{"id":56028,"date":"2025-10-16T09:44:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T13:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=56028"},"modified":"2025-10-16T09:44:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T13:44:59","slug":"on-stage-veteran-music-acts-come-to-local-venues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=56028","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Veteran music acts come to local venues"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/div>\n
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The Claudettes<\/p><\/div>\n

Music fans have a choice of tasty concerts by veteran bands over the next week including a veteran New Jersey band that is celebrating its 45th anniversary, an Anglo-Dutch band that has released well over 100 albums since forming in 1980, a Chicago band that is soaring to new heights with a recently-added singer and a Philly band that has been a part of the local scene since 1999.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0are a Chicago-based band whose music spans a wide array of genres — jazz, punk, Chicago blues, pop standards and rock.<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0Claudettes, who are driven by the music of founding member Johnny Iguana, combine the Chicago blues-piano tradition with the energy of rockabilly and punk and the sultry sound of \u201960s soul-jazz to create a thrilling new spin on American roots music.<\/div>\n

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The band has performed all over Europe and in virtually every state in the Union.<\/div>\n
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Iguana, who grew up in Fort Washington, has brought his band to play in clubs and theaters in Philadelphia, at numerous venues all around the Philly suburbs and even northern Delaware \u2013 but never Delaware County.<\/div>\n
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Last September, the\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0\u2013 pianist\/songwriter Johnny\u00a0Iguana, bassist\/singer Zach Verdoorn, vocalist Rachel Williams and drummer Michael Caskey \u2013 made their Delco debut at Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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On October 18, the Claudettes will make a return visit to the popular Delaware County venue. That show marked the area debut of Williams. The previous shows featured long-time\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0vocalist Berit Ulseth.<\/div>\n
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On the band\u2019s website, Iguana posted, \u201cHello, everybody. After three albums and an EP, spanning six years, Berit Ulseth has moved on to new chapters in life, away from the\u00a0Claudettes\u2019 van. We love and miss her.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAs you all know, Berit is simply magnificent. We were unspeakably lucky to hear that voice all those years, in our practice space, on our stages and on our records.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe are also lucky to be able to look at a new future with a Chicago singer — Rachel Williams.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Williams adds a new dimension to the Claudettes \u2013 especially onstage.<\/div>\n
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\u201cRachel is a six-foot Texan with a mohawk \u2013 and a big soulful voice and dynamic stage presence,\u201d said Iguana, during a phone interview last week from his home in Chicago. \u201cShe stalks the stage.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The band\u2019s most recent album is \u201cThe\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0Go Out!,\u201d which was released via Forty Below in October 2022.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0\u201cWe have completed already more than an album\u2019s worth of songs,\u201d said Iguana. \u201cWe planned on having an album release this year. It\u2019s been finished but now it\u2019s going to be next year. We do have a single and video this year.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis is our first record with Rachel in the band. We recorded more than we need for the album. Rachel and I have started writing together and it has gone really well. She\u2019s been with the group since 2023 so it\u2019s time for a record.<\/div>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a dynamo on stage and she\u2019s done a lot with this record. She was recommended to us in Chicago when people knew we were looking for a singer.<\/div>\n
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\u201cZach knew her and had played with her before. And she was a fan of our band. Our first gig together was in Grand Rapids, Michigan in spring 2023.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0excel in the studio but really hit their peak when they perform live onstage.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur shows are really special,\u201d said\u00a0Iguana. \u201cTouring is great. After what we went through with the pandemic, we don\u2019t take anything for granted — including the van\u2019s checkups and oil changes.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Iguana\u00a0wears many hats with the\u00a0Claudettes. He is the singer, main writer, musical director, booking agent and spokesperson.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe percentage of time I spend writing and recording is miniscule compared to all the other things I have to do to keep things going,\u201d said\u00a0Iguana.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI spend a lot of time booking shows, arranging for our lodging, sending out posters, arranging promo for our shows and editing our music videos.\u201d<\/div>\n
