{"id":34382,"date":"2023-10-13T10:00:51","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=34382"},"modified":"2023-10-13T10:00:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T14:00:52","slug":"on-stage-kennett-symphony-opens-new-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=34382","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Kennett Symphony opens new season"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Kennett Symphony’s Music Director Michael Hall<\/p><\/div>\n

On October 15, the Kennett Symphony will open its 2023-2024 season with a program called \u201cMasterworks 1: Stories of Love and Nature.<\/p>\n

The concert, which will run from 7:30-9:30 p.m., will be performed in the Exhibition Hall at Longwood Gardens (1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, kennettsymphony.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The program will feature Glenn Buhr\u2019s \u201cAkasha (Sky),\u201d Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\u2019s \u201cViolin Concerto No.4\u201d with Risa Hokamura as soloist, Felix Mendelssohn\u2019s \u201cThe Hebrides (Fingal\u2019s Cave)\u201d and Jean Sibelius\u2019 \u201cPelleas and Melisande.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Symphony\u2019s website invites listeners to \u201cenjoy an exploration of themes of love and nature in the beautiful surroundings of Longwood Gardens. Taking inspiration from Hindu poetry, Canadian composer Glenn Buhr wrote a lighter-than-air piece entitled \u201cAkasha\u201d; Sanskrit for Sky. Mendelssohn was inspired by the rugged islands off Scotland\u2019s coast to write the Hebrides, whereas Sibelius captured in music the tragic love story of Pelleas and Melisande. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll do a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m. so that folks can get to know the music before the show,\u201d said Kennett Symphony Music Director Michael Hall, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the concert, we\u2019ll have a post-show Q&A. We encourage people to stay and have a chat with us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe how is divided in two halves. The first half starts with \u2018Akasha,\u2019 which means \u2018sky\u2019 in Sanskrit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe piece is just four minutes long. It\u2019s a lighter-than-air piece \u2013 a lot of fluttering and a lot of activity. It\u2019s light and spacey.<\/p>\n

\u201cMozart wrote five violin concertos. We\u2019re performing the Fourth with Risa Hokamura as soloist. It\u2019s a 25-minute piece.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of Mozart\u2019s violin concertos are beautiful. The Fourth is light \u2013 humorous even. It\u2019s very simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cRisa is a wonderful young violinist. She comes to us from YCA \u2013 Young Concert Artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

After intermission, the symphony returns with a powerful piece by Mendelssohn.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the concert is inspired by nature and love, we said \u2013 what kind of music do we need?,\u201d said Hall. \u201cThis piece was written by Mendelssohn when he was a young man visiting the Hebrides. He was so impressed with the nature there, he wrote a piece. It has an undulating character representing waves \u2013 moments of crescendo like waves hitting the rocks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last piece combines love and nature \u2013 nature and music that accompanies nature. With the concert being at Longwood Gardens, it\u2019s really an inspiration from the venue itself \u2013 the beauty of nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a 30-minute piece with very short movements \u2013 at the seashore, spring in the park. It opens with Fingal\u2019s Gate \u2013 confronting the big stone walls of a castle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Kennett Symphony \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/ijLVR0185Co?list=PLWD-lys8kqn0CtmMSVkYyaAMirpX2zkko<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The concert at Longwood Gardens\u2019 Exhibition Hall, will run from 7:30-9:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $55 — $10, Students under age 18. Ticket price includes all-day Gardens Admission.<\/p>\n

You know the song. You know the movie. Now, get to know the musical.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Pretty Woman: The Musical<\/p><\/div>\n

This weekend, the Grand is presenting the Wilmington premiere of \u201cPretty Woman: The Musical\u201d\u00a0at The Playhouse on Rodney Square (1007 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, www.BroadwayInWilmington.org<\/a>) for five performances only from October 13-15. \u201cPretty Woman: The Musical\u201d\u00a0is part of the 2023-2024 Broadway in Wilmington season presented by Bank of America.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty Woman,\u201d which is based on the iconic movie of the same name that featured Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, is out on a national tour that had its opening night on October 3 in Ithaca, New York.<\/p>\n

The show, which is based on one of Hollywood\u2019s most beloved romantic stories of all, springs to life with a powerhouse creative team led by two-time Tony Award\u00ae-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray,\u00a0Kinky Boots,\u00a0Legally Blonde). \u201cPretty Woman: The Musical\u201d\u00a0features an original score by Grammy\u00ae winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance (\u201cSummer of \u201969\u201d, \u201cHeaven\u201d), and a book by the movie\u2019s legendary director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J. F. Lawton.<\/p>\n

