On Stage (Bonus edition): Mobley rocks it alone

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

This is the time of year that bands – unless they are in the studio – love to be on the road. It is the season when touring dominates music acts’ schedules.

Mobley is one of those acts that has headed out on tour – a tour that visits the area on October 9 for a show at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com).

Even though Mobley plays rock music, Mobley is not your typical rock band. Mobley is a one-man band feature a versatile musician from Austin, Texas.

“I just fell into music when I was young,” said Mobley, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in New Orleans. “Over the course of my childhood, I studied violin then trumpet.

“Then, I began studying guitar – more when I was a student at the University of North Carolinas in Chapel Hill. I graduated form UNC in 2008.

“Originally, I was playing acoustic folky music. That evolved more into rock when I was in college. I started touring at the end of my college days. I recorded a couple times with various producers.

“Eventually, I just decided that I’d teach myself how to produce music and became my own producer. LogicPro is my main tool.”

Mobley’s live shows have always been solo affairs.

“At shows, I’d sing. I’d play keyboards, guitar and bass. And, I have a drum kit that I use. On record, I add horns, violins, autoharp and harmonica.

“Now, when I’m on the road, I play mostly rock clubs. It’s mostly pop music but I’m also interested in drawing in some sonic textures. With my music, I want to cast a really wide net and not be limited to just one genre.”

Mobley’s most recent release was an EP titled “Some Other Country.” He also is wrapping up a new soon-to-be-released album titled “Fresh Lies.”

Over the last few years, he’s composed dozens of pieces for stage and television (with placements on HBO, Fox, and NBC), played 200-plus national tour dates.

Mobley has not been flying under the radar.

He has had more than one million Spotify plays and over 575K Soundcloud plays. He was a CMJ 2015 official artist and a SXSW 2016 official artist.

And, Mobley is not his real name.

“The name came to me in a dream,” said Mobley. “It originally started out as a band name and was nominally a band name until a few years ago. When I went solo, I wanted to keep the name.”

Video link for Mobley — https://youtu.be/vfViPcV42ko?t=7.

The show at MilkBoy, which also features Nina Diaz, will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.

It seems that bands just aren’t as political as they have been in the past which is especially odd in 2016 with such a bizarre presidential election campaign going on.

Benyaro, which will be performing on October 10 at Bourbon and Branch (705 North Second Street, Philadelphia, 215-238-0660, bourbonandbranchphilly.com), is not afraid to be political.

The band, which is based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is Ben Musser’s indie-acoustic soul and roots project, which in his words, he “formed to expand the boundaries of acoustic music and serve as a vehicle for my distilling artistry.”

Musser is a multi-instrumentalist; a drummer, guitarist, singer, songwriter and schooled in jazz, rock, classical guitar and voice. Benyaro performs most frequently as a duo where Musser, along with an upright bass player Leif Routman, plays guitar, kick drum, hi-hat, shaker, harmonica, and his most important instrument, his voice.

Benyaro kicked off its current tour on August 14 with a “Rock the Vote” show at Q Roadhouse in the band’s adopted hometown of Jackson Hole.

“We’re playing ‘Rock the Vote’ shows with the intention of getting people out to vote,” said Musser, during a phone interview Wednesday from a tour stop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

“We’re also partnering with a company called Head Count to register voters. And, we try to talk on stage to encourage people to go out and vote.”

According to Musser, “Voting is very important, no matter the choices. It may sound hyperbolic, but people die every day fighting to have that right. Many Americans take it for granted. I hope to encourage folks across the USA to shed cynicism, use your best judgement, and vote practically on November 8.”

Musser and his band are warning young audiences about the dangers of having Donald Trump in the White House.

“This is our first time delving into the political,” said Musser. “Once it became clear that it would be Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, I felt the responsibility – especially considering the Supreme Court vacancy which is even more important.

“I’m an outspoken person and I can’t hide my feelings very well. I go out and play swing states and encourage people to vote – and to respect each other’s differences.”

This election season is particularly one of interest for Musser, a native of Manheim Township in Lancaster County who attended The Hill School in Pottstown alongside Donald Trump, Jr. Despite those school boy ties, Musser is actively campaigning against his former classmate’s father.

“His kid was a year ahead of me and we played on the hockey team together,” said Musser. “His father came and gave a talk at our school one year – and got very angry when a student asked him about his bankruptcies.”

When the tour is over, Benyaro will get back to work on making a new album.

“We’ve been trying to grow our sound,” said Musser. “The new album is more rock and blues. We’re a duo out here on the road so we’re trying to use all our limbs to make as much music as possible. We’re just trying to expand and build our sound.”

Video link for Benyaro – https://youtu.be/x8va3CL2wss?t=2.

The show at Bourbon & Branch, which also features Grayling, George Valdivia and Alejandro Meola, will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Furnsss, which recently played a show at PhilaMoca in Philadelphia will return to the area for a show on October 11 at Manor 99 (99 East Cleveland Avenue, Newark, Delaware, https://www.facebook.com/events/666927000131118/).

Furnsss is the garage-tinged fuzz pop project led by Brendan Dyer. With compositions that call to mind what could be the raw B-sides of early Built To Spill, the band is the product of suburbia-induced boredom born out of Connecticut.

Dyer began the group with his brother Drew and their friends, brothers Nathan and Parker Nye. They split their time between Connecticut, Ohio, and Philadelphia rotating members when some are in school. Their taste in music ranges from Pavement to Velvet Underground.

Dyer’s take on life as a suburban youth is as ambitious as it is refreshingly raw. With voice demos recorded on phones and 8-track layers, the band finds new and interesting ways to incorporate their influences into each track while maintaining the group’s glazed fuzzy aesthetic.

