On Stage: Summer concert schedule ‘heats up’ across region

By DENNY DYROFF Staff Writer, The Times

 

The summer concert schedule is in full swing right now and that means there is a tasty smörgåsbord of live music at various venues over the next week that is guaranteed to sate fans’ appetites.

Texas is represented by a veteran outlaw country singer (Billy Joe Shaver), a country swing band (Asleep at the Wheel) and a young punk rock band (Purple). There is a genre-spanning indie-rock band from Brooklyn (Rubblebucket) and a post-punk band from the San Francisco Bay area (Ceremony).

 

Philly’s contribution to the weekend calendar includes a distortion-heavy emotive rock band (Creepoid) and a sensitive singer-songwriter (Jessie Teich).

 

 
The international flavor is provided by a female Irish vocal group (Celtic Woman), a singer-songwriter from Norway (Sondre Lerche) and a versatile performer from Mexico (Ximena Sariñana).

 

 
Action kicks off on June 25 with two of the Texas entrees and follows with another Lone Star act on June 26. Purple, which plays June 25 at Ortlieb’s (847 North Third Street, Philadelphia, 267- 324-3348, www.ticketfly.com), is touring in support of its debut album “(409)”. The title is the area code of the band’s neighborhood in Beaumont, Texas.

 

 
According to band leader Hanna Brewer, Beaumont is an oil town with a church on every corner and is heavily populated by mean Christians and cows. It is a blue-collar town where most of the men work in the area’s oil refineries. Other musicians to come from Beaumont were Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, 1950s rocker Big Bopper and blues legend Blind Willie Johnson.

 

 
Purple is a trio featuring Taylor Busby on guitar, Joe Cannariato on bass and Brewer on drums and vocals. “A few years ago, I saw Taylor’s reggae band play at a coffee house and thought he was a bad-ass player,” said Brewer, during a phone interview Tuesday from a tour stop in New York. “We started playing together and had a different bass player at first. Now, we have a new bassist named Joe. We’ve always been just a trio. I grew up in nearby Vidor, Texas. When I was in high school, I was in a band that did mostly covers. Everyone in the band was Mormon. They had their religion thing but they never judged me. They were cool.”

 

 
“Once Taylor and I put Purple together, our first gig was at Crockett Street in Beaumont. That was five years ago. All the clubs that were open then are shut down now. ‘(409)’was our first album. We’d been writing those songs since we were teenagers. We recorded the album at Sonic Ranch in El Paso and it came out in January. We’ve already recorded our second album. It’s called ‘Bodacious’ and it will be out in the fall. They’re all really new songs. A lot were written in the studio when we were making the album. It has some different stuff — not all just straight-ahead rock. With ‘(409)’, our label took out all the slower songs. They wanted a hardcore, in-your-face first album. We like funk, rap and reggae and now we can be ourselves more. But, the songs are still short. Most of our songs are short. That’s just how we roll.”

 

 

Brewer also is a budding fashion designer as evidenced by the variety of tops she wears while pounding away on her drums. “I just started making my own tops — started decorating bras,” said Brewer. “I have 15 of them right now. I’m thinking about calling them ‘Hanna’s Bizarre Brassieres.’ We played Philly once before a long time ago. It was a gig at a punk-rock frat house. We’re looking forward to coming back and playing at a real club.”
Video link for Purple — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fn_U5ZXQk8&feature=player_detailpage.The show at Ortlieb’s will get underway at 11:30 p.m. and features free admission.

 

 

 

Billy Joe Shaver, who has been a musician for 47 years, will bring his unique brand of “country music with an attitude” to the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com). Shaver’s latest album “Long in the Tooth” feature an interesting lineup 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.” The show at the Sellersville Theater on June 25 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $40.

 

 
Ray Benson & Asleep at the Wheel’s newest Bob Wills tribute album “Still The King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys” was recently released on Bismeaux Records. The critically-acclaimed album debuted at Number 1 country album on Amazon and Number 9 country album on iTunes.

 

 

“My son, who has been producing our records said he wanted to do another album,” said Benson, during a phone interview last week. “He said we should do a Bob Wills album. I told him that we just did one and he said — yeah, that was 15 years ago. The whole idea was to do an album with friends — old and new. We had already recorded one song with Willie (Nelson) called ‘Navajo Trail’ and didn’t know what to do with it. We had a long list of friends that we called to join us on the album.”

