{"id":24958,"date":"2018-04-02T08:58:48","date_gmt":"2018-04-02T12:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=24958"},"modified":"2018-04-02T08:58:54","modified_gmt":"2018-04-02T12:58:54","slug":"on-stage-hot-tuna-visits-phoenixville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=24958","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Hot Tuna visits Phoenixville"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Hot Tuna<\/p><\/div>\n

It seems whenever Hot Tuna come to the area, there is a holiday vibe in the air.<\/p>\n

Usually, the veteran duo\u2019s visit is a Thanksgiving week show at the Keswick Theater.<\/p>\n

This time, Hot Tuna \u2013 Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen \u2013 have changed it up a little bit. The two veteran musicians are performing the day after Easter at the Colonial Theatre (Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610- 917-1228, www.thecolonialtheatre.com<\/a>) when \u201cPoint Entertainment presents An Evening with Acoustic Hot Tuna.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen perform as Hot Tuna, the music veterans who were part of the original San Francisco music scene in the late 1960s bring a wealth of rock-and-roll history along with them.<\/p>\n

Casady and Kaukonen were founding members of the original Jefferson Airplane and then together founded Hot Tuna. Kaukonen, a guitarist, has also released a number of solo projects and Casady, a bass player, had done a few. Both veteran musicians have done hundreds of recording sessions with other artists. As Hot Tuna, they play a mesmerizing blend of rock, folk and blues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just finished up a four-day teaching session,\u201d said Casady, during a phone interview last week when he was at Kaukonen\u2019s Fur Peace Ranch Guitar Camp in the Appalachian foothills to teach a workshop.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just finished teaching bass guitar. I\u2019ve done that and it was terrific. Now, I just finished packing for the week. I have no plans on stopping teaching or playing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do Jorma or I want to retire for? We get to pursue the profession we like. We did so much work last year between our schedule and our individual schedules.\u00a0 It all makes up for it un front of an audience. That\u2019s why we\u2019re coming around there now.\u00a0 We\u2019re minstrels of sorts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a unique take on it \u2014 acoustic guitar and bass. We\u2019ve had all kinds of configurations \u2014 folk music, rock, blues. Words, music, poetry \u2014 that\u2019s what we\u2019ve always been into. The music stays alive. The communication in the music keeps it alive every night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Casady and Kaukonen first got together when both were high school students in the Washington, D.C. area. Their first band together was a D.C.-area garage band called The Triumphs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been together since 1958,\u201d said Casady. \u201cWe started Hot Tuna in 1968 and did both bands (Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane) together until 1973. That\u2019s when Marty (Balin) put Jefferson Starship together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe figured that Jefferson Airplane had its run. The core years were over. Most bands don\u2019t stay together more than four years so seven years was a lot. We did the first Hot Tuna album in 1970. Some of the material has held up well to the test of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are times when they go out as an electric duo, times as an acoustic duo and times as a trio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re doing acoustic this time,\u201d said Casady. \u201cWe have 60 years of playing together and are still love doing shows. I can\u2019t wait to do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, I love teaching. Teaching at Fur Peace Ranch is great. Teaching keeps you in shape and it keeps you investigating \u2013 which is important. I work in a workshop format. It\u2019s a collaborative environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Casady was asked if 50 years ago he thought he would still be making music 50 years later, he replied, \u201cI never thought of not doing it. I always thought of myself as wanting to be a good musician. You keep working at it. Jorma is a poet and a songwriter first and a musician second. That\u2019s the key to our longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a six-decade history of making songs, deciding which ones to perform in a show can be tough.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe set list \u2013 Jorma is the master of that. We have over a 100 songs we can play right now. So, each tour will feature some songs not heard played live before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaukonen has been writing more than songs lately.<\/p>\n

Kaukonen\u2019s memoirs,\u00a0\u201cBeen So Long: My Life and Music\u201d\u00a0will be published on August 28, 2018.\u00a0Casady wrote the Afterword.\u00a0This is the link for more information —https:\/\/www.relix.com\/news\/detail\/jorma_kaukonen_reveals_cover_of_memoir_been_so_long_my_life_and_music#ixzz57vYiAO96<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t been in the studio lately because Jorma has been working on his book,\u201d said Casady. \u201cI read the book while at home in the Channel Islands in February. Jorma talks about his life. It\u2019s not a rock book about Jefferson Airplane or Hot Tuna.\u201d<\/p>\n

Casady also has extracurricular news of his own.<\/p>\n

A recent announcement from Epiphone stated \u2013 \u201cEpiphone Presents the Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Jack Casady Signature Bass Celebrating 20 Years of Epiphone’s #1 Best-Selling Electric Archtop Bass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI started this project over 20 years ago with Epiphone owner Jim Rosenberg,\u201d said Casady. \u201cIt\u2019s been going strong ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Hot Tuna \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/3ubSwu37-nI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Colonial Theater will start at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are — Gold Circle: $54.50, Orchestra: $47.50, Front Balcony: $47.50, Rear Balcony: $37.50.<\/p>\n

