{"id":25663,"date":"2018-05-25T10:20:07","date_gmt":"2018-05-25T14:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=25663"},"modified":"2018-05-25T11:09:17","modified_gmt":"2018-05-25T15:09:17","slug":"on-stage-lissie-comfortable-with-her-midwest-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=25663","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Lissie comfortable with her midwest roots"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Lissie<\/p><\/div>\n

Rock musicians from all over the country migrate to California on a regular basis. There is a natural attraction there that can\u2019t be denied.<\/p>\n

If the young artists can afford it, they\u2019ll stay there on the West Coast. Or, they might venture off to one of the country\u2019s other hot spots for musicians such as Austin, Brooklyn or Nashville.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a musician from the Midwest and have been able to break free from the gravitational pull of the nation\u2019s heartland, chances are you\u2019re not heading back anytime soon to the \u201cI\u201d states \u2013 Illinois, Iowa or Indiana.<\/p>\n

Lissie, who will be headlining a show on May 25 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>), is the exception to the rule.<\/p>\n

A while back, Lissie left her home in Rock Island, Illinois and moved to Colorado to attend Colorado State University. Then, the talented singer\/songwriter\/guitarist headed to Southern California to pursue a music career there. But, she never abandoned her down-home roots.<\/p>\n

Now, Lissie, whose full name is Elisabeth Corrin Maurus, is back in the Midwest — living on her own farm in northeastern Iowa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in Ojai (California) for seven years,\u201d said Lissie, during a phone interview Wednesday from a tour stop in Boston, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to that, I was in Hollywood for five years. I moved to Ojai because it\u2019s in the country \u2013 away from the Hollywood\/L.A. scene. Before I lived in Hollywood, I was in Colorado for a few years. Ojai was nice, but I missed the Midwest \u2013 so I went back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lissie\u2019s latest project is \u201cCastles,\u201d her fourth full-length album. It was released in March on Lionboy\/Thirty Tigers. Additionally, the album\u2019s hit single \u201cBest Days\u201d is currently #13 on Triple A Radio and climbing.<\/p>\n

Lissie\u2019s relocation to the Hawkeye State informed her new album.<\/p>\n

Written predominantly from Lissie\u2019s farm in northeast Iowa, \u201cCastles\u201d represents a new openness in her approach to songwriting and recording. Having moved out of the music industry machine and back to her native Midwest, the grounding she found living and working on a farm ushered in a period of exploration.\u00a0\u201cCastles\u201d is a portrait of an artist who has always been on the move and is finally creating a sense of permanency.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started writing songs for \u2018Castles\u2019 in 2016 and spent a year working on the album,\u201d said Lissie. \u201cThe song \u2018My Wild West\u2019 was about leaving California, going back to the Midwest and buying a farm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album was also informed by some painful, personal problems Lissie had experienced in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing into the writing of \u2018Castles,\u2019 I had been in this confusing and painful relationship,\u201d said Lissie. \u201cI knew that it wasn\u2019t going to work out \u2013 that it was unhealthy. Emotions and words were coming in real time as I dealt with that relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sang my feelings around the house. It allowed me to create in a natural way \u2013 out in nature planting trees and gardening. Music was a byproduct of the environment. Other creative activities informed my ability to write from a stream of consciousness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very much a cathartic experience. I re-evaluated what I want \u2013 to use my music to chronicle my experiences\u2026which are also universal experiences. I\u2019ve found that audiences can relate to the songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans from around the country consistently tell Lissie how relevant the songs are to their lives.<\/p>\n

