By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Allman Betts Band
On December 9, a very special tour will touch down in Philadelphia when the Fillmore (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, themetphilly.com/event/allman-family-revival/) hosts the “Allman Family Revival.”
The “Fifth Annual Allman Family Revival” is a 19-city, coast-to-coast tour featuring the Allman Betts Band and an all-star cast of guest artists, including Robert Randolph, North Mississippi Allstars’ Cody and Luther Dickinson, Eric Gales, Jimmy Hall, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and others, paying tribute to the life and music of Gregg Allman.
Other previously announced performers include Charlie Starr, Eric Krasno, Donavon Frankenreiter, Lilly Hiatt, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Lamar Williams Jr., G. Love, George Porter, Karl Denson, Marc Ford, Ivan Neville, Art Edmaiston, Beth Hart, J.D. Simo, Jessica Lynn, Ally Venable, Samantha Fish, Alex Orbison, and Kenny Aronoff.
The Allman Betts Band features Devon Allman (son of Gregg Allman), Duane Betts (son of Dicky Betts), Berry Oakley Jr. (son of original Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley), John Ginty, Johnny Stachela, R. Scott Bryan, and John Lum.
“With the Allman Betts Band, I felt like it was a pretty good outfit to consider as a home base,” said Allman, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon on his way to a tour stop in Boston. “Duane, Berry and I go back so far that we’re definitely family.”
In December 2017, Allman organized a concert at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco. Betts recently had turned solo after a touring stint with folk-rockers Dawes and was as an opening artist on the Devon Allman Project 2018 world tour, as well as joining Allman each night for a musical tip of the hat to their respective fathers.
The year-long trek was the first to pair Allman and Betts and saw the two perform nearly 100 shows at theaters and festivals nationally and internationally. During off-days on the bus or in hotel rooms, Allman and Betts collaborated on new original material, inviting respected songwriter Stoll Vaughn for writing sessions on the road. They called up their old friend Berry Duane Oakley and floated the idea of joining them.
Then, they recruited seasoned players from the Project ensemble — slide guitar ace Johnny Stachela, drummer John Lum, and percussionist R Scott Bryan. In November of 2018, they announced the formation of The Allman Betts Band.
Enlisting producer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price) the band booked a post-Thanksgiving week at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. They brought in Gregg Allman’s former bandmate, Peter Levin, and former Allman Brother Chuck Leavell as guests on organ and piano.
Motivated by classic recording techniques and vintage gear in the historic Alabama studio, they cut the album live — no computers, no digital editing. Setting up as one in the studio, they tracked nine songs on two-inch analog tape and the result was their debut album, “Down to the River.”
The Allman Family Revival is a celebration of the life, spirit, and music of Gregg Allman, hosted by Devon Allman, and anchored by his group, The Allman Betts Band.
“I expected the Revival to be a one-off concert,” said Allman. “Everything after that was unplanned.”
In December 2016, Allman’s mother, Shelly Jefts, died in December 2016 and his father, Gregg Allman, died in May 2017.
“When my dad died, I cancelled a whole year of touring to grieve,” said Allman. “After six months, I decided to go out and do what I do.
“It was supposed to be a comeback show in Florida and then it got moved to the Fillmore in San Francisco. There was only one date available – December 8. That would have been my dad’s 70thbirthday – his first posthumous birthday.
“It sold out right away. The Fillmore said – let’s do it again next year for two days. It just kept growing from there. In 2020 because of COVID, we did a socially distant show at the Ryman in Nashville.
“For the next tour (2021), we expected six or seven shows. We got 31 offers. I cherry-picked the best venues. Maybe next year, we’ll get to some of the venues we missed.”
The development of the 2021 tour took as long as the gestation of a human baby.
“I started out on March 16,” said Allman. “I sent out the first few offers to secure talent for a three-week tour. For the last nine months, it’s been a labor of love. When I’m not playing, I’m working with my team.