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For \u201cThe\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0Go Out!,\u201d\u00a0the band completed two sessions.<\/div>\n
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The first was recorded and co-produced in Chicago by recent Grammy nominee Anthony Gravino (Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter) and mixed in NYC by Grammy-winning legend Kevin Killen (David Bowie, U2, Elvis Costello).<\/div>\n
The second session, in Chicago, was helmed by Grammy-winning producer Ted Hutt (Violent Femmes, Old Crow Medicine Show) and mixed in LA by Hutt and Ryan Mall. It was mastered by\u00a0Joe La Porta at Sterling Sound.<\/div>\n
Iguana\u00a0is a prolific writer.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m writing all the time,\u201d said\u00a0Iguana. \u201cFor us, new songs are the most exciting thing.\u00a0\u00a0I start with chords and melodies. I start with building blocks.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAnd we record a lot of our shows. We listen to them over and over and learn a lot from listening.<\/div>\n
\u201cWriting music is a good expenditure of time \u2013 doing stuff you love.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Iguana\u00a0first gained renown as pianist for blues giant Junior Wells and as co-founder of punk-organ band Oh My God. He has toured or recorded with Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Johnny Winter, Derek Trucks, Gary Clark Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, James Cotton and more.<\/div>\n
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He has played on three Grammy-nominated albums and earned a 2021 Blues Music Award nomination for Piano Player of the Year.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0recorded their 2018 album, \u201cDance Scandal At The Gymnasium!,\u201d with Grammy-winning producer Mark Neill (Black Keys, Old 97\u2019s, J. Roddy Walston, J.D. McPherson).<\/div>\n
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The\u00a0Claudettes\u2019 have a strange history \u2013 and an interesting story behind their name.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMichael Caskey, a drummer from Chicago, and I had a piano-and-drum duo,\u201d said\u00a0Iguana.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe called a place called Claudette\u2019s Bar in 2010 looking for a gig in between Chicago and St. Louis. Claudette booked us into her bar in Oglesby (Illinois) and fell in love with the band.<\/div>\n
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\u201cSo, she hired us as her house band and put them. That drummer\u2019s wife had a baby, so we hired a new drummer and then expanded to a four-piece. Since then, we\u2019ve done a ton of shows.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The show in suburban Philly this week will be a homecoming for\u00a0Iguana.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI was born in New Jersey and grew up in the Philly area,\u201d said\u00a0Iguana. \u201cI graduated from Upper Dublin High School and the University of Pennsylvania.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThen, I moved to New York City where I worked in publishing and played piano. I began meeting blues musicians and playing in blues bands. I met Junior Wells in Chicago and played piano in his band.\u201d<\/div>\n
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As fans of the\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0know, the band has created its own genre.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0blazed a new trail masquerading as a blues\/roots bands but it\u2019s a punk band at its core,\u201d said\u00a0Iguana.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe can play a punk bill as a rock band or a different bill as a blues band. We\u00a0really put a lot of heart into our live show. We combine musicianship and humor.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for The\u00a0Claudettes\u00a0\u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/VebY4XZXumw<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The show at Jamey\u2019s on October 18 will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.<\/div>\n
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Jamey\u2019s House of Music will present Tommy Conwell on October 16, One Dime Band and The Porkroll Project on October 17 and Steve Shanahan\u2019s Blues Muthas on October 19.<\/div>\n
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The Smithereens<\/p><\/div>\n

The Smithereens are the Garden State representatives \u2013 and music business survivors.\u00a0The years go by, and the Smithereens just keep rocking on.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Smithereens, who are headlining a show at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) on October 17, are a\u00a0rock\u00a0band from\u00a0Carteret, New Jersey. The band formed in 1980 with members\u00a0Pat DiNizio\u00a0(vocals\u00a0& guitar),\u00a0Jim\u00a0Babjak\u00a0(guitar &\u00a0vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar &\u00a0vocals), and\u00a0Dennis Diken\u00a0(drums & percussion).<\/div>\n
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The Smithereens are best known for a string of hits in the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, including \u201cOnly a Memory,\u201d \u201cA Girl Like You\u201d and \u201cToo Much Passion.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The band has recorded close to 20 albums beginning with \u201cEspecially for You\u201d in 1986.<\/div>\n
