{"id":36572,"date":"2022-05-05T09:33:36","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T13:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=36572"},"modified":"2022-05-05T09:33:44","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T13:33:44","slug":"on-stage-baxter-brings-deep-history-to-show-at-city-winery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=36572","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Baxter brings deep history to show at City Winery"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Jeff Baxter<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine music fans heading to a concert by a member of the\u00a0NASA\u00a0Exploration Systems\u00a0Advisory Committee.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to imagine a guitarist who has consulting contracts with the Pentagon’s\u00a0Missile Defense Agency.<\/p>\n

However, if it\u2019s Jeff \u201cSkunk\u201d Baxter, it makes sense.<\/p>\n

Baxter, who will headline a show at City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, citywinery.com\/philadelphia<\/a>) on May 5, became self-taught in missile defense systems in the 1990s, and, at one point, wrote a five-page paper that proposed converting the ship-based anti-aircraft\u00a0Aegis<\/a>\u00a0missile into a rudimentary missile defense system.\u00a0He gave the paper to\u00a0California<\/a>\u00a0Republican Congressman\u00a0Dana Rohrabacher<\/a>, and his career as a defense consultant began.<\/p>\n

Baxter\u2019s main career began in the late 1960s \u2013 a career as one of the premier guitarists in the world of rock music and one of the most sought-after session players. <\/p>\n

Casual music fans might not recognize Baxter\u2019s name, but they almost certainly have heard his guitar work.<\/p>\n

In 1972 he became a founding member of Steely Dan,\u00a0a band that produced such hits as \u201cReelin\u2019 In the Years,\u201d \u201cMy Old School,\u201d \u201cDo It Again,\u201d and \u201cRikki Don\u2019t Lose That Number.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1974, Baxter left Steely Dan to join the Doobie Brothers, a band that produced such hits as \u201cListen to the Music,\u201d \u201cChina Grove,\u201d \u201cJesus Is Just Alright,\u201d \u201cBlack Water\u201d and \u201cLong Train Runnin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baxter\u2019s love of performing goes back to when he was young \u2013 very young.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked my mom for piano lessons when I was five and she said — yes,\u201d said Baxter, during a phone interview Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was listening to and learning to play music before I was in school.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was 10, we were living in Mexico City, and I wanted a guitar for my birthday. They got me a bicycle instead. I was pissed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA little while later, I got a guitar and a friend introduced me to three or four chords. In the late 50s and early 60s, if you knew three or four chords, you could play in a band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baxter joined his first band at age 11 \u2013 the Tarantulas. While still a high school student, he worked at Manny’s Music Shop in\u00a0Manhattan\u00a0in 1966. At Manny’s, Baxter met guitarist\u00a0Jimi Hendrix, who was just beginning his career as a\u00a0front man. For a single show, when Hendrix’s bass player couldn’t make the show, Baxter was the bassist in a Hendrix-led band called\u00a0Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, along with fellow Manny’s employee \u2013 Randy California, the late great guitarist from Spirit.<\/p>\n

Moving to\u00a0Boston\u00a0to attend college, Baxter worked as a guitar technician and amplifier repairman at Jack’s Drum Shop on Boylston Street. Baxter first reached a wide rock audience in 1968 as a member of the\u00a0psychedelic rock\u00a0band\u00a0Ultimate Spinach. He also played with the\u00a0Holy Modal Rounders \u00a0and backed singer\u00a0Buzzy Linhart.<\/p>\n

Baxter, a Grammy winning guitarist, has an amazing resume of music acts he has worked with in the studio and\/or on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the acts I\u2019ve worked as a studio musician for are Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Cher, Barbra Streisand and Dolly Parton,\u201d said Baxter.<\/p>\n

The list also includes Al Kooper, Julian Lennon, Ringo Starr, Bryan Adams, Freddie Hubbard, John Cougar Mellencamp, Julio Iglesias, Gene Simmons, Carly Simon, Donna Summer, The Beach Boys, Willy DeVille, Eric Clapton, Gene Clark, Sheryl Crow, Ricky Nelson, Burton Cummings, Elton John, Bob Weir, Billy Cobham, James Brown, Maceo Parker, John Entwistle, Joe Walsh, Keith Emerson, Livingston Taylor, The Ventures, Nils Lofgren, Bob Welch, and Brian Auger.<\/p>\n

Baxter and longtime associate CJ Vanston are touring in support of their new album, \u201cSpeed of Heat,\u201d which will be released worldwide via\u00a0BMG\/Renew Records\u00a0on\u00a0June 17, 2022.<\/p>\n