“We carry all the gear including a 40-foot by 20-foot video wall. We have one semi truck and three buses for the band.
“I knew going in what the tour meant. It’s a free-for-all — but a highly organized free-for-all.”
Allman assumes a role similar to an orchestra’s musical director.
“We have five guitars,” said Allman. “We have three drummers – 80 percent of the time it’s two drummers and a third playing percussion. When I look at the set, I know who needs to take a break and when. It really depends on the song.
“At the end of the night, there are 27 people on stage. We do have an inner core of musicians on the tour – Jimmy Hall, Luther and Cody Dickenson, Lamar Williams Jr. and the guys from our band. The outer circle might be with us for two or three shows.
“About 60 per cent of the set list is the same every show. We do two sets each night and every set list is different. It’s a three-and-a-half-hour show.”
The format for the shows is similar to Joe Cocker’s “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” tours or The Band’s “The Last Waltz” concert
“This tour is definitely modeled after ‘The Last Waltz,’” said Allman. “I’m having artists that were friends with my dad or played with him.
“It’s really great to end the year with a big reunion. It’s absolutely a family reunion – brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts.”
Video link for Allman Family Revival — https://youtu.be/FmwmV5OpLJY.
The show at The Fillmore on December 9 will start at 8 p.m.
Ticket prices start at $25.
Other upcoming shows at The Fillmore are Mt. Joy on December 11 and 12 and Intervals on December 15.
If this were a time prior to the invention of ways to record TV shows and Jamey Reilly were an avid NFL fan, the veteran musician would be conflicted every Sunday afternoon.
Why?
It’s because every Sunday afternoon from noon-3 p.m., Reilly hosts a Sunday Blues Brunch at his club, Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) – and because Reilly and his band the Philly Blues Kings (www.phillyblueskings.com) are the performers each week.
The Philly Blues Kings are a veteran outfit comprised of David Reiter on guitar, keyboards and vocals, Bill Marconi on drums and vocals and Reilly on bass guitar. They have performed together for 15 years and are the house band for Jamey’s House of Music. They are well known for tight, jazz inflected classic blues.
Reiter performs on a seven-string guitar and Reilly plays a fretless five string bass and that sets the group above the ordinary. The three veteran musicians have each spent decades playing the blues professionally and have backed many well-known national artists.
“We’ve been together a long time – even back to many years ago at the PSALM Salon,” said Reilly, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his club in Delaware County.
One missing element for the band in recent times has been a full-time lead singer capable of meeting the trio’s high standards.
That element is no longer missing.
On December 5, Maci Miller, an internationally recognized jazz singer based in Philadelphia, joined the Blues Kings and quickly established herself as a top-flight front woman.
“We’ve had the blues jam on Sundays for well over a decade,” said Reilly. “Dave and I have been playing together for 15 years. We’ve gone through many iterations of a singer over the years.”
Reilly had heard Miller sing several times and had booked her for several shows at his club in the past year.
“When I booked her for Jamey’s, I knew she was a straightforward jazz singer,” said Reilly. “I liked her voice. I knew she could kill the blues.”
When Reilly asked Miller to join his band, she quickly replied – yes.
“I’m excited to be part of Jamey’s Sunday Jam,” said Miller, during a phone interview Tuesday from her home in Bucks County. “He’s such a wonderful human being.
“He’s a musician so he knows how to treat musicians. I’ve played Jamey’s a few times and I’ve always enjoyed watching the blues jams there.
“When he asked me to do this, it was a no-brainer. Jazz is my favorite music and now blues is in a close tie. These guys are great to work with.
“It’s been a good fit because I always had a good number of blues songs in my repertoire – more jazzy blues tunes. Now, I’ve learned some of his blues tunes. And I have a new original that we’ll debut this weekend.”
Because of her varied musical background, Miller is equally comfortable singing an Ella Fitzgerald classic like “Lullaby of Birdland,” “Moje Zlato” (a Croatian wedding song) or one of her many melodic original compositions.