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The original lineup continued until 2006, when Mesaros left the band. Severo Jornacion took over on bass guitar until Mesaros\u2019 return in 2016.<\/div>\n
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After DiNizio died in 2017, the band continued performing live shows as a trio (Babjak, Mesaros and Diken) with various guest vocalists.<\/div>\n
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The Smithereens, who are closing in on their 25th\u00a0anniversary, have forged ahead despite all obstacles \u2013 including the loss of DiNizio, who was front man and guitarist.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe never broke up \u2013 even when Pat died,\u201d said\u00a0Babjak, during a recent phone interview from his home in central New Jersey.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ve been playing non-stop since 1980. There\u2019s never been a month that we didn\u2019t play \u2013 except during COVID.\u201d<\/div>\n
The band\u2019s roots go back beyond 1980.<\/div>\n
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\u201cDenis and I met on the first day of high school back in 1971 \u2013 in the first class,\u201d said Babjak. \u201cI had a picture of The Who on my biner. He was sitting behind me and noticed the photo. He asked if I like The Who. I told him I played guitar, and he said that he played drums. We grew up together. We practiced as a duo. Mike picked up the bass and joined us. Then, we were looking for a lead singer, and we got Pat.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Babjak, Diken, and Mesaros are all from\u00a0Carteret, New Jersey\u00a0and graduated from\u00a0Carteret High School\u00a0in 1975.<\/div>\n
In 1980, they formed the band with DiNizio, who was from\u00a0Scotch Plains, New Jersey.<\/div>\n
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DiNizio had placed a classified ad in\u00a0The Aquarian Weekly\u00a0looking for a drummer to help on a demo tape. Diken answered it and later introduced his schoolmates\u00a0Babjak\u00a0and Mesaros as well. The rest is history.<\/div>\n
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DiNizio died in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, on December 12, 2017, at the age of 62.<\/div>\n
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According to bandmates, his health declined following a series of issues that began in 2015, resulting in nerve damage that limited the use of his right hand and arm.<\/div>\n
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The surviving members of the band, including Mesaros, performed together as The Smithereens in a tribute show to DiNizio on January 13, 2018, at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey.<\/div>\n
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In a five-hour concert, the band was joined by\u00a0Steven Van Zandt,\u00a0Dave Davies,\u00a0Ted Leo,\u00a0Robin Wilson,\u00a0Lenny Kaye,\u00a0Southside Johnny,\u00a0Marshall Crenshaw,\u00a0Bebe Buell, Richard Barone, Tony Shanahan,\u00a0Graham Maby,\u00a0Freedy Johnston,\u00a0Kenny Howes, John Jorgenson, Peter Zaremba, Keith Streng, producer Ed Stasium, Andy Burton, and various other musicians.\u00a0The Pat DiNizio Musical Performance Scholarship was established at the Count Basie’s Performing Arts Academy.<\/div>\n
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In 2018,\u00a0Babjak, Diken and Mesaros decided to continue the band\u2019s musical legacy and tour with different guest vocalists, including\u00a0Marshall Crenshaw\u00a0and\u00a0Robin Wilson\u00a0of the\u00a0Gin Blossoms, separately taking over lead vocal duties at concerts throughout the United States.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhen Pat died, we did a benefit show and the money raised went to a music scholarship fund in Red Bank,\u201d said\u00a0Babjak. \u201cWe asked a lot of people to sing with us.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMarshall Crenshaw and our band have been long-time friends. It\u2019s the same with Robin Wilson from the Gin Blossoms. After that show, both Marshall and Robin said \u2013 if you want to do it again, just let us know.<\/div>\n
\u201cSo, we did, and they\u2019ve been singing with us ever since. Life has to go on. I lost my wife seven years ago. That doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t love again.\u201d<\/div>\n
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After 12 years without a new album, the Smithereens have released two albums in the last two years \u2013 \u201c2011\u201d in 2021 and \u201cThe Lost Album\u201d in 2022.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur last studio album was \u20182011\u2019,\u201d said\u00a0Babjak. \u201cWe did just release a record in 2022 that was recorded in 1993 between contracts.\u201d<\/div>\n
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In September 2022, The Smithereens released\u00a0\u201cThe Lost Album.\u201d It was originally recorded in 1993 between their recording contracts with Capitol and RCA. Eleven of the songs on\u00a0\u201cThe Lost Album\u201d\u00a0(minus the\u00a0Babjak-penned \u201cI\u2019m Sexy\u201d) previously appeared on DiNizio’s 1995\u00a0\u201cSong Demos\u201d\u00a0release (MCA Publishing).<\/div>\n
