On Stage: Singer/Songwriters in spotlight

Summer scene heats up in Delaware Valley

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

Many of the top singer-songwriters have the ability to function equally well performing with a backing band or as a solo artist. On June 19, two very good songwriters who possess these capabilities will be performing in Philadelphia — and they will be sharing bills with other musicians who fit in the same category.

Chris Carrabba will bring his latest incarnation of Dashboard Confessional to Philly for a show at Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing (601 North Columbus Boulevard at Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215- 629-3200, www.festivalpierphilly.com).

At the same time, Rachel Yamagata will return to the city for a show at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts (5201 Parkside Avenue, Philadelphia, 215- 546-7900, www.manncenter.org).

Carrabba and his band will co-headline a bill with Third Eye Blind, a San Francisco Band that has been led for 22 years by songwriter-guitarist Stephan Jenkins.

Yamagata, meanwhile, will be the opener on a show that features Amos Lee, a folk/blues singer-songwriter from Philadelphia who has released five albums in the last 10 years, and David Gray, an English singer-songwriter who relased his first album “A Century Ends” in 1993.

Carrabba has had a musical career that is multi-pronged. In the late 1990s, he was the vocalist for the Florida-based band Further Seems Forever prior to his formation of the original incarnation of Dashboard Confessional.

Dashboard Confessional released six studio albums starting with “The Swiss Army Romance” in 2000. The sixth was “After the Ending” in 2009. In 2010, Carrabba put the band on hold and did a solo tour for the 10^th anniversary of “The Swiss Army Romance.”

Later in 2010, Carrabba and Further Seems Forever reunited and recorded the band’s fourth studio album “Penny Black.”

In 2011, Carrabba formed another band — Twin Forks — pretty much the same way he started his previous band Dashboard Confessional about 12 years ago. Carrabba wrote the songs first and then put a band together.

That group released the “Twin Forks EP” in 2013 and the “Twin Forks LP” in 2014.

“With Dashboard Confessional, it started out as a very communal thing,” said Carrabba, during a recent phone interview. “Then, when we started playing sheds and arenas, it became logistically different. I didn’t like the line of demarcation between the audience and the band.”

On the current Dashbiard Confessional tour, Carrabba has found a way to erase that line of demarcation that separates him from his fans.

“I do meet-and-greets before and after each show,” said Carrabba Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in Baltimore. “The one before the shows includes a performance of acoustic songs. The one after is more of an event. I’ve always done meet-and-greets for my fans.”

The “Early Entry VIP Package” includes a general admission pit ticket to the show, a VIP early entry into the venue, an exclusive tour merchandise item, a VIP early entry laminate and an on-site VIP host.

The “VIPdicated Experience” features a general admission pit ticket or a premium reserved ticket in the first 15 rows, access to the private acoustic performance with Dashboard Confessional, question-and-answer session with Carrabba , VIP early entry into the venue,  exclusive tour lithograph, a commemorative VIP laminate and an on-site VIP host.

This tour initially was not planned as a co-bill tour with another act.

“We were planning on doing a headlining tour of our own,” said Carrabba. “Then, it was suggested that we tour with Third Eye Blind. We had talked about it with them years ago but it never happened until now.

“Dashboard Confessional hadn’t done anything for awhile until we played Riot Fest last summer. It was then that we decided to put a tour together for this year.

“We’re winging it with the set list. We’re sticking with what the old-school diehards want to hear — ‘Screaming Infidelities,’ ‘Vindicated,’ ‘Stolen’ and ‘Hands Down.’ We’re also doing some deeper cuts such as ‘Remember to Breathe.’ ‘The Good Fight’ is another perennial favorite.”

Dashboard Confessional has been able to retain its fan base even after a several year hiatus and has even added to it.

“I’m absolutely surprised that the fans are still there for us,” said Carrabba. “We walked away because we were fatigued. We didn’t want to just phone it in. Our fans deserved more. And now, we’re developing a new generation of fans. I guess they’re learning about us from their friends.”

Carrabba has always been able to attract devoted fans because of his heartfelt lyrics — his ability to let his emotions flow out naturally through his songs.

“Most of my songwriting is personal and first person,” said Carrabba. “It’s a great release for my emotions — for any anxiety. That way, you don’t have to be weighed down by it.”

Video link for Dashboard Confessional — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DOE4CX3BNBM&list=RDJyKnuyEO41o.