“I was singing into a hairbrush ever since I was able to talk,” said Miller.
As a young girl, Maci discovered her grandparent’s vast collection of vinyl, and after studying every great artist from Ella to Ellington, she honed her vocal skills and made her debut in local clubs and at special events.
“There were a lot of musicians on my mother’s side,” said Miller. “I had a lot of talented uncles who were writers, producers and sound guys. On my dad’s side, there was the Croatian influence. There was always Croatian music being played.
“When I was growing up, I was always singing in choirs and performing at local shows. When I was 20, I got into dinner theater in Harrisburg. Then I joined a funk band named Smooth – a pop/funk band.”
Miller grew up in the Harrisburg area in a small town called Enhaut and then graduated from Central Dauphin East High School.
“I was in a lot of bands that did wedding gigs,” said Miller. “Then, I did a lot of modeling and acting when I moved to Philadelphia. I also worked in New York. After a while, I stopped all the other things and focused on music. It was later that I got into jazz.”
Based in Philadelphia, Miller worked regularly at the casinos in Atlantic City.
“I worked at several casinos,” said Miller. “I performed a lot at the Claridge. I’d listen to jazz a lot on the way home and think – why aren’t I singing this. I really liked old music. I got into Ella Fitzgerald and then dug deeper.”
Miller released her debut album, “A Very Good Night,” in 2001.
“My first album was a big band album,” said Miller. “It was all originals written in ’40s style. My second album, which came out in 2004 was ‘Take A Closer Look.’ It was a pop/jazz fusion album.”
Miller’s third album was written for a very specific audience.
“The third album was ‘Butterfly Moon’,” said Miller. “It was a lullaby album for my baby girl, Ruby. We adopted her from Thailand. I made the album so she could get used to my voice before we went to Thailand to get her.”
Miller’s other creative endeavors as an actor, model, and spokesperson have afforded her numerous appearances on film (The Sixth Sense), print (Modern Bride, Women’s World Magazine), and television (Law and Order). Her charitable contributions include a lullaby entitled “Butterfly Moon”, originally composed for her daughter, which she contributed to a CD for The Mercy Center in Bangkok, which gives aid to orphans and children living with HIV.
Miller has worked with several music greats including trumpeter Steve Jankowski (Nile Rodgers, Chicago), saxophonist Larry McKenna (Woody Herman, Buddy DeFranco), Dean Schneider (music director for Diahann Carroll), Demitrious Pappas (Smokey Robinson’s music director), and the late George Mesterhazy (Shirley Horn).
She has sung in legendary rooms such as the The Jazz Standard and Danny’s Skylight Room in New York City, Ortliebs and Chris’s Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia, Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and Bally’s, Harrah’s and the Claridge in Atlantic City. Her travels have also taken her to the iconic Bamboo Bar in Bangkok, Thailand for several extended runs.
The arrival of Ruby marked a career shift for Miller.
“I didn’t sing for about eight years so I could focus on being a mom,” said Miller. “Two years ago, my friend David O’Rourke said – you should sing again.
“Two years ago, I decided to dip my toe back in and an album came out of it – ‘Round Midnight.’”
On “Round Midnight,” Miller sings 15 favorite standards in an intimate duet format with guitarist David O’Rourke.
“I recorded ‘Round Midnight’ and released it just before the pandemic,” said Miller. “I was four gigs into my comeback and the world shut down.
“So, I got equipment and did my own gigs. I had livestream shows in my backyard throughout the pandemic. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do live shows at different places including here at the farmhouse. Now, I’m working on a new album.”
She is also working on a new project – singing the blues every Sunday at Jamey’s House of Music.
“This room has all the factors,” said Miller. “The sound is excellent. It’s a musician’s kind of place. It’s a great place to hang – and I’ll be doing it every Sunday indefinitely.”
Video link for Philly Blues Kings — https://youtu.be/bAnBVLc7Wsg.