 

 
Some of the stellar musicians who joined with Asleep at the Wheel on the new disc were Merle Haggard, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Buddy Miller, Carrie Rodriguez, Robert Earl Keen, Amos Lee, Shooter Jennings, The Avett Brothers, Kat Edmonson, Old Crow Medicine Show, Pokey LaFarge and The Del McCoury Band.

 

 
“Our M.O. was to try to take off from the original,” said Benson. “We wanted to pay homage to the original. We didn’t want to take off fiddle and put in synthesizer. But, each song started with the original. The song with Willie was recorded five years ago and then we added the Quebe Sisters. We worked on the album over the last three years. We have two studios. Both my studios have pretty neat old gear — amazing vintage microphones and old guitar amps. And, we have digital too. With this album, we recorded digital and then the last stop was to go analog. The basic rules of western swing are fiddle, steel guitar, horns, electric guitar, bass, drums and piano. The big swing bands had 12-14 horns but western swing mostly has just three. With our music, we can take a Bing Crosby song or a 100-year-old country song — the repertoire was any song that could fit.”

 

 
While Benson’s home, music and studios are Texas through-and-through, he is actually a Philly boy. “I went to Springfield High School (Montgomery County) and then spent my last two years at Penn Charter,” said Benson. “I played in the marching band at Springfield and then played basketball at Penn Charter. But, I’ve been down here for 45 years.” Video link for Asleep at the Wheel — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vifUaZQL8pc. Asleep at the Wheel will have two shows at the Sellersville Theater on June 26 — 6 and 9 p.m. Ticket prices are the same for both shows — $29.50 and $45. Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater will feature The Babys on June 27, King’s X on June 28 and Gary Hoey on July 1.

 

 

 

Philadelphia-based jazz singer Jessi Teich just played the Sellersville Theater earlier this week. Her next gig is a show on June 27 at the World Café Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400, www.queen.worldcafelive.com. Teich, who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music a few years ago, has been a jazz fan ever since she was a little girl.

 

 
“I was really influenced by my dad’s vinyl collection,” said Teich, during a phone interview Tuesday morning. “I remember not being able to jump because it would make the record skip. I grew up listening to jazz greats — Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone. I really liked jazz, blues and soul. I sang along with everything — even if I didn’t know the words. I was also into John Coltrane and Miles Davis. I liked a lot of horn players. When I listened to Ella Fitzgerald records, I learned how to scat to horns. A key to doing scat is not being too self-conscious. You just have to let go. I learned that about halfway through college.”

 

 
Teich, whose instruments are piano and loop pedal, has also been performing since she was very young. “I first performed when I was about eight,” said Teich. “I opened for my dad’s band at Tucker’s Breakfast King in Hackettsown (NJ). I sang along with boogie-woogie piano. But, I didn’t really start performing a lot until after college. I’ve played Philly a lot — clubs such as Chris’ Jazz Café and Ortlieb’s…The thing I try to bring to the table — I sing jazz very unconventionally. I really don’t fit into one type of genre. Jazz, blues, soul — I mesh all the styles together. I hit all sorts of demographics with my audience — older folks, traditional jazz fans and people my age. I also teach music so I have all these 15-17 year old girls who love my music.”

 

 
Teich is now performing in support of her new album “Twisted Soul,” which was recently released on Madame Freak Records. “I recorded the album in Paris,” said Teich. “I had the opportunity to go over and explore different avenues. The audiences there were really engaged. They pay attention to the performers. The whole recording process was amazing. I had one day in the studio and recorded a few songs. Then, the team in France said ‘come back.’ I came home, wrote nine songs in five weeks and then went back to Paris. Paris was a city I always wanted to visit. The language inspires me. And, there is a great jazz scene. It felt very natural to me.”

 

 
“The new album came out in March,” said Teich. “It’s a very special story. I didn’t mean for it to be a story but then I realized that I could put the songs together. It’s about coming out of an emotionally abusive relationship in a very positive way. The idea was that I could help other people get out of something similar. In an abusive relationship, you lose yourself. My ex told me what I could wear, when I could work, what songs I could sing. It was a very insidious process. He made me feel as if I wasn’t good enough….Songwriting can be easy or hard. It’s a form of emotional vomiting. Recently, I’ve been writing more upbeat songs. I’m happy and my music reflects my current state of mind. Songwriting is extremely cathartic. It’s such a cleanser for me.” Video link for Jessi Teich — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=H-hKME-oQ5g. Teich’s show at the World Café Live at the Queen will start at 8 p.m. with the opening act Ginger Coyle. Tickets are $10. Other acts coming to the Queen over the next week are Point Blank (June 25), King’s X (June 26), Charlie Parr (June 26) and Mason Jennings (June 27).

