{"id":29743,"date":"2019-08-22T09:14:50","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T13:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=29743"},"modified":"2019-08-22T09:14:57","modified_gmt":"2019-08-22T13:14:57","slug":"on-stage-the-end-of-america-brings-harmony-to-a-troubled-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=29743","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: The End of America brings harmony to a troubled world"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

The End of America<\/p><\/div>\n

There is a band playing this weekend at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>) that is definitely a band from the states. The band\u2019s name is The End of America and there is no way a group from Europe or anywhere else in the world could have that name and not get a huge amount of flak from American audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

The End of America is not some grand political statement \u2013 it is a band of friends, singers and travelers who blend three-part harmony with rock and Americana. The Philadelphia-based trio achieves a style that resonates with fans of Ryan Adams, CSNY, and Dawes.<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 23, the group will be part of a special event at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>) \u2013 \u201c25th Anniversary of Jeff Buckley\u2019s \u2018Grace\u2019 featuring The End Of America, Naaemah Maddox, and special guests.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The night kicks off with a Jeff Buckley documentary screening, followed by some of favorite local Philly artists performing Buckley\u2019s celebrated album its entirety. Naaemah Maddox and The End Of America will be the house bands, joined by rotating special guests — Curtis Cooper, Matt Duke, members of Hardwork Movement and Ruby The Hatchet, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band has released several EPs and singles since its inception in 2010.<\/span><\/p>\n

All front men of previous bands, Brendon Thomas, James Downes and Trevor Leonard met on tour in 2005. They went on to form a trio that highlights their vocal chemistry and captures the raw honesty of their performances.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our 10th anniversary,\u201d said Thomas, during a recent phone interview from his Philly home. \u201cWe released our first record in 2010 but we were writing songs in 2009.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe all met while we were touring in other bands \u2013 front men and songwriters for different bands. James was in a band named Call It Arson. Trevor was in a band called Procession Came Opposite and I was in a band called Forever In Motion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe just got along like brothers. There was a certain attraction we found. Songwriting came easily and the harmonies were there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It took a while for the three musicians to come together geographically.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2009, we were still spread out,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cJames and I were living in New York City and Trevor was in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEventually, Trevor moved to Philly and we came later. James and I lived together while Trevor and his wife bought a home in Fishtown. I moved back to Vermont this year, but Philly is still my home base.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The End of America (TEOA) caught the attention of the industry and fans alike with its debut release \u201cSteep Bay\u201d (2010). The trio followed up with its sophomore LP \u201cShakey\u201d (2012) and the critically acclaimed eponymous album in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

TEOA\u2019s new single \u201cBreak Away\u201d was released June 7, 2019 on all digital and streaming platforms and is also available as a limited edition 7\u201d vinyl. It features a version of Simon and Garfunkel\u2019s \u201cAmerica\u201d on the B-side. Recorded at a barn cabin and produced by the band and mixed by Trevor Leonard, \u201cBreak Away\u201d takes The End of America in a new bold direction — morphing acoustic instrumentation with drum loops and the bands\u2019 signature harmonies.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBreak Away\u201d is the first in a series of new songs that will be released by TEOA in 2019. The band will be releasing a new song each month for the remainder of 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor now, we\u2019re just doing singles because of the change in the music industry,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cIt takes a while to make an album. You can get just as much a buzz with a single.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe write together and maintain a balance. We\u2019re equal songwriters. We have sessions where we\u2019ll do six songs and we\u2019ll each take two songs to work on.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, we\u2019ll bring full songs and other times it will be songs that are partially done that we\u2019ll work on together. We\u2019ve been working most recently at Gradwell House Recording in Haddon Heights, New Jersey.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for The End of America — https:\/\/youtu.be\/GRY3L0uIb-U<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the venue are HuffPost: Here To Make Friends Live! and Ashley Spivey of The Bachelor 15 on August 22, La Misa Negra and A Day Without Love on \u00a0August 24, Marialy Pacheco on August 27, and The Muckers and Buddie on August 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rod DeGeorge<\/p><\/div>\n

Guitar virtuoso Rod DeGeorge will be playing a hometown show (of sorts) when he headlines a show on August 22 at 118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

