{"id":13983,"date":"2017-12-28T06:00:01","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=13983"},"modified":"2017-12-21T07:40:40","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T12:40:40","slug":"on-stage-slambovian-gets-the-jump-on-new-years-eve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=13983","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Slambovian gets the jump on New Year’s Eve"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Slambovian Circus of Dreams<\/p><\/div>\n

Once the calendar year starts, area music fans have to wait until the very end of the year to enjoy one of the best shows of the year \u2013 to wait until the final full night of the year \u2013 to wait until the penultimate date for a concert presentation.<\/p>\n

And, with the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, the wait is always worth it.<\/p>\n

Some bands have a tradition of performing a New Year\u2019s Eve show each year at the same venue.<\/p>\n

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams has a similar yet very different tradition. Each year, the band treats area fans to a New Year\u2019s Eve Eve show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, which has been making music since 1998, features founding members Joziah Longo (singer, songwriter, guitarist, leader of the band), his wife, Tink Lloyd (accordion, cello, flute, ukulele, Theremin, keyboards), Bobn Torsello (bass) and\u00a0Sharkey McEwen (guitar,\u00a0mandolin, backing vocals).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just did all our Christmas shows (\u201cA Very Slambovian Christmas\u201d) and now we\u2019re recovering,\u201d said Lloyd, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from the couple\u2019s home along the Hudson River north of New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a couple great Christmas shows. We\u2019re excited about the Philly show. What\u2019s really exciting is that we\u2019re going to be introducing the Tadins to our audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longo said, \u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of changes over the last year. It\u2019s been a very good year.<\/p>\n

\u201cDio Tadin, a deep fan of ours from Canada, has been bugging us to come up to his studio in Ontario to do some recording. Me and Tink went up and recorded eight killer vocal tracks. Then, he came down here and did some more recording of Tink\u2019s vocal parts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re positioning ourselves to get projects going. The means of production are coming into place. The universe is moving in a way to pull the pieces together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole production environment is coming together. We\u2019ve been gypsies for so long. At some point, you want to maximize your art before you\u2019re dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lloyd said, \u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to build a vehicle in the last year to get this done. And, our music has roots in the Philly ethic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Slambovians\u2019 line-up for the Philly show will feature the addition of keyboardist Tristan Tadin, who is Dio Tadin\u2019s son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really appreciate this band,\u201d said Longo. \u201cIt brings down a certain realm. I feel like I\u2019m in the 70\u2019s. I particularly dig the vibe of this band. In addition to me, Tink and Sharkey, we have Bob Torsello, a punk bass player, and Felipe Torres. He\u2019s been playing drums and percussion for us for about two years now. He used to be the drummer for Davy Jones of the Monkees. And, Tristan will be a very good addition.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2017, Longo did more than just take his band on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on new albums and new musicals,\u201d said Longo. \u201cI\u2019m working on the \u2018China Project.\u2019 Back in the 90\u2019s, we were the first American band to perform in Mainland China. We recorded a bit of Chinese music and worked with the Peking Opera Company.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams has its roots in another New York band.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in a group called The Ancestors in New York,\u201d said Longo. \u201cEddie Kramer, who was the Stones\u2019 engineer and producer, did an album with us. That brought everybody around to see us play. We were doing really well. One time, we played Carnegie Hall and CBGBs the same night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were ahead of the curve and then we disappeared \u2014 on purpose. We went to the hinterlands and hid out in the folk scene. We were playing folk music that was different with things like an electric slide mandolin. It was \u2018Floydian\u2019 folk. The folkies really took to it. We found our niche.\u201d<\/p>\n

They found a niche and they found a new name \u2014 Gandalf Murphy and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a name I made up,\u201d said Longo, a Philly native who went to St. John Neumann High in South Philadelphia. \u201cEventually, we cut off the Gandalf part. It made it easier to fit the name on marquees.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band always approaches its New Year\u2019s Eve Eve show in Philly as something special.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a South Philly boy and all my South Philly people bring umbrellas and dance like jellyfish,\u201d said Longo. \u201cComing back to Philly means a lot to me because it\u2019s the place where I was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to end the year. We\u2019re all trying to find our best self. New Year\u2019s is an analysis of what we want to be \u2013 where are we going to go this year<\/p>\n

