Talk about the Passion

Found them on Facebook?

2012-02-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

As the saga of what to do with 311 W. Main St. in Lansdale continues, there's a growing movement to the tune of 1,000+ petition signatures to turn the place into an all-ages music and arts venue.
The ethos behind it is to recapture the excitement of Lansdale's local music scene from the '90s. The long-gone Jumper's, near the Acme in Towamencin, was the epicenter of it, and since has been replaced by the VFW and the Third and Walnut.
It was definitely one of those you-had-to-be-there things. While I was not there, those who were can run down a laundry list of bands of local and international renown that have played shows in and around Lansdale.
Derek Calhoun of Boondocks Booking, and the originator of the Lansdale Local Facebook page, said at one of the 311 W. Main Street Task Force meetings that booking bands that young people will come to see will be easy.
While it remains to be seen if there's a viable business plan to get the building up to code and have such a venue survive long term, one glance at Lansdale Local and you notice that there is indeed a scene.
The next biggie at the VFW at 805 W. Second St. is $2 Bill Fest on Feb. 18 with an Animalhaus CD release party and bands Run For It, Troublesome, Stoked on Being Pumped, Bottom Feeder, Pleasant Living, Rough Justice, Get Railed, Dugout and Early Flight Home.
There's also info. on local music shows in Quakertown Feb. 23 and March 10 in Red Hill.
Social media's a beautiful thing, isn't it?

Found in my inbox

2012-01-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Steven Rosplock from Forge Recording Studio in Oreland for giving me the heads up on this. It puts me in the mood to listen to the Forge CD sampler that I got when I did a story on them.

Forge Recording Studio has teamed up with bands The Great Socio and Da Rezarekt to record a song to help Philadelphia guitarist Marisa Salazar, who has been fighting breast cancer. For 99 cents (or more if you wish), you can download the new track, “Fight” by Da Rezarekt. All proceeds will go to help Marisa, who hasn't been able to work while undergoing treatment.

We all know someone who has been in a situation like Marisa's.

The Catapult Sound

2012-01-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

The live room at Catapult Sound in North Wales.

Bill Schwartz of North Wales recording studio Catapult Sound describes what a recording studio is simply as "a place where you're gonna move air."
Conveniently, the studio shares the same space on Center Street where he and business partner Jason Murray operate their web development business, Catapultweb.
The Catapult thing comes from a song they recorded with their band, Winston's Dog, which also features Community Housing Services social worker Jon Robins on vocals.
In a recent session at Catapult, Murray is laying down some important guitar riffs to the Winston's Dog song "Hairless." The song got airplay on WSTW's "Hometown Heroes" radio show, but the band feels the song needs to be freshened up and re-tracked.
The song is a swaggering, to-the-point rocker that will be on the band's to-be-named next CD.
Besides Murray and Schwartz, bassist Pete Mazzaccaro is present at the session.
Murray is playing a worn Fender Stratocaster plugged into an intimidating assortment of effects pedals and a reconstruction of a 1958 Fender Twin amp. He opts not to wear headphones while tracking his part, and does his first run-through sitting on the control room couch.

Proceeding takes are done in the control room rather than the Catapult live room. "This way I know they're not in here secretly making fun of me," Murray says.
Having their own studio allows the band to be meticulous in their recording approach. Take four finds Murray hitting his stride. Take five has to stop because of a guitar switch mishap, which is finally remedied by electrical tape.
Taking a break from the song, Schwartz calls up songs recorded by other local artists on the control rooms 42-inch monitor. There's rapper Trel Mack, sensitive rockers Spells and Curses, and singer/songwriter John McKeever, who lately has expanded his repertoire to include sketch comedy with the Bird Text Comedy Show.
"We're always here. Bands are always here," Schwartz said.

Can't be any older than 16, yet they're damn good

2011-11-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a story about the way-under-the-radar Rock Cafe in Vernfield in the former Nyce Printing building at 857 Main St., Harleysville.
I recently attended a multiple local act CD release party for the band Earl & Raine at the Rock, which featured Lansdale's Brian Medlin, plus Eric Lee Burkert, Former Belle, and this duo that just knocked me out called Among Trees.
These young guys have the souls of old folkies. How many dudes, as young as they, are incorporating BANJO into their songwriting (besides Mumford and Sons)? Here's some all-too-short video of their song "I Don't Wanna Suffer (I Don't Wanna Sing the Blues)."
It's a shame their entourage started lining up to grab free copies of their CD and talk their ears off right after their set, because I would have liked to know more about them.
You heard it here first. Xtreme Folk Scene and/or the Philly Folksong Society needs to hear Among Trees and get them into their festivals ... yesterday.

Young and old

2011-10-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Heck of a weekend, musically speaking.
*Last Saturday, some youth musicians from the Upper Bucks Alliance for Creative Expression entertained at a Salford Valley Winery event benefiting epilepsy awareness. It turns out they have a concert saluting "classic progressive rock" at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at Pennridge High School, 1228 N. Fifth St. in Perkasie. Tickets are $17.50 at the door, $15 in advance, $12 for seniors and $10 for students.
A fun time was had by all. It had been three years since the winery had held an event, and I think Brenda and Ed Staehle could use some encouragement to not wait another three years to open up the barn for tastings. So click on the link to their site right now. I'll wait.
*The Lansdale Community Concerts series has always been a maddening thing for me. It's a subscription series that's forever sold out. You can't get tickets to individual concerts; you have to purchase a season subscription. And in order to get a subscription, you have to be put on a waiting list.
Also, judging by the sea of white hair in the audience at North Penn High School for these things, it looks like it's a requirement that you have to be old to attend. Or maybe it's the wait to get off the waiting list that ages you?
So through my connections, I got a pair of unused LCC tickets to see Chespeake, Va.'s Hunt Family Saturday night. Wickedly talented stepdancers, songwriters and musicians, with a mom, dad and seven kids, ages 13-21.
Younger audiences would have loved this concert. They played songs by Mumford & Sons and Jason Mraz, for goodness sake! However, for some reason, LCC seems unfairly hellbent on keeping these events exclusive to the silver-haired set.
As my girlfriend pointed out in the concert program, the organization's biggest patron is Elm Terrace Gardens. Of the other 13 major contributors, five of them are retirement communities.
When Sandy Hunt, the mother of the brood, mentioned that you could follow The Hunt Family on Facebook, she asked if anybody in the audience used Facebook. A big laugh went up from the predominantly senior audience. Yeah, you can take that as a "no," Sandy.
*Dirty Jerzees? Sounds like the name of a strip club!
Crazy Train? Sounds like the name of an Ozzy Osbourne tribute band! And there actually is an Ozzy tribute band by that name.
However, this venue is the new sports bar that's in the same building as Clubhouse Too in Upper Gwynedd, and this Crazy Train is a nice 'n' tight classic rock cover band. Check out my video.

Foodies and locavores rejoice

2011-10-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

With the number of food scares in recent years -- including a recent outbreak of listeria linked to Colorado-grown cantaloupes -- local artisanal food matters. And there's loads of it in Bucks County.
A food blogger and an employee of NFL Films, who attend the same New Hope synagogue, have teamed up to bring you an impressive array of sustainable, organic foods in off-the-beaten-path locations with Bucks County Food Tours.This new venture from Lynne Goldman and Alan Brown takes five hours (10-3 Fridays through Sundays; other times by appointment) to fully appreciate as they chauffeur you, take you to lunch, and personally introduce you to the proprietors of family farms, orchards, bakeries, and ice cream makers that insist on locally produced ingredients.
"Bring your camera and your cooler," said Goldman, noting that once you get an appreciation (and maybe a sample) of the difference grass-fed beef, artisanal ice cream or raw milk makes, you'll want to buy and take some home the day of your tour.
There are also special interest tours available, such as "Meat and Greet," which focuses on butchers, "Seize the Cheese," and "Vegan Voyage."
The "Mixed Bag of Bucks" tour that my girlfriend (who took the terrific pictures) and I hit on a crisp fall day began with "Sticky Buns 101" with Roseann and Kerry Burns of the Town Crier Bakery at Peddlers Village in Lahaska.
Three Newtown area locations followed.
Be advised that you will need sturdy footwear to negotiate the pastures at Birchwood Farms. It's worth it to have a taste of the flavorful, raw milk garlic cheddar cheese.
Also the hairy, boar-like breed of pigs, which are later rendered as organically certified, grass-fed pork, like to give "love bites." Hoping that I might be carrying a chicken egg snack like the ones farmer Mike Tierney was tossing about, one of them nipped my knee.

This guy didn't bite...

These guys do, however.

The curious cows at Birchwood will also walk right up to you as you don blue booties over your shoes to prevent the spread of any animal diseases.
The Milk House Farm Market, which has been in the same family since 1813, grows 42 varieties of tomatoes, every kind of squash you can think of, 75 hens, muscovy ducks, two alpacas, a llama ... but no partridge in a pear tree.

Peppers at Milk House Farm Market.

Brown claims Ely Farm Products has "the best bacon in Bucks County." Their different kinds of bologna are pretty darn good.
"Nationwide, we're in an arc of learning and an awareness of our food. The cream really rises to the top," Brown said.
The lunch portion of the tour involved a trek across the Delaware River to Frenchtown, N.J. to the Lovin' Oven. The locally sourced, three course meal changes. Ours consisted of an heirloom acorn squash soup that was too heavy on the ginger, a Swallow Hill Farm mixed greens salad with red beet matchsticks (yum) and Appetehikan Farm goat cheese, and either an omelet or an open faced sandwich. The sandwich, which had hearty bread, brie and a honey/balsamic reduction, featured slices of apples from the next destination, Manoff Market Gardens, in a bucolic section of Solebury Township.

Feng shui with pumpkins at Manoff Market Gardens.

Manoff grows 26 different kinds of apples, five of them go into their apple cider.
"This is a problem. We need to grow them with their names on them (so people know the difference)," joked Amy Manoff.
Manoff's canned peaches are also popular.
"Once we discovered (Manoff Market Gardens), we had to keep coming back," commented Warminster resident Judy Miller.
OWowCow Creamery at the Carousel Village in Wrightstown makes a point of using locally sourced, organic cream, free range eggs, and local honey, fruits and berries, to make small-batch ice cream. They have some of the strangest flavors ever -- chocolate jalapeno, sweet potato wasabi, rose water cardamon ... There's three different flavors of VANILLA, for cryin' out loud. "It's the flavor that hits you first, and the intensity of the flavor," said Goldman, noting that you don't find chunks of anything in OWowCow's ice cream.
Owner John Fezzuoglio described ice cream making as a personal voyage of self discovery after sensing a lack of sense of community in his native Brooklyn.
Bucks County Food Tours cost $95 per person. Call (215) 794-4191 or (215) 598-3979.

Chris Brown ... come on, man

2011-10-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

I'll admit to being a hater.
When Chris Brown broke onto the scene with "Run It" at the age of 16, it smacked of a Hanson- or Aaron Carter-like fast track to oblivion.

Then there was that whole regrettable chapter with Rihanna.

And then came this song

Yeah, it's supposed to be a Michael Jackson tribute. But the song actually sounds more like SWV's "Right Here/Human Nature."

Chris Brown ... come on, man. We've already heard this song ... twice!
It's true that top-of-his-game MJ (who is now back in the news because of his doctor going on trial) gave that SWV song a chance to be a hit in the first place. But "She Ain't You" seems to have every bit to do with SWV as it does Michael Jackson because Chris Brown flat out steals the "Right Here" melody.
Why no love for the Sistahs With Voices, Chris?

