On Stage: The Residents, a band like no other

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

The Residents, who will bring their “In Between Dreams Tour” to the Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150, www.thefillmorephilly.com) on April 26, are band like no other.

The Residents are a band from San Francisco. They have been around since 1972 and have never revealed the identity of any of their members. Their music has encompassed an amazing array of styles but has always been instantly recognizable as the work of The Residents. They are musical pranksters and serious musicians – simultaneously.

As would be expected from a band that has remained anonymous for so long, The Residents do not do interviews. However, the band does communicate through its spokesperson at the Cryptic Corporation — Homer Flynn (who might himself be a member of The Residents, but, even if he were, would never admit it).

Every album by The Residents is totally different than the one that preceded it yet, at the same time, is instantly recognizably The Residents. The Residents do not push the boundary of rock music — they step outside the boundary and pull it toward them.

Every tour by The Residents’ album is totally different than the one that preceded it yet – and totally different from any other tour by a rack band.o

The official inception of the Residents was the release of “Meet the Residents” in 1974, but members of the group had worked together since 1969 or perhaps earlier. The band is known for its wide range of named guest stars and collaborators, its multitude of concept albums, its ambitious multimedia, audiovisual, and stage projects and the mystery surrounding much of its activities, from its history as a band to the identity of its members.

The band has consistently stated that it took its name from a rejection letter that it had received from Warner Bros. Records. They sent the label a demo tape anonymously and the rejection letter that followed simply addressed them as “Residents.”

For decades, The Residents “officially” had four members – no matter how many members appeared on stage. On their last few tours, the Residents had just three members on stage. The quartet had become a power trio – strings, keyboards and the singer.

“The Residents have gone from being a three-piece back to being a four-piece,” said Flynn, during an early morning phone interview last week.

Flynn, who accompanies the band on tour, had just awakened to a strange situation.

“I woke up in the back of the bus this morning and the bus was in a body shop,” said Flynn, who is responsible for much of The Residents’ graphics. “The bus had a blowout in the middle of the night and lost a wheel. It’s been kind of crazy.

“In a way, shifting back to a four-piece was getting back to the roots. The previous incarnation of the band had been using a lot of backing tracks. This incarnation is more real.

“There was an offer about 18 months ago for the band to d six shows in Tokyo. Those shows happened about a year ago. The Residents had been doing the ‘Shadowland Tour’ and wanted to approach the Tokyo show differently. The Tokyo show was 75 minutes and the show for the European tour that followed was expanded to 90 minutes.

“They are doing the longer set on this tour and the songs they are playing are drawn from the entire catalog.”

The Residents have an amazing catalog with more than 50 studio albums, approximately 25 live albums and close to 40 compilation and remix albums.

“This tour is ‘In Between Dreams’ with all dream-related material,” said Flynn. “There are also four very short videos that act as exclamation points. Each is a different character – like  Richard Nixon dreaming he is a blues singer. The Residents definitely like to deal with the surreal.”

In keeping with The Residents’ tradition, the musicians onstage will conceal their identities. The band’s members have always worn disguises or costumes when they’ve performed — frequently the tuxedo and eyeball-head-with-top-hat outfits that have become the band’s trademark look.

After starting in Louisiana, The Residents moved to San Francisco and founded Ralph Records in 1972. A few years later, some of the band’s old friends from Shreveport moved to Bay Area and began managing the group so that The Residents would be free from the business end of things. Those friends became The Cryptic Corporation, which has managed the band ever since.

Video link for The Residents — https://youtu.be/k5niCqW32i0.

The show at the Foundry will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Other upcoming shows at the Foundry are Drew Baldridge on April 27, Assembly of Dust on April 28, Jeremy Loops on April 29, Zahsosaa and Gang! on May 1.

There will be another show on April 26 featuring a band with a lot of history on display when Peter Hook & the Light headlines a concert at Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, 215-232-2100, www.utphilly.com).

Peter Hook and The Light is an English rock band, formed in May 2010 by the former Joy Division and New Order bassist, Peter Hook. The band also features Hook’s son Jack Bates (bass), as well as Andy Poole (keyboards) and Paul Kehoe (drums), who both played with Hook as part of Monaco, one of Hook’s previous groups. The band is noted for performing the Joy Division and New Order albums live.