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Selected songs were also previously included on DiNizio’s\u00a0\u201cSongs and Sounds\u201d\u00a0(1997),\u00a0\u201cPat DiNizio\u201d\u00a0(2005),\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cThe Best of Pat DiNizio\u201d\u00a0(2015).<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe were between recording contracts, and we recorded 24 songs on our own dime,\u201d said\u00a0Babjak. \u201cWe were let go by Capitol. We were going to do a self-released album. Then, we signed with RCA and used 12 of those songs for the RCA record.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cA Date with The Smithereens\u201d was that RCA album \u2013 and the only one they did with that label. The next four albums were with Koch Entertainment followed by a pair for eOne Music. \u201cThe Lost Album\u201d\u00a0was released on September 23, 2022, by Sunset Blvd Records.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m in the studio doing demos for the next album,\u201d said\u00a0Babjak. \u201cI\u2019m constantly writing songs. I have a guitar in every room.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWith our live shows, we play songs from all our albums. We definitely want the crowd to get to hear what they want. We\u2019ll do a few from \u2018The Lost Album.\u2019 And we also want to throw in a few curveballs.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The show at Ardmore will feature Babjak, Diken and bassist Graham Maybe \u2013 and a new vocalist.<\/div>\n
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\u201cFor this show, we have John Cowsill doing vocals,\u201d said Babjak. \u201cHe was a member of his family band, The Cowsills, and he was the Beach Boys\u2019 drummer for 22 years.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHe\u2019s also involved in a recording project with Vickie Peterson from The Bangles.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHe\u2019s a friend and he\u2019s filling in for Marshall and Robin, who aren\u2019t available.<\/div>\n
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\u201cYears ago, we saw The Cowsills opening for Screaming Trees in 1991. I said to Dennis that this guy would be great to sing backup for a new song I wrote called \u2018Now and Then.\u2019<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe contacted him, and he was eager to do it. John is a good guy to hang out with, and we\u2019ve been friends ever since.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for The Smithereens \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/HucM3jTzudY<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The show at the Ardmore Music Hall on October 17 will start at 8 p.m. The opening act is Freedy Jonston.<\/div>\n
Tickets are $39.85<\/div>\n
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Other upcoming acts at the Ardmore Music Hall are\u00a0Monophonics on October 16 and Kolton Moore & The Clever Few\u00a0on October 21.<\/div>\n
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The Legendary Pink Dots \u2013 an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in 1980 \u2013 have found a genre all their own.<\/div>\n
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Although far outside the mainstream, LPD have released more than 200 albums, have a devoted worldwide following, and tour frequently. Distinctive vocals and lyrical imagery are a big part of the band\u2019s universal appeal.<\/div>\n
On October 22, The Legendary Pink Dots will return to the area for a show at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, kungfunecktie.com<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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The Legendary Pink Dots have certainly earned their \u201clegendary\u201d status by now. The band, which is based in the Netherlands and has always featured a lineup with English and Dutch musicians, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year and next.<\/div>\n
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The LPD always had two core members \u2013 singer\/songwriter\/keyboardist Edward Ka-Spel and<\/div>\n
keyboardist Phil Knight \u2013 along with a variety of rotating musicians and instrumental lineups.<\/div>\n
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The current LPD lineup includes Ka-Spel (voice, keyboards, devices, gadgets, keyboards, interference, premonitions), Randall Frazier (keyboards, soundscapes, electronics devices, technology), Erik Drost (acoustic, electric, bass and Hawaiian guitars) and Joep Hendrikx (electronics, effects).<\/div>\n
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\u201cPhil decided to retire a few years ago,\u201d said Ka-Spel, during a phone interview Tuesday from a tour stop in Tampa, Florida. \u201cPhil left in 2021. For a long time now, it\u2019s been mainly me and Eric Drost.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe also have Randall Frazier, a keyboard player who has a really big set-up, and Joep Hendrikx on electronics. Joep is not on stage, but he is one of the band.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis is probably my favorite Legendary Pink Dots lineup. We work together really well.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Better known throughout Europe than in the states, the Dots\u2019 music has elements of rock, jazz, psychedelia, industrial, synth-pop and avant-garde.<\/div>\n
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The Legendary Pink Dots, who released their new album<\/div>\n
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\u201cSo Lonely in Heaven\u201d on January 17, 2025, are in the middle of a stateside tour supporting the new disc.<\/div>\n
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The band offered the following album information on its website —<\/div>\n
\u201cSO LONELY IN HEAVEN – THE CREATION
\n\u201cSo Lonely in Heaven\u201d is The Legendary Pink Dots’ second album since the World stopped for a Global Pandemic.
