On Stage: Bombadil overcomes challenges

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times

Bombadil, a band which is performing on December 8 at the World Café Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com), has proven that it knows how to make good music — and how to survive the elements

The band from the “Golden Triangle” area of North Carolina has dealt with personnel changes and with medical problems. It has gone through a shift in influences and musical styles.

And now, Bombadil, which features James Philips (drums), Daniel Michalak (bass, piano, harmonica) and newest member Stacy Harden (bass, guitar, vocals), is back on the road and ready to release its latest album in March 2017 on Ramseur Records.

“We’ve had our share of changes in the band,” said Phillips, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon as the band traveled from Durham to Richmond in a driving rainstorm. “We had members going off to school. We had Daniel with his health problems. It seems we’ve seen it all.”

Robinson met Michalak on a hiking trip during a pre-orientation program at Duke University in 2002 and they started singing and writing songs together. In 2004, Michalak went to Bolivia as an exchange student and ran into Bryan Rahija. After discovering they had similar ideas about songwriting, they began making demos and called themselves Bombadil, after Tom Bombadil, the singing, songwriting character in “The Hobbit.”

Dolph Ramseur, head of Ramseur Records, was impressed by their energy and signed them. The band recorded the “Bombadil” EP in 2006, “A Buzz, A Buzz” in 2008 and “Tarpits and Canyonlands” in 2009.

Then things fell apart. Robinson quit the band and Michalak was slowly losing the use of his hands due to his neural tension condition. Eventually, a refreshed Robinson returned to the band. At the same time, rest and therapy helped Michalak regain the use of his hands.

Since then, the band has released two more albums — “Metrics of Affection” in 2013 and “Hold On” in 2015.

“We were a four-piece for a while but we’ve been back to being a trio since the spring,” said Phillips. “the sound has changed as a trio. It’s centered around open-C guitar instrumentals that we wrote lyrics over top of. It’s more guitar-based – with a lot of vocal harmonies. In the past, it was more piano-driven. Our goal is to have all three of us singing at the same time.

“We recorded the new album in September at Tiny Telephone Studio in San Francisco. It was the first time we ever used an outside producer – John Vanderslice. We first recorded the album back in the spring at a friend’s farmhouse outside of Boston but it didn’t feel quite done. We had a good amount of time to live with the material. Then, our record label said that we should talk to a producer.

“It worked out very well. John seemed to really get a grasp of what we were going after. He has a great studio – all analog. John’s was that bands he produces aren’t allowed to do more than one take. He even erases the tape after the final takes are completed. We tracked the entire album in eight days.

“Our set list for this tour is about half new songs and half a mixture from our last four albums and the EPs.  But, we don’t play anything from the first record. We’re trying to streamline so we’re playing the same set every night. We’ll go out on a big tour after the album is released in March and the set list will be a lot different then.”

Video link for Bombadil — https://youtu.be/enHSAzsM5mY?t=5

The show at the World Café Live, which also features Goodnighr Texas and Angelica Garcia, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Other upcoming shows at the World Café Live are Shooter Jennings and Jason Boland on December 9, Dane Zanes on December 10, “Artists Against Hunger” on December 11, Rhett Miller on December 12 and The Stash Band on December 13.

Matt Pond is a musician from New York who formed his band Matt Pond PA in Philadelphia in 1998.

Since then, the band has released 11 albums and 10 EPs. Pond now lives in Kingston, New York.

“I was living in Philly when I came up with the band name Matt Pond PA,” said Pond, during a phone interview last week from his New York home. “I knew people would be coming and going through the group over the years.”

Now, Pond is bringing his band back to Philly for a show on December 9 at Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http://undergroundarts.org). Pond and his current line-up of musicians are touring in support of his new album “Winter Lives.”

“The new album started creeping in last winter,” said Pond. “I like to write into seasons. I saw this as chance to do everything on our own independently. Right around March every year living in the Northeast, it gets dark and barren so this album was a good fit. I had done the song ‘Snow Days,’ but that song is not enough. It didn’t say enough about how I feel about winter.”

For “Winter Lives,” Pond decided to return to the beginning, drawing inspiration from his earliest years growing up in New Hampshire.  It’s a bold celebration of what blooms in the coldest, stillest time of the year.  Pond eludes characterization in a way that is both unpresuming and larger than life.  His music is an evolution that just makes sense, because this journey is what he was made for.