Peter Hook & The Light return to North America from late April to early June 2018 with a run of shows performing Joy Division and New Order’s legendary Factory Records compilation albums “Substance” live — sequentially and in their entireties.

Released in August 1987, New Order’s “Substance” was originally conceived as a way for Factory Records boss, Tony Wilson, to play the New Order singles on the CD player of his new Jaguar car. Substance became the best-selling New Order album ever upon its release with the double LP going on to sell two million copies in America alone.

Widely considered New Order’s strongest album (“their most popular, well known, highly rated and arguably the most influential” — Sputnik Music), Factory Records’ 200th release featured the bands seminal 12-inch mixes of their singles as well as versions of “Confusion” and “Temptation” re-recorded for the LP.

Running from “Ceremony” in 1981 up to “True Faith” in 1987 (again recorded especially for the album), the set takes in the high points of New Order’s catalogue, including “Temptation,” “Thieves Like Us,” “The Perfect Kiss” and “Bizarre Love Triangle.”

Released the following year in July 1988, Joy Division’s “Substance” features all the singles which did not appear on the albums such as “Transmission,” “Komakino,” “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “Atmosphere,” as well as B-sides, tracks from their EP “An Ideal For Living” and the Factory Records sampler.

Factory Records’ 250th release begins with “Warsaw” and takes in the development of the band through “Digital” and “Dead Souls” to the band’s final tracks. The collection demonstrates the same energy as a full-length LP with several key B-sides added.
Peter Hook & The Light have toured Joy Division and New Order’s albums extensively since debuting “Unknown Pleasures” back in 2010 with dates all across the world which have been very well received by critics and fans alike.

“When New Order finished in 2007, I worked as a deejay for a while,” said Hook, during a recent phone interview from his home just outside Manchester, England.

“I missed playing. In 2010, I realized that it had been 30 years since (Joy Division singer) Ian Curtis passed. I turned to friends in Monaco to get together and celebrate 30 years. I wanted to find a way to do it right.”

So, Hook set about to do an ongoing series of tours celebrating the music of Joy Division and New Order.

“I’ve done a lot of the albums already,” said Hook. “I still have a few more to do. Then, I’ll be doing all the B-sides.

“The interesting things about Joy Division – I didn’t look at any of the music in depth until 2010.

“Most of the songs were never played live. It just feels really special to get them out there. When New Order decided to re-unite without me, it was a sense of loss. It helps that I’ve been re-united with these songs.

“We finish this cycle in America – even though promoters want more. This is the last time with these songs. We’ll start working with new albums as soon as we get back to the U.K.

“We’ve been recording shows. We’ve put out live renditions of every Peter Hook tour – vinyl, CD, and download. Vinyl has done really well. It’s nice to see the shift to vinyl. Nothing can replace the tactical feel of a vinyl record.

“The tours have been surprising in a way. I thought it would be a bunch of old blokes at the live shows – a 48-60 demographic. But, I’m finding a lot of youngsters at the shows too.”

Video link for Peter Hook & the Light – https://youtu.be/UM1nrDwpbS4.

The show at Union Transfer will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Hayley Orrantia, the actress that America has fallen in love with from her role on the TV comedy “The Goldbergs,” has another side to her career in the entertainment world. She is also an accomplished singer.

Earlier this month, Orrantia took her music on the road. She us currently touring the states with her “Strong, Sweet and Southern Tour,” which is named after her single of the same name.

The new tour consists of 20 live performance dates between April 5 and May 19 – including a show on April 26 at the Queen (500 North Market Street, Wilmington, 202-730-3331, www.thequeenwilmington.com).

“I started the tour a few weeks ago in my hometown – Dallas,” said Orrantia, during a phone interview last week.

“This is my very first tour. It’s a fun learning process.”

Unlike many acts, Orrantia is not on the road touring in support of a new album.

Most people are familiar with Orrantia from her role as Lainey Goldberg in “The Goldbergs.” She released her first single in 2015, and has continued to drop new singles steadily over the last two years, with the most recent being “Give Me Back Sunday” and “Strong, Sweet and Southern.”

