On Stage: Kim The Happy Medium & lesbian standup in Phoenixville

Local music venues packed with exciting acts

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

Phoenixville will be a happening place this weekend with a two very interesting non-mainstream shows presented by Point Entertainment at the Colonial Theatre along with a pair of top-flight headliners at the Steel City Coffeehouse.

On April 10, the Colonial Theatre (Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610- 917-1228, www.thecolonialtheatre.com) will host an evening with medium Kim Russo and then will present a show by comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer on April 11.

Kim Russo, also known as Kim The Happy Medium, has been able to see the world of spirit since she was a young child.

“I was around nine years old when it started to happen,” said Russo, during a phone interview Tuesday from a tour stop in Los Angeles. “I just remember having a crowd at the foot of my bed. There were men in black suits and fedoras and women I n long black dress with laces on their heads. They had distinct faces — and distinct positions where they stood every time.

“My sister and I shared a room. There was a street light outside our room that allowed me to see these apparitions. My sister never saw them but she said she did feel a presence. That house was in Ozone Park in Queens (NY).

“Then, our family moved to Long Island. What was weird was that the spirits followed me. They were with me during the day. I could feel them with me when I walked to school. During my teenage years — the older I got, it was getting less and less.”

But, it was a case of gone but not forgotten.

“I never thought much about it during my dating years,” said Russo, who has appeared on A & E’s hit shows “Paranormal State” and “Psychic Kids” and The Biography Channel’s “Celebrity Ghost Stories.” “During my child-bearing years, it was as quiet as can be.

“My husband and I moved back to that original house in Ozone Park and there were no spirits. Then, we moved to Long Island. After I had my third child, spirits came back — but not the same group. There were all kinds and they were insistent.

“I saw an apparition of a 13-year-old girl — not solid but I saw everything. She didn’t speak but I heard what she was telling me. She was from New Jersey and had died in a house fire. She said — you need to tell my parents I’m O.K. Then, when she turned, I saw that her whole face was charred on one side.

“From that point on, there have been floods of people. I don’t see them all but I hear them all. I learned a lot about apparitions and did a lot of research.”

Since then, Russo has been put through a battery of tests and has become a Certified Medium by The Forever Family Foundation and The Windbridge Institute for Applied Research in Human Potential. This foundation is dedicated and committed to proving the existence of life after death by integrating mediumship along with scientific studies.

“In my shows, I do readings,” said Russo. “I can look at people and find the conduit. I might have to use an alternate but I rarely have trouble connecting. I interview the spirit and give the person getting the reading something to identify with. At times, I connect with someone they’re not expecting.

“I go out onstage and warm up the audience to get the vibration up. The work that I do depends a lot on trust. I talk about whatever moves me that day. I don’t ever plan it. It’s always different. Once I get the audience comfortable, I take the microphone and walk through the audience.

“I allow the person getting the reading to stand up. I want the audience to know that there is no way Kin could have known about that family. If I weren’t authentic, there is no way I could pull it off day-in and day-out. It’s a demonstration of spirit communication.”

Russo has been given insight into what transpires on the other side.

“Time is not linear in the other world,” said Russo. “There are several levels and dominions where souls go after they leave the body. Most of the energies I discover are earthbound. There are some who haven’t gone in the light. A lot of time, spirits are earthbound and it’s of their own doing. But, most people do go into the light. I’ve studied a lot about near-death experiences too.”

Russo is currently the host of the weekly running series “The Haunting Of…” on The LMN channel. This Saturday, she shows a session she did with Coatesville’s Johnny Weir, a flamboyant and openly-gay former international skating star.

“Johnny Weir — I never met anyone like him,” said Russo. ‘You never know what he’s going to say or do.”

Video link of Kim Russo and Johnny Weir — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z4F65VPA8bM.

Saturday night’s headliner Suzanne Westenhoefer is an openly-gay standup comedian. Like Weir, she is startlingly candid — “Did she really say that?” candid.

“I was living in Fort Lee (NJ) and working as a bartender at a gay bar,” said Westenhoefer, during a phone interview Tuesday evening from her home in Los Angeles.