The album features a dozen sparkling originals co-written by the guitarist and his producing\/music partner, CJ Vanston. The project also features guest vocalists and songwriters such as Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first met CJ when I was in Chicago doing jingles,\u201d said Baxter. \u201cHe\u2019s a good friend and a great keyboard player.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in the band for this tour. We also have bassist Hank Horton and drummer Mark Damian. Hank and Mark are friends of CJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were looking at a lot of different folks for the band when CJ said \u2013 these guys are good. I said \u2013 let\u2019s give it a shot. We had 10 days of rehearsal scheduled. After four days, they were ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baxter\u2019s other \u201ccareer\u201d as a missile defense systems consultant is far removed from music \u2013 sort of.<\/p>\n

\u201cRadar is an electric guitar on steroids,\u201d said Baxter.<\/p>\n

Video link for Skunk Baxter \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/NRXfBiQJpPQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on May 5 will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $28-$35.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Matt Cappy<\/p><\/div>\n

On May 6, City Winery will present one of the top young trumpeters in the jazz scene \u2013 Matt Cappy.<\/p>\n

Cappy has toured and\/or performed with a wide array of top-flight musicians including Jill Scott, Maxwell, The Roots, Kirk Franklin, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Bilal, Mos Def, Common, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Leela James, Jeff Bradshaw, Gerald Levert, Fred Hammond, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, The O\u2019Jays, The Moody Blues, Gerald Veasley, Marah, Slo-Mo and John Train.<\/p>\n

His first real breakthrough came when performing with Jill Scott\u2019s band but there was a lot of music in his life long before that happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom was musical,\u201d said Cappy, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his home in Collingswood, New Jersey. \u201cShe played the clarinet. My grandfather was a Methodist minister, and my grandmother played the piano in church.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he was young, his parents moved from New York to Berlin, New Jersey. In high school, Cappy played in the highly regarded Overbrook High music program in Pine Hill, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cOverbrook was a great music school,\u201d said Cappy. \u201cThey had state competitions in New Jersey for music bands \u2013 sort of like they do for marching bands. We placed first in the state twice when I was in school.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his senior year, Cappy received the New Jersey Governor\u2019s Award for the Arts. Next on tap was studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI majored in trumpet performance at the University of the Arts and then got a master\u2019s degree in education there in 1997,\u201d said Cappy.<\/p>\n

He began playing clubs around the Philly area and that set the stage for the jump to the next level.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in 1999, I was sitting in at a club in Philly \u2013 Wilhelmina\u2019s\u00a0on South 11th Street,\u201d said Cappy. \u201cSome of the guys from Jill Scott\u2019s band were in the club. When they heard me play, they asked me to join the band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott is a singer, songwriter, model, poet and actress who is a native of North Philadelphia and a graduate of Girls\u2019 High and Temple University. Her 2000 debut album,\u00a0\u201cWho Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1,\u201d went platinum, and the follow-ups\u00a0\u2013 \u201cBeautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2\u201d\u00a0(2004) and\u00a0\u201cThe Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3\u201d\u00a0(2007) \u2014 both achieved gold status.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Jill Scott hit, \u2018Neo Soul\u2019 didn\u2019t exist,\u201d said Cappy. \u201cThen, \u2018A Long Walk\u2019 took off in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Long Walk,\u201d which was on Scott\u2019s debut album, was a Top 10 R&B hit in the U.S. and a Top 50 chart single in the U.K. in 2001.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight after that, she opened for Sting on his U.S. tour,\u201d said Cappy. \u201cThat got a lot of press.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cappy was off to a good start.<\/p>\n

Over the last 20 years, his talent has taken him around the world, into network TV studios, concert halls and clubs, performing and recording with musical giants like Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Earth, Wind and Fire.<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s not on the road, Cappy stays busy with gigs and recording sessions in New York City and Philadelphia, particularly in the \u201cNeo-Soul\u201d R&B scene centered out of Larry Gold\u2019s The Studio. His reputation as a soulful trumpet player has led to touring, performing and cutting tracks with Grammy-winning acts such as Scott, the Roots and gospel superstar Kirk Franklin.<\/p>\n

Cappy also has an impressive resume of studio work. Some of his other recording credits include work with jazz\/R&B greats such as Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Arturo Sandoval, Wallace Roney, and Stanley Clarke and Earth, Wind & Fire.<\/p>\n