Video link for Maci Miller — https://youtu.be/D3ktSJTVxDs.
The show at Jamey’s House of Music on 12 will start at noon. Admission is free.
On December 10, Jamey’s will host Dan May’s “Annual Birthday Palooza” and the Barrelhouse Blues Band will headline on December 11.
Dan May
Back in the beginning of May, Dan May experienced a situation of “being close yet so far away.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, some people virtually became hermits. Singer/songwriter Dan May literally became a hermit.
“I stopped going out for any reason,” said May, during a phone interview from his home in Drexel Hill. “I was really sequestered. I had everything delivered. The only times I went out were for a Soundbooth Session at the Sellersville Theater and two Livestream performances from Morningstar Studio.”
May was scheduled to headline a show on May 7 at the Sellersville Theater but it never happened. The show got postponed and its cancellation had nothing to do with COVID-19.
“I got a virus that went straight to my voice,” said May. “I don’t know how I got it. I have no idea what its name is. I just know that it paralyzed my vocal cords. The virus made it impossible for me to sing.”
May took a circuitous route to his current place as a singer/songwriter.
He has worked as a gravedigger, television cameraman, short order cook, nuclear missile security guard, gas station attendant, ice cream truck driver, delivery man, amusement park worker and greenhouse laborer.
While studying music composition in college, he inadvertently stumbled upon an international opera career that forced him to leave a promising future as a songwriter behind.
“I grew up in Sandusky, Ohio,” said May. “I went to Bowling Green University and studied journalism. Then, I was writing for a daily newspaper.
“My wife wanted to go to Ohio State University, so we moved to Columbus. I went to Ohio State as a composition major. Somebody said I should sing opera, so I decided to try it.
“I studied opera at the Academy of Vocals Arts for four years. That’s what brought us to this area, and we’ve been here ever since. I was a bass/baritone and sang professionally for 12 years.”
Then, his path took another unexpected turn.
“I had surgery on my vocal cords,” said May. “They had become paralyzed. In the surgery, they injected fat into my vocal cords. I can sing with a full range, but my voice can’t meet the demands of singing opera – especially the volume needed.
“I switched to being a singer/songwriter in 2005 and I’ve released six records since then. I also did two CDs with Elise Dadourian.”
May’s sextet of LPs includes “Once Was Red,” “Fate Said Nevermind,” “The Long Road Home,” “Heartland,” “Dying Breed” and “Beacon.” The albums with Dadourian are “Gold Brick Road” and “Simple Truth.”
Video link for Dan May — https://youtu.be/nkeTZzjzEGM.
The show at Jamey’s on December 10 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.
This weekend, Lyric Fest (https://lyricfest.org/concerts/my-letter-to-the-world/) will perform “My Letter to the World,” a special concert centered on the life and writings of Emily Dickinson.
There will be two performances — December 11 at 3 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill (8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia) and December 12 at 3 p.m. at the Academy of Vocal Arts (1920 Spruce Street, Philadelphia).
This unique program of letters and narration features 20th and 21st century song settings by Arthur Farwell, Aaron Copland, Andre Previn, Daron Hagen, Lori Laitman, Richard Hundley, Logan Skelton, Scott Gendel, and Jake Heggie, among others sung by soprano Christine Lyons, mezzo-soprano Pascale Spinney, tenor Aaron Crouch, and baritone Gregory Feldmann. Joining them are Lyric Fest Co-Founders and Artistic Directors Laura Ward and Suzanne DuPlantis, with Ward on piano and DuPlantis serving as narrator.
“We’re an art song revival series and this is our 19th season,” said DuPlantis, during a phone interview Tuesday morning from Philadelphia.
“We take a theme and create a program. We curate songs and also do commissioned music. We’ve commissioned 200 songs in our history. For this particular program, we did not commission any songs. All of the songs are extant songs.”
The source material was poems by Emily Dickinson.
