{"id":25421,"date":"2018-05-05T08:16:28","date_gmt":"2018-05-05T12:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=25421"},"modified":"2018-05-05T08:16:32","modified_gmt":"2018-05-05T12:16:32","slug":"on-stage-clint-holmes-is-more-than-a-great-singer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=25421","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Clint Holmes is more than a great singer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Clint Holmes<\/p><\/div>\n

Clint Holmes is a stellar singer with a very impressive resume.<\/p>\n

Holmes, who will headline a show at Rrazz Room (6426 Lower York Road, New Hope, 888-596-1027, www.TheRrazzRoom.com<\/a>) on May 5, is more than just a great singer.\u00a0He is a performer, recording artist and vocalist — one of those rare performers who can legitimately be called one of the greatest contemporary entertainers of our time.<\/p>\n

While the concert stage remains the mainstay of Holmes\u2019 career, he moves effortlessly between the worlds of music, television and theater. Voted Best Male Singer by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and Best Singer by Broadway.Com<\/a>, Holmes has been a Las Vegas show attraction since the early 1970s. In 2006, he closed his headlining show at Harrah\u2019s Las Vegas Casino, which renamed its main showroom for him.<\/p>\n

Over the course of 20 years performing, Holmes has served as Joan Rivers\u2019 sidekick and announcer on \u201cThe Late Show\u201d, as the musical feature and event correspondent for \u201cEntertainment Tonight\u201d, and as the host of his own Emmy award-winning talk\/variety show.<\/p>\n

Ironically, many people are familiar with Holmes only through his 1972 massive hit, \u201cPlayground in My Mind\u201d — a song that stayed for 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Even more ironically, Holmes doesn\u2019t consider the song as a \u201cmust play\u201d selection when he performs on stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not really singing \u2018Playground in My Mind\u2019 in my Vegas show,\u201d said Holmes, during a phone interview Monday evening from his home in Las Vegas. \u201cI do allude to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel the need to get away from it every once in a while. I will do it more when I\u2019m on the road because it\u2019s something that fans who might only hear me play once want to hear. I\u2019ll probably do it at the RRazz Room. I have five or six different arrangements of the song.\u201d<\/p>\n

The son of an African-American jazz musician and a classically-trained British opera singer, Clint Holmes was raised with the best of two musical worlds.\u00a0 Blessed with a powerful tenor voice, magnetic stage presence, and a charming comedic streak, Holmes is a natural as an entertainer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up near Buffalo and singing is the only thing I knew I had to do,\u201d said Holmes. \u201cI went to college for one year as a voice major and then got drafted and then sang in the U.S. Army Chorus. I spent two-and-a-half years singing with the Chorus in Washington, D.C. Then, I started my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having relocated to Washington, D.C., Holmes<\/a> continued to sing in clubs after his discharge and gained a regional following. While performing at a club in the Bahamas, he was spotted by Johnny Mathis<\/a>\u2019 producer, who was interested in having Holmes<\/a> cut a couple songs, including \u201cPlayground in My Mind.\u201d Recorded in May of 1972, the song was an unmitigated flop upon its release the next month.<\/p>\n

However, in November of that year, a radio station in Wichita, Kansas, began playing the song in conjunction with the holidays (apparently feeling that the sing-song nature of the track gave it a seasonal feel). It drew a massive response and led to more stations picking up on it. Before the year was out, Epic Records, which has originally released the single, had Holmes<\/a> in the studio to record a full-length album in hopes of capitalizing on the song\u2019s increasing momentum.<\/p>\n

But Holmes never carried on in pursuit of a career as a hitmaker of pop songs. Instead, he honed his career as a performer whose appeals spans genres and generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved here to Las Vegas in 2000,\u201d said Holmes. \u201cI was living in Summit, New Jersey. Steve Wynn brought me to Vegas to do a show at the Golden Nugget. Not long after that, I moved my family out form New Jersey. I had a show at Harrah\u2019s that ran for about seven years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since moving to Las Vegas, Holmes quickly become a favorite in the Las Vegas community as well as a major star in the entertainment arena. He was selected as \u201cBest Kept Secret\u201d by Las Vegas Life Magazine, and \u201cBest Singer\u201d (two years in a row), \u201cBest All-Around Las Vegas Performer\u201d and \u201cFavorite Male Las Vegan\u201d by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.<\/p>\n

Additionally, he has been the featured performer and host for the \u201cBest of Las Vegas\u201d gala for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and host of the \u201cLas Vegas Life Epicurean Awards\u201d.<\/p>\n

