{"id":15140,"date":"2018-04-23T07:26:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T11:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=15140"},"modified":"2018-04-23T07:26:06","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T11:26:06","slug":"on-stage-aloud-shows-off-its-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=15140","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Aloud shows off its soul"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, <em>Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7026\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/aloud-balcony-2018-e1523664776981.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7026\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7026\" src=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/aloud-balcony-2018-e1523664776981-350x238.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"238\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7026\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aloud<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In the world of rock music, there are thousands and thousands of bands that are loud. But, there is only one band that is Aloud.<\/p>\n<p>On April 23, that band will be playing a show in the area. On Monday evening, Aloud will headline a show at The Rusty Nail (2580 Haverford Road, Ardmore, 610-649-6245, <a href=\"http:\/\/thenail1.com\/\">thenail1.com<\/a>).<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Aloud is a band that started in Miami and then moved from Florida to Boston, Massachusetts. After a while of making music in New England and touring around the East Coast, Aloud relocated again \u2013 this time to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>Henry Beguiristain (lead vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, percussion) and Jen de la Osa (vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, Farfisa, percussion) have been the core and soul of the band since their teen days in Miami. A shared passion for rock classics like the Beatles, Oasis, Aretha Franklin, and Otis Redding led the pair to start writing and recording their own music. A relocation to Boston where deep ties were formed in the local rock scene, combined with connecting with Aloud\u2019s bassist, Charles Murphy pulled the band into focus.<\/p>\n<p>The L.A.-based soul rockers\u00a0have headed east for a series of northeastern\u00a0tour dates\u00a0that they will be doing with\u00a0Benjamin Cartel\u00a0(Mother West Records.) The centerpiece of this trip will be the Tribeca Film Festival where Aloud has two featured songs in the movie \u201cAll These Small Moments\u201d starring\u00a0Molly Ringwald, Brian d\u2019Arcy James, Brendan Meyer, Sam McCarthy, Harley Quinn Smith and Jemima Kirke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been living in L.A. for about a year,\u201d said Beguiristain, during a phone interview last week from the couple\u2019s home in one of L.A.\u2019s scenic canyons. \u201cWe had lived in Boston for 16 years, so it felt natural to move on to something else. When we moved to Boston, it had a really good music scene. It was thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But, nothing stays the same \u2013 especially in the music world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Boston, there is a wall you can\u2019t go beyond,\u201d said de la Osa. \u201cAnd, we got really tired of the snow. Besides, we always liked it our here whenever we visited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Considering both musicians are of Cuban descent and grew up in the warm climate and lively culture scene in Little Havana, Boston\u2019s brutal weather had to break them at some point.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy family and Jen\u2019s family knew each other back in their days when they lived in Cuba,\u201d said Beguiristain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe met when we were 14 when our parents lived in Coral Gables,\u201d said de la Ora. \u201cWithin a year, we were playing in a band together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beguiristain said, \u201cWe had a rock band. We weren\u2019t influenced by Cuban music.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut, there was an indirect influence \u2013 our emphasis on the beat and the horns,\u201d said de la Ora.<\/p>\n<p>A strong D.I.Y. ethic was there from the start.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe did a lot of home recording when we were teenagers,\u201d said Beguiristain. \u201cWe moved to Boston when we were 18.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur first legit record was an EP in 2004 that we recorded in Scituate, Massachusetts. That was the first time we were in a studio. Then, we released our first album in 2006.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur sound has continued to evolve. We try to do something different with every album. Now, our fifth album is in the can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>De la Ora said, \u201cThe last session was February last year. Everything led to touring \u2013 and to moving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHenry, me and the bass player moved to L.A. We found a drummer and started playing shows around L.A. once a month.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aloud\u2019s latest release is the single \u201cFalling Out of Love,\u201d which came out on February 14, 2018.