp will be playing at Musikfest in Bethlehem on August 13 and at the New Jersey Cannabis Festival at the Showboat in Atlantic City on August 22.<\/p>\n

Video link for Space Kamp — https:\/\/youtu.be\/HhWVe8ZWMmY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Space Kamps Summer Shakedown will start at 6 p.m. on July 11 at Levitt Pavilion Steel Stacks in Bethlehem. Admission is free.<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) is definitely a July destination for fans of blues music.<\/p>\n

Already this month, the venue has hosted shows by internationally acclaimed blues acts — Clarence Spady (July 2) and Ana Popovic (July 6). On July 10, the headliner will be Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials<\/p><\/div>\n

Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials, beloved around the world as reigning champs of the raucous, slide-stoked Chicago sound, have spent more than 30 years cranking out high-octane blues on a series of critically acclaimed albums and in thousands of club, theatre and festival performances around the globe.<\/p>\n

With sales of more than 120,000 units under its belt, this legendary band is captured at the top of its game on its latest album \u2013 \u201cThe Big Sound of Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lil\u2019 Ed is Ed Williams, Chicago-born blues guitarist, singer and songwriter who has risen to fame on the strength of his standout slide guitar work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last year, I wasn\u2019t working as much as I usually do because of the pandemic,\u201d said Williams, during a recent phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his home in Hawthorn Woods, which is located approximately 40 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did some acoustic shows and some screenings \u2013 low key shows. I actually played a lot and did a lot of screenings but it wasn\u2019t the same as a real live concert. In an ordinary year, we\u2019d play around 200 shows a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the pandemic, the band got other jobs like delivering food. We do handyman work too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 main job could also be a funky addition to the band\u2019s repertoire \u2013 \u201cCar Wash\u201d by Rose Royce.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went back and started working at the car wash near my house,\u201d said Williams. \u201cEvery time I pull into the parking lot at work, I have that song blaring out of my car\u2019s speakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do all the different jobs you do at a car wash. The owner wanted to make me the manager, but I had to refuse. I need to have the freedom to go out and play shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout three weeks ago, we started to get shows \u2013 one a week or maybe two. This weekend, we\u2019re coming east for the show at Sellersville on Saturday and a show the night before at a blues festival somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania. I also have a few shows coming up in the Chicago area.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Big Sound of Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials is bursting with Lil\u2019 Ed\u2019s rollicking slide-work and raw-boned vocals on a joyous blend of burning boogies, romping shuffles and heart-stopping slow blues. The ever-ready Blues Imperials continue to be his perfect sidekicks \u2014 laying down greasy, percolating grooves with reckless precision.<\/p>\n

Lil\u2019 Ed \u2018s backing band \u2014 The Blues Imperials \u2014 are bassist James \u201cPookie\u201d Young, guitarist Mike Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always used a four-piece band \u2014 two guitars, bass and drums,\u201d said Williams, during a recent phone interview. \u201cKelly, Mike and Pookie are my guys. This is a really tight band. These guys have been with me for about 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams and his half-brother Pookie Young, received childhood encouragement and tutelage from their uncle, blues guitarist, songwriter and recording artist J. B. Hutto.<\/p>\n

\u201cJ.B. would come and play for my family,\u201d said Williams. \u201cSlide guitar was the instrument for me because it shimmied. J.B. would play his slide and the 40-watt light bulbs in our house would dim.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started playing guitar when I was 11 or 12. J.B. would always play songs by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and Elmore James. The Muddy Waters songs always had a lot of slide guitar. That\u2019s what I really liked a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been almost 30 years since Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials released their debut album \u201cRoughhousin\u2019\u201d on\u00a0Alligator\u00a0Records. The band\u2019s most recent album is \u201cThe Big Sound Of Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials\u201d in 2016. \u00a0All of Li\u2019l Ed\u2019s records over the last three decades have been on Alligator Records, a Chicago-based label specializing in blues music.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack around 1985, I was playing a North Side club here in Chicago and Bruce (Iglauer, producer and owner of Alligator Records) heard me play,\u201d said Williams. \u201cHe invited me to play a couple tracks on a compilation album called \u2018The New Bluebloods.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to their studio and did 15 songs. Then, we kept going. We cut 32 songs in a couple hours. That was where all the songs from \u2018Roughhousin\u2019 came from.<\/p>\n

\u201cI signed with Alligator Records then. Bruce and I shook hands and we\u2019re still together 30 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams has started working on his next album for Alligator, but no release date has been set.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of write as I go because I write about things that I see or little things people say,\u201d said Williams. \u201cA good example is my song \u2018Icicles in My Meatloaf.\u2019 My wife had made meatloaf \u2014 some of it was for dinner and she froze the rest for later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she defrosted it and served it, it wasn\u2019t heated up all the way. My mother-in-law started to eat it, came across a part that was still frozen and said \u2014 there\u2019s an icicle in my meatloaf.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get that kind of vibe going. I look around me. I try to focus on what\u2019s going on around me in the world \u2014 all the things that happen in everyday living in all our lives. That\u2019s why people relate to my songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a little studio in my house. I\u2019m always sitting down plucking on my guitar. I get a groove going and then decide if it\u2019s a heavy song or as happy song.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2013, the band was awarded the Living Blues Critics\u2019 and Readers\u2019 Awards for Best Live Performer. The band won this same distinction in the 2012 and 2011 Living Blues Critics\u2019 Poll. The group won the coveted 2009 Blues Music Award for Band Of The Year, the same honor they received in 2007.<\/p>\n