“For this program, there are 19 composers and 28 songs,” said DuPlantis, a New Orleans native who moved to Philadelphia 30 years ago. “I listened to 70 or so songs so I was really targeted.”
Emily Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry.
Dickinson lived much of her life in isolation and later in her life rarely left her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most friendships between her and others depended entirely upon correspondence.
While Dickinson was a prolific writer, her only publications during her lifetime were 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems, and one letter. Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends, and also explore aesthetics, society, nature and spirituality.
Her work did not become public until 1886 when, after her death, her younger sister Lavinia discovered her cache of poems.
According to DuPlantis says, “Dickinson died with nearly 1,800 poems locked in a chest, written in notebooks, on cards, and scribbled onto envelopes with their glue seams pressed open. The vast majority of these poems were completely unknown to the world. Lyric Fest shares the story of the beguiling life of one of America’s most notable and beloved poets.”
The poems morphed easily into musical compositions.
“It’s musical just to recite her poems,” said DuPlantis. “The poetry itself is music. It’s sparse and there is space between the words.
“In this program, there is no chronological order for the songs. The biography is chronological. We use songs to move her biography forward. Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson are the pinnacles of 18th century literature – the foundation of American literature and poetry.
“In these concerts, there will be a narrator telling the story of her life. The songs are poems that have been set to music. We chose ones that show where she was at that point in her life.
“She was hardly known in her lifetime. She was very reclusive. She needed solitude to create art. It’s a fascinating and bizarre story. More than 3,000 songs have been set to her poetry.
“This concert will be mostly classical compositions – piano and vocal…soprano, tenor, mezzo-soprano and baritone. The 19 compositions were all done mainly in the 21st century with a few from the 20th century.”
Video link for Lyric Fest — https://youtu.be/ankbV2WOsg8.
Tickets are $25 for either performance.
There are several rock music holiday performance traditions in Philadelphia such as the Slambovian Circus of Dreams’ annual “Christmas Eve Eve” show at the World Café Live.
Another is the “Annual Holiday Concert” by Chester County musician Don McCloskey – an event which will be held on December 15 at Johnny Brenda’s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684, www.johnnybrendas.com).
“This is the fifth year I’ve been doing this,” said McCloskey, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in West Caln.
“Obviously, we didn’t do one last year because of COVID. Before that we did shows at Johnny Brenda’s and before that at The Tin Angel.”
The pandemic not only altered McCloskey’s performance plans, it also changed the course of his soon-to-be-released album, “The Chaos and The Beauty.”
“The record began with a Kickstarter campaign two-and-a-half years ago,” said McCloskey. “I thought it would probably take a year. Then COVID hit and it took a lot longer.
“I was living in Brooklyn then. I recorded the album with producer Devin Greenwood at Honey Jar Studio in Brooklyn. It’s a great studio with all analog gear.
“Now, we’re coming out of a low ebb in music. I released the first single, ‘First in Flight,’ on June 25.
“First in Flight,” was prominently featured in the season two finale of “Mythic Quest.” It was handpicked by series creator and McCloskey’s high school friend, Rob McElhenney. It has been streamed more than 500k times and counting.
“The second single, which came out in November is, ‘O Holy Night,’ said McCloskey. “It’s the retelling of a story.”
McCloskey’s reimagining of the holiday classic is sung from the perspective of two French lovers in 1843 France who could only be together while the rest of their village was attending Midnight Mass. The first performance of “O Holy Night” took place in the small town of Roquemare, France on Christmas Eve in 1847 while the poem that inspired it was written four years prior.
“The third single will be ‘Unbecoming’ and it’s scheduled for release on January 5. Then the album comes out in February.”
“The Chaos and The Beauty” was crowdsourced by his intensely loyal fanbase who raised $22,000 in less than two days on Kickstarter. McCloskey joined with Producer Devin Greenwood (Norah Jones, Sufjan Stevens, Half Waif) to record the album at his studio.
