{"id":20085,"date":"2018-01-18T11:34:03","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T16:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=20085"},"modified":"2018-01-18T11:34:12","modified_gmt":"2018-01-18T16:34:12","slug":"on-stage-heather-maloney-kicks-off-2018-tour-locally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=20085","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Heather Maloney kicks off 2018 tour locally"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Heather Maloney<\/p><\/div>\n

Heather Maloney is a singer-songwriter-rocker from western Massachusetts who has released several critically-acclaimed albums over the last decade. She has been recording and playing her music live since 2009 and has had numerous performances in this area \u2013 including Kennett Flash and Burlap & Bean.<\/p>\n

On January 18, Maloney will kick off her first tour of 2018 with a show at Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547,\u00a0www.burlapandbean.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Last April, Maloney headlined a show at Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) with her \u201cProjecTour,\u201d which was billed as \u201cthe audio-visual-show-that-determines-which-new-songs-will-be-on-my-next-record.\u201d The tour looked at something that has become a dying art form \u2013 music released in physical form rather than just as digital content.<\/p>\n

That attitude informed the release of Maloney\u2019s new EP \u201cJust Enough Sun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI released the album in two waves,\u201d said Maloney, during a phone interview Wednesday evening from her home in Northampton, Massachusetts. \u201cIt was released strictly in physical form on December 1 and then was released digitally on January 12. It\u2019s fully released at this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did it his way for a couple reasons. There\u2019s a lot going on lyrically. So, now more than ever, I want the lyrics to be a centerpiece. I wanted to release it with lyrics printed up in the album art \u2013 something that you could look at and read.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, I wanted it as a whole album so that people would listen to it in its whole form instead of listening to just one ort two songs online. I wanted the whole package.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also felt kind of interesting to release it before and after the New Year with two lives. Now, I get to release it as a 2018 thing. So far, the physical copies have been selling really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maloney realizes the importance of keeping the CD format \u2013 and the vinyl album format \u2013 alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re now in an era where CDs are becoming obsolete and downloading becoming less popular because of streaming,\u201d said Maloney. \u201cI found myself thinking more-and-more about how I used to buy records.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d buy a record and then go to my room and listen to it front-to-back while reading the insert and looking at the art. Back then, we were involved in the whole experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would always read the lyrics. That little ritual I had was what made me fall in love with music. I missed that ritual and wanted to pay homage to it. One thing that hasn\u2019t gone away with musicians is the live show. I don\u2019t think anything is ever going to replace the live experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Maloney, \u201cI went into the studio and recorded six songs. Most are single takes, played live in a room together,\u00a0instruments bleeding into vocal mics, vocals into instruments. It\u2019s the most raw and\u00a0unedited recording I\u2019ve ever done. While\u00a0there is a certain amount of vulnerability in sharing my most unedited self with you, I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese songs are\u00a0vulnerable ones. They are underbellies, hidden things, turned-over stones, sometimes unflattering but always worth inspecting. They\u2019re what I found when I went digging through my family history, human history, forgotten friends, forgotten heroes, the boxes still in my mom\u2019s basement,\u00a0old dreams and\u00a0old records I used to know all the words to.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no other way to record them\u00a0other than the immediate and cathartic way we did — screaming at the microphone or whispering all of my secrets to it, and leaving it all just the way it came out.\u00a0I\u2019ve put it all out there on this one, and it felt damn good to do it.
\n\u201cMy duo-bandmate Ryan Hommel was the lead producer on \u2018Just Enough Sun\u2019 and did an incredible job listening to what each song wanted from us. Andrew Oedel engineered this baby at his gorgeous studio right down the highway from me \u2013 Ghost Hit Studio in Holyoke, Massachusetts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new EP is straightforward, pure and organic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted this record to be very acoustic \u2013 keep the instrumentation minimal\u2026keep focus on the lyrics and the vocals,\u201d said Maloney. \u201cRyan was successful at maintaining these focal points. We recorded ti at this fantastic studio. It\u2019s a very homemade studio in an old mill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like the most cathartic record I\u2019ve ever made with a lot of references to my childhood and my past. The theme is just getting really close to messy, touchy subjects \u2013 about facing your demons.<\/p>\n