According to Lissie, \u201cIt\u2019s the record people always wanted me to make but I couldn\u2019t really make it until I got to be in charge. Before I was trying to please too many people. It stopped being fun. But eventually you get to the stage where you accept yourself for who you are. I\u2019m not trying to keep up with anyone else. If I can make a living doing something I\u2019m passionate about, that\u2019s a good life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lissie received help on \u201cCastles\u201d from old friends like Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses) and Martin Craft, Jim Irvin, Julian Emery and Curt Schenider (who worked in a large capacity on her previous album \u201cMy Wild West\u201d), as well as new collaborators like producers AG and Liam Howe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I moved back to Iowa, people expected an acoustic album,\u201d said Lissie, who also appeared in the most recent season of David Lynch\u2019s \u201cTwin Peaks\u201d television show.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the opposite. I used more technology than ever. I emailed tracks to my producer in London. Later, I went to London to add to the tracks. I also recorded some tracks in L.A. It was piecemeal \u2013 but, it gave me a lot more freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this tour I have four other musicians \u2013 bass, guitar, drums and keyboard. I play guitar and sing. My live show is about 90 minutes. I do six songs from \u2018Castles\u2019 along with a lot of older favorites. I also do a lot of solo touring.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot of musicians when out on tour worry about their family or their pets \u2013 not Lissie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m out on the road, I worry about how my garden back home is doing,\u201d said Lissie, speaking like a true Midwest farm girl.<\/p>\n

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

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live, which has van William as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at World Caf\u00e9 Live are Ellen Siberian Tiger, Joy Postell, Queue, & Grace London on May 26, Rising Appalachia on May 27, Joshua Park on May 27, and \u201cSatellites Are Spinning: A Sizzling, Sonic Celebration of Sun Ra\u201d on May 30.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Russell Thompkins Jr & The New Stylistics<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cTSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)\u201d is a 1974 hit recording by MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother)<\/a> featuring vocals by The Three Degrees<\/a>. A classic example of the Philadelphia soul<\/a> genre, it was written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff<\/a> as the theme for the American musical television program \u201cSoul Train<\/a>,\u201d which specialized in African American<\/a> musical performers. The single was released on the Philadelphia International<\/a> label.<\/p>\n

After a while, TSOP became a phrase used to describe the music made by the Philly acts that released records on the Philadelphia International<\/a> label. Some of the label\u2019s most popular and best-selling acts were Patti LaBelle, The O’Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, MFSB, Billy Paul, Lou Rawls and The Stylistics.<\/p>\n

On May 26, the Xcite Center at Parx Casino (2999 Street Road, Bensalem, 888-588-7279, https:\/\/parxcasino.com<\/a>) will present a show called \u201cThe Sounds of Philadelphia.\u201d The star-studded line-up features Russell Thompkins Jr & The New Stylistics, The Delfonics and Harold Melvin\u2019s Blue Notes.<\/p>\n

For more than 30 years, Russell Thompkins, Jr.\u2019s impeccable falsetto voice led The Stylistics to international fame and recognition, recording such hits as \u201cBetcha By Golly Wow,\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re A Big Girl Now,\u201d \u201cStop, Look, Listen,\u201d \u201cYou Are Everything\u201d and \u201cRockin\u2019 Roll Baby.\u201d The Stylistics earned various awards, including a Grammy nomination for \u201cYou Make Me Feel Brand New\u201d and a plaque on the Philadelphia Walk of Fame in 1994.<\/p>\n

In May 2004, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. The Stylistics hit the Top Ten at the top of the 70s. Shortly after their initial chart success, they were put together with the songwriting and production team of Thom Bell and Linda Creed. That pairing led to a string of major hits over the next few years that would put The Stylistics indelibly on the R&B map.<\/p>\n

In 2000, Thompkins left the group. After his split from the group, Thompkins studied music formally and learned to play the piano. In 2002, he released a solo album, \u201cA Matter of Style,\u201d which included cover versions of George and Ira Gershwin\u2019s \u201cEmbraceable You\u201d and the Thom Bell and Linda Creed song \u201cJealousy\u201d originally recorded by Dionne Warwick.<\/p>\n

In 2004, Thompkins Jr. started a new group, \u201cRussell Thompkins Jr. and the New Stylistics,\u201d with Raymond Johnson, James Ranton, and Jonathan Buckson. They continue to tour and are featured on the DVD \u201cOld School Soul Party Live!,\u201d which was part of the PBS<\/a> My Music series.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re the New Stylistics and we do the full Stylistics catalog,\u201d said Thompkins, Jr., during a phone interview last week from his home in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are traveling and working consistently \u2013 two or three gigs a month. Recently, we did shows in the Philippines, Singapore and Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an eight-piece band with a full rhythm section \u2013 and two singers. I sing all my hits from the Stylistics catalog.<\/p>\n