He has recorded on multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning albums, including Fred Hammond\u2019s \u201cFree to Worship,\u201d and Kirk Franklin\u2019s \u201cThe Fight of My Life,\u201d which both won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album in 2008 and 2009, respectively. He also recorded on the John Legend and The Roots album\u00a0\u201cWake Up!\u201d\u00a0(Grammy Award for Best R&B Album 2011) and Alejandro Sanz\u2019s \u201cSirope\u201d (Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album 2015).<\/p>\n

\u201cI played on the song \u2018Butterflies\u2019 from Michael Jackson\u2019s \u2018Invincible\u2019 album in 2001,\u201d said Cappy. \u201cThe song was written by Jackson, Andre Harri and Marsha Ambrosius. Four years ago, Marsha sang on a track on my first album.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cappy\u2019s debut album was \u201cChurch and State,\u201d which was released in June 2017 on Ropeadope Records. It was an impressive debut.<\/p>\n

Cappy\u2019s strengths include more than just providing melodies. He is a musician with the ability to make his instrument work as a vocal part of the song \u2013 similar to British guitar legend Jeff Beck, who can make a guitar sing like no other.<\/p>\n

Ironically, both Cappy and Beck have recorded versions of the operatic classic \u201cNessun Dorma,\u201d an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini\u2019s \u201cTurandot.\u201d In both recordings, listeners can hear the instruments \u201cvocalizing\u201d Puccini\u2019s lyrics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to sing through my trumpet,\u201d said Cappy \u2013 stating the obvious.<\/p>\n

Cappy\u2019s second album \u201cTales of the Tape\u201d was released in June 2021. The name of the album is an ode to Cappy\u2019s first trumpet mentor, the late great Joe Fallon of Philadelphia\u2019s Port Richmond section.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album, which has 10 songs, was recorded at Studio One at Drexel University and Gradwell House Recording in Haddon Heights, New Jersey,\u201d said Cappy. \u201cIt made the \u2018add new jazz\u2019 list on Spotify when it was released.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cappy\u2019s current band features Dan Rouse on keyboards, Andrew Marsh on drums, Tone Whitfield on bass and Zach Lopresti on guitar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be playing two sets at the Flash and my band is cooking with gas,\u201d said Cappy.<\/p>\n

Video link for Matt Cappy \u2014\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/WPBrf6nAuvA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on May 6 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16, $18 and $20.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at City Winery are Eddie Griffin on May 6 and 7, Eli Paperboy Reed on May 7, Mister Mann on May 8, Dee Lucas on May 8, GZA on May 9, Grayson Capps on May 10 and Shamarr Allen on May 11.<\/p>\n

\"\"Unlike most blues artists, Sugaray Rayford, who is headlining a show on May 5 at 118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com<\/a>), did not have experience with performing blues music \u2013 or even listening to blues –in his early years.<\/p>\n

Rayford was born in\u00a0Smith County, Texas, United States, and sang at the age of seven in the Bethel Temple Church of God In Christ in\u00a0Tyler, Texas.\u00a0 He also played the drums there, but his childhood was poverty stricken with his mother dying from cancer early in Rayford\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started out musically with gospel in church,\u201d said Rayford, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon after arriving in Philly from New York where he did a show on Channel 74.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was playing gospel and singing in the choir. I was also playing drums.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I stopped with any music and joined the Marine Corps. After being raised by my grandmother, I joined the military to see the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1996, my wife Pamela told me I should get serious about music. I started band called Urban Gypsys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Living in\u00a0San Diego<\/a>,\u00a0he moved to contemporary music at the age of 12, initially singing with the Urban Gypsys. Turning towards the\u00a0blues<\/a>, Rayford joined the\u00a0Temecula, California<\/a>-based Aunt Kizzy\u2019s Boyz as lead vocalist.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife turned me on to blues and I was the singer for Aunt Kizzy\u2019s Boyz,\u201d said Rayford. \u201cI had always been doing R&B. I had always listened to gospel, but I never really listened to the blues.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife looked up blues jams and got me interested. That was back in 1989. I had a friend who was in the Bayou Brothers and he gave me a book that had 10,000 songs \u2013 words and music. That was like my bible.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the catalyst that drew Rayford seriously into the blues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started with B.B. King and then got into older blues artists,\u201d said Rayford. \u201cI started listening to blues acts like Son House, Bukka White, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Mississippi John Hurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlues is about three chords and a story. It\u2019s an oratory recreation of black history \u2013 and it needs to be told.\u201d<\/p>\n

