On Stage: Coco Montoya brings the blues to The Flash

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

There are various generations of blues artists and they span a really large age range. On October 26, Coco Montoya, one of the country’s best modern blues guitarists, will headline a show at Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org).

Montoya has built a reputation as an ace guitarist – a guitarist who spent 10 years in one of the best Anglo-American blues band ever – a guitarist who had a blues icon as a mentor.

Not bad for a drummer from Santa Monica, California.

Montoya, a legendary blues-rock guitarist and vocalist, has just released a new album “Coming in Hot” on Alligator Records and is now touring across America in support of his new disc.

“I cut the album at the end of last year and it just got released in August,” said Montoya, during a recent phone interview from a tour stop in Des Moines, Iowa.

“We must have gone through 120 songs at least – submitting them and getting them rejected. They go to Bruce (Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer). Rejection bothers you but it’s a process that needs to be done.

“My band right now has really taken a big leap. They’re all great players – Nathan Brown on bass, Rena B. on drums. All my guys are great. They push me to a new level and Jeff Paris on keys and vocals.”

Montoya has a solid music background.

“I come from a bunch of different places musically,” said Montoya. “There’s rock, there’s blues, there’s R&B, there’s jazz. I love the blues. That’s the biggest in my career. But I’ve always been at odds with the music business. I make problems because I like a lot of different things – even country and jazz. If I like it, I might play it.

“I really believe that you have to play what you like. With blues, you have to be feeling it. It has to be emotionally real. That’s what you really need to get the blues.”

When he was a kid, Montoya immersed himself in his parents’ record collection. He listened to big band jazz, salsa, doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll. His first love was drums and he got his first kit when he was 11.

He got a guitar two years later, but guitar was his secondary instrument. Montoya turned his love of drumming into his profession, playing in a number of area rock bands while still in his teens and eventually becoming an in-demand drummer.

Then, at one point in his career, Montoya became a guitar player in the band of a blues icon – Albert Collins. Later, he joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and played guitar with them for 10 years.

Both opportunities came by chance,” said Montoya.

In the early 1970s, Albert Collins was booked to play a matinee at the same small club in Culver City, California where Montoya had played the night before.

The club owner gave Collins permission to use Montoya’s drums. A few months later, Collins desperately needed a drummer for a tour of the Northwest, and he called Montoya.

“When he called, I figured we’d rehearse for a few weeks before the tour,” said Montoya. “Instead, he told me he’d pick me up in three hours.”

During the tour, Collins took Montoya under his wing, teaching him about blues music and life on the road. After the tour ended, Montoya remained in the band for five more years.

It was during this time that Montoya began doubling on guitar and Collins went out of his way to teach him.

Montoya learned everything he could from the legendary “Master of the Telecaster.” Montoya often pays tribute to his mentor, recording a Collins song on almost every album he’s made.

“It was almost the same thing with Mayall,” said Montoya. “He saw me playing at a jam session. His guitarist Mick Taylor was moving on and he needed a guitarist.

“I wasn’t even in the music business at that point. I was working as a bartender and just playing guitar for fun. It took Mayall to get me back in the music business.”

So, Montoya added his name to the list of internationally-acclaimed Bluesbreaker guitarists – a list that includes Eric Clapton (Cream), Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac) and Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones).

For the next 10 years, Montoya toured the world and recorded with Mayall — soaking up the experience of life on the road and in the recording studio.

By the early 1990s, Montoya had the urge to move on. He put his own band together, toured and released his debut solo album

“Gotta Mind To Travel” in 1995.

In 1996, he was nominated for four Blues Music Awards and won the award for Best New Blues Artist. His new album “Hard Truth” is his 10th studio album.

Video link for Coco Montoya – https://youtu.be/O9lEsU1N3Uc.

The show at Kennett Flash will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Another show this weekend at Kennett Flash will feature The Numbers on October 27.

On October 27, Living Room (35 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, https://thelivingroomat35east.com) will host a special benefit show for arts education featuring Phoebe Legere. All proceeds from this show go to Legere’s nonprofit Foundation for New American Art.

Legere is the executive director of The Foundation for New American Art, a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that fosters art and music education programs geared to underserved communities.

The goal is to educate, nurture and strengthen the artistic and musical spirit of the children of low-income communities, as well as provide support for after-school programs.

She visits schools, military bases, libraries with encouraging workshops — most notably her “Songwriting from The Heart.” Proceeds from Legere’s lectures and public performances will go to The Foundation for New American Art.

“I am dedicated to nurturing the visionary artists of the future,” said Legere. “Art and Music are not extra-curricular. Art and Music are integral to the harmonious development of the human heart and soul.”

Legere is a talented singer, songwriter, instrumentalist — a multi-talented artist who is like no other.

