{"id":11675,"date":"2017-06-02T09:18:16","date_gmt":"2017-06-02T13:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=11675"},"modified":"2017-06-02T09:18:21","modified_gmt":"2017-06-02T13:18:21","slug":"on-stage-lauren-hoffman-finds-catharsis-in-family-ghost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=11675","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Lauren Hoffman finds catharsis in ‘Family Ghost’"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Staff Writer, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Lauren Hoffman<\/p><\/div>\n

In 1997, Lauren Hoffman was living in Charlottesville, Virginia when she released her debut album \u201cMegiddo\u201d on Virgin Records America.<\/p>\n

Now, in 2017, she is still living in Charlottesville. An, she is still playing songs from \u201cMegiddo\u201d on her current tour \u2013 a tour that brings her to Philly on June 2 for a show at The Fire (412 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, 267-671-9298, thefirephilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cI still play \u2018Fall Away\u2019 from \u2018Megiddo\u2019 and some songs from my second album \u2018Choreography\u2019 but the major part of my set right now is the new album,\u201d said Hoffman, during a phone interview Wednesday from her home in Charlottesville.<\/p>\n

The new album, which was recorded by Lauren Hoffman & The Secret Storm, is titled \u201cFamily Ghost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Family Ghost\u2019 came out in January,\u201d said Hoffman. \u201cWe\u2019ve been working on it since we got together in 2014. I put some of the songs out earlier as an EP called \u2018Dragon.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t feel any theme when I was making the album. When I wrote, the songs seemed so different from each other \u2013 almost like different genres.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think they had much in common until I heard them when the album was done. I guess you could say the theme was the damage that you carry from your immediate family. It became like an extended therapy session.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the new disc, Hoffman and her band meld her previous albums\u2019 angst over love, relationships, and expectations into a powerful, cathartic release.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m now in a better place than I have been,\u201d said Hoffman. \u201cI\u2019m in a better place physically and emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFamily Ghost\u201d <\/em>is an 11-track collection that demonstrates Lauren Hoffman & The Secret Storm\u2019s unique, multi-dimensional brand of atmospheric, dark rock. Featuring a mixture of cabaret, broken ballads, and indie rock, it is a collection of heart-bending narratives that double as emotional exorcism.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in Charlottesville,\u201d said Hoffman. \u201cI always thought I\u2019d leave here and never come back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had four albums in my 20s and lived in Europe, L.A. and New York. But, I always checked back in Charlottesville. When I had my daughter eight-and-a-half years ago, I came home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoffman\u2019s current group includes guitarist Tony Lechmanski (Bella Morte), cello-violinist Cathy Monnes (Sally Rose Band), bassist Jeff Diehm (The Last Dance), keyboardist Ethan Lipscomb, and new drummer Kevin Ardrey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had this band together since 2013,\u201d said Hoffman. \u201cWe\u2019ve been through four drummers but all the other members have been here since the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe band started with me and Tony. I hadn\u2019t been playing at all for a while when my daughter was young. We did some shows as a duo. Then, I got an offer to do a big show in Charlottesville and it went really well.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, touring is really hard with six people. We all have day jobs and I have a kid so we\u2019re not doing any long tours right now. We usually just go out to do shows on weekends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoffman\u2019s fans have stayed faithful \u2013 including her fans in this area who have waited a long time to see her perform live.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last time I played Philadelphia was in the early 2000s,\u201d said Hoffman \u201cAnd, this show will be the first time I\u2019ve come to Philly with a band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Lauren Hoffman & The Secret Storm — https:\/\/youtu.be\/j6hp9uZDZkU<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at The Fire, which also features Elissa Janelle Velveteen, Bern & The Bastards, Teef and Moron Girls, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Corky Laing<\/p><\/div>\n

Mountain is a legendary classic rock band that hit its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the era of album rock on the radio, Mountain filled the airways with songs such as \u201cNantucket Sleighride,\u201d \u201cTheme for an Imaginary Western,\u201d and especially \u201cMississippi Queen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s line-up featured guitarist Leslie West, bassist\/vocalist Felix Pappalardi, keyboardist Steve Knight and drummer Corky Laing.<\/p>\n

Mountain disbanded in February 1972 after a tour of the U.K. Pappalardi returned to studio work, while West and Laing formed West, Bruce and Laing with former Cream bassist, the late Jack Bruce.<\/p>\n