A chance meeting in Memphis laid the groundwork for a unique musical partnership between Rayford and producer, songwriter Eric Corne. Combining classic soul melodies with funky R & B grooves, raw blues power, and mashed up with modern sensibilities, the pair\u2019s first collaboration, \u201cSomebody Save Me,\u201d earned Rayford a 2020 Grammy nomination while later that year he took home Blues Music Awards for \u201cSoul Blues Male Artist\u201d and \u201cB.B. King Entertainer of the Year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rayford recently released album, \u201cIn Too Deep,\u201d featured many songs that he wrote during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018In Too Deep\u2019 came out on March 4 and immediately became a Number One album on the Billboard blues charts,\u201d said Rayford. \u201cNow it\u2019s time to get out and tour the album and have fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always tour with my full band — sax, trumpet, keyboards, bass, drums and guitar \u2013 and me on vocals. We do about five songs from each of the last two albums and a couple songs from each of the older albums.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Sugaray Rayford \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/ehsjbTnvNb8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on May 5 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n

On May 6, 118 North will host Valentina Sounds.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Valentina Sounds<\/p><\/div>\n

Valentina Sounds is the stage name for Italian-born, Philadelphia-based Valentina Raffaelli.<\/p>\n

Raffaelli, the former singer in Sunshine Superman and Sparkle Pony, creates music that is a fusion of catchy melodies and pop tunes, perfectly blended with a background in jazz vocals and a love for composition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been in the United States for 11 years in January,\u201d said Raffaelli. \u201cI fell in love with an American \u2013 a man from Philadelphia \u2014 when I was living in Italy. I was studying film and contemporary art at the Universita di Bologna.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe waited until I finished college and then encouraged me to apply to Philadelphia\u2019s University of the Arts. I came to Philadelphia and studied there. I learned about voice and music\u2014and I studied piano. I started meeting musicians at University of the Arts. Then, I took a songwriting course, and I was hooked.<\/p>\n

\u201cPutting a band together was easy. The first band was Sunshine Superman back in 2017. Then, I was in a band called Sparkle Pony with my ex-husband. It was a folk\/bluegrass\/Americana band that ended in January 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

All the while, Raffaelli was writing songs and preparing for what came next.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started writing an album without knowing it,\u201d said Raffaelli, a native of Forte dei Marni.<\/p>\n

Forte dei Marmi is a seaside town in the northern part of Tuscany that is a major vacation destination for Italy\u2019s upper class. In Italian, \u201cForte dei Marmi\u201d means \u201cFort of the Marbles.\u201d The town takes its name from the fortress that rises in the middle of the main square.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I wanted to make a full album,\u201d said Raffaelli, whose father Angelo Raffaelli was a professional soccer player in Italy for A.S. Livorno Calcio (currently in Serie C).<\/p>\n

\u201cThen things started deteriorating. I moved out and began living on my own in January 2019. The biggest chunk of songs was written between December 2018 and May 2019 and then I got into the recording studio in June.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raffaelli had a CD Release show at the Locks in Manayunk in November 2019 and another in her native land over the Christmas holiday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a very successful album release show at the Locks with my friends and Philadelphia family,\u201d said Raffaelli.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised at the amount of people who came out to support me. I got emotional when I realized I\u2019d be singing all these personal songs for friends. I also did a release show in Italy in this beautiful place called Villa Bertelli.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her final pre-shutdown show was a Valentine\u2019s Day concert at Johnny Brenda\u2019s \u2013 right before everything came screeching to a halt.<\/p>\n

The pandemic shutdown did not affect Raffaelli as much as it did other area musicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been teaching private lessons on Zoom \u2013 voice and beginner\u2019s piano,\u201d said Raffaelli. \u201cI\u2019m also choir director and middle school teacher at Episcopal Academy. I\u2019ve been teaching there for six years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in person during the pandemic. It\u2019s a private academy so they could do that. For music, we had instructions \u2013 but the students weren\u2019t allowed to sing. So, we did things like body percussion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raffaelli has stayed busy musically.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve also been releasing a new single every five or six weeks this year on every online platform,\u201d said Raffaelli. \u201cThe first four are just piano and voice. They speak to the climate of the pandemic. I booked Retro City Studio in Philly and worked with Matt Muir. I did four songs all in one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn February, I released \u2018Irresistible,\u2019 which is a love song. Then, there was \u2018Sad Song,\u2019 which is pandemic song about being stuck at home. The next was \u201810 Years of Piano,\u2019 which is a little silly. It\u2019s about piano playing being replaced by technology. \u00a0Another song is \u2018Story for Me.\u2019 It\u2019s a little about the pandemic but it can also stand alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valentina Sounds\u2019 latest release in an EP titled \u201cThe Valentino Sounds Trio Live at the Caplan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Valentina Sounds \u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/6zKa7tCk38A<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on May 6 will be a \u201cdinner sessions\u201d show at 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at 118 North are Cris Jacobs Band on May 6 and Passafire on May 11.<\/p>\n

