Solo artists in midweek spotlight
By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times
This past weekend was a heavy period for top-flight concerts in the area and it isn’t about to stop just because the weekend is drawing to a close.
On Sunday night, two talented solo artists will have shows in the city — Bob Forrest and Greg Holden. South African singer Jeremy Loops has a show slated for Monday night and “Bullets Over Broadway” opens at the Academy of Music on Tuesday.
The schedule’s highlight however will be on October 27 when a former Yes frontman and jazz legend bring their new project to the area.
The AndersonPonty Band, which will be performing on October 27 at the Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com) is a new band. But, its two main figures have been performing music for a combined total of 110 years.
The AndersonPonty Band features a pair of music legends — Jon Anderson and Jean Luc Ponty.
Anderson, a vocalist with a truly unique voice, was a founding member of Yes along drummer Bill Bruford and keyboardist Tony Kaye and spent 35 years as Yes’ primary singer and songwriter for 35 years.
He also has had a successful solo career, which includes working with such notable music artists as Vangelis, Kitaro, and Milton Nascimento. Anderson has been part of more than 30 Yes albums and released more than 20 solo albums.
International violin superstar Jean Luc Ponty is a pioneer and undisputed master of his instrument in the arena of jazz and rock. He is widely regarded as an innovator who has applied his unique visionary spin that has expanded the vocabulary of modern music.
Ponty has recorded close to 40 solo albums as well as six with Frank Zappa, two with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and three with Stephane Grappelli. Now, Ponty and Anderson have teamed up to release a new album with their current band — “Better Late Than Never,” a double disc Digipak including the 14-track audio CD, a hour long 10-song performance DVD (including artist interviews) and a 20-page booklet with complete song lyrics.
The AndersonPonty Band also includes Jamie Glaser on guitars (well-known guitarist who has worked with Ponty, Chick Corea, Bryan Adams and Lenny White), Wally Minko on keyboards (virtuoso player and composer who has performed and recorded with many worldwide stars including Pink, Toni Braxton, Ponty, Tom Jones, Gregg Rolie and Barry Manilow), Baron Browne on bass (played with Steve Smith, Billy Cobham and Ponty), and Rayford Griffin on drums and percussion (played with Stanley Clarke Band, George Duke, Ponty and Michael Jackson).
The new vibrant band explores the music created by Anderson and Ponty over the years with new arrangements, virtuosic performances and new energy.
“I was working on a song with a friend of mine Michael Lewis over the internet,” said Anderson, during a recent phone interview from his home in southern California.
“He had played in Jean Luc Ponty’s band and said Jean Luc and I should work together. I got a couple songs from Jean Luc’s first and third albums. I sang along with some of the tracks. I sent them to Jean Luc and said — this is what it would sound like.
“Jean Luc and I are both connected to Brittany. His parents were born there and my great grandparents came from there. We’re definitely musical brothers. We started talking about playing together. I had done shows at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colorado. I told the manager that I was thinking about the AndersonPonty project and he told me to bring it there. So, Jean Luc and I got this band together. We did three weeks of rehearsals in Colorado and then followed with two shows at the Opera House at the end of last September. It went so well that we realized that we wanted to take it out on tour this year.”
Before the tour came the making of the album.
“Except for two tracks, all the music is live,” said Anderson, who was born in England in the Manchester suburb of Accrington. “It just took a little time to decide how to put it all together.
“There were two songs we did in the show that didn’t work. Jean Luc did some updated arrangements and we re-recorded them. When I create an album, I want something you can listen to all the way through. Making this album was fun.
“My last solo album was ‘Survival & Other Stories.’ I didn’t tour it because I was doing a solo storytelling tour about life as a musician with Yes and Vangelis. I also did another piece of music called ‘Open.’ It’s an opus — 22 minutes of orchestral music songs. I’ve always been into long-form pieces. I used to do a lot of long-form music with Yes.”
Video link for AndersonPonty Band — https://youtu.be/LZw9jgHsRQ0
The show on October 27 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $32.50-$57.50.
The Keswick will also host Loreena McKennitt on October 28.
On October 25, the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, philly.worldcafelive.com) will host Bob Forrest, who has one of the most heartwarming stories of any rock star.
Forrest was the lead singer of Thelonious Monster, an L.A.-based rock band that was a contemporary — and an equal talent-wise — of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction.
