Mauch Chunk Opera House Event Blog

Burlesque is Coming to the Opera House

2009-12-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

The resurgence of the exotic Burlesque is headed to Jim Thorpe. The movement has become wildly popular in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New Orleans where female based troops and acts perform on a weekly basis then play host to a yearly festival of sorts honoring this generations artists. A handful of local women are hoping to land Jim Thorpe on the increasingly popular nostalgic Burlesque circuit and have come up with a plan to do such a thing.

Brooke Aubuchon (Proprietor of Dragon Town Corsets,),Tara Kubas (Mauch Chunk Historical Society) and Michelle Gallagher (Local Artist) are three independent businesswomen with a love for glamour and things of the past. They are fast at work on bringing the revival of Burlesque dance, a vintage, intimate, exotic experience, together to benefit The Mauch Chunk Opera House.

Jim Thorpe’s First Annual Burlesque Festival is slated for March 27th & 28th 2010. The weekend will be filled with glitter, feathers, glamour and Burlesque talent from all over the country. There will be Burlesque workshops and classes on the history of the art form and more. The Mauch Chunk Museum & Cultural Center will hold a vendor bazaar on both days. And, of course, 'The Big Reveal', in form of tassel and twirl , will be the Burlesque show itself showcasing up to forty exotic musical numbers.

In support of this event, we would like to announce our Intro To Burlesque Class. On December 12th Bay Area performer Eva Valentina will land in Jim Thorpe to host “An Introduction to Burlesque” at the Opera House. This two-hour class will touch upon all the basic elements that make up the world of burlesque so that by the end of the two hours you will know the history, types of acts & how to develop your own act, an overview of hair, make up and costuming, how to pick a name and of course basic dance moves. This amazing art welcomes men and women of all shapes, ages and sizes.For more info or to get involved with the upcoming production please visit JimThorpeBurlesque.com

Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams

2009-11-24T12:23:00.001-08:00

I was a "newbie" , as the band likes to call all those experiencing them for the first time. I really had no idea what to expect and, their name just added to the intrigue of what , exactly, this band is all about. Normally I would interview the band prior to the show, however, Saturday evening was pretty tight for the group and there was no time to have a sit down before they went on stage. I did have the opportunity to speak with their lead singer, Joziah, after the show. As usual, I set to record the question and answer interview to which I would transcribe into this blog later. Unfortunately, the entire conversation did not record. But more on that later.

First, I need to relate to you exactly what I thought and felt while watching this group perform. I don't know if you've ever met or had the experience of meeting someone that seems to have a direct connection to channeling something from beyond on a higher level. As I was watching and listening to the band perform, I could really sense an amazing energy that surrounded them and filled the room. That energy just poured out of their music. I'm not talking about the type of energy that is usually associated with driving fast beats but rather a cosmic energy.

The venue was full of loyal fans that travel to watch this band play and I have never met a more dedicated group of , well, "groupies" before . His fans are so loyal that, the first time they played here in Jim Thorpe a few years ago, a fan purchased 40 tickets and told JTAMS to pass them out on the streets so that people here would have an opportunity to get to know the band. When speaking with him I made mention of how adoring his fans are of him and the music. He professed that , to him, his fans always feel more familial than anything else.

Throughout the show he peppers in comments (self- deprecating, but not in a pathetic way) that just makes you laugh. He'll tell you about some dream he had that brought about the revelation of the next song he is about to play. He'll make jokes about the music business and how he ran from being signed by a major label (he even put down a song called 'Clear Channel' on his 'The Great Unravel' CD about the industry and one of it's dominating giants). He'll talk about hope and how the world is changing and what he hopes for the future.

My favorite song of the night was "Baby Jane". It was absolutely beautiful and, since that night, I have been playing it over and over again in my car. It is a powerful song that he said he wrote for all the woman of the world. He calls it one of his "sissy songs" but says that the song seems to have had a huge impact on some of his fans. Many woman have related to it and, he has been told that it has led to them walking away from bad , broken and abusive relationships. Now that is powerful stuff.

When I did get to sit down with him the first question I asked was about the name 'Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams". I had been somewhat perplexed by the name, especially after finding out that the lead singer was not named Gandalf Murphy, but is rather named Joziah. He told me that the inspiration for such an unusual name came from a Paul McCartney story about a band that had a similarly odd name (something to do with a Medicine Man, but I can't recall it now) and how he had even thought of calling his band by that same name at one point. Then, one day while walking in the woods, the name Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams just popped into his head as if it was infused into his brain from a higher place . While, originally, the name made me scratch my head, after meeting with him , seeing his band perform and hearing their music, and speaking with him I completely get it. The name makes absolutely perfect sense and fits them well.

Our conversation was indeed a very deep one with a lot of talk of spirituality. He is one of those rare people in life that you meet that have an immense level of spiritual energy . While speaking with him you feel that you are lifted off this plane into a higher one.

We spoke a lot about the Beatles and his experience of having met John Lennon, another highly tuned in spiritual and prolific soul. He spoke about how the Beatles, when they came to America, tapped into something amazing that just swept over people in a way that is hard to describe. He also spoke about how the 60's was a time of much enlightenment but , that the drugs of that era seems to have kind of knocked that generation off of it's path. He feels that we are back on that path once again and that times are changing in a very profound way . We spoke about Obama being the first black President in America (and how very cool that is) and how he brings with him a message of hope and change and how some are just not quite as ready to accept those changes for whatever reason, whether they are just fearful or not quite as enlightened.

Yesterday, when I was listening to his 'Flapjacks in the Sky Album' and particularly the song 'Look Ma, No Hands' , I was reminded of our conversation pertaining to the 60's when I heard this line in the song;

Look Ma, No Drugs
And I'm floating high and stoned as can be
Only difference is I got no strings on me
Yeah I'm free, I'm so free
Look Ma, No Hands

The interview was one of the most interesting I have had to date. I could have sat there for hours talking with him in great depth about the world, music and the spirituality of it all . Our conversation did go to some wonderfully deep places. Perhaps that was, as he put it, only a conversation meant to be between him and I. I have to admit it was quite strange how my usually reliable recorder didn't get any of the interview. It was a 'things that make you go hmm' moment.

The band now has a new fan and I have been listening to his 'Flapjacks in the Sky' and 'The Great Unravel" over and over again in my car. Now that he is once again ready to take on the industry (as he feels it has shifted back to being more genuine, at least more so than it was at one point) it's only a matter of time before a record AR person picks up on just how great this band is.

You can visit the bands website at Slambovia.com. They even have their own brand of coffee you can buy which I hear is absolutely amazing.

Real Diamond at the Mauch Chunk Opera House

2009-11-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

Real Diamond, a Neil Diamond tribute band, graced the stage this past Saturday night at the Mauch Chunk Opera House and played to a nearly sold out crowd.

The full band consists of Kevin Crandall (Keys, Acoustic Guitar, Musical Director), Pam Carbona (Keys/Vocals) , Larry Bergman (Bass Guitar/ Promotional Manager), Fred Sega (Drums) , Mike Pollack (Trombone/Percussion) , Debbie Fossile (Singer/Percussion) and Sharon Stirling (Singer/Percussion). All are led by a Neil Diamond channeling lead vocalist Curt Di Domizio. No joke, this man sounds just like the real Neil Diamond!

I had the opportunity to sit with the entire band before the show and ask them a few questions about touring and about their love for all things Neil Diamond.

Q: How long have you guys been together as a band?

Curtis: Since June of 2008.

Q: So you haven’t been together that long?

Curtis: It was my brain child. I found all the musicians on Craig’s List. One guy brought in another friend and so on and so on and Real Diamond was formed.

Q: And what brought you to Neil Diamond , what was it about Neil Diamond that made you want to go out and be a Neil Diamond tribute band?

Curtis: Rock and Roll was only good for bars, which is what I always really did , and I wanted to go to the next step up; playing casinos and places like that. And, it was either Elvis or Neil Diamond and there are already too many Elvis impersonators, so it was Neil Diamond.

A: So is your goal to get a gig playing in Vegas?

Curits: Eventually. We’re playing Trump Marina next Saturday and it will be our third trip to Atlantic City. Then, after that, we’re up to Connecticut on December 6^th at the Mohegan Sun. We’ve also played the Delware Park Casino . We are a casino and theater band.

Q: Have you played in Sands yet in Bethlehem?

Curits: It’s too small . If you look at the size of my band the stage is very small and tight. If we played there we would have to do a scaled down version and then you are not getting the real show and the full Neil Diamond experience.

Q: And what is the most interested place or venue you guys have played?

At this point the entire band started talking about their favorite venue. Most of them, being PA natives, immediately mentioned Penn’s Peak as their favorite.

Curtis: Mohegan Sun. They were great. They rolled out the red carpet gave us food, rooms .

Q: Put you in the high roller suite huh? And , how much money have you guys lost? (everyone laughs)

Someone mentions Manhattan and how much fun it was to play there.

Q: Usually I ask all the acts that come through here about their touring and to share with us some really outrageous story from the road. I’m sure you must have one.

Curtis: nCan you turn that off (referring to my recording device and the entire room breaks out in laughter)

Q: You can make it PG version.

Curtis: We had a show in Michigan and so we rented the van and seven of us piled into this van with all of our equipment and we drove for 10 ½ straight hours. We kept going to Canada. We drove out there and we showed up and we thought we were at the wrong place because it looked like an estate and there was an entrance with a 400 ft long driveway and at least 100 acres surrounding it. They really treated us great . There was this one member of the band that was out of control and he ended up steeling booze. It was a James Bond themed party and they spared no expense. They had girls dressed up like each of the James Bonds girls. It was insane.

Q; I take it that member is no longer with the band?

Curtis : Oh no, and that’s why he’s not with us anymore.

Curtis: The funniest part was that every time I was heading back I kept ending up at the bridge into Canada. I couldn’t get away from that stupid bridge. We drove two or three hours out of our way to get home. So that was probably he most interesting.

Another band member: Yeah.. this big white van packed with people kept pulling up to the border and turning around.

I made a joke about the short lived TV show National Security this past summer, and how they all would have ended up on it if they were filming then, and they all laughed.

Curtis: We also got lost in Detroit in the ganglands. It was bad.

Q; I’m sure each of you have your own personal favorite Neil Diamond song so we’ll go down the list and you can each name your favorite.

Curtis: We’ll start with Jamie

Jamie: I would say Crunchy Granola’s (several other band members are in agreement with that choice)

Larry: I was going to say that too (Crunchy Granola)

Pam: Well I play piano and I just love September Morn

Bobby: Cherry Cherry

Mark: Solitary Man

Debbie: ‘Play Me’

Sharon: I love ‘You got to me’

Steven: ‘ Sweet Caroline’

Micheal: Right now I’m liking ‘Brooklyn Roads’

Someone else chimed in ‘Crunchy Granola’

Curtis: ‘Love on the Rocks’ is my favorite because the new version we’ll be launching, not tonight but in a week or so, is a really powerful version.

Larry: The love songs are beautiful.

With that we went on to talk about how everyone knows at least one Neil Diamond Song, no matter what age. With that I asked if anyone had anything to add.

Curtis : You’ve got a really cool town here!

I agree completely!

Interview With Jazz Duo Tuck & Patty

2009-10-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday the duo Tuck and Patty performed at the Opera House. If you are unfamiliar, Tuck and Patty are jazz guitarist /vocalist duo based in California. Their careers have spanned decades and the globe . They are not only partners in music, but are partners in life. They are true soul mates and that love is an energy that emanates from both of them and is so evident in their performances together. They are the parents and the music their child that they love, nurture and share in together.

I had the opportunity to speak with Tuck and Patty before they took the stage and ask them questions about their music and their life together on the road.

Q : So you guys have been on the road together for how long now?

A: Well, we’ve been playing together for 31 years and we didn’t’ start making records till 11 years after we met so we’ve been together all that time and playing together all that time. But , we have really been actively on the road constantly the last 21 years.

