{"id":48666,"date":"2021-07-29T09:02:48","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T13:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=48666"},"modified":"2021-07-29T09:02:53","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T13:02:53","slug":"on-stage-vanessa-collier-comes-home-for-rooftop-show-at-the-flash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=48666","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Vanessa Collier comes home for rooftop show at The Flash"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Vanessa Collier<\/p><\/div>\n

Vanessa Collier is a highly acclaimed blues\/jazz sax player who \u2013 in normal times \u2013 spends a lot of time touring nationally.<\/p>\n

Occasionally, the Chadds Ford resident gets an opportunity to play a show at a venue close to home \u2013 including Delaware gigs at the Candlelight Dinner Theater and the Arden Gild Hall.<\/p>\n

On July 30, she will play a show virtually in her own backyard when she is the featured act at Kennett Flash\u2019s Rooftop Series (Kennett Square Parking Garage Rooftop, 100 East Linden Street., Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived last spring, it forced Collier to abandon a spring\/summer tour after just one show and to push back the release of her new album. It also wiped out a blues cruise in the fall on which she was scheduled to be a featured performer.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Collier, a resident of Chadds Ford, has been able to start booking shows again and she is going forward at full speed. <\/p>\n

Tonight (July 29), she is performing at the Crossroads Blues Fest in Lima, New York. After Friday\u2019s show in Kennett Square, she is heading to Marlinton, West Virginia for a show at the Pocahontas Opera House on Saturday night followed by a performance at the Pittsburgh Blues Festival Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Then, it\u2019s on to Mayville, New York on August 2, Erie on August 3 and then cross-country to be a featured act at Bluesapalooza in Mammoth Lakes, California. Mammoth Lakes is a town in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t done any recording lately,\u201d said Collier, during a phone interview Tuesday evening. \u201cTouring is picking back up and I\u2019ve been adding in a few new band members.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a van and I\u2019m using it a lot. I\u2019ll fly out for the California date. But for anything within a 12-hour drive, I use my van.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a two-week run in Colorado in the fall and I just added a show in Switzerland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Collier\u2019s fans in this area, she has a few other relatively close gigs on her schedule \u2013 Berks Jazz Festival in Reading on August 14, Long\u2019s Park Summer Series in Lancaster on August 15, Philadelphia Folk Festival on August 22 and the Lancaster Roots and Blues Festival on October 17.<\/p>\n

She has been making up for pandemic-induced lost time.<\/p>\n

In October 2020, she had the opportunity to play a show at a venue that was very close to her home \u2013 an outdoor matinee concert at Candlelight Dinner Theatre.<\/p>\n

Ironically, one of the last shows he played before the pandemic shut things down was about one-half mile south of the Candlelight Theater at the Arden Gild Hall<\/p>\n

\u201cI played a show at the Arden Gild in February 2020 and a few other shows after that,\u201d said Collier. \u201cMy last gig on the tour was March 12 \u2013 the first show of a Midwest tour. We played Mojo\u2019s Boneyard in Evansville, Indiana. That same day, the NBA and MLB stopped their games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized it was serious, so I said to my band \u2013 \u2018let\u2019s play this show and go home.\u2019 I love to talk to people after my shows. I just like chatting with my fans, but I couldn\u2019t do that. Instead, the show ended, and I had to head back to the Green Room. I like hugging people, but I didn\u2019t want to put them at risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I thought it would just be a few weeks with the pandemic, but it just kept getting worse. I lost a tour and had a cruise cancelled. Plus, I support a band of five and I haven\u2019t been able to support them. It was incredibly frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collier released her new album \u201cHeart On The Line\u201d on August 21 \u2013 an album that has received rave reviews from music critics and fans alike.\u00a0Still in her mid-20s,\u00a0Collier\u00a0has toured all over the world numerous times and has released three solo albums. With searing saxophone solos, soulful vocals, and witty lyrics, her songwriting features a blend of blues, funk, rock, and soul.<\/p>\n