One of rock’s legendary wild men, Forrest continually flirted with self-destruction — especially with numerous bouts of heroin addiction. On stage with Thelonious Monster, he would babble incoherently at times. He even forgot the words to “The Star Spangled Banner” when the band performed the National Anthem at a Major League Baseball game.
Forrest had a long journey in his struggle with addiction, visiting rehab facilities 24 times before finding sobriety in 1996. He has spent the last 17 years being of service, becoming one of the foremost chemical dependency counselors working out of the southern California region.
He has been on the Board for the Musicians Assistance Program (MAP), and spent eight years counseling at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena. In 2010, Bob left the established treatment world to start his own program. Two years later, Bob’s treatment philosophy and counseling services are brought to a client base that extends throughout the states and internationally.
Forrest became a celebrity drug-counselor and Dr. Drew Pinsky’s right hand man. A fixture in the recovery community, Bob Forrest has appeared alongside Pinsky in “Celebrity Rehab” and “Sober House.”
He was also the subject of the full-length documentary “Bob and The Monster,” which featured testimony from his peers including Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots), Keith Morris (Black Flag/The Circle Jerks), Steven Adler (Guns & Roses) and Courtney Love.
Forrest resumed his music career and released his “Modern Folk And Blues Wednesday” album on Lakeshore Records in 2006. Earlier this year, he released his “Survival Songs” album on Six Degrees Records.
“On this tour, it’s just me on guitar,” said Forrest, during a recent phone interview from his office in L.A. “I’ve been practicing. I want to be able to play songs with a passion. I try to practice an hour a day — but I’m not a very disciplined person. With the album, I was thinking there’s no reason for me to make records. Nobody is waiting.’
To record “Survival Songs,” Forrest worked with friend and Grammy-winning producer and author Ian Brennan (Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Tinariwen). The pair, along with a small crew of musicians that featured Zander Schloss (Circle Jerks, Joe Strummer) went to Big Sur to record the album on a plot of property owned by Bob’s close friend Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers).
“Ian Brennan, who is one of my oldest friends, said — you should make an album of your songs from beginning to end — songs from over a 32-year period. He said — let’s get together and record all your songs — over 40 songs.
“When you record with him, he doesn’t let you hear the songs. We spent five days and recorded 40 songs. We were really focused. Then, we chose 13 for the album. We recorded it last autumn at Flea’s house. Later, Ian was in Italy and over-dubbed it there.”
Forrest is happy to be on the road playing music — and happy to be still alive.
“People used to face death and deal with death all the time,” said Forrest. “My parents owned a nursing home so, at a very early age, I was aware of aging and passing. Now, people don’t want to talk about death. The subject of death is about living. If you live, you’re going to age and die — age if you’re lucky. You better live now. That’s what the subject of death means to me. All life is work, love and play.
“Punk rock was about compassion, anger and wanting things to be better. I just never lost my punk rock. We — Flea and Anthony (Kiedis from the Chili Peppers — we were always thinking — what can we do?
“Things are bad but they can get better. I’m going to make it better — even if it’s one kid at a time or one drug addict at a time.”
Video link for Bob Forrest — https://youtu.be/Pc25knVc_ig.
The show at the WCL will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.
Greg Holden
Greg Holden, who will perform on October 25 at the TLA (Theatre of the Living Arts, 334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1011, http://www.lnphilly.com), is a singer-songwriter who was born in Scotland, raised in England and now lives in New York.
Holden is touring in support of his major label debut album “Chase The Sun,” which was released in April on Warner Bros. Records. It features the hit single “Hold On Tight” as well as the incredibly moving “Boys In The Street.”
“Boys In The Street” is a touching song about a father having to deal with seeing his son “kissing boys in the street.” Not judgmental in either direction, the song is a thought-provoking look at modern life.
“With ‘Boys In The Street,’ at the end of the day, I was just writing a story,” said Holden, during a recent phone interview from his home in New York. “It’s a song about acceptance.
“I can’t write a song unless there is a story. I started writing songs for ‘Chase the sun’ in 2013 and recorded it in 2014. I recoded it at Greg Wells’ studio in Culver City. It was a big honor working with him.
“I was writing songs over a year-and-a-half period of self-discovery and tragedy. A lot of the songs are based on a trip to the Himalayas. I was in crisis. I didn’t know if I wanted to play music anymore. Some of the things I learned — time is precious and you need to embrace the future.