Fighting back against stalking and bullying

2011-09-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Props to my man, Randy Alexander for letting me know about this song.
In TAYLOR BRIGHT’S “PSYCHO,” the 1st single from her forthcoming EP, Mixtape Love,the 18-year-old Philly pop artist encourages her peers to take the power back from bullies and stalkers and adopt more of a “We’re not gonna take it,” attitude. It was written by RoboPop (Maroon 5, Gym Class Heroes) and the video was shot at West Chester University.

"By embracing that nervous energy and ultimately taking back the power, the stalker has failed and gets a taste of his own medicine," Bright says.
This speaks to my life because I have a female one of these who has sent unspeakably hurtful and untrue messages to my girlfriend and a previous girlfriend. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

WHAT THE FOLK IS GOING ON!?

2011-08-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia Folk Festival brings out the weirdest in people. It made my girlfriend want to walk the Perkiomen Trail at 12:20 a.m. the Saturday night of the Fest. For whatever reason, she was convinced I was going to stumble upon some major scoop; never mind that it was dark and I wouldn't be able to take notes. "What kind of reporter are you?," she said, baiting me.
Groan! Somebody watches entirely too much Nancy Grace.
To my surprise, a good many festers were indeed on the part of the trail that crosses the Perkiomen Creek and Haim Road, going toward Spring Mount. At almost 1 a.m.? You betcha -- with glow sticks and LED lights, yet. That is, except for the not-too-bright bicyclists with no headlights that almost ran several people over.
The late night hikers were most definitely festing because they all were friendly. I always say that if everybody had the mindset of people at the Folk Fest, the world would be a nicer place.
Once the trail led to the Folk Fest site, I was surprised to observe how raucously loud the campgrounds were at that time of the night. How the heck does anybody sleep when they camp at the Fest?! Wish I had brought my Flip camera so I could have posted video.
Maybe it had something to do with being rained on Thursday and Friday night?
You always hear about how cool it is camping at the Folk Fest, and about how fun it is to party there. I decided that night that it was not for me.
Among the interesting sights on our late night hike were campfires, down a ravine, on the side of the trail opposite the Folk Fest grounds. Apparently people camp there too.

Why radio still rules

2011-08-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Scanning the radio dial frequency by frequency turns up the darndest things.
106.7-FM in Harrisburg, which was known for the longest time as Mix 106.7, has an eyebrow-raising new persona: CHANNEL 106.7, HIP-HOP, HAIR BANDS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN!

A segue from "Jump Jump" by Kriss Kross ....

into "Down Boys" by Warrant....

was WIGGITY-WIGGITY-WIGGITY WACK, yo!!!

Variety in radio can be like a loaded gun sometimes. It was extreme music style shifts like that that killed top 40 radio circa 1988 through about 1994.
But I said something similar back when 95.7 Ben-FM hit the airwaves in Philly. "A format for radio nerds? It'll never sell," I scoffed. Well, they're still there, so what do I know?
Props to Channel 106.7 for taking a chance with this experiment. With satellite radio, all those iTunes channels, Pandora, and more competing for people's ears, you have to do something to stand out.

Enunciate, please!

2011-07-25T11:40:00.001-07:00

Amy Winehouse, who over the weekend joined what Kurt Cobain's mom referred to as "that stupid club," got me thinking about that group of stars that perished at the age of 27.
Jim Morrison, whose larger than life mystique Amy Winehouse will never reach (she probably will in England, but the Brits are weird), was a tremendous writer and showman (or is it shaman?) but didn't always articulate his lyrics. Just what exactly is he singing in the opening line of "L.A. Woman?"
To encourage more commenting interaction here at Talk about the Passion, I'm posting a poll.

WHO HAS THE SLOPPIEST DICTION/ENUNCIATION IN ROCK?

A.) J. Mo.

B.) Mick Jagger

C.) Elton John

D.) John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

E.) Michael Stipe (R.E.M.)

Free (quality) beer in the mail :-)

2011-06-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

It sounded too good to be true.
A beer company, for some reason, needed public relations help in getting the word out about its new brew, and my new friends, KKPR in upstate Pa., wanted ME to have a look at a press kit. Two weeks later, the package from East Coast Beer Company in Point Pleasant, N.J. arrived with three bottles of Beach Haus "classic American pilsner."
My expression here says it all. A crumb had fallen from God's table.
Smooth - check. Golden - check. Full-bodied - check. It's a craft brew without being too pretentious - a difficult balance to strike.
Even more scintillating is the two guys that run East Coast wanted Beach Haus to be something you'd want to leisurely sip at the beach, and something that hearkened back to the German-American type beers that were made before prohibition.
Prohibition was truly a dark time in American history. But then after our nation came to its senses, and the 21st Amendment legalized alcoholic beverages, beers were made with rice and corn. These ingredients did their job in the fermentation process, but made the mass produced American beers decidedly bland.
The skinny on Beach Haus is East Coast Beer Company is finally branching out from being Jersey-only, and into Pennsylvania and New York. I can't wait to get my hands on a case of this at local distributors!
Better still, East Coast's Beach Haus has a spinoff blog site, www.celebratetherealjerseyshore.com.
Haha - take that, MTV!!!

Oh those kooky kids!

2011-06-10T13:37:00.001-07:00

Chester County sisters Cassandra, Anna Christie and Beatrice Sadler have been singing in one way or another since they were little. The three sisters - Sisters 3 - also have five other siblings, and Cassandra once told me in 2008 that she and her two younger sisters started singing as a way to keep all those young'uns entertained or lull them to sleep.
Released this month on the New York-based indie record label Modern Vintage Recordings is Sisters 3's second formal album, "Coruscate at the Meadow Gate." The group's quirky, vocal based, alternative folk/pop moves in rather esoteric directions at times, but the first five tracks on this CD are surprisingly accessible. The sisters' harmonies are tight and gorgeous and the production is first rate.
"You are the truest blue I ever knew/Never saw a shooting star fall as pretty as you do," they sing on "Wolfpack."
It's only with track 6, "Apocalypse," where things start veering off in odd lyrical and musical directions. Sisters 3's trademark weirdness comes to a crescendo with "Alien Baby," which ends with the sisters harmonizing the pat-a-cake/jump rope song "Miss Mary Mack," and breaking down in hysterical laughter (guess you had to be there). Closing tracks "My Little Heart" and "Pleased to Meet You" restore order once more.
Gotta give Sisters 3 props for being so fiercely original and individualistic.
Listen to The Sisters 3's "Coruscate at the Meadow Gate" here

Scribbles in my notebook

2011-05-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

As The Reporter's Page One Editor, Dan Sharer, recently said, "No journalist enjoys covering Election Day."
However, the primary that was just held contained a chance meeting that sparked a new fire in what I do.
In chatting up Lansdale resident Herman Ahrens on his way in to vote, his wife (whose name escapes me) saw my press badge and recognized my name from reading The Reporter.
She said: "They should give you a column and run your picture with it." Evidently she thinks I'm a handsome fellow.
Not knowing if this charming senior couple that I had engaged were blog readers or not, I said that I already do, sort of, with Talk about the Passion.
I learned that not only did the Ahrens' son write for a newspaper in Ohio, but that at one point, he was blogging daily, comparing and contrasting Christianity, Islam and Judaism, when he was abroad in Spain, Egypt and Israel. The elder Ahrens is an old school journo himself, having gone through the University of Missouri Journalism program in the 1940s.
Mr. Ahrens asked about my career path, remarked that The Reporter's editorial cartoons sometimes don't have much of a point, and almost shared what sounded like were going to be strong opinions on the primary election. That was when his wife gently censored him and guided him toward the voting booths.
"She's my best editor," Ahrens said.

Good old-fashioned bluegrass jamming

2011-05-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Since 2003, the Doylestown Jam has brought live bluegrass music every Wednesday evening to the Hilltown German Hungarian Sportmen's Club, 1622 Hilltown Pike, Hilltown.

Acoustic instrument players of all levels of experience are invited to join in, starting at 7:30 p.m., to pick 'n' grin through bluegrass, roots and Americana tunes. And it's free.

How cool is that? You don't have to be a seasoned musician - just show up. That's true folk music ethos, right there!

Weather permitting, the Doylestown Jam is held outside, otherwise it's in the club's banquet room.

Go to www.myspace.com/thedoylestownjam or e-mail hilltown5string@yahoo.com to learn more.

Philadelphia Folk Festival lineup announced

2011-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Fifty years is a long time to be doing anything!

It's been a half-century for the Philly Folk Fest, the longest continuously running festival of its kind in North America, they say.

The Golden Anniversary edition takes place August 19-21 at the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, and will very much pay tribute to its musical roots.

“We looked to a theme of 'Past, Present and Future',” says Lisa Schwartz, President of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, which produces and presents the annual summer festival. “We really want to honor our musical lineage and highlight not only the heritage artists, but also the new traditionalists who will help to teach future generations to love folk music.”

Among the top attractions at the 50th Annual PHILADELPHIA FOLK FESTIVAL celebration is:

Arlo Guthrie – David Bromberg Big Band – Jorma Kaukonen
The Campbell Brothers – The Kennedys – Angel Band
Joel Plaskett Emergency – The Wood Brothers
Tom Paxton – Tom Rush – Dala – Tempest – Madison Violet
Give & Take Jugglers – The Great Groove Band – Dan Bern
Justin Townes Earle – John Hartford String Band – David Amram – The Battlefield Band John Flynn – Elizabeth Butters – Alexis P. Suter Band
Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys – Runa
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen – Wilderness of Manitoba
Kim & Reggie Harris – Roy Book Binder – Footworks – Caitlin Rose
Brad Hinton – Burning Bridget Cleary – The Berrys
and more to be announced at a later date!

“Collaboration will be the key focus this year,” said the festival's artistic director, Richard Kardon.

“Imagine the possibilities,” said the other artistic director, Jesse Lundy.

Indeed. What if Arlo was joined on stage by the David Bromberg Big Band?

Nice work if you can get it

2011-04-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia Orchestra dropped a bombshell over the weekend by announcing it was declaring bankruptcy.
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where the orchestra's home base is, issued a statement today. Here is part of it, in the words of the center's president and CEO Anne Ewers:

"This is a difficult day for all of us in the Philadelphia arts community. And it is an understandably anxious moment for the employees and performers whose dedication and talent make the orchestra so extraordinary. But it is our hope, and our confident belief, that today’s action will prove to be, not an epilogue, but the beginning of the long-term recovery of one of the nation’s great orchestras. We know the able leadership of the orchestra is focused solely upon the best interests of the orchestra and its patrons in making this difficult judgment.
While the financial-management options made available through bankruptcy now can be explored, we know that a sustainable solution will require sacrifice and enhanced support from the entire orchestra community of family and friends – and the Kimmel Center proudly counts itself among them. Indeed, we currently subsidize our resident companies and we have already accepted substantial reductions in the orchestra’s rent obligations to the Kimmel Center this fiscal year. Moreover, we have communicated to the orchestra board that we stand ready to discuss their request for further accommodations."

This comes a few short days after I talked with five vivacious musicians from the Curtis Institute of Music, who gave educational assemblies to students at Inglewood Elementary School in Towamencin. These twentysomethings are all hoping to one day get a job with a major orchestra like the Philadelphia Orchestra ... and that goal just became significantly muddled.
Here's the video I shot from that day.

Analog angst

2011-04-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

Being 40 years old, I've amassed a sizable collection of cassette tapes. In an ongoing process of digitally converting my old tunes, I've noticed something mortally depressing.
With many tapes in my collection at least - gulp - 25 years of age, I'm frequently finding that I open a cassette case to discover that the felt square in the cassette mechanism, where the tape meets the playback head of the cassette player, has disappeared, as if it somehow disintegrated. If it had just fallen off, I could glue it back in place. But nope, it's gone. Is it faulty manufacturing, leaving them in a hot/cold car, or the tape deck on my '01 Chevy Cavalier eating them (after 2003, cars with a tapedeck were dead as dinosaurs!)? I don't get it.
Call me old school, but I'm not a fan of having to buy an album (another antiquated notion) a second time. Digital downloads are OK, but it's not the same thing as holding the music - be it vinyl, cassette or CD - in my hands.
I'm the same way with newspapers - put it in my hand, so that it's tangible and real.