“I don’t have an album to tour,” said Orrantia. “I prefer just releasing singles. I have three new songs ready to go. I think singles is the best way.”

Orrantia grew up in Texas but relocated to places more suitable for her twin careers.

“I live in L.A. and Nashville now,” said Orrantia. “I do my recording in Nashville. It’s country-pop – but it’s really more like country. Working with musicians in Nashville, it just naturally came out more country.

“Lately, I go into the studio and do just one song at a time. I’m touring now with a band I assembled for the road. We’ve got piano, guitar, mandolin, drums and bass.”

Orrantia had a little bit of a setback last year.

“I had vocal surgery,” said Orrantia. “I had a polyp on my vocal cord. I had to do the surgery and then had to rest for one month. I still am having issues on and off.”

“The Goldbergs,” which is shot in L.A., is set in the 1980s in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Orrantia had the opportunity to visit Jenkintown for the first time the other day – and get her first taste of Philly cheesesteaks.

In the TV show, many references to real-life Philadelphia-area businesses are made — including the Wawa, Gimbel’s department store, Willow Grove Park Mall and Kremp’s Florist of Willow Grove.

“One of the things I was looking forward to has been visiting Kremp’s Florist,” said Orrantia.

In conjunction with the local connection, there is a special two-for-one deal for Jenkintown residents on the day of the Wilmington show for those who can present proof of residency at the box office.

“I have 15 songs in my live set and 13 are originals,” said Orrantia. “I started with music on piano. So, I write mostly on piano. I also write on guitar. It’s a mix of both.”

Video link for Hayley Orrantia – https://youtu.be/30hSOZtCUX0.

The show at the Queen, which has Brennley Brown as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.

Vinyl Shockley and Stone Shakers on April 27, Black Stone Cherry on April 28, and The Used on May 1.

On April 27, Echosmith will bring its energetic and engaging brand of indie-rock to the Theatre of the Living Arts (334 South Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1011, http://www.lnphilly.com).

Even before Echosmith released its debut album “Talking Dreams” in 2013, the Los Angeles alt-pop band had been gaining popularity at an amazing rate. The Sierota siblings — Sydney (vocals/keyboard), Jamie (vocals/guitar), Noah (vocals/bass), and Graham (drums) – grew up in Southern California in a musical household and shared a love for playing instruments and listening to bands as varied as Coldplay, The Smiths, U2, Joy Division, and Fleetwood Mac.

As soon as they could hold instruments, they began playing music together as kids. They traded the living room for farmers markets and open mic nights, while quietly honing their songwriting chops.

“Talking Dreams” earned a prestigious RIAA gold certification, yielding the double-platinum breakout smash “Cool Kids,” which notched a quarter-of-a-billion Spotify streams, and the platinum-certified “Bright.”

In 2014, Echosmith was named both an MTV “Artist to Watch” and a VH1 “You Oughta Know” Artist. They have performed all over national TV, from Ellen and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with “Cool Kids” to Live!

Last month, the band released its new single “Over My Head,” which is the first taste of the next album that’s coming this summer. It’s also the latest release since the band returned with the “Inside A Dream” EP last fall.

“Our dad was a musician and songwriter,” said Noah Sierota, during a recent phone interview from a tour stop in Eugene, Oregon.

“He played piano and drums. We all got to learn everything – bass, guitar, upright bass, synthesizer. And, we all play drums. It makes songwriting sessions more fun.

“With songwriting, we stat with what we bring to the group – melodies or an idea. We write with our dad too. We care about the message we send out. It’s a fun process. Usually, a story idea comes first, and we look for a message.”

Even though the siblings are young – Graham 19, Sydney 21, Noah, 22 – they have been doing this for a long time.

“We started at a very young age,” said Sierota. “About 12 years ago, we all played together at a cancer benefit. We played songs by Rage Against the Machine, Rihanna and Coldplay. Ever since then, we’ve been trying to find places to play. We avoided the pay-for-play scene in L.A. – too much pressure and not my favorite way.

“We did our first recording when we started having a studio at our house. Eventually, we got on YouTube. But, nothing worked until we got signed to Warner Bros. We did a free concert at Warner Bros. pretty soon after we got signed.”

Another step in the band’s development was playing on the Warped Tour in 2013 and 2014.