In his live shows, Williams presents fans with an overview of his career \u2014 and a heavy dose of the blues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got so many songs that I can play,\u201d said Williams. \u201cEvery show, I try to mix up the material \u2014 old songs from 25 years ago along with newer songs. I also throw in some covers \u2014 Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Elmore James \u2014 all the good ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always working on songs \u2013 trying to find new material.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am hoping to get in the studio sometime soon. I\u2019m probably going to have 20 songs ready. I talked to Bruce, and he said we\u2019ll go back in the studio soon. Right now, it\u2019s still up in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams comes to the blues naturally. He was born in Chicago on April 8, 1955 in the heart of Chicago\u2019s tough West Side and grew up surrounded by music. His uncle J.B. Hutto, taught him how\u00a0to feel, not just play the blues.<\/p>\n

Harris and Young spent their teen years making music together, and in 1975 formed the first incarnation of The Blues Imperials.<\/p>\n

They played their first gig at a West Side club called Big Duke\u2019s Blue Flame, splitting the $6 take four ways. Over the next few years, the group played every club in the neighborhood but still needed day jobs to pay the bills. Harris worked ten hours a day as a buffer at the Red Carpet Car Wash while Young drove a school bus.<\/p>\n

Through relentless touring, the group became tighter with each performance. The band\u2019s spontaneous live show became legendary among blues fans worldwide.<\/p>\n

Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials have played the Chicago Blues Festival, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Portland\u2019s Waterfront Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The San Diego Blues Festival, The Pennsylvania Blues Festival and dozens of other festivals around the country.<\/p>\n

They also have performed at festivals in Canada, Great Britain, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Japan, Australia, India, Turkey and Panama.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a fun bluesman,\u201d said Harris. \u201cA lot of blues songs are sad. Me \u2013 I\u2019m a happy blues player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Lil\u2019 Ed & The Blues Imperials — https:\/\/youtu.be\/B2A6p9OA-EY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater on July 10 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 to attend the show in person. It will also be available via Livestream. Tickets for the Livestream presentation are $12.50.<\/p>\n

There are just two weekends left to catch a performance of \u201cBeehive: The 1960\u2019s Musical\u201d at the <\/em>Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware,\u00a0www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org<\/a>). The show will end its run on July 18.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The members of the all-female cast ask audiences to join them for this rollicking musical tribute to the ladies who left their mark on the music of the 60s. With big voices and bigger hairdos,\u00a0<\/em>\u201cBeehive\u201d\u00a0will have audience members dancing in the aisles and singing along with many of the iconic songs from the past.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The show, which was created by Larry Gallagher,\u00a0is a celebration of the powerful female voices of the 1960s. This musical review will transport audiences with timeless hits such as \u201cMe and Bobby McGee,\u201d\u00a0\u201cMy Boyfriend\u2019s Back\u201d, \u201cBe My Baby,\u201d \u201cSon of a Preacher Man\u201d, and \u201cYou Don\u2019t Own Me\u201d.<\/p>\n

There are six performers in the cast at the Candlelight \u2013 Macy (Macy Chaplin), Tiffany (Tiffany Dawn Christopher), Phoebe (Phoebe Gavula), Tiara (Tiara Greene), Jenna (Jenna Kuerzi) and Kaylan (Kaylan Wetzel).<\/p>\n

Wetzel is familiar with the songs in the show \u2013 but she didn\u2019t grow up with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the music from my mom\u2019s era,\u201d said Wetzel. \u201cShe grew up in the 1960s. And my father too \u2013 he loved the Beatles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeehive: The 1960\u2019s Musical\u201d is running now through July 18. Tickets are $65.50 for adults and $33 for children (ages 4-12). All seats are reserved.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Wynonna Judd<\/p><\/div>\n

City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, citywinery.com\/philadelphia<\/a>) will present Wynonna Judd on July 14.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) hosts Nick Perri and the Underground Thieves on July 8, Donovan Frankenreiter on July 9 and Nicole Atkins on July 10.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) presents Sir Rod & the Blues Doctors on July 9 and Songwriters in the Round with Michael Braunfel, Kyle Swartzwalder and Larry Ahearn on July 10.<\/p>\n

Punch Line Philly (33 East Laurel Street, Philadelphia, 215-606-6555<\/a>, http:\/\/www.punchlinephilly.com<\/a>) will present Carmen Lynch from July 8-10, Sex Dwarf on July 11, Nacho Mic on July 12, Philadelphia Comedy Academy on July 12, Hilarious Colombian Americans on July 13, and Jermaine Johnson on July 14.<\/p>\n

Helium Comedy Club (2031 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com<\/a>) will feature Brian Regan from July 9-11.<\/p>\n

The American Music Theatre (2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, 800-0 648-4102, www.AMTshows.com<\/a>) will present The Original Coasters and Charlie Thomas\u2019 Drifters\u00a0on July 11.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Space Kamp is a music group that started in the Lehigh Valley and now is returning to the Lehigh Valley on July 11 to perform a free show. \u201cSpace Kamp\u2019s Summer Shakedown\u201d is scheduled for July 11 at Levitt Pavilion Steel Stacks (101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, www.levittsteelstacks.org). Space […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,10190,13913,13914],"class_list":["post-48559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-lil-ed-the-blues-imperials","tag-space-kamp","tag-wynonna-judd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48559","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=48559"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48560,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48559\/revisions\/48560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}