Q: And how much of your life is on the road?

Patty: Well now it’s about half and half, six months on and six months off. But, it’s not all at once. It’s sort of spread out over the year. In the beginning, in the first few years, it was more like 10, sometimes more.

Q: Now , you’ve probably been to a lot of great places and seen a lot of great things and one of the questions I always like to ask of the musicians that come through here is about some story , somehow or somewhere about something outrageous , funny or mystical or magical that has happened to you on the road. Do you have any story you can share with us?

Tuck: Well there was this time we went to Jim Thorpe … (all laughing)

Patty: You know, what happens is, each time you go out people always ask when was your favorite time or place to play and it’s usually the last time to played was your favorite time. It’s the people in the places that make the places. I mean, we have been driving into Paris at 5 am after having driven all night with Miles Davis playing, you know, stuff like that. So, there is all these little moments and vignettes and snapshots out of your life that jumps out for you, but really the thing that remains is the people and the people that you meet. We have been traveling for so long and we get to go back to lots of places in different countries. We have really been able to make friendships. Like when we go back to Japan, I’m really happy to be going back to Tokyo but , what I’m really glad about is that I’m going to get to see my friends there again and sort of reconnect with them. So , I think the biggest thing for me and the magical and mystical part of it is the fact that I travel around the world and am in a different place every day; a different city, different place, different language, different food, different customs but, the really amazing thing you find is that all those seeming differences are just superficial and that people are all the same and , we just basicallyall want the same things and have the same desires , feelings and everything. And , it’ s reassuring in an insane world, it seems, that we actually are so much more alike than we re different. That was the most profound affect I think that traveling has had on me.

Q: What country besides the U.S have you played in the most?

Patty: Europe generally Western Europe. We‘ve done a little of the East we haven’t done a lot of Eastern Europe. Japan we play in a lot. Because we play in Japan at Blue Notes we wind up being there five, six , seven nights a week in three different cities. So, probably physically more time in Japan.

Tuck: I think more total time in Japan and Italy next. We’ve had marked success in Italy early on for some reason and that has seen us through 85 90 different cities in Italy. We have been to more cities than Italians even heard of much less been to.

Q: Well there are probably a lot of people in the U. S who haven’t heard of Jim Thorpe (all laughing). So, here you are in one of them here in the U.S.

You’ve kind of told us about how while we are all different we are a like. In reception to your music, how do Europeans different from the American crowd?

Tuck: I think they are markedly similar.

Patti: I don’t think that part of it is so different because people come out to hear them music because they like the music, or the group or they know the songs. So it’s similar that way. I think where the division really happens is in the support for the arts and for music is just much more solid in Europe, I think, than it is in the U.S.

Q: Now in all that time is there one experience, one night or one performance that hit you in a more profound way than another? You must have at least one out there event or some outrageous story of some hiccups that happen while on the road and traveling. ( I went on to share with them the story the Nields had told me as an example)

Tuck: We probably have a lot of those but, the thing is , what eclipses those in our memory tends to be the micro moments which are musical. The sublime moment that goes by and we get to live that really short term micro moment adventure so intensely. I think it kind of causes us not to pay attention to the other stuff. I think the other stuff is just the overhead of life, missed flight, canceled concert, someone starts getting shocked during the show because of the rain coming down, and all those types of things. You kind of start to forget the specifics and instead like to focus on the ebb and flow in the middle of the music and, in our case it’s so intense cause we’ve worn the in -ear -monitors for so long and have gotten so lost in the sounds of each other you kind of live in the details of the moment. It’s all really intensified for us. I mean in the moment of performing the music there is nothing in the universe besides Patty for me because we both have our habit of focusing on the music that way and the fact that it gets re-enforced with the way we monitor and the whole audio part of it.

It ends up being the music and I especially say the micro moments you can’t really hold on to because your on to the next micro moment.

Patty: Yeah, that is the fabric of it. I mean the plane is late, the stuff is there, the guy in the town way out in the rural part of Italy, or the guy in the big city that comes out with a little set of stereo speakers instead of a PA because he said it sounded great on my stereo at home. All that kind of stuff happens over and over and over again , you know. Ultimately if you are going to chose to do music, there is nothing wrong with pop stardom and all those things, but ultimately if you are going to do music the only thing you have left at the end of it all is the love for the music and how you treat that and what you make of that. So to us the music part becomes the sacred space that through all that crazy stuff nothing can touch that.

Q: I find, and I think it’s refreshing, that the artists that come through here are really the true musical artists. They are unspoiled by the fame that limits so many artists on mainstream radio. They are not ruined by that. You have you own success in being able to be musicians but you’re not spoiled by that fame that tends to box you in. (I gave them the example of Britney Spears)

Patt: I think in some cases it’s not that art or the music that was ruined it was all the peripheral stuff around it and the reason shet started to do it was because that’s what she wanted to do and she loved to do that and loved to sing and dance and somehow that gets lost in it when that other thing starts to happen beyond it. But , I think that it takes a lot of artistry to do that job that they do , an amazing amount.

Q: Oh no absolutely, it’s just in a different sense in that she and others like her are very limited in what they can do and ey tcan’t explore beyond that. But, you can and you do and a lot of people that come through the Opera House do because they have been spoiled and that is really neat. For example, when Jeffery Gaines came through here a few months ago we were talking about that and after his concert I kind of said to him that I’m glad he never reached that level because it didn’t ruin him. He was able to do what he does and be the artist I enjoyed watching and listening to because he wasn’t and isn’t boxed in.

Tuck: That’s true

Patty: Because it’s not your decision when you reach that level. It’s more music by committee.

Tuck: ..and you’re operating at a corporate level.

Q: I really like that and that’s why I’m looking forward to you r concert tonight because I know that’s the type of artist you are and why I like attending shows at the Opera House. It has so broadened my horizons.

Patty: It’s great what you have here.

Tuck: It’s a great resource.

Q: How long have you been in Jim Thorpe?

Patty: We drove in late last night. We had a gig in Bayshore, NY and then we drove here. Then, we go right out tomorrow morning and we have to fly to Minneapolis from Philadelphia. So, we’re on the road right now and ending up in Europe at the end of the month. We’ll be traveling past the middle of November.

Q: What’s the smallest country you have ever played?

Patty: Luxemburg probably.

Tuck: It would have to be Luxemburg. The city is the country.

I then started talking to them and asking them if they ever played in the small country of the Slovak Republic (My husband is from there) and we went on to discuss the Czech Republic. Turns out that they will be heading to the beautiful city of Prague for the first time in November and playing in Ostrava the day before, also for the first time.

Q: One of the questions I also like to always ask is, out of all the songs you perform or have written , which one is the one that hits you the most emotionally or is your favorite to perform and that is really from the gut.

Patty: Well, we don’t do it if it’s not from the gut. But again, I think , because so many people love it, ‘Take’s my Breath Away ‘ is a really special song.

Tuck: Which we didn’t write

Patty: We didn’t write it another artist named Claire Hamill wrote it. I love all my original tunes too. We are just so blessed to like it you know. A lot of , their music will come on and they will not want to hear it or want to take it off and they don’t like it. But, I like what we do. I know they have big mistakes in it all the time and I know where all the mistakes are but, you have to kind of fall in love with it mistakes and all. But I think “Takes My Breath Away” because it touches so many people.

Tuck: The actual name of it is probably “You Take My Breath Away” but we learned it as Take My breath Away so we’ve always called it that.

Their concert was beautiful. Her voice is amazing. They played their original tunes and as well as their own jazz versions of songs by artists like Eric Clapton and Hendrix. At one point Patty went off stage for a little break and Tuck stood up and told a story to the audience about how he would like to take things apart and put them back together as a child dissecting them. He particularly liked to do that with music. He, in a very humorous way, introduced the next song he was going to play on a guitar informing us that it was his favorite childhood song and that , when he got older, he dissected it amd put it back together again. He then started playing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Hearing him play it on his guitar was like hearing it for the first time because while it was familiar it was also very unique. It also rang true for all the other familiar tunes that both Tuck and Patty delivered together.

They closed out the evening with their beautiful version of the Cindy Lauper hit, “Time After Time”. And, Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, for their encore performance they did ‘You Take My Breath Away’. Patty was absolutely right in that it is extremely touching. But, I don’t think it’s so much the words of the song, but the delivery of it that Patty gives vocally that brought tears to my eyes.

Post Show Conversation with Larry Kirwan

2009-10-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had Black 47 at the Opera House. If you don’t know Black 47, they are an Irish rock band based out of NYC. Their band leader and song writer, Larry Kirwan, was interviewed by JTAMS and Historical Society Board Member Dan Hugos a few weeks back. I had the opportunity to follow up with Larry after his performance on Saturday night.

Given the nature of the band’s music, which is very politically driven, the conversation with Larry was a lot of fun. Larry sings about the working class, the every day man and his struggle against tyranny and oppression, both in current times and in Ireland’s political history. There is no mistaking where his political affiliations, thoughts, and beliefs lie. He also makes no apologies for his outspoken nature and what he has to say.

Q: You were kind of playing with the idea of writing a Molly Maguires song but said that you couldn’t quite get into their head or the mindset. I was wondering, being in Jim Thorpe right now where it all went down, have you kind of explored a little bit and had the opportunity to visit the Jail and Museum?

A: They were all closed when I got here, but I got a feeling of the place. I come from an old historical place Wexford, Ireland. If you’re used to feeling history around you, you can always sense it.

Q: Aww. So you missed the jail?

A: Yeah.

I went way beyond just thinking about a Molly Maguires song, I’ve actually written them. But they weren’t right, you know. With the Bobby Sands songs it took me 15 years to get into his head. So, it’s like fishing almost. You throw the line out and maybe you get it. You can’t rush it.

Q: Are you staying in town overnight?

A: No, but I know the area. I know Pottsville and I know Scranton .This is the first time I’ve actually been here. But I’ll come back. It’s more of getting into the mindset of the guys that were here, and their wives.

Q: I think the Jail would give you something. I hadn’t heard of the Molly Maguires before I moved here . I took the tour and it was very fascinating. The hand print on the wall and the fact that they were hung there, you can feel something and it gave you a good sense of things then.

A; Yeah, I’ll get it. I know it’s there. I even had the music of one.

Q: You just felt it didn’t do it justice?

A: Exactly. I could do it, that’s no problem. I could write a song right now, but I didn’t get into it right yet. It has to be unique because they were unique people. You have to do them justice. Doing them justice is the thing.

Q: Your music is very political. I wanted to ask about what you thought of the political climate in the U.S today?

A: I think it,s crazy. It,s nutty. Television and talk radio are just such a bad influence on the country. It’s a 24-hour news cycle and everyone is just jumping on the smallest thing. Nothing is getting done. It’s going to be a bad health insurance bill.

Q: I know. I’m ready to break out in tears because I’ve waited 8 years for a President to actually do something about the problem and now we have this all going on with it.

A; My health insurance just went up 17%, right. But I did get choice. I can go to this other company and it would be fine but they don’t use any of the doctors that I go to. So then I’d have to start all over.

Q: I paid $850 per month for me and my son alone when I lived in NY. I ended up lapsing when I moved and I have a pre-existing condition and, well, you can imagine.

A: The whole thing is ridiculous and it shouldn’t be that way. It’s not that way in any other industrialized world and yet it’s going to be a bad health insurance plan that’s going to be coming in. It will be watered down. And the problem will have to be dealt with 10 or 15 years down the line.

Q: I like how you sing about the working class especially since I feel our government has been taken over by corporations.

A: It has. I don’t like polls, but for instance, 65% of the American people want a public option. But their representatives don’t because they are getting paid off by the insurance companies. And they are using this big thing of socialism or the government but when it comes down to it…

Q: They are comparing Obama to Hitler for crying out loud!

A: Yeah, It’s crazy. He’s going to get killed you know. He’s going to get shot because of that.

Q: We’re going through our own political revolution here in the U.S.