The musical adaptation of the movie flows seamlessly and the show is propelled by a stellar cast featuring mostly young talent along with a few stage veterans.<\/p>\n

Leading the North American tour as Vivian Ward and Edward Lewis are\u00a0Ellie Baker\u00a0and\u00a0Chase Wolfe. Joining them are\u00a0Rae Davenport\u00a0as Kit De Luca,\u00a0Adam Du Plessis\u00a0as Happy Man\/Mr. Thompson, and\u00a0Liam Searcy\u00a0as Philip Stuckey.<\/p>\n

Rounding out the company in alphabetical order are\u00a0Matthew Blum, Brianna Clark, Kerry D\u2019Jovanni, Vincent DiPeri, Lauren Esser, Charlie Fusari, Steven Gagliano, Justin Glass, Christian Maxwell Henry, Alexandra Kinsley, Joshua Kring, Bethany McDonald, Robert Miller, Hank Santos, Taylor M. Sheppard, Devyn Trondson, Elana Valastro,\u00a0Sarah Wang,\u00a0and\u00a0Channing Weir.<\/p>\n

du Plessis is a South African actor living and working in the States. His South African credits include \u201cMacbeth,\u201d \u201cCATS,\u201d \u201cBeauty and the Beast,\u201d \u201cFiddler on the Roof,\u201d \u201cThe Boys in the Photograph,\u201d \u201cJesus Christ Superstar\u201d and \u201cThe Last 5 Years.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also toured internationally with \u201cPhantom of the Opera\u201d and \u201cWe Will Rock You.\u201d Since relocating to the United States. Du Plessis has done \u201cRock of Ages,\u201d \u201cAnnie\u201d and \u201cKinky Boots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had actually seen \u2018Pretty Woman\u2019 in Chicago when it was doing a pre-Broadway run,\u201d said du Plessis, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Ithaca. In March this year, I did an audition. I had my eye on the Happy Man role \u2013 the \u2018Fairy Godfather of Hollywood Boulevard.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very familiar with the movie. I had a sister who was in love with the movie. I also knew the creative team. I had worked with them on \u2018Kinky Boots\u2019 \u2013 especially Jerry Mitchell and Bryan Adams.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this show, I play five different characters \u2013 all under the umbrella of Happy Man. I\u2019m almost like a narrator. He\u2019s always himself but also has these different characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

du Plessis has become an established actor in both South Africa and North America.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been involved in theater my whole life,\u201d said du Plessis. \u201cI grew up in Port Elizabeth (South Africa) and started singing when I was six.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing theater productions since I was 11. I studied drama at the University of Cape Town and then played in \u201cPhantom of the Opera\u201d in South Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that, I did \u2018Rock of Ages\u2019 on the Norwegian Cruise Line. I did cruise line shows for five years. Then, I moved to the states a year-and-a-half ago and got cast in the National Tour of \u2018Annie.\u2019 Now, I\u2019m doing Happy Man. It\u2019s the most exciting role I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty Woman: The Musical\u201d\u00a0has original scenic design by\u00a0David Rockwell, tour scenic design by\u00a0Christine Peters, costume design by\u00a0Gregg Barnes, lighting design by\u00a0Kenneth Posner\u00a0and\u00a0Philip S. Rosenberg, sound design by\u00a0John Shivers,\u00a0hair design by\u00a0Josh Marquette, makeup design by\u00a0Fiona Mifsud, and music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by\u00a0Will Van Dyke.<\/p>\n

Featured in the musical is\u00a0Roy Orbison\u00a0and\u00a0Bill Dee\u2019s international smash hit song \u201cOh, Pretty Woman,\u201d which inspired the much-loved movie.\u00a0The film, \u201cPretty Woman,\u201d was an international smash hit when it was released in 1990. It\u2019s an iconic brand. With \u2018Pretty Woman,\u2019 the movie\u2019s brand is bigger than most. It\u2019s the biggest Rom-Com ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty Woman: The Musical\u201d is running now through October 15 at the Playhouse. Show times are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Ticket prices start at $40.<\/p>\n

