{"id":29451,"date":"2019-07-15T08:15:57","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T12:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=29451"},"modified":"2019-07-15T09:53:47","modified_gmt":"2019-07-15T13:53:47","slug":"on-stage-tom-obrien-brings-bluegrass-to-sellersville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=29451","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Tim O’Brien brings bluegrass to Sellersville"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

The Tim O’Brien Band<\/p><\/div>\n

Tim O\u2019Brien got interested in music at an early age and has stayed with it ever since.<\/p>\n

Growing up in Wheeling, West Virginia in the 50s and 60s, O\u2019Brien was drawn more to traditional music than the rock music that dominated the airwaves. His musical path led him to bluegrass, country and, eventually, contemporary bluegrass. Since then, he has become one of the major forces in contemporary bluegrass.<\/p>\n

Starting with the band Hot Rize in 1973, O\u2019Brien has released close to 50 albums in the genre, including seven with Hot Rize, four with Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers<\/a>, two with NewGrange, one with The Earls of Leicester and more than 20 solo LPs. He also has been involved with more than 20 albums as a composer and 10 as a producer.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien<\/a> has been a link between the traditional sounds of the hill country and the modern styles of bluegrass in the 1980s. He also works as a soloist, a duo partner with his sister Mollie<\/a>, and with his band, the O\u2019Boys<\/a>. O\u2019Brien<\/a>\u2019s songs have additionally been recorded by Kathy Mattea<\/a>, the Seldom Scene<\/a>, New Grass Revival<\/a>, and the Johnson Mountain Boys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien, a GRAMMY Award winner, just released his most recent album, \u201cTim O\u2019Brien Band,\u201d on March 15, 2019 and is currently playing shows in support of the new disc. On July 15, the Tim O\u2019Brien Band will headline a show at\u00a0 the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien grew up singing in church and in school, and after seeing Doc Watson on TV, became a lifelong devotee of old time and bluegrass music. A turning point came when O\u2019Brien<\/a> began listening to a weekly country music radio show, \u201cWheeling Jamboree.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jamboree originated in Wheeling on WWVA, the first radio station in West Virginia. At the time, it was a 50,000-watt clear-channel station broadcasting at 1170 KHz on the AM dial. Numerous acts and stars passed through the annals of the \u201cWheeling Janmboree,\u201d which is the second oldest country music broadcast in the United States after the Grand Ole Opry.<\/p>\n

Discovering that the show was broadcast from a local theater, O’\u2019Brien<\/a> became a frequent audience member and saw performances by Jerry Lee Lewis<\/a>, Buck Owens<\/a>, Merle Haggard<\/a>, and Roger Miller<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWWVA was definitely a part of it,\u201d said O\u2019Brien, During a phone interview last week. \u201cI got an earful of Doc Watson and dove into his music. I was also always a fan of Roger Miller. Then, my sister Mollie and I got into folk music through Peter, Paul & Mary.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien got his first guitar when he was 12 and was guided toward country music and bluegrass by Roger Bland<\/a>, a banjo player and former member of Lester Flatt<\/a>\u2019s band.Bland<\/a> taught O\u2019Brien<\/a> to play in the three-finger style of Earl Scruggs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien first toured nationally with Colorado bluegrass band Hot Rize, who last year marked 40 years as a band. Kathy Mattea scored a country hit with his song \u201cWalk The Way The Wind Blows\u201d in 1986, and soon more artists like Nickel Creek and Garth Brooks covered his songs.<\/p>\n

Over the years, O\u2019Brien has collaborated with his sister Mollie O\u2019Brien, songwriter Darrell Scott, and noted old-time musician Dirk Powell, as well as with Steve Earle, Mark Knopfler, Bill Frisell, and Steve Martin.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien now travels with his partner, Jan Fabricius, a mandolin player and singer. Looking for players adept at both Irish and bluegrass music, O\u2019Brien out together a band featuring Mike Bub on bass, Shad Cobb on fiddle, Patrick Sauber on banjo and guitar, and Fabricius.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last 20 years, I\u2019ve played a lot of solo gigs,\u201d said O\u2019Brien, who plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki and mandocello. \u201cWhen Jan and I started going together, we started singing together and doing duo shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I decided I wanted to put a band together \u2013 and play acoustic guitar in a bluegrass band. Sometimes, I play mandolin a little and some violin. I\u2019m mostly known for playing mandolin. With Hot Rize, I was always doing mandolin playing. I needed to change things up and keep it fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTim O\u2019Brien Band\u201d is a bluegrass record — a contemporary album that blends traditional bluegrass, O\u2019Brien originals and tracks written by Fabricius, Shawn Camp, and The Black Keys\u2019 Dan Auerbach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always looking for songs and finding new things to do,\u201d said O\u2019Brien. \u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of finding the right songs whether traditional, original or covers. Jan and I wrote one song together on the new album \u2013 a tune called, \u2018The Other Woman.\u2019 We also did a cover of \u2018Pastures of Plenty,\u2019 an old Woody Guthrie song.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor our live shows, we\u2019re playing quite a few songs from the new album and we\u2019re doing a lot of digging into some really old stuff. We\u2019re also working up our version of \u2018Maggie\u2019s Farm,\u2019 an old Dylan song.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Tim O\u2019Brien — https:\/\/youtu.be\/8jL3fycVjfk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville Theater, which has Katherine Rondeau as the opening act, will start at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $29.50-$45.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are The Quebe Sisters on July 16 and Robert Randolph & The Family Band with Laura Cheadle on July 17.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Hannah Krupa<\/p><\/div>\n