Aw man! I'm slightly too old for this ...

2011-03-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

Principal Dancer Arantxa Ochoa and former Soloist Meredith Rainey in "Agon," choreography by George Balanchine (c) The George Balanchine Trust. Photo: Paul Kolnik. "Building on Balanchine" is at the Merriam Theater April 14-17.

Ballet is not just for the white-haired set.

Philadelphia's Pennsylvania Ballet has just formed a Young Friends organization for professionals ages 21-39.

“The next generation of ballet supporters will ensure this vibrant art form thrives for years to come,” said the company's artistic director Roy Kaiser in a press release. “Pennsylvania Ballet Young Friends will be an invaluable asset to the company.”

Members of Pennsylvania Ballet Young Friends will be offered distinctive opportunities to expand their understanding and enjoyment of the Pennsylvania Ballet's productions through special events with exclusive, behind-the-scenes perks, like parties with Pennsylvania Ballet dancers and invitations to studio rehearsals. Membership begins with an annual donation of $100. For a full list of benefits or to join Pennsylvania Ballet Young Friends, visit www.paballet.org/young-friend s.html .

Irish YouTube sensations !?

2011-03-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Corrigan Brothers, an Irish band that has a song called “There’s No one as Irish as Barack Obama” (!), has released a witty ditty called "Saint Patrick's Day (Everybody's Irish)."

Here's some of the lyrics:

ME GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER

SHE CAME FROM SKIBEREEN

AND I CAN SING GALWAY BAY

AND 40 SHADES OF GREEN

AND I KNOW THERE’S A LITTLE BIT

OF IRISH INSIDE ME

SURE TWICE I’VE BEEN TO RIVERDANCE

AND I BOUGHT THE DVD

IN AUSTIN AND IN BOSTON

5^TH AVENUE NEW YORK

IN BEIJING AND HELSINKI

FROM BELFAST DOWN TO CORK

THE EMERALD ISLE IS OUT IN STYLE

AND IT’S FAIR ENOUGH TO SAY

OH EVERYBODY'S IRISH

ON SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

THERE'S MURPHYS OUT IN MOSCOW AND IN OHIO

O'NEILLS OUT IN OSAKA AND IN TOKYO

THERE'S KELLYS OUT IN KENWAY

AND CLANCYS IN NORWAY

THE 40 SHADES OF GREEN ARE EVERYWHERE ON PATRICK'S DAY

PARADES OUT IN AUSTRALIA, IN CHINA AND IN SPAIN

AND TEAMS OF IRISH DANCERS STEP IT OUT AGAIN

AND OUT IN HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS THEY ALWAYS HAVE A BALL

WHEN THEY HOST THE WORLD'S SHORTEST PATRICK'S DAY PARADE OF ALL

Outerwear bias at North Penn?

2011-03-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

This photo, taken in The Reporter newsroom by Amanda Piccirilli, shows how suspicious I probably looked March 3.

I can laugh about it now, but I ran into an instance of TSA-like profiling at, of all places, North Penn High School.
The school district had invited the media to cover the high school's Family & Consumer Sciences fashion show March 3. I put in a courtesy RSVP phone call to Carol Fink at the ESC well in advance to let her know that I was going to cover it. As far as I'm concerned, the school district knows that I'm going to be there at that date and time.
Photographer Geoff Patton and I arrived at about the same time to sign in at the security desk, per procedure. We each asked if we needed an official visitor sticker to proceed to the auditorium, but for whatever reason, we were told to skip that procedure and go about our business. I thought that was a nice gesture because it shows that they know who we are, that we're there on professional business and to give positive media coverage for the school, and they wanted to make our jobs easier.
That all Reporter staff writers carry Flip video cameras should be news to no one. We've been shooting and posting video online for more than a year now. And the fashion show is an event that's just begging for video coverage to compliment the coverage in print.
It was more than 40 minutes into the fashion show, when a teacher asks why I don't have a visitor sticker -- never mind that I've been in the building for a good while and given authorization to be there -- and she insisted on escorting me back to the security desk, interrupting the performance of my job. As far as I could tell, I was not being disruptive, breaking any rule or doing anything inappropriate.
There were people taking pictures (and probably video too) all over the auditorium. The teacher didn't interrupt Geoff, who also did not have a sticker. Why was I singled out? It finally dawned on me when I returned to the newsroom afterward, and staff writer Dan Sokil quipped that I looked suspicious wearing a trenchcoat carrying a Flip camera.
The 1999 tragedy at Columbine still has people that freaked out about trenchcoats? Seriously? Honestly, does it make me look like a terrorist or a pedophile? What's the hangup here? I don't get it.
For the record, in the 11 years that I've been at The Reporter, my relationship with North Penn High School had been perfect ... until I was made to feel like a criminal for doing my job.
Anybody want my coat for free? Apparently I need something that makes me look less like a derelict in the eyes of the fashion police.
By the way, here's the video. I like the way it turned out.

Ready to rock, girls?! I can't hear yoooouuu!

2011-02-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

Girls Rock Philly, the only rock camp for girls (and taught by women) that I know of, has launched online registration for the 2011 camp at www.girlsrockphilly.org.
Now in its fifth year of teaching aspiring female rockers ages 9-17 the art of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, DJing and rock singing, the week-long summer day camp is held Aug. 8–12 on the campus of Girard College, Girard and Corinthian avenues, Philadelphia.
Camp week culminates in an end-of-camp showcase, open to the public, on Saturday Aug. 13 (location TBD), followed by a professional recording studio experience to create a compilation CD. Last year’s camp served 75 girls from the Greater Philadelphia region. No prior musical experience is necessary and all equipment and instruments are provided. Campers form bands and write their own copyrighted songs, while working in a team setting.
The camp also features special guest performers and workshops, including the history of women in music, non-traditional instruments, sound and recording, and band art, where participants have the opportunity to create original band t-shirts and buttons.
For more information and to submit an application, click on the website link above or call (215) 789-4879. Financial aid and scholarships are available.

Hot night spot in downtown Lansdale

2011-02-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

Carol Tweed at Molly Maguire's in Lansdale was pulling my leg.
Gathering information on a story I wrote in "Go" two weeks ago, she made it sound like the weekend night crowd wasn't what the Molly's team was hoping it would be.
Are you kidding me? Check out this video I shot from Friday Feb. 4 with the duo FunZaLuv.
So you think my story might have had something to do with this healthy crowd?

Note the creative lyric change in "Melt with You," and the singer standing on top of the bar during "Save the Last Dance for Me."
These guys have played at the Molly's in Phoenixville before, and the one dude mentioned that he's from the Lansdale area.
Although they are playing along with prerecorded karaoke backing tracks, the people are undeniably picking up what FunZaLuv is throwing down.
To find out who's entertaining at Molly's on Friday and Saturday nights, check www.mollymaguirespubs.com.

Singing is like praying twice

2011-01-31T11:12:00.000-08:00

The Choristers are welcoming new singers to join them in rehearsal for a concert presentation of Antonin Dvorak's "Stabat Mater." Find out what they're about 7:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, Susquehanna Avenue and Butler Pike, Upper Dublin.
The Dvorak work was inspired by a 13th century poem meditating on the suffering of St. Mary during Jesus' crucifixion and everlasting life.
The concert date is 7:30 p.m. Saturday April 16, the Saturday before Palm Sunday.
Artistic director David Spitko requests a heads-up if you want to audition by calling (215) 542-7871 or e-mailing dspitko@thechoristers.org.
Visit www.thechoristers.org.

Gifts that keep giving

2011-01-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

Looky what I got for Christmas!
*Reporter account executive Scott Miller, who's also part of The Reporter's blogger community, has taken to making a mix CD for everybody at the paper every December. After the eclectic first 2 mixes, I was initially disappointed with the 2010 version because -- ready for this? -- there were too many songs I recognized. After being challenged to embrace erudite Miller picks from the likes of Marc Broussard, Duffy, MIA, Shelby Lynne, etc., somehow it seemed like a letdown to be getting "Joy to the World," "Imagine," "Windy" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which have been driven into the ground by radio for decades.
Now there was a twist to it. "White Rabbit" was a remake by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals ("Grace covering Grace," as Miller put it). The Fifth Dimension's "One Less Bell to Answer" was covered nicely by Sheryl Crow. The Gipsy Kings sped up "Hotel California" and sang it in Spanish. "Let It Be" is the version from the "Across the Universe" soundtrack (what a WEIRD flick that was - but that's another entry).
And I did, after all, get a huge kick out of hearing Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" and Golden Earring's "Radar Love."
Miller later explained to me that the compilation was an ode to favorite 45s he grew up listening to as a kid, a most appropriate theme for a Christmas gift mix.

*My musician uncle had been smitten by supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, with Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal), and put their self-titled album under my tree. There's an irony here with Led Zep's bass player teaming up with the Nirvana drummer. The latter band had poked fun at so-called "cock rock" with a song called "Aero Zeppelin."

Holy cow, is this album LOUD! I'm still digesting this edgy brainchild, and for some reason, it sounds better on my computer than it does in my car.
I like the shades of '60s psychedelia that pop up every once in a while. Jamming to the electronic dance groove on the song "Gunman" right now.

*The Beatles' successful '70s retrospective double albums "1962-1966" and "1967-1970" were recently remastered and gifted to me. Gotta give that a strong thumbs-up as a gift. Since I already own all those songs on CD, I never would have thought about investing in remastered incarnations of "The Red Album" and "The Blue Album," which now have fresh liner notes (although there's some repetition on both albums) with cool photos, and nice artwork.

Philly folk flavor

2011-01-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

Sellersville Theater is my favorite venue to see live music. There's nothing quite like the intimacy of the place. I rediscovered that at the Dec. 29 "Monsters of Philly Folk" concert with WXPN Philly Local darlings Chris Kasper, Hezekiah Jones (Everybody in the band has a fictitious Jones stage name, a la The Ramones), and Andrew Lipke & The Prospects.
During the big-voiced Lipke's set, he thanked the audience for braving the elements to make it to the theater. He was referring to the storm from Dec. 27. I murmured, what I thought was under my breath, "That was two days ago." From the D row, where I was sitting, it could be heard from the stage. This prompted cellist, Krista Nielsen, to look over at Lipke and crack a joke about not "living in the past."
Lipke's clearly an accomplished musician, but he has to work on not appearing so impressed by his own abilities. The eclectic selections switched gears from string quartet-heavy songs; while others took on a Jeff Buckley sonic mold; and others felt like Tears For Fears' mid-90s, esoteric material.
"Standing Over You" was a standout performance. Yet there were songs, like "Untitled Song #1," (Dude, always title your friggin' songs! #1? You mean there's going to be others without a title?) that make you scratch your head and wonder: "What does this guy want to be? A chamber music rocker? A pop singer/songwriter? Or what?"
The Sellersville crowd - many coming from Philly, judging by how late some of them arrived - loved him. I wonder how a New York audience would receive Lipke.

Hezekiah Jones, fronted by Raphael Cutrufello, has a way with turning a lyrical phrase that grabs your attention. "What was once a pickle is twice the cucumber" LOL
Seeing this clip of "Writing Letters in the Morning" confirms an observation I made at the show that Cutrufello doesn't like to directly face the audience - quite a quirk for a singer to have.
Dig the fiddler!