“People told me — you should do standup. So, I decided to be an openly-gay comedian. I entered a contest in 1990 and won $25. That was my start. At the time, there were only four other openly-gay comedians and they were all doing it for gay audiences.

“I started making a living as a comic in 1992 and I was working straight clubs. That was the exciting, weird thing. I did it because I thought it would be wild — and it was.”

Westenhoefer became the first openly lesbian comic ever to appear on television in 1991 on an episode of Sally Jesse Raphael entitled “Breaking the Lesbian Stereotype…Lesbians Who Don’t Look Like Lesbians.”

“That was in a time when audiences on the show were standing up and hollering hostile stuff,” said Westenhoefer. “It was very different then. She introduced me as a lesbian standup comedian and that sort of opened up the whole thing. After that I started doing a lot of festivals — music festivals and pride festivals.”

Ironically, Westenhoefer grew up in a very conservative society. She went to grade school and high school in Columbia, a Lancaster County town most known for its Clock Museum, and then attended Clarion State College.

“Playing Phoenixville is like a hometown show almost,” said Westenhoefer. “My family is still in Lancaster County and they’ll all be coming to the show — my mom, my stepdad and my gay sister.

“I usually do a 75-minute show. I do the show that the audience wants. I always do an hour. If they’re into it, I’ll go 90 minutes. I tend to do stories. If something happens that day, it will probably get mentioned.

“A lot of my show depends on the vibe and the day. This is my third time to play the Colonial Theatre. I love Phoenixville. It’s a super-cool town.”

Video (family-friendly) for Suzanne Westenhoefer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=R0Pw0Fsa5M4.

Both of this weekend’s shows at the Colonial have an 8 p.m. starting time. Ticket prices for Russo’s show are — Gold Circle: $39.50; Orchestra: $34.50; Front Balcony: $34.50; and Rear Balcony: $22. Tickets for Westenhoefer’s show are — Orchestra: $29.50; Front Balcony: $29.50; and Rear Balcony: $20.

Phoenixville’s “super-cool town” vibe will be enhanced this weekend with the shows that are taking place at the Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com).

On April 10, the comfortable venue will host Carrie Newcomer, a veteran singer/songwriter with both deep voice and deep lyrics. A year ago, she released her most recent album “A Permeable Life” on Sony Records along with a book of the same title. Gene Groeschel, a Native American flute player, will open the show.

On April 11, the headliners at Steel City will be Nalani & Sarina, talented twin sisters whose music ranges from rock to soul and from funk to pop. The opening acts will be Valeri Broussard and Anna Spackman.

Not far from Phoenixville, live music will also be filling the evening air at Chaplin’s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110, http://chaplinslive.com). The venue will present Oaks, 3 Shades of Blue, and Kaitlyn Faraghan on April 9 and Justified Rhythm on April 10.

The schedule for The Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) features Better Than Bacon on April 9, DJ Sean Connolly on April 10 and the Melton Brothers Band with Jesse Ruben on April 11.

Two interesting music acts will be visiting Philadelphia for shows on April 9 — Hey Rosetta! and Hidden in Plain View.

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547, www.burlapandbean.com) will have Ari Hest with MaryLeigh Roohan on April 9, Amy Speace with Downingtown native Kate Klim on April 10 and Ryanhood and Sarah Blacker on April 11.

Hey Rosetta!, a seven-piece Canadian indie rock band from St. John’s, Newfoundland, will be making its area debut at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com).

The band — Tim Baker (guitars, vocals), Adam Hogan (guitars, vocals), Josh Ward (bass, keyboards, vocals), Phil Maloney (drums, percussion, vocals), Romesh Thavanathan (keyboards, guitars, cello, vocals), Kinley Dowling (violin, vocals) and Mara Pellerin (vocals, French horn, trumpet) — is touring in support of its new album “Second Sight.”

“We’ve been together 10 years — which is completely insane,” said Baker, during a phone interview last week from Toronto. “Our first Canadian tour was in 2006. I booked it myself on MySpace. We bought an old passenger van and hit the road. Since then, we’ve done a lot of touring across Canada.

