{"id":17869,"date":"2017-06-10T07:10:58","date_gmt":"2017-06-10T11:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=17869"},"modified":"2017-06-10T07:13:11","modified_gmt":"2017-06-10T11:13:11","slug":"on-stage-extra-the-mavericks-defy-labels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=17869","title":{"rendered":"On Stage (Extra): The Mavericks defy labels"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Mavericks<\/p><\/div>\n

Only a handful of American rock bands that have been able to rise to the top and then remain there indefinitely.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks, who will be performing on June10 at the Sugarhouse Casino (1001 North Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia, 877-477-3715, www.sugarhousecasino.com<\/a>),www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/a>), are one of those bands.<\/p>\n

The band came together in Miami just over 25 years ago and immediately built a strong following with its eclectic mix of rock, country, Latin, rockabilly, standards and cowpunk.<\/p>\n

Despite personnel changes, financial difficulties, internal conflicts, a few periods in limbo and a variety of other challenges, the Mavericks are still going strong more than a quarter-century later.<\/p>\n

Recently, the group released its new studio album \u201cBrand New Day\u201d on its own label \u2013 Mono Mundo Recordings.<\/p>\n

The current line-up of The Mavericks includes founding members Raul Malo (vocals) and Paul Deakin (drums). Jerry Dale McFadden has been the band\u2019s keyboardist since 1994 and guitarist Edie Perez joined in 2003.<\/p>\n

Coming off of a sold-out album release show at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and a historic trip to Havana, Cuba to tape an upcoming PBS special, The Mavericks continue their trek from East Coast to West Coast in support of \u201cBrand New Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Brand New Day\u2019 throughout the year in 2016,\u201d said Malo, during a phone interview Thursday as the band travelled from Nashville to New York. \u201cWe recorded some of it a Capitol\u2019s studios in L.A.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this record, instead of waiting for an entire batch of songs to be written, we\u2019d book time in the studio as I wrote the songs. Then, we\u2019d have time to tinker with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to play some of the songs first before going into the studio with them. So, we\u2019d sneak some into our live set along the way. Infusing new material into a set makes it fun for us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an interesting situation compared to most bands. Our fans really like to hear our new songs live. We can put a new song in the set and leave out one of our big hits and no-one will bat an eyelash. We find a good balance between old and new. We make sets lists that we like and we know audiences will like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBrand New Day\u201d\u00a0represents a milestone for The Mavericks\u2019 career. The collection is the first independent full-length studio release on their label, Mono Mundo Recordings.<\/p>\n

The group chose to break away and become the sole overseers of their creative process, label and management and take full control of their long-standing career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really came down to how the business was working for us,\u201d said Malo. \u201cNow, we\u2019re able to work the way we want to because we\u2019ve taken control of all aspects of our business.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way businesses are set up for a band like us, we can\u2019t afford to be on a major label. It wasn\u2019t working for us. With what we\u2019re doing now, the power is in our hands to do what we want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

This business model is especially important for a band whose music spans a wide range of genres.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a band you can\u2019t describe,\u201d said Malo. \u201cPolka, Cuban, country, rock \u2013 we play it all but never call ourselves any of it. We were named the Americana Music Awards Duo\/Group of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also earned two Grammy nominations \u2014 Best American Roots Song for \u2018All Night Long\u2019 and Best Americana Album for \u2018Mono.\u2019 We won our first Grammy in 1996 for Best Country Performance by A Duo or Group with Vocal for \u2018Here Comes the Rain.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, I never ever said we were a country group. From a general point of view, we\u2019re just a rock and roll band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Mavericks — https:\/\/youtu.be\/ezv2q99BGK8<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sugarhouse Casino will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $49.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rusted Root<\/p><\/div>\n

Also on June 10, another American band that plays rootsy music and has been around for more than a quarter-century will be performing in the area when Rusted Root headlines the Wayne Music Festival (Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.waynemusicfestival.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Some bands get excited when they enter their second decade. Rusted Root sailed past that marker a long time ago and now is entering its second quarter-century. The internationally-acclaimed band has a long and interesting history.<\/p>\n

Actually, the veteran group of musicians long ago established its legacy as one of the premier rock bands to come from Pennsylvania. The group, which still includes three of the original five members, continues to write, record and tour. And, it still calls Pittsburgh home.<\/p>\n