Maloney\u2019s involvement with music goes back to her student days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI studied jazz vocals so I\u2019m also a very percussive singer,\u201d said Maloney. \u201cI studied music at a college in North Jersey and focused on classical operatic vocals. Then, I left everything music behind and lived at a meditation center in western Massachusetts for three years. I was a vegetarian cook there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m writing songs, I start with an analogy on the modern world and then take it deeper. The lyrics are written as signposts. When I\u2019m writing, voice is the first instrument and piano the second instrument. Piano is where I started writing songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs come in little waves. I have a lot of influences. I listened to a lot of Indian music, classical opera, kirtan and jazz improvisation. I write a few new songs every month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maloney frequently plays with her band but not on these shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a duo set,\u201d said Maloney. \u201cI have an incredible guitarist \u2013 my producer Ryan Hommel. He\u2019s also a great harmony singer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Heather Maloney \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/YbCNh19IlK0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Burlap & Bean will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Burlap & Bean are Dan Bern with Vanessa Peters on January 19 and Mason Porter on January 20.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Verve Pipe<\/p><\/div>\n

On January 18, the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will host multi-platinum alternative rock band The Verve Pipe, a band recognized worldwide for its radio hits \u201cPhotograph,\u201d \u201cHero,\u201d \u201cNever Let You Down,\u201d and the massive 1997 #1 single \u201cThe Freshmen<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Depending on the venue, the Michigan-based group, which features Brian Vander Ark (vocals, guitar), Lou Musa (lead guitar), Randy Sly (keyboards, backing vocals), Joel Ferguson (bass, backing vocals), Sam Briggs (drums, percussion), Channing Lee (backing vocals), Craig Griffith (harmonica, backing vocals), will perform three different types of shows during this tour — a full electric rock show, a pared down acoustic\/electric show of the band\u2019s hit songs and fan favorites, or an acoustic reimagining of the group\u2019s platinum-selling major label debut album \u201cVillains.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night, we did a \u2018Villains\u2019 tribute show on acoustic instrumentation,\u201d said Vander Ark, during a phone interview last Friday as the band was travelling to a gig in New Jersey. \u201cThis leg of the tour is more of a storytelling acoustic rock show.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2017, The Verve Pipe released its latest studio album, \u201cParachute,\u201d along with the band\u2019s first-ever live album, \u201cVillains \u2013 Live & Acoustic (recorded at The Ark in Ann Arbor, MI).\u201d With a new lineup and a renewed energy and focus, lead singer\/principal songwriter\/co-founder Brian Vander Ark and the band, play original music that is distinguished by innovative arrangements, soul-searching lyrics and layered vocals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Parachute\u2019 last year,\u201d said Vander Ark. \u201cA lot of these songs were written by individuals in the band as a shell and then brought to the rest of the band to fill out. This is the best we\u2019ve ever done. I\u2019m surrounded by talented people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cut the album at our bass player Joel Ferguson\u2019s studio. We played live in a room to do the demos. We\u2019d work on songs and then record together in the studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started with one song 18 months ago and about every three or four weeks, we\u2019d put up another song on social media. After a while, we collected the songs and put the \u2018Parachute\u2019 album out. Staying in people\u2019s faces is the way the industry is right now \u2013 keeping everything fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to recording rock albums, The Verve Pipe expanded its repertoire in 2009 to include writing and recording \u201cA Family Album,\u201d a critically-acclaimed introduction to the world of children\u2019s music, as well as the band\u2019s 2013 follow-up family-oriented release, \u201cAre We There Yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEight or nine years ago, we put out a kids\u2019 record and it was huge,\u201d said Vander Ark. \u201cWe do kids\u2019 shows and the merch sales from these shows keeps us afloat financially. It\u2019s nice to know we have that revenue source. Now, we\u2019re back in rock and roll and put out two records.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Verve Pipe has been making top-flight rock and roll records since its formation in Michigan in 1992.<\/p>\n