\u201cPhilly is our home town. It\u2019s like we come back and bring it to the elders. This is our 10th year to do this show. Being in Philly at this time of year just feels right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Slambovian Circus of Dreams \u2014 https:\/\/youtu.be\/aGvq86IRAAA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24 in advance and $27 day of show.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live are \u201cMistletoe Jam\u201d on December 28, Bilal on December 29 and \u2018New Year\u2019s Eve Bash\u201d with Phillybloco on December 31.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Television<\/p><\/div>\n

Another New York band with a long history will be performing in the area this week. On December 29, Television will headline a show at the Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

More than 40 years after their beginnings in New York\u2019s East Village, influential punk band\u00a0Television\u00a0is back with a lineup featuring founding members Tom Verlaine (guitar, keyboards, vocals) and Billy Ficca (drums) along with bassist Fred Smith (who has been in the band since 1975) and guitarist Jimmy Rip (who joined in 2007)<\/p>\n

The show in Ardmore will provide fans with a rare opportunity to catch a live show by the legendary punk\/alternative band. Heading out on tours is not Television\u2019s M.O.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re never on the road,\u201d said Rip, during a recent phone interview from his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll go out and do four of five shows and then forget about it for a couple months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rip explained his unusual choice for a place to call home.<\/p>\n

\u201cArgentina is the best rock and roll country left on the planet,\u201d said Rip. \u201cEvery kid has a band. This country runs on rock and roll and football (soccer).\u201d<\/p>\n

Television, which has always been a New York City band, has local roots with Richard Hell, one of the other founding member, and Verlaine.<\/p>\n

As a teen, Verlaine (Thomas Miller) was friends with future punk icon Richard Hell<\/a> (Richard Meyers) when they were students at Sanford School<\/a>, a boarding school in Wilmington, Delaware. After one failed attempt, the duo succeeded in escaping from school and moving to New York City<\/a>. Verlaine then created his stage name<\/a>, a reference to the French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They formed the Neon Boys and recruiting Ficca as their drummer and Richard Lloyd as guitaris\/vocalist. The Neon Boys quickly disbanded and reformed as Television a few months later. Television released two albums, \u201cMarquee Moon\u201d and \u201cAdventure,\u201d to great critical acclaim and modest sales before breaking up in July 1978.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been playing with Tom since 1981 when he put together his first touring band after Television broke up,\u201d said Rip. \u201cFred Smith and I played in a lot of bands in New York. Fred was the one who suggested to Tom that he audition me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Television reformed in 1992 with the line-up of Verlaine, Lloyd, Ficca and Smith and released an eponymous album.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2007, Richard Lloyd announced he was leaving the band,\u201d said Rip. \u201cHis last show was supposed to be at a midsummer show in Central Park in New York, but he got really sick and was unable to play. I was living in California at the time. Tom called and asked me if I wanted to do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came back to New York and we had a great show. After that, it was completely natural to keep going. But, we didn\u2019t do another show for three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2102, we started doing a lot of shows. Every generation picks up on \u2018Marquee Moon.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

This year marks the 40th anniversary of \u201cMarquee Moon.\u201d Touted by critics as one of the most striking and original recording debuts in rock. The album strongly influenced the new wave and indie rock movements of the 1980s, and has become a foundational record of alternative rock.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and Fred and Billy would love to make a new record,\u201d said Rip, whose full name is Jimmy Rippetoe. \u201cEvery show, we play some new song. I don\u2019t know what we\u2019re waiting for. As always, it\u2019s about Tom.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven playing shows focusing on the anniversary of \u2018Marquee Moon\u2019 would be so \u2018Un-Tom.\u2019 Tom is as individual as an individual can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Television — https:\/\/youtu.be\/4f3d5ZdE4vY<\/a><\/p>\n

The show in Ardmore, which has Chris Forsyth as the opener, will start at 8 p.m,. Tickets are $39 in advance and\u00a0 $45 day of show.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the Ardmore Music Hall are Splintered Sunlight (Grateful Dead tribute) on December 27; Rusted Root<\/a> and Hayley Jane and the Primates<\/a> on December 28; Huffamoose, Rugby Road<\/a>, Transistor Rodeo, Matt Santry and Mia Johnson on<\/a> December 30; and Start Making Sense (Talking Heads tribute)<\/a> and Swift Technique<\/a> on December 31.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