The trio of founding members includes\u00a0Michael Glabicki (lead vocals,\u00a0guitar,\u00a0harmonica,\u00a0mandolin<\/a>), Patrick Norman (bass guitar,\u00a0backing vocals,\u00a0percussion) and Liz Berlin (percussion,\u00a0backing vocals). Rounding out the quintet are Preach Freedom (percussion, backing vocals) and Dirk Miller (guitar, backing vocals).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting to be out playing now,\u201d said Glabicki, during a recent phone interview from his home in Pittsburgh. \u201cIt\u2019s extra exciting to play intimate clubs and small outdoor shows. This way, we can tell the experience has blown the audience away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been pretty busy this year and last year. We had a great tour around the country. We went to Japan. We went to Guam and played for the troops over there. And, we did a West Coast tour with Toad the Wet Sprocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stayed pretty busy touring in the fall. It seemed that with the election, people needed a distraction. On the average, we play 160-170 shows a year. The numbers have been going up recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve picked up momentum. The band is clicking. We\u2019re more relaxed with a more intimate flow onstage.\u201d<\/p>\n

In honor of its 25th Anniversary, Rusted Root embarked on an extensive national tour several years ago to support its most recent album \u201cThe Movement,\u201d which is described by Glabicki as \u201can extremely joyous recording with seriously deep undertones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Movement\u201d was released on Shanachie Records in 2012.<\/p>\n

Rusted Root, which is known for its fusion of acoustic, rock and world, has recorded eight albums and sold over three million records worldwide.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s music has been featured in films such as \u201cIce Age,\u201d \u201cTwister\u201d and \u201cMatilda\u201d and TV shows such as \u201cAlly McBeal,\u201d \u201cNew Girl\u201d and \u201cCharmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had this lineup together for over five years now,\u201d said Glabicki \u201cColter (Harper), our other guitarist, left after the last album to teach school in Ghana. Preach has been our drummer for six years. Before that, he was our percussionist.\u201d<\/p>\n

While \u201cThe Movement\u201d was more of a spiritual, highly-creative work, Rusted Root\u2019s next album looks to be heading in a different direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working on our next album and we\u2019re getting closer to finishing it,\u201d said Glabicki. \u201cWe\u2019ve been performing a lot of the music live \u2014 fleshing it out for live audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took 70 songs and narrowed it to 12-15 for the album. There are 10 that are definitely going to make it. We\u2019re pretty excited about some of the new sounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are different vignettes throughout the song instead of a whole song being just one vignette. The background vocals are laid out differently. And, I\u2019ve been writing the blueprints for the arrangements first. Each song is its own entity and there is a lot of variety.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome songs are about heartache \u2014 powerful explosive ballads. One is an intimate spiritual song. Other songs go from that to a faster groove. I keep having more visions \u2013 a lot of sounds and different directions. We have a lot in the can but we keep clicking and opening up new doorways.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018The Movement\u2019 was a celebration of what we learned over the first 25 years. The new album is the start of the next 25 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see the band being together for that long. I don\u2019t see why not. The band keeps getting better. There are more landscapes to explore musically. And, we\u2019re still getting bliss from the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rusted Root\u2019s first major success came with the band\u2019s 1994 album \u201cWhen I Woke,\u201d which went platinum, and its breakout song was a catchy tune called \u201cSend Me on My Way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been playing that song so long that it has a life of its own \u2014 we just follow it where it goes,\u201d said Glabicki. \u201cWe\u2019ve been getting great responses with the new songs. It\u2019s a little scary because the sound is different \u2014 but the crowd gets it. The grooves are more organic and moving. There\u2019s a little bit of funk \u2014 and some straight-ahead rock grooves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Rusted Root —\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/IGMabBGydC0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rusted Root\u2019s set at the free festival is scheduled for 9 p.m. and will be followed by a fireworks display.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Greg Sover<\/p><\/div>\n

Other acts slated to play at this year\u2019s Wayne Music Festival are Help the Doctor, Brian Seymour, The Fractals, Hurricane Hoss, Darla, Huffamoose, Kevin Sousa, Ben Arnold, Rugby Road, Mason Porter and Matt McAndrew.<\/p>\n