 

 

On June 23, the Philadelphia-based quartet known as Creepoid released it new album “Cemetery Highrise Slum” on Collect Records and immediately embarked on a series of album release shows including headline performances in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, D.C., Baltimore and Atlanta.The Philadelphia release party is scheduled for June 26 at Johnny Brenda’s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684, www.johnnybrendas.com). The band members are Anna Troxell, Patrick Troxell, Sean Miller and Nick Kulp.

 

 
“We started touring full-time in July last year,” said Pat Troxell, during a recent phone interview. “We did four months of straight touring and then went into our home studio for four weeks to work on the album. We sketched it all out. We sat in our space at home and the songs just came out. All the songs were written after the tour. We were energized from playing so many live shows. We became stronger musicians. The songs just flowed out after that. Also, we were ready for something fresh. My wife Anna was a professor at Drexel University and I was booking shows for Electric Factory. Then, we got the opportunity to do something that we wanted to do since we were kids. So, we all jumped off the cliff.”

 

 
That jump landed them in Georgia. “We moved into a big Southern house in Savannah, Georgia,” said Troxell. “We moved full-time to Savannah to work on the album. Savannah is built on top of catacombs. There are tunnels that run underneath Forsyth Park. It’s a super-haunted place.”

 

 
The city’s vibe was a good match for Creepoid’s music — music that has more than its share of gloom and eerie flavorings. But then, what do you expect from a band named Creepoid? “We went into Dollhouse Studios in Savannah to make the record,” said Troxell. “The album was produced and mixed by Peter Mavrogeorgis . We did it to two-inch tape. We banged the album out in just over a month. Some of our Philly friends still live in the house in Savannah but we’re back in Philadelphia. We love Philly and we missed it so much. When we play at Johnny Brenda’s, we’re going to be playing the entire new album. We can’t wait.” Video link for Creepoid — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7ehCNFutJvAThe Creepoid show at Johnny Brenda’s will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 at the door.

 

 
On June 26, Celtic Woman, one of Ireland’s top musical exports, is bringing its 10th Anniversary Celebration to the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelcenter.org). The popular music act will be performing traditional Irish standards, classical favorites, and contemporary pop songs in its own inimitable style.

 

 
Celtic Woman is like a couple celebrating its 10th wedding anniversary just over 10 years after what both parties expected to be “just one date.” In 2004, David Downes, who previously had been the musical director of the Irish stage show “Riverdance”, assembled a group of five Irish musical artists for a television special.

 

 

Six years, five albums and five DVDs later, the group is still alive and thriving.“It was supposed to be just one night for a PBS special and we’ve been together ever since,” said Celtic woman fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt during a phone interview. “It just snowballed after that first night.”

 

 

Downes looked at the success of the touring Irish stage shows “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance” and decided to mount a similar show without the dance. So, he put together a show focusing on the talents — and sex appeal — of four female singers and a lively female violinist.

 

 
The original lineup featured vocalists Chloë Agnew, Órla Fallon, Lisa Kelly and Méav Ní Mhaolchatha along with Nesbitt.“We had all worked with David before – either with solo albums or other projects,” said Nesbitt. “But, the television special was the first time we all worked together. We really did think it was going to be just a one-night thing.”

 

 
“Celtic Woman” was taped in September 2004 at The Helix in Dublin and broadcast for the first time in the states in March 2005. Within weeks, the group’s debut album “Celtic Woman” was sitting in the top spot on Billboard’s World Music chart – and stayed there for 68 weeks.

 

 

Honoring 10 years together, Celtic Woman invited previous members to return for limited appearances in 2015 to join the celebration. The three vocalists have alternated throughout the year, with original member Mairead Nesbitt at the helm. Audiences already have welcomed the return of Lynn Hilary, Alex Sharpe and Méav Ní Mhaolchatha to sing alongside more recent members Susan McFadden and Maired Carlin.

