By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Gina Kaz
Last summer, Gina Kaz opened for Ciara Grace at a show on August 8 at the Lounge at World Café Live in Philadelphia. It was a release party for Grace’s new album, “Write It Down” on RedEye Worldwide.
On January 10, Kaz and Grace will share a bill again with a show at Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com).
Actually, they will do more than just share a bill and share a stage, they will share a band – a quartet featuring Ross Bellenoit (guitar), Chico Huff (bass), Erik Johnson (drums) and John Conahan (keyboards).
“We both have the same band,” said Kaz, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from her home in Ambler and a hair salon nearby where she was getting her hair dyed pink.
The four musicians are like a house band and recording crew at MorningStar Studios in the Norristown area.
MorningStar Studios is a professional recording studio featuring an impressive array of production and recording services and top-class equipment.
Grace’s father is producer/engineer Glenn Barratt, owner of MorningStar Studios in East Norriton. Her mother is acclaimed singer-songwriter Lizanne Knott.
The list of MorningStar’s clients includes Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Grover Washington Jr., Bootsie Barnes, Kevin Eubanks, Jill Scott, Marianne Faithful, The Crossing, Cherish the Ladies, Janis Ian, Christine Lavin, Brother Sun Reggie Harris, Greg Greenway, Craig Bickhardt, Melody Gardot, Lizanne Knott, and, of course, Kaz and Grace.
Kaz, Grace and the four musical aces all record at MorningStar.
“I recorded my new album ‘Walk Through’ with these guys at MorningStar,” said Kaz. “I co-produced it with John Conahan.”
The new album was introduced on April 21, 2024 at a release party at the Fallser Club in East Falls.
Two singles preceded the LP release – “Honey” and “Walk Through.” A new single, “Pretty,” was recently released.
“The single was produced at MorningStar and then sent to London,” said Kaz. “I had Patch Boswell (a highly regarded producer based in London) do the final production.”
Musically, “Pretty” is a song that makes you want to get up and dance.
Lyrically, the song deals with body positivity. It invites the listener to reject self-doubt and embrace self-love – to bury internal insecurities and focus on freedom.
“’Pretty’ dropped in October (October 18),” said Kaz. “It’s available on all platforms.”
Right now, Kaz is in the second incarnation of Gina Kaz the musician.
“I started performing as Gina Kaz in the early 2000s,” said Kaz. “I did it for four or five years. Then, I became a mom and stopped for 15 years. Then, I brought Gina Kaz the musician back.
“I’m also a songwriter and I became a well-known children’s artist in Philadelphia. Now, I’m expressing a fuller version of who I am.”
Kaz grew up in Narberth and then attended Merion Mercy Academy where her extracurricular activities included theater and basketball.
She graduated from Elizabethtown College with a degree in music theater and then did intern work in Asheville, North Carolina.
Later, she met Matt Ferragame – her future husband.
They got engaged in 1999 and returned to Philadelphia to be near their families. In 2001, they returned to North Carolina for their wedding, which they held on Black Mountain.
Time passed and another life-changing thing happened.
“I was in an auto accident,” said Kaz. “I was a passenger.
“I had a brain hemorrhage, vertigo, broken clavicles and a broken back. Then, I remember waking up and seeing Matt.
“It was a traumatic experience. It changed me when we got hit by a truck. But it was also a beautiful experience. I realized I wanted to become a mom.”
Kaz hit the ‘pause” button on her music career and pursued her dream of becoming a mom. Now, she has three kids.
“Theo is 18 and he’s going to play football in college,” said Kaz. “Phoenix is 16 and he’s into football and wrestling. My daughter Ruby Mae is 12 and softball is her sport.”
Kaz has kept a lot of irons in the fire over the last two decades.
“I have ‘Music with Gina,’ where I give five 45-minute classes a week online,” said Kaz. “I also work as a music therapist at a hospice.”
Kaz has been through a lot and continues to like what she sees when she looks at herself.
“I love myself,” said Kaz. “I take care of myself, lift my spirits. I hope I uplift others – uplift people’s souls.”
Video link for Gina Kaz —https://youtu.be/D0CnqQpXF7E.
The Kaz-Grace link predated their show together last year.
“Ciara and I met at MorningStar,” said Kaz. “We started chatting and decided we should do a show together since we have the same band.
“With Ciara’s show at World Café Live, Lizanne (Knott) was doing the booking and asked for me,” said Kaz. “So, I was the opener.
“For this show, I’m going to play second – but it’s an equal billing. We’ll each do 45-minute sets. We’ll be sharing the night.”
Grace brings a lot of music DNA with her.
“The music gene is definitely there,” said Grace, during a phone interview. “I can feel it. I feel it most when I’m playing live or playing in my room.”
The environment for Grace when she was growing up was MorningStar Studios.
The World Café Live describes her as “the next rising singer-songwriter to boast Philadelphia as her homebase.”
Ciara Grace
Grace has already performed at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Music Room near the Mersey River, the Philadelphia Folk Festival in farm area outside Philly, and The Bitter End in Greenwich Village.
Grace is a singer/songwriter who grew up in East Norriton, a “suburb” of Norristown, and now attends West Chester University.
“I graduated from North Penn in 2021,” said Grace. “Then, I started at West Chester where I’m a psychology major.”