On July 17, Hannah Krupa will be part of a triple-bill at Bourbon and Branch (705 North Second Street, Philadelphia, 215-238-0660, bourbonandbranchphilly.com<\/a>) that also features Human Resources and Chris Wilcox.<\/p>\n

Krupa is a singer\/songwriter heading into her senior year at Drexel University who is already a music business veteran.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been singing my whole life,\u201d said Krupa, during a recent phone interview from her home on a horse farm near Bordentown, New Jersey. \u201cI started singing in church when I was three. And, I sang on \u2018Kids\u2019 Corner\u2019 on WXPN. When I was young, it was mostly soul \u2013 and I was learning jazz. I love singing soul, reggae and blues.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Krupa, \u201cI grew up on a horse farm in New Jersey\u2014running through the woods, swimming, singing and dancing in the kitchen to Annie Lennox and Sade, as my mom made dinner\u2014these are the images that create the memories of my childhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd like so many singer\/songwriters before me, my first memory of singing was in church. My grandfather was a Methodist minister and having that gospel influence at such an early age takes deep root.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlongside going to horse shows and the shore, I was continually being exposed to music, from WXPN 88.5 concerts to a singer\/songwriter cruise when I was 10 years old, featuring Emmy Lou Harris and Brandi Carlile. Music has been THE constant in my life for as long as I can remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

Krupa was involved in academics, music and sports when she attended high school at Notre Dame High School in Mercer County. She even played varsity tennis for the Irish.<\/p>\n

When Krupa was 13, she recorded and released a pair of songs. One track, \u201cBlush,\u201d was described as \u201ca high energy, schoolgirl crush, tween pop anthem. The other, \u201cI Fall Hard,\u201d was billed as \u201can insightful look at taking a chance and falling love through the eyes of teen girls everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Krupa has come a long way in the decade that followed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy desire for a career in music started when I was really young,\u201d said Krupa. \u201cMy dad said \u2013 you have to finish school first. My first band was called Local Honey \u2013 a six-to-seven-piece band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local Honey released three songs in 2017 \u2013 \u201cSkyline Sunset,\u201d \u201cAll There Is To Say,\u201d and \u201cCome On Over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot in the band, but it was time to go solo,\u201d said Krupa.<\/p>\n

And, through her studies at Drexel, it was time to see the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just got back from London this month,\u201d said Krupa. \u201cIt started in Hong Kong two years ago with an internship for writing. I also spent time travelling to Kyoto and Tokyo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I went to London in spring 2018. I met a lot of eclectic musicians there. I played at Ronnie Scott\u2019s and got to record at the BBC\u2019s Tylie Arts Studios. After London, I lived in Montpelier, France last summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came back to this rea, I opened for Magic City Hippies at The Fillmore and I went to L.A. to open for James Bay at the Hotel Caf\u00e9 in Hollywood. I stayed in L.A. until March and then went back to London.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Krupa is back on the East Coast writing and recording a new album \u2013 and developing her signature style of sultry soul. Her new single, \u201cPlay My Soul,\u201d was released on April 26.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded \u2018Play My Soul\u2019 in December,\u201d said Krupa. \u201cI cut it in Fishtown at Big Mama’s Studio. A song called \u2018Andalusian Mares\u2019 will be my next single.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show at Bourbon and Branch, which also features Human Resources and Chris Wilcox, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Another upcoming show at Bourbon and Branch will feature Miette Hope, NINA and Ariel Skye on July 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Tim O\u2019Brien got interested in music at an early age and has stayed with it ever since. Growing up in Wheeling, West Virginia in the 50s and 60s, O\u2019Brien was drawn more to traditional music than the rock music that dominated the airwaves. His musical path led him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6269,11652],"class_list":["post-29451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-featured","tag-the-tim-obrien-band"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29451","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=29451"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29454,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29451\/revisions\/29454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}