Janis Ian\u2019s\u2019 final North American tour began in February in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is scheduled to conclude in November in State College, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

Ian is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966\/67 hit \u201cSociety\u2019s Child (Baby I\u2019ve Been Thinking)\u201d\u00a0and the 1975 Top Ten single \u201cAt Seventeen\u201d from her album, \u201cBetween the Lines,\u201d which reached Number One on the\u00a0Billboard\u00a0album chart in September 1975.<\/p>\n

This weekend, two folk music legends are teaming up with Ian for special shows in New Jersey \u2013 Livingston Taylor and Tom Chapin.<\/p>\n

They will perform on May 5 at Scottish Rite Auditorium (315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, New Jersey, scottishriteauditorium.com<\/a>) and May 6 at Ocean City Music Pier (861 Asbury Avenue, Ocean City, New Jersey, ocnj.us\/music-pier<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Taylor is a singer-songwriter who made his first album 52 years ago and has released more than 20 more LPs since then.<\/p>\n

Taylor has a long history of touring internationally over the last five decades. Taylor has also been a professor at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston for more than a quarter-century.<\/p>\n

You might think that when the pandemic shut everything down last year, Taylor would put a hold on live performances \u2013 that he would stay home and work on recording a new album \u2013 and that he would resort to Zoom if he opted to continue teaching. That wasn\u2019t his M.O.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the pandemic, I hunkered down and watched the world go by,\u201d said Taylor, during a recent phone interview from his home in Watertown, Massachusetts. \u201cThings slowed mightily.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people were stunningly productive. I\u2019m not one of them. I make music to play for people. I did do some live shows \u2013 some in a theater without an audience. It was very hard. It required a certain kind of visualization.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did a few Zoom shows. That\u2019s truly the definition of \u2018phoning it in.\u2019 I also played some outdoor shows in parking lots. I need to see people. I crave it. When I don\u2019t have it, I don\u2019t feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to COVID-19, Taylor had it and it didn\u2019t feel good.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got COVID a month ago,\u201d said Taylor. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel well so I took a test. The next morning, I did it again and the positive sign was glowing. I had a couple days of feeling poorly \u2014 that\u2019s all.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that we\u2019re moving to post-Covid, we have to keep going. When you drive a car into a ditch, you\u2019ve got to get it out and figure out what broke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still think it\u2019s going to take four or five years to work through it. It was an unprecedented interruption in the world\u2019s functioning. No other event has thoroughly stopped the planet like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor is a natural performer, peppering his shows with personal stories, anecdotes and ineffable warmth that connect him to his fans. His relaxed on-stage presence belies the depth of his musical knowledge, and fans might just as often be treated to a classic Gershwin or something from the best of Broadway.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my live shows, I do speak about the songs \u2013 who wrote them\u2026why they wrote them,\u201d said Taylor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always about the idea of making a song \u2013 making an experience. I speak about myself \u2013 but only in reference to the music not me. A life well-lived is boring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, which began a 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate, and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at the age of 18 and has continued to create well crafted, introspective, and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really like to play and see my music brought to people,\u201d said Taylor. \u201cMy first show when I knew my music worked was when I was opening for Joni Mitchell at Boston University in 1969. I was third on the bill behind Joni and Jaime Brockett.<\/p>\n

\u201cJaime had played, and the audience was anxious to hear Joni. In my 20 minutes, I was able to win the audience over. The only thing in my mind was that this works. This was before I started recording. I was writing a lot of songs and testing them to see if it works.\u201d<\/p>\n

A half-century later, it\u2019s obvious that it has worked.<\/p>\n

From Top 40 hits \u201cI Will Be in Love with You\u201d and \u201cI\u2019ll Come Running,\u201d to \u201cI Can Dream of You\u201d and \u201cBoatman,\u201d the last two recorded by his brother James, Taylor\u2019s creative output has continued unabated. His musical knowledge has inspired a varied repertoire, and he is equally at home with a range of musical genres \u2014 folk, pop, gospel, jazz \u2014 and from upbeat storytelling and touching ballads to full orchestra performances.<\/p>\n