Greg Sover has just released \u201cMy City,\u201d a record that is his tribute to Philadelphia, and is celebrating with an all-star concert to benefit North Light Community Center on June 11 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The concert, which will run from 1:30-4:30 p.m., features the Greg Sover Band — Allen James, Garry Lee, Tom Walling and special guest Wally Smith \u2013 along with Jeannie Brooks, Richard Bush, Deb Callahan, Lizanne Knott, and the North Light Community Center Singers.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019My City\u2019 is a track from the new album,\u201d said Sover, during a phone interview this week from his home in Philadelphia. \u201cIt\u2019s just me showing my love for the city \u2013 me giving back. So, I\u2019m doing a benefit for North Light \u2013 just trying to give back to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sover, who grew up in Philly and attended William Penn High, has been making music for a while. But, it has only been recently that he has started taking his career to a higher level with the release of his debut album \u201cSongs for a Renegade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been playing a lot more shows lately,\u201d said Sover, during a phone interview this week from his home in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been opening for a lot of bands. I just opened for Ana Popovic at Sellersville last week. People have been receiving me well. I\u2019ve been building up my fan base that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sover became fascinated with the guitar at age 13. His father taught him the French song \u201cLa Maladie d\u2019Amour\u201d and Sover took it from there. He taught himself how to play guitar, how to write songs and, eventually, how to sing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and my family moved to Philadelphia when I was 10,\u201d said Sover. \u201cI was exposed to music when I was really young.\u00a0 I had musicians on both sides of my family. My whole life I\u2019ve had access to the guitar. With guitar, I started really knowing what I was doing when I was around 15. At the same time, I was playing electric bass at my church.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sover says his music doesn\u2019t fit into one particular genre. It includes elements of \u201cblues and rock with a dash of everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has been influenced by artists in multiple genres including Bob Marley, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Dwight Yoakam, Jay-Z, Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy and others) and Jimi Hendrix.\u00a0Songwriting has been an outlet for him to express his struggles and passions and he believes that his songs resonate with his fans.<\/p>\n

Sover first attracted serious attention when he won the 2015 Hard Rock Rising competition at Philadelphia\u2019s Hard Rock Cafe. His development is due in large part to his band, which is comprised of three Philly veterans with extensive resumes \u2013 bassist and album co-producer Garry Lee, guitarist Allen James and drummer Tom Walling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Lee, who has played with June Rich and The Rhythm Cats Revue, is currently the bassist in the Deb Callahan Band. Lee assembled the band for Sover — enlisting James and Walling, his long-time band mates in the Deb Callahan Band. Their cohesiveness as a unit enabled Sover to develop as an artist and take his music to the next level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band all started with Gary Allen,\u201d said Sover. \u201cI played an open mic at the Grape Room and Gary was doing sound that night. Garry really helped me get my career going.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed top level musicians and he brought them. It\u2019s been amazing working with Garry and I\u2019ve really learned lot from these guys. Allen is one of my favorite guitarists ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sover\u2019s favorite guitarist is a player who tops many musicians\u2019 \u201cfavorite guitarist\u201d list — Jimi Hendrix.<\/p>\n

\u201cJimi Hendrix is one of my major influences,\u201d said Sover. \u201cI\u2019m really influenced by a lot of the music from that era. The music of the 60s spoke about things. It was very political.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those influences can definitely be heard on \u201cSongs for a Renegade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album at two studios — one in Center City Philadelphia and one in Mount Airy,\u201d said Sover.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked on it last November and stopped recording at the beginning of this year. When we finished, we had nine originals and one cover. The cover I did was \u2018Ain\u2019t No Sunshine\u2019 by Bill Withers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Gary Sover — .https:\/\/youtu.be\/8LAygpzHyWM0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will run from 1:30-4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Only a handful of American rock bands that have been able to rise to the top and then remain there indefinitely. The Mavericks, who will be performing on June10 at the Sugarhouse Casino (1001 North Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia, 877-477-3715, www.sugarhousecasino.com),www.thefillmorephilly.com), are one of those bands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5166],"tags":[3912,5448,4480,4123,6664],"class_list":["post-17869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-greg-sover","tag-rusted-root","tag-the-mavericks","tag-wayne-music-festival"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17869"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17870,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17869\/revisions\/17870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}