A: Well, you know you’ve got to get beyond the talk shows and cable TV because basically what they are doing are is selling ads that are saying things that are outrageous.

I went on to tell Larry about the HR 200 bill and that I personally read a lot of portions of the bill. I particularly read the parts that were referred to by a right wing radio commentator in which he stated the page numbers and section and went on to tell his listeners what it said. Some of it was so outrageous that I took it as a challenge to find out if what he spoke was the truth or fabrication. Of course, upon reading each line, section and page he outlined, I found that 99% of what he had said was an outright lie or a big stretch all meant to put fear in the minds of the American people. We had some conversation about that and in particular the “kill granny” propaganda.

A: You know another thing is people have to face up to the truth of it. If you are 85 or 90 and you’re on the way out and Dr’s want to give you triple bypass at that point I mean give me a break. You have to face up to that .

Q: That is uniquely an American problem. I think that one of the reasons that the Europeans are able to have such a system of medicine is because they face the reality of it.

A: But you know that has to be something that has to be dealt with.

Q: You have to write a song about health care reform. (laughing)

A:.. (Laughing) That is a hard one to do. I write about characters. It’s hard to write about issues. It’s a lot harder because you’re preaching. All I can do is set up a character or a certain set of events and write about that and the people take their own message from it.

Q: Write about Glenn Beck. (both laughing)

A: I can’t deal with these idiots, you know?

At this point in the conversation I joked about having to edit this blog somewhat so as not to alienate any of our patrons.

A: Well, you know we speak out and we get alienated. We would have double the crowd if we weren’t that way but that’s what Black 47 is about. People leave when they hear we are political, you know. You can see people walking out. They don’t walk out as much any more. When we were doing the Iraq album in the midst of the war it was like chaos every night. There were people walking out and smashing the album.

Q: Your songs in the Iraq album weren’t necessarily bashing anyone though.

A: Well, we were against the war. We were against it when most were for it. A lot of people were for the war. Eight five percent (85%) of the people were for the invasion.

Q: Well, I supported it because I thought it was necessary until I found out it wasn’t necessary and we shouldn’t have been there.

A: Well, I didn’t because I knew it was bullshit right from the start. The first night we invaded was on St. Patrick’s day and we had a big show. We came out against it and it was just a nightmare. People walked out, but you know you have got to do it.

Q: Having been on the road you must have some fun stories about touring.

A: No. I don’t have any. What happens on the road stays on the road. (laughing)

Q: You don’t have to tell me the dirtiest or the most embarrassing.

A: Well, I don’t have any really. Everyday is a different thing. There are some awful and good things that happen.

Q: I guess an appropriate answer would be the story you just told me about your St. Patrick’s day performance and how you were outspoken about the war.

A: Yeah you can talk about that one. That was a mind blower actually.

Q: Describe what happened, exactly.

A: Well, I just thought it was ridiculous thing to invade Iraq. Not just on political basis but, if you understood the history of the area or you understood history of places like Yugoslavia. When you knock off Marshal Tito and you have the Serbs and the Croats all fighting whereas, he (Tito) kept them all down. It’s going to be the same thing with the Sunnis and the Shiites. To be going into an area like that was ridiculous, I thought.

Q: And what happened at your concert that night?

A: Ah, it was like people were booing and whatever. They were walking out and taking albums, throwing them on the ground. Not everyone was.

Q: Now they would love you.

A: No no, now they dance to it. But back then…

Q: Isn’t that amazing how it changed in 8 years?

A: But you have to remember there are 150,000 troops there. It’s bullshit that they are still there. Everyone’s forgotten about the thing by now and you have to remember we’re going to have 40,000 more troops going to Afghanistan.

Q: Yeah... and we still haven’t caught one man strapped to dialysis machine hiding out in the mountains!

A: He’s probably in the East Village of NY (laughing). I mean if you are going to hide out, NY would be a great place to do it, like in the Men in Black movie.

Q: What did you think of Sarah Palin and the previous election?

A: She’s a fucking dope and you can quote me on that. I mean she’s very decent enough woman in a ways but, to be considering her for President I mean that’s nuts. Well it doesn’t say much to John McCain for the decision to have her on the ticket.

I mean to have Sarah Palin be president? I mean we are in enough trouble already.

We were soon joined by others from the Opera House lingering after the show and our political discussions continued. Larry pointed out that today’s news outlets do not give you the news straight but deliver it with a slant, whether it’s Fox News, which tends to lean right, and MSNBC which tends to lean to the left. He said that he is already left wing and doesn’t need the news on that slant, but that he would like his news straight and then make his own conclusions, of which all of us whole heartedly agreed.

The conversation that I had with Larry is indeed a political one but, to edit it in order to avoid possible alienation of our readers and patrons with a different political point of view would in no way do the band and the message of its front man justice. Black 47 has a message, and whether you agree with that message or not you have to appreciate the passion he puts into his work and what he tries to do with his music. As he says, anyone reading this that may not agree with his points would simply say “ah, he’s just another asshole from NY’.

Interview with Craig Thatcher

2009-10-05T13:15:00.001-07:00

This weekend marks the fourth time the prominent Lehigh Valley guitarist Craig Thatcher has brought his Eric Clapton Retrospective show to the Opera House. Spanning all the various creative phases of Clapton's career, Thatcher's band seems to channel the great guitarist virtually note for note. And it's not only the guitar work: with Craig Kastelnik on the Hammond B-3 organ and the dynamic rhythm section of bassist Wayde Leonard and drummer Don Plowman, the Craig Thatcher Band is quite up to the task of performing this great music.

The show is this Saturday, 10/10 with doors at 7:30 and showtime 8:30. Tickets are only $20 and can be purchased online at MauchChunkOperaHouse.com or by calling the box office at 570-325-0249. Wine and beer will be sold, with all proceeds benefiting the Opera House.

A consistent recipient of accolades from the Lehigh Valley Music Awards of the years, Thatcher has was recently able to take some time from his schedule to respond to a few pre-show questions:

JT: What is the story behind the Eric Clapton Retrospective? How did the idea become reality?

CT: I was seeing all sorts of "tribute" acts out there but nothing--at least on the east coast--portraying the music of EC.

His music is so widespread and depending on the time period, quite varied in style and taste. And I, having been so influenced and nurtured by EC's guitar playing from a very young age on (having first heard of him in 1966 when I was 10), felt that I could assemble a group of musicians who could accurately reproduce the music, and not just one era, but all of the various stylistic periods.

And I think that's what we've accomplished. I was certainly aware that in order to make this special and not a bar-gig that we'd need to perform in very special venues only--such as the Mauch Chunk Opera House-- so I enlisted the help of Seth Weber, a prominent former-Philly attorney who happened to really like the band and wanted to help us with the project. Seth opened the door for us at MCOH, the State Theatre in Easton, the Sellersville Theatre, the House of Blues in Atlantic City and several other venues. Seth also contacted EC's attorneys for permission to do the show and fortunately, they agreed to let us do so.

JT: We understand you've been able to take this show to some exotic locations like Telluride, Colorado and even Europe. How has it been received?

CT: Actually, we've/I've performed in those locations and quite a few other cool areas, with 3 tours of Europe last year alone, but it wasn't the Eric Clapton Retrospective. We performed either as Craig Thatcher Band, Eric Steckel and the Craig Thatcher Band, or me alone, as guitarist for Simone, the daughter of the world renowned jazz artist, Nina Simone.

As far as audience reaction to the EC show, it's mostly been very, very positive. There will always be detractors, as there are for any type of show or musical style, but that doesn't bother me as I've been in this business for a long, long time and if I let a few negative reactions bother me I would have quit a long time ago. Let me add, we aren't trying to act like, look like or dress like Eric Clapton or any of his band members, present or past. We're just tracing the musical history of some great musical performances--and song writing--from EC's broad audio history.

JT. How did you assemble your band? It seems perfectly suited for EC's music.

CT: The show is based around our trio which features Wayde Leonard, bass/vocals and Don Plowman on drums. Wayde really does justice to Jack Bruce's playing and vocal style, which isn't an easy task, so he's perfect for the Cream-era Clapton material. Don can play any style and fits right in and together, we've always played a lot of EC music anyway, so we've always been quite well-versed with it.

However, in presenting a full show--unless we just do the Cream era (I am hoping to do a "Cream of Eric Clapton" type show at some point)we needed to have an organist, as it's so prominently featured in many EC tunes; at least one female backup vocalist; and a second guitarist--especially to recreate Layla properly (actually, we could use 3 guitarists on that one).

So Craig Kastelnik is the logical choice for keys and his wife Pat sings and plays percussion. We've worked together in many other musical situations so it was pretty obvious. The member that wasn't obvious to me was the second guitarist. We needed someone to provide mainly rhythm guitar and most of the pro-players I've worked with wouldn't be happy doing that.

Sometimes the rhythm guitar isn't very noticeable, until you remove it, and then one can tell that something's missing. So to me, it's a very important part. To fill that role I decided upon one of my young guitar students who can play, is easy to work with and very respectful. And that is Chris Morrison. He's been very happy to be a part of this show and we are pleased to have him. He does an excellent job.

JT: Is there a particularly memorable EC concert you've been to?

CT: Well the most memorable for me was the Cream Reunion at Madison Square Gardens a few years ago. Jack Bruce was in even better shape than the earlier reunion shows at the Royal Albert Hall. It was truly an amazing opportunity for me to see just the three of them as I never did get so see Cream live back in the '60s. And I'd have to say the second most memorable show for me was the Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood show, again at the Gardens. There were definitely shades of Blind Faith occurring at that show! Of course there've been many great EC solo shows as well. I remember one show I saw at the Spectrum in Philly in August of 1990. It was less than two weeks later when EC was performing with Stevie Ray Vaughn and after the show, Vaughn was killed in the helicopter crash, along with several other members of EC's entourage, including his personal valet. That was a tough time for many of us.

Black 47 This Weekend! Interview with the Bandleader

2009-10-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend, on October 3rd the Opera House presents the New York City-based Irish rock group, Black 47 (www.Black47.com). No venue could provide better atmosphere for a show like this than the Opera House.

Adult refreshments will be served for this show, the proceeds of which benefit the Opera House. So bring a designated driver and hoist a few!

One of the truly hard-working groups around, Black 47 tours relentlessly and is currently preparing to release a new CD. As if that's not enough, bandleader Larry Kirwan is working on several new and ongoing projects of his won. Fortunately, he found the time to answer a few questions:

MCOH: Sorry to ask oft-repeated questions, but: who were your biggest musical influences as you were growing up? Any music out there today that attracts your notice?

LK: I can honestly say that my influences were legion. On the one hand I was exposed to all the traditional music of Co. Wexford where I grew up allied with the amazing variety of music that one heard on the BBC, Pirate Radio Caroline, and Irish state radio. Dylan, Lennon, Hendrix and American folk music were big influences. And like many Irish people I was greatly into the Black music of the day – Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and all the Stax and Motown artists.

I can’t say that there’s anything “modern” that blows me away. Rock music seems to be very referential – meaning that I can recognize all the influences, so that tends to take away from the originality factor – which is pretty important to me. I do like some rap and hip-hop, as much for the beats as the lyrical content. I do admire a lot of World music – mostly because the rhythms are intricate and I don’t know exactly what’s being said – which helps with the inevitable banality factor.

MCOH: In addition to being the front man for Black 47, you’re a solo artist, an author and playwright, an actor, a husband and father, and a political activist. How do you find the time?

LK: Well, I’m a bad sleeper and rarely get more than 5 hours a night. I also don’t watch television on any kind of regular basis. That gives me more time in a day than most people. But I also find it refreshing to go from one genre to another. Writing novels and plays is almost relaxing after a night of playing music. But then I’ve put in the time learning the craft of both of those disciplines so that it’s pleasurable to stretch yourself, in the same way that someone who has learned carpentry takes pleasure in fashioning wood.