John Davis & the Cicadas<\/p><\/div>\n

Another Philly show on December 29 will feature John Davis & the Cicadas performing at The Pharmacy (1300 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, 267-519-3485,thepharmacyphilly.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Davis\u00a0is touring in support of his new album, \u201cEl Pulpo,\u201d which was released on October 20 via Shrimper\/Revolver Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cEl Pulpo\u201d is a complex, experimental concept album that explores corporate corruption in the food industry and related issues like immigration, mass incarceration, public health, and the stock market. The album features Davis playing with The Cicadas — Peter Hughes, Andrew Levi-Hiller, and Jonathan Henderson.<\/p>\n

Throughout the album, Davis explores issues like society\u2019s addiction to high fructose corn syrup (and other substances that \u201cstimulate and then depress\u201d) and the contamination of our soil. Some of his targets were Coca-Cola, Monsanto and Blue Cross\/Blue Shield.<\/p>\n

Davis is most known for his work with Lou Barlow in the Folk Implosion, which scored a hit in 1995 with \u201cNatural One,\u201d one of the duo\u2019s contributions to the \u201cKids\u201dsoundtrack. Davis left the Folk Implosion in 2000. Davis remained in the Boston area for 13 years later and then relocated to North Carolina, where he started recording songs with producer Scott Solter.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the demos for the album go back to 2010,\u201d said Davis, during a recent phone interview from his home in Durham, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, I knew when I wrote them that it wasn\u2019t the right situation to finish them. I didn\u2019t have the money to do the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n

On his website, Davis offered this biographical information \u2013 \u201cI am a musician and educator who used to do the former full time in the \u201990\u2019s, but now does a mix of the two. I released a bunch of records in the \u201990s under my own name and as half of a duo called the Folk Implosion that I co-founded with Lou Barlow in 1993 and left in 2000.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born in Brattleboro, Vermont. I grew up in Cambridge Massachusetts, and spent most of my life in Cambridge or Watertown until I moved to Durham in August of 2013. \u00a0I have a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Brown University and a Master\u2019s degree in Elementary Education from Lesley University. I have practiced Vipassana or Insight meditation since 1986.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am also an activist who identifies as a socialist and has a special interest in defending and transforming public education, which necessarily involves taking up related issues such as race, class, immigration policy, anti-homophobia, etc. I currently serve on the boards of the\u00a0Durham People\u2019s Alliance<\/a>\u00a0and the Durham Association of Educators<\/a>, where I also pitch in as Treasurer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis is hanging in as both an educator and a musician.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still teach for the Durham public schools,\u201d said Davis. \u201cWhen I moved to Durham in 2013, I came here to work with Scott Solter. John Darnielle from Mountain Goats referred him to me. I also liked the remix CD he did for Pattern Is Movement. He had skills related to the remix culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me about three years altogether to get the album written, recorded and ready to be released. I recorded some of the album at Scott\u2019s studio in downtown Durham. I spent four days at Mitch Easter\u2019s studio Fidelitorium in Kernersville, North Carolina. And, I did a lot of stuff in my home studio.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEl Pulpo\u201d turned out to be Davis\u2019 most adventurous project to date.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor this project, I wrote a lot of songs on computer with loops and keyboard parts rather than guitar, bass and drums,\u201d said Davis.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the samples I started with on this record I replaced with live playing later. I did a lot of virtual instrumentals. One of the reasons was that I\u2019m interested in how technology has changed since the 90s. Also, it became more affordable this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for John Davis \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/MagjnggPeTQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at The Pharmacy, which has Mona Passage and C. Worth as openers, will start at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On New Year\u2019s Eve, Barbra Streisand\u2019s diehard fans would love nothing better than to see their idol perform live onstage \u2013 but that\u2019s not going to happen.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Streisand fans in this area, there is a great alternative.<\/p>\n