“I spent about seven weeks in northern India. Everyth8ng is sol colorful there. Even the grass is greener. It was a Buddhist pilgrimage — a lot of spirituality. Once I got back from India, I cancelled my Facebook account. With ‘Chase the Sun.’ the only theme was positive energy — looking up and being positive.”
Holden has released four albums to date and has a new one in the works.
“I’m writing for the next album now,” said Holden. “It’s character-based. I don’t want to write about myself. I’m learning about these characters — getting into their head space and diving into these characters. And, their stories will be intertwined.”
Video link for Greg Holden — https://youtu.be/rcZLMtWEcF0?list=PLN5erOtiqoCGYhXP369XArXU5j43cLHeW.
The show at the TLA will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21.
Jeremy Loops
On October 27, South African singer-song writer and nature activist Jeremy Loops will be in town for a show at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com).
Loops’ music is almost folk but much more energetic than most folk music because of the element of city rhythms from South Africa
In 2014, Loops debuted at #1 on iTunes in South Africa, headlined major festivals, and maintained #1 on the three most prominent radio stations in Southern Africa with “Down South,”, his breakout single. He is now touring the states in support his new album “Trading Change.”
“I grew up in Cape Town — actually in a suburb of Cape Town called Kommetjie which is on the ocean. In Kommetjie, surfing is a big part of our lives. I couldn’t ever leave my surfing. I was just surfing here when I was in San Diego.
“My parents played music and I’ve been listening to music as long as I can remember,” said Loops, during a phone interview last week. “I went to the University of Cape Town for a business degree — a course that’s insanely tough. I bought my first proper guitar to escape the frustrations from the university and the courses.
“After I graduated, I needed to travel rather than go into the business world. Si, I packed my guitar and loop pedal and headed to Europe. I had my captain’s license and I got a job on a super yacht. We went to 45 countries in two years. When I was on the yacht, I spent my non-working time in my room writing songs.
“There were a lot of adventures when I was on a yacht. We had a run-in with pirates off the coast of Somalia. We also got arrested by authorities in Dubai because we had weapons to defend ourselves against pirates.”
“I got home at 26 with a bunch of songs and no performing experience. I had my first show two months after I got back and, in six months, was paying festivals. I had my first radio single — ‘Down South’ –two years later. Then, the album was recorded a year-and-a-half ago in the U.K. and just came out in the states.”
When Loops got back to South Africa, he and his friend Misha Teasdale formed Greenpop, which initially was a campaign to plant 1000 trees. In his work with Greenpop, Loops traverses Southern Africa teaching underprivileged schoolchildren how to protect their planet.
According to its website, “Greenpop is on a mission to (re)connect people with our planet and each other. We plant trees and have fun doing it. It’s a Treevolution. Get Involved! We pride ourselves in making green living fun, sharing valuable education, monitoring our trees and bringing people together.”
Link for Greenpop — http://www.greenpop.org/get-involved/.
“Greenpop was inspired by my frustration with the world,” said Loops. “I was tired of seeing how much damage was being done to the planet by people who constantly want things that are bigger and faster. I’d busk in the streets with people who would sell trees to be planted.”
Video link for Jeremy Loops — https://youtu.be/lwPrBchV3ZQ.
The show at Milkboy, which also features Brick + Mortar, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.
Bullets Over Broadway
“Bullets over Broadway” began a 1994 American comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It starred an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and Wiest won Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
The show got its second incarnation last year when Allen and a production team mounted the show on Broadway at the St. James Theatre. Now, its third incarnation is as a national tour .
‘Bullets Over Broadway” will have a six-day run at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelcenter.org) from October 27-November 1. It is the opening show of the Kimmel Center’s Broadway Philadelphia’s 2015-2016 season
The show is about a young playwright whose first Broadway play is financed by a gangster. The score consists of jazz and popular standards of the years between World War I and 1930 by various songwriters.
The touring cast features Michael Williams as David Shayne, Hannah Rose Deflumeri as Ellen, Michael Corvino as Nick Valenti and Jemma Jane as Olive Neal.
“I had seen the show on Broadway,” said Deflumeri, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Cleveland. “I also saw the movie and was a big fan of the movie.
“I wouldn’t say it’s as dark as some of Woody Allen’s other stuff but there is some dark humor. Mainly, it’s been made into a flashy musical. Woody Allen’s comedy is still the primary thing.”
The music fits the show but is not a focal point. The show’s choreography by director Susan Stroman is a major focal point.
“These dances are incredible,” said Deflumeri. “Susan Stroman’s choreography — that’s the veins that run through the show. Her stamp is everywhere — the tap number with the boys in the first half and ‘Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do’ is a show-stopper.
