{"id":34938,"date":"2021-08-12T14:54:02","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T18:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=34938"},"modified":"2021-08-12T14:54:06","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T18:54:06","slug":"on-stage-young-dubliners-headlining-at-sellersville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=34938","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Young Dubliners headlining at Sellersville"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

The Young Dubliners<\/p><\/div>\n

There are times when bands have names that can be deceiving\u2026like the band that is headlining a show on August 12 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com) — the<\/a> Young Dubliners.<\/p>\n

The Young Dubliners — Keith Roberts, lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Chas Waltz, violin, keyboard, harmonica, mandolin and vocals; Justin Pecot, guitar and vocals; Dave Ingraham, drums and percussion; Ethan Jones, bass \u2013 are neither young nor Dubliners.<\/p>\n

Actually, there is a Dubliner in the band — founding member Roberts. The band\u2019s frontman is a Dublin native who put the band together in 1988 in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n

\u201cI graduated from University College Dublin when I was 21,\u201d said Roberts, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. \u201cI left Ireland 28 years ago and moved to L.A. and then to northern California. I\u2019m now living in Paso Robles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to L.A. and worked on movie sets. After a while, I took over a bar in L.A. called Fair City, which is a reference to Dublin.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 30 years ago, Roberts, who was a journalism major in college, opened his own Santa Monica bar, Fair City, A Dublin Pub. The main attraction at Fair City became Roberts\u2019 band, which patrons started calling the Young Dubliners. In the mid-\u201990s, he sold Fair City to concentrate on the Young Dubliners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original Dubliners were like the biggest band ever from Ireland,\u201d said Roberts. \u201cMy dad was very good friend with the Dubliners. We used to hang out with them and go over to their houses and stuff. When we started playing over here as the Young Dubliners, I reached out to them to see if they were O.K. with us using this name and they were fine with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally, when I started the band 30 years ago, there were two guys from Dublin \u2013 me and Paul O\u2019Toole. Now, I\u2019m the only Irish one in the band. The band has gone through line-up changes over the years, In the last four years, our bass player and a guitar player left. Now, I have a solid line-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band\u2019s music is always a combination of Irish music upbringing and American music upbringing. My Gaelic influences were Big Country and Waterboys more than traditional bands.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always been creating our own sound. I\u2019ve always tried to be as unique as possible. Our Irish-American band has pre-dated American\/Irish bands like Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. The only similar band when we started was the Pogues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pogues have always been an influence, but my biggest influence has been Big Country. They\u2019re a Scottish band but when I first heard them, I was really impressed because it was Celtic music with electric guitars.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Young Dubliners, whose album count is in double figure, now are finally back on the road again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re making up for a year-and-a-half of doing nothing,\u201d said Roberts. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re playing mostly festivals. Our only club dates are the two on the East Coast \u2013 Sellersville Theater and Daryl\u2019s House. It seems like everything still is mostly outdoors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for the Young Dubliners \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/xJ80d5oQnuQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville on August 12 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21.50. Livestream tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mike Farris<\/p><\/div>\n

The Sellersville Theater is known for presenting top-flight blues acts and this week is no different with Mike Farris on August 13 and Indigenous on August 15.<\/p>\n

Farris was the founder and lead singer of Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies. After the group disbanded around the turn of the century, Farris continued on as a solo act with a focus on early American gospel and blues.<\/p>\n

