On Stage: Joe Samba returns to area for W. Chester show

South America has the samba. North America has Joe Samba.

In Brazil, samba is a lively dance of Afro-Brazilian origin danced to samba music. It originally referred to any of several Latin duet dances with origins from the Congo and Angola. Today, Samba is the most prevalent dance form in Brazil, and reaches the height of its importance during Carnaval – especially in Rio.

In the United States, the samba is Joe Samba, a rising singer, songwriter, and guitarist from New Hampshire who has quietly emerged as a phenomenon racking up more than eight million total streams.

Samba embarked on his maiden U.S. headlining tour last November and made a local stop at 118 North in Wayne.

On August 17, Samba will return to the area to share headlining duty with Mystic Bowie at the Lion Heart Music Fest at Brandywine Outfitters (451 W Gay Street, West Chester, www.whagwaanculture.com/summer-music-fest-pa).

In 2019, Samba released his independent debut, “The Wrong Impression.” The album made its debut at  #1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart and has since clocked over 2 million streams — thanks in part to the breakout hit “How We Do.”

In 2021, Samba signed with LAW Records, and, after a run of successful single releases, put out his sophomore album, “Far From Forever,” in June 2022.

“I’ve had two albums and a bunch of singles,” said Samba. “I’ll have a new album coming out in fall 2024.”

That album “Lifeline,” will be released on September 27 on LAW Records. “Lifeline” includes the lead single and summer anthem “Little Love.”

Samba has released four singles in 2024 – “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Sharing the Vibes,” “Little Love,” and “Meant to Be.”

Tempering a head-nodding bounce with a salsa shake and loose guitar lick, “Meant To Be,” was co-produced by Eric Krasno (Soulive) and Samba.

Amplifying the energy on the hip-hop leaning track, rapper Wax delivers a head-turning guest spot on “Meant To Be,” which first premiered with Glide Magazine.

According to Samba, “It’s about the trials and tribulations of a musician – from family life to life on the road, and life in the studio. It touches on the temptations that surround you on tour, the good and bad that come with that lifestyle.

“This is the first of four songs off my new album to be released that were produced by Eric and I’m beyond excited to have the West Coast homie Wax be a part of it, perfectly detailing his own experiences of life on the road in his verse. I hope musicians and creatives alike can listen to it and vibe with it.”

“Lifeline” expands the scope of Samba’s music.

Samba said, “My brand-new album, ‘Lifeline,’ is a catalog of songs that represent change and growth. It’s a sonic ride of highs and lows from emotional anthems to high energy jams. I try to put together songs that mean something deeper than just notes and words.

“I hope the listeners can hear that. I hope they can feel and relate to the journey I’ve been on for the last two years – musically, personally and alike. There’s a song for everybody on this one.”

Samba’s show in Wayne in November was his second time to play the area.

“I played down there with Pepper the winter before last,” said Samba, during a phone interview from his home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

According to Samba, “Embarking on my first-ever headlining tour is exciting to think about. Early on, I was performing at local pizza shops and bars envisioning the day I’d get to headline a national tour.

“Not only is that vision becoming reality, I also get to take some of the most amazing musicians and people along for the ride. I’m very excited to bring this show on the road. It will be a memorable one for all who attend.”

Samba, who generates smoked-out Caribbean bliss and sweat-soaked punkified energy, has spent years honing his skills and building up his acclaimed energetic live show. In 2023, the Massachusetts-born and now New Hampshire-based artist toured extensively from coast to coast supporting Pepper, Badfish: A Tribute To Sublime, and Shwayze.

Samba has also performed at a variety of festivals including Summer Camp Music Festival, Cali Roots Festival, Reggae Rise Up Florida and Maryland, Cali Vibes 2023, and Summer Camp Music Festival. In addition to headlining his own shows, Samba opened for Sublime With Rome, Andy Frasco & The U.N, and Ziggy Marley.

“My music is a good mixture of reggae and other influences including punk and heavy elements,” said Samba. “I’m leaning more to being a singer/songwriter with an island vibe.”

Samba was exposed to a lot of different music styles when he was young.

“I’m from a musical family,” said Samba. “My dad played bass in a funk band, so I heard a lot of Tower of Power, R&B and soul.

“One of my favorite bands when I was young was Hanson. I was also into Metallica and Goth.

“I started playing piano when I was seven and then took drum lessons when I was 12. I taught myself guitar when I was in high school.”

Prior to his mid-winter concert along the Main Line, Samba said, “I just recently got back from L.A. I was working on the album with Anthony Resta. He’s an old friend of mine from Massachusetts. I met him for the first time when I was 17.

“I got interested in producing several years ago. I produced my first two albums myself. For the new album, I’m using Anthony as producer. This is my first time to record with him since I was in high school. It’s come full circle.