“The Warped Tour is a tough tour – but it’s a fun tour,” said Sierota. “There’s nothing like it. Every single city – it’s the hottest day. But, you learn that to work in the music industry, you’ve got to grind it out.

“We released our first album in 2013 and it’s been all EPs since then. Our new album is done but we’re still figuring out details. It has no name yet. We do have all the songs done, mixed and mastered and we’re working on the visual components. We’ve had time to work on every aspect.

“It’s a little more synth-heavy than our first album. We keep growing as a band and our sound is a little more diverse that it was five years ago.”

Video link for Echosmith — https://youtu.be/AXckdk_po0M.

The show at TLA will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24.

Other upcoming shows at TLA are Kate Nash on April 26, They Might Be Giants on April 28, Protest the Hero on April 29, Tricky on April 30, Steel Panther on May 1 and The Sword on May 2.

Another act featuring three siblings will be performing in the area on April 27 when the Quebe Sisters headline a show at the Miller Center for the Arts (4 North Second Street, Reading, 610-607-6270, www.millercenter.racc.edu).

The Quebe Sisters are a fiddle-centric Western swing group from Texas. The band features a trio of sisters — Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe. Formed in 2002, the band performs fiddle music — Western and traditional Texas style — along with Western swing and vintage country.

When the Quebes (rhymes with “maybe”) take the stage, the triple-threat fiddle champions play and sing in multi-part close harmony. The trio’s vocal and instrumental performances are authentic all-Americana.

“My sisters and I started playing music for fun,” said Hulda Quebe, during a phone interview last week from the sisters’ home in Dallas. “We grew up in Krum, Texas. We never thought we’d play music professionally as fiddlers. We just played little Suzuki violins. It was fun.

“Then, our teacher encouraged us to enter a fiddle contest. We ended up quitting playing violin and stared fiddling. We started taking lessons and our teachers saw the potential. That’s when we started competing in fiddle contests.”

When Hulda, Sophia and Grace were ages 7, 10 and 12 in 1998, they attended their first local fiddle competition in nearby Denton, and decided fiddling was what they wanted to do. The sisters earned solo and group accolades early on — winning state and national championships in their respective age groups in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

“Our teachers were Sherry McKenzie and her husband Joey McKenzie, who was a professional fiddler,” said Hulda, the youngest of the three.

“They gave us music to listen to — western, jazz and country. The three of us would sit in the same room and take lessons together. We’d all learn the same kind of material and we kept progressing at the same level. We learned about chords and arranging. Soon, we were playing gigs.

“Since then, we tour all the time. Tours range from a week to a month or more. We’ve been coming to Pennsylvania for a long time. Some of our earliest shows were in Pennsylvania. We love touring. It’s been great to see so much and to meet so many wonderful people along the way.”

Along with headlining their own shows, the Quebe Sisters have shared stages with American music legends like Willie Nelson, George Strait, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Ray Price, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel, and Riders in the Sky.

“Our first album in 2003 — ‘Texas Fiddle’ — was an all-instrumental album,” said Hulda. “We weren’t really a band yet. We’re proud of that album. We were kids and we did a good job. One of the people who recommended we do vocals was Ricky Skaggs. He invited us to play the Grand Old Opry.

Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs told listeners on his own show on Nashville’s WSM — “One thing is for sure, you don’t see a group like The Quebe Sisters come along every day. Give them your undivided attention, and if you’re not already, you too, will become a fan.”

“In 2005, we started singing in our own shows,” said Hulda. “We’ve been working on building our fan base and finding our sound musically. We’re working together on material for a new album and were just in rehearsals this week. We have a lot of songs – and we’re trying out some of the new songs live.”

Video link for the Quebe Sisters — https://youtu.be/QANZnAKDvc8.

The show at the Miller Center will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $27.

Tristen, whose full name is Tristen Gaspadarek, is an American musician and songwriter. When she was eight, her musician father encouraged her to take up the piano.

“My father is such an amazing musician,” said Tristen, during a phone interview last week from her home in Nashville, Tennessee.

“I was always exposed to music and I’ve been singing songs since I was four. Later, I sang in choir, theater productions – anything creative.