I also do a weekly column for the Irish Echo www.irishecho.com and that tends to keep my writing skills fairly well honed. And I do a weekly radio show, Celtic Crush for Sirius XM. That really helps with communication skills and just basically thinking and speaking under pressure.

I guess what I’m saying somewhat un-artfully is that doing many things tends to help individual skills and there’s rarely a dull moment.

MCOH: Would you consider yourself a poet or a storyteller?

LK: Where I come from a culture where you would never label yourself a poet – that’s an honor that’s bestowed on you by your community. But to be honest, I don’t consider myself a poet. It’s something you should work on from an early age and it’s far too late for me - the last thing the world needs right now is another mediocre poet.

Still, I do read poetry for enjoyment and stimulation – if you write songs and you don’t read poetry, you’re pretty much working in a dark room on a summer’s day. I also use certain poetic principles to work on songs, plays and novels. I love the sounds of words and their deep roots in the culture and language of people.

I do write a lot of character-driven or story songs. In many ways I’m updating the Irish traditional form of song – by using the old structure but adapting it to reflect current psychological and social realities. So, I suppose I am a bit of a storyteller.

MCOH: You’re hard at work on a new CD, any details we can leak to the press?

LK: Black 47’s CDs have always been very varied and this one is no exception. I made a point of trying to write songs that would give the brass and pipe players a chance to really shine. On this one we get a chance to explore our Latin and Klezmer influences, among others, while still maintaining the overall Black 47 sound. So, I think it’s strong musically. There are songs on there that are a bit more pop and dance oriented than IRAQ, our last album – not surprisingly.

The CD will also containe one of the most intense songs that we’ve recorded – Red Hugh O’Donnell. He was a childhood hero but I could never nail him. With the war in Afghanistan I was able to put him in a modern context, oddly enough – a man totally on edge, fearful that Queen Elizabeth I is trying to poison him. A religious fundamentalist, passionate and driven but whose time is running out and whose culture is being over run.

There is also a “shaggy dog” song about the Long Lost Tapes of Jimi Hendrix and where they actually can be found.

MCOH: Have you come up with a five-word description for the band? If not, we’ll take the 20-word version.

LK: I wish I could do that. It seems that Black 47 is just its own thing. You have a rock & roll and Irish base on which you toss a lot of lyrical ideas and a defined political sensibility, mix in a willingness and delight in taking risks – we have never done the same set in over 2000 gigs – and that’s Black 47.

MCOH: When you get weary, how do you manage to put out the energy each night onstage?

LK: When you hit that first big guitar chord, everything changes. If you trust the songs and the musicians around you, the energy will come. And if it doesn’t there’s always Jameson’s.

MCOH: What Irish immigrants endured in the coal regions of Pennsylvania is still on very much on people’s minds around Jim Thorpe, given voice by an ongoing debate over whether the Mollie Maguires were freedom fighters or something else. Does the Irish narrative so prevalent in our region affect your approach to the show at the Opera House?

LK: Black 47 has strong political elements and sensitivities so we don’t really need to take a particular approach to any area. Oddly enough, I’ve tried a number of times to write a song about the Mollie Maguires, but was never able to find a distinctive way into the heart of the story. Who knows though, maybe some day. It took me 15 years to find a way inside Bobby Sands head and that lead to the songBobby Sand MP. I think our song, James Connolly, will have resonance in the Jim Thorpe area because Connolly was much more about the rights of the working people than he was about Irish nationalism. I’m looking forward to playing in the Mollies area. I’ve always enjoyed performing in Scranton and think that Black 47 will be a good fit for Jim Thorpe.

For more info on this show visit www.MauchChunkOperaHouse.com or www.Black47.com

Post Show Interview with Victor Bailey

2009-09-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the Opera House was very proud to have the Victor Bailey Band grace our stage.

The evening was a special treat for me, as it was my first jazz concert. I had been told by many that if I was going to experience jazz and funk fusion for the first time a Victor Bailey concert was the way to go.

I was in awe of what I was seeing and hearing. I have never in my life seen or heard musicians play their instruments at that level of talent before. It was pure genius. At the same time, I was left a little confused, but not in a bad way. Jazz, particularly Victor’s style, does not fit into the musical box of music that most of us, me included, know of. It is not a mainstream style and it breaks all the rules of pop culture music that we hear on the radio. It left me speechless. And, I was told that that is usually the way most feel when they first experience this genre of music.

Every single musician up there was amazing. There was Poogie Bell on drums, Peter Horvath on keyboards and Casey Benjamin (the youngest member of the band ) on saxophone. Each one is a respected and seasoned musician that has played around the world and with many famous world-class acts like David Bowie and Roberta Flack. As an added bonus, this was the first time that the Victor Bailey band was performing together in the United States.

After the concert I had an opportunity to sit and speak with Victor about his musical background and his new musical group VBop.

Q: It seems that you have an infused knowledge of music. To me, it’s a testament to the fact that what you were surrounded by as a child has a deep impact on who you are and what you will become. Having been surrounded by such legends in jazz growing up, did that make it easier for you or more challenging for you to find your own voice, your own sound and to break out on your own?

A: Oh, that made it easy because music is just always what I did. Our basement was like a rehearsal and music recording studio so there was no point at which I decided I was going to do music. That’s what we did. My brother and sister, they didn’t end up doing music professionally but as kids that’s how we played. We had a band and we sang and we, you know. It definitely helped in that I knew what it was. I was around real high level professionals from the day I was born. So I always did it and always knew how to do it like it was second nature. There was always a piano there and my dad would show me everything from the time I was a kid. I don’t ever remember not knowing what the notes were on the piano or not knowing the difference between minor and major. I’m sure at one point I didn’t know but I don’t remember ever not knowing. I have a lot of knowledge and this stuff is natural because of that (exposure as a child).

Q: You probably learned music at the same time you learned how to speak, like a language.

A: Yeah, I did, as well as having studied. I always studied. I took music lessons since I was a kid and I went to Berklee College of Music. So, that has a lot to do with doing what I do, but a lot of the naturalness of it is because it was always there.

Q: You’ve toured with people like Madonna and Mary J. Blige, two very different artists. What was that experience like with each of them?

A: I actually played on a record with Mary J Blige . I’m on a record of hers. I toured with Madonna back in the 90’s but that was absolutely phenomenal. People like her and people around her are absolutely the best; best musicians, choreographers, best dancers. She surrounds herself with the best. She was absolutely phenomenal. She knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s an absolute genius at being famous and it has nothing to do with music. And everybody is like “can she sing?” and I say she’s not a singer, she’s Madonna. Aretha Franklin is a singer. Barbara Streisand is a singer. You go to the Garden and Barbara will stand in front of the mic and that’s it. She doesn’t have to do anything else. Madonna is not a singer, she is Madonna .

Q: She is a performer.

A: Absolutely phenomenal. It was a great experience with her. She is a super high level professional. Very ,very, very, very, very intelligent, very worldly. She spoke a bunch of languages, very politically knowledgeable. She is no bimbo. She’s got that image, but no sex, no drugs, no alcohol, none of that. It was serious business and I’ve worked with her for years. No joke, she’s bad. She’s no joke.

Q: What’s the difference between playing on tour in the U.S and playing in Europe?

A: Well, in the US people tend to know what’s on the radio and who’s on TV and whose on the magazines. Outside of the US people know who’s good. In America you can sell 10 million records and if the next time your record’s a flop you’ll never tour again. Outside of America if they saw Victor Bailey 12 years ago or 15 years ago they like you they see your name again they’ll come back. We’re a commercial country. We’re more a country of commerce than culture and so we’re not as culturally aware and we have so much exposure to TV and magazines.

I watch TV at night, I watch talk shows at night and some of the music is horrible. Some of the rock bands that have sold tons of records just sound like little kids in the garage who like when I was coming up we would have said oh, those guys might be good one day and their big now. It’s so different. But they are on TV every day. They are on the radio on the magazines and they sell a bunch of records. It’s a different thing. Outside of America they have a greater appreciation. In France and Italy their history of culture and musical appreciation is thousands of years old. This country a couple hundred of years just trying to free itself from the Europeans before we even appreciated culture.

Q: I’ve been going through an epiphany lately about how shallow my taste has been and I have to say the Opera House has exposed me to things I haven’t experienced before musically. When I grew up, if it wasn’t on certain popular radio stations or on MTV I didn’t know about it. So I’m like in awe and I’m kicking myself for not knowing about these things sooner. I just didn’t have the exposure to it.

A: There’s so much stuff not just jazz. Pop, rock and R&B and that stuff is all great but, there are all kinds of other stuff. You can go somewhere and there’s a guy playing just a guitar and another guy playing a mandolin and it could be absolutely great, but you’ll never hear it. In America there are all these stations that just play the same 20 songs over and over.

Q: Of all the musicians you have worked with and you have known, who has had the most profound affect on you as a musician and as a person?

A: My father. I mean I learned a lot about doing it (music) from a lot of people, but it was my dad when I as a little kid going to the piano and saying okay if you make to make a Sus chord play a C with the left hand and play a B flat chord with this hand. And if you want to play a flat 9 or flat 13 chord play C over here and B Flat minor chord, and all that. He’s still alive. He’s 77 and so, even to this day I can call him up and ask him questions.

Q: What does your father think of your career?

A: He’s pretty happy about it. He won’t tell me that, but he lets everybody else know it.

Q: What do you think of the younger generation of musicians? Do you think you have had an influence and have you heard your influence in their music?

A: There have been plenty of younger bass players that I have had an influence on. None of them would say my name in the magazines when they do an interview, but I would say I’ve had an influence on some bass players. I don’t know about music. With the younger generation it’s like everything else. There are always these amazing young guys coming up. I think they are going to have a harder time than we did. I mean when I was coming up, if I got in a band like Weather Report, you had instant worldwide recognition - you were so big. I don’t know if younger guys have the opportunity to get that exposure. And back then when I was a kid everything was live. There were no DJs . DJs were on the radio. If someone had a wedding or a dance they had to hire a band. So, I don’t know that younger guys have the chance to get the exposure as easily as we did. I don’t know how they do what they have done. But, there are always great young guys. As you get older you look forward to hearing them. You get past the competition. If I hear a young 20 something year old sounding great, I really like that.

Q: Could you tell us a little bit more about the VBop group you are putting together and working with?

A: VBop is my new group and is more of a straight ahead jazz group. It’s more traditional jazz like Miles Davis and John Coltrane; more of that style of music. This band, the Victor Bailey Group, is more influenced by Funk and R&B, even techno.

At this point I did mention that indeed in the song they played in their encore performance I did recognize a techno sound and feel to it, which I was pleasantly surprised by.

But VBop is more of a traditional and straight ahead. Like if you think of Miles Davis, John Coltrane , Dizzy Gillespie. I play a little acoustic base in the group. It’s not an electric band it’s an acoustic band and it’s swinging jazz, even jazzier than that.

Q: Having been on the road for all these years you must have some great stories. Would you mind sharing one with us.

A: I don’t know how crazy it is but the best story I have is when I was playing Texas a couple of years ago at a University and this girl that plays at the University comes over. She asks me about my bass and I say it’s a Victor Bailey bass and I spent two years designing it for Fender. It’s this, and it does this, and the wood is this, and the electronics are this. And she’s like Wow, that’s a Victor Bailey bass. Wow okay. And, at the end she goes so what is your name?

Q: (Laughing) That was a good one. What did you say to her?

A: I said my name is Victor Bailey. I love that story. It’s funny.

Victor Bailey Band Tonight 9/26

2009-09-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

Hot cool jazz-funk. A bit hard to describe. These guys are players that just about everybody, regardless of their music, wants in their touring band or album – Madonna, David Bowie, Mary J Blige, LLCool J, Mos Def and pretty much every jazz band around, and we all know those guys can truly play. The Morning Call made this show their #1 concert pick this weekend.