“The original members still in the band are Josh, Andy and me. The rest of the group –except for Mara — has been with us for the last seven years. We’re pretty well known in our country. We’ll play big rooms in Canada and then come south of the border and play in clubs for 100 people.”

Hey Rosetta! has released four full-length albums and five EPs in the last nine years. The latest — “Sudden Sight” — was officially released in October in Canada, Australia and Germany and in January in the United States.

“We recorded the album around this time last year,” said Baker. “It had been a few years since we put out an album. It was really nice not to be rushed. We went down a lot of rabbit holes sonically. It was a much better process.

“We did six months of pre-production getting ready to record it. This was the first record that I’ve written songs or changed songs drastically in the studio. For example, the song ‘Kid Gloves’ went from a narrative to a floating, trippy thing.”

Baker is the man behind the music.

“I’ve always written the music,” said Baker. “When I lived in Montreal, I wrote a lot of songs and played them solo. Eventually, I got fed up with that sonic palate — just me and my acoustic guitar. I wanted to be louder with more color and more dynamics.

“I wanted strings in the band. I thought what I was writing would be propped up. I went looking for string players and found a rock band. But strings have always been a constant since the beginning. We don’t force instruments in. We let the songs dictate the instruments.

“There are a couple songs from the new album that we don’t play live. But, I’d say we play 90 per cent of them live. We’re really committed to replicating it. I’m pleased with what we’ve been able to do because it’s a daunting record to replicate.”

Video link for Hey Rosetta! — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BoMQ1kECjvY.

The Hey Rosetta! Show at MilkBoy Philly will start at 7 p.m. The bill also features Kevin Garret, The Burgeoning and Family Vacation. Tickets are $8.

Hidden in Plain View, which is performing on April 9 at the Trocadero (10^th and Arch streets, Philadelphia, 215-922-6888, www.thetroc.com), had a topsy-turvy time during its first incarnation.

The four-piece hardcore band from the north Jersey suburbs of New York started in 2000 and disbanded in 2007. During this time, the group released records with four different record labels — two full-length albums and three EPs.

In 2013, Hidden in Plain View re-united for a one-off show at the TLA in Philadelphia. Two years later, the hard-rocking musicians announced that they were embarking on a tour in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of their debut album “Life in Dreaming” and that they would be releasing a new EP titled “Animal” on Rise Records.

“We didn’t actually really get together in 2013,” said HIPV vocalist Joe Reo, during a phone interview last week. “At first, it was a reunion type get-together. We played on September 7, 2013 and everything went great.

“It had been seven years since we were really active. Playing together again filled a void that we didn’t realize we had. So, we did one show in 2014 at the Skate and Surf Festival in Asbury Park.  When we severed ways in 2007, our guitarist Rob Freeman had already built his own recording studio in North Jersey.”

Freeman owns and works at the Pilot Studio as a record producer and session musician. He has produced a number of acts, including All the Right Moves, Parade the Day and Ally Burnett.

“Rob has a great place so we just tracked our new music in his studio. Rob is usually the driving force in our sings. It begins with his vision. The three songs we released this year were his ideas. We’ve all recorded together hundreds of times over the years. So, he knows what we can do.

“We used to be a five-piece but we’re short a guitar player so we’re a four-piece now. When we started again, it was for fun. We made a pact that we weren’t going to overdo it. We all have our lives. But, with this band, we’re all getting a second chance at something most people ever get a first chance at.

“There is a bit involved in getting us all together. Rob and Chris (Amato) live in North Jersey and I live in Philly. Our drummer (Spencer Peterson) lives in L.A. Right now, he’s touring Europe as part of Usher’s band. So, our practices lately have been without a drummer.”

The all-ages show at the Troc will start at 7:30 p.m. with Major League, Finding Westerly and Kevin Burke as the opening acts. Tickets are $20.

Another hot show in Philadelphia on April 10 will take place when Dan Deacon performs at the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, http://www.ticketfly.com). Deacon’s fans will be treated to first-time performances of songs from Deacon’s new album “Gliss Riffer.”