Tom Rush, one of America\u2019s most revered folksingers, is a New Englander through and through. However, in recent years, he has built a connection with Chester County.<\/p>\n

One of his last live shows prior to the COVID pandemic was a concert at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center. Rush returned to the area in March for a show at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville.<\/p>\n

Now, the veteran troubadour is coming back again. On October 13, Rush will headline a show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, www.st94.com<\/a>) with Seth Glier as the opening act.<\/p>\n

Rush releases an album just slightly more frequently than blue supermoons appear in the Northern hemisphere skies.<\/p>\n

His last three albums \u2013 \u201cWhat I Know\u201d in 2009, \u201cCelebrates 50 Years of Music\u201d in 2013 and \u201cVoices\u201d in 2018 were all released via West Chester-based Appleseed Records.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Voices\u2019 is my last record \u2013 not my last but my most recent album,\u201d said Rush, during a phone interview last week from his home in Southern Maine on the New Hampshire border. \u201cI actually have a new album ready to come out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a studio at home but it\u2019s more camera gear for my Rockport Sundays podcasts. My producer Matt Nakoa found a very nice studio in Connecticut \u2013 Carriage House Studio \u2013 and we were there in spring 2023. We arrived on Match 28 and recorded up until April 3. We did 13 tracks and some instrumentals.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne is a brand-new track that is about 50 years old that was never released. It was taken from a radio show I did in Philly with Gene Shay. I played it for Matt, and he said we\u2019ve got to record this one. Another song was one I wrote for my baby and she\u2019s now 24 years old. And there are some brand-new ones. The last song was titled, \u201cI Quit\u201d \u2013 but I\u2019m not quitting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe songs are all originals. \u2018Voices\u2019 had two traditional songs. This one has \u2018Gimme Some of It,\u2019 which I heard somewhere. It sounds like a traditional jug band song, but I don\u2019t know where it came from.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent five days in the studio. The first take on each was just a practice and the second was for real. We got a lot on the second take and never did more than three takes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album has a lot of songs that I felt good about including three songs that are different \u2013 takes on a breakup. As usual, I\u2019m just all over the place \u2013 silly songs and songs that will make you cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not quite sure why I\u2019m making an album. With Spotify, the royalty I make for 1,000 listens is one cent. The good news for me is that I\u2019ve always made my living on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was the catalyst for making a new album after a five-year gap?<\/p>\n

\u201cMatt got tired of me saying someday I\u2019ll make a new album,\u201d said Rush. \u201cHe got tired of waiting so he booked the studio and lined up musicians including Seth Glier on accordion and harmonium and Joe Nearney on sax and harmonica.<\/p>\n

Rush has worked with Nakoa in the past and is using him as his sideman for the current shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working for eight years with Matt,\u201d said Rush. \u201cHe steals the show. He plays piano and sings like an angel. He\u2019s also a monster guitar player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rush released his first album, \u201cTom Rush at the Unicorn,\u201d in 1962.\u00a0 \u201cVoices\u201d was released in April 2018. Altogether, Rush has put out 26 albums in 60 years \u2013 and just eight since the turn of the century.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, he is much more active when it comes to live performances. Rush is a consummate performer who always delivers an entertaining show when he takes the stage to perform his songs and choice songs by other artists.<\/p>\n

He will be performing a number of songs from \u201cVoices,\u201d an album that has its own special niche in Rush\u2019s long discography.<\/p>\n

Over the course of his 50-year-plus career, one of Rush\u2019s defining gifts has been his ear for the faint voices of significant new songs by little-known writers. The New England-based singer-guitarist was among the very first to record future standards by then-fledgling performers Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne on his 1968 album \u201cThe Circle Game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rush brought a later generation of singer-songwriters such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences as part of his tours. James Taylor and country music superstar Garth Brooks have both named him as a major influence.<\/p>\n

Until \u201cVoices,\u201d Rush has been heard only sparingly as a songwriter, with only a few tantalizing handfuls of originals \u2013 about 20 \u2013 spread out over eleven studio albums.<\/p>\n