Make a day of it in Jim Thorpe and/or have dinner before the show. Bring your receipt and you’ll get another $5 off your tickets. So if 2 of you go out for dinner, 2 of you get in for $20 each instead of $25.

Students – $10. That’s a ridiculous deal. Seeing guys like this makes you understand your own music better, as well as music in general.

More info: call 570-325-0249 orwww.MauchChunkOperaHouse.com. Should be excellent seats at the door which open at 7:30 PM. Showtime 8:30 PM. Recommend parking at the County Lot behind the train station, then just walk 2 blocks up Broadway.

Opera House Recognized in National Geographic Adventurer Magazine

2009-09-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

Well, this is is kind of cool - National Geographic Adventurer Magazine mentions the Opera House in its October 2009 issue:

Big-city perks are close at hand, too, with Philadelphia and New York City just an hour or two away, respectively. Or stay in town: The stellar acoustics of Mauch Chunk Opera House amp up live blues and rock.

To see the rest of the article, click here.

Student Tickets $10 for Victor Bailey Show 9/26

2009-09-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Students - if you're into jazz or, even better, music of all kinds, and into learning about the greats, then take advantage of an outstanding deal at the Opera House this Saturday night: Victor Bailey Band tickets are only $10 for students with valid ID. To be able to see this much talent onstage at one time for $10 is an amazing deal. To be able to see this band at a venue where all seats are excellent is an even better deal. For the complete story on the Victor Bailey Band, click here.

Victor Bailey's WRTI Interview now on Youtube

2009-09-22T16:55:00.001-07:00

Jason Fifield of Slife Productions produced an outstanding video of Victor Bailey's interview at WRTI Philadelphia. For some great insight into one of the finest bassists anywhere and into what you'll hear at the Victor Bailey Band show at the Opera House this Saturday night, check it out!

My Chat with Folk Duo 'The Nields'

2009-09-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday the sister duo folk group The Nields graced our stage and what a treat. It was the first time that they have been to Jim Thorpe and played at the Opera House.

If you are not familiar with the Nields, they are an extremely talented sister duo from Northampton, MA that have been touring the folk circuit, both with a band and more recently as a duo, for the last 15 plus years. They have a catalog of 12 CD’s and three children and family CDs (available at their website).

They are both very smart, very creative women with lots of ideas, energy and passion for music. We were able to speak about their close knit relationship as sisters (and what a bond they have!), and about music, their passion for it, and all their ideas they have for bringing that to, not only their current fan base, but young children. Both Nerissa and Katryna are moms (and Katryna is even a bonafide soccer mom) and wives who manage to juggle a career on the road with their music and their home lives.

Q: Does being sisters make being on the road easier or more difficult sometimes?

K: Way easier

N: Easier

N: And we know because we have been on the road with just each other and with seven other people including our husbands. It was easier to get along with her than anyone else

K: If Nerrisa and I were on the Amazing Race we would so win.

Q: Well why don’t you guys apply I would be so rooting for you?

K & N : We should

K: But we have small children and I couldn’t leave my children for however long that show takes. Forget that for now, but one day. I do watch that show and maybe it will still be on when we’re like 60.

N: And. we’ll be tri-athletes when we’re 60

K: The thing is there are two aspects of being sisters that makes it more fun. One is, we know how to fight and we know how to resolve our conflicts. We’ve been doing this our entire lives. We were brought up by the same people so we have this sort of same mechanisms for handling situations.

N: We were actually just talking today about money and some issues because obviously we’re business partners too, and there was some discrepancy in the amount of labor one of us was putting in or something, and anyway, we were working it out and we both were like “You know we have the exact same attitude about money . We’re so lucky.” Which is, both of us is are a little disorganized and we know it and so we’re both like we have got to be really careful to write everything down. But, when push comes to shove you know, we’ll be like you owe me $35 but forget about it . We both feel like I want to take care of you. You’re my sister, you’re my partner. My livelihood depends on your happiness. So, we really do have that pretty deeply ingrained.

K: Then there is that other aspect that makes it beyond the things that makes it easier. Which is, we spend hours together in a car. I mean mostly we get paid to drive around and learn the interstate highway system (they both chuckle).

N: And where the Starbucks are.

K: We spend so much of that time sort of psycho-analyzing ourselves and talking to each other about our deepest thoughts and you know the daily crap that comes up and how we handle it, and there is no one in the world that is better at seeing where I’m at fault and gently showing me where I’m at fault and seeing where I’m in the right and gently showing me where I’m in the right. There’s no one better because she knows me really well and that is just incredibly fun thing for us to get to do on a daily basis. Some would think that is really tedious and boring but we think it’s really fun.

Q; And do you find that that helps you in your creative process too, all the stuff you talk about when you psycho analyze yourself?

N: Oh My god. We’re constantly coming up with great ideas and figuring out how to use them in our lives and in our business in our families

K: And, the ideas are almost always; I mean for me coming up with an idea happens a lot but following up on an idea seems like an impossibility to me at times. I’m just totally paralyzed. And having a partner that says “Yeah, that idea is going to take just way too much work for you to do” or, “that’s a good idea and we can actually accomplish that, let’s figure out how to do it”. It’s good to have somebody to bounce that kind of stuff off of that you really trust.

Q: The other question I was going to ask is how that has been since you broke off into just the two of you. How has that been for you creatively and at home? Has it been better that way and more at ease and comfortable?

K: The actual travel is way easier even in just shear numbers. Going from being seven people and a big band and a trailer and like not having any freedom and feeling like you had to negotiate every single thing and you couldn’t’ ask for what you needed. When it’s just the two of us I can say “ I’m really sorry I know this is going to make us ten minutes late but I really need to get a cup of coffee” or, “Can we leave a half hour early so we can stop and get a good lunch instead of eating a crappy fast food place”. Or whatever it is.. or even what music are we going to listen to on the radio in the car.

N: Yeah.. and we’re so much in sync with each other. That was actually huge . We can’t over emphasize what a big reason that was for the change. Which was not exactly a unilateral one. It was a long, long process of deciding how to go forward.

K. . and every single person was making a decision for themselves and this is what it ended up being.

Q: Oh, so it was a good thing that everybody kind of came to the same conclusion.

K &N : Oh yeah.

K : A lot. And then there is the fact that in order to support 7 people (on the road) you have to play a lot and it’s exhausting and it means there is nothing else in your life. Now me and Nerissa play 4 or 5 times a month and we teach a toddler music class; six classes a week. Nerissa is a life coach, and we’re writing a book right now about bringing music into your family as a young parent or a parent of young children.

N: Katryna does tons of volunteer work in the school system around music and educating kids. And we have social lives.

K: We’re a part of our communities. We have community other than just the community that is the giant road and the music world. And that’s sort of a priceless thing to have.

Q: I understand that because I’m constantly thinking of ways to get kids interested and coming to the Opera House. I want to get more kids involved in the Opera House and trying to figure out how to get them here and engage them.

N: You can have open mic night! The kids could perform and that will get them in.

K: And it gets their friends in.

N: And it makes them realize that getting to perform is not a rare thing that only a few people get to do . Everybody can perform and your town has this amazing resource in this place. The kids should understand its heritage.

Q; You know as an adult I have to tell you I never realized until now , having worked with the Opera House, how shallow my music tastes have been and how I missed out on so many different styles and musicians that I’m now enjoying . The Opera House has exposed me to so much and I’m grateful for that.

At this point my comment sparked an idea in Nerissa’s head for a chapter in her book and about writing on the idea of deep or shallow and at having a choice in exposing your kids to a wider variety of music. I then shared the fact that I had never really been exposed to folk music and I felt that I had missed out.

K: A lot of people said that to us like 15 years ago when we were coming out .. a lot of people in their mid 20’s said “I never heard Folk music before until the Indigo Girls and it opened up a whole new world for me. “

N: It is true folk music has a history of being this underground movement and every 10 or 15 years someone rises and breaks and then everyone gets discovered a little bit and people understand about folk music a little bit and then it goes away again and right now we’re in a down phase.

K: I also think there is a little bit of a pendulum swinging where people want to hear complex music and then where people want to hear simpler music . In the 90’s there was a real surge of acoustic music with MTV unplugged. The truth is the Folk music world exists apart from everything and every once in awhile someone crosses over into it.

N: and then the coffee houses have a rise in numbers of people that come.

Q: The closest I ever came was maybe the indigo Girls and Jewel which touched upon the folk stuff. She became main stream.

K: That whole Lilith fair thing had that acoustic thing going with Suzanne Vega, Natalie Merchant, Tracy Chapman.

Q: By the way, I would totally get that book that you guys are writing. My son loves music, I was a singer and I want to expose him to it and expose him to different genres I never was exposed to. So that is an awesome book I would go out and buy it.

K: We’ll try to finish it in time for it to be relevant for your child. (they both laugh)

N: No, by the time it comes out your blog will have a huge readership and we’ll send you a copy to review.

Q: Yes, that would be awesome. Absolutely!

Out of all the material you guys have written and performed which one is your favorite and why?

N: The newest one is always my favorite. And it always has been right down the line it’s never failed. Well we just came out with this record but what I really like is this record we did before. Nope.. My favorite record is Sister Holler but the material we are working on for our next record I like even more excited about and that’s the great secret wonderful silver lining about being artist that have never had big hit is that we never had anything to live up to, you know we’re very proud of our back catalog we’re very proud of the work we’ve done for the past 18 years now, but we’re still writing really fresh stuff. If we’re going through a phase where we have a record out and we’re not really writing anything else I get bored. I feel like do I really want to do this. As soon as I start writing new material and singing it, I’m totally excited about our career again. That’s just always been the way it’s been.

So we can talk about the most recent record but your just going to get We love it it’s great.

K. There are certain songs that I love singing for a couple of years and then I feel like I like that but I don’t need to sing it every show. Then there are certain songs that I feel like I need to have this happen every single show.

Q: And what song or songs would that be?

K: ‘Easy people’. Nerissa wrote a song called ‘Easy People’ and we do it every single show. And every single time we sing it, it makes me feel happy and I’m in the song and I’m not on autopilot ,you know. I think that as much as I agree with Nerissa that whatever we have going now is what I’m most excited about or that I love the most, it’s definitely true that there are certain songs that are like, “Oh yeah this makes me feel awake” every time I sing it.

Q: What is the strangest ,weirdest or interesting stop along the way? You have to have some story from being on the road that was a wacky or wow moment.

K: We have a lot of wacky moments. There was a period in the 90’s when I a polyp on my vocal chord and I would limit us to 4 shows a week so that I would have three days to sort of recover. But, every once in awhile, that wouldn’t’ work out. And, we were on this leg of a tour and our van had broken down like three times in about 2 weeks so we had to pay for it be fixed plus I think we lost a show or two because of that, because we were stranded and we couldn’t get there. We were in TX and we were going to Lubbock at a BBQ place to perform. I had lost my voice and really wasn’t going to be able to sing and we couldn’t afford to cancel the show.

N: And it was Buddy Holly’s hometown

K And, we pulled into the place and didn’t know what to do. Is it wrong for us to show up and do the show even though the lead singer can’t sing or is it wrong for us to cancel the show because we’ve had to cancel a bunch of shows recently? We were so stressed out and we were just terrified what was going to happen and we couldn’t afford to give up the show financially. We also felt like this is awful to our fans that we were going to be doing this sort of weird …I mean a show with no harmonies and The Nields is just a weird show. So, we get there our road manager hops out of the van, goes inside I am just dragging my feet. I don’t’ even want to get out of the van because I know this is going to be just an awful night that’s about to happen. She comes out and she says “You are not going to believe this but, this morning they lost their liquor license. They can’t have the show. They are going to pay you your full fee and feed you their delicious food and you don’t have to do the show.”

Both of them laugh.

N: It felt like Xmas and a snow day rolled into one.

Q: I bed you’d never been so happy to not sing?

K: I know, I know..I cried and cried.