“I wrote my first song when I was eight. It was about a woman who was sad about her man leaving her. People were asking me how I knew about things like that. My real songwriting began when I was 14 when I started playing guitar.”

After graduating from De Paul University in 2007, where she studied relational group and organizational theories of communication, Tristen moved to Nashville to focus on her music.

Since then, she has released four albums — 2008’s “Teardrops and Lollipops” (Pupsnake Records), 2011’s “Charlatans At The Garden Gate” (American Myth), 2013’s “C A V E S” (Pupsnake Records) and 2017’s “Sneaker Waves” (Modern Outsider).

“Sneaker Waves” was released on July 7. Its first single, “Glass Jar” featured Jenny Lewis, killer vocals by Tristen and a nostalgic feel. The album’s second single, “Got Some,” has been described as dreamy indie-pop.

“We started tracking the album in August 2014,” said Tristen. “I went in with about 30 songs. I was working on it at my home studio.

“Then, I joined Jenny Lewis’s tour as a singer. I didn’t work on my music at all when I was on tour with Jenny. After the tour finished, I came back home in 2016 and worked on it more.

“I like to take my time. I write a lot of songs so I like to get space to make sure it’s the best stuff — to make sure I really like it. “There is no real pressure to do anything. When I got to finishing it in 2016, I focused on what songs were working. I also looked for what was missing.”

With such a prolific writing style, choosing the songs that make the final cut can be a challenge.

“Selecting the songs to use isn’t that hard,” said Tristen. “There is just a feeling at the very end. Then, you get all the songs that are done and decide on the order.”

Tristen is comfortable with her songwriting style.

“I don’t try to obfuscate,” said Tristen. “There are some allegories. I like to use phrases that have weight and meaning. I want people to see themselves in the songs.

“I try to find repeating patterns – pieces of advice that I tell other people or that other people tell me. I enjoy writing about love.

“Writing is a part of who I am. Every day, I work on it in some capacity. I never stop learning stuff and making things.”

With a lot of touring lately, Tristen’s songwriting has been forced to the back burner.

“I haven’t really been writing in a while,” said Tristen. “I’m itching to do that. The main focus is on making my next album. I can write lyrics on the road. But, I don’t actually get into my headspace until I’m home alone in my studio.

“Touring is the most grueling kind of work. People see that one-and-a-half-hour of fun at a show and think what a great job it is. They don’t see all the behind-the-scenes work. I’ve learned how to develop a flow and determine what is the best show I can do.

“For this tour, it’s a duo – me and Buddy Hughen. Buddy is my sidekick, husband and collaborator – and lead guitarist.”

Video link for Tristen – https://youtu.be/hV0Sns23W8k.

The show at Underground Arts, which has Robyn Hitchcock as headliner, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $28.

On April 27, Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, http://undergroundarts.org) will host a show with Trsiten opening for Robyn Hitchcock.

Other upcoming shows at Underground Arts are The Ghost of Paul Revere on April 28 and Backtrack on April 29.

Cinco de Mayo may still be a few days away but you can get in the spirit of the holiday early by attending El Dusty’s concert on April 27 at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, www.milkboyphilly.com).

Raised and rooted in Corpus Christi, Texas, producer, DJ, and nu-cumbia pioneer El Dusty translates the Southern Texas border experience into new barrio anthems where the MPC2000 sampler and chopped clips of Latin music history collide.

El Dusty’s self-taught approach is as collaborative as it is singular, drawing from a crate-digging and turntablist tradition that links Latin classics with the new generation of bass-heavy sound system and hip-hop cultures.

As a producer, El Dusty’s aesthetic is an effortless rendering of his palette for old school sounds thanks to growing up in a home soundtracked by Tejano anthems, Chicano soul music, classic rock, ‘70s Latin soul. These classic sounds are balanced by a solid education in hip-hop, and house music in their earliest stages thanks to his older brother, with this combination of aesthetics and generations laying the groundwork for the massive sample catalog he’s been building non-stop for years.

El Dusty always wanted to be a DJ, inspired by DMC videos and top-notch turntablism routines from the likes of Bad Boy Bill and Richard “Humpty” Vission’s open format approach to mixing genres and razor-sharp scratching routines. He got his start practicing on a pair of Technic 1200s at home at the age of 12, teaching himself turntablism skills that landed him on the radio with his own mix show by the age of 16.