Collier\u2019s impressive vocals and stinging saxophone work saw her light up stages as part of Joe Louis Walker\u2019s band in 2012 and 2013.<\/p>\n

In 2014, her debut album \u201cHeart Soul & Saxophone\u201d won her accolades as a \u201cBest of 2014 Blues Breaker.\u201d In March 2017, she released her sophomore album \u201cMeeting My Shadow.\u201d Collier\u2019s third album \u201cHoney Up\u201d was released on July 6, 2018.<\/p>\n

Collier\u00a0is primarily a sax player, singer and songwriter but is also well-versed in playing clavinet, flute, electric organ, and percussion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was little, I really wanted to play piano,\u201d said Collier. \u201cI don\u2019t know why. I started taking piano lessons but didn\u2019t like the teacher, so I quit after six months. I saw someone playing sax on television and fell in love with it. We rented a sax for me when I was in fourth grade. That was in school. Then, I studied with a private instructor for a few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I took lessons with Chris Vadala, who played sax with Chuck Mangione. I studied with him for seven years \u2013 classical, jazz and funk. He started me doubling on flute and clarinet. I still play those instruments. Mainly, I play sax \u2014 tenor, some soprano and some baritone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collier\u2019s previous album \u201cHoney Up\u201d was released almost two years and was nominated for Blues Music Award (BMA) Contemporary Blues Album of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat album did well right from the start,\u201d said Collier. \u201cIt was a Top 5 Billboard Blues Album and was well-received by radio deejays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collier\u00a0was nominated in 2017 for a Blues Music Award in the \u201cInstrumental \u2014 Horn Player of the Year\u201d category. She also won first place in the \u201cLyrics Only\u201d category of the 2017 USA Songwriting Competition. In 2018, Collier\u00a0was nominated in two categories at the Blues Music Awards \u2013 \u201cContemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year\u201d and \u201cInstrumental \u2014 Horn Player of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2019, she was again nominated in same two categories at the Blues Music Awards \u2013 \u201cContemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year\u201d and \u201cInstrumental \u2013 Horn.\u201d She claimed first place in the \u201cInstrumental \u2013 Horn\u201d category.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoney Up,\u201d which had a three-month residency on Billboard\u2019s \u201cTop Blues Albums Chart,\u201d provides a good look at Collier\u2019s influences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith jazz, the first person I was turned on to was Cannonball Adderley,\u201d said Collier. \u201cOther major influences were John Coltrane, Junior Walker, and Maceo Parker. Vocally, I started with Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan and that morphed into Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Collier is ready for \u201cHeart on the Line\u201d to take off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had recorded the basics for the new album back in February,\u201d said Collier. \u201cI had planned to put the vocals on it during the Midwest tour even though it would have been hectic. When I came home, I had a lot of time. I put vocals on. I put horns on a few tracks. I spent time with the mixing. It took longer than I had planned. Like my previous albums, it\u2019s definitely a mixture \u2013 blues, funk, NOLA \u2013 but this one goes rootsier.<\/p>\n

Collier recorded the album in January at Hearstudios in Camden, Maine and released it on her own label \u2013 Phenix Fire Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same studio I used for \u2018Honey Up\u2019,\u201d said Collier. \u201cI used the same engineer \u2013 Mark Wessel. He was a professor I had at Berklee for a course in music production. He really captures each instrument as it sounds in the room and is absolutely wonderful to work with.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark has also engineered and\/or mixed albums for The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Duke Robillard, and many more. Ben Fox was the assistant engineer for these sessions and was a great addition to the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scheduled release date was May 15 and it got pushed back to August 21. The Grammys are continuing as planned and I wanted it to be out in time to be Grammy-eligible. I love this record. I was able to put a lot of me into this record. Also, I\u2019m going to be doing another record soon and I didn\u2019t want to be sitting on two albums in the can.\u201d<\/p>\n