Holmes was inducted into the Buffalo Musical Hall of Fame and into the Casino Legends Hall of Fame. He also has become involved with several worthwhile causes in the community such as Candlelighters, ROB Reachout, Shadetree, St. Jude\u2019s, and various cultural events. Following a brief battle with colon cancer, he is currently serving as a spokesman for the American Cancer Society, encouraging people over age 50 to have annual colonoscopies.<\/p>\n

Holmes is riding the success of his latest Las Vegas hit show \u2013 \u201cSOUNDTRACK: Your Songs. Our Stories. The Show.\u201d<\/p>\n

The production combines the talents of two of Las Vegas\u2019 top entertainers — Holmes and Earl Turner. Based on the music of their lives, the show combines their unique energy, voices, humor and life experiences to bring new life to the music that makes up the soundtracks of our lives.<\/p>\n

Featuring a live eight-piece band and the musical direction of Christian Tamburr, a three-time Down Beat Magazine Music Award winner, this musical performance is being presented at the historic International Westgate Theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the fun things about coming to clubs like the RRazz Room is that I can step out of what I\u2019m doing,\u201d said Holmes. \u201cIn Vegas, \u2018Soundtrack\u2019 is a set show \u2013 a set 90-minute show is way it is. It\u2019s a fun show on the same stage that Elvis used to perform on.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot different when I\u2019m on the road. When I\u2019m doing club shows, I can do whatever I want because nothing is set. I have a trio with me and we can step out between the songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy latest album\u00a0\u2018Rendezvous\u2019\u00a0was nominated for two Grammy\u00ae\u00a0Awards in this year. When I\u2019m on the road and playing venues like the RRazz Room, I can do more songs from that CD.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Clint Holmes \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/n2anpvvKyg0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cPlayground in My Mind\u201d (1972) — https:\/\/youtu.be\/n08ETcI1AAo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Rrazz Room will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45 and $55.<\/p>\n

Theatre Exile is closing its 2017\/2018 Studio X-hibition New Play Development series with its continued focus on women and transgender playwrights.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Its final offering is the reading of a piece by MJ Kaufman — a heartwarming family-friendly story of the bond between siblings.<\/p>\n

Kaufman\u2019s work \u2013 \u201cWhisper\u2019s Gone\u201d —\u00a0will be presented on May 5 at 2 p.m. at the Latvian Society (531 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/www.theatreexile.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Theatre Exile is a nonprofit theater company dedicated to enhancing the cultural experiences of Philadelphians through the staging of works that engage the imagination. It produces challenging plays that explore the complexities of the human condition and contain a sense of Philadelphia grit and passion. The company strives to reach new theater audiences throughout the community by presenting both new works as well as established plays that are often reinterpreted in original ways.<\/p>\n

According to Producing Artistic Director Deborah Block, \u201cI love the work that Theatre Exile does on our mainstage. I think it is poignant and timely and sometimes it is rough and only suitable for mature audiences. However, Theatre Exile is doubling down on its commitment to reach out to diverse audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is my hope that\u00a0\u201cWhisper\u2019s Gone,\u201d a family-friendly show, might be a step in us bringing some of our work out into the community that is both timely and allows us to reach out to a different part of our community than we have in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

MJ Kaufman is a playwright and devised theater artist working in New York and Philadelphia whose work has been seen at the Huntington Theatre, New York Theater Workshop, the New Museum, Clubbed Thumb, New Georges, Page73, Colt Coeur, Yale School of Drama, Lark Play Development Center, and Bay Area Playwrights Festival.<\/p>\n

Kaufman, who has performed in Russian in Moscow, received the 2013 ASCAP Cole Porter Prize in Playwriting, the 2013 Global Age Project Prize, and the 2010 Jane Chambers Prize in Feminist Theatre. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Kaufman attended Wesleyan University and received an MFA in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama. Additionally, Kaufman has co-curated the 2016 and 2017 Trans Theater Festivals at The Brick.<\/p>\n

\u201cI write plays and stories about trans and gender\/queer characters,\u201d said Kaufman, during a phone interview Monday from Los Angeles, where she is working as a script writer for a television show about Sabrina the Witch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trans myself \u2013 trans-masculine. When I was born, the doctors said I was a girl. But, from a young age, I knew I was non-binary.\u201d<\/p>\n

In \u201cWhisper\u2019s Gone,\u201d nine-year-old Bailey is having a really fun summer until her older sibling Whisper disappears. Camp counselors and parents are thrown into confusion.<\/p>\n

But, Bailey knows where Whisper went. It all has to do with a top-secret time travel mission. The big question is — does she know enough about time-travel to accomplish the mission?<\/p>\n