Another upcoming show at the venue will be \u201cPoint Entertainment presents Billy Cobham\u2019s Crosswinds Project\u201d on April 4.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dirty Dancing<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cDirty Dancing\u201d began as a romantic<\/a> dance<\/a> drama film<\/a> in 1987 which featured Patrick Swayze<\/a> and Jennifer Grey<\/a> in the lead roles. The cast also featured Cynthia Rhodes<\/a> and Jerry Orbach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Originally a low-budget film, \u201cDirty Dancing\u201d became a massive box office hit \u2013 and a pop culture classic. It was the first film to sell more than a million copies on home video.<\/p>\n

The \u201cDirty Dancing\u201d soundtrack<\/a>s were both multi-platinum<\/a> albums and featured multiple hit singles \u2014 including \u201c(I\u2019ve Had) The Time of My Life<\/a>\u201c, which won both the Golden Globe<\/a> andAcademy Award for Best Original Song<\/a>, and a Grammy Award<\/a> for best duet.<\/p>\n

Now, the show is a stage musical that is touring North America. From April 3-8, \u201cDirty Dancing \u2014 The Classic Story On Stage\u201d will play The Playhouse on Rodney Square (10th and Market streets, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-0200, www.thegrandwilmington.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Written by Eleanor Bergstein, who also wrote the screenplay, the stage\u00a0musical has all of the well-known songs from the movie, as well as some new ones that Bergstein was never able to use in the hit film.<\/p>\n

The famous choreography (including the\u00a0dance lift made famous by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey)\u00a0and many scenes from the movie are also incorporated into the musical.<\/p>\n

Seen by millions across the globe \u2013 either on film or on stage, this worldwide smash hit features the hit songs \u201cHungry Eyes,\u201d \u201cHey Baby,\u201d \u201cDo You Love Me?\u201d and the heart-stopping \u201c(I\u2019ve Had) The Time Of My Life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know there was a stage production before I auditioned,\u201d said Nickolaus Colon, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Red Bank, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was real familiar with the movie. My mom was a die-hard fan. Her favorite character was Penny.<\/p>\n

\u201cI auditioned in July in August and watched the movie right before I auditioned. We started rehearsing on September 7 and opened in Folsom, California on October 5.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the summer of 1963, and 17-year-old Frances \u201cBaby\u201d Houseman is on vacation in New York\u2019s Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents.<\/p>\n

Baby discovers her own entertainment when she stumbles upon the staff quarters where an all-night dance party is in full swing.<\/p>\n

Mesmerized by the raunchy dance moves and the pounding rhythms, Baby can\u2019t wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle the resort dance instructor.<\/p>\n

Passions ignite and Baby\u2019s life changes forever when she is thrown in to the deep end as Johnny\u2019s leading lady, both on-stage and off.<\/p>\n

Colon, who plays the role of Billy Kosteki, hails from North Carolina and graduated from the drama program at UNCSA. This show is his national tour debut.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the show, I have a love story with Elizabeth but, for me, the singing is the main thing,\u201d said Colon. \u201cPlaying Billy is challenging but what I love is the amazing sings. I\u2019m very much a bass baritone and the singers in these songs were hitting high notes like crazy. \u2018The Time of My Life\u2019 is very challenging because it\u2019s a five-minute song and the high note at the end is really challenging. I do a 45-60-minute vocal warmup before every performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audiences love this show because the story is so relatable. Fans also love the show because of the time period, the music and the dancing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe movie \u2018Dirty Dancing\u2019 came out in the 80s. That\u2019s when a lot of people had their first romantic movie date.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat nostalgia gets people to but tickets for this show. It brings people back to a simpler, happier time \u2013 a time when all you had to worry about was moving your hips and dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cDirty Dancing \u2014 The Classic Story On Stage\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/V39JSQeTNq0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at The Playhouse on Rodney Square will run from April 3-8. Ticket prices range from $40-$95.<\/p>\n

Fans of metal music won\u2019t have to worry about being affected by early-week, post-holiday doldrums because two powerful metal acts are coming to Philly over the next two days.<\/p>\n

They are two of the promising young bands on Unique Leader Records \u2013 Obliterate and Krosis.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On April 2, Obliterate will perform as part of the \u201cMy Home Your Hell Tour\u201d at the Voltage Lounge (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602, www.voltagelounge.com<\/a>). The line-up also features Widowmaker and Second Death.<\/p>\n