The veteran guitarist, who now lives in Bend, Oregon, lists his hometown as Reading, Pennsylvania \u2013 which is less than an hour west of Philly\u2019s Main Line.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Reading \u2013 the Mount Penn area \u2013 and then later we moved to Fleetwood,\u201d said DeGeorge, during a phone interview from Oregon last week.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I went back to Reading for high school \u2013 to Reading Central Catholic because my school didn\u2019t have a football team. I was fullback and outside linebacker on the RCC team that was the district champion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, I was also into music. I was always into music \u2013 always listening to music. When I heard distorted guitar for the first time, I went \u2013 \u2018whoa.\u2019 I really got into bands like Led Zeppelin, Rush, the Yardbirds, Yes, Kansas, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a kid, we never could find a singer or a bass player, so it was always jamming with guitar and drums. After high school, I played in several regional bands including Burnt Sienna.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

DeGeorge soon forgot about football and embarked on a career as a rock guitarist \u2013 a very successful career.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of his career as an axeman, DeGeorge has created an impressive CV. He performed at Inaugural Balls for two US Presidents, at the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C and has done multiple performances at NFL Halftime and pre-game shows.<\/span><\/p>\n

DeGeorge has been seen or heard on VH1, MTV, E!, Fox and in the 2011 film \u201cMayor Cupcake,\u201d starring Leah Thompson and Judd Nelson. He also has been featured in major International publications such as Guitar Player, Hammer World and Guitar Player Brazil.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kiss\u2019 Paul Stanley was quoted as saying about DeGeorge’s playing — \u201cAwesome! Reminds me of Jeff Beck!,\u201d which is like John Madden talking about a young quarterback saying — \u201cAwesome! Reminds me of Tom Brady.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

DeGeorge presents the following list of influences — Randy Rhoads, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Yes, Rush, Steely Dan, Elliot Randall, Denny Dias, Jeff Baxter, Kansas, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, Brian May, UFO, Uriah Heep, Jason Becker, Uli Roth, Eric Johnson, Allan Holdsworth, Greg Howe, Frank Gambale, Mozart, Paganini, John Coltrane, Beatles, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Vinnie Moore, John Petrucci, and Paul Gilbert.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at 118 North is billed as <\/span>Rod DeGeorge\u2019s Guitar Gods Review and is described as, \u201ca tribute Show celebrating the music of \u201cGuitar Greats\u201d such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, Prince and more!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy first solo release \u2013 \u2018Cosmic Playground\u2019 was in 2008,\u201d said DeGeorge. \u201cIt was all instrumental and Guitar Player magazine picked it up. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy next album was \u2018Quantum Dancing\u2019 four years ago and that was all instrumental too. Right now, I\u2019m working on a vocal album. I have a home studio in Oregon where I record all my music and produce records for other people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

DeGeorge will also be playing a \u201creal\u201d hometown show on August 24 at Goodnites Lounge at the Crowne Plaza Reading. Between the two \u201cGuitar Gods\u201d shows, DeGeorge will also be part of a \u201cBurnt Sienna Reunion\u201d at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach, Delaware on August 23.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Rod DeGeorge — https:\/\/youtu.be\/LCIi3hRWsaA<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at 118 North on August 22 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at 118 North are <\/span>The Quixote Project<\/span> and <\/span>Midnight Flyer Bluegrass<\/span> on August 23, and The Core (Eric Clapton tribute) on August 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Ocean Blue<\/p><\/div>\n

Moving slightly west in Pennsylvania, you\u2019ll find the home of The Ocean Blue.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ocean Blue is an indie rock band that got its start in the Harrisburg area and built a strong following at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster.<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 23, The Ocean Blue — David Schelzel, Oed Ronne, Bobby Mittan, Peter Anderson — will visit Philly for a show at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/undergroundarts.org<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCentral Pennsylvania is still our home base,\u201d said Schelzel, during a recent phone interview from his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chameleon \u2013 there wasn\u2019t a venue that played more of an important role in our career. Early in our career, (Chameleon\u2019s) Rich Ruoff gave us a lot of all-ages shows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ocean Blue certainly doesn\u2019t need all-ages shows for its fans now. Actually, many of the band\u2019s early fans probably have kids old enough to drink legally in the state.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band got its start in 1986 and released its debut album, \u201cThe Ocean Blue,\u201d on Sire Records in 1989. It followed with two more on Sire \u2013 \u201cCerulean\u201d in 1991 and \u201cBeneath the Rhythm & Sound\u201d in 1993.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ocean Blue switched to Mercury\/Polydor Records for its 1996 release, \u201cSee The Ocean Blue,\u201d and then put out \u201cDavy Jones\u2019 Locker\u201d in 1999 on March Records.<\/span><\/p>\n

