On Stage: Slambovians return to Sellersville

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

The legendary New York band, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams has a strong following in this area – a following it has been developing for more than two decades.

It includes avid fans who always attend the band’s traditional “New Years Eve Eve” concert in Philadelphia and the versatile music group’s show each summer in Sellersville.

The Slambovians’ faithful will be heading Bucks County on June 5 for the band’s show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com).

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, which has been making music since 1998, features a trio of founding members — Joziah Longo (singer, songwriter, guitarist, leader of the band), his wife Tink Lloyd (accordion, cello, flute, ukulele, theremin, keyboards) and Sharkey McEwen (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals).

The current line-up also features RJ McCarty (keys, sax, banjo, backing vocals), Bob Torsello (bass), and Matthew Abourezk (drums).

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams has two new albums on the horizon.

“We’re getting ready to release a new live album,” said Lloyd, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from upstate New York where she and Longo reside.

“It was recorded at radio station WAMC and an engineer at the station mixed it.”

WAMC-FM (90.3 FM) is a listener-supported non-commercial radio station in Albany, New York. It airs a public radio format focusing on news and talk with some specialty music shows on weekends.

“The album’s title is ’13,’ which was because it was great just to have 13 songs from a great radio show,” said Lloyd. “We did two long sets and the guy mixing it did a great job.”

“We’re also adding a bonus track. It’s a recording of when we played the Star Spangled Banner at the Saint Pete Times Forum in Florida.”

The Saint Pete Times Forum in St. Petersburg is the arena where the Tampa Bay Lightning play their professional ice hockey games.

On October 25, 2008, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams played the National Anthem at the Saint Pete Times Forum. In the NHL game that night, the San Jose Sharks defeated the home team, 3-0.

“Right now, we’re also working on our next album,” said Lloyd. “We might have it ready by Christmas.

“We’re playing two or three of the songs from the album in our live shows now. It’s good for us because some songs demand to be worked on more.

“We started working on it almost a year ago with basic tracks. We really started working on it in February this year.

“We’ve been doing the album a long time – building up studio work and getting more chops. When it’s time, Joziah does the scratch vocals.

“We use four different studios and share the files. Sharkey’s studio is the main one. Everything is collected and sent to him.

“The working title for the album is ‘The Book of Better Things.’ One of the tracks is ‘I Love Brooklyn.’ It has a Lou Reed/Bruce Springsteen feel. It’s a great singalong song.”

The band’s annual area schedule includes the traditional New Year’s Eve Eve show in Philadelphia.

There is also an annual midsummer concert at the Sellersville Theater along with occasional shows at various venues such as Ardmore Music Hall, Havana in New Hope and Elkton Music Hall.

The band returns to Sellersville bringing a psychedelic-folk-rock ritual that’s equal parts sincerity and spectacle – stirring up the strange brew they’ve been perfecting since their first gig at the theater in 2006.

This mid-summer show features what the band describes as “Summer Festival set list with new ‘groovacious’ tunes and classic fan faves.”

Led by Longo — equal parts frontman and mystic — they’re a traveling Americana seance with accordion, mandolin, slide guitar, the occasional banjo and more. This Woodstock-tinged psychedelia also taps into Southern Rock, Folk and British Invasion.

The Slambovians have fared really well in the U.K. with positive reviews for shows and strong record sales.

They have even caught the attention of British rock legends such as the Waterboys’ Anthony Thistlethwaite and Ian Anderson, the founder and leader of Jethro Tull.

Anderson said this about the Slambovian Circus of Dreams – “A breath of fresh air in a sometimes stagnant world — especially as a live act — with varied eclectic influences and great musicianship.

Plus moustaches, hats and stage presence gild their interesting and thought-provoking lyrics for the curious adult mind.”

The Slambovians’ show at the Sellersville Theater this weekend has similar function as a sports team’s pre-season session. The band will play at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in August.

The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music and dance festival currently held at the Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut

The first festival was a two-day event in 1988, and it has continued to grow from year-to-year,

“Sellersville is a prelude to Falcon Ridge,” said Lloyd. “It gets us ready for our festival season.”

Another annual (more or less) Slambovian tradition is a trip to England to perform at a big festival along with single shows at smaller venues.

On August 30, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams will be performing at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival 2026 with a matinee show at the Greenhous West Mid Showground in Shrewsbury.

The Slambovians will be performing on August 30 and will also perform a special “The Circus Does Dylan” set on in the afternoon on Monday, August 31.