Taylor is a full professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught a Stage Performance course since 1989. He teaches young artists invaluable lessons learned over the course of an extensive career on the road. His high-selling book, \u201cStage Performance,\u201d which was released in 2011, offers those lessons to anyone who is interested in elevating their presentation standards to professional standards.<\/p>\n

Video link for Livingston Taylor \u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/HKlam3eXSSY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on May 5 will get underway at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices start at $39.50.<\/p>\n

The show on May 6 will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices start at $45.<\/p>\n

Ian will also share the bill with veteran singer\/songwriter Tom Rush for a pair of shows in Ohio \u2013 Akron on May 11 and Columbus on May 18.<\/p>\n

Rush\u2019s fans in this area will have the opportunity to see him perform twice this weekend \u2013 May 6 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400,www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>) and May 7 at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

For Tom\u00a0Rush, one of America\u2019s most revered folksingers, it has been either feast or famine regarding his schedule of live shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been getting whiplash,\u201d said\u00a0Rush, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his home in southern Maine.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy agent managed to pack all 18 months of cancelled shows into three months in the fall. It got crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rush\u00a0released his first album, \u201cTom\u00a0Rush\u00a0at the Unicorn,\u201d in 1962. His most recent album \u201cVoices\u201d will be released in April 2018 via West Chester-based Appleseed Records. His two prior records were also Appleseed releases \u2013 \u201cCelebrates 50 Years of Music\u201d in 2013 and \u201cWhat I Know\u201d in 2009.<\/p>\n

Altogether,\u00a0Rush\u00a0has put out 26 albums in 56 years \u2013 and just eight since the turn of the century.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been writing a lot,\u201d said\u00a0Rush. \u201cI just introduced a brand-new song called \u2018I Quit.\u2019 It\u2019s a song about leaving.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have enough new songs to make an album, but I\u2019d like to have more. I\u2019d like to go in the studio with 16 and pick 12.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, he is much more active when it comes to live performances.\u00a0Rush\u00a0is a consummate performer who always delivers an entertaining show when he takes the stage to perform his songs and choice songs by other artists.<\/p>\n

Rush\u00a0stayed active during the pandemic via a project he calls \u201cRockport Sundays.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI started \u2018Rockport Sundays\u2019 back in December,\u201d said\u00a0Rush, during a recent phone interview from his home in southern Maine. \u201cIt\u2019s a subscription through Patreon. I was living in Rockport and posted a new episode every Sunday at midnight.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he was first starting the series, he posted this message on his website \u2013<\/p>\n

\u201cI have something I really want to do, and I\u2019m going to need your help to do it. I\u2019m starting a weekly series of online offerings \u2014 old songs, new songs, stories, pages from a book I\u2019m working on. Since they\u2019ll be coming out of my studio in Rockport, Mass, I thought I\u2019d call the series \u201cRockport Sundays.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project has been well received.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, it\u2019s me at my kitchen table doing a song or a story every Sunday,\u201d said\u00a0Rush. \u201cThen, it stays up for eight weeks. It\u2019s been very well-received. It\u2019s a way of communicating with my audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep it short. If you do an hour, you lose the audience by the end. It\u2019s been fun and very casual. I work with Mark Steele and the video is very professional.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite sideman is Matt Nakoa. I just finished three episodes with Jonathan Edwards who sings a couple songs on his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt goes back to February 2020. I had just started my \u2018First Annual Farewell Tour\u2019 when everything shut down. I started out doing cell phone videos. I was trying to figure out a way to connect with my audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The audience in Wilmington will be getting much more than a song or two.\u00a0Rush\u00a0will be performing a number of songs from \u201cVoices,\u201d an album that has its own special niche in\u00a0Rush\u2019s long discography.<\/p>\n

Over the course of his 50-year-plus career, one of\u00a0Rush\u2019s defining gifts has been his ear for the faint voices of significant new songs by little-known writers. The New England-based singer-guitarist was among the very first to record future standards by then-fledgling performers\u00a0Joni Mitchell, James Taylor\u00a0and Jackson Browne\u00a0on his 1968 album \u201cThe Circle Game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rush\u00a0brought a later generation of singer-songwriters such as\u00a0Nanci Griffith\u00a0and\u00a0Shawn Colvin\u00a0to wider audiences as part of his tours. James Taylor and country music superstar\u00a0Garth Brooks\u00a0have both named him as a major influence.<\/p>\n