Q: Now that is a cool story

K : My kids always want to hear stories about life on the road and that’s when I always tell them. They really like to hear about the one when the van broke down, just like they like to hear about the ones where we hurt ourselves.

I continued to speak with them a little more about that incident and I asked Nerissa if she ever finished that book that they were writing about being on the road. Both of them told me that it was a novel with some autobiographical content, but that Nerissa would joke that she was going to Twitter the entire thing. Instead, she may just put it up in pieces at the blog and release MP3’s of the songs that the fictional band was playing through out the story.

Now that is cool!

At the conclusion of the interview I joined the audience. I was impressed. They have such an easy going stage presence, and their musical harmonies were amazing. My favorite part of the evening was when Nerissa and Katryna pulled away from the microphone and unplugged from the equipment and just did a full out acoustic version of 'Easy People'. They noted that it was something that they liked to do at all their shows but they were particularly excited to do it at the Opera House because of its beauty and awesome acoustics. I could immediately tell why it was one Katryna's favorites to perform. I remember thinking how we could all use some more easy people in our lives.

You can follow Nerissa & Katryna's at their Blog , on their Facebook Fan Page or at Twitter .

In addition to being singer/songwriters Nerissa and Katryna have also written several books, one of which is entitled 'How to Be an Adult' available at Amazon.com or at their website. Nerissa describes it as a snarky gen x look at all the things they didn't teach you in college like how to cook a chicken, change a flat tire & more.

Nina Music Sing, Sign & Dance at the Opera House

2009-09-20T08:47:00.001-07:00

Whenever there is an opportunity to expose children to music, I am always very excited. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that JTams had booked an award winning childrens' songwriter Nina of Nina's Music at the Mauch Chunk Opera House. Below is clip of some of the show.

Nina's music is fun and very engaging for both the adults and their children. The kids were invited to go onstage and participate in some of the numbers and were encouraged to dance and sing in the isle. They even learned a little sign language. Every child that attended enjoyed themselves, as was evident by the many smiles. At the end of the show they received a free CD of her album Shake, Shake, Shake that she personally signed for each and every child.

We're also proud that Nina is a Jim Thorpe H.S graduate, so she was here performing in her very own backyard. Her full touring schedule is available at her website http://ninamusic.com/ along with information about her music program for children called "Cognitive and Physical Development through Music" , and copies of her CD.

We hope that Nina will return and perform again.

Our next children event will be the Victorian Halloween Magic-Lantern Show on October 24th at 7:30pm. It is America's only 1890's, Victorian-era, Halloween and visual extravaganza projected on a full-sized screen - the kind of boisterous show that lead to the movies! Spooktacular stories like The Raven, animated comedy, and songs - all dramatized on screen by a live shoman and singer/pianist. The audience participates in teh fun, creating sound effects, joining in changes and hilarious sing-alongs. For adults and children 6+. Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling 570-325-0249

We hope to see you there.

Victor Bailey Studio Interview at WRTI

2009-09-19T13:35:00.001-07:00

When one of the greatest jazz bassists of all time is in town, naturally you think WRTI Philadelphia, one of the finest jazz stations in the east. Since both are from Philly, it made the match even more compelling last night, as Victor Bailey sat in on J. Michael Harrison's Friday night jazz show "Bridges" last night, Septeember 18.

First we took him into one of the WRTI recording studios where he laid down a few bass and voice tracks for their use on their internet shows. Then he took a remarkable turn on their seven-foot baby grand, playing a couple of tunes he had written himself. We shouldn't have been surprised - not only can Bailey play just about anything you put in front of him, piano was his first instrument.

Then it was off to the studio and a lively jazz discussion with Harrison, whose jazz knowledge is encyclopedic, but even more importantly, he has feeling, a concept that resonates with Bailey. "A lot of cats have technique and all that," he said while racing his hands up and down an imaginary bass. "But with the kind of jazz lineage of bassists that Philly has, you gotta have some feeling to get people to notice you."

Bailey is one of the prominent members of that remarkable lineage that includes Stanley Clarke, Christian McBride, Tyrone Brown and Jaco Patorius, to mention but a few.

He talked with Harrison about growing up in a house full of musicians. His father Morris produced and performed and the house was a haven for Philadelphia's jazz royalty. His older brother could play anything. His sister performed with the group Creme de Cocoa. His uncle was the drummer for the legendary Hammond B3 player Jimmy Smith. There was even a picture of his grandfather behind a drumset but no one knew where it was taken. "Some guys were playing for the girls and the attention," he says. "That wasn't me man, I was serious. No one had to tell me to practice."

Harrison was well-prepared, mixing cuts from all through Bailey's long career which hit the big time when he was just a teenager, landing a gig with trumpeter Hugh Masekela's band. He famously replaced the great Jaco Pastorius in the jazz fusion supergroup Weather Report and immediately recorded a tune "Did You Know Jaco?" which Harrison played. Bailey wrote it and also sang it, and it was put together stream-of-consciousness. "I wrote it in about 10 minutes," Bailey said. Then he played cuts from a recent compilation disk and also from a new project due out in coming months from Bailey's new band V-Bop.

Bailey also talked about the rest of the Victor Bailey Band, scintillating talents who will appear with him at the Opera House. There's drummer Poogie Bell, who has played for David Bowie, Marcus Miller and Teddy Prendergass. There's keyboardist Peter Horvath, "a truly bad cat," who has played for Lenny White and melba Moore, among many others. Then there's the spectacular young talent Casey Benjamin on sax. "This guy is going to be a star," Bailey says emphatically. "Not only is he a great blower, but he can play any instrument you put in front of him, rap, you name it"

Videographer Jason Fifield of Slife Productions recorded the proceeding and a Youtube video should be out in a couple of days. Here was the video he produced in August 2008 that documented our visit to WRTI with drummer Billy Cobham.

It was an excellent evening and great to sit in with Harrison and Bailey, both doing jazz a great service in their own dedicated ways. Harrison gave me plenty of opportunities on-air to promote Jim Thorpe and the Opera House - a sincere thanks, Michael. And by the way, WRTI is a completely class operation, playing nothing but the best.

But the main thing it did was remind me what a show we have on hand at the Opera House this September 26: world-class talent onstage in one of the finest listening venues in the northeast. I can't wait.

You can select and reserve your seats online or call 570-325-0249.

Victor Bailey Coming to the Opera House 9/26

2009-09-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

The following article was written by Dan Hugo and appears in ICON Magazine.

Though Philadelphia native Victor Bailey is one of the greatest jazz bassists ever, it’s not easy to sum up his music. Firmly established in the long lineage of extraordinary Philly bassists such as Tyrone Browne, Alphonso Johnson, Stanley Clarke, and Jaco Pastorius, one might call Bailey’s music jazz fusion or post-funk-jazz, but while his sound may be hard to categorize, it’s easy to say that he was born to play.

Bailey’s father Morris was a well-known composer and producer whose songs were recorded by Patti LaBelle, The Stylistics, Nina Simone, and Harold Melvin. As a saxophonist the elder Bailey played with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Smith, Lee Morgan and Reggie Workman. His uncle Donald Bailey is a legendary jazz drummer, known for his work with the groundbreaking jazz organist Jimmy Smith.

Born in 1960, Bailey could play any instrument since childhood. “One day when I was seven I was at my dad's office on South Broad Street,” he says. “Dad was asleep on the couch and I went to the piano and started playing. He rolled over and when he saw it was me he asked me how I knew how to play. I said I didn’t know – I just did.”
Later he moved on to drums, then to bass. “I instantly understood the instrument,” Bailey remembers. “My father, who never came downstairs to listen to any of my bands, came charging down the stairs yelling ‘Who's playing bass, who's playing bass?’ I knew my days as a drummer were over.”

Still a teenager, he was accepted into the Berklee School of Music in Boston. There he met current band member and drummer Poogie Bell, who was in South African trumpeter Hugh Masakela’s band. “Hugh was looking for a new bass player and Poogie recommended me,” Bailey recalls. “Hugh hired me on the spot. A week later I was on the road and never looked back.”

In 1982 Bailey joined the jazz supergroup Weather Report, and, along with drummer Omar Hakim, formed one of jazz fusion’s ultimate rhythm sections. Since then, he has played on over a thousand different records, by artists as varied as Sonny Rollins, Michael Brecker, Larry Coryell, LL Cool J, Mary J Blige, and Madonna.

In 1989, he released his first record, "Bottom's Up", an instant bass classic. “It was the first time I was ever recorded playing the way I really play,” says Bailey. Fender released the Victor Bailey Jazz Bass in 2001, and fittingly, The New York Times called him “a bassist with gold-plated credentials.”

The Victor Bailey Band appears at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe on Saturday, September 26th, comprising saxophonist Casey Benjamin (Mos Def, Heavy, DJ Logic), drummer Poogie Bell (Stanley Clarke, Roberta Flack, David Bowie), and keyboardist Peter Horvath (Joe Henderson, Lenny White). This will be his second visit to the venue, having performed there with drummer Billy Cobham’s Spectrum Band in 2008.

Tickets can be reserved online at MauchChunkOperaHouse.com or by calling 570-325-0249. You can also hear Victor interview tonight, 9/18, on WRTI Philly, the premiere Jazz Station of the East. Listen live.

Wailin' Jennys Live Album from the Opera House Just Released!

2009-09-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

The final weekend of August 2008 the Canadian alt-folk band, the Wailin' Jennys, arrived in town with a lot of recording gear in tow and a goal of laying down a live recording that would capture the magic of their performances. A year later, the success of their project is now available for all to hear.

"Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House" was just released on Red House Records and communicates the thrill of seeing and hearing this remarkable group. Amazingly, the recording was done in one night, in one take for each tune, encompassing not only their remarkable sound, but their discipline as performers and their ability to perform nearly flawlessly on demand.

To get a taste of this almost irresistible album, have a listen to the stunning tune Calling All Angels. In a timeless rendition of an oft-interpreted Jane Siberry tune, the Wailin' Jennys turn it into a totemic accomplishment, pushing it and the audience far into their atmosphere and then gently touching back down to earth.

Regular performers on Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, and in venues around the world, the Jennys had a lot of choices of where to record. That they chose the Opera House, with its warm acoustics and haunting history, establishes the venue in the upper echelon of listening rooms in the country and completes a circle of life that was started here in 2003 with a regular program of live music.

Simon & Garfunkel Tribute at the Mauch Chunk Opera House

2009-09-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend at the Opera House I had the opportunity to catch AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle in their Simon & Garfunkel Tribute. I must say, I was schooled and in a good way.

I am familiar with Simon & Garfunkel’s music. I grew up with parents that were fans of theirs along with the Beatles and The Beach Boys. I knew a lot of their more popular hits like “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”. It was really a cool opportunity to sit in a theater and listen to these two very talented men perform such beautiful music and perform it well, almost as if they were Simon & Garfunkel themselves.

I felt as if I was in some Master songwriting class and the subject was Simon & Garfunkel. John and AJ do not simply take the stage and start singing, but they share with you the musical journey of the duo by infusing their act with stories about how a song was written, where it was written and even the why. They give you some insight into the duo, their creative energy and friendship. They share not only the hits with you, but some of their more obscure songs. For example, the first song in the clip on this blog site is a song Simon wrote when he was 15 and that the duo released under a different name. Along the way, you learn something you may not have known about the pair and you may even get a little chuckle.

I learned quite a bit on Saturday. For example, I didn’t even know that before I was born Simon & Garfunkel were no longer together (they band split in 70, four years before my birth). And, like so many kids today who hear a song on the radio that I know to be a remake, I found myself learning a thing or two about a band I used to listen to growing up, the Bangles. I had no idea their hit “Hazy Shade of Winter” was indeed a Simon & Garfunkel song that the band re-recorded. I was pleasantly surprised and amused.

Both John & AJ are from Bethlehem Pa, so coming back here to the Opera House is like coming home for them, as John has said. This is their fourth appearance at the Opera House in the last 6 years and the hometown crowd absolutely loves them, as was evident by the nearly sold out 350 seat theater.