The show at Festival Pier will start at 7 p.m. with general admission tickets priced at $45.

Rachel Yamagata released her first album “Happenstance” in 2004. The singer, who hails from Fairfax, Virginia, has been working on a new album which should see the light of day early next year.

Back in November, Yamagata visited Philly for a unique pair of shows. She performed a special 10th anniversary show of “Happenstance” at Boot and Saddle and, on the following night, played a career-spanning set with the premiere of new songs from her soon-to-be-released album.

“The new album is being mixed right now,” said Yamagata, during a phone interview Tuesday from her home in Woodstock, New York. “I’m also doing some mixing with an alternate mixer. John Alagia has been mixing every song and the other guy will work on it in late July.

“I bought a house in Woodstock (N.Y.) and did a lot of it there. I recorded a lot at home — whenever I felt the inspiration. There were a lot of advantages in doing it at home. Unlike in a recording studio, you don’t have to look up at a clock, Also, being in familiar surroundings really helped. I’d write a song and then do a demo version.

“I didn’t have to record songs in parts. I worked hard on 15 songs doing a lot of revisions, re-recording and re-tracking — revising them until they felt really interesting to me. I used banjos, mandolins, sax and drums. I even sampled patterns of rain on a stool. I produced myself which was a great feeling. I was able to work on instincts. Some of the production ideas I used are ones I wouldn’t have arrived at with another person adding input. About half the tracks were done at home.

“I brought Alagia in halfway through the process because some things were a bit too loose. We recorded the other half of the album at Applehead Recording in Woodstock and Village Recorders in L.A. I have 14 songs recorded but I haven’t yet decided which ones I’ll be using. Ten songs is a good amount for an album so maybe I’ll release a 10-song album and a four-song EP.”

Yamagata’s current tour was somewhat of a surprise.

“It came together a couple weeks ago,” said Yamagata. “I became friends with Amos back when I was living in Philly. I also did a Madison Square Garden show with David a couple years ago. For their tour together this summer, they were looking for an opener and asked me.

“I have a 30-minute set and I don’t mind it at all. I get to play a good, concise set of five or six songs. It’s fresh energy and a big crowd. I’ve played two shows with David so far and the crowd is a listening crowd. I’ve got a foot in the door with this crowd because it’s a real audience who like storytellers. Even though it’s a short set, I still do a lot of banter between songs. That’s my personal challenge.

“The next two shows — Radio City Music Hall in New York and the Mannin Philly — will be me with my duo partner Michael Chaves on guitar, bass, foot stomps and background vocals. After the New York and Philly dates, my shows will be solo.”

Video link for Rachel Yamagata — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4ERmCz3Q3ew.

The show at the Mann Center will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35-$69.50.

Three other singer-songwriters of sorts will be playing venues in the area and they couldn’t be more unlike.

On June 20, Nneka, who was born in Warri, Nigeria, will perform at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com) with a show that is heavy on Afrobeat and reggae songs.

On June 23, Sam Amidon, an American singer-songwriter-guitarist, will play at the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, philly.worldcafelive.com) and introduce his new batch of Icelandic-influenced songs.

On June 25, Billy Joe Shaver will deliver a batch of his outlaw country songs in a concert at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com).

Nneka, whose full name is Nneka Lucia Egbuna, is a Nigerian-German singer who speaks, writes songs and sings in both English and her native Igbo language. She is touring in support of her fifth album “My Fairy Tales,” which was released last month on Bushqueen Records.

“My Fairy Tales” was recorded and produced in France, Denmark and Nigeria while Nneka was living in Paris. It was produced by Mounir Maarouf, the Danish Silver Bullit team and The Slag. With her new album, Nneka dealt with topics related to the politics of her birthplace and her own personal voyage of discovery.

“It was supposed to be an album and then I cut it down to a project,” said Nneka, during a phone interview last week. “I’m always writing. I took the material I had worked on — best to have one type of sound and one message — and put them together on one project. I decided to release this project independently.

“Some of the songs are older. ‘Babylon’ is about four years old. Some were written when I was in Paris. That was a time when I was trying not to do music and just be normal — going to school, staying in one place and socializing with people. Some of the songs were written in Nigeria.”

One of the songs — “Pray for You” — written in Nigeria dealt with one of the oil-rich African nation’s most serious problems — the terrorist group Boko Haram.

“I had recorded the track ‘Pray for You’ two years before the media picked up Boko Haram,” said Nneka. “Boko Haram has been an issue in Nigeria for more than six years. At first, it was a bunch of students. Now, we don’t know what it is anymore. They even kill each other.