El Dusty’s work has not gone unnoticed. He received a Latin Grammy Nomination for “Best Urban/Fusion Performance” for his song “Cumbia Anthem” and was named to Rolling Stone’s 10 New Artists You Need to Know, Billboard’s New Latin Act to Watch in 2016, and Pandora’s Latin Artists to Watch 2016.

Soon, audiences around the world will be introduced to El Dusty’s modern take on cumbia when he releases his debut album in May.

“I’ve been working on an album for a couple years,” said El Dusty, during a phone interview Monday from a tour stop in Boston. “I’ve been collecting tracks – especially stuff I’ve done with other peipole. I’ve bene trying to get people to sibg my lyrics.

“This is going to be my first album. I have a mashup EP from a few years ago at SXSW 2010. That was a bunch of old cumbia tracks that I’d mashup. My goal now is to make songs more than mashups – songs the traditional way.

“There are still some songs on the album that are samples but I feel the way to go is to have real songs. EDM (electronic dance music) is great but real songs are lyrics talking to the listener. I want to make this genre bigger.”

Cumbia is folkloric rhythm and dance from Colombia that began as a courtship dance practiced among the indigenous population on the Caribbean coasts of Colombia. It later mixed with African and European instruments, steps and musical characteristics. By the 1940s cumbia began spreading from the coast to other parts of Colombia and eventually spread to other Latin countries like Peru, El Salvador and Mexico.

El Dusty’s modern take on cumbia can be heard on his latest single “La Cumbia” and the accompanying video that was shot in the streets of Corpus with dancers of all ages moving to the beat.

“That was a fun song to make and it used different influences. I took cumbia crunk drums and some classic Colombian samples and then re-recorded it live. The video was made on Dia de Los Muertos in Corpus Christi.”

El Dusty has been working on his craft for a while.’

“I started DJing in 1992 when I was 12 and started producing in 1998,” said El Dusty. “I listened to my mom’s records – a lot of Tejano and Chicano – a lot of everything. She inherited her record collection from her cousin who was a DJ. I got it and it was a trailerful – soul, Spanish soul, Tejano, cumbia. A lot of the artists were super soulful.

“In Corpus, cumbia is a big deal. Selena (Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, the late American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, model, actress, and fashion designer who was known as the “Queen of Tejano music”) is from Corpus. A lot of bands there play cumbia – more in the Tejano style.

“I got interested in it and learned a lot of different styles. Cumbia was brought from Africa to Colombia and became popular in a lot of Latin countries. My music has South American cumbia, a lot of gangster and some spooky stuff. I also have a band – Master Blaster Sound System with Brian Ramos.”

Video link for El Dusty – https://youtu.be/KFLM-myvgbw.

The show at MilkBoy, which also features Cut Chemist, will start at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

Other upcoming shows at MilkBoy are The Heavy Pets on April 26 and Eyes Everywhere on April 28.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) will have Dr. Harmonica & Rockett 88 on April 27 and Rust – A Tribute to Neal Young on April 28, and Yarn on May 2.

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com) will host Play Ball Etc.’s Spring Comedy Thing on April 27 and 92^nd Street with ray Adkins on April 28.

Chaplin’s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110, http://chaplinslive.com) will host Nxt2normal and Tree Rats on April 28.

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389, www.ardmoremusic.com) will present “Dreams: Playing the Music of The Allman Brothers Band feat. Ron Holloway” on April 27, Billy Squier & GE Smith on April 29 and “A Night of Bowie: David Bowie Tribute w/ members of Philadelphia’s Night of Stardust Band” on May 2.

Burlap & Bean Coffeehouse (204 South Newtown Street Road, Newtown Square, 484-427-4547, www.burlapandbean.com) will present John Flynn with Katie Barbato on April 27 and TDFI on April 28.

The Merriam Theater (250 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-893-1999, www.kimmelcenter.org) will is hosting the National Tour of “Sound of Music” now through April 29.

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com) will have Trout Steak Revival on April 26, Joseph with Becca Mancari on April 27, Suzanne Vega on April 28, Bookends (Simon & Garfunkel Tribute) on April 29, and Manu Delago on May 2.