I first heard of Chris Kasper in 2006, thanks to Lansdale Catholic product Kate Gaffney. "And You Wait," "The Stoop," "Ain't No Saint" and "Baltimore Street" were some of the best performances of the night (Well that, and when all the musicians came together on stage and played John Lennon's "Instant Karma"). I was particularly impressed that his backup band included the likes of Philip D'Agostino and Kevin Killen, Philly Local picks in their own right. Check out this clip of Kasper & Gaffney together.

Even if you're seeing someone whose songs you don't know all that well, time at the Sellersville Theater is time well spent.

Christmas mash-ups and a gift mix you can download last minute

2010-12-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas music gets under my skin. It's everywhere for a month, then it vanishes faster than your resolve to keep a New Year's resolution.
Of all things to breathe new life into a tired and annoying musical genre, would you believe song mash-ups on TV commercials? I know, DJ mash-ups -- soooo 2006, right?
But I'm talking about the three Verizon commercials that somehow manage to connect Earth Wind & Fire's "Shining Star" with "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," Young MC's "Bust a Move" with "Deck the Halls" -- and the one that seems to air the most -- "Our House" by Madness and "Jingle Bells." That's quality, imaginative stuff!
By the way, try to avoid scrolling down to read the comments on the YouTube links I inserted. People are so ridiculously uncouth on YouTube, which is why I don't spend gobs and gobs of time there.
Yes, Virginia, there is more to the Christmas music genre than the same chestnuts (roasting on an open fire) that never die!
Target has 14 original Christmas songs you can download for free that are very much worth checking out, and would make you a hero for compiling them onto a CD as a gift:

Toy Jackpot by Blackalicious
Tiny Tree Christmas by Guster
Snow is Falling by Darker My Love
Perfect Gift by Natalie Hemby
10,000 Watts by Crystal Antlers (!)
You'll Never Find My Christmas by Bishop Allen
Get Down for the Holidays by Jenny O.
Mrs. Claus Ain't Got Nothin' on Me by Little Jackie
Electronic Santa by Blazer Force (Flight of the Conchords)
It's Christmas by Coconut Records
Party Hard by Little Isodore
Super Mama by The Pinker Tones
Got Something for You by Best Coast Wavves
Un Regalo Para Mi by Ceci Bastida

Just click on the "Target" link above to get started.

Kids still play Pokemon? Yeah, apparently.

2010-12-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

If you missed the Thanksgiving edition of The Reporter's "Go," you might have also missed news of a Pokémon Trading Card Game City Championship Tournament in Blue Bell on Black Friday.
Just got word that Lansdale’s own Geoff Sauk, 15, was crowned City Champion after placing first at the City Tournament Championship in New Holland last weekend, Saturday, Dec. 11.
Congratulations to Geoff on his win and good luck at the upcoming State Tournament in March.

The greatest in this world, the next world ...

2010-11-24T07:59:00.001-08:00

This image, taken by Linda McCartney, has shown up in the Beatles iTunes TV commercial.

Because I've been an ardent devotee of The Beatles for almost my whole life, the news that their songs are now on iTunes is rather ho-hum. I mean, if you already have "The White Album" on vinyl and CD (you can rip CDs to iTunes and Windows Media Player), what does it matter? Now if bootleg recordings that didn't show up on the Anthology series made it to iTunes -- like they did in the free for all days of Napster -- then they'd have my attention.

Here's something more significant than the iTunes announcement! WMGK-FM is bringing The Beatles -- well, their artwork anyway -- to the Montgomery Mall from Dec. 8-24. We're talking signed pieces, photos, animation, plus related Rolling Stones, Elvis and Bob Dylan memorabilia, and more. "The Art of the Beatles" is free to look at, and all for sale, on the lower level of the mall next to JC Penney from 10-9, 11-6 Sundays.

As my public relations friends Leah Rice and Scott Segelbaum pointed out, 2010 has been an active Beatle year, with Paul McCartney playing two sold out shows in Philadelphia and announcing an appearance on an episode of "Saturday Night Live"; Ringo's All Starr Band making tour stops in Easton and Atlantic City; a Ringo Starr star on the Walk of Fame; the remastering of John Lennon's sometimes maddeningly uneven solo catalog in honor of his 70th birth anniversary; the word that Martin Scorcese is making a film about George Harrison ...

The opening date, Dec. 8, is the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's murder.

One of 2010's memorable discs

2010-11-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

It's early yet to be doing best-of countdowns for this year, but I would like to nominate "Wake Up!" by Philly products John Legend and The Roots for consideration. While it breathes new hip-hop life into forgotten soul/R&B nuggets of the '60s and '70s, it also shines a spotlight on the inspiring, articulate, generational social consciousness of that era that Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, The Black Eyed Peas, etc. sorely and distinctly lack.
This album hits a home run just by putting Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody" and Les McCann and Eddie Harris' "Compared to What" on the same disc.
Marvin Gaye gets the remake treatment on "Wholly Holy," ditto on Donny Hathaway's "Little Ghetto Boy" and Nina Simone's "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free."
The tricky part with soul is there's a fine line between emoting, and over the top hamminess. Legend crosses that line on an overlong version of Bill Withers' harrowing and heart-sinking yarn about a war wounded veteran, "I Can't Write Left Handed."
Legend's song "Shine" from the "Waiting for Superman" soundtrack closes the album, and ends with a spirit of optimism to maybe get the current generation thinking more in terms of unity. It's still not as good as those old school songs though.
No doubt about it -- The Roots are more than just the Jimmy Fallon houseband! And although Legend's a Grammy-winner, this might be the most interesting thing he's done.
The album was conceived in the summer of 2008 before Obama got elected. For whatever reason, they sat on it till this September. The release of an album like "Wake Up!"would have been much more appropriate during the Bush Administration.
www.johnlegend.com has a nice performance of "Hard Times" (originally by an act called Baby Huey and the Babysitters) which features rapper Black Thought.

Can't wait till February

2010-11-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

You're thinking: Why's this guy eager for the dreariest, coldest part of the year?
Because that's when the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown gets an excellent traveling Smithsonian exhibit, "Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer."
Keep checking The Reporter's Thursday "Go" section for the opening date.
While visiting old friends in Winchester, Va., I caught this remarkable set of spontaneous and candid images at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
As the story goes, Wertheimer tagged along with the still-not-yet famous Elvis for a week in 1956, and happened to chronicle the Big E on the cusp of fame. He captures the young Elvis' raw star power and oozing sexiness in a context that has never been seen before.
At the time, Elvis could still grab a bite to eat unnoticed. All in that week, he appears on national TV on "Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey's Stage Show" and "The Steve Allen Show" in New York, makes out with a cutie (or maybe more, for all we know), and catches a train back to Memphis. He gets off the train a couple stops early to walk home to his mom and dad's because it saves having to get on a bus, which would make the trip longer. Wertheimer's photographic sequence of Elvis walking to the street, asking a black woman for directions, and going unmolested on his merry way, is priceless.
While he is home, we are told by Wertheimer, Elvis listens to a couple records and smooches with his girlfriend while shirtless. Understand that this is the 1950s, and that young lady was likely feeling most uncomfortable with this brazen amorous advance!
Hard to believe it today, but Elvis' conservative critics back in those days called him a "disciple of the devil," never mind that gospel was probably his favorite kind of music.
There's even video of those iconic TV moments in Elvis' career. Make sure you take the time to watch it.
Like Elvis, this thing is larger than life. Just look at its online presence:
www.shows2go.si.edu/elvis

www.youtube.com/user/sitesExhibitions

www.facebook.com/sitesExhibitions

www.twitter.com/elvisat21

Holy crap! A "Partridge Family" reunion?!

2010-10-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

"C'mon get happy!"

Answering a challenge from fellow “Partridge Family” cast member David Cassidy, WYSP-FM morning host Danny Bonaduce will join Cassidy on stage to play bass (which he only mimed playing on the TV show) for one song during Cassidy’s concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Keswick Theatre, Easton Road and Keswick Avenue, Glenside. Tickets range from $42.50-$75. Call (215) 572-7650 or go to www.keswicktheatre.com.

For all the freak show antics Bonaduce pulled in his post-“Partridge Family” days, I do have a healthy respect for what he's been doing on air at 94.1. I give the former wise-cracking Danny Partridge props for taking on this "I'd pay to see that" project.
When ABC cast Cassidy as Keith Partridge in 1970, he had already appeared on Broadway and in television dramas. Before the series had even aired its first episode, Cassidy was on the covers of teen magazines throughout the world and had a #1 with "I Think I Love You," followed by the top 10 hit, "Cherish." Ten albums by The Partridge Family and five solo albums were produced during the show's run. Overall, Cassidy has sold 25 million records worldwide.

Who are you and why have you stolen my name?

2010-10-13T19:44:00.001-07:00

Ryan Bingham - Brian Bingaman.
Almost identical in the way they roll off the tongue.
The difference is the former is playing the North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., Philadelphia. Show time is 10 p.m. Saturday and tickets are $15.
The latter is screaming: "That should be me! He stole my name!"
What if we met and formed a duo? What would we call ourselves?

Coffee = Joe

2010-09-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

Nobody in the Alan Segal Quartet is named Joe.
Eddie Etkins plays saxophone. George Sinkler is on piano. Segal is a bassist, and their drummer is Leon Jordan.
So where does Church of the Holy Spirit Episcopal Church's "Jazz and Joe" get its name? Well, when you think jazz, maybe you also think coffeehouse. So that would be a reference to a cup o'joe. From 7-9 p.m. Thursdays Sept. 9, Oct. 14 and Nov. 11, enjoy live jazz by the Alan Segal Quartet, coffee, and potluck refreshments (bring a dessert and a beverage, if you like). An offering will be taken.
The church is at Sumneytown Pike and Barndt Road, Upper Salford.
Jazz and Joe is sponsored by Philadelphia Federal Credit Union and LPL Financial. Ooooooo!

And don't let anybody tell you that the phrase "cup of joe" is named after former Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, who banned the serving of alcohol on ships in 1914. The phrase is apparently older than he is.

Did you know that ...

2010-09-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

The Pennfield Middle School Band Outstanding Musician Award was presented in June at the ninth grade awards assembly for the 37th time. Dating back to 1974, this award recognizes ninth grade band students for their outstanding musicianship, leadership and overall contribution to the Pennfield Band Program.
Up until 2008, students received a certificate and their names were engraved on a school plaque. However, 2009 marked a special addition to the award as each recipient also received an individual engraved plaque. The plaques are provided through a sponsorship from the Montgomery County Concert Band. Stephen Frederick, Conductor of the Montgomery County Concert Band, presented the plaques to each student.
This year’s award winners are Zach Travis (french horn and bass) , Alyssa Tate (french horn), Brett Slifer (baritone horn and trombone) and Lauren Orehowsky (clarinet). Each of the four recipients participated in three years of Concert Band and Wind Ensemble and two years of Pit Orchestra and Bux-Mont Honors Band. Travis and Slifer also participated in the Jazz Band for two and three years, respectively. All four students were selected by audition to become members of the 2010-11 North Penn High School Wind Ensemble.
Best of luck to all four as they begin their high school careers when school opens after Labor Day.

Live music for this weekend (and beyond)

2010-08-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

*Local musician Chet Smith shot us an e-mail to let us know he was playing 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday Aug. 28 on the deck at Pizza Time Saloon, 1900 West Point Pike. He's also going to be across from Molly Maguire's in Lansdale During September's First Friday. I'll take him over the Tea Party any day of the week!

*The former Crazy Carl's, on North Gravel Pike/Route 29 near the Lower Frederick/Perkiomen Township border, now Ringers Sports Bar and Night Club, is the venue for a live music showcase. Proceeds benefit Bikers Against Child Abuse. Starting at 8:45 p.m. Friday Aug. 27, the featured bands are Hiccup Hellen, Peacekeeper, Pollycotton and the Blends (haha), Revel 9, plus three acoustic musicians. Cover is $6. Ringers has a Facebook page, I hear.