\nWith members scattered across three countries and two continents, our guilty confession is that quite a few Air Miles were consumed in its creation.
\nIdeas were spun across Cyberspace for months, but the magic happened collectively in small spaces with the tape running.
\nSO LONELY IN HEAVEN – THE MESSAGE
\nThe machine is everything we are. It sees everything, hears everything, knows everything and feeds, speeds, drinks us down, spits us out – we lost control of it at the instant of its conception.
\nYou may cough, curse and die, but the machine will resurrect you without the flaws, at your peak, smiling from a screen, bidding someone in a lonely room to join you.
\nIt’s an invitation from Heaven, where anyone can be anything they want to be, but it’s a Nation of One.
\nYou’ll be everything we are. You’ll be a shadow of yourself. You’ll repeat yourself- endlessly. You’ll be desperate for some kind of explanation.
\nYou’ll be lonely. So very lonely…\u201d<\/div>\n
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Ka-Spel offered more.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMost of it was recorded in my little studio in London,\u201d said Ka-Spel. \u201cThe band is based pretty much in Italy. Eric is closer in the Netherlands.<\/div>\n
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\u201cRandall will send me ideas. I\u2019ll work on them and then Eric will take the songs.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a process that started with recording earlier albums during COVID. It was the only way to do things.\u00a0 Now, we do it because we\u2019re all living in different countries.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe do get together as well. A lot of the music is made in the same room. But for the early parts, we send ideas off to each other.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s just exciting when we\u2019re recording. There are a lot of ideas shooting from all angles.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The \u201cSo Lonely in Heaven\u201d tour allows the songs to develop even more.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOn this tour, we\u2019re playing most of songs from the new album,\u201d said Ka-Spel. \u201cThere are a few we don\u2019t play because they don\u2019t work so well when done live.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe also play some songs from recent albums with new interpretations. It\u2019s an ongoing process.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The Legendary Pink Dots are prolific. Their Bandcamp site includes more than 300 listings of Dots\u2019 studio albums, live LPD releases, side projects by Ka-Spel and The Silverman and compilations.<\/div>\n
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Their debut album, \u201cOnly Dreaming\u201d was released in 1981. Their albums \u201cAngel in the Detail\u201d (2019), \u201cPages of Aquarius\u201d (2016) and \u201cThe Gethsemane Option\u201d (2013) were issued on a Philadelphia label, Metropolis Records.<\/div>\n
The Dots also release a lot of music on their own. One of LPD\u2019s projects is its \u201c<\/a>Chemical Playschool\u201d series of albums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe released \u2018Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24\u2019 earlier this year and \u2018Chemical Playschool Volume 25\u2019 is coming out next month,\u201d said Ka-Spel.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAnd the \u2018The Legendary Pink Dots\u2019 Hallowe\u2019en Special 2025\u2019 just came out last month.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Other LPD releases in 2025 are \u201cLive at the Rave Milwaukee 20 June 2000\u201d and \u201cPortals in the Storm\u201d (both in July) and \u201cSaucers Over Lincoln Redux\u201d in August along with two Ka-Spel releases — \u201cThe Human Cannonball\u201d in July and \u201cA Monument to Wasted Tears\u201d to be released in November.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIf I tried to remember all our albums and talk a little about each, it might carry into my next lifetime,\u201d said Ka-Spel.<\/div>\n
The show at Kung Fu Necktie on Wednesday night will feature a lot of thought-provoking and very listenable music.<\/div>\n
\u201cThis is a very dynamic tour,\u201d said Ka-Spel. \u201cWe play a long time \u2013 one hour and 40 minutes \u2013 so there is so much place to improvise.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for the Legendary Pink Dots — https:\/\/youtu.be\/d7ZeE5LNJEc<\/a>.<\/div>\n
The show at King Fu Necktie on October 22, which has Orbit Service as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
Tickets are $29.65.<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band is one of the Philadelphia area\u2019s longest-running rock bands — and a band which has been involved in projects all over the country.<\/div>\n
