On Stage: After the feast, a feast for the ears

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

Thanksgiving is a very laid-back day for most people (except those preparing dinner) – a day filled with eating, drinking, partying and watching special TV shows such as parades and traditional football games.

When the day after Thanksgiving arrives, it’s a day to shake off the lethargy, get energized and power into a festive three-day weekend.

This year, one of the best ways to get your motors revved into high gear will be to attend the show at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com) – a show featuring The Sounds as the headliners and My Jerusalem as the opening act.

The Sounds — Maja Ivarsson, Vocals; Felix Rodriguez, Guitars/Vocals; Johan Bengtsson, Bass; Jesper Anderberg, Keys/Guitar/Vocals; Fredrik Blond, Drums — are an indie rock band from Malmo, Sweden.

The Sounds were formed in 1998 by classmates Rodríguez, Ivarsson, Bengtsson and Blond in Helsingborg, Sweden.

Their debut album, “Living in America,” was released in 2002, with the follow-up “Dying to Say This to You” in March 2006.

Now, the rocking quintet has come to America on the 10th Anniversary of their groundbreaking critically-adored sophomore album “Dying to Say This To You.”

“We realized earlier this year that it was 10 years ago that we released our album ‘Dying To Say This To You’ and embarked on a journey that took us on tour around the world for almost two years straight,” said the band in a statement to fans.  “This was a magical time in our lives and we shared it with so many of you. Now we like you have gotten a little older, some have gotten married, had children, and it has been many years since we’ve hit the road.”

It should be noted that the Sounds are doing more than just “hitting the road” again.

“This tour is to celebrate our ‘Dying To Say This to You’ album,” said Ivarsson, during a phone interview Monday afternoon from a rest stop in Beaver Falls (PA) as the band travelled from Chicago to a gig in New York City.

“If you have a successful debut album, it’s harder to do a sophomore album. It puts more pressure on. Our sophomore album put us on the map in the United States. We had three hit singles from that album – ‘Painted By Numbers,’ ‘Hurt You’ and ‘Tony the Beat.’ In recent years, we’d play ‘Tony the Beat’ differently.

“Now, we play it like it was on the record. On this tour, we’re playing ‘‘Dying To Say This to You’ straight through – start-to-finish – with the songs played just like they were recorded. It’s a bit of nostalgia. Fans have memory of 2006. It’s great nostalgia that takes fans to a tine in their lives when things were a lot different.”

Most of the time, when bands have a history that reaches double figures in the “years together” category, there have been some line-up changes over the years. The Sounds are an anomaly.

“Our current line-up is the same as when we started in 1998,” said Ivarsson. “It’s pretty amazing – but it really works. We have the same goal – the same vision. Our main influence is just good music. There were so many different songwriters we liked when we started. In the early days, we were really into Ultravox. We grew up with Suede. We were big fans of Blondie and Depeche Mode.

“It’s exciting to be playing the song from ‘Dying To Say This to You’ again. We open the show with the first song from the album and go through the 10 songs. After the last song, we play another 9-10 songs from different albums – all the way back to ‘Living in America.’ It’s like a ‘Best of’ segment. We’re also looking at fans’ Instagram requests for favorite songs.”

Video link for The Sounds – https://youtu.be/P5ykTHMVUUI.

My Jerusalem started as a solo project by Texan musician Jeff Klein. Now, with a full-time lineup of members including Grant Van Amburgh (drums), Kyle Robarge (bass), Jon Merz (guitar, keys, horns) and Klein (vocals), My Jerusalem is a true band. The recently-released LP “A Little Death” is the first My Jerusalem album with a solidified lineup.

“We all live in Austin, Texas,” said Klein, during a phone interview Monday afternoon on the trip from a gig in Chicago to a date in New York City. “We’re an ‘in it for the long run’ band. We’re registered. Everyone is invested socially and philosophically.

“A few years ago, My Jerusalem was a solo project that was trying to be a band. After I put a solo album out in 2010, I spent time playing in other bands. Being in The Twilight Singers and the Gutter Twins made me realize that I wanted to be in a band. Everybody in this band was introduced to me in the music community in Austin.

“What drew us together? Everybody is technically really good. And, they all know when to play and when to create space. We all have different music tastes and it comes together to create this great melting pot.”

Things stated to take shape just about three years ago.

“With My Jerusalem in 2013, I had made my last record ‘Preachers’ and it had half this band with me,” said Klein, who grew up in Newburgh, New York and got his college degree from State University of New York at New Paltz.