\u201cVoices\u201d was the first album ever of all-Rush originals \u2013 10 relaxed, warmhearted, amused and sometimes thoughtful songs that perfectly reflect his wry persona.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wrote on guitar,\u201d said Rush. \u201cEvery song came differently. A lot of times, it\u2019s a phrase \u2013 just a few words that suggest a melody. Sometimes, it starts with a melody. There is no pattern.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy pattern is to write too much. Each song tended to end up too long. You find that out when you take them in front of a live audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has been more than a half-century since Rush made people take notice with one particular song \u2014 \u201cUrge for Going,\u201d which was written by Joni Mitchell and recorded by Rush in 1968. It quickly became one of Rush\u2019s signature songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cUrge for Going\u201d is something that seems to happen to Rush when November arrives \u2014 especially if the destination is the Delaware Valley.<\/p>\n

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the veteran singer-songwriter established a tradition of performing a series of shows over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at the now-defunct Main Point in Bryn Mawr.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always played the Main Point at Thanksgiving,\u201d said Rush. \u201cI probably did that at least six years in a row. The first show would be Thursday night and it was always a groggy show. People were showing the effects of eating a big Thanksgiving dinner. I did two shows a night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed those days of doing multiple nights — and The Main Point was a great place to play. Jeannette (Main Point owner Jeanette Campbell) was the patron saint of the Philadelphia folk scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the show this Friday night, Seth Glier will also be featured.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have Seth Glier with me for these shows,\u201d said Rush. \u201cHe\u2019ll play his own set and then join me for some songs in my set. He\u2019s a monster talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glier\u2019s forthcoming album, \u201cEverything,\u201d is a collection of songs inviting the listener to imagine a future in which humans and the planet are re-aligned in mutual restoration.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote the first song for the album \u2013 \u2018Mammoth\u2019 — maybe three years ago,\u201d said\u00a0Glier, during a phone interview from his home in western Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt caught me off guard. It\u2019s a song about the resurrection of a woolly mammoth. It\u2019s written from the perspective of a woolly mammoth \u2013 where does a woolly mammoth belong?<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in the middle of making my last record \u2013 \u2018The Coronation,\u2019 \u2018Woolly Mammoth\u2019 was the only song that didn\u2019t belong on \u2018The Coronation\u2019 \u2013 so, I saved it for the next album.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a songwriter, I wanted to build a whole record about climate. I started learning about who, where and why. I found stories that interested me. One of the threats to the climate is the way we look at problems. We look at it as a binary question. We need to look at solutions we already have.\u201d<\/p>\n

The earth speaks to us in a myriad of ways \u2014 through ice cores, through uplift and erosion, through tree ring — languages we have the potential to restore our literacy in. Reconnecting with these quiet messages has set\u00a0Glier\u00a0on a path of channeling nature\u2019s longing for communion with humanity into song. \u201cEverything\u201d is a collection of eight songs inviting us to imagine a future in which humans and the planet are re-aligned into mutual restoration.<\/p>\n

Each song presents a practical climate solution with concrete optimism. The album\u2019s title track was inspired by an experience\u00a0Glier\u00a0had while mushroom foraging.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the last three years, I\u2019ve been obsessed with foraging for wild mushrooms,\u201d said\u00a0Glier. \u201cThe grounds are pretty fertile around here. One day, I picked up a chantarelle mushroom and it was so sweet smelling.\u201d<\/p>\n

It created a strange reaction for\u00a0Glier.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Glier, \u201cWhen I brought it towards my nose, I first smelled sweet apricot and then my spine straightened suddenly. The feeling was like d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. It was a \u2018first time,\u2019 yet somewhere inside of me I had done this once before. I was reconnecting to a knowledge I had already known.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obsession had begun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watched a movie about foraging,\u201d said\u00a0Glier. \u201cI saw how mushrooms were already a part of my life. I started growing mushrooms in our guest room.<\/p>\n

\u201cMushrooms are very intelligent plants. They are highly creative, and they communicate with each other. Learning about mushrooms has totally changed me as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glier\u2019s gifts are an innate curiosity and a fierce desire to connect with other people.<\/p>\n

His musical acumen provides him with a vehicle for both. He was worked as a cultural diplomat for the US State Department and collaborated with musicians in Ukraine, Mongolia, China, and Mexico.\u00a0Glier\u00a0has shared the bill with a diverse list of artists including Ronnie Spector, James Taylor, Ani DiFranco, & Glen Campbell.<\/p>\n

As a producer, music director, or studio musician he has collaborated with Sophie B. Hawkins, Tom Rush, Antje Duvekot, Richard Shindell, Doctora Qingona, Dar Williams, Nick Carter, & Cyndi Lauper.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the last 15 years, I\u2019ve been the music director for Sophie B. Hawkins,\u201d said\u00a0Glier.<\/p>\n