Grace may be majoring in psychology at school, but she is majoring in music in life.
Some singers attribute their musical skills to family – “I grew up with music. My parents were music fans” or environment – “My parents played albums all the time and I listened to them”.
Grace’s music pedigree includes heavy influences from both family and environment – real influences.
According to Grace, “I was always running around, making friends with the musicians, pressing buttons I shouldn’t have been touching. On another note, I was very fortunate growing up that I got to sit in on my mom making her albums.
“I feel like I got the artist’s perspective from her, and the engineer’s perspective from my dad. By the time I got around to starting my debut, I was very familiar with the process and all the time and labor that goes into it.”
Grace learned a lot about what making is all about before she finished her teen years.
“My dad would teach me all about the studio,” said Grace. “He was a music major in college. Being in the studio with him, I learned about engineering.
“There were also times when he would have me singing on recordings that were being done there. I’m all over my mom’s records.”
Grace’s focus now is on “Write It Down,” which was released on May 10, six days after her 21st birthday.
“I started working on the album right after COVID started,” said Grace. “I was working more on the music. I started to lay down some tracks. I got a feel for what I wanted my first album to sound like.
“English class has always been my favorite. So, I wanted songs that built like a novel. And I wanted things that come from the heart.
“I write on guitar and piano. I typically wait to record something until I have a finished product. I do a lot of self-questioning.
“When I’m writing songs, I don’t fully know what they’re about until they’re done. There was definitely some soul searching. I relate to these songs.”
Grace’s songs are intense, honest, soulful and interesting. There are no forced rhymes or over-used cliches. Her voice is strong and smooth and always up to the task of delivering the songs’ emotions.
“My new songs are more about what I’ve learned about myself,” said Grace. “There’s a song about my first long relationship.
“There is a lot of family stuff. I have three sisters who are a lot older and I’m now experiencing the same life events they did.”
What sets “Write It Down” from a lot of albums by singer/songwriters is the music – and the musicians. There are a lot of different instruments used on the album and the arrangements are ultra-tight.
Grace’s band features a bunch of Philly’s best musicians — Ross Bellenoit (guitar), Chico Huff (bass), Erik Johnson (drums) and John Conahan (keyboards).
Prior to the album, Grace and the gang recorded and released three singles – “Lost Cause” on February 9, “Stalker on the Internet” on March 15 and “Don’t Love Me Now” on April 12.
“I’m always writing new music,” said Grace. “Right now, I’m trying to nail down production stuff for myself.
“I love the old stuff and performing it in my live show. But I also like adding in new stuff.”
Video link for Ciara Grace – https://youtu.be/5xnLkM2eNEY.
The show at Jamey’s on January 10 will start at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the night of the show.
The show is also available live online — PromoTix. Tickets are $15.
On January 11, Jamey’s House of Music will host “Dennis McDoNoUgh! (aka)” with his band JUNG WOMBATS.
“Dennis McDoNoUgh! (aka)” has been billed as “Master Entertainer” (Coffee With A Conscience, NJ), was called “The best thing at Folk Alliance!” (2013 in Toronto) by Trespass Music founder Tracey Delfino, and “A farce to be reckoned with” by Pete Seeger disciple, acolyte and devotee Spook Handy. Another colleague and fan once even described Dennis as “The FOLK Enema!”
Dennis presents an electrifying, eclectic mix of old, new, burrowed and blues originals, aboriginals and most noteably his eccentric “schmedleys”- two (or more!) songs played simultaneously.
“Dennis McDoNoUgh! (aka)” was Born in the USA, raised in New Jersey and Made in America. He comes “Jersey Fresh From The Great Garden State” not merely to entertain but also to educate, inform, enlighten, incite, and inspire.
The show at Jamey’s on January 11 will start at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the night of the show.
The show is also available live online at $15.
Every Sunday, Jamey’s presents “SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM” featuring the highly acclaimed blues group the Girke-Davis Project as the host band.
Brought together by fate while playing at Jamey’s House of Music, something clicked and their mutual respect for one another and deep abiding love for the blues bonded them into something greater than each of them alone – and thus was born, the Girke-Davis Project.
This supergroup committed to get together at Jamey’s to celebrate the vast repertoire of blues music – the African American art form that paved the way for jazz, rock n roll and even country music.
The band features Roger Girke, guitarist, singer and writer; John Colgan-Davis, harmonica and vocals; Jamey Reilly, bass; Glenn Bickel, piano and Hammond organ; and Paul Albrecht, drums.
Video link for the Girke-Davis Project — https://youtu.be/LMHzfrrkRCQ
The open mic jam runs from 1-3 p.m. The host band lays down a set from noon-1 p.m. to get things rolling and then supports guest jammers as needed. The always rocking SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH rocks a Happy Hour from noon-1 p.m.
Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) is hosting A Night of Rock: Splitting Vision, Impolite Society, Strays & Misfits on January 10 and The Legendary Kennett Flash Open Mic Night hosted by Antar Goodwin.
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) will have Swearingen & Kelli recreating the music of Simon & Garfunkel.
On January 3 and 4, Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) will host “haZy cosmic jive – Tribute to David Bowie” on January 10 and Dumb As You Are & Cure For Pain: Nirvana & Morphine Tributes on January 11.