On her Facebook site, Collier offered insight into the making of \u201cHeart On The Line\u201d \u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so extremely proud of this record and thankful to the wonderful musicians who played on it: Nick Stevens on drums, percussion, and shuitar; CC Ellis, Scot Sutherland, and Cornell Williams on bass; William Gorman on keys; Laura Chavez on guitar; Doug Woolverton on trumpet, and Quinn Carson on trombone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to put into words how wonderful Laura Chavez is.\u00a0She\u2019s an incredible guitar player knowing just what to play (and what not to play) in the cracks. Simple, elegant, funky, and one of the baddest guitar players as a rhythm player, and especially amazing when building her solos. I am grateful for her playing which glues the rhythm section together, and perhaps, even more so, for her friendship over the past few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Collier and her fans, Chavez is coming east to tour with her friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have rotating guitarists,\u201d said Collier. \u201cI always have killer guitarists. Laura is one of the best. Right now, I have Byron Cage on drums and flopping bass players \u2013 Brian Quinn and Andrew Crane.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith my current set list, I\u2019m trying to figure out what works for what kind of venues. I\u2019m trying to have a lot from the new record in my set list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collier\u00a0also is a music teacher and has been involved in various \u201cBlues in Schools\u201d programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Clarksville, Maryland and then graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston,\u201d said Collier, who earned a dual degree in performance and music production, and engineering. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m basically just playing and teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really like teaching sax \u2013 soprano, tenor, alto and baritone. I feel like I have a lot to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Vanessa Collier — https:\/\/youtu.be\/iHsau_hj4FE<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kennett Rooftop Series show will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30.<\/p>\n

This will be a big weekend for the Kennett Flash with a trio of Rooftop Series shows featuring highly respected veteran music acts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rory Block<\/p><\/div>\n

The show on July 29 will feature The Hypothetical House Band \u2013 Jon Herington and Dennis Espantman. On July 31, the featured act will be blues legend Rory Block.<\/p>\n

Block released her first album \u2013 \u201cHow To Play Blues Guitar\u201d in 1967. \u00a0Her most recent releases are \u201cA Woman\u2019s Soul: A Tribute to Bessie Smith,\u201d which came out in 2018, and \u201cProve It On Me,\u201d which came out last year and is a tribute to groundbreaking \u201cWomen of the Blues.\u201d<\/p>\n

If music fans want to learn about the history of the genre known as blues music, a great place to start would be Block\u2019s impressive catalog \u2014 especially \u201cThe Mentor Series\u201d and the \u201cPower Women of the Blues\u201d series.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018The Mentor Series\u2019 is six CDs,\u201d said Block, during phone interview from her studio in rural Kentucky. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s dedicated to the rediscovered blues masters who I met in person, those who I spent time with.\u201d<\/p>\n

The highly acclaimed blues guitarist\/singer not only is a stellar player whose music is steeped in authenticity, she also is a living conduit to blues greats such as Son House, Rev. Gary Davis and Robert Johnson.<\/p>\n