“It’s been about 10 years that I’ve had Furnsss going,” said Dyer, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Houston, Texas. “The band was formed when I was in seventh grade and I’m 20 now. It wasn’t a serious endeavor until about two years ago.

“I was living in Philadelphia – actually in Lansdowne — for a while but right now, I’m based in Bristol, Connecticut. I plan to move back to Philly in January. There is a pretty strong music scene in Philly and we want to be a part of it.”

Furnsss already has been building a catalog of recorded music.

“We have two albums and two EPs that you can stream on Spotify,” said Dyer. “Our most recent record is called ‘New Moves’ and it came out in August 2015. A New York label pressed it on colored vinyl.

“The previous album was self-titled and recorded when I was a sophomore in high school. It’s still available online but we don’t play any of its songs in our live show anymore.

“On this tour, we do ‘New Moves’ songs and a lot of new songs. The band’s line-up is always changing. Right now, it’s a five-piece with three guitars, bass and drums. For years, the only constant member other than me is Tom Nagy on bass.

“It’s hard to say what’s next. We’ve already tracked 10 songs in July that we’re sitting on. We’ve been on tour for a while so I’m a little burned out. I think I’ll chill for a bit and do some writing.”

Video link for Furnsss – https://youtu.be/rvmoOCQEzfI?t=2.

The show at Manor 99, which also features Arthur Shea, Bread Pilot and SadHound, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12

If you’re planning on attending Ice Nine Kills’ show on October 12 at the Voltage Lounge (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602, www.voltagelounge.com), you better rent a tux or a dinner jacket and/or break out a formal or semi-formal dress.

Ice Nine Kills is a metal band from Boston known for its horror-inspired lyrics. The band was formed in 2006 by high school friends Spencer Charnas and Jeremy Schwartz. Charnas is currently the only remaining founding member.

Recently, Ice Nine Kills announced that its fall headline tour that would give fans a unique opportunity to experience prom like never before.

Sponsored by Alternative Press Magazine, “The Hell In The Hallways Tour” plays off the band’s cinematic video for their song “Hell in the Hallways,” which creates a fresh, new spin on the 1976 cult classic film “Carrie,” based on Stephen King’s 1974 novel of the same name.

With no details spared, fans are encouraged to wear their most elegant prom attire to the show, where there will be a prom king and queen crowned each night.

“It seems that kids are really responding to the theme of the tour,” said Charnas, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from a tour stop in Atlanta.

‘We’ve learned that doing things outside the norm is something they can relate to. We wanted to provide an experience – a definitive theme. We try not to break out of character the whole show.

“The ‘Hell in the Hallway’ story is based on Stephen King’s ‘Carrie.’ Our backdrop on stage depicts a school location and the show is narrated by a principal’s voice.

“It’s very much set up like a prom – but no-one is slow dancing like they do at proms. Instead, there is a lot of moshing and crowd-surfing. The screaming and diversity of outfits makes it fun.

“And, we pick a prom queen and prom king every show. We’re looking for people who really put a lot into how they look. At one show, we had a girl dressed as Carrie and covered in blood. Some guys have the Ice Nine Kills logo on their tuxedos.”

Ice Nine Kills is touring in support of its latest album “Every Trick In The Book,” which showcases the band’s love for storytelling and reflects on the dark side of such classic stories.

‘We’re playing every single song from ‘Every Trick in the Book’ and more,” said Charnas. “We generally play ‘Hell in the Hallway’ in the middle of the set – right after we announce the king and queen.”

Video link for Ice Nine Kills – https://youtu.be/_JM45T2XBZI?t=5.

The show at the Voltage Lounge, which also features Secrets, Sylar, Out Came The Wolves and Cover Your Tracks, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $16.

Another show on October 12 will have a completely different vibe when 12 Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad take the stage at the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com).

In recent years the band’s studio recordings, which showcase the group’s songwriting and musicianship across all genres of roots music, have further cemented the band’s reputation as master innovators and artists.

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad was formed in 2004 when childhood friends Chris O’Brian, James Searl, and Matt O’Brian teamed up with local Rochester guitar player Dylan Savage and started playing shows in Ithaca, New York.

Prior to 2004 the guys had been playing music together for several years in their home town of Rochester, New York. Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad based their name off a fictional band “Giant Panda Gypsy Blues Band” in the novel “Another Roadside Attraction” by Tom Robbins.

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad first received praise for its live show, which combined world beats and reggae rhythms within jam band aesthetics. The band has released six albums – the most recent being “Make It Better,” which came out earlier this year.

“Me and James and Dylan are original members,” said Chris O’Brian, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon form a tour stop in Brooklyn.

“Dan Keller has been in the band for four years and Tony Gallicchio joined two years ago. We’re definitely very comfortable with each other. ‘Make It Better’ is the first full album we’ve done with this line-up.

 “We’ve been making music together since we’ve been kids – rock and roll, funk and jamming. We grew up with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. We were into bands like Phish and the Grateful Dead at the start. Then, as we listened more to reggae, our sound progressed into reggae.

“For this album, James and I got together with producer Matt Goodwin in Farmington, New York. Then, he moved his studio to downtown Rochester so we finished the album there at Black Dog Studio.

“James and I tracked it about a year ago. We spent a lot of time working on it. We put it out on Rootfire Collective and did the release ourselves. It finally came out on September 16 and immediately reached the Number One slot on iTunes and Billboard reggae charts.”

Video link for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad – https://youtu.be/Kv6f7J_V0gg?t=5.

The show at the World Café Live, which also features Kuf Knotz and Dubsmith, will start 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.