 

 
“Máiréad Nesbitt is the only original member still in the regular lineup,” said Sharpe, during a phone interview Tuesday morning from a tour stop in Rochester, New York. “Singers come and go but she holds it together. No-one can replace Máiréad. She is a great musical talent and an incredibly gifted and energetic performer. “The producers knew the 10th anniversary was coming up. So, for this tour, they brought back Maired Carlin for six weeks and then brought back Lynn Hilary for the following six weeks. I’ve come on to do the last eight weeks.”

 

 
No matter what the lineup, the level of excellence is always there. “We perform the same set list every night with 14 songs,” said Sharpe, a native of Dublin. “We sing our most well-known and popular songs — songs such as ‘You Raise Me Up,’ ‘The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun’ and, of course, ‘Amazing Grace.’ We have two guys who are Irish step dancers and two female dancers and all four make up the choir. There are seven musicians who play a lot of instruments including whistles and uilleann pipes. It really is a wonderful show.” Video link for Celtic Woman — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cF02LK4cTeU. Celtic Woman will perform at the Academy of Music on June 26 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $38-$73.

 

 
Also on June 26, Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com) will present Rubblebucket, a band that features Alex Toth (trumpet, hyperkinetics, vocals, percussion), Kalmia Traver (lead vocals, tenor sax, baritone sax), Adam Dotson (trombone, vocals, percussion), David Cole (drums) and Ian Hersey (electric guitar). Traver and Toth are the founding members.

 

 
“Alex and I met when we were at the University of Vermont,” said Traver, during a recent phone interview from her home in Brooklyn. “We played together in John Brown’s Body for two-and-a-half years. Then, we moved to Boston. After that, we moved to Brooklyn. Ever since college, we’ve been throwing ourselves into it — not looking for full-time jobs. I like to show people the importance of following your own creativity.”

 

 
Back in 2013, Traver underwent surgery to remove what doctors expected to be a benign ovarian cyst. Instead, they discovered that Traver was in the early stages of ovarian cancer. Two surgeries and nine weeks of chemotherapy treatments later, Traver and her Rubblebucket band mates were back on the road — within a week, in fact, of her final treatment.

 

 
“Everything cancer-wise couldn’t be better right now,” said Traver. “I’ve been cancer-free for two years and it’s been a year-and-a-half since I finished chemo. But, there is the emotional lingering. I’ve heard a lot of people say this. It takes a lot longer to get back to normal. I tackled all the treatments. It’s been the biggest learning tool of my life. The music has always been at the center of everything. It’s a great community.”

 

 
Last year, Traver learned first-hand that it takes a lot longer to get back to normal. “We did a six-week tour last fall and that was too much,” said Traver. “We learned our lesson from that one. This time, little chunks — three-and-a-half weeks — are better. It’s kind of nice. Having a steady rhythm is one of the keys — the value of having little daily practices.”

 

 
Rubblebucket has released four albums and three EPs. The most recent album was last year’s “Survival Sounds” on Communion Records. “It’s really interesting to think back on making the new album,” said Traver. “My cancer had an effect on Alex too. The shock wave hit my people. For me, I took it as a message to smooth out my energy channels — inside and outside. I found out the need for true healing. It was terrifying and scary.”

 

 

“We got a great offer from Communion Records. I said to myself — all right, this is happening. I was pretty out of it so I was forced to sit back a lot. Alex really stepped up to the plate. He wrote most of the music. A lot of it was his perception of the whole thing. It was woven into the lyrics.”

 

 
“That’s where it was at for us at the time. Music is always cathartic. Music in general is my number one therapy. We recorded the album in January 2014 in Brooklyn with producer John Congleton. He came up from Dallas and we worked on it for about 20 days.”

 

 
The songs crafted by Toth and Traver have been the foundation of Rubblebucket’s success, but Traver knows that is more than just that alone. “The core of Rubblebucket is the horns,” said Traver. “For years, we’ve always had a fluctuating line-up but we’ve tried to keep it as stable as possible. The core is Adam and Ian. We’ve been together for six years.”

 

 
“We’ve been thinking about making a new album a lot. I’ve been working on a bunch of new songs since we recorded ‘Survival Sounds.’ I’ve also been writing tone poems — little chill postcards of my winter in Vermont. And, we have an overflow of Rubblebucket music that we haven’t recorded yet.” Video link for Rubblebucket — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iZPc6WNmjgw. The show at Union Transfer, which also features Alberta Cross and Cuddle Magic, will start at 8 :30 p.m. Tickets are $15.

