On Stage: Local favorites Dukes, Humbleman on area stages

The bands are the Dukes of Destiny and the Humbleman Band.

They have been fixtures on the Philly music scene for a long time – the Dukes for 40 years and Humbleman for more than 26.

On March 15, Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) is hosting an act featuring a local two-way love affair – the band in love with the venue and the audience there in love with the band.

The Dukes of Destiny, who have been treating fans to live performances of top-flight blues and soul music for almost three decades, are back in action with a lineup built around John Colgan-Davis (harmonica, vocals) and Ray Adler (guitar).

“We have new personnel,” said Colgan-Davis, during a phone interview Monday night from his home in northwest Philadelphia.

“Ray Adler was the original Dukes guitarist back in 1985. This is around his fourth tour of duty.

“Mike O’Rourke is the drummer. He’s drummed with us for the past couple of years and he also sat in with the Dukes on numerous occasions earlier.

“Mike Blair is the bass player. Mike and I have known each other for over half a century. He had a coffeehouse in Germantown where I used to play. And he did sound for the Dukes now and then over the years.

“Our keyboard player is Glenn Bickel, who is a Chester County product. I have played with him in the Roger Girke-John Colgan-Davis Project at Jamey’s House of Music on a regular basis. He sings, plays piano and makes great sounds on his Hammond B-3.

“And. of course, I’m still singing and playing harmonica. That’s us for this year.”

One thing definite for the Dukes in 2025 is performing at Kennett Flash and kicking ass when they do.

“The Dukes return to one of our favorite places to play in one of our favorite towns,” said Colgan-Davis.

“The Kennett Flash is a place with a great sound system, great seats with good views of the stage, space to dance and a great wait staff.

“Kennett Square itself has a number of great places to stroll and to shop and to eat, so you can take in the town, eat at a great restaurant, and get dessert and a night of great blues and dancing at the Flash. Sounds like a marvelous night to me!”

About a year-and-a-half ago, the Dukes’ lineup went through a major change when vocalist Aryl Wolters retired from the band.

“Arlyn didn’t come back after the pandemic,” said Colgan-Davis. “She did come back for one show and then said she didn’t want to do it anymore. She said – I’m just not feeling it.”

As a result, Colgan-Davis had a dual role with the Dukes.

“Now that Arlyn is gone, I’m doing the majority of the singing,” said Colgan-Davis. “I was singing before Arlyn so now it’s back to the roots.”

In addition to performing at most of the clubs in the Tri-State area, the Dukes of Destiny have performed at the Pocono Blues Festival, the Waterfront Jam at Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing, the State Street Blues Stroll in Media, the Bucks County R’n’B Picnic, the New Jersey Folk Festival and the Longwood Gardens Summer Concert Series.

“For the past few years, we’ve had great years,” said Colgan-Davis. “We played places we had never played before – like the Philadelphia Folk Festival. We also played places we really love like The Kennett Flash and the West Grove Friends Meeting.

“We played the Phoenixville Blues Festival and the Paoli Blues Festival. We really love playing The Kennett Flash. And we love our Chester County crowd. They’ve been coming to see us play for 14-15 years.”

Chester County music fans and the Dukes of Destiny definitely have a love affair going on.

“We did the Turks Head Festival in West Chester a few years ago – and ‘Rhythm and Roots’ in Media,” said Colgan-Davis. “We love the Flash – the intimacy and the sound system. And we love what it stands for and what it means to Kennett Square.

“We have a great relationship with the people of Chester County. And I really like the landscape of the area. It’s always a special place for us. Chester County gigs have the vibe of old coffee houses. We put out the energy and the audience gives it back to us.”

Audiences that like to get out of their seats and dance are a big part of the Dukes of Destiny live experience.

It all started 40 years ago.

In 1985, five young, local musicians got together and began playing old blues songs in a rambling three-story house in Philadelphia. They decided to take the act on the road as The Dukes of Destiny, a name they got from a matchbook cover urging the reader to “Be the Captain of Your Own Destiny.”

At first, The Dukes of Destiny played house parties in Germantown, generating interest by word of mouth. A gig at the now-defunct Taker’s Café in Germantown launched their public career, and 40 years later, they are still playing some of the hottest, most danceable blues and old school soul in the Philadelphia area.

Today, the Dukes of Destiny reign as Philadelphia’s longest-lived and best loved blues act.

There have been changes in the act: guitarists left and came back, bass and sax players moved and or left the band, and sadly, singer and founder Steve Brown died in March of 2000.

But the approach and commitment of the band has remained constant for four decades years, resulting in a band with a unique tightness and an original approach to the music.

With a mix of powerful original songs and unique arrangements of blues standards, The Dukes of Destiny continue to grow and develop as they share their music through countless live performances and recordings.

“Ray Adler was with us from 1985 to the mid-1990s,” said Colgan-Davis. “We’re re-doing some songs from then and we’ve learned a lot of new songs.

“With the band, we have this magic where we play off one another. That makes it work – and there are some nice surprises in every set. We never just go through the motions.