The album was just released and has met with universal praise. It claimed the Number 1 position on CMJ’s Radio 200 Top 20 for the week of March 31, 2015. The multi-layered album sounds like a full band production but was actually just the opposite. ‘Gliss Riffer’ is virtually all Deacon.

“It is the first record he’s made all by himself since 2007’s breakthrough “Spiderman of the Rings” album. It marks a return to his first loves — synthesizers, MIDI, samples and drum machines. He tracked and mixed on the road during his headlining dates and support dates with Arcade Fire on their North American arena dates in 2014.

“I finished the album last October,” said Deacon, during a phone interview last week from his home in Baltimore. “I started working on it on-and-off in 2013 between tours.

“That’s when I started writing the songs. Then, I let it sit in the incubator. Songwriting is like sketching on a sketch pad — just noodling around and deciding whether to keep going. Then, it’s about finishing it.

“I’d say my computer is my main instrument. For this record, I was writing the lyrics as I was arranging the songs. Usually, I do the music and out the lyrics on later. Lyrics are the most stressful part because I’m not really a lyricist. But, I’m trying to do more of it.”

Deacon has released 16 albums over the last 12 years– starting with “Meetle Mice” in 2013 and ending with “Gliss Riffer” in 2015.

“I’ve always been into electronic music,” said Deacon. “I started writing songs when I was in junior high. Sometimes, it was noise and sometimes it was straight-up songs. When I was in college at SUNY-Purchase, I got interested in the pioneers of 20^th-century composition like Iannis Xenakis and Conlon Nancarrow.

“I wasn’t playing acoustic instruments. I was just writing and trying out how to perform electronic music live. I started thinking of my voice as another element of sound. My most recent album was solo. On the one before it, I used 30 musicians.”

Video link for Dan Deacon — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=kK-1axSGkXc.

The opening acts for the 8:30 p.m. show will be Prince Rama, Ben O’Brien and Evil Sword. Tickets are $15.

For years, Rhiannon Giddens has been singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founding member of Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. Now, the vocalist with the expressive voice is also a solo artist.

Her solo recording debut album titled “Tomorrow Is My Turn” was released a fee weeks ago 10 on Nonesuch Records. Giddens is currently on tour supporting the album — a tour that brings her to the area for a show on April 10 at the TLA (334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-922-1011, www.inphilly.com).

“I recorded the album mostly in L.A. with some sessions in Nashville,” said Giddens, during a phone interview last week from her home in Greensboro, North Carolina. “I made the album with T-Bone Burnet as the producer.”

It was toward the end of the T Bone Burnett-curated “Another Day, Another Time” concert in September 2013 at New York City’s Town Hall when Giddens performed Odetta’s “Water Boy” and brought the star-studded audience to its feet.

“T Bone invited me to perform at the concert,” said Giddens. “After the show, he said he wanted to do an album with me. He said that we needed to do something right away. So, we started the album last January.

“I came in with this list of songs. T Bone asked me — what is your dream about? It turned out to be all these songs by women — songs that I loved.  He made a couple suggestions. The songs just came together in the studio and most of it was recorded live.”

Giddens solo work does not signify the demise of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

“The Drops are still very much alive,” said Giddens. “We toured all last year and people were really into the new lineup.

“The Drops form the core of my band for this tour — and we added some white chocolate. We do one long set so we can really craft a feel to the show. The sound is going to be very rich.”

Video link for Rhiannon Gidden — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=CyfJlQ82oBE.

Rhiannon Giddens’ show at the TLA will start at 8 p.m. with Bhi Bhiman as the opening act. Tickets are $25.

Swedish metal band At The Gates has returned to the states for a cross country tour and will make a stop in Philadelphia on April 11 at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com).

The band — Tomas Lindberg (Vocals), Anders Björler (Guitars), Jonas Björler (Bass), Martin Larsson (Guitars), Adrian Erlandsson (Drums) — got started in 1990 but it wouldn’t be quite right to say that the Swedish metal masters are celebrating their 25^th anniversary this year.

At The Gates broke up in 1996, reformed in 2007 for a reunion tour before breaking up once again in 2008. Then, they got together and reunited for a second time in December 2010. Since then, they have stayed the course as a recording act and a killer live band.