One of her albums a decade ago was \u201cBlues Walkin\u2019 Like A Man\u201d, which was a tribute to Son House.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a uniquely personal feeling about this recording (\u201cBlues Walkin\u2019 Like A Man\u201d) because of spending quality time with\u00a0Son House,\u201d said Block. \u201cPeople thank me for keeping the old music alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to bring historic music to a current day audience has always been very important to me. I feel that I am on a mission to keep the old music alive- to prevent it from disappearing into the mists of time \u2013 and always to mention the names of the original writers, lest we forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Block was in her early teens, her\u00a0father was deeply involved in the folk revival scene in the\u00a0West\u00a0Village\u00a0and hosted regular Saturday afternoon jam sessions in his sandal shop. In 1964, Block heard an album called \u201cReally The Country Blues\u201d and immediately became dedicated to learning how to play blues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met my first boyfriend\u00a0Stefan Grossman\u00a0when he was playing music at the\u00a0Sunday afternoon\u00a0jam sessions in Washington Square Park,\u201d said Block. \u201cHe handed me an album called \u201cReally The Country Blues\u201d and I was immediately hooked. All I knew was that it was the most beautiful, soulful, haunting music I had ever heard, and it resonated with what was in my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blues came knocking and Block eagerly opened the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cStefan was part of a small, incredibly dedicated group of blues fans- just a handful of aficionados \u2014 players like John Hammond, John Fahey, and Jo Ann Kelly \u2014\u00a0plus record collectors and historians who drove through the South looking to find the original blues players. As they were located, they were brought through New York City to perform. Stefan and I were there and got to meet and play music with them too,\u201d said Block.<\/p>\n

Block took full advantage of the opportunity that was presented to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was extremely fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time,\u201d said Block. \u201cMy father\u2019s sandal shop was a musical hub where all kinds of great musicians would gather to jam, and I just happened to be right there in the middle of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresh from her latest triumph at the May 2019 Blues Music Awards in Memphis, where she won \u201cAcoustic Blues Artist of the Year\u201d honors, the now six-time BMA winner continues to tour in support of her first \u201cPower Women of the Blues\u201d album series CD, \u201cA Woman\u2019s Soul.\u201d The album is a tribute to the legendary Bessie Smith.<\/p>\n

According to Block, \u201c\u2018Power Women of the Blues\u2019 is a project that has been simmering in my imagination for 54 years. It has been my long standing mission to identify, celebrate and honor the early founders\u2014men and women\u2014of the blues. This series is dedicated to the music of some of my all-time favorite iconic female blues artists, many of whom were shrouded in mystery during the sixties blues revival, while the recordings of others had simply disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a long time, it was a challenge to find records by early blues artists who were male. Finding music by female blues artists was extremely challenging.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018Power Women of the Blues\u2019\u201d said Block, \u201cI\u2019m reaching into the archives again to celebrate both known and less-known female artists who were among the greatest in the genre.\u00a0After doing the \u2018Mentor Series,\u2019 the \u2018Women\u2019s Series\u2019 was a no-brainer. I thought \u2013 why not do tributes to my favorite women of the blues. It just felt like it was time.\u201d<\/p>\n

While many of the tracks by these musical pioneer women have been covered in recent years and are familiar to listeners, the source of the tracks has been frequently ignored.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am determined to celebrate the artists who created this powerful, influential style of music,\u201d said Block. \u201cAnd I feel ever more inspired to bring the history of the blues to life so that people will again hear the names of the original artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Block first heard Bessie Smith\u2019s life-changing voice in 1964 as a teenager living in New York City.<\/p>\n

According to Block, \u201cFilled with grit and incredible vocal prowess, it was the ultimate soulful wail \u2014 so compelling, so honest, so rich with meaning and information about the female soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Woman\u2019s Soul\u201d was produced by Rory Block and Rob Davis and recorded at Aurora Studios in Chatham, New York. All vocals are by Block, who also played all the guitar and bass parts on her Signature Model Martin Guitars. Additionally, all of the percussion \u2014 guitar bongos, hat boxes, plastic storage tubs, oatmeal boxes and wooden spoons \u2013 was played by Block.<\/p>\n

\u201cBessie was one of the most successful and influential early blues\/jazz performers of her day,\u201d said Block. \u201cI loved her music from the moment I heard her voice. Starting the \u2018Power Women Of The Blues\u2019 series with\u00a0Bessie Smith\u00a0was an obvious choice. She was always among the strongest inspirations in my career. And there was also always a lot of her music available, which was not the always case with a great many other female<\/p>\n