On this visit to the U.K., the Slambovian Circus of Dreams will also have concerts in Shipley, Sheffield, Barnoldswick, York and Milton Keynes.

Longo is a Philly native who went to St. John Neumann High which back then was called Bishop Neumann High. Both the school and Longo’s childhood home were located in South Philadelphia.

The Slambovians have been described as, “Exploring the depths of Americana one trippy tune at a time, influences and elements of Dylan, Bowie, The Band, Incredible String Band, Syd Barrett and The Waterboys flavor the musical mix.”

The Slambovian Circus has released more than a dozen studio albums. Right in the middle was “The Circus Does Dylan”, an album released in June 2010 featuring 12 Dylan tracks recorded live between 2005 and 2009.

Seeger and Dylan – especially in his early days—were known for singing political songs.

Wisely, the Slambovian Circus is not railing against the current political situation in America.

“Don’t pick a side – pick a future together,” said Longo.

Lloyd said, “We’re hiding out from politics completely.”

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams is closing in on the number 20 for albums released. The band’s latest album, “A Very Unusual Head,” was released three years ago on the band’s own label.

“I’m a pretty stormy unpredictable person,” said Longo. “So, we called our label Storm King.

“We were D.I.Y. for the first four of five albums. Then, we partnered with Sony. But that didn’t work out and then COVID happened.

“We started our label with the ‘A Very Unusual Head’ album as the first release. Since then, everything in our catalog has been re-released.”

The band has another feature that dates back more than a decade-and-a-half.

“We’ve been doing summer shows in the U.K. since 2008,” said Lloyd. “We’ve gone over every year except 2020 and 2021 because of COVID.”

In 2023, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams played the Fairport Convention’s Copredy Convention in Banbury and was named the “fans’ favorites.” They also played the Wickham Festival which had the Waterboys as headliners.

“Our first time to play in the U.K. was the Rhythm Festival,” said Lloyd. “It was a classic rock festival with acts like the Animals and the Zombies. Jim Driver, who is involved with the Glastonbury Music Festival, asked us to play at the festival.”

Last year, the Slambovian Circus headed back across the pond for a series of shows, including a pair of festivals — Devizes Arts Festival in Devizes and First Light Festival in Lowestoft.

The big news in 2024 was the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the band’s debut album, “A Good Thief Tips His Hat.”

The album was initially released in 1999 and then re-released in 2021 after the band got control of its catalogue.

“The album was never released in the U.K. and is now being released by a British label,” said Longo.

“We’ve been playing songs from that album. Learning to play songs from a 25-year-old album was like learning new stuff.”

Longo has been extremely busy at his home along the Hudson.

“I’m working on three musicals and four new albums,” said Longo. “I’ve been writing a lot.

“The musicals are moving along – starting to happen. The whole skeleton is coming together. I’ve been reading books about scriptwriting. It’s really about articulation.

“The albums are written and arranged. Matthew and I have been laying down tracks for one of them.”

Longo always has multiple irons in the fire.

“I’ve also been working on a new book – a lyrics book with comments,” said Longo. “Writing was quick, but the pictures took a long time – sorting through 30 years in a sea of photographs.”

“A Very Unusual Head,” which is the band’s sixth studio album, was released January 21, 2022, on their new label, Storm King Records.

“A Very Unusual Head” was recorded over four years in five studios and two countries. The album is a step away from the guitar-based Americana vibe heard on their previous albums.

“A Very Unusual Head” is a real Slambovian tribal project with contributions from many friends and a few “special guests” such as Dar Williams, Anthony Thistlethwaite (The Waterboys), Kolson Pickard (Tall Heights, Pico Romanesque), drummer Felipe Torres (protege of Carmine Appice and sideman for Davey Jones), drummer Matt Abourezk (Thin White Rope) and Tristan Tadin (keyboards).

Canadian engineer Dio Tadin (Tristan’s father) recorded the bulk of the album on a former reindeer farm near Peterborough, Ontario and at Big Blue in Cornwall, New York. Tadin’s resume includes work at Daniel Lanois’ studio in Hamilton, Ontario.

Inspired by the Surrealists and early British Psychedelia and the paths they pioneered, the songs on the album deal with topics ranging from the pseudo-scientific to the pseudo-religious realms and other forms of hob-nobbery for fun and profit.

The diverse album has a song about Steven Hawking (“Force of Nature”), the planets (“Pluto”) and an inspirational song about the importance of bees in the ecosystem (“Beez (I Know Where the Beez Have Gone”).”