“We stayed in touch over the years. I’m a reggae-rock artist. If he was working on something and needed a reggae flavor, he’d send me the track to work on.”

This time around, they got to work together in the same room.

“He’s a ‘real deal’ producer,” said Samba. “He had a great studio in Massachusetts — Bopnique Musique – and he now has a great studio in Laurel Canyon.

“I was in L.A. for two weeks and worked with two different producers. I cut three songs with Anthony and four tracks with Eric Krasno from Soulive. I was a huge fan of his so getting to work with him was a great experience.

“I want to record eight more songs for the album at Revelry Studio in New Hampshire – get 15 done and then narrow it to 12.”

As it turned out, “Lifeline” will include 10 tracks – “Culture War,” “Cold Feet,” “Little Love,” “Lost Boy, “Communicate,” “Meant to Be with You,” “Surfside Live,” “Home,” “Break Free,” and “Lifeline.”

For “Lifeline,” Samba worked with outside producers for the first time, recording four tunes with Krasno (a huge personal influence for Samba) and three in LA’s famed Laurel Canyon with Resta (Duran Duran, Collective Soul), who co-produced “Little Love.”

The final tracks of the 10-song collection were self-produced in Maine at the Halo Studio with engineer Kevin Billingslea.

Saturday’s show will be Samba’s last show in the East prior to his September “East Meets West Tour 2024” in California with Kyle Smith.

The five-show tour will touch down in several interesting “off the beaten path” Golden State locations including Paso Robles, where legendary actor James Dean died in a car crash in 1955, and Santa Cruz, home of University of California Santa Cruz and its famous/infamous mascot  — “Banana Slugs.”

Video link for Joe Samba — https://youtu.be/SkNaXyxJBC4.

Tickets for the festival start at $30.

Collective Soul, an Atlanta-based rock band that has been around since 1992, has played many shows at venues around the Delaware Valley.

It celebrated its first quarter-century in music a few years ago and brought its “25th Anniversary Tour” to the Xcite Center at Parx Casino in Bensalem.

Now, the band is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a national tour and a double album, which was released in May.

Collective Soul — Ed Roland (vocals/guitar), Dean Roland (rhythm guitar), Will Turpin (bass/background vocals), Jesse Triplett (lead guitar/background vocals), Johnny Rabb (drums/background vocals) — hit the road this summer on a massive trek with Hootie & the Blowfish along with Edwin McCain. Billed as “Summer Camp with Trucks Tour,” it kicked off on May 30 in Dallas and will close on September 28 in West Palm Beach.

The “Summer Camp with Trucks Tour” is visiting arenas, amphitheaters and select stadiums such as Boston’s iconic Fenway Park (with its famous “Green Wall” and green Coca-Cola machines.

Locally, the tour will touch down on August 16 at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion (One Harbor Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey, www.livenation.com).

Collective Soul released a double album – “Here to Eternity” – in May. It was produced by E. Roland and co-produced by Shawn Grove and recorded at Elvis Presley’s estate in Palm Springs.

They are the only other music artist to ever record at the historical landmark where Elvis and Priscilla Presley spent their honeymoon and celebrated their Las Vegas wedding in 1967.

“Here to Eternity” made impressive debuts on various charts, including #14 on Billboard‘s Top Current Album chart, and on the Luminate charts: #2 Current Hard Music Albums, #3 Current Alternative Albums, #6 Current Rock Albums, #7 Record Label Independent Albums and #10 Internet Albums.

“The album dropped about two months ago,” said Turpin, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in northern New Jersey.

“We mainly did most of the work in January at Elvis’ place in Palm Springs. We stayed there a whole month. Ed lived there, and the rest of us stayed in Burt Lancaster’s home.”

“Here to Eternity” was released May 17 on their label, Fuzze-Flex Records (distributed physically by AMPED Distribution and digitally by Virgin Music Group) and includes two albums’ worth of new music — 20 songs in all.

On April 12, the band released the first song and lyric video, “Mother’s Love” (created by LyricVids Media) on their official YouTube page. The official music video was directed by Adam Blank and features an appearance by Ed and Dean Roland’s mother, Nette Roland.

Elvis’ influence seeped into the album-making process. Ed Roland and album co-producer Shawn Grove slept in the home for the duration of the sessions, which overlapped with the death of Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie in early 2023.

“I think it had an effect,” said Turpin. “It felt like a little bit of a time capsule.”

Elvis always had an effect on people, places and things he touched.

According to Turpin, “The sticky DNA, with Elvis being there — you can just tell it was his designs. All pink tiles. It’s straight out of 1977. It was super cool just to be there and in the zone.”