“Touring with the reunion thing was awesome,” said Lindberg, during a phone interview last week from his home in Stockholm, Sweden. “We had a great time. At the end of that session, we wanted to be relevant. We didn’t want to be a cover act of ourselves.”

Lindberg recalled the initial breakup.

“In 1995, we had a very steady relationship,” said Lindberg. “We had been friends since we were kids. But then, were lost touch with who we were. We became too big too quick. We weren’t mature and that led to an implosion.

“After that, everyone stayed in music and did his own thing. Anders wanted another life but he was back in music after six months. We stayed in contact and were friends in the years that followed.

“In 2007, Anders contacted us because he was the guy who left the band in ’95. He wanted a proper closure for the band. So, we got together. The biggest question was whether we’d be able to pull it off. All we needed was the right perspective, the right angle and the proper starting place.

“Once we found how we wanted to perceive ourselves, it went from there. As soon as we started writing, all the At The Gates came out. We tried to push it in another direction. We tried to include a wide range of emotion in the music. We wanted to develop.”

When the band came back to life a few years ago, the result was its first album in 19 years — “At War With Reality.”

It was an album that ranked high in the majority of metal media’s 2014 year-end lists, earning “Best Metal Album of the Year” at iTunes (USA/UK), plus a nomination for a Swedish Grammy (“Grammis”) in the category “Best Hard Rock / Metal Album. It also received the National Swedish Radio “P3 Guld” award and the Swedish independent music award “Manifest.”

“It’s always difficult to write lyrics that are meaningful to yourself and, at the same time, appeal to fans,” said Lindberg. “I decided to write a concept record. I was reading a lot of surrealist writers from South America like Ernesto Sabato from Argentina who wrote ‘On Heroes and Tombs.’

“I tried to take that concept with my writing — questioning the idea of one reality. There are certain techniques they used. I looked to have a mixture of normal writing and surreal topics. And, with At The Gates, we can’t really write happy songs.”

Video link for At The Gates — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctXRhv90Gz8&list=FLaOklREGc8l91EqUi-OdCRw&feature=player_detailpage.

The show at Union Transfer will be a co-bill with At the Gates and Vallenfyre. The all-ages show will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $27.50.

Another show on April 11 will feature the band Whirr — a west Coast band that will be returning to Philadelphia for a show at Ortlieb’s (847 North Third Street, Philadelphia, 267- 324-3348, ortliebslounge.ticketfly.com).

Based in San Francisco, Whirr has nothing in common with Philadelphia — actually Nothing. Whirr’s bassist Nick Bassett is also the bass player for the Philly band Nothing. Additionally, members of Whirr and Nothing play together in another band called Death of Lovers.

Whirr — Nick Bassett, Joseph Bautista, Devin Nunes, Loren Rivera, and Eddie Salgado — is a San Francisco band that started in 2010 and released its debut album “Pipe Dreams” on TeePee Records in 2012. Last year, the group issued its sophomore release “Sway” on Graveface Records.

“We recorded ‘Sway’ last February in Palo Alto,” said Bassett, during a phone interview a few weeks ago. “We spent a lot of time in the studio. We just wanted it to be as imaginative and fully realized as possible.

“We spent a couple years making demos of tracks and playing them for people. We tried to get as much feedback as we could.  We even handed out survey things at our merch table when we played shows. The surveys said — we played some new songs tonight, what did you like about them?

“We did this for about two years. We’d also make CDs of what we did in the studio and listen to them for months. We did most of the recording live. We’d put the drums on a click track that was a couple clicks slower than the actual drummer because we didn’t want the songs crawling on the ground.”

When the album was being made, Bassett was living in Philadelphia while the rest of the band was home in the San Francisco Bay area.

“We toured with Nothing a little while ago,” said Bassett. “They opened for us. I was way better than their bassist. I filled in for him at one show and they asked me to join the band.

“So, I play with them when I’m not working with Whirr. I have a home in Philly in the Fishtown area. I’ve been travelling back-and-forth to San Francisco for awhile. I also do a lot of work as a studio musician with Rx Bandits, another California band.