Matt Pond PA’s many fans are well familiar with the enduring love affair that Pond’s lyrics and arrangements have with his shift-shaping environment — an embodiment of the season, the beauty in a prosaic exchange, the weight of expectation and hope, a moment that says a kiss is not a promise.

With longtime collaborator Chris Hansen on guitar and at the production helm, core band member Shawn Alpay’s cello and string arrangements, and contributions by a notable assemblage of singers and musicians including The Mynabirds’ Laura Burhenn and Moving Panoramas’ frontwoman Leslie Sisson, Pond is building on a storyline whose conclusion, while unknown, is undeniably his own.

Pond has been the only consistent member of Matt Pond PA since its formation and the band has a list of former members that is close to 30 right now. Hansen is a longtime band mate of Pond and a core member of the group. The current trio format features Shawn Alpay on cello.

“They are my biggest collaborators,” said Pond. “Chris and I played mostly everything on the album. These shows are just as a trio but I’ll have a full band with six people for my U.K. shows.

“I have my own label – 131 Records. The production is our own. The distribution is on our own. I book every one of our shows. My purpose is to understand the music industry as much as I can. I want to know all the parts. 131 is just what we’re doing now. All of it – from the start of the album until now – it’s a project in maintaining control and independence.”

It helps that Pond has his own studio.

“We’ve done everything in house – except drums,” said Pond. “I have a small house in Kingston. My house studio doesn’t have a lot of gear but we make things work. There’s something great about not having to watch a clock in the studio. When you’re on your own, it’s intense – but it’s exciting.

“It’s all digital but I’d love to be able to use tape. I prefer that if there are mistakes, I’m the one who makes them. The musicians in the band still change. There are people who will come back. There are some that will be with me for the next six months.”

Still, it’s a sure thing that no matter who the musicians are and how many of them are on strange with Pond, the show each night by Matt Pond PA will be a good one.

Video link for Matt Pond PA – https://youtu.be/_L80GiKgFIk?t=15.

The show at Underground Arts, which also features Moving Panoramas and Joy Riding, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Another show in Philly on December 9 will feature Mattress, which is a one-man music project created by Rex Marshall. He will headline a show at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com) on Friday and then return to the same part of town on for a show at the Barbary (951 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-634-7400, www.facebook.com/thebarbary) on December 20.

Portland’s Mattress is focused on the claustrophobic bedroom soul of Marshall and his synthesizer. His music has been described as “lo-fi grit with electro-engineered precision and a crooner’s confidence.”

“I grew up in Las Vegas – talk about garbage,” said Marshall, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his job as a librarian at Portland State University. “I got a Greyhound bus out of town when I was 18 and moved to Portland, Oregon.

“When I got into music here, I wanted to start a band that wasn’t guitar-based. I love synths and drum machines. Now, I have a gospel-synth, Tom Jones meltdown ting going on.

“When I was growing up in Las Vegas, I was exposed to the Las Vegas lounge scene. Both of my parents worked in casinos. My mom made costumes for the showgirls and my dad was a casino card dealer. I was always in these places watching warped cover bands.

“But, Las Vegas didn’t influence my music at the start. I really wanted to strip down to just organ. Now, I’ve gotten a little more sophisticated and the Las Vegas influence has seeped in more. I wear gold suits. I want to put on a show.”

Mattress just released a new album this summer called “Looking for My People.”

“The new album came out in July and I had three others before that,” said Marshall. “My first one was in 2008. I recorded the new album on my own. Half of it was done on computer and the other half live in the studio with musicians. It features some old songs and five new ones.

“I jump out on tour whenever I can. On this one, I’m doing around eight shows in two weeks. I still book everything myself. I haven’t bene to the East Coast for a couple of years so I’m really looking forward to it.

“I won’t have any other musicians with me. I’m a solo guy. I’ve been doing it nine years mostly solo. I had a band for a while but that fell apart. I just sold out and went solo. I’m just an iPod guy now. It allows me to freak out a lot more. I do the basic tracks at home and carry it with me.