The funny and heartwarming story of \u201cWhisper\u2019s Gone\u201d touches on family dynamics, divorce, growing up transgender, sibling loyalty, and, of course, time-travel. It is family-friendly and recommended for children (ages 7 and up).<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the characters in \u2018Whisper\u2019s Gone\u2019 is non-binary,\u201d said Kaufman. \u201cBut, it\u2019s really not about their gender \u2013 it\u2019s about their family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Theatre Exile — https:\/\/youtu.be\/7hBR6GQIfwY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The reading is set for 2 p.m. on May 5. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Madame Mayhem<\/p><\/div>\n

Music fans of women who rock \u2013 and rock hard \u2013 have two reasons to travel westward this weekend.<\/p>\n

On May 6, Madame Mayhem will play a show in Lancaster. On May 7, Butcher Babies will perform in Reading.<\/p>\n

With a name like Madame Mayhem, no-one would expect Saturday night\u2019s opener at the Chameleon Club (223 North Water Street, Lancaster, 717-299-9684, http:\/\/www.chameleonclub.net<\/a>) to sound like Adele or Joni Mitchell.<\/p>\n

Manhattan-born singer-songwriter, Madame Mayhem is a true rocker with an eclectic style in every aspect of life. With her \u2018in your face\u2019 attitude, mayhem is definitely the right word to describe this extreme artist.
\nShe began to take the music scene by storm when she was featured on Clear Channel\u2019s iHeartRadio New Discovered and Uncovered Artist chart, before opening for Buckcherry\u2019s Live Nation tour at The Sands Casino. She has already begun to create buzz in North America and internationally.
\nMadame Mayhem has performed across the nation to packed rooms, including The Roxy, The Viper Room, Bowery Ballroom, and the Knitting Factory. She has had a residency at The Cutting Room and performed on Shiprocked Cruise 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re out now on a national tour with Sevendust,\u201d said Madame Mayhem, during a phone interview Wednesday from a tour stop in Nashville, Tennessee. \u201cIn between shows on this tour, we\u2019re also doing some headlining shows on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madame Mayhem is touring in support of her latest album \u201cReady for Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a hard rock band,\u201d said Madame Mayhem. \u201cNot all the guys in my touring band were musicians on the album, which came out at the end of October.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the album in Atlanta and Corey Lowery produced it. We had written a few songs together on my previous album and got along great.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always writing. Sometimes, it will start with something on the guitar. Sometimes, the lyrics come first. Sometimes, it\u2019s melodies that come first. It seems like it\u2019s different every time. And, it\u2019s always fun to co-write with other musicians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madame Mayhem has collaborated with notable rock talents including Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Winery Dogs), Ray Luzier (KoRn, KXM), Ron \u201cBumblefoot\u201d Thal (ex: Guns N\u2019 Roses), Russ Parrish (\u201cSatchel\u201d from Steel Panther), Grammy winner Mark Hudson, Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio), John Moyer (Disturbed), Corey Lowery (Saint Asonia), and Clint Lowery (Sevendust).
\nMadame Mayhem didn\u2019t block out a huge chunk of time to head to the studio to make \u201cReady for Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were recording it in between my touring schedule,\u201d said Madame Mayhem. \u201cWe like to knock out a lot quickly. The coolest part was doing different ways of recording. It\u2019s always fun to play live in the studio and keep it as organic as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing this my entire life. When I was young, I had acting, piano and dance classes. I did musical theater and studied opera.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, I was always listening to rock. Hard rock was always my favorite. I was a grunge baby listening to Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. I was listening to Korn at the same time as Brittney Spears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI developed my own vocal style as time has gone on. I don\u2019t do something that doesn\u2019t sound natural. And, I take care of my voice. I try to exercise it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Madame Mayhem \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/6p9Ba1YCe54<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The all-ages show at the Chameleon Club, which also features Sevendust and Memphis May Fire, will start at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Butcher Babies<\/p><\/div>\n

Butcher Babies definitely \u201cdouble the pleasure and double the fun\u201d when it comes to having a band fronted by a badass female vocalist.<\/p>\n

The loud and talented quintet is fronted by singers Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey and also features guitarist Henry Flury, bassist Jason Klein and drummer Chase Brickenden.<\/p>\n

The band is currently in the middle of a nationwide tour with Nonpoint. Billed as \u201cKings and Queens Tour 2018,\u201d it will visit the area on May 7 for a show at Reverb (1402 North Ninth Street, Reading, 610-743-3069, www.reverbconcerts.com<\/a>). Butcher Babies is touring in support of their latest album \u201cLilith.\u201d<\/p>\n