“I’ve just been up in Montreal recording some new material,” said Legere. “I’m working with a great producer named Michel le François there and they’re letting me be who I am.

“I just released a new single called ‘In Shipwrecks, Pianos Always Float,’ which came out on October 3. It’s really just me playing piano, accordion and singing. It’s on a small label. I’m getting interest from major labels but it’s too early to say anything yet.”

Another good thing happening right now for Legere is Yaddo.

Yaddo is a retreat for artists located on a 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.

Yaddo offers residencies to professional creative artists from all nations and backgrounds working in one or more of the following disciplines: choreography, film, literature, musical composition, painting, performance art, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video.

“I just got accepted to do a five-week residency with Yaddo in Saratoga Springs,” said Legere. “That’s exciting. For a rock-and-roller to be accepted at this colony is extraordinary.”

Legere, who has released close to 20 albums, plays seven instruments including one she invented to help physically challenged children play music — the Sneakers of Samothrace.

Phoebe Legere is a Juilliard-trained composer in addition to being an internationally recognized visual artist. She offers small collectible paintings after each performance. Each original artwork has a CD embedded within it.

Her most recent album “Heart of Love” is a hymn to life on the American Highway – and a Top 20 Americana album.

“The musical genre is folk/Americana,” said Legere, during a phone interview from upstate Pennsylvania.

“I play guitar, Native American flute, piano and accordion. It was released on February 14, 2017 and immediately went Top 20 on the roots charts. It’s all originals – except for my cover of ‘Jambalaya.’”

Legere’s music is a blend of Americana, Cajun, New Orleans jazz, country, folk and blues. She is an award-winning accordion player, virtuoso piano player, a rural folk blues guitar stylist, and an award-winning songwriter.

A standard-bearer of the Acadian-Cajun renaissance, Legere is descended from one of the original Acadian families in North America.

Her album “Acadian Moon,” which was released in 2015, received strong radio play in Canada. “Heart of Love” is faring even better – on both sides of the Canadian-American border.

“A DJ friend of mine gave me a list of every Americana station in America – and a list of college stations,” said Legere, who has performed at prestigious venues around the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and at the Congrés Mondial Acadien.

Legere, whose debut album “Trust Me” was released by Epic Records in 1986, has a long and diverse artistic resume. She has appeared on National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, ABC, NBC, PBS and Charlie Rose. She also received the prestigious Acker Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2014. In 2015, she appeared in HBO’s documentary “It’s Me Hilary.”

While still in her teens, Legere was signed Epic Records as a songwriter. She opened for David Bowie on his National Tour in 1991 and led a number of influential New York bands, including Monad, 4 Nurses of the Apocalypse and her nine-piece swing-punk outfit Swingalicious.

After the radio success of her 1989 album “Marilyn Monroe” (Island Records), and her appearance in numerous underground films, Legere shifted her focus to avant-garde classical music and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her work with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony.

Legere, who has had six of her original plays with music produced in New York City, did not enter the world of entertainment unprepared.

She graduated from Vassar College, studied composition at the Juilliard School. She also studied piano at the New England Conservatory, and film scoring, orchestration and jazz arranging at the NYU Graduate School of Music Composition.

Legere studied composition with John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet, Morton Subotnick, Wayne Oquin and Dinu Gezzo. She also studied jazz arranging with Ira Newborn and Rick Shemaria.

“I got involved in very avant-garde music more than 15 years ago,” said Legere, a versatile artist who created a 15-person, rideable giant Eagle sculpture that runs on alternative energy (learn more about The Shamancycle at Shamancyle.com).

“I did an epic poem with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra – singing the poem and improvising the music.”

Video link for Phoebe Legere – https://www.facebook.com/phoebelegeremusic/videos/10156201180756466/.

The show at The Living Room on Sunday night will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.

If music fans just looked at a picture of The Vindys, they might assume that it was another female-fronted alt-rock/pop band.

As soon as they heard the band’s music, they’d realize it was a totally wrong assumption.

The Vindys, one of the most sought-after bands in Ohio and the Midwest, have a distinct music style that is an amalgamation of pop, jazz, R&B, modren blues and rock. The group’s singer Jackie Popovec contributes vocals that are warm, sultry and powerful.

On October 26, The Vindys — Jackie Popovec (vocals/guitar), John Anthony (guitar/harmony vocals), Ed Davis (drums/harmony vocals), and Rick Deak (guitar/harmony vocals) – will headline a show at the City Winery  (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, citywinery.com/philadelphia/).

“I write the songs,” said Popovec, during a recent phone interview from her home in Youngstown, Ohio.”Then, I take them to the guys and they put their own thing on.”

The Vindys’ show on Saturday night will be their Philadelphia debut.

According to Popovec, “We are always excited to see reactions of newer audiences at our shows. This will be our first time not only playing at City Winery but also playing in Philadelphia. We are thrilled to be playing in a city with such a rich music scene and history!”