The group\u2019s latest two LPs are on it own label \u2013 Korda Records. \u201cUtramarine\u201d came out in 2013 and \u201cKings and Queens\/Knaves and Thieves\u201d was just released on June 21.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schelzel<\/span> discussed the decade-plus gap between \u201cDavy Jones\u2019 Locker\u201d and \u201cUtramarine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe never really disbanded,\u201d said Schelzel, who now works as a civil lawyer in the \u201cLand of Purple\u201d (Minnesota Vikings and Prince).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI took a break to go back to school in the early 2000s. I was till thinking about music and working on it. There was a long time between releases because we all had a lot of things going on with our lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a period of time as a teenager and in my early 20s that I devoted a lot of time to music. But I still had other things. I went to college and got my undergrad degree at Penn State and my law degree at the University of Minnesota.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After a long break, The Ocean Blue rose again to the surface with \u201cUltramarine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt had gotten to a point where we had written enough songs and had enough recordings for an album,\u201d said Schelzel, who loves cold weather and thinks winter in Minnesota is beautiful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother catalyst was forming an indie record label Korda Records, which is a co-op with ex-pats from other bands. We formed Korda at the end of 2012 and we have 20 releases by various bands — including Innocence Mission, our old friends from Lancaster.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Kings and Queens\/Knaves and Thieves\u2019 was recorded mostly in our home studio. Recording technology has changed so much. We learned so much from recording in big studios in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded one track in Buenos Aires, Argentina \u2013 \u2018Paraguay My Love.\u2019 We\u2019ve played Asuncion many times and some of our biggest South American shows were there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album is our most mature album to date while \u2018Ultramarine\u2019 fit right in with our earlier releases. \u2018Kings and Queens\/Knaves and Thieves\u2019 is more weighty. It captures where we\u2019re at now. We think that the art form of an album is a collection of songs that relate to each other. Lyrically, it\u2019s our heaviest album to date.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for The Ocean Blue — https:\/\/youtu.be\/avmz3ct2XUU<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Underground Arts, which has Riverside as the opening act, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $17.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Vandoliers<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a band that mixes honky tonk with punk influences, look no further than Vandoliers.<\/span><\/p>\n

An alt-country band with punk roots, Vandoliers seamlessly blends influences from two very different worlds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Texas-based band has a different sound — mixing raw, rough-edged roots music with the focused, fiery storytelling of frontman Joshua Fleming. Rounded out by bassist Mark Moncrieff, drummer Guyton Sanders, fiddler Travis Curry, electric guitarist Dustin Fleming and multi-instrumentalist Cory Graves, the skilled band has logged more than a decade in punk and folk bands between them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vandoliers was formed in 2015 by Joshua Fleming, following the dissolution of his Fort Worth-based punk trio The Phuss, and an eye infection that left him nearly blind for eight weeks. During his recovery period, he discovered The Marty Stuart Show and the similarities between punk and country. During this time, he wrote the material that would go on to become the Vandoliers\u2019 debut album, \u201cAmeri-Kinda.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With help from producer John Pedigo, Fleming put together a Dallas-Fort Worth supergroup featuring members of well-known local folk and metal groups Whiskey Folk Ramblers, Vinyl, Revolution Nine and Armadillo Creek.<\/span><\/p>\n