As I always try to do before a show I had the opportunity to sit down with both John & AJ and speak to them about why they chose to do Simon & Garfunkel and about music in general

Q: What was it about Simon & Garfunkel that appealed to you and lead you to become the tribute band you are today?

John: Well, I grew up listening to that kind of music like and Beatles, Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel, all harmony driven music. When we met in the early 90’s it turned out that we kind of like the same kind of music even though he was younger than me. I was listening to it when the stuff came out he was listening to it later on. But you know there was that common thread through out what we liked and we both have a mutual friend who called me up out of the blue and said there is this guy playing down the street that you have to meet. I went to hear him and he was doing old music that we both liked. The three of us were sitting around doing three part harmony around the table we started talking Simon and Garfunkel as he had done a few songs the set before. One thing led to another and we started singing and things came together really quickly. You can tell the blend was really good.

Q: Have either of you met S&G?

John: No, no. I don’t think we ever will. I think if we had the opportunity that would be great, but I think it would be nerve wracking.

Q: What is your favorite S&G song and why?

John: I really don’t have one. I have no idea.

Q: How about to perform? What is your favorite S&G song to Perform?

John: Well it would be harder to say which song you would let out; If you couldn’t do one which one wouldn’t you want to do. They all have their own quality and appeal.

A.J : I think it changes as our show grows and we perform different venues. Sometimes some songs seem to just jump off the mat like "wow, that one felt really good tonight". There will always be a few stand out songs at the end of the night. A lot of it, for me, is the performance end of it. For me if I feel we really nailed the performance than that would be my favorite for that night. It’s more performance related as opposed to composition.

Q: And what has been the most interesting place you guys have ever played?

John: Recently we were playing BB King’s Blues Club in NYC off Times Square. Doing this music in the city where a lot of this stuff was written and where they live is pretty exciting. So you know anytime you’re in NYC that’s pretty exciting. It takes on a whole different kind of air, at least for me. It’s NY music and you’re playing it there. That’s like wow.

Q: What are some interesting experiences you have had touring?

A.J: (in a sarcastic way) Everything goes perfect for us when we’re on the road. Everything goes right, we never miss a flight, never have car break down. I would say getting the guitar to and from the venue in one piece is the most stressful thing. Flying with it is a problem, a big hassle.

Q: What is it about Jim Thorpe you like when you come here?

John: We’ve been doing this show since 94' off and on and we got a little away from it for awhile and when we got back to doing it we did it here first. It’s like coming back to where it all started. We sold out the last 3 shows here that we did and so it’s great. We love it here. It’s nice to be a part of this place because it’s a cool Opera House and every time you come back you see the changes that it has undergone.

Q: Besides Simon & Garfunkel what other music do you listen to?

John: Well I was just listening to Nickel Creek on the way up here. Beatles, Johnny Cash, old country and late 60’s. I’m kind of stuck in the late 60’s early 70’s.

My son Joshua likes all the music I liked growing up Dillon, Grateful Dead. Funny, he just gravitated to it.

AJ: I grew up listening to Cat Steven, Van Morrison James Taylor, S&G. I was also into Hendrix and Zeppelin. I liked Coldplay’s first album. I try to stay current on stuff. I feel you do have to dig pretty hard to find some good music. Music is a lot noisier today too. The best stuff is not necessarily on the radio. You have to search it out. I like to listen to Pandora. It is a free streaming radio station where you can type in any artist you like and it will return artist that sound like that and will keep playing artist based on that sound.

You can find where A.J & John will be playing next at their website.

Interview with Singer Songwriter Jeffrey Gaines

2009-08-23T16:40:00.001-07:00

Every once in awhile you come across something; a person, a place or anything really, that you can’t believe you never knew existed before. You can’t imagine how everyone on the planet isn’t as crazy about this new thing you discovered, and why not everyone knows of its existence. It’s just THAT good. You shake your head in wonderment at how blind, deaf or completely oblivious the rest of the world is to something or someone so magnificent. You also wonder what rock you have been living under that you missed it before.

That is exactly how I felt after listening to Jeffrey Gaines last night at the Opera House.

Amazing is not even a good enough word to describe the experience…Yes EXPERIENCE of listening to Gaines beautiful lyrics and music. He literally paints a picture with his words set to music. He exposes himself completely in his songs and you feel as if you know his every thought, trial and tribulation. You are watching a man spill his very soul out there exposed for all of the audience to see and hear. And he does it all with a great sense of humor. In between the pouring of his soul, he makes you laugh (he could be a stand up comic). Last night I felt as if we were walked through his albums and his progression and his experiences with his music and his career.

As I watched Jeffrey perform, I couldn’t help but notice on a hot August night that he was wearing his denim jacket. Another audience member and fan must have thought the same thing as I did and shouted out “Take your coat off and stay awhile”. And that’s when this man, whose guts we’d been watching spill out on the stage for the last hour, remarked that his coat was his protection and that he didn’t want to leave himself that vulnerable by removing it as he tied it into a story about his childhood and his Ramones like leather jacket he would wear. I found it poetically ironic that, as exposed as he was, he still had found safety and invulnerability in that jacket. It was just cool.

An artist like Jeffrey is best in an environment like the Opera House because it allows for the intimate interaction between the artist and the audience. Something that is lost in much larger stadiums and something you would never get or experience from a more “mainstream” artist and one that is confined by his fame. Jeffery is not, and that is what makes him and his music even more special. Jeffrey has his fans, both here in Jim Thorpe, and around the world, all of which have probably discovered him and his music the same way I did last night. And all of them, me included, are fans for life. If you missed the show last night you missed an amazing experience.

I had the opportunity to meet with Jeff and ask him about his long career, one that has brought him many different experiences throughout the years, and I got to ask him about songwriting and where it all comes from.

Q: You’ve had a long career and you’ve had a lot of different experiences and worked with many different artists. Out of all of them who was the one that was the most profound for you ,or the one that impacted you the most?

A: Probably this guy named Richard Thompson. He makes an amazing impact on people. You get to work with him and you get to see him and how serious he takes things and how passionate he is about it. Talk about how I’ve had a long career, that guy’s been playing so long and not lost a step as far as, you know, the urgency and he’s got anger in him still which is …like a lot of the people who have been playing through the 70’s and the 80’s 90’s and now, you know, they have the hits to rely on and they just get out there and go through the motions. The concert does it for them, the material just carries them and they are kind of blasé about it. But this guy, he’s the best. Out of all the people I’ve played with this guy, Richard Thompson, probably the wisest, you know.

Q: How old were you when you discovered your musical talent?

A: About 7 . Seven years old. My musical talent really was just… initially my talent was being a mockingbird., you know, singing along in the back of the station wagon to everything that was on 70’s radio and you know not having people say “shut up your messing it up” and “eh, it doesn’t sound bad keep going” . So you know you can do all that stuff with the Elton John songs and the Jackson 5 stuff and all that stuff. I thought yeah.. I can do this and by the time you get in school, you know, you get a little deeper into it with the music programs and you find art teachers and music teachers are taking you under their wing when your delinquent in every other class and you’re like ah there is a reason for this you know. I got into it pretty early.

Q: When did you start writing?

A: I started writing about probably in the 80’s sometime when I was in some cover band. I remember the first time the guys were like “hey we’re getting something to eat we’d been practicing for 5 hours you want to come?” And I was like “no I’m gonna stay. I’ve got a good sound on the guitar” , and I stayed and while not trying to attempt to play anyone else’s songs, working on you know Clash covers or whatever we were trying to attempt, and left to my own devices a song started to emerge as I was just strumming the guitar and instead of singing someone else’s I started singing this sort of….. subconscious thoughts started to come together and make some sense and when they came back I said “I got a song”. It was kind of a surprise. It wasn’t anything I had attempted to do . It’s just what came and occurred.

Q: Organically?

A: yea. And that song is’ called ‘Father Time’ and it’s very interesting. It’s the first thing I ever wrote. And um I guess from that point on when somebody remarks “hey it doesn’t sound local” that was a funny reaction to it but a guy named Vince in the band said that it doesn’t sound local which to us in Harrisburg PA it was a compliment at the time, it sounded like it could be someone else’s from like far, far away you know. So funny, I just kept at it and say about 88’ 89’ I got very serious about it and broke away from all the bands I was in and just started playing solo and then got signed in 90 and became Jeffery Gaines as we know it today.

Q: And out of all the material you’ve ever written which one is your favorite? Which one is the one that hits the deepest?

A: Ah.. The one that hits the deepest. I’ll tell you, that ‘s a song called “Alone” that I recorded. That hits me the deepest. I don’t often get to perform a lot of the material that hits me the deepest. I generally do the material that the audience reacts to and a lot of times what happens is you get a relationship with fans. They kind of come to know you as their inspiration you know? They like turn to your music to inspire them and be uplifting and maybe something that will hit me the most will be completely flat out bleak you know? Dude, this is what I’m really, really thinking when I can’t inspire myself so this is what hits me the deepest. You don’t want to know, they don’t want to know.. they’re like “no no say it ain’t so tell me Jeff give me one of those light at the end of the tunnel songs like you do” . And I’m like sometimes it ain’t man. So this track “Alone” I wrote I was in a hotel in Holland somewhere and I’m just like what am I doing, where am I? And, I picked up the phone just out of habit to call my mom and she had passed away like the beginning of that year, and I was still in the habit of who do I want to talk to? And I picked up the phone out of habit and started dialing and I was like you ass , and it hurt so bad because it was like man it’s just like who am I connecting to? Who would I call? This is it. I was just like man , I don’t speak the language here, I’ve got nobody here with me I’m a solo gig, you know? I was so alone. I wrote this tune and I got to the studio and I put it on the ‘Galore’ record, and I had to record it myself too. Nobody was even there. I didn’t want anyone to play it… it’s called ‘Alone’. I don’t want to drag you guys into it. I‘ll play the drums. I’ll play the base. I’ll play the whole song because it has to be alone. So that was probably one of my favorites that I ever recorded.

Q: Believe it or not I like the material that makes me cry.

A: ooh ooh… then that will just end your day. You say “you know I’m going to play this song and I’ll cancel all appointments because after I hear it I’ll just be done. “ Just you and the bed and you just be laying in the bed.

Q: What has been the most interesting experience you have had on the road in your touring?

A ; There are so many interesting things that have happened. I mean just recently. .. it happens all the time weird things. Misunderstandings are what breed all the weirdest stories. The other day I was playing and I’m looking at the crowd, just scanning the crowd and I see a young lady wearing a Jeffrey Gaines T-shirt . So, I acknowledge her like “wooo look at you”, you know what I mean ? I’m really going “ woo hoo look at someone is wearing my shirt”. But the subtext of it and the thing I don’t know is that I’m having a love connection here because she’s going he’s looking at me and acknowledging me and, you know , and picking me out of this whole bunch of people to pay attention to and that’s the messed up sad tragic part of a performer. You know my ego is that I’m going, wow look at my shirt on someone and she’s going wow he wants to get it on with me. And you know these accidents happen and I’m like ,oh my god, how do you… and then once you’re confronted with it how do you spare someone’s ego and esteem and you know you know I don’t want to completely blow that out of the water, so I’m like “rock on with your bad self, yes it was you”. You know you’re like yipes, but then how do you broach such a subject and, so, you know? There’s things like that that happen so very often and keeps it interesting and tedious simultaneously. Umm there’s so many things. ‘Somewhat slightly dazed’, I named the record in 94’ and hired a road manager . A lot of times people fudge their credentials and write bogus resumes and I come to find out after we have everything loaded up, that my road managers never left Philadelphia. So we’re all raring to go and I’m like dude we got to go and my road manager can’t find the Ben Franklin Bridge. How many times are we looping around Philly? Didn’t we all grow up around here and we can’t get to the interstate? I was like, you know this sets the tone for the first day of the tour. We’re lost in hometown. We re screwed for the summer.