\u201c25 years \u2013 the fact that we\u2019re still doing sound checks and trying new things is something,\u201d said Vander Ark. \u2018It\u2019s hilarious to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Verve Pipe \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/5FY2k2KUf-k<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Ardmore Music Hall, which has Pete Distefano as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Ardmore Music Hall are \u201cMusic for the Arts: 11th Annual Benefit\u201d featuring Old Soul Revival, Chris Grunwald and the Slow Response, TC Cole Riot, Droppin Deuce and The Bad Larrys on January 19, John Eddie and Junior Brown on January 20 and \u201cFunky Brunch & Market: Local Vendors, Local Music, Beer & Brunch\u201d featuring The Rekardo Lee Trio, The Whiskeyhickon Boys and Hannah Taylor on January 21.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

YACHT<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s not often you\u2019ll see a yacht coming to Philadelphia \u2013 especially during the winter months — unless it is at one of the area\u2019s boat shows.<\/p>\n

But, YACHT does come to Philadelphia \u2013 not to boat expos but rather to rock clubs.<\/p>\n

YACHT, a rock band from Los Angeles featuring the musical and real-life partners Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans<\/a>, has performed at a number of music venues in Philly over the course of its decade-long existence. On January 18, YACHT will return to the area to headline a show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684, www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The band, which just released the video for the song \u201cShame\u201d on January 9 via Brooklyn Vegan<\/a>, is touring in support of its new EP \u201cStrawberry Moon.\u201d The tour began a week ago in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just started playing songs from the EP in our live shows,\u201d said Evans, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour break in New York City. \u201cWe haven\u2019t played any of them yet in Philly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band started in Portland, Oregon but we\u2019ve had our home in Los Angeles for a while. Jona and I met in 2004 so it\u2019s almost 15 years old as an entity. We met when our bands played on the same bill at a gallery in L.A. I was in college at the time studying English and Comparative Literature at Occidental College.\u201d<\/p>\n

YACHT had three albums as Bechtolt\u2019s solo projects before he hooked up with Evans.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first album together was \u2018See Mystery Light\u2019,\u201d said Evans. \u201cIt hit at the right moment \u2013 when blogs were getting popular. It had a song \u2013 \u2018Psychic City\u2019 \u2013 that was a hit. Over the years, we\u2019ve been a five-piece, a three-piece, a six-piece but it\u2019s always been the two of us \u2013 and Rob.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rob is Rob \u201cBobby Birdman\u201d Kieswetter, a permanent touring member who handles vocals, bass guitar and keyboard. Bechtolt\u2019s contributions are vocals, programming, guitar, drums, bass guitar, percussion, claps, synthesizers, keyboards, piano, and effects.<\/p>\n

\u201cJona is primarily a drummer but he plays a lot of instruments,\u201d said Evans. \u201cI\u2019m the only one who just does one thing. I sing \u2013 and write songs. In the band, I\u2019m the performer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a punk rock band and we\u2019ve toured relentlessly for years all around the world \u2013 Europe, Asia, and all over America. And, for some reason, we\u2019re big in Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had five albums, a bunch of singles and EPs and a number of videos. We do all the production ourselves in our studio with Ableton Live. We play live instruments and all our tracks are really layered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evans has also pursued a career as a writer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just finished writing a book which is coming out this year,\u201d said Evans, a science journalist. \u201cIt\u2019s about the feminist history on the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book \u2013 \u201cBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet\u201d \u2013 will be available on March 6 via Penguin Random House on sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.<\/p>\n

Additionally, YACHT has been awarded two grants to restore the Triforium, a\u00a01975 polyphonoptic sculpture\u00a0in Downtown Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