His 2015 album \u201cShine for the People\u2019 won a Grammy Award for \u201cBest Roots Gospel Album). His latest record, \u201cSilver & Stone,\u201d has a bluesier vibe. Farris has released seven albums and his two most recent discs came out on Compass Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018Silver & Stone,\u2019 we had just come off getting a Grammy for best roots\/gospel album,\u201d said Farris, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Nashville.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt it was a good time to start a new venture. I had been pulling from black gospel music since 2007. The new album is more rock. I looked for inspiration at that crossroads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farris\u2019 main inspiration for the album was his wife, Julie.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife Julie was my muse for \u2018Silver & Stone,\u2019\u201d said Farris. \u201cIt became an homage to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album\u2019s title refers to his wife Julie\u2019s wedding ring, and the album is a celebration of their 25 years of marriage and her steadfastness in sticking by him through his years of struggling with addiction and alcoholism.\u00a0 Now sober for 10 years, Farris has the energy and conviction of a man saved.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was 10 years ago \u2013 April 2011 \u2013 that I went the spiritual route for rehab,\u201d said Farris. \u201cIt was a 12-step immersion program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I realized through Julie that the one thing we\u2019d been leaving out while trying to stay clean was the need to get down to the \u2018why\u2019 \u2013 why am I self-destructive?<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I got clean and learned about myself. Then, I became a more useful human being.\u201d<\/p>\n

Produced at Compass Sound Studio in\u00a0Nashville by Compass Records co-founder, Garry West, \u201cSilver & Stone,\u201d which was released in September 2018, finds Farris imbuing his songs\u00a0with a vibey, lighthearted feel, returning to his roots as a rocker and soul singer.<\/p>\n

The studio band includes famed \u201cMemphis Boy\u201d Gene Chrisman (Dusty Springfield, Elvis Presley, Dan Auerbach) sharing drum duties with Derrek Phillips (Robben Ford, Hank Williams Jr.).<\/p>\n

It also featured keyboardists Reese Wynans (Joe Bonamassa, Double Trouble) and long-time Farris collaborator Paul Brown (Waterboys, Ann Peebles), guitarists Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin, John\u00a0Hiatt), Rob McNelly (Delbert McClinton) and George Marinelli (Bonnie Raitt) with Steve Mackey (Wallflowers, Delbert McClinton) and producer West splitting bass duties.<\/p>\n

Last year should have been a year of touring in support of the album but COVID-19 wiped out that option.<\/p>\n

\u201cI only worked a little bit during the pandemic,\u201d said Farris. \u201cIt was a very disenchanting time of my life. Luckily, I had a lot of songs in the works \u2013 more than an album. I\u2019d like to get in the studio as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, I do 85-100 shows a year. Maybe, I did 20 last year. During the pandemic, I played golf \u2013 a lot of golf. I got my handicap down to a single digit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Mike Farris \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/J2B4hjr1LBY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville on August 13 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21.50. Livestream tickets are $12.50.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Indigenous<\/p><\/div>\n

Indigenous, which is headlining a show on August 15 at the Sellersville Theater, got its start just over two decades ago as a family band — \u00a0 brothers Mato Nanji and Pte Nanji, their sister Wanbdi Nanji and their cousin Horse.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Nakota\u00a0Nation members grew up on\u00a0South Dakota\u2019s\u00a0Yankton Indian Reservation, where their father,\u00a0Greg Zephier,\u00a0became a spokesperson for Native American rights.<\/p>\n

Zephier, who was also a well-respected musician, provided his children with records from blues musicians such as B.B. King,\u00a0Buddy Guy, and\u00a0Freddie King, and taught them to play their respective instruments. The family started touring together, and soon the children were performing on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the only one of the original four left in the band,\u201d said Mato Nanji, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home on the Yankton reservation which is located in\u00a0Charles Mix County\u00a0in southeastern\u00a0South Dakota.<\/p>\n

The group released its debut album,\u00a0Things We Do\u00a0on Pachyderm Records in 1998. In 1999, Indigenous won three\u00a0Native American Music Awards\u00a0for its debut record, including two top honors — Album of the Year and Group of the Year.<\/p>\n