\u201cI left the original band in 1999 after years and years of dissent in the band. I stopped singing for a few years and went back to school. That left only two original members in the Stylistics \u2013 Airrion Love and Herbie Murrell.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Stylistics \u2013 the original group \u2013 we grew up together. I went to Saul High School and the other guys went to Ben Franklin High. The Stylistics came out of a band that was called the Monarchs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inner turmoil eventually took its toll on the original Stylistics line-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put out a solo CD in 2003 called \u2018A Matter of Style\u2019 with a studio band,\u201d said Thompkins Jr. \u201cPeople had been asking me to put a band back together. But, I had been out on the road for 35 years and I was burnt out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a while, I was missing it, so I decided to put this group together. We stay very true to the original music. And, I still do work on my own. I have a new solo album that is coming out very soon \u2013 within a month.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sounds of Philadelphia\u201d concert will pay tribute to late WDAS FM radio legend Joe \u201cButterball\u201d Tamburro, who died in July 2012.<\/p>\n

Although the cause of death was not released, he suffered from heart disease and diabetes. Five dollars from every ticket for \u201cThe Sounds of Philadelphia\u201d show will be donated to the American Diabetes Association in Tamburro\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n

Video link for Russell Thompkins, Jr. & The New Stylistics — https:\/\/youtu.be\/sMD_Hpgj3MQ<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at the Parx Casino will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets prices range from $35-$75.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Security Project<\/p><\/div>\n

Fans of Peter Gabriel\u2019s music \u2013 especially his early solo albums after he departed Genesis \u2013 will surely like The Security Project.
\nThe Security Project is a band that started performing in 2012 in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the release Gabriel\u2019s \u201cSecurity\u201d album.<\/p>\n

On May 26, The Security Project will perform at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Security Project — drummer Jerry Marotta (who played on those first four albums and toured with Gabriel for 10 years), Warr guitarist Trey Gunn (former member of King Crimson<\/u>), guitarist Michael Cozzi (former member of Shriekback), keyboardist\/eigenharpist David Jameson and vocalist Happy Rhodes — perform Gabriel\u2019s early progressive repertoire, generally taking material from his first four albums.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been together almost five years now,\u201d said Gunn, during a phone interview Thursday from a stop in Woodstock, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cJerry and I were approached to see if we would get together for an anniversary of \u2018Security,\u2019 which was 30 years old at the time \u2013 to see if it would work because the music was so universal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got together and played \u2013 and were shocked at how well it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

It worked and the project continued on. The band released four very well-received CDs over the last few years \u2013 \u201cLive 1,\u201d \u201cLive 2,\u201d \u201cFIVE\u201d and the recently-released \u201cContact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, there was no intention of doing an album at all \u2013 why do something when you can listen to the original record?,\u201d said Gunn. \u201cBut, our band had an amazing sound live. It sounded close enough to the original yet very different. We\u2019re able to do stuff that Peter Gabriel couldn\u2019t do at the time because of the technology back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, The Security Project is touring in support of \u201cContact,\u201d which was released in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was done with Happy Rhodes and everything is live,\u201d said Gunn. \u201cIt\u2019s actually quite shocking how good it sounds. We used a special recording system that can record 32 tracks live. A lot of it was record at our East Coast shows last year and on then tour of Japan that followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJerry and I have worked with Happy for a long time. Happy has sung Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush songs for years. Now, we even do a Kate Bush tune in our show. We play stuff from our first four records \u2013 maybe everything from \u2018Security.\u2019 We recently released a live single of \u2018Here Comes the Flood.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAll four of our albums are from live shows. We\u2019ve never done any studio recording. It\u2019s just that the band sounded so mazing live. We wanted to document how great the band sounds live. Plus, we have the vibe of the audience \u2013 and we can pick the best tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Security Project \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/XSuAC8xq6Zg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $29.50 and $45.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the venue are Johnny A. on May 25, and The Trashcan Sinatras on May 27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Rock musicians from all over the country migrate to California on a regular basis. There is a natural attraction there that can\u2019t be denied. If the young artists can afford it, they\u2019ll stay there on the West Coast. Or, they might venture off to one of the country\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7441],"tags":[6269,10535,10537,10536],"class_list":["post-25663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-lissie","tag-new-stylistics","tag-the-security-project"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25663","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=25663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25664,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25663\/revisions\/25664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}