Butcher Babies released their third full studio album, \u201cLilith,\u201d on October 27, 2017. It was produced by Steve Evetts (Suicide Silence, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Cure) The album peaked at #1 on the iTunes Metal chart and received praise from a number of metal music magazines. With three albums and two EPs under their belt, Butcher Babies have reached a new level of maturity solidifying a triumphant return after a brief creative hiatus to write and rebuild.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Lilith\u2019 came out six months ago and now we\u2019re hitting the road and playing new songs,\u201d said Harvey, during a phone interview Friday afternoon from a truck wash in South Carolina. \u201cToday, we\u2019re on our way to Country Rebellion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album was recorded last year. We wrapped it up in mid-May and released it in October. We took a year off to make the album. It was really good to have that time off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shepherd said, \u201cEveryone in the band writes together. When every member has a chance to write, they all have a vested interest in what is played. It\u2019s really fun to sit down and write together. We cut the album in Orange County (CA) with Steve Evetts. We were in the studio for about a month-and-a-half.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harvey said, \u201cWe had about 24 songs that we had written together. We played them all live for Steve. Then we whittled it down to the 11 that were on the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith all our records, you hear that each song is its own thing and yet fits together perfectly with all the other songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shepherd said, \u201cWhen we were choosing the songs to put on the album, it was a battle of which were completed the most \u2013 the ones that made the most sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it has only been seven years since the release of Butcher Babies\u2019 eponymous debut EP, the band\u2019s roots go back much longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarla and I started writing together eight years ago in a punk rock cover band we were in L.A.,\u201d said Shepherd. \u201cWe wanted to do something different. In 2009, we created the band in L.A. That was the start of Butcher Babies.<\/p>\n

Harvey said, \u201cHeidi and I both were metal kids. We were there in the pits. I was thrash and she was more nu-metal. Playing covers was fun but we wanted to write our own songs. We found the perfect gig. Five years later, we\u2019re living the rock-and-roll dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shepherd said, \u201cWe were lucky that we didn\u2019t have to do the pay-to-play thing in the L.A. music scene when we started Butcher Babies. We had already gained a reputation with our own cover band. With that band, we had played major venues like the Roxy and the Viper Room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Butcher Babies has evolved to a high level even more quickly than the pair expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started this band, the original plan was to have a great time together,\u201d said Harvey. \u201cIt\u2019s really grown since then. We offer something unique with two females fronting the band. We both have different styles. I grew up listening to Pantera and Slayer while Heidi was more into bands like Slipknot.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of metal fans are tired of the regurgitated stuff. We have something that\u2019s very different. My vocals are more the high screams — death metal. Even in the nu-metal world, there is a lot of high screams. There is room for both styles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shepherd said, \u201cSometimes, we write with our vocal styles in mind. Most of the time, we just write the songs and let the vocals happen naturally. We even have some harmony screams on the new album.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shepherd and Harvey list a number of female rockers that influenced their music such as P.J. Harvey, Siouxsie Sioux and Lita Ford but the two with the biggest influence have been Joan Jett and the late Wendy O. Williams from the Plasmatics. They took the band\u2019s name from the Plasmatics\u2019 song \u201cButcher Baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grew up loving Wendy O. Williams,\u201d said Harvey. \u201cShe definitely gave women a break. She has the attitude that she was going to do want she wanted to do and she wouldn\u2019t accept \u2018no\u2019 for an answer. We used to play \u2018Butcher Baby\u2019 in our old band and had so much fun playing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much has changed since those early days.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot has happened over the last nine years,\u201d said Shepherd. \u201cAt first, we were a bunch of friends who played shows on Sunset Strip. We spent two years courting record labels. Then, we got breaks like opening for Marilyn Manson and touring with Megadeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first major change was when our original drummer left a few years ago. That was scary for us at first. But, it gave the band a new outlook. It was something we really needed at the time. Now, we\u2019re a fresh new band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Butcher Babies \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/cWzFlREfApk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Reverb, which also features Nonpoint, Cane Hill and Sumo Cyco, will start at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Clint Holmes is a stellar singer with a very impressive resume. Holmes, who will headline a show at Rrazz Room (6426 Lower York Road, New Hope, 888-596-1027, www.TheRrazzRoom.com) on May 5, is more than just a great singer.\u00a0He is a performer, recording artist and vocalist — one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7441],"tags":[5859,10473,6269,10475,10474],"class_list":["post-25421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-butcher-babies","tag-clint-holmes","tag-featured","tag-madame-mayhem","tag-mj-kaufman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25421","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=25421"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25422,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25421\/revisions\/25422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}