Because they are a Youngstown-based band, The Vindys are passionate about representing Youngstown as a place where the music scene is thriving.  Their name pays homage to their daily newspaper, The Vindicator.

All classically trained musicians from the distinguished schools of Capital University Conservatory of Music, Dana School of Music, Slippery Rock University, and Mike Curb College of Music, The Vindys combine their skills and experiences resulting in a depth and maturity in their music that is intricate, yet relatable.

“We’ve all had music education,” said Popovec. “The other guys are classically trained while I went to college for music production. We made our first album ourselves.

“At the start, I knew the drummer but the rest of the guys I met through networking. I sat in with a cover band and it worked. We were more together when we were improving cover songs.

“We’d take covers and make them into jazzy songs – or we’d take one and speed it up or slow it down. We’d throw originals in every once in a while.”

In 2014, The Vindys released their debut record, “The Red Wine EP.”

“The Youngstown radio station The Summit 91.3 started playing our record,” said Popovec. “Then, when we plated shows, people were asking for the ‘Red Wine’ song. We’ve built a pretty diverse audience. The demographic is all over the place – 25-65 and their kids. There is something for everyone.”

The Vindys have had a great year so far as they have been prominently featured as part of the Pittsburgh Pirates and AT&T Sports Net “Friday Night Rocks” campaign that showcases local bands during Pirates broadcasts.  The experience has exposed the band to countless fans and have seen their Tri-State area fanbase grow tremendously. They saw a huge spike of over 40,000 views over a course of a week when the video for “Are You Ready”, which was shot at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille in Warrendale, was shown on “Friday Night Rocks.”

They also have played festivals such as Summerfest (Milwaukee, WI) where they won the Emerging Artist Series’ fan favorite of the day. Past winners include Walk the Moon, Nathaniel Rateliff, Maren Morris, Walk Off The Earth, and X Ambassadors.

“We’ve been putting out singles – three so far,” said Popovec. “We want to get a five or six song EP out by year’s end. Our next single will be ‘Morning Light,’ which has more of a pop feel.”

Video link for The Vindys – https://youtu.be/Hy5zXBJYaN8.

The show at City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, citywinery.com/philadelphia/) will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Other upcoming shows at the City Winery are Jackopierce on October 26, Macy Gray on October 27, Avery Sunshine on October 27, and The Flamin’ Groovies on October 29.

If you want your music more on the heavy side on Saturday night, then head to The Voltage Lounge (421 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, 215- 964-9602,www.voltagelounge.com). On October 26, the Philly venue is hosting a show Fit For An Autopsy’s “The Sea of Tragic Beasts Record Release Tour.”

Fit For An Autopsy is an American metal band that formed in 2008 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Fit For An Autopsy have released four studio albums prior to this year.

On October 25, Fit For An Autopsy — Joe Badolato – Vocals, Will Putney – Guitar, Patrick Sheridan – Guitar, Tim Howley – Guitar, Peter Spinazola – Bass, Josean Orta – Drums — dropped its fifth studio album, “The Sea of Tragic Beasts,” via Nuclear Blast Records worldwide and Human Warfare in Australia.

“We’ve been sitting on the new album for a while – to be honest,” said Sheridan, during a recent phone interview from the band’s studio in North Jersey. “It’s been finished for six months but Nuclear Blast had a plan.

“It was made over a course of time at Will’s studio Graphic Nature. The songs start with the rhythms. Will will lay down the rhythm track because he doesn’t tour with us.”

Putney is an in-demand producer and Graphic Nature is an in-demand studio. As a result, Putney is not able to join FFAA when the band goes out on tour.

“We have a permanent member of the band – Tim Howley – who can pick up what we’re missing from Will,” said Sheridan. “He’s an important part of the band. He adds in a positive way.

“When the band gets in the studio, things happen quickly. We all work together to write. Fit For An Autopsy was started by Will and me. When he’s producing our band, he understands out strengths and weaknesses. He’s got a particular sound he wants to convey.

“Truth be known, he is the main writer. When we’re in the studio, hearing him say ‘that was good but you can do it better’ is a normal thing. It can be frustrating but when you hear the end result all the frustration is worth it.”

FFAA is now in its second decade as a band.

“We have evolved,” said Sheridan. “People will say it’s a natural progression or it’s planned or we’re lucky. Actually, it’s some of all three.

“All these things are going on. Our music is growing, and it has happened organically. Also, we have a want to make something different every time. We never want to make the same album we made before.

“With the new album, I wouldn’t say we have a theme. But we are influenced by things – the human condition and how money and greed affect people in our society. There’s a lot of things going on.”

Video link for Fit For An Autopsy — https://youtu.be/C5_LHJOKNXs.