Deciding which Bessie Smith songs to use on the album wasn\u2019t that hard a task for Block.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do it by feel,\u201d said Block. \u201cIt\u2019s as if the songs just pick themselves. They essentially leap out of the speakers and scream \u2013 \u2018record me.\u2019 Bessie\u2019s music has a terrific combination of elements that appeal to me. It\u2019s all about energy, drive and drama- all the elements that make music exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always had an overwhelmingly\u00a0strong connection to early music \u2013 to the spirit of it \u2013 so I know right away if I can resonate with a specific song.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Block is touring and has a new album, she is not out on an \u201calbum support tour.\u201d Her set list is too comprehensive to overload it with many songs from one project.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver time, a musical retrospective has come into focus,\u201d said Block. \u201cIt\u2019s really the story of my whole life. And there are now so many songs and recordings \u2013 I\u2019ve lost count — probably around 30 albums including compilations. I\u2019ve been recording my whole life so there is just this vast array of material.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Rory Block \u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/lQ_PKvC4v7k<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Kennett Rooftop Series show will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ruthie Foster<\/p><\/div>\n

When Ruthie Foster performs on July 31 the City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, citywinery.com\/philadelphia<\/a>), the sound will be somewhat different than what fans heard on her most recent record.<\/p>\n

Foster\u2019s last album, which was released on May 15, 2020,\u00a0on Blue Corn Music, is \u201cLive at the Paramount.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had 16-17 people on stage that night,\u201d said Foster, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon as she travelled from New York City to Long Island.<\/p>\n

Foster\u2019s show on Wednesday night at The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York, was the first of a 10-day, seven-show tour in the Mid-Atlantic\/New England region.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m basically dropping and playing,\u201d said Foster, who is based in Texas. \u201cI got on a flight this morning in Austin and now I\u2019m on my way to Long Island.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLive at the Paramount\u201d swings back to the days when\u00a0Ella\u00a0Fitzgerald sang\u00a0Duke Ellington songs\u00a0and\u00a0Sinatra\u00a0blasted off with\u00a0Count Basie\u00a0and\u00a0Quincy Jones.\u00a0Recorded on\u00a0the night of\u00a0January 26, 2019 on the 105-year-old stage of Austin\u2019s grand-dame Paramount Theater, it\u00a0features\u00a0the Ruthie Foster Big Band — a guitarist, keyboardist, bassist and drummer, plus 10\u00a0horn players, three backing vocalists and one\u00a0conductor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded just one show,\u201d said Foster, who has won nine Blues Music Awards. \u201cKnowing that it was being recorded for an album really didn\u2019t put any extra pressure on. We said \u2013 let\u2019s just do what we do. Everybody go and relax \u2013 just have fun with it. We had a great bandleader \u2013 John Mills.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just about having fun \u2013 but putting together a set list for that show was a little difficult. There was a different flow with so many instruments. You can\u2019t out-sing a brass section \u2013 and they were right behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Foster\u2019s show this Saturday, there will be just one instrumentalist \u2013 Ruthie Foster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI play both acoustic and electric guitars,\u201d said Foster. \u201cSometimes with travelling, it\u2019s one or the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show in Philly is a solo show and I\u2019ll be bringing both acoustic and electric guitar. With solo shows, there definitely is a lot more freedom when it comes to the songs that can be played.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foster, who has been singing since she was very young, grew up in Gause, a small Texas town with a population of just 400 in the most recent census. It is also the hometown of Bob Wills of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys fame.<\/p>\n

\u201cGause is right in the middle of Texas \u2013 in cotton country,\u201d said Foster. \u201cI started singing in the church, so I have a gospel background.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad is a huge blues fan and he\u2019d be listening to Lightnin\u2019 Hopkins and Howling Wolf. My mother was listening to artists like Mahalia Jackson and Aretha Franklin.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an amalgam of gospel and blues. I also had a piano teacher who was into folk music, so I was listening to Odetta and other songwriters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1982, I enrolled in college and studied vocal performance and arranging. After I graduated, I went back to school and studied audio engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I enlisted in the Navy just to take a break from music. I had been performing since I was 12, so I needed a break. In my first year in the Navy, I was doing electronics at a helicopter squadron in San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I got sent to Armed Forces Music School in Norfolk, Virginia. I met Dizzy Gillespie there. After that, I got shipped to Charleston, South Carolina and sang with the Navy\u2019s band Pride. We did urban music and pop.\u201d<\/p>\n