“When we toured that album, it was actually the start of this band. We started writing together and went into the studio at the end of 2014 to begin making a new album. Over the next year, we kept going back to it. We did a bunch of songs in an old church in the east side of Austin and some in the studio. It took place over the course of a year-and-a-half. The album came out in July.

“For this tour, it’s an opening set so it’s all from ‘A Little Death.’ Our goal is to keep going out and playing the album. We love playing live. Onstage, you can re-interpret the music and that’s a lot of fun. One of our favorite things is playing for people,”

Video link for My Jerusalem – https://youtu.be/qHoeVJh98-A?t=6. 

The all-ages show at Union Transfer, which also features Zipper Club, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

A show of a very different sort is also scheduled for Friday night – and for the rest of the weekend.

“Broadway Christmas Wonderland: The Holiday Show,” which is running November 25-27 at Playhouse on Rodney Square (10th and Market streets, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-0200, http://theplayhousede.org), is billed as “quite simply one of the most delightful and enchanting Christmas shows ever.”

That might be a bit of a hyperbole but the show does hold its own with the best touring holiday shows in the country. The holiday spectacular features glittering costumes, a dazzling cast, and the “highest-kicking chorus girls this side of the North Pole.”

The show is produced by Spirit Productions and David King, a multi award-winning and internationally acclaimed theatre producer who became known to American audiences through the hit musical, “Spirit of the Dance.”

Spirit Productions owns The Palace Theatre in Myrtle Beach and The King’s Castle Theatre in Branson, Missouri, where their shows play all year. The cast for this tour spent weeks in rehearsal at The Place Theatre” prior to heading to Wilmington to do tech and prepare for the tour’s opening run at the Playhouse.

“We’ve been working on the final touches here in Wilmington,” said one of the show’s principal vocalists Daniel Drewes, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. “We’re doing some blocking and running the show tonight and then I’ll head home to New York for Thanksgiving. Our first show here – the first show of the tour – is Friday night.

“We do get comparisons to the Radio City show and there are some elements that are similar. We have the girls but there are also a lot of men in our show. There are also new things in our show that Radio City doesn’t have – like a lot of ballads and a gospel section.

“This show is a new, original take on traditional Christmas shows. I have five solo numbers and one is a beautiful Josh Groban style ballad. And, there is an amazing gospel finale to the first act – ‘Joyful Joyful’ – which is one of the highlights of the show. Some of the other high points are my song ‘When a Child is Born’ and the lively Santa tap number.”

In the show, Santa and his merry helpers take the audience on a nostalgic Christmas journey with songs such as “White Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Chestnuts Roasting,” “Jingle Bells,” “Away in a Manger,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Let it Snow,” “Silent Night,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Deck The Halls,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and “O Holy Night.”

The production features a cast of 24 singers and dancers who are hand selected from London, New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Together, they transform the stage into pure winter wonderland magic.   With spectacular sets and scenery – and more than 1,000 glittering costumes — the show parades its way through the wonder of Christmas and the excitement of the holiday season.  

“There are more than 70 different versions of Christmas songs in this show,” said Drewes. “I do five solos – ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ ‘Do You Hear What I Hear,’ ‘When A Child Is Born,’ ‘God Bless the USA’ and ‘Run Rudolph Run.’

“And, there are a lot of amazing dance numbers. The dancers are constantly on stage. There are a lot of tap numbers and showgirl numbers – and glittery elaborate costumes. There is even a special animal sequence which kids will love.

“With this show, it’s a distraction to forget about all the troubles that are going on in the world. What’s not to love about going to a Christmas show? Christmas is a time to gather together and be grateful. There are a lot of spiritual elements to this show.”

Video link for “Broadway Christmas Wonderland: The Holiday Show” — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBUX3caer_I

The shows at the Playhouse will be performed on November 25 at 7:30 p.m., November 26 at 2 and 8 p.m. and November 27 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $40-$60.

Another family-friendly show is on the area’s entertainment schedule for this weekend. The Kimmel Center will present “Odd Squad Live!” on November 25 and 26 at the Merriam Theater (250 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-893-1999, www.kimmelcenter.org).

Based on the Emmy Award-winning PBS Kids television show “Odd Squad,” the touring production will have three performances at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ Merriam Theater over Thanksgiving weekend. Like the TV show, “Odd Squad Live!” engages children to solve mysteries utilizing their STEM skills to decode and discover clues.  It’s an interactive show that invites children of all ages to help out and have fun.

One of the cast members will be hitting the stage just a few blocks from where he earned his undergraduate degree in music theater. Bryan Black, who is starring as Father Time, is a relatively recent graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

“I graduated from the University of the Arts in 2014 and then went to New York,” said Black, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Pembroke, North Carolina. “Seven months later, I was out touring with this show. I’m still with the show and I’m having a great time.”