Q: That was probably before GPS was around.

A: Ah. That was before GPS.. yes that’s 94 no one had that. No, we had a 15 seat van and at trailer behind it. This is gonna be some magical mystery tour... stuff like that. Rock and Roll is what it is.

Q: And what do you like about Jim Thorpe when you come here?

A: I like that I am liked. I mean that is the first and foremost thing about any tourist any stranger in town. You go back to the places that treat you kindly. For me, you pull off the Turnpike and here is this whole little echo of the past just sitting here all quaint and tidy and unto itself. So I think I like that it’s a secret in a sense and we’ve got to do more to expose it. I don’t know if that would contaminate that little specialty of it , that its such a nook and a special neat little place . On one hand you do want it infiltrated and people to know about it and on the other hand you want it to remain pristine.

Q: When you perform solo and with a band is it a different experience?\

A: Yea, it is a different experience. I like performing with a band more in a lot of ways I like that the music is fully realized. People don’t need to use as much of their imagination for you to impress upon them what my intentions are. You go out and play a song that on your record is a rock song and when you are doing a solo acoustic, if they are not familiar with it from the album, they don’t know that it has drums and base parts and they are wondering where the pocket is. They don’t know where to clap. But, when you do it with a band it flushes out the whole thing. The only thing that is probably better, the only thing that is better about the acoustic solo or any solo show is that it’s more spontaneous. You don’t have to have a written set list. You don’t have to tell anybody what you’re going to be playing next or anything.

Q: It’s a little more intimate?

A: Yeah.. it’s completely intimate and a little more interactive with the crowd because they become my band mates you know? Mostly it’s about the spontaneity. When you have a band you have a set list written and you know what you’re doing. When you walk out there you know what the middle is you know what the end is. Solo, you see where the crowd takes it. If I could have a band more often I would. It’s just that grown ups need to be paid you know? It’s not like the old days; you can get a band together and it’s like “Yeah I want to see America, I want to have the adventure. Maybe I’ll meet some girls and get some free drinks”. You used to start bands that way. Now everybody is like , “dude I’ve seen it how much are you paying me, how much are we making each month?” I got guys now that need to tell the wife something, they got kids. They got stuff. They got real lives going on they can’t just load up the van and see where we are going to sleep tonight. No, we need hotel rooms we need all this stuff. I can’t promise you guys all this stuff so I guess I’m playing solo. In a sense it’s a default. It was never a decided decision to be a solo act and that I feel bad about, you know. Because there are actually some people who do this solo gig by deliberate choice. It’s always been that the record companies not going to pay for tour support so how are you going to get across America ? Sufficiently. Just me and a guitar.

With that Jeffrey took the stage and immediately that intimacy and that interaction was apparent. I really appreciated hearing him stripped down. Just him, the songs, and that guitar. I look forward to the next time Jeff comes through Jim Thorpe and plays at the Opera House, and I’m going to download all six of his available albums and add him to my Ipod play list.

I’m also grateful to the Opera House for being in my backyard and bringing me such rich musical experiences I might never have had.

You can purchase some of his albums at Itunes or his entire collection at www.JeffreyGaines.com .

My Interview with Roger Blevins Jr. of Mingo Fishtrap

2009-08-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, August 8, The Opera House played host to Mingo Fishtrap, a N’awlins gut bucket soul & funk band. If you missed it you missed an amazing show that literally had our audience dancing in the aisle.

This amazing and tight knit group is made up of former college buddies that hail from all over the country and the world. They are; Greg, from the Carolinas on Bari Sax, Alto & Tenor Sax and Flute; Dan from Thousand Oaks , CA on Tenor Sax and Clarinet; Roger Blevins Sr (Pops) from Illinois & Louisiana on Fender P-Bass and scrub board ; Steve Butts from New Zealand on Trumpets, Flugelhorn and FX; . They’re led by front man Roger Blevin’s Jr., a true southern Mississippi boy with a voice that is both smooth as butter yet sharp as a knife that cuts right to your soul. Their original music tells a story set to a beautiful musical landscape that you just can’t help but move to and be moved by. They are truly engaging and their love for the music is so obvious in the joy they take on stage.

I was fortunate enough to get a chance to interview Roger prior to the show and to ask a few questions about the band, their tour, and the music business in general.

Q: What music do you have in your IPod besides your own?

A: Actually I don’t have much of ours. The only thing I have is if I recorded a show recently to check arrangements. Kind of like football tapes you watch back. I have some
old soul music, Stax and Motown stuff. The New Maxwell… I’ve been listening to that and it’s pretty cool. Just a lot of old soul stuff . James Hunter. We don’t get a chance to listen to music much when we’re on the road. We do watch a lot of movies.

Q: So, you’re a movie buff?

A: I don’t know if I’m’ a buff but it passes the time when you have an 8 hour trip. It certainly goes a lot faster when you ‘re watching a film.

Q What’s your all time favorite Movie?

A: Oh man , that’s tough I don’t know you know I’d probably geek out and it would be Star Wars Empire Strikes Back, the whole series. But I like a lot of stuff. I’m pretty easily entertained. I just watched ‘Standing in the Shadows of Motown’ a great documentary. And I love Indiana Jones, Fifth Element, etc.

Q: Do you read a lot on the road?

A: I don’t’ cause I’m driving but the guys will bring up a whole stash of books and go back and forth with them. I read a lot of signs and maps and directions.

Q: Don’t you have a GPS?

A: Oh yeah. Now that I have the Iphone it probably takes care of just about everything. Our GPS’s keep getting stolen. Our last one was stolen in Seattle.

Q: How did you get into music?

A: My Dad. He plays with the group and I listened to him playing in bands, mostly soul standards, and I grew up with it as part of my life . As I grew up and realized this was something I could do with my life and make a living of it, it intrigued me and then I just went from there. I grew up singing in Church. It’s an interesting business. Every step is a challenge but I do believe there are more avenues for people to make a living doing what they want to do if you work hard at it. And, you know, hopefully you have some talent and something people want to hear. I think probably since I have been alive I’ve been aware of music and the music industry.

Q: I think the industry is evolving and the internet and social networking has totally changed the scene.

A: It’s funny you should say that. We were talking about that yesterday and I think you can look at it from a bunch of different angles. I choose to see it from the perspective that I think it’s going back to like maybe how it was a little more in the 50’s and 60’s, really, because you had local radio back then and it really mattered, it really mattered. I mean that… that is what launched the careers of so many great solo artists and rock and roll artist for that matter. It was local radio and they would be superstars in their region and they were able to make a living and branch out from there vs. having to basically be a multi million dollar selling artist or your doomed. It doesn’t have to be that way anymore. So, I think that’s why you have the jam circuits now and you have folks not selling multi million records and still maintain a career in that setting more than if they were huge. It’s a very interesting time to be doing music. We’ve been doing this a long time now and we’ve seen the direct impact that the internet has had on music for us as well as other bands.

Q: How long has your band been together?

A: We started playing together in 1994 or maybe a year before that . A lot of us were in college together and met as underclassmen.

Q: How old are you? I know I’m not supposed to ask that but I thought I would anyway.

A; Oooo h.. I can’t tell that.

Q: I almost didn’t want to ask that because I know you’re not supposed to tell, the business has always been leery of announcing age.

A: No , I’m only kidding. I’m 35 years old. In the genre that we play I don’t know if the age really matters. People who like soul music tend to not care very much, if anything they are leery of people that are too young, you know if you haven’t had the life experience.

Q: Well it’s hard to sing soul if you don’t have that experiences to sing about.

A: Not that you can’t have had experiences to sing about when you are young, but maybe you have had a better chance when you get a little older. Personally I believe that I have a little more to say now than I did when I was 18. But, you know , I know plenty of people that are 18 or when they were 18 they had plenty of talent and plenty of stuff to say.

Q: Where is the most interesting or unusual place have been to while touring with your band?

A: Our favorite place has been Norway. It was a complete culture shock in a good way. We got there and these music fans would come up to us and start a conversation about soul and they would … basically they were teaching me stuff that I didn’t know. They were so into American music and the history of American music and how it kind of changed the world. I don’t know, there was a lot about that country that was really, really cool. Eye opening, you know. So, that was definitely one of the most interesting places we’ve been as a group and we’ve been there a few times. We try to schedule fun things to do in between shows and that place is just full of amazing things to do and hikes and boat rides. It was a very cool experience.

Q: So what is something that maybe your fans don’t know about you or you and the band. Some quirky things you do? (at this point Dan, the band’s tenor sax and clarinet player walked into the room)
A; I don’t know Dan what do you think?

Dan: We’re pretty much full of quirk. We love to play, when were on the East Coast and are staying at our drummers parents’ house because we’re broke and trying to save money; we like to play Broquet. It’s croquet with a bunch of guys and a bunch of beer and, not that has anything to do with the music necessarily, but it is part of the camaraderie and where it comes from (the music) and it’s one of our escapes.

Q: Is it kind of like Beer Pong only with Croquet?

A; We actually use the right equipment until the beers flow and then we start using empty beer cans. Yes, it’s a good time.

Roger: Everybody in the band is great and we get along so well. This week we had Dane Farnsworth join us for a few dates on our tour, he just graduated from Berkley this year. He’s an amazing player so good he pisses you off, you know. Not just technically. He has a lot of subtlety in how he plays. He just joined us and he fits right in.

If we didn’t have the friendship I don’t think we’d be what we are.

Q: I see you are married. How is it being married and being on the road? Do you have kids?

No, but some of the guys do.
For me really honestly I think it helps our relationship. You have to have a trusting relationship to begin with and we do .But, you know, you have a little time apart and you get to reunite. Some couples see each other every day for 50 years and that’s great, but if I’m gone for a couple weeks, a month , 6 weeks or whatever it is, I get to reunite with my wife. It keeps it fresh.

Q: So your home base is where?

A: Austin Texas. We’ve been based in Austin now since 2000. We kind of waited around for everyone to finish the jazz program at North Texas University before we settled there. It’s a great place to be based. It is a little tough because it is in the middle of the country and far from the coast but we do what we can to get out here when we can and hopefully that will be a little more frequently over the course of the next year when we release the new album.

With that, we thanked each other for taking the time and the band went out and played and amazing show. I remember thinking where else could you get awesome live music , free beer and just an overall good time for less money than you’d pay for a movie and popcorn!

The band is currently working on their new album with a planned release date sometime at the end of this year or beginning of 2010 . Their previous albums can be found on Itunes including their most recent release ‘Yesterday’ and ‘EP 3’.

Welcome to the Mauch Chunk Opera House

2009-07-25T08:27:00.001-07:00

Welcome everyone to the official Mauch Chunk Opera House blog.

Just a little history to all that are stumbling upon this blog. The Mauch Chunk Opera House (pronounced M-A-K Chunk) is one of America's oldest Vaudeville venues that was built in 1881 in the historic town of Jim Thorpe, PA (formerly Mauch Chunk). It is owned and operated as a not- for -profit by the Mauch Chunk Historical Society whose aim is to preserve the rich history of the town.

Over the years this theater has been lovingly restored and is now a nationally recognized venue for live music and theater. Many original singer and songwriters, as well as tribute bands, grace our stage to entertain both our local audience and the many tourist that come here. It is truly a beautiful venue with some of the best acoustics around. Most recently , the international recording artists The Wailin' Jennies, have preformed and recorded their upcoming album live in our theater.

We have an all volunteer staff and board that works on many different aspects for the Society and the Opera House, including concession, maintenance, marketing and publicity and in just about any other capacity that we would require assistance. We have many regular attendees to our show, as well as a constant stream of new people who discover our great town, it's heritage and the beauty of the Opera House.

My name is Tara and I am a new member of the Board of Directors. I'm very excited to be a part of the Opera House and the Society and I intend to blog about all the Opera House performers and any up coming events, including our annual Victorian Ball (I'm very excited about this) and many other events we have in the works to bring to our audiences.