Obliterate — R\u00e9mi Provencher, Vocals; Hubert Therrien, Guitar;
\nMarcus Adam, Guitar; Pier-Luc Tardif, Bass; Pat Woods, Drums \u2013 is a deathcore band from Victoriaville, Quebec.<\/p>\n

Formed in 2010, Obliterate quickly became a serious force in the modern death metal and deathcore scene. The band brings hook-laden breakdowns and a frenzied intensity that stands defiant.<\/p>\n

\u201cR\u00e9mi and Marcus went to the same high school and played in small groups together,\u201d said Woods, during a recent phone interview from a tour stop in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all knew each other. After jamming together for a little while, we figured we\u2019d play together as a band. Here we are eight years later playing shows in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2012, Obliterate released its debut album \u201cThe Filth of Humanity.\u201d The band followed with a self-titled EP that featured crushing heavy drops and a relentless riff onslaught that confirmed the bands growing identity as a leader of the Canadian deathcore sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did \u2018The Filth of Humanity\u2019 in 2012 and the self-titled EP in 2014,\u201d said Woods. \u201cNow, we\u2019re about to release a new full-length on May 18 on Unique Leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cHubert is the main songwriter.\u00a0 Hubert and Pier-Luc write together. Then, we get together. We always work on every song to make it the best we can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur sound has definitely evolved. The more you play and write songs, the more mature your sound gets. In the beginning, we just wanted heavy and really fast riffs. Now, our music is more mature and more melodic.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, we still have fast death metal songs. On the new album, \u2018Impending Death,\u2019 we tried to go heavy but also added things \u2013 solos and more groovy stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obliterate\u2019s live show will be as brutal as ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our first time in America,\u201d said Woods. \u201cWe play three songs from \u2018Impending Death\u2019 and the rest is from the EP. We don\u2019t play any songs from \u2018The Filth of Humanity.\u2019 We only have about a 35-minute set.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Obliterate \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/3taDLbpBxPM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The all-ages show at the Voltage Lounge, which also features Widowmaker and Second Death, will start at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Voltage Lounge are Lil Wop on April 3, Rico Nasty on April 4 and Stacked Like Pancakes on April 5.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Krosis<\/p><\/div>\n

Krosis will bring its heavy and progressive sound to the area on April 3 for a show at The Rusty Nail (2580 Haverford Road, Ardmore, 610-649-6245, thenail1.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The progressive death metal band Krosis formed in 2014 in Raleigh, North Carolina. A group of talented musicians and friends saw a pattern starting to develop in modern metal music that they felt was not a good thing.<\/p>\n

The band \u2013 Tyler Jacob Brown: Vocals; Adam Thiessen: Guitar; Brian Krahe: Bass; Brandon Scurlark: Guitar; Dan Cece: Drums \u2013 decided that too much of modern death metal and deathcore was limited to a paradigm.<\/p>\n

Krosis, on the other hand, sought to eliminate boundaries. With backgrounds of rock, jazz, concert bands and music theory, the five musicians brought together many parts of a musical spectrum to emerge as a different force in metal music.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the start, we knew each other from other bands here in the Raleigh area,\u201d said Cece, during a phone interview last Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joined the band March 2015. Adam came into the restaurant I work at and mentioned that they needed a new drummer. They had been a part of another old project Above the Tides that kind of transitioned into Krosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried out for the band and it worked out well. We became a full band. Songs were getting written and, before long, we had a record finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first recording was a five-track EP a few years ago. Then, we released the single \u2018Feed\u2019 in 2016 and that\u2019s when things started to take off. Now, we just released a brand new full-length with 12 tracks on March 9.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, Krosis\u2019 debut, \u201cSolem Vatem,\u201d came out on Unique Leader Records. The album was recorded, mixed, mastered by Brandon Scurlark of Eltar Studios and featured guest appearances by John Robert from The Last Ten Seconds of Life and Duncan Bentley of Vulvodynia.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur guitar player Brandon Scurlark has his own studio,\u201d said Cece. \u201cHe\u2019s a phenomenal producer. It made it super easy for us because it wasn\u2019t a third party doing the producing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in and out of the studio several times over the course of a year. We started writing the very first track at the end of 2016. We went from the winter of 2016 until the end of last year \u2013 many sessions over the course of 12 months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to split up the songwriting as much as we can. We bounce ideas off each other. It\u2019s a big amalgamation of ideas from all of us. We spent a lot of time in the studio \u2013 trial-and-error. Then, Brandon glues everything together nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Modern death metal needs a twist. Too much music is predicated around what artists think fans want to hear. A new culture is emerging with new tastes and the ever-increasing amount of elite heavy metal fans crave the kind of output that Krosis can deliver.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not a death metal band stuck in one place,\u201d said Cece. \u201cSome people don\u2019t like it if metal gets expanded but that isn\u2019t holding us back. We try to make it so we don\u2019t sound like another band. We want to sound unique. That\u2019s why Unique Leader liked us. We definitely do our best to think outside the box. We want to play music that challenges us.\u201d<\/p>\n