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The talented sextet, whose members reside mostly in the northwest region of the Philadelphia area, will have the opportunity to play a gig in its own backyard this weekend.<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band (www.facebook.com\/humblemanband<\/a><\/i><\/b>) will be performing at the Mermaid Inn (7654 Winston Road, Philadelphia, themermaidinn.net<\/a>) on October 17.<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band\u2019s current line-up is Charlie\u00a0Cooper\u00a0– writer, vocals, guitar; Wain Ballard – lead guitar; Kim Alexander \u2013 vocals; Boz Heinly \u2013 bass; and Buck Buchannan \u2013 drums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHumbleman\u00a0Band\u00a0was formed in 1999,\u201d said \u201cCholly\u201d\u00a0Cooper, during a phone interview from his home in Germantown. \u201cI was in a band with our drummer Buck Buchanan. Three of us were living near each other in South Philly and we gradually picked up people.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe third guy was bassist Bruce Koch, who just died a year ago from a massive heart attack. That was a real loss \u2013 as a friend and as a bandmate.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe weren\u2019t sure we were going to pick up the pieces. We were using hired hands to fill in. We added a permanent bass player \u2013 Boz Heinly, who lives in Plymouth Meeting.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe get along really well musically and as friends. We have a lot of respect for each other.\u201d<\/div>\n
Humbleman\u00a0Band, which is billed on the Mermaid Inn\u2019s website as \u201cOrig blues, funk, rock & reggae,\u201d is not very prolific when it comes to releasing albums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe seem to have a cycle of putting out an album every five years,\u201d said\u00a0Cooper. \u00a0\u201cWe put out an album a few years ago called \u2018Least Bad of\u00a0Humbleman\u00a01984-2009.\u2019 That album was a 25-year compilation starting with our days in 1984 as a punk band called The Proles.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The band released its albums \u201cLate Bloom\u201d in fall 2014 and \u201cBeautiful Day\u201d in November 2018.<\/div>\n
Humbleman\u00a0Band, a rock quintet that is socially conscious, features songs that band members have written and arranged \u2013 songs with lyrics inspired by current events.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe just finished wrapping up our next album which has been two years in the making,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cWe went into the studio a few months ago.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe recorded the rhythm section in a big studio — Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown. Then we did the overdubs at our home studio, J-Street Studios.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe last recordings happened in March. Then we sent it to Rittenhouse Sound for mixing and mastering.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll have an \u2018official\u2019 record release on November 1 at\u00a0Black Squirrel Club\u00a0in Fishtown (1049 Sarah Street, Philadelphia).<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe people that run that club saw us at our recent show at the Mermaid Inn. They liked what they heard and sked us to play their club.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The album\u2019s title is \u201cLooking Up\u201d and it is well-named. The LP, which has an up-tempo feel and an uplifting vibe, is the band\u2019s best recording yet.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe title track \u2013 \u201cLooking Up\u201d \u2013 showcases the group\u2019s optimism with lyrics such as, \u201cNot so bad, could be worse, could be surrounded by flowers in the back of some hearse\u201d and \u201cThings are looking more up, my friend, that\u2019s how I\u2019m feelin\u2019 today.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Like many of the songs on the album, the title track gets your lips smiling and your foot tapping.<\/div>\n
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However, Humbleman\u00a0Band will not be introducing any of the songs on October 17 when it headlines the show at Dawson Street Pub.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe won\u2019t be performing any new songs at Friday night\u2019s show,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cOur album release show is November 1 so we\u2019re saving the songs for then.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe album is already available online. It is streaming now on all platforms\u00a0— Spotify,\u00a0iTunes,\u00a0Amazon, Bandcamp.\u201d<\/div>\n
Humbleman\u00a0Band has consistently delivered social commentary and positive messages, often with humor and a light touch, using spoken word lyrics, and generally delivered with dance beat arrangement.<\/div>\n
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Video link for\u00a0Humbleman\u00a0Band \u2014 https:\/\/youtu.be\/01Clk69MaAU<\/a><\/i>.<\/div>\n