Collective Soul even tried recording a few of Elvis’ songs.

“We did try a couple Elvis covers – but they didn’t kick any ass,” said Turpin.

“Still, I feel any environment is going to affect what you do. Only Elvis ever worked there. We did some vocals in the same room he used.

“By the time we got to a double record, which was something we’ve wanted to do for 30 years, we had 15-16 songs that we did at Elvis’ place. That was only one session.

“We used Shawn Grove, an engineer we started with in the lates 90s. He’s engineered and co-produced us since 2010.

“When we were recording there, we used ProTools. We had a bunch of hard drives and good software. And there was the red shag carpet and pink tile in the master bathroom.”

Formed in the early 1990s, Collective Soul released its “Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid” album on the independent label Rising Storm Records in 1993.

The band went from obscurity to popularity that year after the song “Shine” became an underground hit based on radio play. The album was re-released in 1994 under major label Atlantic Records.

Collective Soul released a self-titled album in March 1995. Considered by founding member Ed Roland to be the band’s true debut album, “Collective Soul” spent 76 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts, went triple platinum and became the band’s highest selling album.

The singles “December,” “The World I Know,” and “Where the River Flows” each reached Number One on the Mainstream Rock charts.

About two years later, Collective Soul released “Disciplined Breakdown.” Although not as successful in sales as its previous two albums, “Disciplined Breakdown” contained two Number One Mainstream Rock charts hits – “Precious Declaration” and “Listen.”

The band released a fourth studio album, “Dosage,” in 1999. The album’s first single, “Heavy,” spent a then record-breaking 15 weeks on the top spot of the Mainstream Rock charts.

The band followed with “Blender” (2000), “Youth” (2004), “Afterwords” (2007), “Collective Soul” (2009) and “See What You Started by Continuing” (2015), “Blood,” and “Vibrating.”

Video link for Collective Soul – https://youtu.be/k6XqBea3ORk.

The show at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion will start at 7 p.m.

Ticket prices start at $35.30.

Another show this weekend at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion will be Dierks Bentley on August 17.

Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) has a full slate of music this weekend.

The show at Jamey’s on August 16 will be a twin bill featuring The Porkroll Project and Robert Morbioli.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Livestream tickets are $15.

The show on August 17 at Jamey’s will feature Blues People, an all-star blues band from New Jersey.

The show at Jamey’s on Saturday will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Livestream tickets are $15.

Jamey’s features either “Thursday Jams at Jamey’s” or “Open Mic” on Thursdays featuring the Dave Reiter Trio and occasional guest musicians.

“Jazz at Jamey’s” will be presented every second and fourth Thursday, and “Open Mic” every first, third and fifth Thursday.

Every Sunday, Jamey’s presents “SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM” featuring the Philly Blues Kings. On the second Sunday of each month, the featured act is the Girke-Davis Project which features club owner Jamey Reilly, Roger Girke, Glenn Bickel, Fred Berman and Colgan-Davis.

It’s tribute band time again at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org).

The venue will present Back Home Again (John Denver) on August 16, Classic Stones Live on August 16, and The Frank White Experience (Notorious B.I.G.) on August 17.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, http://www.kennettflash.org) is hosting Angry Young Band (Billy Joel Tribute) on August 17 as part of its Rooftop Series.

The Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, 302- 475-2313, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) will started its run of the hit musical “The Fantasticks” on July 13. The show will close on August 24.

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The Fantasticks” is a magical journey, part fairy tale, part fable and entirely enchanting. With book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, it features such memorable songs as “Try to Remember” and “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” and has the distinction of being the longest-running musical in the history of theater.

“The Fantasticks” is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play “The Romancers” (“Les Romanesques”) by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into falling in love by pretending to feud.

The show’s original off-Broadway production ran a total of 42 years (until 2002) and 17,162 performances, making it the world’s longest-running musical. The musical was produced by Lore Noto. It was awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1991.

The poetic book and breezy, inventive score, including such memorable songs as “Try to Remember,” helped make the show durable. Many productions followed, as well as television and film versions.

“The Fantasticks” was revived Off-Broadway from 2006-2017. The musical has played in all 50 U.S. states and in at least 67 foreign countries.

The main characters in the Candlelight productions are Shawn Weaver as The Mute, Isabell Hartzell as Luisa, Nigel Grant as Matt and James Ofalt as El Gallo.

Weaver, an Upper Darby High alumnus, spent his college years in Chester County and graduated from Lincoln University in 2020 as a vocal performance major. He is an active actor, voice coach and director.

“The Fantasticks” is running now through August 24 at the Candlelight Theatre with shows on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees.

Tickets, which include a buffet meal, beverages, dessert, and free parking, are $70.50 for adults and $35 for children.