On March 30, Krosis premiered a Jaiden Frost-directed music video for the band\u2019s song \u201cMelting Point.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Cece, \u201c\u2018Melting Point\u2019\u00a0explored the lighter, more atmospheric side of our musical creativity. We are just as much a progressive metal band as we are deathcore or death metal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat allows us to incorporate various experimental elements that might be rarely seen in today\u2019s metal genres. This one is a fun, melodic song that still jams, and the video that Jaiden shot for it fits the theme perfectly.”<\/p>\n

Video link for Krosis \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/eRvjGrCK3ho<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Rusty Nail, which also features Silent of Fifth Street and Terraform, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

On April 3, MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com<\/a>) will host In Tall Buildings.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

In Tall Buildings<\/p><\/div>\n

In Tall Buildings, a.k.a. Chicago songwriter and multi-instrumentalist\u00a0Erik Hall, has released a new album,\u00a0\u201cAkinetic\u201d\u00a0on\u00a0Western Vinyl.<\/p>\n

Produced along with Brian Deck\u00a0(Modest Mouse,\u00a0Iron & Wine,\u00a0Califone) at Hall\u2019s Chicago home studio,\u00a0\u201cAkinetic\u201d features 10 tracks of spacious and textured handmade pop with lyrical allegories of communication, loss, impulse, vice, and mass-denialism.
\nHall wrote and recorded\u00a0\u201cAkinetic\u201d\u00a0between stints producing records for label mates\u00a0Lean Year\u00a0and ambient artist\u00a0Justin Walter. A one-man ensemble, Hall performed every instrument heard on the album with the exception of a lovely guest vocal appearance from\u00a0Heather Woods Broderick\u00a0and occasional looming woodwinds from\u00a0Elliot Bergman.<\/p>\n

While Hall\u2019s previous recordings were natural documents of his musicianship and songcraft, \u201cAkinetic\u201d arose from deliberate intent to write in concrete pop forms, lyrically informed by what he observed of modern culture, namely its fixation on technology-driven pseudo-progress at the cost of direct communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been into music,\u201d said Hall, during a phone interview last week from his home in southwest Michigan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began studying piano when I was eight. Guitar came pretty early on \u2013 fourth or fifth grade. Then, in the early 90s, I was listening to grunge and rock. I started playing guitar and drums while taking weekly classical piano lessons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a band and started writing songs when I was in high school. I graduated from music school at the University of Michigan and have been touring with bands ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall spent time as a sideman, producer, singer, songwriter, touring musician and one-man band,<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me several years after college to figure out what to do,\u201d said Hall. \u201cI put out my first album as In Tall Trees in 2010.ext album was \u2018Driver\u2019 in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the new album, I decided to work with this producer Brian Deck. He\u2019s worked with a lot of great bands. He came to my place to work with me. One if the great benefits is that the songwriting went faster.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re just tinkering by yourself in your own studio, you can just stay in that state for a long time. When he came in, there was no time to tinker.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Hall, \u201cRather than merely dwell in an inviting musical bed, I wanted to write songs with intentionality that would more directly declare themselves to a listener instead of just passively inviting them in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall had full control on \u201cAkinetic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album is me on all instruments except woodwinds \u2013 and a friend who sang on one song,\u201d said Hall. \u201cWe started in December 2015 and wrapped it up in early 2017. We recorded in short stints throughout the year. When we finished tracking Brian put it in his hard drive and took it home to mix it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was writing songs as I went along but some of the music had been around for a long time. I always come up with musical parts before I start writing lyrics. I realized at the end that all of the songs had a little bit of as darker tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThemes lyrically seemed to be about being stalled \u2013 communication block and growth halted \u2013 trends with how people are connecting with each other. But. It\u2019s all a little oblique allegorically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for In Tall Buildings \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/TSJF-toLC6Q<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at MilkBoy Philly, which has Ruby Dear as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Another upcoming show at MilkBoy Philly is Patrick Richards on April 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times It seems whenever Hot Tuna come to the area, there is a holiday vibe in the air. Usually, the veteran duo\u2019s visit is a Thanksgiving week show at the Keswick Theater. This time, Hot Tuna \u2013 Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen \u2013 have changed it up a little […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7441],"tags":[9021,6269,8284,10338,10339,10340],"class_list":["post-24958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-dirty-dancing","tag-featured","tag-hot-tuna","tag-in-tall-buildings","tag-krosis","tag-obliterate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24958"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24959,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24958\/revisions\/24959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}