*The act I'm most excited about at this year's Allentown Fair is actually one of the openers - The Gaslight Anthem, who are opening for the hopelessly dorky Weezer Sept. 1. Rush has been playing the "Moving Pictures" album in its entirety during their latest tour. They're at the fair Aug. 31. Country crossover stars Lady Antebellum, whose hit "Need You Now" is posted somewhere on Talk about the Passion, hit the stage Sept. 2. And strange as it is that a COUNTRY singer has a name like Keith URBAN, he's in concert Sept. 3. This generation's Davy Jones, a.k.a. Justin Bieber, has Sean Kingston opening for him Sept. 4, and my son has lost all respect for Sean Kingston over it. Another of my kid's faves, Jeff Dunham, will have all his puppet buddies Sept. 5. Didn't care much for his off-color TV show, but people must have liked him because this makes back-to-back years at the fair for Dunham. Since you're already online, go to www.allentownfairpa.org for ticket info.

Incentive to camp at Philly Folk Fest

2010-08-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Because I should be working on The Reporter's Philadelphia Folk Festival preview for "Go" Aug. 19, I'll keep this brief.
The Folk Fest's annual Campground Concert, an exclusive to the campers, on Thursday night will feature Audra Mae, the grandniece of Judy Garland.

Go to www.folkfest.org to get your all-fest camping tickets. Hurry, time's a-wasting!

Now, it's extremely unlikely that 2010 Folk Fest headliner Jeff Tweedy (Uncle Tupelo, Wilco) will actually perform Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," but wouldn't it be hilarious if he did?

Legendary guitars ... but EXPENSIVE

2010-08-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

C.F. Martin & Co. in Nazareth, makers of handcrafted acoustic guitars for 177 years, will open their famed factory and museum doors to more than 1,400 members of the Martin Owners Club, as well as wave hello at an event organized by the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum (UMGF) this weekend.

Martin Guitar enthusiasts from across the country and around the globe will come together 8-4 Friday Aug. 6 for a day-long event of musical camaraderie, entertainment, exclusive first looks at new guitars and product demonstrations, factory and museum tours, live music, guitar clinics, an open mic staging area and an opportunity to socialize with Martin Guitar employees and Chris Martin IV, the sixth-generation head of the company.

“This annual weekend continues to grow with every year and one day hope to eventually out do Woodstock!,” Martin said.

After shelling out all that $ for a Martin, owners definitely deserve some perks! www.martinownersclub.com

Saturday Aug. 7 is the "Martin on Main" event, which will feature an all-day music and arts celebration with more than two dozen performers on stages throughout the city of Nazareth. What exactly makes the UMGF "unofficial" is unclear.

The Martin Guitar factory and museum is at 510 Sycamore St., Nazareth. Even if you don't own one of their guitars, I recommend visiting the museum and taking the tour sometime. Get started at www.martinguitar.com.

For all the gorgeous guitars in the museum, ironically, one of the most famous Martin guitars of all is Willie Nelson's notoriously beat-up"Trigger."

And ne'er the twain shall meet

2010-07-20T10:41:00.001-07:00

Vs.

A Laugh Out Loud scheduling convergence at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden:
The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, on Friday July 23, followed just five days later by that "Celebration of Women in Music," the Lilith tour, on July 28.

Can you feel the extreme surges in testosterone and estrogen coming?

Mayhem Festival publicist Greg Cortez noted that the Korn/Rob Zombie-headlined, metal tour and the Sarah McLachlan-founded Lilith kicked off on the same exact day in San Bernardino, Calif. and Los Angeles, respectively.
"The tours seem to be following each other. It's ironic - it's totally ironic," he said.

Imagine the contrasting audiences, and performer/crew member personalities those arena staffers are going to be dealing with in a span of just five days.

Better them than me!

Should've been sung by a woman in the first place

2010-07-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a high school classmate of mine for referring me to this performance of "Soul Sister" by Train. This young lady, Keara, is a student at Souderton Area High School, I'm told.
Dig the Seagull guitar, and the natural reverb of the room - like what Elvis did with recording "Heartbreak Hotel" in a stairwell.

Tish! You spoke French!

2010-06-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

One of the many ongoing gags in "The Addams Family" TV show was that whenever Morticia coined an English-borrowed-from-French phrase, Gomez turned into a lecherous arm smoocher.
That's all I kept thinking about during the performance of this chanson by Cathy Rocher, who came all the way from France for one of the periodic David Ivory/Dylanava Studios showcases at Puck, 1 Printers Alley, Doylestown. The lyrics are about how complicated love is ... and that's good enough for me.
What you can't see is me on the other side of the camera getting those maniacally glazed Gomez Addams eyes!
Check www.pucklive.com

A lot of cool stuff (too much?)

2010-06-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

*Cancer medical expenses benefit party featuring the music of 7 Point Red, 7 p.m.-1 a.m. June 26, VFW, 805 W. Second St., Lansdale. Suggested donation is $15.

*Audio Challenge and Car Show, 1-5:30 p.m. June 27, Bob & Ron's Worldwide Stereo, 754 Route 309, Montgomery Township.

*Sheryl Crow's former guitarist Todd Wolfe, 8 p.m. June 26, McCoole's, 10 S. Main St., Quakertown. $10. Call (267) 221-8915.

*Pennsylvania Helping Nashville benefit concert will feature a lineup of more than 21 songwriters, artists and bands performing original songs. Performances will take place from 2 to 9 p.m. June 27 at Brownies 23 East, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10 for adults and $5 for children. Check this link.

*Amy Regan (the girl with the guitar in the Hertz TV commercial), 7:30 p.m. June 25, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., Philadelphia, $10 cover. Call (215) 928-0978.

Hail to the chief!

2010-06-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Gwynedd Valley music producer David Ivory, 1999 Grammy nominee and the producer for The Roots, The Manatees, Halestorm, Patti Labelle and others, was elected president of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. That's right - the Grammy people!
At a swank soiree at Puck in Doylestown, whose several high profile attendees included R&B songwriter Bunny Sigler, arranger Lou DeLise and attorney Simon Rosen, Ivory spoke about his ambitious outreach plans to musical artists across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The first place he advised you to go is www.grammy365.com. You can get a pretty good idea what it's about even if you're not an Academy member.
The party continued downstairs on the stage at Puck with the monthly live showcase of Ivory's stable of recording artists, which this month included the local band I&I.

X stands for danger

2010-06-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sure, it's easy to be snarky and make fun of the name Xtreme Folk Scene.
But are you brave enough to come to the Country Creek Winery Friday night the 11th and/or Saturday the 12th to find out what it is at the 10th annual XFest? Well, are ya, punk?
The Berrys should be a good, comfort zone starting point for you. Briana Berry's MySpace has some recognizable covers.
And don't let the name fool you; the West Philadelphia Orchestra is nothing like the Philadelphia Orchestra. In fact, you may have seen them in this area before. The video says it all. Holy crap!
Electric Man has been featured on Talk about the Passion before, but this time I've also provided a link to his Website for you.
Hopefully you're not thinking about heckling me at XFest during Raspberry Tea's set.
Brenda Kahn, who I have heard described as "old school anti-folk," has a new CD in the works. Her songs are kinda seductive, and I hope this veteran performer doesn't put Raspberry Tea to shame too terribly much.
Since the time I wrote a story on the Bucks County branch of the Paul Green School of Rock, they have a whole new set of kids. They were a hit at last year's XFest.
Who could resist a progressive bluegrass band that named itself after the stuffed pig stomach dish HogMaw?! I'm a fan of the songs "The Flood" and "Sauerkraut." There's even an XPN interview with them on their MySpace, if you have time to listen to it.
Chattanooga, TN resident Butch Ross can't do anything right.

He plays the mountain dulcimer.
He plays it standing up like a guitar.
He holds it upside and strung backwards.
And Butch Ross plays rock n roll on it.

His 'While My Dulcimer Gently Weeps' is above.
Psych-A-Billy are nuts. If you dare, download their tunes "If Love is Blind" and "Let's Get Drunk and Break Bottles in the Alley."
Slo-Mo and Mic Wrecka has a truly unpredictable sound. Will they go hip-hop, Americana, somewhere in between?
The schedule and ticket information is all at www.xfsmusic.org.

Welcome to The Machine

2010-06-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

A wave of Pink Floyd nostalgia is cresting thanks to the 30-year anniversary of "The Wall."
Floyd charter member Roger Waters has concert dates to perform the harrowing rock opera in Philadelphia Nov. 8-9 and 11. The last date was added because the other two sold out. The iconoclastic Waters has a fascinating link to Philly. During a 1977 visit to the Spectrum with Pink Floyd, he became ill before the show. When his medication wore off, he was unable to complete the performance. He left the Spectrum before the encore ("Us and Them") to go to the hospital. Back-up guitarist Snowy White filled in for Waters. Based on his experience that night of trying to perform during his illness he created one of the band’s most popular songs, "Comfortably Numb."
Unencumbered by the clash of the titanic egos of Waters and David Gilmour, the band Beyond the Wall is out to recapture that theatrical sensory stimulation of a Pink Floyd concert Friday night June 4 at Sellersville Theater 1894. Tickets are $21.50 and $26.50. Call (215) 257-5808 or visit www.st94.com.
Named for the fabulously depressing track on "Wish You were Here," The Machine, a Nyack, N.Y.-based Pink Floyd show, has been performing the Floyd catalogue for 21 years.
The Machine returns June 18 to one of their favorite places to play, the Keswick Theatre in Glenside. They've even released "Two Nights at the Keswick," a CD and DVD release culled from performances in 2003.
"They're only one of two Pink Floyd tribute bands in the world that travel with a full light show," Machine publicist Michelle Roche tells me.
One time, The Machine performed the "Dark Side of the Moon" album with the video accompaniment of "The Wizard of Oz." In case you didn't know, when the CD of the Floyd album is started at the MGM lion's third roar, there are some coincidental oddball moments when the music and the movie sync up.
No telling what they'll be up to Friday the18th.
Tickets are $27 and $32. Call (215) 572-7650 or go to http://www.keswicktheratre.com/.

I enjoy sleep like a good steak

2010-05-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Those words were uttered by Bill Cosby, both on album and in an episode of "The Cosby Show." It sets up a funny story that ends in the Coz getting robbed of sleep.
I always found it amusing that there's a sleep research center on Cowpath Road in Hatfield Township. So if you fall asleep there, you're not slacking on the job?
Grand View Hospital invites you to check out a free lecture by national sleep expert (how does one achieve that distinction?) Dr. James B. Maas at Franconia Heritage Restaurant on Route 113 at 5:30 p.m. June 3. Maas is a psychology professor at Cornell University, the author of “Power of Sleep” and has been featured on "The Today Show," "20/20," "Regis & Kelly" and "Oprah."
“To be a peak performer you need to be fully alert, dynamic, energetic, in a good mood, and cognitively sharp,” says Maas. “You must be able to concentrate, remember, make critical and creative decisions, communicate persuasively, and be productive all day long. None of this is possible without quality sleep. Furthermore, healthy sleep has been proven to be the single most important determinant in predicting longevity.”
Strange as this sounds, the doc has strategies to get a good night’s sleep. Among the topics he will discuss are:

Why are 100 million Americans sleep deprived?
What are the different stages of nocturnal sleep and how important are they to daytime functioning?
How much sleep do you need to function well?
Can you decrease your need for sleep and remain efficient?
Do you need less sleep as you get older?
Is napping healthy?
What causes insomnia?
What are the four golden rules that will assure you a great night's sleep?