The all-ages show at the Voltage Lounge, which also features Rivers of Nihil, Lorna Shore, and Cognitive, will start at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $20.

Other upcoming shows at the Voltage Lounge are Wizardfest on October 27, Icon of Fire on October 29, and Max Bemis on October 30.

If you’re in the mood to hear music unlike any other music players at any venue this weekend, check out Ars Nova Workshop’s twin bill featuring Lea Bertucci (alto saxophone, tape machines, electronics) and Deradoorian (flute & electronics). The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. on October 27 at the Ruba Club (416 Green Street, Philadelphia, www.arsnovaworkshop.org).

Bertucci is a composer, performer and sound designer whose work describes relationships between acoustic phenomena and biological resonance. In addition to her instrumental practice with woodwind instruments, she often incorporates multi-channel speaker arrays, electroacoustic feedback, extended instrumental technique and tape collage.

In recent years, her projects have expended toward site-responsive and site-specific sonic investigations of architecture. Deeply experimental, her work is unafraid to subvert musical expectation.

Her discography includes a number of solo and collaborative releases on independent labels and in 2018, she released the critically acclaimed “Metal Aether” on NNA tapes. Lea is co-editor of the multi-volume artists book The Tonebook, a survey of graphic scores by contemporary composers, published on Inpatient Press.

As a sound designer, Lea has collaborated with dance and theater companies including Big! Dance Theater, Pig Iron Theater, Piehole!, and Mallory Catlett (Restless NYC). Her collaborations extend to other chamber-noise projects, including a recently formed duo with vocalist Amirtha Kidambi.

As a solo artist, she has performed extensively across the US and Europe with presenters such as PS1 MoMA, Blank Forms, Pioneer Works, The Kitchen, Roulette, The Walker Museum, Caramoor, The Renaissance Society, Chicago, Sound of Stockholm Festival, and Unsound Festival, Krakow. She is a 2016 MacDowell Fellow in composition and a 2015 ISSUE Project Room Artist-in-Residence. In 2018, she received a commission from the American Composers’ Forum for a new percussion trio as well as a brass octet commissioned by the Levy Gorvy Gallery in New York.

Bertucci is now performing shows featuring music from her new album, “Resonant Field.” The LP continues her devotion to the exploration of physical spaces by way of sound, channeled through her alto saxophone. In this sense, ‘Resonant Field’ is the documentation of a human’s profoundly personal interaction with an inanimate space through the medium of sound.

“I recorded the album in summer 2017,” said Bertucci, during a recent phone interview from her home in Queens, New York. “I did it when I was an artist-in-residence at Silo City. I wrote a solo quartet for saxophone.

“I was playing in an abandoned grain silo. Some guy bought it for one dollar and started doing art events there. I used the ‘Marine A’ grain elevator. In the process, I made a bunch of solo recording. That material sat around for a year-and-a-half before I went back to it this year.”

The decommissioned structure at Silo City is a massive, cavernous space filled with large cast concrete cylinders, measuring approximately 18 feet wide and 130 feet tall. A grain silo that was once active, noisy, loud, and filled with kinetic energy now lays dormant as a silent, hulking concrete corpse, as is the case with many industrial sites across the United States.

Through playing her saxophone inside this structure, Bertucci’s goal was to excite and activate the space by playing certain pitches and extended techniques. By engaging with the acoustics in this manner, particularly the 12 seconds of natural decay, Bertucci is able to reimagine the saxophone as a polyphonic instrument, creating unique effects of microtonality and complex rhythmic phenomena, facilitated by the distinct delay as the sound bounces from one end of the silo to the other.

Her microtonal playing moves delicately through the octaves, creating an interactive, responsive dance up and down the frequency scale. These overlapping tones form an extreme density and fills the ears and head with an eternal buzz, while also revealing an array of fluttering psychoacoustic phenomenon to the listener. By using these raw recordings of saxophone as the foundation for more intricate studio compositions, “Resonant Field” transcends mere documentation and evolves into a focused, comprehensive and total work at the hands of the artist.

“I’ve always been interested in acoustics,” said Bertucci, who grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley. “The way you play is always changed by the space you’re in. This was a great opportunity.

“A big part of my practice deals with site-responsive works – non-conventional spaces with acoustic, visual and historical elements. I went to Buffalo city records and looked at the architectural drawings of the silo. The recordings that are a result of Silo City are creative documents.

“It was just all acoustic – no other sources than my alto sax. The building was processing the sound. I’m, interested in trying to get people to listen in a different way.”

That also includes her live performances.

“My live set is a constantly evolving thing,” said Bertucci. “I’m not a conventional performer playing songs from all my albums. Instead, I play music that is always evolving.”

Video link for Lea Bertucci – https://youtu.be/HmGeZr-V-t8.

The show at the Ruba Club will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.