“Odd Squad” is highly-acclaimed series about a spy organization run by kids that investigates anything strange, weird and especially odd. Each episode follows kid agents as they track down villains, stop odd creatures and help people with odd conditions like The Jinx or The Sing-Alongs. “Odd Squad” is a little “Men In Black” for kids, mixed with “Airplane” and elements of “Get Smart.” And, embedded in each episode is a math lesson — aimed at kids ages four to eight — leading to the expression: Odd is the problem, math is the solution.

The touring show offers the following message to its fans – “Attention Odd Squad fans! Things are about to get very odd in YOUR town, and Ms. O needs YOU to help solve the case.”

“Odd Squad Live!’ is springing into action on stage in this action-packed, laugh-out-loud adventure where kids get to participate in solving a seriously strange case. When agents Orion and Oleanna get turned into grown-ups by villains, it’s up to the kids in the audience to use their math skills and help the agents decode, decipher and unravel clues. With a little help from Ms. O back at headquarters, the agents and audience members work together to save the day. Some lucky fans will even get to join the fun on stage and use amazing Odd Squad gadgets.

“Odd Squad Live!” is filled with the coolest new gadgets, funniest and quirkiest villains  like “Father Time” and “Lady Terrible,” and catchy hit songs from the Odd Squad-favorite band, Soundcheck. The stage show will feature Odd Squad “classic” tunes as well as all-new songs.

“There are eight of us in the cast, including the two agents and the three bad guys,” said Black. “I’m one of the bad guys – Father Time. The other two are Lady Terrible and Evil Gardener.

“The show is about 90 minutes – with an intermission. The producers have told us that the ‘Odd Squad’ audience includes kids ages four through 14. It’s a wide-aged crowd. There is a lot of diversity in the audience. Kids really get into it. Some even cone to the show dressed iup as agents.

“It is a really fun show with a definite element of slapstick – especially with the villains. We run into each other all the time. I think the biggest attraction of this show is that it’s fun for kids to see one of their favorite TV shows come to life.”

Video link for Odd Squad Live – https://youtu.be/a6koBPGjzqM?t=2.

The show at the Kimmel has performances set for November 25 at 6:30 p.m. and November 26 at 1 and 5 p.m.

Tickets range from $20-$50.

As people get older, they develop patterns in their life and usually are reliable when it comes to staying true to those patterns.

Over the next week, several world-class musicians who have been making music for a long time, will stay true to patterns they have developed regarding playing shows in this area.

For years, George Winston has started his series of “Winter Concerts” around the end of November and has included the Philadelphia area on his itinerary. For an even longer time, Hot Tuna has been returning to the Delaware Valley for a show at the Keswick Theater on Thanksgiving weekend.

This year, both acts are upholding their traditions. Hot Tuna will perform at the Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com) on November 26 and George Winston will have a show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) on November 30.

Ask the question “What is a Thanksgiving treat begins with the letters T and U?” and most people will immediately respond with “turkey.”

Music fans might come up with another answer – “Tuna.” That’s tuna as in Hot Tuna, the legendary blues-rock band from San Francisco.

When Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen perform as Hot Tuna, the music veterans who were part of the original San Francisco music scene in the late 1960s bring a wealth of rock-and-roll history along with them. On November 26, Hot Tuna makes its annual holiday visit to the area for a show at the Keswick Theatre (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com).

Casady and Kaukonen were founding members of the original Jefferson Airplane and then together founded Hot Tuna. Kaukonen, a guitarist, has also released a number of solo projects and Casady, a bass player, had done a few. Both veteran musicians have done hundreds of recording sessions with other artists. As Hot Tuna, they play a mesmerizing blend of rock, folk and blues.

Most of the time, when Hot Tuna visits the area, it’s either with a full electric band or it is a duo with just Casady and Kaukonen. This Saturday’s show will be different.

“We’re doing the electric trio,” said Casady, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon in already-snowy Stowe, Vermont. “It’s great to get back to a trio because there is a lot of freedom in it. Not many acts can work as a trio.”

Casady and Kaukonen can because they’ve been playing together for decades and because they’ve enlisted Justin Guip as their drummer.

Guip is a three-time Grammy Award winner who worked directly with Levon Helm from 2004-2012. Guip sat in on drums with the Levon Helm Band while Helm played mandolin.  Guip served as production manager for Helm’s Midnight Rambles and when the two partnered up to create a boutique recording studio in Helm’s now infamous, “Barn” in Woodstock, New York, Guip as the senior recording/ mix engineer produced numerous outstanding records for a list of music greats.