There will be appetizers and beverages...y'know, so you don't fall asleep.

Registration is required by calling the Grand View Information Line at (215) 453-4300. Also, visit http://www.gvh.org/.

FYI, Grand View also has a sleep center. The recently opened Stoneridge Sleep Center, 870 Lawn Ave., West Rockhill, provides testing, diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders including sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy and more.

Nighty-night!

Folk @ Fire

2010-05-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday in May, The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, will be taken over by the Philly Folk Parade, "a sounding bell of human musical freedom." Organized by local 'folk stars' The Spinning Leaves and Hezekiah Jones, the Folk Parade’s residency will provide a rotating cast of seven bands each night, sharing the stage starting at 9 p.m.

Hosting this week is Chris Kasper, and Hezekiah Jones gets the last one on May 25. My boy, Jesse Lundy, will be jamming with The Doublewides the 18th.

Cover is $7.

Click on the link in this post to The Fire or call (267) 671-9298.

Stones return to Exile

2010-05-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

At 10 p.m. May 17, 93.3 WMMR's Pierre Robert will host a live radio special, with The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, to celebrate the re-release of their oft ballyhooed album "Exile on Main Street." It will air on WMMR-FM, and dozens of stations across the country, and stream simultaneously at www.wmmr.com.
The interview marks the first time since Exile's release in 1972 that the three Stones that were around when Exile was made (Mick Taylor's still going it alone, Ron Wood wasn't yet in the band, Bill Wyman was a party pooper and retired) will talk about the creation of one of the most defining albums of The Rolling Stones' cataloge.
Here's the important part - the re-release includes 10 never-before-heard tracks and hits stores May 18. Get a taste at Amazon here.
Now here's where I'm going to get some hate mail. IMO "Exile on Main Street" has some important and essential songs, but as an album (a two-record set in its original incarnation), it draaaaaags in places. Seriously, I can live without "Ventilator Blues" or "Turd on the Run."
I read some place that Mick Jagger said that he wasn't satisfied with the production on some of the songs. Totally agree with that. "I Just Want to See His Face" comes immediately to mind.
Back to Pierre Robert ... the Rolling Stones special comes on the heels of a trip to Seattle where, at Stone Gosssard's request, he interviewed Pearl Jam for a documentary on the Seattle grunge scene. Pretty good timing to analyze that era considering Soundgarden, for some reason, is back together.
Work that almighty all-access pass, Pierre!!

What the heck are they thinking?

2010-05-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

Some movies that come out of Hollywood truly baffle me. Couldn't the producers of "The Losers" have come up with A BETTER TITLE than that?
"Uh, yeah ... I'd like one ticket to see 'The Losers,' please."
Hmmm, dude must be a loser. He ain't got no date.
That's like deliberately setting the movie up to fail!

Now "Kick-Ass," on the other hand, is amusing. But it sounds like Beavis & Butthead came up with the name.
"Huh-huh, huh-huh. Hey Beavis, y'know when people go to the movies, they'll have to say 'ass.'"
"Ooooh yeah! Heh-heh-heh-heh - COOL!"

Play harmonica, start your own music group!

2010-04-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

This reminds me of how much Ken Kennedy's harmonica adds to our sound when we play together as Raspberry Tea.
A four-session harmonica workshop with Sharon Hunsberger, a member of The Harmonaires, is being offered at the Mennonite Heritage Center, 565 Yoder Road, Franconia Township. This workshop is scheduled for Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 4, 11, 18, and 25. No previous experience is needed.
A press release from the center points out that "harmonicas are a relatively easy musical instrument to play and are used in many types of music, including folk, country, blues and rock and roll."
The group will go through the musical scale, learn notes, and progress to playing simple tunes. Registration is required and cost is $30 ($25 members), which includes a basic, diatonic harmonica with brass reeds. E-mail info@mhep.org, call (215) 256-3020 or visit www.mhep.org.

Blessing of the balls

2010-04-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

This is one of a series of video vignettes at www.thereporteronline.com that compliments a story I've written for Tuesday April 27th's paper on a day in the life of a rabbi.
I'm very proud of the way the whole package turned out.
Your comments are appreciated.

Universal language

2010-04-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

May 2, Congregation Tiferet Bet Israel on Skippack Pike in Whitpain hosts the musical duo Noa & Mira. One is Israeli and one is Palestinian. And whaddaya know, they not only coexist, but they make music together, spreading a message of hope and reconciliation to the Holy Land and beyond.

Bernie Allmayer at TBI, who has been ringing my phone non-stop about this concert, tells me their song "There Must Be Another Way" represented Israel in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Moscow. He also says this is their only area stop on their tour of the U.S.

I'm working on getting an interview with these fascinating ladies. Meanwhile, for ticket information, call (610) 275-8797, ext. 144 or go to http://www.tbibluebell.org/.

And who knew?! Burning Bridget Cleary, a high-energy Celtic folk band from Harleysville, just won accolades from http://www.celticradio.net/. Their awards include Album of the Year, and song awards in the Jigs and Reels and Contemporary categories.

They will be performing May 15 at DCP Theater, 795 Ridge Road, Salford Township. Tickets are $15. The concert is a very rare music event at the Dutch Country Playhouse, which is a benefit for the community theater.

Talkin' First Fridays in Lansdale

2010-03-31T11:06:00.000-07:00

The time for talking about the rather ambitious LCPA First Fridays is drawing short. Because ready or not, it's coming to Lansdale 5:30 to 8:30 Friday April 2.
Checking the bios of the musical performers for the debut of this monthly series, I decided to look up MySpace niches and respective Web sites.
LINDSEY MCKAY, www.myspace.com/lindseymckaymusic. Her debut album of original songs with lyrics written by her manager and mom, JKay, appears to be on the verge of release. Without the day in/day out pressure cooker karaoke contest that is "American Idol," McKay is allowed to breathe and shine. "Wouldn't Change a Thing" and "Broken Vows" are tasty pop nuggets. Brett Kull's production on these tunes makes them special, and I'd like to see if that translates to a live performance. My fear is that she's going to face an uphill climb trying to get noticed nationally because she somehow has to get out of the shadow cast by established "Idol" superstars Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.
KEVIN JAMES DEVINE, www.myspace.com/kevindevine0604. The dude is brilliant. Hard to believe this guy just picked up a guitar and could suddenly play and sing like that. Dig the tinges of '70s country rock on "Long Way to Go."
MORGAN ASHLEY, www.myspace.com/morganholtz. Another one that seemed to find an instant passion for playing and performing. She was so much in the zone that she took off right away for the U.K., Italy, Australia and New Zealand and came back with an entire notebook of original songs. Are you kidding me!? M.A.'s MySpace audio is a maddening study in contrasts. The charming, minimalist, low-fi of "All" makes you wish her voice was more to the fore. Meanwhile, the fully produced rock of "Bold" is overkill. Can somebody find this girl a happy medium between the two extremes?
HIDDEN AGENDA, www.wearethehiddenagenda.com. They're a Blue Bell cover band out to "break up the monotony of the cover band scene." Too bad the video clip of a performance of "Shout" suffers from subpar audio. The drunk guy in the audience falling on the floor I could've done without.
ELITE STRINGS, www.adrianalinaresmusic.com/Elite_Strings_Youth_Orchestra_&_Ensembles.html. Impressive musicianship. There's performance video of each age group, then one of all the divisions combined.

This blog has moved

2010-03-26T08:13:00.001-07:00

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What goes on behind closed doors? OR More than just XFest

2010-03-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

From a newspaper/entertainment standpoint, I run into kind of a tough spot with the Xtreme Folk Scene. They offer this series of monthly house concerts, but because they're in private homes, you have to RSVP to xfsinfo@xfsmusic.org to get the address. So it makes them kinda semi-private.
As a card-carrying XFS member, I can tell you that they're fun. Here's some video from the March concert, held in Mt. Airy. There's Electric Man solo doing Diamond Rio's "One More Day," with his trademark mobile amplification system and bag of tricks. Then, Electric Man morphs back into Steve Perlsweig to perform what became an interactive version of Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man" with his wife, Jeanette. Ever heard a WOMAN sing "I'm Your Man"?
BTW Jeanette and Steve Perlsweig are playing their "An Evening of Songs from the Heart" show at 8 p.m. March 27 at Always by Design Gallery, 265 S. 10th St., Philadelphia (between Locust and Spruce streets). Comedian Emily Cohen also performs. Cover is $10 and there's light refreshments after the show. If you're wondering, they do have a CD.
Youngster T.J. McGlinchey was quite the eye-opener! He's a talented player, promising songwriter, and has a whopper of a singalong going on in this video. He says it's about a woman he met at the Philadelphia Folk Festival LOL.
Xtreme Folk Scene's XFest is June 11-12 close to home at the Country Creek Winery! Discount advance tickets are available now at www.xfsmusic.org.

A coming out party

2010-03-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

3/5 of Fish Relics. From left to right: Me, Joe Digney, Paul Saylor.

The Rising Sun Inn on Allentown Road in Franconia Township has a really good assortment of live music. I'm not just saying that because my cover band, Fish Relics, plays there every month or so. The various lineup incarnations of Rollin' & Tumblin' and The Manatees are regulars. On April 23, this group, Planets, is throwing a birthday bash for somebody in the band. Also, this one band called Big Fun, which has been booked for a future date, has a Michael Jackson tribute set within their act (!).
Ladies and gentlemen, a star was born March 6 at the RSI! Hatfield resident Amy Brobst had a band once upon a time, but they never got out of the basement. Her alto (with a detectable country twang) is quite pleasing and she's easy on the eyes. Hers is a talent that I took an interest in nurturing because I saw a performer with an itch overdue for scratching. Turns out all the support she required was someone strumming a guitar and an encouraging attitude.
As the video shot by her husband, John, shows, it looks like I found something promising. Some of our friends call us Kenny & Dolly, as in Rogers and Parton.
There are several '80s songs Fish Relics has wanted to tackle, but shied away from because they only work with a female singer. Amy/Dolly's already-impressive fan group will be pleased to know that the plan is to get her singing with the full band at the RSI Saturday May 15. That particular show will be an '80s party, hopefully with a prize for showing up in your finest period attire.
Save the date and refer to the Rising Sun entertainment schedule at http://www.risingsuninn.net/.

Music notes of - um - note

2010-02-25T12:38:00.000-08:00

Doreen Taylor in one of the photos from her book, "Coming Home." And I am NOT a chauvinist pig for posting it.

*I've been sorely lacking truly local content on the blog lately. So I'll start by mentioning that Flower Power is playing a free show at the William E. Hare American Legion, 43 W. Second St., Lansdale from 8 to midnight Friday the 26th.
*This is one of those rare weeks when North Penn School District has let me down. For whatever reason, I can't get any information on the Knight of Jazz, which is supposedly happening Friday, or the NPHS Indoor Guard/Percussion Show, which is scheduled for Saturday. Because these are high profile events, I don't like to just put info. in the paper without confirming it first. Can anyone help me on this? Why is this being kept a secret from me?
*Model, dancer and singer Doreen Taylor has recorded a CD of hit songs from the '40s and posed for a 36-page book where she recaptures the va-va-voom of World War II-era pinup girls. Both are called "Coming Home," and part of the proceeds go to help the military troops of today through Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a nonprofit that supports more than 60,000 Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps special operations personnel and their families. What a great idea this is! Although the red carpet release party in Philly Friday night is by invitation only, you can learn more about the "Coming Home" project at http://www.doreentaylormusic.com/.
*The British band Muse is playing the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Seriously? I wasn't all that impressed with the song "Uprising," which is a somewhat of a jock jam. Oh, I get it now - they had songs in the "Twilight" movies! Yeah, whatever. I do, however, think their song "Feeling Good" from the film "Seven Pounds" is exceptional. I just can't wrap my brain around this band playing a major arena in the States, that's all.