Glier\u00a0is a five-time Independent Music Award winner and received a Grammy nomination for his album, \u201cThe Next Right Thing.\u201d With a commitment to using songwriting as a tool for positive change, he has written with the students in Parkland, FL for the \u201cParkland Project,\u201d worked with ChildFund International and Rock The Vote.<\/p>\n

He has also cowritten with soldiers at Walter Reed Army Hospital and is an advocate for autism awareness citing his autistic brother Jamie as his greatest non-musical musical influence. The Massachusetts native has also been a TEDx Speaker.<\/p>\n

One of\u00a0Glier\u2019s other connections with nature is his affinity for birds which was on display in his album prior to \u201cThe Coronation\u201d \u2013 \u201cBirds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBirds,\u201d which was released in 2017, is an album for the birds, inspired by birds and made with the help of birds.<\/p>\n

Glier\u00a0recorded \u201cBirds\u201d in an airy loft in western Massachusetts outfitted with a grand piano and floor-to-ceiling windows. Birds roost just outside those windows, on the roof of the converted mill building where he lives, and they became his sympathetic audience while\u00a0Glier\u00a0made the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a lot of comfort talking to the birds outside my window,\u201d said\u00a0Glier. \u201cI\u2019d talk to them frequently to see how they thought things were going with the music.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe communicated well. It was definitely spiritual to make that kind of connection. That was the catalyst that got me into writing these songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was the death of his brother and the relationship they had that provided the focus for the songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a lot of intense moments \u2013 first birthday without my brother, first Thanksgiving without my brother,\u201d said\u00a0Glier. \u201cThat was also calling me to stay close to home and use an insular environment to pour emotions into my writing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother was born with autism and had seizure disorders. He was in the hospital for six weeks at the end. We were very close.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was my greatest non-musical influence. He was non-verbal. When we were growing up, I had to get up and give him breakfast. He taught me new ways of communication without words. That\u2019s why I can communicate so well with the birds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The birds will not join him on his trip south this week, but he will be joined by Dina Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy live shows start with a local non-profit person talking,\u201d said\u00a0Glier. \u201cThen, I\u2019ll play \u2018Everything\u2019 front-to-finish followed by a set of older songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018Everything,\u2019 I\u2019m putting out each of the album\u2019s songs \u2013 one each month up until its release in January. There will be a video for every song and two live videos for each. Each song features a different climate solution accompanied by storytelling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Seth\u00a0Glier\u00a0— https:\/\/youtu.be\/sdWKxcAaM48<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Video link for Tom Rush — https:\/\/youtu.be\/AWSWUD5soGM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Sellersville Theater on October 13 will start at<\/p>\n

Tickets are $39.50.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming acts at the Sellersville Theater are Edwin McCain on October 12, Coco Montoya on October 14, The Fifth Dimension on October 15 and Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra on October 18.<\/p>\n

Another top-flight show on October 13 will be Bre Kennedy at World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Kennedy\u2019s upcoming sophomore album, \u201cScream Over Everything,\u201d is scheduled to be released on November 10.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, COVID forced Kennedy\u00a0to alter her plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did have a lot of songs written and I planned to tour in 2020,\u201d said\u00a0Kennedy, during a phone interview this week from Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n

Instead, 2020 was a shutdown and\u00a0Kennedy\u00a0worked on a new album with new songs \u2013 \u201cNote to Self.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the songs on the album were written during the pandemic,\u201d said\u00a0Kennedy. \u201cThe only one that wasn\u2019t is \u2018Wilburn Street,\u2019 which I wrote the day before the lockdown. I thought that adding it would be a beacon of hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was writing about five or six songs a week. I probably wrote over 100 songs during the pandemic. When I chose the songs from the album, I didn\u2019t want to be just writing about being depressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are threads on the album. A lot of songs were me processing things about my life and how I wanted to live post-pandemic \u2013 songs to celebrate the brighter side after all the darkness brought on by the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

One thing on the \u201cbright side\u201d was that Nettwerk Music Group took an interest in Kennedy.<\/p>\n

When COVID-19 struck, everything shut down as she was talking to labels.<\/p>\n

According to Kennedy, \u201cI was really discouraged. I just thought, the only thing I can do is keep creating.<\/p>\n