Later that year, Indigenous released an EP,\u00a0Blues This Morning, and a full-length album,\u00a0Live at Pachyderm Studios\u00a0in 1999, and continued the momentum.\u00a0Live at Pachyderm\u00a0won two Native American Music Awards for Best Blues Album and Group of the Year in 2000. The foursome followed with \u201cCircle\u201d in 2000, \u201cIndigenous\u201d in 2003, \u201cLong Way Home\u201d in 2005 and \u201cChasing the Sun\u201d in 2006.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe family lineup stayed together until 2006,\u201d said Nanji. \u201cThen, we all decided to go different directions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was tough to keep Indigenous going but the music was what mattered. I\u2019ve made a bunch of albums over the last 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Indigenous discography also includes \u201cBroken Lands\u201d in 2008, \u201cThe Acoustic Sessions\u201d in 2010, \u201cIndigenous \u2013 Featuring Mato Nanji\u201d in 2012, \u201cVanishing Americans\u201d in 2013, \u201cTime Is Coming\u201d in 2014 and \u201cGray Skies\u201d in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy last album was \u2018Gray Skies\u2019 a few years ago,\u201d said Nanji. \u201cI\u2019ve kinda been working on some new stuff lately. Because of the pandemic, I\u2019ve had some time. I just stayed home. It was the first time in 15 years that I wasn\u2019t on the road for a lot of each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good. I needed the break. I did some new music. I do a lot of writing on my acoustic guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nanji\u2019s father was a well-known and highly respected spiritual advisor and spokesperson for the International Indian Treaty Council. He was a key member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, a Dakota tribe whose list of notable leaders includes Chief Struck By The Ree (1804\u20131888), Chief Running Bull (1826\u20131900) and Chief Smutty Bear (1790-1865).<\/p>\n

In addition to this leadership role, Zephier was an accomplished musician and a member of the musical group, The Vanishing Americans. Formed by Greg and his brothers in the \u201860\u2019s, The Vanishing Americans toured nationally and shared bills with such legends as Bonnie Raitt.<\/p>\n

Besides being heavily influenced by the music his father and uncles were making, Nanji was exposed to Zephier\u2019s vast collection of blues records by legendary artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King. With the experience, love and wisdom of their father to guide them, Mato, his brother, sister and cousin formed the band Indigenous while in their late teens.<\/p>\n

My mom and dad had a great record collection,\u201d said Nanji. \u201cIt was a mix of everything \u2013 from Jimi to Otis (Redding) \u2013 to B.B. King and Albert King. That\u2019s what got me into the style of music I do now \u2013 starting with blues which is my favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indigenous\u2019 music caught the attention of blues icon B.B. King and the young band was invited to play on his annual B.B. King\u2019s Blues Tour in 1999. Sadly, their father crossed over before seeing his children receive this great honor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndigenous formed right before my father died,\u201d said Nanji. \u201cWe carried on with his spirit. We were his foal \u2013 and my mom\u2019s foal. Both have a real presence on our music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both also have a grandson in Indigenous.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a four-piece right now with my son Evan Nanji playing guitar,\u201d said Nanji. \u201cOur bass player is Justin Cournoyer, an old friend of mine from the reservation. We go back-and-forth with drummers. Most of the time it\u2019s Kurt Olson, a friend from Minnesota. Sometimes, my sister Wandbi does some shows with us.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur live shows are a mix of everything. We try to get a song off each record and other times, it\u2019s a lot of blues stuff. We never use a set list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Indigenous \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/cdeo2WlyVvY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Sellersville on August 15, which also features Nick Schebelen, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $29.50. Livestream tickets are $19.50.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming acts at Sellersville Theater are Who\u2019s Next on August 14, Brian Dunne on August 19 and Savoy Brown on August 20.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dave Keller<\/p><\/div>\n

Another venue presenting a lot of blues music this weekend is Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) with the Erin Harpe Country Blues Duo on August 12, the Dave Keller Band on August 13, and the Jimmy Pritchard Band on August 14.<\/p>\n

Keller has built a solid reputation as a blues guitarist\/vocalist. Unlike many younger American blues cats, Keller did not start his music career at a young age.<\/p>\n

A bit of a late bloomer, Keller grew up in Massachusetts, loving music, but not picking up a guitar until age 16, and not singing in his first band until age 20. But blessed with mentors including deep soul singer Mighty Sam McClain, mystical soul guitarist Robert Ward, acoustic blues master Paul Rishell, and soul\/blues man Johnny Rawls, Keller made up for the lost time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really got into Jimi Hendrix when I was a sophomore at Wesleyan College,\u201d said Keller, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Montpelier, Vermont. \u201cI had played guitar for a while, but I couldn\u2019t figure out how to play Jimi.<\/p>\n