But, before any of that happens, YACHT will be rocking the house at Johnny Brenda\u2019s this week.<\/p>\n

Video link for YACHT — https:\/\/youtu.be\/p95_rB6WPc8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, which has Jennifer Vanilla as the opening act, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at Johnny Brenda\u2019s are Curtis Cooper on January 19, and Oolala on January 20.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

SondorBlue<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re a fan of the softer side of rock with bands featuring multiple harmonies, then some of your favorites are probably the Eagles, the Beatles, America and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Music fans in this group should consider adding SondorBlue to their playlists.<\/p>\n

SondorBlue is a self-described \u201csemi-psychedelic, harmony-infused rock and roll band.\u201d<\/p>\n

On January 18, SondorBlue, which is based in Charleston, South Carolina, will make a return visit to the Grape Room (105 Grape Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/www.graperoommusic.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The band, which features Andrew Halley (Bass, Vocals), Connor Hollifield (Electric Guitar, Vocals), John Sheehan (Acoustic Guitar, Violin, Keyboards, Vocals) and Drew Lewis (Drums), will also have an area show on January 19 at Tellus 360 (24 East King Street, Lancaster, 717-393-1660, www.tellus360.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been playing together for two years as SondorBlue \u2013 with the full lineup with the four of us,\u201d said Sheehan, during a phone interview Monday morning from his home in Charleston.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all knew each other from Hilton Head, which is where we\u2019re from. Connor and Andrew started busking together at Coligny Beach in Hilton Head. I joined them five years ago. Then, we made the transition to a full band two years ago. We relocated to Charleston for college. Andrew, who is two years older, was the first to go off to coll4ege and we followed one-by-one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all went to the College of Charleston \u2013 except our drummer who went to the University of South Carolina. When he joined in the summer of 2011, we were playing covers. Not long after that, we started recording original songs. We came to Charleston with original music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, the band is touring in support of its new EP \u201cYou Will Find Love On Ashley Avenue,\u201d which was inspired by their times living together in a house on Ashley Avenue in Charleston.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter 11 months of consistent touring, we went into the studio to make this EP,\u201d said Sheehan. \u201cWe wanted the EP to reflect our live show. We wanted to capture that sound on the recording. We live-tracked all the songs and then did some overdubbing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded it at Fairweather Studio in Charleston with Omar Colon as the producer. We had a lot of common ground. We made it in four days and then did four or five days of mixing. We tracked everything really fast.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all songwriters. One of us will spark an idea individually and the bring it to rehearsals where we all collaborate. We have a lot of the same influences \u2013 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Beatles, Pink Floyd and newer bands like Tame Impala and Lemon Twigs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for SondorBlue \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/FxrGwNh9Nk4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Grape Room, which also features The Chordaes, will start at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Grape Room are Stand and Wave and Tiger Castle on January 19 and Kenny Price on January 20.<\/p>\n

The show at Tellus 360, which also features Flapjack Jones and The Bender Brohs, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kategory 5<\/p><\/div>\n

Other upcoming shows at Tellus 360 are City Blues Night on January 20, Vinegar Creek Constituency on January 21 and Death Caf\u00e9 on January 22.<\/p>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will host Kategory 5 and Rusty Blue on January 20 and Open Mic with guest host Felicia Berrier on January 21.<\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents Kathleen Madigan on January 20 and Tina Karol on January 21.<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will have Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin II on January 18, Kick on January 19 and Tinsley Ellis on January 20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Heather Maloney is a singer-songwriter-rocker from western Massachusetts who has released several critically-acclaimed albums over the last decade. She has been recording and playing her music live since 2009 and has had numerous performances in this area \u2013 including Kennett Flash and Burlap & Bean. On January 18, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5166],"tags":[3912,6459,7138,7457,7458,7456],"class_list":["post-20085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-heather-maloney","tag-kategory-5","tag-sondorblue","tag-verve-pipe","tag-yacht"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20085","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=20085"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20086,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20085\/revisions\/20086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}