When her stint in the United States Navy was over, Foster moved to New York City to pursue a career as a singer and songwriter. She got a major label record deal with Atlantic Records, but it didn\u2019t work out the way she wanted.<\/p>\n

A deal with a major label would seem to be a dream come true for a budding artist. But the label wanted Foster to hand over her authenticity in exchange for being molded into a pop star.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy Atlantic had working with me wanted to groom me to be another Anita Baker,\u201d said Foster. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t what I wanted so I left the label and moved back to Texas. Shortly after I moved to Texas, I put out two albums on my own label.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those albums on M.O.D. Records were \u201cFull Circle\u201d in 1997 and \u201cCrossover\u201d in 1999.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to put out my third album \u2018Runaway Soul\u2019 on M.O.D. a few years later,\u201d said Foster. \u201cThen, I ran into Denby Auble, who runs Blue Corn Music. I released \u2018Runaway Soul\u2019 on Blue Corn in 2002 and I\u2019ve been with them ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foster has recorded nine albums for Blue Corn Music \u2013 including \u201cLive at the Paramount,\u201d a 2021\u00a0Grammy Award\u00a0nomination in the Best Contemporary Blues category.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in the studio right now recording my next album,\u201d said Foster, whose career has included duetting with Bonnie Raitt, or standing onstage with the Allman Brothers at New York\u2019s Beacon Theater and trading verses\u00a0with Susan Tedeschi.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve written a lot of songs that are going to be on the album. I\u2019m looking to put it out early next year. With the way things are with the pandemic, I don\u2019t want to release anything this year. Right now, I just want to play live and get back in the groove.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Ruthie Foster \u2013 https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zIlckOdCMl0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the City Winery on July 31 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25-$38.<\/p>\n

The Allman Brothers vibe will also be featured on July 30 when the City Winery hosts Steal Your Peach: Grateful Dead & Allman Brothers Mashup.<\/p>\n

Another act with a link to the Allman Brothers \u2013 a major link \u2013 will be performing in Chester County the same night as Foster is doing her thing onstage in Philly.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

LIVE AT THE FILLMORE<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cLIVE AT THE FILLMORE: The\u00a0Definitive Tribute To The Original Allman Brothers Band\u201d\u00a0will be performing this\u00a0Saturday, July 31 at 8 p.m. at\u00a0Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center\u00a0(226 North High Street, West Chester, https:\/\/uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) to kick off the venue\u2019s tribute band series.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve played at the Uptown every year for the last five years \u2013 except for the pandemic year in 2020,\u201d said band leader\/founder\/guitarist\/vocalist Lew Maresca, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Wynnewood. \u201cI think we were the first rock band to play there back in 2017.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s members have changed some over the years \u2013 which is not a surprise to Maresca.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs time goes by, familiarity breeds contempt,\u201d said Maresca. \u201cThere is a lot of ego and narcissism among musicians \u2013 a lot of personality conflicts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t run LATF as a democracy. It\u2019s more like a monarchy and I\u2019m the king. It\u2019s my band and I maintain very high standards. Anyone who has heard the band play in the last year says that this is the best line-up ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cI brought Joe Mass in as the Dickey Betts guitarist and he\u2019s taking it to microscopic levels of exactness. The band also has Don McCormick and Anthony Zinni on drums, Jeff Quattro on Hammond B3, piano, and vocals and Mike Graziola on bass.<\/p>\n