“Even though this is right before Christmas, I’m not doing any holiday music. I don’t do Christmas. I still do stuff from all my albums. I do a lot of older stuff when I’m out of town. I play shows in Portland at least once a month and don’t do a lot of older material in those shows.

“When I’m on tour and trying to figure out a set list. I try to look at who is there. If there are 10 people in the audience, it might be a smooth romantic night. But, if there are bangers, I have some trunk-rattling songs.”

Video link for Mattress – https://youtu.be/StfSX4iJ0eE?t=10.

The show at Kung Fu Necktie on December 9, which also features Myriad, Sad Actor and Starter Jacket, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7.

The show at the Barbary on December 20, which also features Digasaurus, Settled Arrows and Very Bad Vibes, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7.

Other upcoming shows at Kung Fu Necktie are Endless Boogie on December 8, 4Play on December 10, James Logan on December 13 and Afroman on December 14.

If you’re able to sit still during a live set by the band Black Masala, you’re either too old to rock or else you’ve suffered from a severe hearing loss. You can experience Black Masala live when they headline a show on December 9 at Ruba (414 Green Street, Philadelphia, 215-627-9831).

Black Masala — Mike Ounallah, Vocals, Drums, Percussion; Kristen Long, Vocals, Percussion; Duff Davis, Electric Guitar; Steven Cunningham, Trumpet; Kirsten Warfield, Trombone; Yannick LePage, Accordion – is a gypsy punk brass band that delivers an infectious array of music featuring a heavy dose of funk, Balkan, soul, New Orleans band, Middle Eastern and eclectic grooves. A concert featuring Washington, D.C.’s Black Masala is all about having fun – for the band and the audience.

“I grew up in North Carolina but I’ve lived in D.C. for the last 10 years,” said Ounallah, during a phone interview from his D.C. home last week. “The others in the band are all lifetime D.C. residents.”

In 2015, Black Masala released its second studio album, “I Love You Madly,” which reached #2 on the CMJ World Chart and #4 on Canada’s national Earshot radio chart. Black Masala incorporated various musical influences into their go-anywhere brass sound –ranging from Gypsy punk, Balkan brass and New Orleans funk, to Bhangra and bounce. The heavy horns and danceable rhythms unified the sound to create an album that can be played for a wide range of audiences.

“We started as a trio a few years ago with trombone, guitar and me on drums and vocals,” said Ounallah. “Then, we expanded. We brought in another singer – Kristen – and then brought in a horn section. We even had a tuba player for a while. I knew a couple of the people and the rest was by word-of-mouth.

“A few of them were familiar with Balkan music. A lot of them came from jazz, classical or rock. My dad was Arabian. So, growing up, I heard this music. It was kind of natural for me. Some of stuff is just music I’ve written with influence from Gogol Bordello and Slavic Soul Party. We do our own version of Bhangra just from listening to it.

“And, some of the horn players bring in stuff. We sort of have a vibe that we’re all going for. We have a core line-up but it can change from show to show. For the shows we’re doing now, the line-up also features Brandon Schnabel, a really good sax player.

“We have three albums out so far – a self-titled album in 2014, a remix album that followed it and then ‘I Love You Madly.’ We’ll have another series of re-mixes starting in a few weeks.

“Our intention with our music is to get people dancing. But, it’s more than just a party band. We want our music to be upbeat and uplifting.”

Video link for Black Masala – https://youtu.be/AfDMH6FqNAU?t=4.

The show at Ruba is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12.

In case you’re not familiar with Bob Dylan’s first foray into electric rock music and his performances with The Band, The Weight will help you learn this piece of American music history – actually American/Canadian music history.

The Weight is a band. “The Weight” is a song by The Band. The Weight is a band named after The Band’s song “The Weight.” The Weight is a band put together to keep alive the music of The Band.

On December 9, The Weight will visit the area for a Point Entertainment show at the Colonial Theatre (Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610- 917-1228, www.thecolonialtheatre.com).

The Band was a Canadian-American rock group featuring Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson. In 1965, Dylan hired them as his touring band when expanded for a solo folk artist to a folk-rock musician with a group behind him.

After a while, Roberston left to pursue a solo career and then later Manuel died. The remaining three members continued to tour and record albums with a succession of musicians filling the departed members’ roles. The final line-up included Richard Bell, Randy Ciarlante and Jim Weider.