 

 
On June 27, Union Transfer will host Ceremony, a quintet from Sonoma County, California that has recorded five albums and three EPs since it formed 10 years ago. The band’s music has steadily evolved over the years — from sonically hardcore to relatively chill.

 

 
The band — Anthony Anzaldo, Jake Casarotti, Justin Davis, Ross Farrar and Andy Nelson — is touring in support of its new album “The L-Shaped Man,” which was released May 19 on Matador Records. “The L-Shaped Man” uses singer Ross Farrar’s recent breakup as a platform to explore loneliness and emotional weariness.

 

Farrar uses his experience to write about what it means to go through something heavy and come out the other side a different person. “We recorded the album last year in San Diego,” said Nelson, during are recent phone interview from Oakland, California. “We did a lot of pre-production and that was really useful. Actually, it was in Encinitas with producer John Reis. We did it in two parts. We recorded some of it in May…sat on it for awhile and then went back in November to record some more. It was finally finished in December. We took a really long time making this one. Our band made four albums and a few EPs already — and it was our 10th year. We didn’t want to waste people’s time with something that wasn’t a stellar effort.”

 

 

Once the band got back home from intensive touring, it embarked on the new project. “We were touring a lot and we don’t write on the road,” said Nelson. “With the writing, this time it was a little different. We had a real wealth of material. Anthony came in with a ton of songs. Everyone brought ideas to the table. We wanted a monochromatic mood — wanted a certain feel. We threw a lot of songs out because they didn’t fit the mold. We were getting really deep into the songs.”

 

 
Nelson said, “Also, this was the first record we recorded live to tape. The energy is definitely a lot different. It was totally awesome working with John. His instincts are great. He joined the band without playing. Our records over the years have been increasingly moody and inward-looking. We’ve gone from youthful angry aggression to getting older and still having issues. But, we have more complex feelings now. It’s a pretty bare record in terms of emotion — a voyeuristic look at society. A lot of the songs are about our singer’s relationship ending. It’s important for us to make records that are honest.”

 

Video link for Ceremony — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=80rvSq3oDqg. The Ceremony show, which starts at 8 p.m., will also feature Pity Sex, Tony Molina and Anxiety Hammer. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door.

 

 
Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com) will go international on June 29 when it hosts Sondre Lerche, a Norwegian singer-songwriter who has built a large fan base in America.

 

 
“I moved to Brooklyn 10 years ago,” said Lerche, during a recent phone interview from Oslo, Norway. “I still live in the Williamsburg section but I’ve been here in Oslo for a while working with a TV thing I’ve been involved in. I just finished a sound check for a small gig outside of Oslo — a concert at a nuclear plant in Lillestrand.”

 

 
Lerche will be touring in support of his most recent album “Please” as well as his new EP “Despite the Night.” Once the whole album cycle is over, I’ll be back in Brooklyn,” said Lerche. “The album is still pretty new. It came out in the fall. With my gigs this summer, I wanted to share the song that didn’t fit on the album. So, I got a lot of people to re-mix ‘Despite the Night.’ It’s such a kick for me to have people re-interpret something I’ve put my heart and soul into. It was a key song in a very special time in my life — a song that belongs in summer. We just started playing ‘Despite the Night’ live for the first time — trying to incorporate the original mix with the re-mix. It’s fun to apply some of these elements in live performances.”

 

 
The song never made it on “Please” but still had a major part in the making of the album. “ ‘Despite the Night’ set the tone for the album,” said Lerche, who was born in the ultra-scenic city of Bergen. “It was recorded at the same time as important songs from ‘Please.’ We recorded 17 songs. I wanted the album to be a concise statement. It was a time in my life of change — a time with a divorce. ‘Please’ is a very concentrated album in terms of themes and narratives. I’ve never really made a record that had such a clear narrative.”
He says, “Making the album was a cathartic experience. The studio becomes a safe place where I can sort through confusion and turn it into something positive. But, it’s not a diary — it’s music. ‘Despite the Night’ is still bittersweet but it looks forward and shuts the door behind it.” Video link for Sondre Lerche — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bOcWSChmi5E. Lerche’s show at Boot & Saddle will start at 8:30 p.m. with Steve Marion and Jonas Alaska as the openers. Tickets are $15.