Musically and sonically, LATF creates the experience of hearing one of the greatest live bands of all time as they sounded in 1969-1971. Particularly featured are their monumental shows at Bill Graham\u2019s Fillmore East Auditorium in New York City in March and June of 1971.<\/p>\n

Live at The Fillmore has become the most popular and best-known tribute to the original Allman Brothers Band. Great attention is paid to recreating the music with an unparalleled degree of authenticity. The band has been chosen as featured performer on the Time Life Southern Rock Cruise. It received rave reviews for their Spring 2017 performance on national TV as part of AXS TV\u2019s \u201cWorld\u2019s Greatest Tribute Bands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLive at the Fillmore has been around for more than a decade,\u201d said Maresca. \u201cWe started back in 2009 because we knew how many Allman Brothers fans there were.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the Allman Brothers in their original state many, many times including the Fillmore in March 1971 and the very last show they did at the Fillmore on Saturday night June 26, 1971. That was the one the Allman Brothers called \u2018The Show.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI put a band together in 1971 called Skydog. I was in high school at the time. Skydog was the very first Allman Brothers tribute band. I went to Penn State and played all through college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Years went by and\u00a0Maresca\u00a0relocated to Philadelphia where he established a career in audio production and custom messaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in Philly since I graduated from Penn State,\u201d said\u00a0Maresca, who originally is from Nutley, New Jersey. \u201cI wanted to put together another Allman Brother attribute band. I was looking for the best guys I could find who could play the music.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Live at the Fillmore, fans get Allman Brothers music and nothing else.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a tribute band at the highest level,\u201d said\u00a0Maresca. \u201cThe hallmark of this band is its authenticity. We\u2019re here to imitate not to innovate. Our physical appearance has never been important. It\u2019s all about the music. When we play, we sound like the original Allman Brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cLIVE AT THE FILLMORE: The\u00a0Definitive Tribute To The Original Allman Brothers Band\u201d \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/vn0nr2WoWmc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Uptown on July 31will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40.<\/p>\n

Allman Brothers fans from around the area can enjoy a full weekend of ABB-influenced music.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Michael Allman<\/p><\/div>\n

On July 30, Michael Allman is returning to the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) to treat listeners to an evening of straight-ahead rock \u2013 with a lot of Southern Rock in its DNA.<\/p>\n

Allman is the son of the late Allman Brothers Band guitarist Gregg Allman. The son of the guitar great was destined to be a rocker.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, he didn\u2019t know either until he was six.<\/p>\n

Allman was born in 1966 and his mother was Mary Lynn Sutton. In his earliest years, Michael Sean Allman was known as Michael Hendrick, using the name of the man his mother married to legitimize his birth. Sutton and Hendrick never lasted, and she went on to wed Daniel Green, the man Allman originally believed was his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to be a pilot,\u201d said Allman, during a phone interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy stepfather was a pilot. He was one of the top Learjet pilots in America. He was moving toward being a pilot for the Blue Angels and an astronaut for NASA.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he died in a Learjet plane crash when I was six years old. I was crying about his death and that was when my mom told me who my real dad was \u2013 that his name was Gregg Allman.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was quite an intense ride on an emotional roller coaster for the young Florida boy \u2013 this is your dad\u2026your dad just died\u2026your dad is alive\u2026the guy who died was your stepfather\u2026your dad is one of the most famous rock musicians in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me a long time to figure it all out and accept it \u2013 years to make sense out of it,\u201d said Allman. \u201cIt really seemed that I had lost my father in a plane crash.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Gregg Allman died in May 2017, he left behind five children from different mothers \u2014 Michael Sean Allman, with former waitress Mary Lynn Green; Devon Allman, with ex-wife Shelley Kay Winters; Elijah Blue, from his marriage to Cher; daughter Delilah Island Allman, with ex-wife Julie Bindas; and daughter Layla Brooklyn Allman, with girlfriend Shelby Blackburn. Delilah Island Allman is the only one who is not a musician.<\/p>\n