Danko died of heart failure in 1999, after which the group broke up for good. Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998 and continued to perform until cancer won the battle in 2012. A passing wish of Helm was for the music and spirit of The Band to live on. The Weight was formed to do just that. The Weight came into existence to bring a live performance to fans of The Band — but not as a tribute band.

Replicating the music of The Band is a tall order but interpreting the music of The Band is an art.

The Weight, a five-piece ensemble featuring Jim Weider and Randy Ciarlante from The Band, Brian Mitchell of the Levon Helm Band, Marty Grebb, who wrote and recorded with The Band and worked with Rick Danko and Richard Manuel, and Albert Rogers who played with Levon Helm and Garth Hudson, remains a vehicle through which The Band’s music is kept alive. This is the most authentic presentation of The Band that the world is ever going to get. Come and take a load off, and prepare for an unforgettable performance!

“A few years ago after we lost Levon, Randy and I put The Weight together with a couple other musicians,” said Weider, during a phone interview last week from his home in Woodstock. “We did songs of The Band and the shows sold out.

“Then, we got Marty Grebb. We did a few shows and it really started to take off. We added Brian Mitchell and Byron Isaacs. Now, Byron has left the group and we pulled in a new bass player — Albert Rogers. He had played in my band — the Jim Weider Band — in the ’90s.

“We’ve been going out in spurts — three shows and then come back. It’s on and off. We’ve done shows in Florida, California, Tahoe — and New Years’ Eve in San Francisco. But, we don’t want to go out for weeks at a time. We do nice rooms on three or four-day tours — five days at the most.”

The members all have other projects but it is the music of The Band that binds them together.

“I started playing with Levon in the early ’80s in the Levon Helm Band,” said Weider. “Randy was in the band too. In 1985, when Richard and Garth moved to Woodstock, we toured with Crosby, Stills and Nash. We went out as The Band. That really changed my life.

“With The Weight, we do everybody’s favorites such as ‘Up on Cripple Creek,’ ‘The Rumor’ and ‘Look Out Cleveland.’ We do stuff from the early records and tunes I never did with The Band. We try to change up the set list all the time to keep it fresh.

“We’re getting a real mixture in our audiences. Of course, there are a lot of older folks who want to hear the songs they know. But, we’re also getting kids who have started listening to the Band’s music. This music is such a strong part of American music.”

Soon, The Weight will have a new CD for its numerous fans.

“We cut four tunes back in the summer,” said Weider. “And, we’re writing some more as we speak but we haven’t had time to get back in the studio to cut some more. The next step is to find the right songs to put out,

“We haven’t taken our show to the Colonial yet. I hear it’s a beautiful place. We’ll be playing some things people haven’t heard us do in a while such as ‘Jemima Surrender.’ There are so many good songs like ‘Unfaithful Servant’ and ‘Caledonia Mission.’ People love it because they haven’t heard these songs in a while. Audiences who hear us a lot will get a treat this weekend.”

Video link for The Weight – https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mN99msqH__M#t=4.

The show at the Colonial Theatre will start at 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $22-$32.50. On December 8, the Colonial and Point Entertainment will present Delta Rae with special guest Penny & Sparrow.

Christmas time is a time for remember the past and celebrating the present (and presents).

Suzy Bogguss, who is performing December 9 at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com), is touring a show that encompasses all that.

Fans of Bogguss who attend her “Swingin’ Little Christmas” show this weekend will be treated to a concert featuring the old, the new and a lot of holiday cheer.

“Right now, I’m getting ready to head out for a short Christmas tour,” said Bogguss, during a phone interview last week from her home in Franklin, Tennessee. “I’ve been doing his for years, Even when I was back in college, I always did Christmas shows.

“It’s more of a Christmas vibe than hits. But, we will play a lot of the hits too – chestnuts from around the years that I know will energize the audience. It’s a very festive holiday show – a light-hearted show to get fans to sing along. I even go out in the audience and make the grinches sing.

“I like songs from the 1930s and 1940s – songs like those sung by Bing Crosby. I grew up in a Presbyterian church and we sang all the Christmas classics. Christmas is a time to forget all the troubles in the world and we need that right now.