As always, the Slambovians’ songs feature great instrumentals accompanied by lyrics that are intelligent, socially aware, witty and mindful. Longo is a modern-day troubadour bringing a message to the people of 2026.

As always, the Slambovian Circus of Dreams is forging ahead and exploring new territory.

“Our current band is magnificent – a band that is like five tabs of acid,” said Longo. “We want to create the new and spread the new around.”

The show at the Sellersville Theater on June 5 will start at 8 p.m.

Video link for the Slambovian Circus of Dreams — https://youtu.be/y-z-oxjD61A.

Tickets start at $25.

The Sellersville Theater’s schedule for this weekend is filled with heavy hitters. On June 6, the theater will host Jann Klose with Criag Thatcher as the opening act. On June 7, the venue in the heart of Bucks County will present a show by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

Klose is an award-winning pop singer-songwriter, who has released eight albums and two EPs. Klose was raised in Kenya, South Africa, Germany and the United States.

Singles from his recent albums “Surrender” and “In Tandem” have accumulated over 10 million streams across all platforms and charted on Top 40 radio in the US and South Africa.

He is the singing voice of Tim Buckley in the movie “Greetings from Tim Buckley.”

His songs have been heard on the GRAMMY® nominated “Healthy Food For Thought” compilation, charted in the Billboard Top 10 compilation “Action Moves People United” as well as MTV Cribs and movies “Married Young” (Amazon), “Dead Broke” (Warner Bros) featuring Paul Sorvino and “One Little Finger” alongside Quincy Jones.

Klose has performed as an actor and singer in touring companies of Broadway musicals, including “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Jekyll and Hyde,” and “The Who’s Tommy” — as well as made-for-television movies, voice overs and commercials.

Lately, Klose has been focusing his attention on current recordings and videos – especially his brand-new album, “Future Trap,” which was just released on May 29, 2026.

“We released the single, ‘Future Trap,’ in April – on April 17,” said Kloe, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in Astoria, Queens.

“My previous album, ‘Surrender,’ came out on March 3, 2023. Then, we released “Song to the Siren (acoustic)” on May 3, 2024, “The Lost Kingdom with Rachel Flowers” on October 18, 2024, and “When I’m With You” on May 16, 2025.”

“When I’m With You,” did well on YouTube with the official music video passing 130,000 views in the first few months. Directed by Texan-born filmmaker Sam Casey, the video was shot in true stop motion on location in New York City.

“We also did an in-store video for Better Liar,” said Klose. “It was released on May 6, 2026.”

“The Future Trap” album is a concept album.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” said Klose.

“The whole album is a concept. There are 15 pieces – including two bonus tracks on the CD – and they all are directly connected.

“The theme is about a character we created – loosely about myself….and some others. There is no name for the main character.

“The guy who is the central figure can’t keep himself from making mistakes. He’s running away from the past. He’s running to the future, but he doesn’t stop in the present.

“It’s a song-by-song story. It’s based on how you overcome this thing that is happening and happening again and again – making the same mistakes over and over again.”

Klose didn’t repeat any mistakes in “Future Trap.”

“I had lots of co-writing on this album,” said Klose. “When I write with others, it makes me a better writer. Most of the time, it’s a clear collaboration.”

Several guest artists appeared on the album including Everett Bradley (Bon Jovi, Seal), Marcella Detroit (Shakespeare’s Sister, Eric Clapton), Rachel Flowers (Dweezil Zappa) and Alphonso Horne (Late Show with Stephen Colbert).

Klose once again partnered with “Surrender” producer Marcus Dembinski. Klose’s new single “Future Trap” is a dynamic collaboration between Klose and Dembinski.

“Future Trap” is a rare creative partnership in which both of them co-wrote and co-produced the track – and even performed every instrument on the final recording. The result is a genre-defying sound that fuses reggaeton-inspired rhythms with elements of West African percussion, 80s-style synths, and rock guitar textures.

Klose’s seventh studio album, “Surrender,” was released March 3, 2023.

According to Klose, “The album ‘Surrender’ isn’t meant to be understood in the traditional sense. It doesn’t refer to ‘losing’ per se. Quite the opposite, it’s actually about winning!

“Winning, because there is enough strength inside to arrive at a point of true peace. A ‘letting go’ of baggage and a new, different approach to love, connection and self-awareness that wasn’t present before.
“The album was created under the most unusual of circumstances. We were dealing with a global pandemic and a complete shutdown of music venues and recording studio.

“My co-writer for more than half the album, Alex Forbes and I got together bi-weekly at her apartment in Manhattan and poured our souls into the songs during the strangest of times.