Until \u201cVoices,\u201d\u00a0Rush\u00a0has been heard only sparingly as a songwriter, with only a few tantalizing handfuls of originals \u2013 about 20 \u2013 spread out over eleven studio albums.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoices\u201d\u00a0is the first album ever of all-Rush\u00a0originals \u2013 10 relaxed, warmhearted, amused and sometimes thoughtful songs that perfectly reflect his wry persona.<\/p>\n

\u201cA bunch of songs all of a sudden came out,\u201d said\u00a0Rush. \u201cOur daughter was going away to college, so we were moving from Vermont but didn\u2019t know where. We moved to southern New Hampshire and rented a farmhouse from our friends Bob and Laura a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a peaceful countryside exterior, but it was in some ways boring. That\u2019s where the songwriting started. I kept getting ideas for songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, songs take a long time for me to write. These songs came rapidly because I didn\u2019t have anything else to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

There might have also been another reason and the veteran singer had a theory.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Rush,\u00a0\u201cIt might be some musical equivalent of epicormics branching, where a tree that\u2019s stressed or elderly starts putting out shoots in great profusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever the reasons, the results were enough to bring smiles to fans\u2019 faces everywhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wrote on guitar,\u201d said\u00a0Rush. \u201cEvery song came differently. A lot of times, it\u2019s a phrase \u2013 just a few words that suggest a melody. Sometimes, it starts with a melody. There is no pattern.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy pattern is to write too much. Each song tended to end up too long. You find that out when you take them in front of a live audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was taking audio notes on my cell phone. Once I had enough to go in the studio, I\u2019d set up with a mic going into a computer. Then, I\u2019d send what I had recorded to my producer Jim Rooney.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had all the songs written before I went in the studio with Jim — and then I wrote one more in the sessions. We were wrapping up and I only had 11 songs. Jim said we needed a 12th track. He insisted on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I had to write another in my hotel room, and I wrote \u2018If I Never Get Back to Hackensack.\u2019 We recorded the album in May 2017 at The Butcher Shop \u2013 a studio in Nashville.<\/p>\n

\u201cJim brought in some really great studio musicians to play on the album \u2013 players who are known as \u2018Rooney\u2019s Irregulars\u2019 including\u00a0Matt Nakoa on piano, Sam Bush on mandolin and fiddle along with Kathy Mattea and Suzi Ragsdale on background vocals.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has been more than a half-century since\u00a0Rush\u00a0made people take notice with one particular song — \u201cUrge for Going,\u201d which was written by Joni Mitchell and recorded by\u00a0Rush\u00a0in 1968. It quickly became one of\u00a0Rush\u2019s signature songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Baby Grand is a nice venue,\u201d said\u00a0Rush. \u201cI\u2019ve played there several times and they\u2019ve always been great shows.<\/p>\n

Video link for Tom\u00a0Rush\u00a0\u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/AWSWUD5soGM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at World Caf\u00e9 Live will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45 and $55.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the venue are The Pineapple Thief on May 7 and Midlake on May 11.<\/p>\n

The show at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the venue are High Noon on May and Danny Paisley on May 8.<\/p>\n

Paisley, an Avon Grove High alumnus who lives in Landenberg, is the leader of a national bluegrass act \u2014 Danny Paisley & Southern Comfort.<\/p>\n

Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass play powerful, unadorned, and intense traditional bluegrass. Their combination of instrumentation and vocals convey the energy and emotion of classic bluegrass and country music.<\/p>\n

Paisley was looking forward to a \u201chometown\u201d Chester County show to perform his new album, \u201cBluegrass Troubadour,\u201d for area fans. He also had a show booked for January 16 at Jumbo Jimmy\u2019s Crab Shack in Port Deposit, Maryland.<\/p>\n

A few days prior to the Janaury gigs, Paisley sent me the following message \u2013 \u201cHello Denny. My agent informed me today that this Saturday\u2019s gig was postponed to May. Due to Covid concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately for fans of the bluegrass guitar veteran, Paisley\u2019s show at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center has been rescheduled for May 8.<\/p>\n

The show on Sunday night will start at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $25-$40 in advance and $30-$40 at the door.<\/p>\n

The Kimmel Cultural Campus (Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelculturalcampus.org<\/a>) will present<\/p>\n

Celtic Illusion on May 6 and Stairway to Heaven on May 8.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) will host \u00a0Billy Bloomer on May 6 and Settlement Music School Jazz Night on May 7.<\/p>\n