“The dance numbers move the story along. For example, there’s a number in the first act called ‘Gangster Ballet.’ You start the number in one place and, by the end, the story has moved.
“All the characters in this show are larger-than-life. I’m the playwright’s girlfriend Ellen. She is a real person — David’s anchor to reality. The way I play it — she knows he’ll come back. They’ve been together for 10 years. She’s been tested and she fights back.
“Ellen is a strong female character. I like that a lot. And, she’s funny. I see lot of myself in her. I admire her confidence — and her love for David.
“Audiences love this show because it’s a classic Broadway show. It’s a drama but it’s also a comedy that has stomachs sore from laughing. The dancing is top-notch. The costumes are incredible. And, it has a happy ending.”
Video link for “Bullets Over Broadway” — https://youtu.be/u-MNY_zGhDM.
“Bullets Over Broadway will run from October 27-November 1. Tickets range from $20-$95.
July Talk, which will perform on October 27 at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com), is a Canadian band described as playing “a sleek yet gritty brand of alt-bluesy garage rock.”
Focused mainly on the singing-songwriting duo of Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay, July Talk is a five-piece from Toronto that just released its debut album “July Talk” on Sleepless Records. Each track in the band’s repertoire is a conversation in song form, with singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay trading lines.
Dreimanis and Fay met a few years ago and immediately began making music together.
“We started making records immediately after the band was born,” said Fay, during a phone interview last week. “After about 10 shows, we started working on an album.”
Dreimanis said, “We were able to get the album out quickly in Europe. The market is small in Canada and it takes awhile to get your feet under you.”
Eventually, July Talk set its sights on America.
“We’ve been touring this album for three-and-a-half years,” said Fay. “We’re trying to break the album now in the United States. It’s not easy because the U.S. is so much bigger with more ground to cover.”
Dreimanis, whose growling, raspy vocals are frequently compared to Tom Waits, said, “The United States is a very special place to play. It’s a country of extreme highs and lows. I think people are ready to pick up on our music.
“We’re very focused on our live show. We have a very special relationship with Toronto. The shows we played there have shaped who we are — chaotic shows that are packed to the rafters.”
Video link for July Talk — https://youtu.be/jFwB5ayV0vQ.
The show on October 27 will get underway at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.
Another interesting new band will play Boot & Saddle on October 28 — Carroll, a rock quartet from Minneapolis. Actually, Carroll — Brian Hurlow, Max Kulicke, Charlie Rudoy and Charles McClung — is now a band from Philly.
“We just moved to West Philadelphia from Minneapolis,” said Kulicke, during a phone interview last week from his Philly home. “We came to Philadelphia a year-and-a-half ago to record an album here. We were here four weeks and got to know the city. We had been talking about making a move out of Minnesota. So, here we are.”
Carroll has just released its hypnotic debut album “Carroll” via Entertainment One Music. Written in a cabin in the remote Northern wilderness, the initial demos found their way into the hands of producer Jon Low (The War on Drugs, The National).
Low had the band come to Philadelphia where they recorded and mixed the album in 18 marathon days. The result is a fusion of many influences — dream-psych, surfy reverb, post-punk echoes, and piercing vocals that meld to create Carroll’s distinct sound.
Near the end of 2011, Hurlow’s demos caught the attention of Rudoy, his college classmate. Rudoy brought to the songs to life with his drumming. The pair quickly moved in together on St. Paul’s Carroll Avenue.
After some experimenting and tiptoeing through early gigs, Hurlow and Rudoy brought on board two more musicians to flesh out the live show. Kulicke and McClung joined the line-up on guitar and bass.
“We worked on the songs for the album for quite awhile,” said Hurlow. “We’d en working on it for more than two years. We write a song, play it live and see what works. We definitely like to road-test songs before we go into record them. If you can’t feel it in front of a crowd, you can’t feel it.”
The band is just as particular when it comes to performing a song live.
“We don’t play a song live until it’s moving for us,” said Kulicke. “Playing a song in front of a crowd is an experience you can’t do on your own. By playing songs live, you can see how things work.
“In our live show, we’re doing about 10 songs from the album. And, we have about seven new songs in the set. Our set list all depends on where we’re playing — what kind of venie it is and what the audience is like.”
Video link for Carroll — https://youtu.be/QjVKSPx7QIQ
The show at Boot & Saddle will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.