“Producer Marcus Dembinski and I worked in person at our home studios in Manhattan and Queens, then started adding live instruments at Studio G Brooklyn with engineer Cyril Putzer when it became possible.

“A lot of the recording was done remotely. Max Sternlicht, who played all the great bass lines you hear on most of the record, and Dimitris Menexopoulos recorded his Cretan Lyra in Greece, and Ben Kesler mastered ‘Surrender’ in St. Louis, Missouri.”

Video link for Jann Klose — https://youtu.be/Z_gsvGiG8EI.

The Jann Klose show on June 6 will begin at 8 p.m. with ticket prices starting at $39.50. Ticket prices start at $59.50 for the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy show which gets underway at 8 p.m.

Death and humor most of the time are not what would be described as compatible partners. Most people do not find it a laughing matter when it is time for them or their loved ones to cash in their chips.

“Arsenic & Old Lace” is a play in which comedy and death share the stage – and provoke a lot of laughs from the audience.

The Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org) is presenting “Arsenic & Old Lace” now through June 20.

“Arsenic and Old Lace” is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the 1944 film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra.

The play opened on Broadway at the Fulton Theatre on January 10, 1941.

The play, a clever combination of the farcical and the macabre, centers on two elderly sisters who are famous in their Brooklyn neighborhood for their numerous acts of charity.

Unfortunately, however, their charity includes poisoning lonely old men who come to their home looking for lodging. The two women are assisted in their crimes by their mentally challenged nephew who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt and who frequently blasts a bugle and yells “charge” as he bounds up the stairs.

Matters get complicated when a second nephew, a theater critic, discovers the murders and a third nephew appears after having just escaped from a mental institution.

“Arsenic & Old Lace” revolves around drama critic Mortimer Brewster, whose engagement announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunts’ window seat.

Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha before they stumble upon the body themselves, only to learn that the two old women aren’t just aware of the dead man in their parlor, they killed him.

The “murderous old lady” plot line may also have been inspired by actual events that occurred in a house on Prospect St in Windsor, Connecticut, where a woman, Amy Archer-Gilligan, took in boarders, promising “lifetime care,” and poisoned them for their pensions.

“Arsenic & Old Lace” runs through June 20 and features a themed meal and free parking.

Tickets are $83 for adults and $38.50 for children (ages 4-12). Tickets for show only are $43.50 (adults and children).

Cirque du Soleil’s new production “LUZIA” will run through June 7 under a big top at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (100 Station Avenue, Oaks, www.phillyexpocenter.com).

Billed as “A Waking Dream of Mexico,” the show looks at our neighbors from the south.

Poetically guided by light (“luz” in Spanish) and rain (“Lluvia”), “LUZIA” chronicles the encounters of a parachuted traveler with the culture, nature and mythology of a dreamlike land inhabited by a mystifying menagerie of characters.

Refreshing and unexpected, “LUZIA” enchants by artistically incorporating water into the acrobatic presentation — a first for a Cirque du Soleil touring production.

As the sun rises, the running woman awakes an imaginary Mexico, honoring the monarch butterfly’s migration.

In a series of grand visual surprises and breathtaking acrobatic performances, “LUZIA” takes audiences on a surreal escape to an imaginary Mexico – a sumptuously vibrant world suspended between dreams and reality.

Smoothly passing from an old movie set to the ocean to a smoky dance hall or an arid desert, “LUZIA” journeys through a colorful tapestry of multiple places, faces and sounds of Mexico taken from both tradition and modernity.

Video link for “LUZIA” — www.cirquedusoleil.com/luzia.

“LUZIA” will run through June 7 in Oaks.

Ticket prices start at $25.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org) is hosting “The Rebel Queens featuring Jett Black and Best Shot” on June 6 and The Breakers on June 11.

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http://www.kennettflash.org) is hosting Ripe Enough with Bad Guess on June 5, “Singer/Songwriter Showcase” featuring Katie Barbato with Julie Webb and Skyler Cumbia on June 6and “A Sunday Supper & Show” with The Dale Melton Trio featuring Jonathan W. Whitney and Sam Nobles.

Jamey’s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com) is presenting Brad Vickers and His Vestapolitans and Slim and the South Street Hustle on June 5 and Ann Ramsey, Bunny Barnes and Night Ride Home on June 6 and The Philly Blues Kings featuring Clarence Spady on June 6.

Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com) is hosting “Starman – The Bowie Tribute” on June 5 and “Philadelphia Freedom: A Tribute to Elton John” on June 6.