“My music deals with the advantage of inter-cultural relationships and the negative aspects of racism. Africans abroad feel they have to adapt and, by doing that, they are losing their identity.

“That’s why I like to bring together Afrobeat, reggae and other African influences. Some of my musical influences are King Sunny Ade (Nigeria), Fela (Nigeria), Bob Marley (Jamaica) and Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey (Nigeria).”

“My Fairy Tales” is a concept album — exploring the lives of Africans in the diaspora and the struggles they face — focusing on the importance of being responsible towards children as well as the significance of culture, education and identity values.

Nneka’s passionate sense of social consciousness also led her to co-found a charity called The Rope Foundation  in 2012 with Sierra Leone’s MC Ahmed Nyeie. The Rope Foundation serves as a platform for young men and women to express themselves through art.

“Music is supposed to represent the African diaspora,” said Nneka. “And, the topic of the African diaspora has to be dealt with outside of Africa. It is important for Africans to embrace their cultural origins.”

Video link for Nneka — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BShmj8IiM4U.

Nneka’s show at MilkBoy will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Amidon, a multi-instrumentalist, singer and arranger, is currently touring the states in support of his acclaimed “Lily-O” album that was recently released on Nonesuch Records. Amidon made the album with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and recorded it in Reykjavik, Iceland with internationally-acclaimed Icelandic producer Valgeir Sigurðsson.

The link between Amidon and Sigurðsson goes back almost a decade.

“I met Valgeir through composer Nico Muhly,” said Amidon, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in L.A. “We were in our early 20s in New York. Valgeir had just produced Björk’s ‘Medúlla’ album. Nico had worked with him in Iceland and loved it there. He literally just took me in. In 2008, I recorded my ‘All Is Well” album there with Nico on piano.”

Sigurðsson is the founder of Greenhouse Studios, which was established in 1997 and is Iceland’s top recording facility.

“Greenhouse is in a suburb of Reykjavik,” said Amidon. “Iceland is like nowhere else in the world. There is no wood on the island. Houses are made of other material. Older homes are made of corrugated metal. And, there is all this volcanic rock. You feel like you’re on the moon.

“’All Is Well’ is the first record I made in Iceland. I wanted the context not to be in a folk scene. It was a totally different universe there. It’s a world where all these stories exist. I’ll go and listen to a field recording and it brings this whole world to life.

“I try to take these moving stories and take them into a context which is more stark and mysterious. Folk music fans in America didn’t know anything about it. They questioned — what are they doing…what is this music? For Icelanders, it is their folk music.

“The Icelandic influence is more present on my earlier albums — ‘All Is Well’ and ‘I See the Sign.’ But, with the new album, there is still that special aesthetic.”

Video link for Sam Amidon — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=83pAsX4InsI

Amidon’s show at the World Café Live will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in asdvance and $18 at the door.

Other shows over the next week at the World Café Live are Bahamas (June 18), Madeleine Peyroux (June 19), SWV (June 21), The Hunts (June 21), Ibeyi (June 22), Sleepyman (June 23), Honeyhoney (June 23) and The Shadowboxers (June 24).

Young boys almost always look forward to the day when they can start shaving. The headliner at the Sellersville Theater on June 25 has been a “Shaver” for 75 years. Billy Joe Shaver has also been a musician for 47 years.

When Shaver was a youngster down south, he worked on his uncles’ farms instead of going to high school and then joined the U.S. Navy when he was 17. After his stint in the Navy, Shaver was working at a lumber mill.

One day his right hand (his dominant hand) became caught in the machinery, and he lost the better part of two fingers and contracted a serious infection. He eventually recovered, and taught himself to play the guitar without those missing fingers.

“Losing those two fingers and then learning to play guitar was really hard,” said Shaver, during a phone interview last week from his home in Waco, Texas. “When I lost those two fingers, I sent a quick message up to God — and he answered me.”

In 1968, Shaver went to Bobby Bare’s offices in Nashville and persuaded Bare to listen to him play. Bare gave him a writing job and singers began to use Shaver’s songs — including  Kris Kristofferson (“Good Christian Soldier”), Tom T. Hall (“Willie the Wandering Gypsy and Me”), Bobby Bare (“Ride Me Down Easy”), the Allman Brothers (“Sweet Mama”) and Elvis Presley (“You Asked Me To”).