The following year, the band signed to State Fair Records, and in October 2016, the label re-released the album. Its follow-up, \u201cThe Native,\u201d also on State Fair Records, was recorded in the same studio where Willie Nelson made Red Headed Stranger, and was released in May 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vandoliers, who are billed as the next wave of Texas music, just released their third album, \u201cForever\u201d, and are touring in support of the new disc. The tour will bring them to MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com<\/a>) on August 22.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Forever\u201d at American Recording Studios in Memphis,\u201d said Fleming, during a phone interview last week as the band travelled from Atlanta to a gig in Charleston, South Carolina.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe album was produced and recorded by Adam Hill, who has also produced bands like Low Cut Connie and Deer Tick. We were in limbo between our last label and Bloodshot. We recorded it in August 2018, and it came out this February.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It is the band\u2019s third album and first with Bloodshot Records. The LP is a mix of defiant punk, rugged Red Dirt country, and vibrant Tejano. The full-length\u2019s 10 songs blend emblematic rock \u2018n\u2019 roll with bold horns, violin, and a slather of twang reflecting where the band is from.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote about 50 tunes for this record,\u201d said Fleming. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t hard selecting the songs to use on the album. You just kind of know. Some sings define the sound of the band. It is a band. It\u2019s a democracy. It\u2019s not me saying \u2013 this is the record. I\u2019m not a musician — I\u2019m a songwriter. I just try to sue the guitar a little. And, our keyboard player Cory also writes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band has continually gotten tighter and more adventuresome in its brief existence.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been together four years with this same line-up and we\u2019re still based in the Dallas-Forth Worth area,\u201d said Fleming. \u201cWe went to Bloodshot Records because we felt it was right. We still love State Fair. It\u2019s a great local label. But the band felt that Bloodshot was where we needed to go as a group.<\/span><\/p>\n

The album pays tribute to their home state, Texas, by putting a new spin on a storied history. Vandoliers are certainly telling a rock and roll story, but with a twist –delivered with a wink of the eye and a bang of the head. It’s twang and tattoos, grit and guitars, honky-tonk and horns, Tejano and Telecasters.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI stared playing music in punk bands and I\u2019ve always tried to do everything honestly,\u201d said Fleming. \u201cI\u2019m not going to do anything I don\u2019t want to do. The country influence came in because I\u2019m from Texas. I don\u2019t think country music is for teenagers. I didn\u2019t relate to it until I got older. I just write my stories and play the way I play. To me, it\u2019s just rock and roll.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Area fans will get their first taste of Vandoliers performing live when they play MilkBoy on August 22.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis will be our first time to play Philadelphia.\u201d Said Fleming. \u201cActually, it\u2019s our first time to go up the East Coast.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Vandoliers —https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z2I_I0txGUI<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at MilkBoy, which also features Rylan Brooks, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at MilkBoy Philly are Soraia on August 23 and The Western Den and Rosu Lup on August 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rachel Folmar<\/p><\/div>\n

The New Summer Sounds Music Series will present its final show at Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) on August 24. The show features weekly winners — Congrat, an indie rock band from West Chester; Rachel Folmar, a singer\/songwriter who is an incoming Senior at Unionville High School; Jac Conner, a local musician from Nottingham who attends Oxford High School; and \u00a0Felicia Berrier, a 16-year old singer\/songwriter from Kennett Square.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/a>) will host Grunge Puppy, Egocentric Plastic Men, and Trycheck on August 23 and the Mark Evans Band om August 24.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will present Jellyroll on August 23, Splintered Sunlight on August 24, Big Something on August 25, and Danielle Nicole Band on August 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday, 8\/28 \u2013 7:30pm<\/span><\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents \u201cThe Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Experience\u201d on August 22, Electric Hot Tuna and Dave Mason August 23, and The Wallflowers on August 25.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present Walter Trout with Scoville Blues on August 22, Adrian Belew with Saul Zonana on August 23, Mary Fahl on August 24, and Larry, Steve & Rudy: The Gatlin Brothers on August 25.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 202-730-3331, www.thequeenwilmington.com<\/a>) will host \u201cWSTW Presents Hanson: The Help Our Kids Concert benefitting Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children\u201d on August 22.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times There is a band playing this weekend at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com) that is definitely a band from the states. The band\u2019s name is The End of America and there is no way a group from Europe or anywhere else in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7441],"tags":[6269,11757,11755,9253,11612,11756],"class_list":["post-29743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-rachel-folmar","tag-rod-degeorge","tag-the-end-of-america","tag-the-ocean-blue","tag-vandoliers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29743","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=29743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29744,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29743\/revisions\/29744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}