“With Whirr, we stopped doing songs from ‘Pipe Dreams’ in our live shows. It just got old. Right now, we just want to play new stuff. We’re playing a lot of songs from ‘Sway’ along with a couple cover songs.”

Video link for Whirr — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbg0ODsvSnA.

Whirr and opening band Adventures will play an all-ages show at 2 p.m. and an evening show at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 for either show.

The Indigo Girls, who have been making music for decades, will visit the area on April 12 for a show at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall (Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelcenter.org).

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers became friends in elementary school in Decatur, Georgia and began performing together when they were in high school. When they were students at Emory University, they took on the name Indigo Girls.

Over the years, they established a reputation for being one of the best folk-rock acts in America. In 1987, they released their debut album “Strange Fire.” Almost three decades later, the ladies released their 14^th album “One Lost Day.”

“We’ve been writing for the new album for years,” said Ray, during a phone interview last week. “It’s been a long time coming. Finally, we both got to as place where we felt we had enough material. We recorded it in Nashville and mixed it in Wisconsin.”

The ladies’ previous album was “Beauty Queen Sister” in 2011.

“There was a four-year gap in albums because life got in the way,” said Ray. “I have a 17-month-olsd child and Emily has a kid a year older. We took a break. We have kids now so life is different.

“I really love being a mom. I always wanted to be a mom. It’s a total blessing. And, it teaches you lessons on being unselfish and patient — having to do things over and over. It’s taught me to let go a lot because I have a new thing to worry about all the time.

“There was no theme for the album. We had songs we wanted to do — and some extra ones. We typically don’t go with a theme because we’re very different songwriters. Still, our songs are hooked together because we’re hooked together.”

“One Lost Day” is another strong contribution to the Indigo Girls’ impressive canon of work.

“Half the songs are recent and some I started seven years ago,” said Ray. “I write over a long period of time. My dad died last year and that definitely influenced — and finished — a couple songs for me. The music is about life’s events.”

As part of the Kimmel Center’s continuing commitment to partner world-class artists with local performing arts organizations, the Indigo Girls will offer a truly unique presentation of their best-loved songs with the support of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO).

Recently the Indigo Girls have performed with several orchestras, including the Pittsburgh and Columbus Symphonies, but this is the first time they will be joined on-stage by a youth orchestra.

“We’re doing a whole tour for the record in the summer but in April we’ll be doing symphony shows with retrospection,” said Ray. “We have over 20 arrangements for our concerts with orchestras. It’s fun. We sent songs to two different arrangers and they did the scores.

“It’s great. We take the scores and the conductors get them ahead of time. On the day of the show, we go in during the afternoon and do a sound check. We’ve been doing this for two-and-a-half years. This is our 22^nd show with an orchestra. It’s thrilling to play with an orchestra. And, it’s humbling because all the players are so good.”

Video link for the Indigo Girls — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7yCBksXGSJY.

Showtime on April 12 is 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $46-$70.

April 15 is the night to hear good music generated by females with shows by Sick of Sarah and April Verch.

Sick of Sarah will bring their “Place Your Bets Your” to the North Star Bar (27^th and Poplar streets, Philadelphia, 215-787-0488, www.northstarbar.com) — playing their brash punk style of music for eager fans.

The all-female band — Abisha Uhl (Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar), Katie Murphy (Lead Guitar, Backup Vocals), Jessie Farmer (Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Backup Vocals), Jessica Forsythe (Drums, Backup Vocals) — was formed in Minneapolis almost 10 years ago.

“I was born in Bahrain and then our family moved to Okinawa Japan when I was a baby,” said Uhl, during a phone interview last week from Nashville. “UI spent 198 years and then came to the states after high school. I listened to a lot of J-Pop (Japanese pop music) when I was a teen and that definitely had an influence on me. There was only one TV station and one radio station in English.

“My brothers got me into music. They listened to Weezer, the Cure, Radiohead and other bands like that. My first instrument was drums. Then, our family moved and I didn’t have drums. So, my brother bought me a guitar. I taught myself to play guitar and started writing songs right away.”

Uhl joined her brother in Minneapolis and kept her music going.