Shaver’s real breakthrough came in 1973 when Waylon Jennings recorded an album composed almost entirely of Shaver’s songs. That record — “Honky Tonk Heroes” — is considered the first true “outlaw” album.

Kristofferson produced Shaver’s debut album “Old Five and Dimers Like Me” in 1973.  Since then, Shaver has released 25 more albums, including last year’s “Long in the Tooth” LP.

The new album, which was produced by Ray Kennedy and Gary Nicholson and released on Lightning Rod Records, featured an array of talented guests including Willie Nelson, Leon Russell, Tony Joe White, Shawn Camp, Jedd Hughes and Joel Guzman.

“We recorded the album about a year ago,” said Shaver. “It’s a really good one. I’ve made a lot of records and they’re all good. I love what I do. When you’re doing what you love, it’s cool. I consider myself successful when I’m writing good songs — and I’m my toughest critic.

“Songs come to me all different ways. I’ve written more than 500 songs. Sometimes, the songs just roll out. Now that I’ve mastered it, I look for things that are hard to do. I never get tired of touring. I just keep going. I love to travel and I love what I’m doing. If I weren’t in music, I wouldn’t be able to travel. I couldn’t afford it.”

Shaver still has a razor-sharp memory – especially with regard to his music.

“When I’m playing, I go as far back in my catalog as I can,” said Shaver. “I remember all my songs. And, I’m still writing. Everyone should write songs. It’s cheaper than going to a psychiatrist. I’m my own psychiatrist. If I’m honest, it will work out.”

Video link for Billy Joe Shaver — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aeJ4kp1AwY4

The show at the Sellersville Theater on June 25 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $40.

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Craig Thatcher Band (June 19), Loudon Wainwright III (June 20), The Kentucky Headhunters (June 21) and  Janiva Magness and Jessi Teich (June 24).

The Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will present John Grecia on June 20 with John Conahan as the co-headliner.

Doc Watson’s Public House (150 North Pottstown Pike, Exton, 610-524-2424, docwatsonspublichouse.com) will present Funk Night with New Pony & Max Swan on June 18; New Sweden with The Quixote Project, Jolly What and August John Lutz II on June 19; Read the Program, Caveman Dave, Christopher Burkholder and Alexander Saddic on June 20; and Eric Reavey, Mark Thousands, Brian Turner, Kevin Windstein and Mat Burke on June 24.

Chaplin’s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110, http://chaplinslive.com) will have Up in the Air and Zach Alex on June 19 and Mic Stew and Da-Sean on June 20.

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com) will host House of Hamill with Trevor Lewington on June 19 and folk music legend Jonathan Edwards on June 20.

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will present Splintered Sunlight on June 19 and the twin bill of June Rich and Christine Havrilla on June 20.

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547, www.burlapandbean.com) will present Allie Farris, Eloise Sharkey and Josh Harty on June 19, the Kennedys and Lily Mae on June 20.

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com) presents the Richard Thompson Trio and Joan Osborne on June 18, D’Angelo and The Vanguard on June 23 and “Happy Together 2015” with The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie, The Buckinghams, The Association, The Grass Roots, The Cowsills and Mark Lindsay.

Melodies Café (2 East Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore, 610-645-5269, www.melodiescafe.com) will host Scott Reynolds, Joe Jack Talcum, Toy Cannons and Feeding The Pigeons on June 19 and Jim Trainer, Cardinal Arms and Andrew Meoray on June 20.

World Café Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400, www.queen.worldcafelive.com) will host The Iguanas (June 18), All Mighty Senators (June 19), Tweed (June 20) and Boysie Lowery (June 24).

The American Music Theatre (2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, 800-0 648-4102, www.AMTshows.com) is presentin Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals with special guest Mark Farner (formerly of Grand Funk Railroad) on June 19.

Chameleon Club (223 North Water Street, Lancaster, 717-299-9684, http://www.chameleonclub.net) will have The Secret Sisters, Caroline Reese and Kyle Meadows on June 19 and Against Me! along with Frank Iero And The Cellabration on June 20.

The Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) is presenting a production of “Steel Magnolias” through June 21. The play, which falls into both the comedy and drama genres, is about a group of gossipy southern ladies in a small-town beauty parlor.

The Rainbow Comedy Playhouse (3065 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise, 800-292-4301, www.RainbowDinnerTheatre.com) is presenting “Too Many Cooks” now through August 8.