Now, four decades later, Laing is back on a tour billed as \u201cCorky Laing Plays Mountain\u201d \u2013 a tour that touches down June 3 at Kung Fu Necktie (1248 North Front Street, Philadelphia, 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In the late 1970s, Laing released his solo album \u201cMaking it on the Streets\u201d that is often cited as an overlooked pioneer of AOR. In the early 80s, he recorded with an indie band called the Mix and at the end of the 1990s he got together with Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Eric Schenkman (Spin Doctors) to form the band Cork.<\/p>\n

In the 90s, Laing worked for several years as the vice president, A&R, of Polygram Records, Canada. During that time, he produced bands like Men Without Hats and Bootsauce.<\/p>\n

He also had his own radio show, Under the Rock, in Canada, has published an anecdotal road-stories book, Stick it! and has his one-man show, The Best Seat in the House, a humorous autobiographical production that combines storytelling and music.<\/p>\n

Now, he is on the road \u2013 re-creating the great music Mountain made during its short but brilliant time as a functioning band.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a trio now and they can really play well,\u201d said Laing, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. \u201cChris Shutter is a young guy and he\u2019s a great guitarist and Joe Vendi is a veteran bass player.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guys I\u2019m working with really want to play. I\u2019ve lived through all the aspects of the music business. Playing with this trio is a wonderful pace to land at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laing, who will turn 70 next year, knows that Mountain\u2019s original fans are getting long of tooth \u2013 or are deceased.<\/p>\n

\u201cMountain wasn\u2019t as big as some of the other acts back in the day but we did have a lot of fans,\u201d said Laing, who is a master of high hat and cowbell. \u201cNow, a lot of those fans are really old.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, the songs took on different ideas because we jammed. The songs changed a lot. Now, I\u2019m playing the repertoire the way it was recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans \u2013 old and new \u2013 appreciate Laing\u2019s respect for the original recordings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe response to this show has been wonderful,\u201d said Laing. \u201cThe people who come out are ardent fans. There are no frills \u2013 just Mountain songs the way they were originally made.<\/p>\n

\u201cA six-week tour is challenging. The good news is that it\u2019s a terrific repertoire. We\u2019re doing all the main songs \u2013 and we\u2019re digging deeper.<\/p>\n

\u201cI may be getting old but I still love playing \u2013 and I want to keep it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Corky Laing \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/kUurZWscDu0<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Kung Fu Necktie, which has Ecstatic Vision and The Golden Grass as opening acts, will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Grim Streaker<\/p><\/div>\n

On June 3, PhilaMOCA (531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, 267-519-9651, www.philamoca.org<\/em><\/a>) will present an interesting triple-bill featuring Grim Streaker, Junior Astronomers and Cold Fronts.<\/p>\n

Grim Streaker, which features singer Amelia Bushell, guitarists Dan Peskin and Micah Weisberg, bassist Bill Dvorak and drummer Piyal Basu, has been together as a band for less than a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still pretty new,\u201d said Weisberg, during a phone interview Thursday afternoon from his home in Brooklyn, New York. \u201cWe\u2019ve been a band since fall of last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all playing in different bands in Brooklyn and had worked on various projects together. Me and Bill and Dan bonded over our love of punk songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hadn\u2019t been playing punk with our other bands. So, we got together to do some fast punk songs. We all grew up listening to different punk bands. Bill is hardcore 70s \u2013 Ramones, CBGBs. Dan is from Californian and he was into skate punk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t have any songs at the start. We just got together in a room and played as fast as we possibly could. The result was our first single \u2018Guts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Grim Streaker\u2019s debut single, \u201cGuts,\u201d which came out in January, was produced by Mike Kutchman.<\/p>\n

\u201cMitch has his own studio \u2013 Greenpoint Studios \u2013 in Brooklyn,\u201d said Weisberg. \u201cWe wanted to use him because he had worked with several bands we like. We did all the recording for the single in one day.<\/p>\n

Grim Streaker will be releasing its debut EP \u201cGirl Minority\u201d on July 7.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the EP at Diamond City Studio in Manhattan a few months ago,\u201d said Weisberg. \u201cWe made it with Ayad Al Adhamy and Joel Witenberg and it was mastered by Mike Kutchman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded and mixed all the tracks over the course of a week back in March. Lately, we\u2019ve been trying to play as many shows as possible to get the name out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, after people see us play live, they\u2019ll get what we\u2019re doing. Amelia is a force to be reckoned with on stage. We have four squares and one circle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have about nine or 10 songs that we play in our live set. And, we\u2019re writing songs all the time. For now, we still all have day jobs. Our concert in Philly this weekend will be our first out-of-town show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Grim Streaker — https:\/\/youtu.be\/IPzGB9Kipaw<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Junior Astronomers<\/p><\/div>\n