“I’ve been doing these tours for 20 years. Because of the short season, they’re usually regional. I’ll play here this year and next year elsewhere. We’re coming back to Sellersville because we haven’t been there in a few years. On this tour, we’re coming up through the Northeast and then back to Atlanta and Tennessee.

“A lot of the set list stays the same because I have two Christmas albums out. I’ll do 11 or 12 of those 22 songs. I don’t know if there will be a third Christmas album. I don’t have plans for it right now. Both of my Christmas albums have a lot of swing. I really enjoy that style of holiday music with jazzy swing chords you get to work with. It’s a happy feeling from a simple, more innocent time. I don’t start my Christmas tour in November. I start in mid-December when people are more focused on the good things about Christmas. My show is more like a Christmas party with a lot of sing-alongs.”

Bogguss also has been looking back at her past.

Back in the summer, Bogguss celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of her platinum-selling “Aces” album in 1991. “Aces” also was her breakout album which brought her serious attention on country radio. On August 18 — the actual 25th anniversary of the release of the original “Aces” album, she released a new re-imagined and rerecorded version of the album entitled “Aces Redux.”

“Aces Redux” was recorded with the help of a number of the musicians that have toured with Bogguss over the years and included background vocals by friends Beth Nielsen Chapman and Kim Carnes along with several others. The album takes a more acoustic and simpler production tact that the original which also reflects her more recent touring approach as a trio.

“It’s been 25 years since that album came out so obviously, things are much different sonically,” said Bogguss. “Back then, there were a lot of big drums and reverb. I’m on the road now in a more stripped-down form – 70 per cent acoustic and no drums anymore. I felt the songs were timeless. I wanted it to be more representative and hearing the music stripped-down accomplishes that. But, there are still the signature licks in all of them.”

Video link for Suzy Bogguss – https://youtu.be/TvPgZKHYgEg?t=8.

The show at Sellersville will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $39.50 and $55.

Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are California Guitar Trio & Frank Vignola with Vinny Raniolo on December 8, Marshall Tucker Band with Stolen Rhodes on December 10, Jessy J on December 11 (1 p.m.), Irish Christmas in America on December 11 (8 p.m.), Sawyer Fredericks, Gabriel Wolfchild and Mia Z on December 12, The Airplane Family & Friends & Live Dead ’69 on December 13 and “A Christmas Carol” on December 14.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will host The 4th Annual Hometown Holiday Show with Lori Citro, Scott McClatchy and Paul Gray on December 8, Crossroads (Dennis Melton, Billy Penn Burger, Michael Melton, Tommy Geddes, Bob Beach) on December 9, Rust on December 10, and California Guitar Trio on December 13.

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com) will host BJ Sarkissian and Many Rivers on December 9, JD Malone and the Experts with Cliff Hillis on December 10, and Uke Holiday Luau on December 11.

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will have Cam’Ron on December 8, Tim Reynolds on December 9, Mason Porter with Hezekiah Jones on December 10, The Roddenberries Holiday Spectacular on December 11 and Barrington Levy & Detour Posse on December 14.

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547, www.burlapandbean.com) will present Joy Ike and JD Eicher on December 8, and Michele Lynn on December 10.

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650, www.keswicktheatre.com) presents Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Holiday Show on December 8, David Crosby on December 9, Holiday Doo Wop on December 10 and Vienna Boys Choir on December 14.

The Grand Opera House (818 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-652-5577, www.thegrandwilmington.org) will present The Mavericks on December 10.

World Café Live at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 302- 994-1400, www.worldcafelive.com) will host Carrie Newcomer on December 11.

Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com) will have Twin Peaks on December 8, Jai Wolf on December 9, Bouncing Souls on December 10, Kevin Devine on December 11, and Seu Jorge on December 12.

Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com) will host Copeland on December 8 (Foundry), Thievery Corporation on December 10, and Questlove Supreme on December 11 (foundry).

Electric Factory (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215-627-1332, www.electricfactory.info), will present Get the Led Out on December 9.

Tin Angel (20 South Second Street, Philadelphia, 215-928-0770, http://www.tinangel.com) will have Cruz Contreras on December 8, Lee DeWyze on December 9, Pat Mcgee on December 11 and Chris Pureka on December 11.