“When we’re energized, we play our asses off. When the Dukes are on, we reach a special level.”

Colgan-Davis’s introduction to the blues came when he was in high school at Central High in Philadelphia and saw the Stones performing with Howling Wolf on the “Shindig” TV show. Howlin’ Wolf, whose real name was Chester Burnett, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player who was one of the premier Chicago bluesmen.

“When I saw Howlin’ Wolf on that TV show, I jumped up and said — this is what I want to do,” said Colgan-Davis. “I started playing blues when I was 16. My dad gave me a grab bag for my birthday and a harmonica was in it.

“I started listening to blues records a lot — players like Muddy Waters and James Cotton. I was really into Chicago blues of the 1950s and 1960s when I started. Then, I got into guys like Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.

“One of the first bands I played in was a Philly blues band called Sweet Stavin’ Chain.”

A while later, the Dukes of Destiny became the main musical vehicle for Colgan-Davis. At first, they played house parties in Germantown, generating word of mouth interest. A gig at the now-defunct Taker’s Cafe in Germantown launched their public career.

“The Dukes got together in the mid-1980s,” said Colgan-Davis. “Steve Brown started the band, and it began with that gig at Taker’s Café. Steve died of pancreatic cancer in 2000, and I’ve been the leader ever since.

“Steve has always been in my mind. We did a tribute concert to him a few years ago and we still do some of his favorites in our set.

“We have a whole range of music in what we can play — everything from Chicago blues to old-school soul. What’s great about the Dukes is that we’re a band. We use each other’s strengths.”

Video link for the Dukes of Destiny – https://youtu.be/j5fM0sugB5w.

The show at Kennett Flash on March 15 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the door.

Other upcoming shows at Kennett Flash are Belfast Connection on March 14 and Lauren Calve on March 20.

Humbleman Band is one of the Philadelphia area’s longest-running rock bands — and a band which has been involved in projects all over the country.

The talented sextet, whose members reside mostly in the northwest region of the Philadelphia area, will have the opportunity to play a gig in its own backyard this weekend.

Humbleman Band (www.facebook.com/humblemanband) will be performing at the Mermaid Inn (7654 Winston Road, Philadelphia, themermaidinn.net)

Humbleman Band’s current line-up is Charlie Cooper – writer, vocals, guitar; Wain Ballard – lead guitar; Kim Alexander – vocals; Boz Heinly – bass; and Buck Buchannan – drums.

“Humbleman Band was formed in 1999,” said “Cholly” Cooper, during a phone interview from his home in Germantown. “I was in a band with our drummer Buck Buchanan. Three of us were living near each other in South Philly and we gradually picked up people.

“The third guy was bassist Bruce Koch, who just died a year ago from a massive heart attack. That was a real loss – as a friend and as a bandmate.

“We weren’t sure we were going to pick up the pieces. We were using hired hands to fill in. We added a permanent bass player – Boz Heinly, who lives in Plymouth Meeting.

“We get along really well musically and as friends. We have a lot of respect for each other.”

Humbleman Band, which is billed on the Mermaid Inn’s website as “Orig blues, funk, rock & reggae,” is not very prolific when it comes to releasing albums.

“We seem to have a cycle of putting out an album every five years,” said Cooper.  “We put out an album a few years ago called ‘Least Bad of Humbleman 1984-2009.’ That album was a 25-year compilation starting with our days in 1984 as a punk band called The Proles.”

The band released its albums “Late Bloom” in fall 2014 and “Beautiful Day” in November 2018.

“‘Late Bloom’ was self-produced – and mostly D.I.Y.,” said Cooper. “‘Beautiful Day’ was also self-produced – and also mostly D.I.Y. We used REAPER.

“REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for computers, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering toolset.

“After finishing recording it ourselves, we sent it out for the mixing. We had Scoops Dardaris do it. We were extremely happy with the mixing. We mastered it at Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown.

“Jim Hamilton, a percussionist and tap dancer from the Kensington area of Philly who toured with Boyz II Men, put the studio together. He’s a terrific talent – and he knows an amazing amount of people in the music world.”

For the most part, Humbleman Band is O.K. with using a proper studio – but just for mixing and mastering.

“We’re still into D.I.Y.,” said Cooper. “A few of us have home studios and we prefer working there. We still use DAW (digital audio workstation) REAPER.

“We’re working our way through a new record. We hope to out it out early next year. We’re heading into Rittenhouse Sound Studio on April 25.”

Cooper is a native of Norristown. In the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, he was part of an extended group of friends that lived in and around Norristown.

That diverse group included the late Tim Boyle, one of the most “sought after” recording engineers in Southern California; Karen Tobin, a Narberth native who established herself as a respected vocalist in the L.A. country music scene; Conshohocken native John Vuotto, a Delaware Valley acoustic guitar legend; and several music journalists including Ed Dwyer, the founding editor of High Times magazine who had earlier written the text of the Woodstock music festival program booklet.

Humbleman Band, a rock quintet that is socially conscious, features songs that band members have written and arranged – songs with lyrics inspired by current events.