“We’ve revisited a whole bunch of songs that we haven’t done in a long time,” said Casady. “We’ll be playing more shows as a trio next year. With a trio, the musical interchange is different. It’s what we’ve developed as a duo. It’s just a lot of fun to play.”

With a trio, there can be both the fullness found in a band show and the intimacy found in a duo show.

“Everyone works harder with a trio because you’re painting that picture of a song and there are only three people, said Casady. “The interplay is challenging.

“For this tour, we’re going into the catalogue and bringing out different jewels — performing them the way we play now. We can take the old-timey material and use drums. It’s going to be a great time.”

It will also be another sparkling display of the chemistry that binds the two rock greats.

“Jorma and I have kept a freshness in the musical genre,” said Casady. “We’ve had a unique take on it — acoustic guitar and bass. We’ve had all kinds of configurations — folk music, rock, blues. Words, music, poetry — that’s what we’ve always been into. The music stays alive. The communication in the music keeps it alive every night.”

Casady and Kaukonen first got together when both were high school students in the Washington, D.C. area. Their first band together was a D.C.-area garage band called The Triumphs.

“We’ve been together since 1958,” said Casady. “We started Hot Tuna in 1968 and did both bands (Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane) together until 1973. That’s when Marty (Balin) put Jefferson Starship together.

“We figured that Jefferson Airplane had its run. The core years were over. Most bands don’t stay together more than four years so seven years was a lot. We did the first Hot Tuna album in 1970. Some of the material has held up well to the test of time.”

Another thing that has stood up to the test of time has been the band’s annual visit to the Keswick Theater late in November.

“The Thanksgiving shows at the Keswick are always special,” said Casady. “There’s always a certain amount of fans who are always there — who become like family. And, there is always an influx of younger fans and that is very gratifying.”

Video link for Hot Tuna — https://youtu.be/f_bGJ1SddEw?t=78.

The Thanksgiving weekend show at the Keswick will start at 7:30 p.m. on November 26. Tickets are $35 and $45.

The Keswick Theater will also present The Machine on November 25.

George Winston is a multi-faceted musician.

Winston is a highly-respected solo pianist who has a dedicated fan base around the world. He is an excellent composer and, at the same time, an artist who likes to interpret other musicians’ songs. Winston is a music veteran who doesn’t follow trends — and a musician who is keen on charity work. All of these facets will come into play when Winston performs in Sellersville on Wednesday evening.

Since 1986, Winston has been raising money for food banks and service organizations and will continue to do so by working with a local food bank in every tour market to hold a canned food drive at the show and also by donating 100% of proceeds from the sale of his merchandise to the organization.

“As with all my shows, I’m also collecting donations for the local food bank,” said Winston, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Richmond, Virginia. “So, I’d like to ask people to bring non-perishable food donations.”

This concert’s beneficiary will be a food band called the Pennridge FISH Organization.

“I usually do two main tours a year – September through December and then late January through slate May,” said Winston. “I like to go out for four months at a time. The summer is a good time to be in the studio.”

Making albums has never been a high priority for Winston with only 13 albums in more than 40 years. But, there are patterns – albums featuring the music of Vince Guaraldi, albums made as benefit records for flood-ravaged New Orleans and albums representing each of the seasons.

His most recent albums are “Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions 2–A Louisiana Wetlands Benefit” (2012) and “Love Will Come-The Music of Vince Guaraldi Vol 2.” (2010). He also recorded the solo piano soundtrack for the children’s story “The Velveteen Rabbit” narrated by Meryl Streep. He is currently putting the finishing touches on two new full-length recordings, “Bay Of Gold –The Music of Vince Guaraldi” and “Spring Carousel.”

His next solo piano album, “Spring Carousel – A Cancer Research Benefit,” will be released in 2017.  These solo piano melodic songs were composed in 2013 while he was recovering from his bone marrow transplant at the City of Hope Village. He is dedicating 100% of his artist royalties to benefit cancer research.

“This album should be out by March 2017,” said Winston. “I was staying at the City of Hope from mid-September 2012 until early March 2013,” said Winston. “I was there because of myelodysplastia — a condition with low platelets. Now, I just get checked every four months.

“There was a piano there that was available 24 hours a day. I went there every night for hours. That’s why I’m doing a benefit album for the City of Hope.

 “It’s a double-CD which is already recorded. There are compositions about 20 carousels along with 10 ballads that I call ‘bouquets.’ The music on this album is influenced by Steve Reich’s music — very much so with the circular motion…swirling circular repetition.