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The show at the Mermaid Inn on October 17 will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Now through October 19, the Philadelphia Ballet is presenting \u201cAn Evening of Horror\u201d at\u00a0the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, www.philadelphiaballet.org<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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Philadelphia Ballet presents a powerful double bill that spans the breadth of American storytelling through dance.<\/div>\n
This extraordinary pairing of Agnes de Mille\u2019s haunting masterpiece \u201cFall River Legend\u201d\u00a0with Juliano Nunes\u2019 world premiere\u00a0\u201cValley of Death\u201d\u00a0offers audiences a glimpse into the dark corners of American life, reimagined through virtuosic contemporary movement.<\/div>\n
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\u201cFall River Legend\u201d<\/div>\n
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Step into the passionate world of Agnes de Mille\u2019s psychological thriller, based on the infamous story of Lizzie Borden. Created in 1948 for Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre),\u00a0\u201cFall River Legend\u201d stands as one of her most daring works, demonstrating her genius for combining classical ballet technique with psychologically expressive gesture and American folk forms.<\/div>\n
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This landmark of American dance theater peels back the layers of one of history\u2019s most compelling mysteries, revealing the complex emotions and societal pressures that drove a New England woman to the edge. Through de Mille\u2019s masterful choreography, witness how stifling Victorian morality and family dynamics explode into a tale of revenge and redemption.<\/div>\n
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\u201cValley of Death\u201d<\/div>\n
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Rising choreographic star Juliano Nunes debuts a Philadelphia Ballet premiere with a bold new vision of American resilience. In\u00a0\u201cValley of Death,\u201d a masked ball turns into a psychological nightmare as Agatha, a mysterious and supernatural figure, manipulates the celebration to poison its host Oscar, leading to his capture.<\/div>\n
Love and light emerge as powerful forces, allowing Oscar to escape and defeat her realm, demonstrating the enduring power of love over darkness.<\/div>\n
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This performance contains mature themes and theatrical depictions of violence, including implied murder and dark or supernatural elements. While graphic acts are not shown explicitly, suspenseful and unsettling scenes are present. Parental discretion is advised.<\/div>\n
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Performances are October 16, 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and October 18 and 19 at 2 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Ticket prices start at $33.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe Unexpected 3rd:\u00a0A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive\u201d is now running through October 26 at People\u2019s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, www.peopleslight.org<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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The Obie-winning artist\u2019s solo show explores getting old, dealing with identity and reinvention with fierce humor and radical honesty.<\/div>\n
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This raw, poetic and darkly funny show invites audiences into Grody\u2019s intimate reflections on aging, identity and staying true to one\u2019s self — no matter what the world expects of you.<\/div>\n
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Following sold-out readings at the 2024 Kiln New Works Festival at People\u2019s Light,\u00a0\u201cThe Unexpected 3rd\u201d\u00a0returns to the theatre that helped spark its development, now taking center stage as the season opener.<\/div>\n
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According to Grody, \u201cThe transition into elderhood is not just bewildering but equal parts empowering, mysterious and absurd. \u201cThis show is about living truthfully, unapologetically and with unyielding curiosity at 78 and beyond. It feels especially right to debut it at People\u2019s Light, a place that embraces honesty, complexity and the full spectrum of being human.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Directed by acclaimed regional theatre director and Grody\u2019s longtime friend and collaborator Timothy Near, the production playfully blurs the line between personal monologue and theatrical memoir, inviting audiences of all generations to reflect on what it means to grow older in a culture obsessed with staying young.<\/div>\n
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At its core,\u00a0\u201cThe Unexpected 3rd\u201d\u00a0is a dynamic and real-time contemplation of a universal question:\u00a0What happens when you\u2019re no longer who you were but not yet someone else?<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe Unexpected 3rd\u201d through October 26 on the Steinbright Stage at People\u2019s Light.<\/div>\n
Ticket prices start at $35.<\/div>\n