Other shows at the venue are THURSDAY NIGHT JAZZ JAM\u00a0featuring the Dave Reiter Trio on May 5 and SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM featuring the Philly Blues Kings with Maci Miller on May 8<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will present Joy Oladukon on May 6, Bre Kennedy on May 6, Box of Rain on May 7 and Take Me to The River on May 11.<\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) will host Nikki Glaser on May 7, Beth Hart on May 8, Symphony X on May 11 and Haken on May 11.<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present Soraia on May 5, Happy Rhodes on May 6, Crack the Sky on May 7, John 5 on May 8, the Iron Maidens on May 10 and Quebe Sisters on May 11.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Bowl (1009 Canal Street, Philadelphia, www.brooklynbowl.com\/philadelphia<\/a>) hosts Badfish on May 6, \u00a0Paul Cauthen on May 7, The Warning on May 8 and Hot Chip on May 11.<\/p>\n

The Xcite Center at Parx Casino (2999 Street Road, Bensalem, 888-588-7279, https:\/\/parxcasino.com<\/a>) will have Theresa Caputo on May 6 and Justin Moore on May 7.<\/p>\n

PhilaMOCA (531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, 267-519-9651, www.philamoca.org<\/a>) will present Echo Kidd on May 7 and Jenny Hval on May 11.<\/p>\n

Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, https:\/\/annenbergcenter.org\/events<\/a>) presents Mark Morris from May 5-7.<\/p>\n

The Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 202-730-3331, www.thequeenwilmington.com<\/a>) has Paradise Rose on May 7.<\/p>\n

The Met (858 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/themetphilly.com<\/a>) will host Frankie Valli on May 5, Olivia Rodrigo on May 6 and 7, Tori Amos on May 9, Sting on May 10 and 11.<\/p>\n

Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,<\/p>\n

www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>) schedule features Grocer on May 5, Sir Chloe on May 7, Michael Seyer on May 8, A Place to Bury Strangers on May 9, The Dead Tongues on May 10 and Barrie on May 11.<\/p>\n

Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com<\/a>) hosts Anthony Green on May 5,<\/p>\n

Mariah the Scientist on May 6, Dijon on May 8, Honne on May10 and Built to Spill on May 11.<\/p>\n

Franklin Music Hall (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/franklin.musichallphiladelphia.org\/<\/a>) will host Pup on May 6.<\/p>\n

Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, Kung Fu Necktie<\/a>) presents Moodcure on May 5, The Psalms on May 6, Hodgepodge on May 7, and M\u00d6RK GRYNINGon May 9.<\/p>\n

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/undergroundarts.org<\/a>) has Destroyer on May 6, MC5 on May 7, Rivers of Nihil on May 8 and Eyehategod on May 10.<\/p>\n

Fire (412 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, 267-671-9298, thefirephilly.com<\/a>) will host Cowbell on May 6, Lords of Asgar on May 7, Cellus Hamilton on May 8, Desks on May 8 and Two Good Eyes on May 11.<\/p>\n

Punch Line Philly (33 East Laurel Street, Philadelphia, 215-606-6555<\/a>, http:\/\/www.punchlinephilly.com<\/a>) is presenting Jesus Trejo from May 5-7.<\/p>\n

Helium Comedy Club (2031 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com<\/a>) presents Don Soder from May 5-7, Bubba Dub on May 10 and Randy Feltface on May 11 and 12.<\/p>\n

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com<\/a>) will present King Hannah on May 5, Caitlyn Smith on May 6, Pound on May 7, Prep on May 8, Stella Ruze on May 10 and Black Tusk on May 11.<\/p>\n

The American Music Theatre (2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, 800-0 648-4102, www.AMTshows.com<\/a>) schedule features Gary Allan on May 6, Crowder on May 7 and Chicago on May 10.<\/p>\n

Tellus 360 (24 East King Street, Lancaster, 717-393-1660, www.tellus360.com<\/a>) hosts All Them Witches on May 7.<\/p>\n

Reverb (1402 North Ninth Street, Reading, 610-743-3069, www.reverbconcerts.com<\/a>) is presenting The Warning on May 7.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to imagine music fans heading to a concert by a member of the\u00a0NASA\u00a0Exploration Systems\u00a0Advisory Committee. It\u2019s hard to imagine a guitarist who has consulting contracts with the Pentagon’s\u00a0Missile Defense Agency. However, if it\u2019s Jeff \u201cSkunk\u201d Baxter, it makes sense. Baxter, who will headline a show at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7441],"tags":[6269,13864,10279,13865,13228],"class_list":["post-36572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-jeff-baxter","tag-matt-cappy","tag-sugaray-rayford","tag-valentina-sounds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36572","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=36572"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36573,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36572\/revisions\/36573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}