“This album and ‘Bay of Gold’ are both done. ‘Spring Carousel’ will come out first. ‘Bay of Gold’ will probably come out in 2018. I recorded about 30 pieces and 15 are on the record. So, there will probably be a Vince Guaraldi Volume Four sometime in the future. I just get the albums done and let everyone else decide when they should come out.

Three of Winston’s albums have dealt with the seasons – “Autumn” (1980), “Winter into Spring” (1982) and “Summer” (1991). And, his album “December” (1982) also is season-related.

“This is a winter show,” said Winston, who grew up in Montana and Mississippi and now lives in Santa Cruz, California. “I do select material by the seasons but it’s more based on what I played the last time I was in a particular town. The priority for me is to be able to switch. As time goes on, I’ve gotten more flexible.

“The music tells me what to do. I just say — yes, I’ll do what you tell me. I take songs I like and piano solos are the way I do them.”

Video link for George Winston — https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ff3QQ0QEclU.

The show at Sellersville will get underway at 8 p.m. Tickets are $39.50 and $55.

When an active holiday weekend starts to wind down on its final day, some people like to relax and chill a bit while others like to go out to a concert to keep the festivities going until the final whistle.

On November 27, music fans can accomplish both by attending Katherine Rondeau’s CD release show at the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com). The special matinee show will start at 3 p.m.

Rondeau’s concert will celebrate the official release of her debut album “New Hope Chateau.”

There has been a buzz locally about Rondeau and the buzz mainly has been about her voice – a magnificent instrument on its own.

On its website page devoted to Rondeau, the Philadelphia Folksong Society wrote – “Her voice – strong, soulful, warm – rings out like a bell on a clear summer’s night. Her songs – honest, rousing, reeling – come up from her bones and get translated straight through her heart.”

Rondeau’s powerful, warm-toned vocals and her insightful writing are informed by influences ranging from Lucinda Williams to Bob Dylan. The combination has garnered critical as well as fan attention. The singer-songwriter has been building a fan base by performing two years in a row at the Philadelphia Folk Festival (2015/2016) along with live shows at such hotspots as Godfrey Daniels, the Folk Project, Mermaid Inn, Burlap and Bean, and Nashville’s Bluebird Café.

“I really have always been a folksinger,” said Rondeau, during a phone interview Monday afternoon from her home in Burlingtown Township, New Jersey. “I’ve been singing my whole life. I sang in every choir in school. I was always singing.

“I got a guitar when I was pretty young. When I was 10, my dad bought a guitar. He was a butcher and, after he got the guitar, he realized his fingers were too big for those little strings. So, he gave me the guitar and I started strumming.

“We had lots of records when I was growing up. Peter, Paul & Mary were my favorite. As an alto, I’m used to singing both harmony and melody. Mary (Travers) was like that. She was my idol when I was growing up. The first song I learned to play was Dylan’s ‘Blowing in the Wind,’ which was done really well by Peter, Paul and Mary.”

Rondeau has been singing her whole life but her musical aspirations went on hiatus for a while in the 2000s.

“I just got back into music in 2014,” said Rondeau. “I had 10 years off because I threw myself into school. After 10 years of doctoral studying, I decided to stop. I didn’t want to do a dissertation. I wanted more life in my life – more people in my life.

“And, my father passed away. I had all this built-up energy and passion. So, I picked up my guitar after 10 years. Songs I used to sing felt flat for me. So, I started writing extensions. I did a solo EP with nine songs in 2015. My new album has 12 songs – eight originals and four covers.

“It’s a fully-produced full band record, I recorded it at MorningStar Studio. Glenn Barratt produced, mixed and mastered it. He also had some players coming in to play on it – great session people like Ross Bellenoit and Gary Oleyar. I also have great players in my band for this Sunday’s show – Chico Huff on bass, Eric Sayles on lead guitar and Chuck Staab on drums.”

Video link for Katherine Rondeau – https://youtu.be/HHWoqBAtGEI?t=4.

The show at the World Café Live will start at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will have Dena Blizzard on November 25 and Warhorse on November 26.

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com) will host Professor Louie and the Crowmatix on November 26.

Chaplin’s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110, http://chaplinslive.com) will present Gina Zo on November 25 and The POF, Elastic Blur and Alina Dowdalls on November 26.

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will present Splintered Sunlight on November 25 with special guest Tom Davis & Friends and The Core – Eric Clapton Tribute along with Brown Sugar on November 26.

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547, www.burlapandbean.com) will present The John Grecia Band and Drew Nielands on November 26.