On December 31, Streisand\u2019s music will come alive when world renowned impressionist Steven Brinberg brings his \u201cSIMPLY BARBRA\u201d show to the Rrazz Room (6426 Lower York Road, New Hope, www.therrazzroom.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Brinberg\u2019s new show features Streisand\u2019s greatest hits, some holiday favorites, a few Broadway songs and brief voices of artists ranging from Cher to Bea Arthur.<\/p>\n

\u201cI act, and I sing and I imitate voices,\u201d said Brunberg, during a phone interview Monday morning from his home in Manhattan. \u201cBarbra has kept me busiest all these years,\u201d<\/p>\n

Brinberg created his first \u201cSIMPLY BARBRA\u201d show in 1993 at the famous Don\u2019t Tell Mama cabaret where it ran a record-breaking four years, winning him two MAC awards and a BISTRO award.<\/p>\n

According to Brinberg, \u201cI always liked to do voices, even as a little kid. I just had an ear for it. After a few weeks at school, I could do all my teachers and friends. I was interested in nothing else but performing. But I was very shy as a child. I still am. So, in school and camp, while I gravitated toward theater, I didn\u2019t really pursue it. In high school, I directed and wrote plays but I wasn\u2019t in any. Then, as I got older, I was always writing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was at The New School where I first took voice. And that changed my whole life. I always knew I could sing but I never really did, even to myself. Before, I would listen to Barbra Streisand records and sing in her voice. If I was listening to Shirley Maclaine, I would sing like her. I didn\u2019t really discover my own voice until that singing class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brinberg\u2019s special talent shone brightest when he zeroed in on Streisand\u2019s music.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always singing and acting \u2013 and I always loved Barbra,\u201d said Brinberg. \u201cWhen I realized I could sing like her, I put together my Barbra show.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to that, I had a little segment of Barbra\u2019s music in my stage show. People were amazed at how much I sounded like her and kept telling me that I should do a full show of Barbra\u2019s music.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did it once \u2013 and it took off. I dress like Barbra but it\u2019s not a Streisand impersonation show. I don\u2019t wear a fake nose or anything like that. And, I\u2019m still not crazy about dressing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Brinberg\u2019s Streisand show features the sights and sounds of the legendary singer\/actress.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing this show is a lot of fun,\u201d said Brinberg, who was raised in the Riverdale section of New York City. \u201cShe\u2019s such an iconic figure \u2013 and she\u2019s still working. Also, there is such great music.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor my show in New Hope, I\u2019ll include her big hits, some Christmas songs and some songs she never did. I also do some of her lesser-known album songs from the past. She\u2019s made over 50 albums so there is a lot of material to draw from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cSIMPLY BARBRA\u201d — https:\/\/youtu.be\/gUqQ7KM3crg<\/a><\/p>\n

The show at the RRazz Room on December 31 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jeffrey Gaines<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will have Jeffrey Gaines and Amy Faden on December 29, Charlie Hunter Trio and Silvana Estrada on December 30, Mary Fahl on December 31 and The Levin Brothers on January 2.<\/p>\n

The Steel City Coffee House (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, 610-933-4043, www.steelcitycoffeehouse.com<\/a>) will host the Greg Farnese Trio on December 29 and Sons of Pitches on December 30.<\/p>\n

Chaplin\u2019s (66 North Main Street, Spring City, 610-792-4110,\u00a0http:\/\/chaplinslive.com<\/a>) will present Kassidy Kimata, Paper Lanterns and The Odyssey on December 29.<\/p>\n

The Keswick Theater (291 N. Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650,\u00a0www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a>) presents \u201cThe Genesis Show\u201d on December 30 and David Bromberg on December 31.<\/p>\n

The Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Lotus land on December 28, Live Wire on December 29, Beatlemania on December 30, and The Blues Brotherhood on December 31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Staff Writer, The Times Once the calendar year starts, area music fans have to wait until the very end of the year to enjoy one of the best shows of the year \u2013 to wait until the final full night of the year \u2013 to wait until the penultimate date for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[3162,6555,6556,4370,6554],"class_list":["post-13983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-john-davis-the-cicadas","tag-simply-barbra","tag-slambovian-circus-of-dreams","tag-television"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13983","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=13983"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13984,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13983\/revisions\/13984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}