“We went out to Standing Rock (Indian Reservation) in North Dakota,” said Cooper. “That inspired song – ‘AIM ’21.’ The title stands for ‘American Indian in the 21st century.’”

In July 2023, Humbleman Band posted the following on its website – “Once again, we will be taking skateboards to the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe of Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

The Sioux have managed to build a skate park with the help of some professional skateboarders and some corporate sponsorship. However, poverty is so pervasive there is little money for skateboards, pads, and helmets.

The reservation is home to over 45,000 members; over half of this population is under the age of 18; over 80% are unemployed; over half are below the poverty level; and the reservation has the lowest life expectancy of any region in the United States.

Dealing with epidemics of alcoholism, drug addiction, and depression affect the entire community. I have seen the joy and the pride these kids get from skating. It is a healthy and positive thing for them, and I’ve seen the passion with which they do it!”

Humbleman Band released an EP, “Ruff Ups,” in August 2012. The disc included “Two Fires Burning,” “Summer 2020 (The Other Side of This)” and “Homo Sapien.”

The band’s most recent single was “Tattoo Removal Man” two years ago.

“On ‘Beautiful Day,’ Kim (Epsom) wrote two songs, we did two covers, and I wrote the rest,” said Cooper.

“The two covers were songs by the late Gil Scott-Heron – ‘Lady Day and John Coltrane’ and ‘Alien.’ Gil Scott-Heron was a very influential voice in music and activism and most-known for his song ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ and his poetry.

Humbleman Band, like Scott-Heron, has consistently delivered social commentary and positive messages, often with humor and a light touch, using spoken word lyrics, and generally delivered with dance beat arrangement. His influence upon the band has been strong.

“Gil Scott-Heron,” said Cooper. “He blew me away.”

Now, Cooper and his mates are planning on doing some “blowing away” of their own.

“We were built for this moment – songs I want to hear and I’m playing them,” said Cooper. “At the gig this Friday, we will be breathing fire.’

Video link for Humbleman Band — https://youtu.be/01Clk69MaAU.

The show at the Mermaid Inn on March 14 will run from 8-11 p.m.

Tickets are $10.

Gaffney Beach is the newest pop-up on the Delaware Valley music map.

However, Gaffney Beach is not a theater, a nightclub, a casino, a bar with music…or even a venue of any sort.

Gaffney Beach does not have sand, water, a grassy beach or even a place to spread out a towel.

Actually, Gaffney Beach is not even a physical location.

Gaffney Beach is a brand-new musical act featuring Kate Gaffney and Bob Beach.

The duo is so new that its show on March 14 at Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) be will its first ever.

Kate Gaffney is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who was born in Lansdale and then moved west. Bob Beach is a harmonica player from Philadelphia who moved west when he was a young man.

Now, both have returned to this area – Beach from the Pittsburgh area to Philadelphia and Gaffney from Pacifica, California to Schwenksville.

The friends from decades ago were reunited last summer.

“I ran into Bob at the Philadelphia Folk Festival last summer,” said Gaffney in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.

“We stayed in touch. I saw Bob play at the Lansdowne Folk Club earlier this year.

“Then, Bob called and asked me if I wanted to start a new project. That was such an honor. I just want to play.

“I moved back here to put music first in my life – to reunite with my connections and get back into the local music community. Now, I’m a members elected member of the Philadelphia Folk Festival’s Board of Directors.”

If Gaffney’s fans and Beach’s fans don’t know what to expect from this Friday’s show, that’s O.K. – neither do the players.

“That was two weeks ago when Bob contacted me,” said Gaffney. “This is the first time we’re playing together like this. We’re still learning songs.”

Video link for Kate Gaffney – https://youtu.be/fHoaryMngKw.

Video link for Bob Beach – https://youtu.be/mTDps9nUq1E.

The show at Jamey’s on March 14 will start at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. PPV streaming of this show is also available for $15.

Gaffney will also be onstage tonight.

The Philadelphia Folksong Society MAC is presenting three songwriters in the round at The Fallser Club (3721 Midvale Avenue, Philadelphia, thefallserclub.com) — Lisa Jeanette, Tracy Colletto and Gaffney

The show, which features, will get underway at 7:30 p.m. on March 13 with Heidi Hoskins as the emcee.

Tickets are $20.

Other upcoming shows at Jamey’s House of Music are The Fabulous Dueling Pianos on March 13 and the Empty Belly Blues Band featuring Alabama Slim on March 15.

Every Sunday, Jamey’s presents “SUNDAY BLUES BRUNCH & JAM.”  This week’s show features the Steve Shanahan Blues Muthas.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) is presenting the Uptown Studio Annual Future Stars Benefit on March 1 from 12:30-5 p.m.

This popular event is a showcase for the immense talent and creativity of local Future Stars, featuring performances by The Uptown Singers, Singing Artist, Singing Academy, and our skilled improvisation students.

Tickets are $45 for adults and $22 for children (12 and under).

Also appearing at the Uptown! this weekend are the Whiskey Rovers on March 16.