\u201cGregg Allman is my father,\u201d said Allman. \u201cI can guarantee you there are 10 or more people who can say the same thing and be telling the truth. Call him the father of our country \u2013 a kid in every state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Allman had a rough childhood and ended up in a military academy when he was 15. Two years later, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. When she was hospitalized for treatment, Allman moved in with his dad.<\/p>\n

After high school, Allman drifted into the music world \u2013 working as a bartender, a sound board guy in clubs and a DJ. One gig as a DJ had bad consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working in a club in South Carolina,\u201d said Allman. \u201cThree drunks got thrown out of the bar. They came back and started shooting. I started chasing them and I got knifed. I got stabbed a lot, went to the hospital and needed 300 stitches to patch me up. I was in the hospital for a month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allman also had to deal with testicular cancer in 2002. Surgery was a success, and he is still cancer-free.<\/p>\n

In the next musical step in his story, Allman began singing with local bands.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve Perry was my idol \u2013 and my inspiration for my vocals,\u201d said Allman. \u201cThat was the voice I had for a long time \u2013 until I discovered whiskey and cigarettes. I had my own band in the late 80s and most of the 90s. I also had two sons and wanted to have a good married life. So, I left music behind and worked in construction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allman split from his first wife, went back to music, and then remarried. At her insistence, Allman again traded the life of a rocker for the life of a working dad.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a while, it was driving me crazy,\u201d said Allman, who lives in New Port Richey, Florida. \u201cI felt trapped \u2013 trapped by family life. I gave up music for her. I will never do that again. I stayed with her for 10 years and we never had any kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she left, I said \u2013 nothing is stopping me now. I found my old manager\u2019s phone number. I re-connected with him and soon we were in the studio making a record. The album came out in 2009.\u201d<\/p>\n

This show features a six-piece band fronted by Allman and led by John McNutt. It also features Bobby Nolen on drums\/percussion and Kevin Smethers on keys.<\/p>\n

Video link for Michael Allman \u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/CD70M1nQ77Q<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $29.50.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Steve Earle & The Dukes on July 29, JINGO – The SANTANA Tribute on July 31, Selwyn Birchwood on August 3, and Bettman & Halpin on August 4.<\/p>\n

On July 23, Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) will host Kerry Kearney on July 30 and the Lonnie Shields Band on July 31.<\/p>\n

One of the highlights of this weekend\u2019s live entertainment calendar will take place tonight at 118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com<\/a>) as part of the venue\u2019s \u201cTailgate Under The Tent Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

On July 30, 118 North will present a show featuring the Jesse Lundy Band with a special \u201cRolling Stones Tribute.\u201d The popular Philadelphia area band will focus on the Stones\u2019 timeless \u201cSome Girls\u201d album.<\/p>\n

Fans of Mick and Keith will have the opportunity to hear powerful interpretations of classic Rolling Stones tunes such as \u201cBeast of Burden,\u201d \u201cShattered,\u201d \u201cMiss You,\u201d and, of course, \u201cSome Girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jesse Lundy Band will perform at 8 p.m. Alright Junior, the opening act, will get the evening of music started at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

The \u201cTailgate Under The Tent Series\u201d features free live pop-up concerts from under the Wayne Picnic Grove.<\/p>\n

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

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Vanessa Collier is a highly acclaimed blues\/jazz sax player who \u2013 in normal times \u2013 spends a lot of time touring nationally. Occasionally, the Chadds Ford resident gets an opportunity to play a show at a venue close to home \u2013 including Delaware gigs at the Candlelight Dinner […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,10934,11291,12394,13954,11482],"class_list":["post-48666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-live-at-the-fillmore","tag-michael-allman","tag-rory-block","tag-ruthie-foster","tag-vanessa-collier"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48666","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=48666"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48667,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48666\/revisions\/48667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}