Flirting on the job

2010-02-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

So I'm at a media preview for the "Picasso and the Avant Garde in Paris" exhibit Friday at the Art Museum - one of the reasons I love my job - and I find myself unexpectantly smitten by singer/songwriter/cabaret performer Karen Gross.
Karen works for WHERE Magazine and had brought an intern with her to check out the new blockbuster exhibition, which I will be writing a story about (tentative publication date in The Reporter is Friday Feb. 26).
I knew about her cabaret show "Sex and the Single Singer," and had always admired her alluringly full lips in her publicity photos, but did not know she was a writer by trade! That's my heart you hear going pitter-patter.
She introduced herself, and I said: "You're the 'Sex and the Single Singer' Karen Gross."
Karen was so excited that someone knew about that 'other side' of her life, and noted that she was playing the Tin Angel in Philadelphia March 19. She got bubbly when she saw my nametag. She seemed to remember that I had written an article on her (to be accurate, I think it was a blurb of her show in a Valentine's event story in our weekend section).
"It's so good to meet you in person. Give me a hug," she said.
O ... M ... G! Meee-ow!!!

Um, wait ... what was I there for again?
I had only talked to this woman on the phone one time before that day, and suddenly I was having a really hard time keeping my attention on the artwork. And this is Pablo friggin' Picasso we're talking about on the walls!
Now I really want to see Karen's show 7:30 March 19 at the Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., Philadelphia. Cover is $15 and reservations are required by calling (215) 928-0770. Also, visit http://www.tinangel.com/

But for now, I must settle for

www.karengross.com/home.html

and www.youtube.com/karengrossmusic.

SIGH! I feel like Marcia Brady in the Davy Jones episode of "The Brady Bunch."

Hanky panky through history

2010-02-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

I find Valentine's Day to be the most repulsive, made-up holiday of them all. So it's a pretty big deal if one of these "seasonal" events makes me laugh out loud.

The Young Friends of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia succeeded in doing just that with "Cougars, Playas, and Baby Mama Drama in the Ancient World"!

After the latest installment of Snowmageddon, it's been pushed to Feb. 18.

There's mingling and a cash bar. Admission is $10, $5 for museum members (includes one complimentary drink).

"And I hope 'dis jam is gonna last"

2010-02-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo from the final jam at the Haiti benefit at Sellersville Theater. Shame to hear that there are still major issues with getting aid to the people, even after all the outpouring of compassion locally.

One of the twits on Twitter recently wisecracked: "So the iTunes store has Bob Marley's 'Legend' on sale for a limited time for $9.99. Doesn't everyone in the world already own this album?"

Oh, but there's a new way to experience it, my friend!

On Saturday, the Keswick Theatre in Glenside is going to have a Canadian outfit called Classic Albums Live performing that essential reggae retrospective cut for cut ... on Robert Nesta Marley's 65th birth anniversary, no less! Tickets range from $19.50-$32.50. Call (215) 572-7650 or visit http://www.keswicktheatre.com/.

Originally released in 1984, "Legend" was declared by Rolling Stone to be #46 on a 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list published in 2003. Listening to the disc certainly brings some warm sunshine, regardless of the season.

I was also surprised to learn that three of Marley's sons were Grammy nominees last weekend, just because it's so tough to follow up greatness.

I can only give you a YouTube link to one of the Marley Classic Albums Live clips because it isn't letting me embed the video itself :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_eYzdC2PLM

Rock on, Rob!

2010-01-29T06:56:00.001-08:00

Coming Tuesday to The Reporter's Lifestyle section, the intriguing story of 1985 Souderton grad Rob Bonfiglio (bon-feel-e-o), the husband of Carnie Wilson and co-star of Game Show Network's "Carnie Wilson: Unstapled."

The couple's musical passion brought them together, and now you can watch them trying to balance their music, Carnie's TV schedule, their two young daughters, and alone-couple time every Thursday night.

It's downright upsetting that Bonfiglio's band, The Skies of America, didn't hit it huge, probably due to being on the indie label Damask Records. The title song of their disc, "Shine," was on the "Bridge to Terabithia" soundtrack. It also features a cover of Badfinger's "Come and Get It" and a bunch of satisfying Beatles-inspired power pop. It's what Fountains of Wayne would sound like if they stopped screwing around so much with the humor of their lyrics, and got down to business.

Don't get me wrong, I have much love for Sellersville product and FOW singer and songwriter Chris Collingwood. But have a listen for yourself.
www.myspace.com/theskiesofamerica

In 2009, Bonfiglio put together a solo album called "Bring on the Happy." The title says it all because these are the kind of songs you ought to put on at the end of a hectic day.
www.myspace.com/robbonfigliomusic

Although he likens it to Paul McCartney's "McCartney" album, the only similarity I observe is that McCartney and Bonfiglio played all the instruments and wrote all the songs on their respective solo works. Unlike the hurried, work-in-progress vibe that's present on most of "McCartney," Bonfiglio's songs on "Bring on the Happy" are actually thought out.

Then again, Bonfiglio wasn't bickering with John Lennon and George Harrison at the time he was making his "record."
Here's a link to sample the McCartney disc.
www.amazon.com/McCartney-Paul/dp/B000002UC5

One of the times we really connected in our conversation was when Bonfiglio recalled having a social studies class with Mr. Rossnagel in a migraine-headache-yellow, basement classroom in the 1930s section of the former Souderton Area High School building. Here I thought I was the only one that remembered that dungeon-like classroom.

On my honor, I will do my best ...

2010-01-22T08:49:00.001-08:00

Those opening words to the Boy Scout Oath, from my days in Lansdale's Troop 610, popped into my head as I prepare to write a story commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. I have my own standout Cub and Boy Scout memories, but I'm more interested in hearing yours, either as a scout, leader or involved parent. E-mail me at bbingaman@thereporteronline.com or call me at (215) 412-8905.

As the Scout Motto says: Be prepared.

Meanwhile, check out the alumni link at http://www.scouting.org/.

Hooterville

2010-01-15T12:15:00.001-08:00

The Hooters in a recent performance.

One of the intriguing concert dates of the new year at Sellersville Theater will be Jan. 23. There will be solo performances by members of The Hooters, namely Eric Bazilian and John Lilley.
Among Bazilian's career activities have been writing the Grammy-nominated "One of Us" by Joan Osbourne, "Kiss the Rain" by Billie Myers and "Private Emotion" by Ricky Martin (haven't heard those last two in ages!), and playing guitar on Clay Aiken's debut album.
Lilley, meanwhile, has recently discovered within him "a sleepin' cowboy who has a lot to say and won't shut up." The result is the album "Lucky Kinda Guy."
And I would imagine there will be some old-school Hooters tunes in the mix somewhere ;)
Anybody remember when The Hooters played at North Penn? They were playing in about every high school in the Delaware Valley at that time. I want to say that was 1982 or 1983.
Show time is 8 p.m. on Saturday the 23rd with tickets from $21.50-$33. Call (215) 257-5808 or go to www.st94.com.

More links: www.myspace.com/ericbazilian, www.johnlilley.com.

Taking the post-holiday letdown personally

2010-01-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

After being saturated by Christmas for more than a month, and then for a week by New Year's, there's going to be a whole lot of nothing going on. It's a classic example of binge and purge.
As the chief content provider for The Reporter's weekend section for close to 10 years, this is the time of year I dread the most -- the winter doldrums. The New Year really is like starting from zero -- waiting for things to start happening again.
Well I'm doing something about it.
My acoustic duo, Raspberry Tea, will be the first act of 2010 for the Indian Valley Public Library's Second Fridays series. I get a kick out of how the library makes sure to mention my name (even though they spelled it wrong on their Web site) in promoting Raspberry Tea ... as if I was a rock star or something.
Ken Kennedy and I will be celebrating the release of a five-song mini-album, "Just Like That!" which showcases our singer-songwriter skills, plus a Bo Diddley beat arrangement of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
This being a library, we'll have some other songs among our originals that were inspired by literature.
Admission is free and Raspberry Tea is on at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 8.
February's entertainment (Feb. 12) is Lazy Sundays, featuring Elena Eschbach and Dawn Hunsdorffer, who I know from Church of the Holy Spirit Episcopal. They performed during the Lansdale Center for the Performing Arts open house fundraiser earlier this month.
Now and Then is featured March 12.
On April 9, cigar box guitar/diddley bow specialists One-String Willie and Gerry Thompson will show that sometimes a store bought guitar just won't do.
Keep checking http://www.ivpl.org/ for updates to the Second Fridays series.

http://www.myspace.com/theraspberrytea offers you a sneak listen to track 1 of the CD, "Curly Howard's Blues."

Support this open mic night

2009-12-30T09:23:00.000-08:00

Ken Kennedy, a North Penn alum and the other half of my acoustic duo, Raspberry Tea, is introducing an open mic night at the Peppercorn Pub on Route 309 south in Coopersburg from 9 to midnight Jan. 14. IT WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO BE JAN. 7, BUT ILLNESS HAS POSTPONED IT.
Musicians, singers, spoken word artists, etc. are welcome to showcase their talents (and bring some friends) to the "Cousins Grimm Open Mic."
If you have an original song to try out on an audience, the time is now. If you've learned a song, please share it. The sound equipment and microphones should all be there, and all you need is your instrument.
And don't be surprised if Ken and his cousin, Rick, join in. Ken is fun to jam with!
Here's a link to Ken's MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/gypsytunes

Befriending an unsung icon

2009-12-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, my son and I caught one of the jazz cabarets at Allentown Symphony Hall. Bob Dorough has been making records since 1956, and he's the only vocalist that Miles Davis ever recorded with!

Dorough, who is now 82 years young, has a distinguished career, yet he is best known as the musical supervisor for ABC-TV's "Schoolhouse Rock."
If you grew up with "Schoolhouse Rock" like I did, you'd recognize the guy's voice right away.

I had the chance to talk to him before they opened the doors of the third floor Rodale Room (and served lasagna along with a cash bar). What a super nice guy he is!
Besides performing "Schoolhouse Rock" classics that he wrote, like "Three is a Magic Number," "Conjunction Junction" and "Figure Eight" with his trio, he also did a memorable version of the Gershwin Brothers-penned song "But Not for Me" and a terrific anti-Christmas song he wrote and recorded with Miles Davis (who Dorough referred to affectionately as "The Prince of Darkness") in 1962 called "Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)."
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was during the intermission when kiddo and I were talking with Dorough's guitarist. Steve was playing this cutsom built, electrified, acoustic guitar that was made by a friend of his in Philly who died from leukemia at age 44. When Jr. was talking to Steve about his ongoing jazz saxophone instruction, Dorough walked up, gestured toward Jr., and said, "This guy's a musician." Dorough and his guitar player raved about the Celebration Of The Arts (COTA) that's held annually in Delaware Water Gap, Pa., and were telling us we ought to move there because of what great music education they have in that community!
Also, if you're getting tired of the same old Christmas music on the radio, 88.5-FM WXPN has a breath of fresh air coming Christmas Day. Their syndicated "World Cafe" program will feature an interview with Sting from noon to 2, featuring tracks from his new holiday album "If on a Winter’s Night..." Sting will talk about where he drew inspiration for the album, what the holidays were like for him as a child and today, and why he feels the season is a mix of light and darkness emotionally. Sting will be coming to the area in January to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Later on Christmas Day, "World Cafe" will air a special Christmas show featuring Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Aqua Teen Hunger Force (!) from 2 to 4 p.m.
The radio station's impeccable Year in Review is on tap for next week. The listener-selected best-of will feature the top 10 favorite CDs and top 100 songs of 2009, with the albums airing 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 28-31, and the songs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 1 and 4.