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The Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, candlelighttheatredelaware.org<\/a>) is presenting<\/div>\n
\u201cRagtime: The Musical\u201d now through October 26.<\/div>\n
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\u201cRagtime\u201d blends fictional narratives with authentic historical figures and events.<\/div>\n
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The story focuses on Coalhouse Walker, Jr., — and his beloved Sarah. Walker is a Black pianist who buys a Model T Ford and sets off a series of events that span all levels of New York City society<\/div>\n
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It also features magician Harry Houdini, industrialist Henry Ford, celebrity party girl Evelyn Nesbit, civil rights leader Booker T. Washington, architect Stanford White, anarchist Emma Goldman, a wealthy white family living in suburban New Rochelle led by matriarch Mother and Tateh (a Jewish Latvian immigrant who becomes a movie director) and his little girl.<\/div>\n
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The show explores themes of racism, injustice, hope, and dreams amid the changes in society, music, and culture rising in New York City \u2014 and across America.<\/div>\n
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Three social castes in turn-of-the-century New York introduce themselves to the audience.<\/div>\n
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The first is an upper-class white family from\u00a0New Rochelle \u2014 the Little Boy (Edgar), his Father (who runs a fireworks factory), Mother, Mother\u2019s Younger Brother, and Grandfather. They live a genteel life and enjoy a lack of racial and ethnic diversity.<\/div>\n
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The second is the Black residents of\u00a0Harlem, including a beautiful young woman named Sarah, who adores the pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr.<\/div>\n
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The third are immigrants from Europe on the\u00a0Lower East Side, among them \u201cTateh,\u201d a Jewish artist from\u00a0the Baltic states and his young daughter.<\/div>\n
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These three worlds are connected by narration from the luminaries\u00a0\u2014 J. P. Morgan,\u00a0Henry Ford,\u00a0Booker T. Washington,\u00a0Emma Goldman,\u00a0Harry Houdini, and\u00a0Evelyn Nesbit.<\/div>\n
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Even though \u201cRagtime\u201d is set in the early 20th century, it shares troubling topics with today\u2019s world \u2013 stifling prejudice, xenophobia and unrelenting racism.<\/div>\n
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The show will run now through October 26.<\/div>\n
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Tickets, which include pre-show dinner and free parking, are $75.50 for adults, $35 for children (ages 4-12) and $35 for \u201cShow Only.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Dinner and Show times: Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances, 6 p.m. for meal and 8 p.m. for show; Sunday Matinees, 1 p.m. for meal and 3 p.m. for show; Wednesday Matinees, 11 a.m. for meal and 1 p.m. for show.<\/div>\n
Candlelight\u2019s Quizzo Night is scheduled for October 20 and the monthly Candlelight Comedy Club will be held on October 23 with Dennis Rooney and Lori Palminteri.<\/div>\n
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Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) will present \u201cIt\u2019s Not Mansplaining, It\u2019s Old Mansplaining\u201d on October 17 and \u201cDueling Pianos with The Philly Keys\u201d on October 22.<\/div>\n
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Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) is presenting \u201cHalloween Jam\u201d on October 17 and 18.<\/div>\n
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The Colonial Theater (227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, thecolonialtheatre.com\/events<\/a>) will host Rodney Crowell on October 22.<\/div>\n
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Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com<\/a>) will have Damn the Torpedoes on October 17 and the Steve Morse Band on October 18.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Music fans have a choice of tasty concerts by veteran bands over the next week including a veteran New Jersey band that is celebrating its 45th anniversary, an Anglo-Dutch band that has released well over 100 albums since forming in 1980, a Chicago band that is soaring to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,10602,16184],"class_list":["post-56028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-the-claudettes","tag-the-smithereens"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56028","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=56028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56029,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56028\/revisions\/56029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}