The album was cut live-to-tape at The Honey Jar featuring a collective of world class musicians and vocalists. Billed as “a celebration of the human spirit in a digital age,” the LP feels instantly sonically familiar and lyrically poignant.
“We’d go in and do the basic tracks one or two at a time,” said McCloskey. “After that, we’d do the overdubs.
“Looking back, I see a thread throughout – multiple people following an impulse, It starts with my impulse to write songs and then other people’s impulse to hear the songs.
“It started with approximately 30 songs and then we cut it to 10. We used only analog instruments and Devin did an amazing job with the production.
“The songs come from the 80s when singer/songwriters were coming out of the 70s with a different world and a different way of appropiating pop music.”
McCloskey’s involvement with music dates back to when he was a young boy growing up in Bucks County – in Bristol.
“I’ve always been into music,” said McCloskey. “I come from a family of music lovers – and people who love to make music. My uncle was an Irish tenor who played guitar and my cousin played guitar. My parents had a great record collection and I listened to the radio a lot.
“I was into music at church and school. And there was the Bristol Riverside Theater where I first heard musicals. I worked at the theater and performed there.
“My music is a mix of singer/songwriter and folk tribalism that has absorbed a lot of stimulus – classic rock, folk, jazz, hip hop, grunge and the British Invasion. It’s very eclectic.”
After graduating from St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, McCloskey attended Fordham University and eventually landed in Brooklyn.
“When I started playing, I was an acoustic guitarist,” said McCloskey. “I was into the ‘anti-folk’ movement going on at the Sidewalk Café in the Lower East Side. It was an incubator for artists like Jeffery Lewis and Regina Spektor. It was the first time I realized you could synthesize all the elements.
“I came back to Philly and was doing solo gigs at the Grape Street Pub, The Fire and The Tin Angel.
“I toured with G.Love and, through him, met Chuck Treece and Tom Spiker. I began playing in a band with them. On my second album, ‘Northern Liberties,’ I recorded three songs with Tom at Northern Liberties Studio.”
Now, McCloskey is returning to the Northern Liberties area (Fishtown actually) – returning for a holiday tradition show.
“I’ll have an eight-piece band with me,” said McCloskey. “We’ll be playing most of the songs from the new album, a good mix of my older songs and an assortment of Christmas songs.”
Video link for Don McCloskey — https://youtu.be/3c3bT2sypBQ.
The show at Johnny Brenda’s on December 15 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17.
Other upcoming shows at Johnny Brenda’s are Strand of Oaks on December 9 and Full Bush on December 16.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had its effect on all musicians and bands – some more than others.
Whether performing solo or with his band The Revivalists, David Shaw has found a way to adapt.
Shaw is now out on tour in support of his debut self-titled solo album, which was released in May via his own imprint Yokoko Records in partnership with C3 Records. The tour visits Philly on December 15 with a show at the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com).
“We started this tour on December 4 in Atlanta,” said Shaw, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Bloomington, Indiana. “It ends on December 18 in D.C.
“We did a bunch of one-offs in September and October. We did probably 25 shows with the band – not too shabby with COVID.
“We remain careful. We definitely play clubs with vaccine requirements or else outdoor shows. We’ve got to keep our fans safe – and our crew safe.”
Over the last decade, Shaw has made four albums and two EPs with The Revivalists. This year, he added his first-ever solo work.
Produced by Jack Splash (four-time Grammy award-winning producer of Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, Solange, Valerie June, St Paul and The Broken Bones), Shaw’s 12-track LP showcases his true self — exemplifying his hard-working and courageous nature as he placed a renewed focus on self-care and personal growth.
Joining Shaw on the album were guitarist and co-writer Chris Gelbuda, guitarist and vocalist Neal Francis, bassist Mike Starr, and The Revivalists current drummer PJ Howard. Several singles were released to promote the album, including “Got Me Feeling Good,” “Heavy Soul,” “Shivers,” “Shaken” and “Promised Land.”