 

 
On July 1, Mexican singer-songwriter Ximena Sariñana will bring her “Ain’t Gonna Say No Tour — No Voy A Decir Que No Tour” to the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, philly.worldcafelive.com).

 

 
Sariñana is currently promoting her album “No Todo Lo Puedes Dar.” The album’s first single “Sin Ti No Puede Estar Tan Mal” topped the radio lists and her new single “Ruptura” is quickly climbing the charts and Sebastian Sariñana directed the music video.

 

 
In Mexico, Sariñana is a star. Her first album “Mediocre”, which was released in 2008, debuted at Number 1 in Mexico and scored two Latin Grammys. Her self-titled album, her English-language debut, was released in 2011.

 

 
The daughter of acclaimed film director Fernando Sariñana, she also been acting since the age of 11. Sariñana starred in three telenovelas and 11 Mexican films including “Dos Abrazos”, for which she won the prize for Best Supporting Actress by the Mexican Film Critics and Press Board.

 

 
“It took me two years to make the ‘No Todo Lo Puedes Dar’ album,” said Sariñana, during a phone interview last week. “After finishing touring my English album, the only songs I came up with were in English. I had 10 songs in English written but I wanted to do a Spanish album. It was nice to start fresh — to think about the new album as a body of work. I flew to Madrid. I love Madrid. It’s one of my favorite cities. I have friends there who are musicians in all different styles.

 

 
“I started contacting all these people. They’re all really keen on lyrics and I wanted to focus on Spanish lyrics. I came back from that journey with six songs total. It was perfect to get the process going.”

 

 

The new album was different from its predecessor in several ways.“Usually, I write on keys,” said Sariñana, a native of Guadalajara who now lives in Mexico City. “But, on this one, a lot of songs were written on guitar. I’m not a great guitarist but I wanted to write on guitar. You come up with different phrasings. A lot of the songs were written on guitar. Once the recording process started, I wanted to go with whatever felt right. The songs deal with the loss of love…a lot of confronting pain and accepting it as part of the human existence. It’s about being who you are and being what you want to be.”

 

 

She says, “Most of the songs were written in Mexico City. It was definitely a Latino-influenced album. I think people should be open to music no matter what the language. Music is a universal language. It doesn’t have barriers. If you deliver something really well done with honest intentions, people will connect.”
Video link for Ximena Sariñana — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VpUeZPPktok.The show on July 1, which starts at 8 p.m., features Joy Ike and Alex Ferreira as the opening acts. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 at the door.

 

 
Other area performances include:

• The Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will present John Edie for two shows — 7 and 10 p.m. — on June 26.
• The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com) will host Cliff Eberhardt with Louise Mosrie on June 26 and “Steel City Local Artists Night” on June 27 with Paul Stangl, Andrew Savage and Odist Obettor.
• Chaplin’s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110, http://chaplinslive.com) will have Brothers and Sisters on June 25, Chestnut Grove with Conor and Hannah McCarthy on June 26 and Eye for an Eye, Relevant to this, Amora, Panic, and Farewell Forgotten on June 27.
• Doc Watson’s Public House (150 North Pottstown Pike, Exton, 610-524-2424, docwatsonspublichouse.com) will present Next 2 the Tracks, SoulEater and Innoko on June 25 and Chronic Wolf, Band of Rivals, Matt Fell and Anthony Piergiovanni on June 26.
• The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will have York Street Hustle on June 25, Red Baraat with special guest Swift Technique on June 26 and Philly Bloco’s CD Release Show on June 27.
• Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547, www.burlapandbean.com) will present Rebecca Rego & The Trainmen with Dylan Jane on June 26.
• Melodies Café (2 East Ardmore Avenue, Ardmore, 610-645-5269, www.melodiescafe.com) will host Christie Lenée and Ferdinand the Bull on June 25, 9 5ive 4our (Christine Havrilla, Christine Moll and Gretchen Schultz) and Sonja Sofya on June 26 and Justin DePaola and Bill Weisel on June 27.
• The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com) will present Erica Campbell on June 26 and Jim Jeffries on June 27.
• The Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) will host a “Rock’n’Roll in the Movies” dance party on June 27 featuring live music by Johnny Kay and the JK Rockets.