Junior Astronomers will hit town playing songs from their new album \u201cBody Language<\/em>,\u201d which is scheduled to be released on June 9 via Refresh Records.<\/p>\n

The indie rock band from Charlotte, North Carolina features Terrence Richard, Philip Wheeler, Colin Watts, and Elias Pittman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been together for 10 years now,\u201d said Richard, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon as the band traveled from Richmond, Virginia to a gig in New York. \u201cWe\u2019ve dedicated our lives to doing what we love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Junior Astronomers have recorded several albums, a few EPs and a number of singles over the last decade. Now, they\u2019ve created a sparkling new album for their fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter our last album, we weren\u2019t in a rush,\u201d said Richards. \u201cWe wanted to make sure we made the record we wanted to make.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had 12 tracks done for the album but we decided to take one of them off. We released two EPs \u2013 \u2018Thank You\u2019 and \u2018FPM\u2019 — because we had songs that didn\u2019t fit the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried to keep a vibe going. On our first record, we tried to make it sound chronological thematically with music and story. The first and last songs are in the same time signature.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new album deals with our relationship with living here in Charlotte for so long. I still love Charlotte. There\u2019s no place like home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe record is about not really liking the progression of the city \u2013 tearing down nice old buildings and putting up huge box-like apartment buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Body Language\u2019 with engineer and producer Mike Pepe at Mitch Easter\u2019s Fidelitorium Recordings in Kernersville, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had been recording at the same studio in Greensboro for a while and we needed a change. At Fidelitorium, we used analog equipment and then went through ProTools to get it digital.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent over a year-and-a-half getting ready to make the album. We all get together to write the songs and it took us that long to write the songs that we wanted to use for the album.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our live show on this tour, we\u2019re playing a little bit of both our albums \u2013 mixing old and new together. Obviously, we\u2019ll be focusing a little more on the new record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Junior Astronomers — https:\/\/youtu.be\/5k1li7xSoYE<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Philamoca will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Francis Dunnery<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/em><\/a>) will have Francis Dunnery on June 3, Mark Unruh on June 3, and Open Mic with guest host William Rose on June 4.<\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/em><\/a>) will host The Jost Project with Gina Roche on June 2, Jim Boggia on June 3, the Phoenixville Art Street Festival on June 4.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/em><\/a>) will present John Eddie and His Dirty Ol’ Band<\/a> and The Parameters<\/a> on June 2 and \u201c50th Anniversary Celebration of The Beatles\u2019 \u201cSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,\u201d with The Newspaper Taxis performing the album in its entirety<\/em><\/a> on June 3.<\/p>\n

Valley Forge Casino (1160 First Avenue, King Of Prussia, 610-354-8118, www.vfcasino.com<\/em><\/a>) will present Starship featuring Mickey Thomas on June 2.<\/p>\n

Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelcenter.org<\/em><\/a>), will be presenting the hit show \u201cMotown the Musical\u201d now through June 11. Ticket prices range from $37-$132.<\/p>\n

The Candlelight Theater (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware,\u00a0302- 475-2313,\u00a0www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org<\/em><\/a>) is presenting \u201cCrazy for You\u201d now through June 25.<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cCrazy for You\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/FsUwE4R4oXk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) will present The Robert Cray Band <\/a>on June 2,<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/em><\/a>) will have John Mayall on June 2, Echoes (Pink Floyd Tribute) on June 3, The Fabulous Greaseband on June 4, Eric Johnson and with Special Guest Arielle on June 5 and Cracker Unplugged on June 6.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times In 1997, Lauren Hoffman was living in Charlottesville, Virginia when she released her debut album \u201cMegiddo\u201d on Virgin Records America. Now, in 2017, she is still living in Charlottesville. An, she is still playing songs from \u201cMegiddo\u201d on her current tour \u2013 a tour that brings her to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[5747,3162,5749,5746,5748,5745],"class_list":["post-11675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-corky-laing","tag-featured","tag-francis-dunnery","tag-grim-streaker","tag-junior-astronomers","tag-lauren-hoffman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11676,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11675\/revisions\/11676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}