\u201cI read about how Jimi went to Chicago to learn from the masters. So, I started studying blues records \u2013 Albert King, Sonny Boy Williamson, Magic Sam. This was during the 1980s \u2013 the era of vapid music. I wanted something more real. I was listening to Otis Rush and early Buddy Guy. Ronnie Earl was a big influence. I got to watch him play a lot because he was living just outside Boston. Years later, I got to play and record with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ever since legendary guitarist Ronnie Earl chose Keller to sing on his 2010 album, \u201cLiving In The Light,\u201d Keller has been on the rise, earning two Blues Music Award nominations for Best Soul\/Blues Album, winning the International Blues Challenge \u201cBest Self-Released CD Award,\u201d, and being chosen for Downbeat\u2019s \u201cBest Recordings of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n

His 2018 CD, \u201cEvery Soul\u2019s a Star,\u201d released on esteemed soul\/blues label Catfood Records, was produced by multiple-Grammy-winning legend Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Miller, Tower of Power, Luther Allison, etc.).<\/p>\n

In February 2020, Keller released his first-ever live album, \u201cLive At The Killer Guitar Thriller!\u201d (Tastee-Tone Records), which won the Tammie Award for Best Album of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the live album down in Pennsylvania — at the Bucks County Blues Festival,\u201d said Keller. Recorded it in 2019 and it came out in February 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did my first recording in 1993 right when I moved to Vermont. It was an acoustic solo album that was just on cassette. My first CD was \u2018Faith\u2019 in 1998. I\u2019ve recorded eight or nine CDs since.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most recent is \u2018You Get What You Give,\u2019 which was a duets album released in December 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou Get What You Give\u201d is an album of original duets, with some of the biggest names in the Blues and Soul world. It features Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker; Houston\u2019s Queen of the Blues, Trudy Lynn; Keller\u2019s mentor, Mississippi\u2019s Johnny Rawls; Blues Music Award Winner Annika Chambers; and Juno Award Winner Dawn Tyler Watson.<\/p>\n

All backed by Keller\u2019s road-tested band: Ira Friedman on keys, Jay Gleason on drums, and Alex Budney on bass. There was also a killer horn section led by Mark Earley of Roomful of Blues renown and special guests such as Chris Robertson (slide guitarist extraordinaire), and Memphis\u2019 18-year-old wunderkind Vince Allen (guitar), who also happens to be the grandson of Keller\u2019s late songwriting mentor, Darryl Carter (\u201cA Woman\u2019s Gotta Have It\u201d, \u201cBlind, Crippled and Crazy\u201d).<\/p>\n

All money from album sales goes to groups working for Racial Justice and Equity.\u00a0 This album exists thanks to generous donations of time from all the musicians, plus two of the finest studios in New England: Sugarhouse Soundworks and The Tank Recording Studio.<\/p>\n

Video link for Dave Keller Band \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/xCVP8TjrylU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on August 13 at Jamey\u2019s will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance online and $18 at the door.<\/p>\n

Kennett Flash\u2019s Rooftop Series (Kennett Square Parking Garage Rooftop, 100 East Linden Street., Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will present Solar Federation \u2013 A Tribute to Rush on August 14.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) is hosting Liz Longley on August 12, Damn the Torpedoes on August 13, and Jon Anderson on August 17.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times There are times when bands have names that can be deceiving\u2026like the band that is headlining a show on August 12 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com) — the Young Dubliners. The Young Dubliners — Keith Roberts, lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Chas Waltz, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7441],"tags":[6269,13333,13335,13336,13334],"class_list":["post-34938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-indigenous","tag-mike-farris","tag-the-dave-keller-band","tag-the-younger-dubliners"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34938","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=34938"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34939,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34938\/revisions\/34939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}