So, she did. Like her previous work, she independently recorded and self-released\u00a0\u201cNote to Self,\u201d her debut full-length.<\/p>\n

Before the album came out, Kennedy received a message on Instagram. It was Terry McBride, one of the founders of Nettwerk Music Group. He\u2019d discovered her through Spotify or another streaming service. Could she hop on a Zoom?<\/p>\n

As they chatted, Kennedy mentioned she was in the middle of a tour. She wouldn\u2019t make a decision until that ended. In the meantime, she requested the opinions of other musicians who\u2019ve been with Nettwerk.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody said nothing but amazing things,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Kennedy believes one of the reasons Nettwerk pursued her is because the Canada-based label is focused on drawing attention to Nashville\u2019s non-country scene.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Note to Self\u2019 was my first full-length and that\u2019s what attracted interest from Nettwerk,\u201d said Kennedy.<\/p>\n

My new album is different. The previous stuff was nostalgic. This album is very much in the present time \u2013 allowing myself to be what I am now. It\u2019s about mindfulness. It\u2019s what I\u2019ve been reading the last 10 years of my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the album in Los Angeles last year with Davis Naish at his studio. We wrote together in the past for other artists in Nashville. So, I asked him to work on my record. We made the album over the course of a year \u2013 when I wasn\u2019t on the road. There are nione songs on the album and we\u2019ve released six of them as singles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raised by\u00a0her single dad in a highly musical household,\u00a0Kennedy\u00a0grew up jamming out to\u00a0greats like Tom Petty, Heart and Aretha Franklin. At 17 she moved to Los Angeles,\u00a0feeling in her gut that LA wasn\u2019t where she was meant to\u00a0be. In 2015, she\u00a0hopped in her Nissan and drove to Nashville where she really discovered her\u00a0true musical identity.<\/p>\n

Waitressing by day and gigging at night,\u00a0Kennedy\u00a0was\u00a0devoted to making her dream of a career in music a reality.\u00a0Playing shows at\u00a0prominent Nashville venues like The 5 Spot and The Basement, as her presence\u00a0grew in the city\u2019s music scene, she began releasing more of her own music and\u00a0building residency.
\nAfter her\u00a0buzzworthy hits like \u201cJealous of Birds\u201d and \u201cTwenty Something\u201d landed her Spotify\u2019s\u00a0New Music Friday, many doors opened up. Opening for Sheryl Crow at\u00a0Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and selling out her first\u00a0headlining show at\u00a0historical landmark Exit\/In, she cemented her spot as one of the new voices out\u00a0of the New Nashville music scene.<\/p>\n

Now,\u00a0pandemic restrictions are a thing of the past and Kennedy\u00a0is performing live with bright spirits and a sense of optimism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can make people laugh and get away from fear, then I\u2019m pleased with what I\u2019m doing,\u201d said\u00a0Kennedy.<\/p>\n

Video link for Bre Kennedy \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/dv0q2lYjL50<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at World Caf\u00e9 Live on October<\/p>\n

Tickets are $<\/p>\n

On October 14, Ars Nova Workshop (www.arsnovaworkshop.org<\/a>) will present improv jazz rock trio mssv featuring guitarist Mike\u00a0Baggetta, drummer Stephen Hodges and punk legend bassist Mike Watt at Solar Myth (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia).<\/p>\n

on Saturday, October 14.\u00a0Ava Mendoza\u00a0opens.<\/p>\n

As a guitarist\u00a0Baggetta\u00a0has it all, from swinging modern bop chops that flow like John Abercrombie to whammy bar pedal steel licks influenced by his first guitar hero, David Torn. No less an authority than Nels Cline, the high priest of art-rock guitarists, has called him a \u201cguitar poet.\u201d In this raucous trio he\u2019s joined by drummer\u00a0Stephen Hodges\u00a0(Tom Waits, Mavis Staples, David Lynch) and Minutemen bassist\u00a0Mike Watt, whose wide-ranging career also spans work with Iggy Pop and the Stooges and fIREHOSE.<\/p>\n