“We cut the album in early 2020 – January and February,” said Shaw. “We recorded some of it at a friend’s basement studio in Nashville with Chris Gebulda. He’s been a friend for 10 years. Then, we went to New Orleans and finished it at Parlor Studio.
“We released five singles,” said Shaw. “The song ‘Shaken’ is really near and dear to my heart. It started the project. After five singles, we let it rip with the album with seven more songs. It’s a pretty good balance.
“Most of the songs were written pre-pandemic – most some time before. I definitely started writing a lot when it hit. I’ve got a bunch of songs going.
“I’m going to go in with the Revs to the studio in the next few months. I’ve really figured out the songs that I’m excited to do with the band. Some will be for solo.
“I always knew I was going to do a solo album but didn’t know when. I didn’t expect to be making it during a pandemic. Fortunately, I had a bunch of songs that I’ve been stockpiling.”
Shaw’s fans have had seven months to get familiar with the songs from his solo album and Shaw is ready to deliver them live onstage.
“I’m playing every song from the album,” said Shaw. “There are a few different covers that we pull out every night. And I always have to play Soulflight – acoustic.”
The Revivalists will close out 2021 in their home base of New Orleans for their annual New Year’s Eve celebration featuring an extra special pre-show set celebrating the return of an extremely limited and intimate RevHeads Ball. Both events will take place on December 31 at Mardi Gras World.
Video link for David Shaw – https://youtu.be/VbQK9b-MtsE.
The show on December 15 at World Café Live will start at 8 p.m.
Tickets start at $27.
Other upcoming shows at World Café Live are William Elliott Whitmore on December 9, Kevin Devine on December 11, The Moth on December 14 and Michigan Rattlers on December 14.
Now through January 2, People’s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, peopleslight.org) is presenting the world premiere of “A Christmas Carol.”
This version of “A Christmas Carol” is adapted from Charles Dickens by Zak Berkman and features original music by Zak Berkman.
Callous Scrooge, shackled Marley, and the haunting spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future spring vividly to life in this fresh adaptation of a favorite yuletide ghost story.
Featuring a lively mix of original songs and newly arranged 19th-century English carols, this music-infused retelling captures the magic, joy, and generosity of Dickens’ beloved classic.
Each year, the People’s Light holiday show is a panto that transforms a beloved children’s story into a musical extravaganza filled with outrageous characters, toe-tapping original music, slapstick comedy, and topical humor for both kids and adults.
“A Christmas Carol” is not a panto. But it is music-filled, interactive fun for every age — whether you believe in spirits or not.
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, uptownwestchester.org)is presenting “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” on December 10, 11,12, 16 and 18.
Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will have The Hypothetical House Band – Jon Herington and Dennis Espantman on December 10, John Flynn on December 11 and Heather Maloney on December 15.
Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com) is hosting The mavericks on December 10 and 11.
The Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 202-730-3331, www.thequeenwilmington.com) will have Jadakiss on December 9, The Wonder Years on December 10, and Van Halen Nation on December 11.
Arden concerts (The Highway, Arden, Delaware, ardenconcerts.com) will host Marshall Crenshaw on December 11.
Marshall Crenshaw will also play the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) on December 10. Other upcoming acts at the venue are Matt Cappy on December 9, Ted Vigil’s A John Denver Christmas on December 11, ABBAFAB on December 12, DePue Brothers Band on December 13, Irish Christmas In America on December 14 and Stanley Jordan on December 15.
The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will present Dopapod on December 9 and 10 and Aunt Mary Pat on December 16.
The Living Room (35 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, https://thelivingroomat35east.com) will present Kenn Kweder on December 11.
118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com) will host Jason’s Children on December 9, Dueling Pianos on December 10, DNR on December 11 and Eric Mintel on December 15.
The Xcite Center at Parx Casino (2999 Street Road, Bensalem, 888-588-7279, https://parxcasino.com) will present America on December 9, Nikki Glaser on December 10 and Kathleen Madigan on December 11.
