On Stage Spotlight: Matt Pond finds a new start with The Natural Lines

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Area music fans may not be familiar with the name of the band that is headlining a show on May 9 at Johnny Brenda’s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, www.johnnybrendas.com) – The Natural Lines. However, most area music fans know the leader of The Natural Lines very well – Matt Pond. Matt Pond is a musician from New York who formed his...

On Stage: David Torn, the best guitar player you’ve never heard of

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times David Torn, who performs on May 14 at Philadelphia Art Alliance, might just be the best, least-known guitar player in the world, if not the most versatile. There is a huge array of genres in popular music today and, within each of those genres are many excellent guitarists. There are rock greats such as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Derek Trucks. There are jazz...