Baggetta and Watt recorded\u00a0\u201cWall of Flowers\u201d\u00a0with drummer\u00a0Jim Keltner,\u00a0but Keltner was averse to travel so Hodges was brought in to tour the album. Hodges had previously worked with Watt on his second solo album,\u00a0\u201cContemplating The Engine Room.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resulting trio named themselves mssv and recorded a live album entitled\u00a0\u201cLive Flowers.\u201d\u00a0The album, recorded live at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia on March 28, 2019, features songs from\u00a0\u201cWall of Flowers\u201d\u00a0with \u201cPink Room\u201d from\u00a0\u201cTwin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,\u201d \u201cNo One Says Old Man (To The Old Man)\u201d and \u201cLiberty Calls!\u201d from Watt’s\u00a0\u201cContemplating the Engine Room\u201d \u2013 and a cover of \u201cFun House\u201d by\u00a0The Stooges.<\/p>\n

The music they create together is utterly unclassifiable; calling it post-genre-improv-jazz-rock may come close, but still doesn\u2019t even begin to touch on the wild electric textures\u00a0Baggetta\u2019s guitar alone brings to the table. There\u2019s no telling which way this heretofore unimagined hybrid of a punky power trio and a dreamy experimental rock band will turn at any given moment, a proposition that becomes a promise when they break down and reassemble these songs live with an instinct for restraint and an openness to anarchy.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s most recent album, \u201cHuman Reaction,\u201d was released September 1, 2023<\/p>\n

Recorded mostly on May Day immediately following that last tour, \u201cHuman Reaction\u201d traverses a deeply broad sonic landscape, as expected from this nearly unclassifiable group, though with even deeper twists and turns.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Haru Tour was in spring 2022,\u201d said Baggetta, during a phone interview Wednesday evening from a tour stop in Ithaca, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe played 48 shows in 48 days. On the 49th\u00a0and 50th\u00a0day, we recorded the new album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe divided the album\u2019s songs into two groups and performed them in the middle of the set. We alternated sets. We had 24 chances to practice each group of songs.\u201d
\nThe album was produced and mixed by Chris Schlarb at BIG EGO studio in Long Beach, California. Recorded on May 1 and 2, it was engineered by Devin O’Brien and mastered by JJ Golden. All of the songs were written by Baggetta. Mssv stands for \u201cMain Steam Safety Valve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis tour is our Aki Tour and it started on September 5 in San Pedro, California (Watt\u2019s hometown),\u201d said Baggetta, a Massachusetts native who attended\u00a0Rutgers University\u00a0where he received his Bachelor of Music degree and Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tour will last 58 days and on the 59th and 60th, we\u2019ll go to BIG EGO to do our third album. On the tour, we\u2019ll play half the album\u2019s songs one night and the other half the next night. With playing this way, it allows the music to evolve and to be free.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe music evolves a lot. I write specifically for Mike\u2019s bass sound and Stephen\u2019s drumming. I write the music, send it to them and then we practice. But there\u2019s no better practice than playing in front of a live audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of space in the songs the way we play them and the way it\u2019s written into the song.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for mssv — https:\/\/youtu.be\/dhz7NatrKF8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) continues its tradition of presenting top quality blues music this weekend.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music is a prime destination to hear folk, jazz and blues music every Thursday through Sunday.<\/p>\n

The \u201cThursday Night Jazz Jam\u201d and the \u201cSunday Blues Brunch & Jam\u201d are regular features on Jamey\u2019s calendar while Friday and Saturday night shows feature national and regional acts.<\/p>\n

On October 13, Jamey\u2019s features The Billy Price Band. The headline act on October 14 will be Bluestime.<\/p>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) is presenting Better Than Bacon on October 12, Singer-Songwriter Showcase on October 13 and Gretchen Emery Band on October 14<\/p>\n

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) is hosting Take 3 on October 13 and High Noon on October 14.<\/p>\n

The Living Room and Cricket Caf\u00e9 (104 Cricket Avenue, Ardmore, livingroomardmore.com<\/a>) will have Rootsetters on October 13 and Pawnshop Roses on October 14.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0 On October 15, the Kennett Symphony will open its 2023-2024 season with a program called \u201cMasterworks 1: Stories of Love and Nature. The concert, which will run from 7:30-9:30 p.m., will be performed in the Exhibition Hall at Longwood Gardens (1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, kennettsymphony.org). The program […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5166],"tags":[3912,4058,12217],"class_list":["post-34382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-kennett-symphony","tag-pretty-woman-the-musical"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34382","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=34382"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34383,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34382\/revisions\/34383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}