“Trying out for guy bands wasn’t fun,” said Uhl. “My skill set was in the writing. Eventually, I found some girls who wanted to play music with me. I was very much influenced by Joan Jett but my number one influence is (Heart’s) Nancy Wilson. She’s amazing.”

In 2006, Uhl and her band mates recorded the debut Sick of Saran EP — “Los Angeles 2006.”

“That was our first experience,” said Uhl. “We were young when we made that record. We’ve kept at it and paid our dues. It’s been almost 10 years now. Overnight success is O.K. but longevity is better.

“It went from innocent to more maturity. A lot of our music is abstract. We’re definitely in control. We release our own material. We don’t have a label or a booking agent. We’re all on our own. We have a new single coming out in the next few weeks and an EP that will come out in June.”

One of the reasons Sick of Sarah has popularity and longevity is that all the ladies are strong musicians.

“I played drums in marching bands when I was in middle school and high school,” said Forsythe. “I didn’t pick up a full kit until I was 20. Ever since then, I’ve really been into my drumming. I’ve been influenced by a lot of ’90s alternative rock like STP and the Foo Fighters.”

Video link for Sick of Sarah — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z1RZOMu2nhk.

The show on April 15 will start at 8 p.m. with The Last Year and Risen Resilient as the opening acts. Tickets are $8.

April 15 also means it’s time for April Verch’s visit to Philly. She will be sharing the bill with New Country Rehab at the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, philly.worldcafelive.com).

Verch is a Canadian fiddler and step dancer born and raised in the community of Rankin, Ontario. She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston prior to starting her professional career. She is best known for playing traditional Ottawa Valley style fiddle tunes.

The veteran musician/dancer from north of the border released her first album “Springtime Fiddle” in 1992. She just finished recording her 10^th album “The Newpart,” which had a release date of April 7, 2015.

“The question I ask myself is — how can I do something I love and keep it fresh,” said Verch, during a phone interview last week from her home in Pembroke, Ontario. “My last few albums were self-produced. For the new one, I decided to use a producer.

“I had a short list and chose Casey Driessen, who was an old college mate at Berklee. He brought out the best in me. I love traditional music but for this one we said — let’s look back further.”

Verch dug deep into songs and tunes from the era before the mid-century heyday of bluegrass and folk — going back to vaudeville and beyond.

“I did a lot of research,” said Verch. “I listened to a lot of oklder music and kept a list of what strikes me.”

Verch and her band pared down their arrangements to highlight the simple pleasures of upright bass, guitar, clawhammer banjo, mandolin, voices and fiddle — along with Verch’s step dancing extraordinaire. Some of the songs were chosen with Verch’s step dancing in mind.

“I grew up step dancing,” said Verch. “The Ottawa Valley style is very unique. “Dancers don’t stand up straight with their arms down. It looks similar to tap but it’s very high energy with a lot of hopping. Just like the fiddle style from this area, it’s a melting pot.

“The old stuff gets me moving my feet as percussion. Our style — leather soles on wood — that sort of puts a stamp on it. In my live show, the first set is tap. Then, at intermission, I change to leather. For the finale, I go back to tap.”

Video link for April Verch — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qgOWA9pX9Es.

April Verch’s show at the World Café Live will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14.

The World Café Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400, www.queen.worldcafelive.com) will have Francis Dunnery on April 9, The Splashing Pearls on April 10, Burning Bridget Cleary on April 11 and Kim Richey with No Good Sister on April 15.

The Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577, www.thegrandwilmington.org) will host David Sedaris on April 9 and Jay Ungar & Molly Mason’s Family Band on April 11.

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will present “For the Love of Gene (Shay) with Hoots & Hellmouth, Ben Arnold, Burning Bridget Cleary and many other guest artists” on April 10 and The London Souls and Pimps of Joytime on April 11.

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com) will feature Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn along with David Bromberg and Larry Campbell on April 10, Zappa Plays Zappa on April 11 and the Peking Acrobats from April 12-16.

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) will present Rhonda Vincent and the Rage on April 9, the Grand Slambovians on April 10, Amy Helm and the Handsome Strangers on April 11 and Professor Louie & The Crowmatix on April 15.