Christy Christmas!

2009-12-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

Since the subject of the first official post to Talk about the Passion was Christy Jefferson, there's a risk that I'm coming across as a stalker...

Last Christmas, Christy Jefferson was at a standstill making her soon-to-be released album "Agree to Disagree." And money was tight. Since nothing counteracts the winter blues like endorphins from nostalgic holiday tunes (ha ha), she recorded a few Christmas songs in her home studio in Doylestown to give as a gift to family and friends.
The five-song CD, "Merry Christmas with Love," grew to 11 songs -- 10 traditional numbers and an original about her family, "Memories We Build On, Year to Year."
C.J. opted for an eco-friendly sleeve made of recycled cardboard and skipped the shrink wrap.
In order to cover costs, Christy quietly sold the CD last November and December in markets far from family and friends, and pulled off what she described as 'a complete surprise' on Christmas morning.
“Making this CD was the perfect way to turn an unhappy situation around. I hope other people hear this story and are inspired to use their creativity and innovation to get through tough spots this holiday season and throughout the year ahead. The worst of times can be turned into the best of times with a little imagination and teamwork!,” she said.
Oh yeah, and she did get around to finishing the album that she had been working on in the first place. A CD release party for "Agree to Disagree" starts at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 26 at Puck on Printers Alley in downtown Doylestown. Cover is $5.

Rhymes with stink-stank-stunk

2009-12-07T06:10:00.000-08:00

Regional punk rockers Clashing Plaid have re-issued their single "All I Got for Christmas was Drunk" along with a cover of Chuck Berry's "Run Run Rudolph" and the new tune "Penny Collection." Hear these live during a show Friday night Dec. 11 at Traxx, 102 Bethlehem Pike, Colmar.
Holiday music tends to get on my nerves because it's so invasive for about a month and then disappears for 11 months. But ever since Clashing Plaid put out "Drunk" a few years ago, I must say, it's a keeper. I still have their one CD that has "Drunk" and the well-done originals "Emotional Wreck" and "Ghosts on Main Street."
"Drunk" is available as a free download from www.clashingplaid.com and "Penny Collection" is on iTunes and CDBaby.

What's the song in that commercial?

2009-11-29T20:06:00.000-08:00

TV commercials need to be more like old-school music videos and tell you the artist and title of the song that's playing.
Two of the catchiest "edited for TV" commercial tunes playing right now are selling super-smart phones by HTC and Blackberry.
The HTC commercial sounds like a jazz piano riff that some DJ put a beat under. A little research shows that that's exactly what it is - the Felix Da Housecat Heavenly House Mix of "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone. Who knew?!
Blackberry does tell you that their song is by Switchfoot, but withholds the title. That would be "The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)." Being a Christian rock act, some of the band's ardent followers aren't too keen on their heroes being used to market the Blackberry Storm.
Also, kudos to Cadillac for exposing "1901" by the French indie band Phoenix to a wider audience. Love that song!

Send me your music today

2009-11-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

A review of North Wales band Find Vienna's "In Your Favorite Colors" appears in "Go" Thanksgiving Day. Because of tight deadlines this week, I was unable to work in remarks from a conversation I had with their bass player, Paul. Good thing I have a blog, right?
These guys really have it together in that major record labels are taking notice. It is surprising considering that they've all graduated from North Penn High School within the past five years.
They're live at the Lansdale Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m. Nov. 25. There's also an acoustic show at 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at Puck in Doylestown.
They've played a Radio 104.5 Up and Coming show in West Chester and they're WSTW-FM Hometown Heroes.
Sample their tunes at www.myspace.com/findvienna or www.facebook/findvienna.
I'd like to keep this local music thing going on Talk about the Passion. So if you have a CD, send it to me at:
Brian Bingaman
The Reporter
307 Derstine Ave.
Lansdale, PA 19446

Ha ha...huh?

2009-11-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

I've seen the VH-1 video countdowns of '80s one-hit wonders and the best songs of the '90s in the last few months.
In the midst of all the nostalgia lies a nagging question: What is the deal with all the commentary by comedians during these specials? Sure, the commentary from musicians makes sense, but what the heck makes a comedian qualified to comment on music?
I guess this is kind of like the criticism from conservatives that Jon Stewart is a comedian, but not an actual journalist (or that bloggers aren't really qualified to comment on much of anything - ha ha ha).
It's all about the entertainment value of the wise-cracking, snappy punchline, I guess.
Go to www.vh1classic.com and create some commentary of your own.
Come on, you're every bit as qualified to comment on pop culture as a comedian is!

Discovering a song that becomes close to your heart

2009-11-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

A high school classmate of mine turned me on to "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. She even e-mailed me the guitar chords, so now I guess I have to learn how to play it.
Man, pop country keeps getting slicker by degrees! Love the duet arrangement, and the vibe reminds me of Hinder's hit song "Lips of an Angel." Except "Need You Now" is a better song.

Dumb joke, but it serves a purpose

2009-11-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Nov. 6, country singer-songwriter Hal Ketchum plays the Sellersville Theater. His hits include “Small Town Saturday Night,” “Hearts Are Gonna Roll,” “Mama Knows the Highway,” and my personal favorite, “Sure Love.” Tickets are $27.50 and $39.50. Find a link to Hal's MySpace (and get tickets) at www.st94.com.
And now for the joke:
Sherriff: Oh no, the bank robber's gettin' away!
Deputy: Don't worry, HAL KETCHUM!!!

DJ Hero

2009-10-29T12:29:00.001-07:00

Kind of digging that Jay-Z/Eminem mash-up in the DJ Hero video game commercial. Next question is is the game as fun as the mash-up is? A link to the commercial via the DJ Hero Web site is below.
By the way, as a guitar player, I don't play Guitar Hero. It is not the same thing as actually playing. The only praise I can give that game is there's a good varitety of songs in the games. The young whippersnappers end up getting into some old tunes that they otherwise wouldn't seek out.

http://djhero.com/media

Time to vote

2009-10-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, there are school board races to cast your ballot for, but this is more fun. Cast your votes for the Lehigh Valley Music Awards at www.lehighvalleymusicawards.org. The 11th LVMA Annual Award Show itself is going to be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 1 at Allentown Symphony Hall on Sixth Street in Allentown. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Awards will be given in about 60 categories and there will be live music as well. Feel free to call (215) 421-5644, and feel free to post a comment if there's somebody on the ballot that really impresses you.

Famous and almost famous

2009-10-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Going to the Oct. 23 Spectrum concert with Hall and Oates, Todd Rundgren and The Hooters. The following day, I'll be covering the John Oates songwriters workshop at Lansdale Center for the Performing Arts, which should have a bunch of North Penn students attending.

Speaking of musicians with ties to the area, I'm taking a first listen to the 8-song EP "In All Your Favorite Colors" by Find Vienna (they used to be called Clarity). If you like Coldplay, you'll enjoy this band. I know they've played around here. Anbody have a Find Vienna concert review they'd like to share as a comment?

Shout it out loud!

2009-10-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

If you were alive in the '70s, you remember Kiss.
Who would've thought back then that they'd still be around for a "Kiss Alive 35" tour, which comes to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia Oct. 12. Tickets run from $25-$128.
Did you know they have a new studio album called "Sonic Boom"? Maybe not, since it's a Wal-Mart and www.walmart.com exclusive release. The album is the centerpiece of a three-disc set that also has a re-recorded greatest hits CD (Huh?!) and a live DVD from Kiss Alive 35's stops in Argentina.
When I got the first Kiss album LP as a Christmas gift in 1977, the song "Black Diamond" was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. The thing I couldn't wrap my brain around was the ending fade of the song. It sounded like someone was tinkering with the rpm control on my record player, yet the record was still spinning at the same speed. 'AAAAAH those people at church were right - Kiss really does stand for Knights In Satan's Service. My turntable is possessed! Oh maaaan!'
What my older and wiser self knows today is that they were gradually slowing down the speed of the master tape till it came to a dead stop.
In the grocery store in those days, there would always be some magazine with Kiss pictures in it. As a wee third grader, I liked Peter Criss' cat makeup the best, and Gene Simmons' demon/vampire act scared the bejeezus out of me.
Still have my Kiss trading cards!!!
I remember well the Kiss dolls, that odd TV movie they made, the comic book that made news with the band sprinking vials of their own blood into the ink, the simultaneous release of four solo albums, and when they shocked the world by taking their makeup off. After that, they didn't do too much that was memorable till the mid-90s, when the theatrical pyrotechnics returned and Ace and Peter rejoined the group. Whew, I still wince thinking about that late '80s power ballad hit "Forever."
And go figure, Kiss is hip again thanks to Guitar Hero and "American Idol."
Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer have since replaced Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively. Yet they're still wearing the makeup/personas of their predecessors. I'm not sure how I feel about that. You want to protect the integrity of the Kiss brand, yet it seems deceptive.
When you boil Kiss down to its essence, there is no occult conspiracy, like some people used to think. Kiss is quite simply a clever blend of pop hooks, heavy metal sleaze, and the excess of good, old-fashioned musical theater.
The Kiss Army is alive and well at www.kissonline.com.

Phillies fans, let me hear ya.

2009-10-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Coming to "Go" on Thursday will be a fun piece on rooting for those Fightin' Phils for their 2009 playoff run. Is a World Series repeat possible? What did you think of this season? How about the challenges that Souderton native Jamie Moyer endured? Did you know that the Phillie Phanatic lives locally? Please share your thoughts and game day rituals by calling me directly at (215) 412-8905 or e-mailing me at bbingaman@thereporteronline.com.

Friend (in a high place) of the print media

2009-09-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

I'd rather read a newspaper than follow a blog any day of the week. Yes, I get the irony that I'm blogging about it.
Bloggers do not have to be held to any standards of journalistic integrity or accountability. President Obama gets this, and I'd like to share this encouraging story in The Toledo Blade about the President's disposition toward newspapers.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09263/999253-482.stm#ixzz0S7YBSTVc

Thoughtful tribute to meaningful artist

2009-09-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

88.5 WXPN, Philadelphia marks Bruce Springsteen's 60th birthday Wednesday the 23rd in grand fashion. To get you lathered up, XPN mid-day host Helen Leicht will be taking Bruce Springsteen requests and Bruce cover requests from 10-2 Wednesday.
Then, an amalgamation of XPN Local artists calling itself the Phill-E Street Band will perform the "Born to Run" album in its entirety.
Scot Sax, who I interviewed for a story I wrote about Sharon Little, will be playing guitar at this sold out show that will be held at World Cafe Live.
XPN WILL AIR THE SHOW LIVE STARTING AT 7 WEDNESDAY.
"Born to Run" is one of my all-time favorite albums and it should be exciting to hear how this ad hoc band will pull this off. That means doing meandering, Phil Spector-esque epics like "Thunder Road" and "Jungleland," as well as songs Bruce never performs live such as "Night" and "Meeting across the River."
Go to www.xpn.org/boss.

Be still my beating heart!

2009-09-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Singer/songwriter Christy Jefferson plays Saturday Sept. 19 at Puck in her hometown of Doylestown. I didn't see any upcoming local dates on her Web site after that, but you never know.
The first time I met Christy was at an open mic night in 2006. She was the sexiest thing I had ever seen AND a gifted musician and songwriter!
I was fumbling for the right words to say to her as I bought her live CD. Pouring gasoline on a tiny spark, she told me she liked the songs that I had played on stage that night.
I later discovered at a CD release party that she was married. I was so crushed.
You too can be smitten at www.christyjefferson.com.

BlogBing

2009-09-17T11:17:00.001-07:00

Test post one for the Bing Blog.