<\/p>\n<p>It was written by de la Osa and Beguiristain and performed and arranged by Aloud. The band featured Beguiristain, de la Osa, and Murphy along with Frank Hegyi on drums.<\/p>\n<p>First on local, then national tours, Aloud started honing a sound that has earned comparisons to the\u00a0Alabama Shakes and the Black Keys. Their latest music\u00a0reveals an evolution of the band &#8212; showcasing their incredible harmonies reminiscent of the classic Muscle Shoals sound with elements of psychedelia.<\/p>\n<p>The band\u2019s upcoming full-length is a heavily R&amp;B-influenced effort featuring a full horn section. It was produced by Grammy Award winner Benny Grotto (Magnetic Fields, Ben Folds) and mixed by Guy Massey (Paul McCartney, Manic Street Preachers, The Libertines).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe new album is all ready to be released,\u201d said de la Ora. \u201cIt\u2019s much more of a soul record. You can hear the influence of Otis Redding and other Stax artists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Video link for Aloud \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rmpKs_4w_0I\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/rmpKs_4w_0I<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The show at the Rusty Nail, which also features Benjamin Cartel will start at 8 p.m. Cover charge is $5.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7027\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/hawktail.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7027\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7027\" src=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/hawktail-350x262.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7027\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hawktail<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hawktail, which is headlining a show on April 23 at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-739-9684,<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnnybrendas.com\/\">www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>), evolved out of a previous band known as Haas Kowert Tice.<\/p>\n<p>Hawktail, which is based in Nashville, Tennessee, is a collection of four of the most talented young artists in acoustic music today &#8212; Haas Brittany Haas, Paul Kowert, Jordan Tice and Domenick Leslie. Music fans will recognize them from their various other outfits such as Punch Brothers, David Rawlings, Crooked Still, and Prairie Home Companion. Together, they have created a unique instrumental offering music that sparks the imagination and emboldens the spirit.<br \/>\nCalifornia-born Haas is widely regarded as one of the most influential fiddlers of her generation. She grew up honing her craft in fiddle camps and came to her unique sound through the old time fiddling of Bruce Molsky and the innovative stylings of Darol Anger. A prodigious youth, she began touring with Darol\u2019s Republic of Strings at the age of 14. She simultaneously studied baboons in the evolutionary biology department of Princeton University and joined seminal chamber-grass band Crooked Still.<\/p>\n<p>Haas played her fiddle on Steve Martin\u2019s Grammy Award-winning CD, \u201cThe Crow.\u201d \u00a0She released her debut self-titled solo album at 17. She also tours with the Dave Rawlings Machine and plays in the Prairie Home Companion house band.<br \/>\nKowert grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. Upon graduating from The Curtis Institute of Music in 2009, he joined the band Punch Brothers and moved to Brooklyn. In addition to playing with Punch Brothers, Kowert tours with Mike Marshall\u2019s Big Trio, Dave Rawlings Machine, and The Prairie Home Companion House band.<\/p>\n<p>Tice is a singular voice on the American roots music scene. Over the last10 years, he has developed a reputation as a unique and versatile guitarist and prolific composer of some of the most thoughtful and well-crafted tunes of his generation. He has released four solo records of original music to critical acclaim and has worked as a sideman to some of the biggest names in acoustic music such as Dave Rawlings, Tony Trischka, Mark Schatz, the Duhks, and actor\/comedian Steve Martin..<br \/>\nLeslie, a mandolin player, has spent most of his life immersed in bluegrass and acoustic music, and his innovative style and musical curiosity are informed by these deep roots. He has studied with mandolin masters David Grisman, Mike Marshall and Chris Thile, won numerous mandolin championships, and performed abroad with several different musical configurations.<\/p>\n<p>He has toured with The Deadly Gentlemen, Missy Raines, The Bee Eaters, The Grant Gordy Quartet, Noam Pikelny and Friends, The Infamous Stringdusters, Tony Trischka.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve all known each other for 10 years,\u201d said Kowert, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Hudson, New York.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaas Kowert Tice got started in 2013 and our self-released album came out in 2014.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fr20.rs6.net%2Ftn.jsp%3Ff%3D001oTQtYW2jwUoTiJILDFuGTX-laTjpZ-3hdqf9wyiYF670BCD_9zuIsiQkJS-LiQTXRpmFvy-7q0B3YalrkwBDCWeEYcGjEfWfw1O_5MkQjm4EoJnaSQBQ6nuKi2KMM2kbwR35DoPjIEPXYh3mbKNCXQ%3D%3D%26c%3DTk68yhr7uua70Sj98366B3oGgTZGtU1KCYdS6k_tq-aTYU-xNABXwg%3D%3D%26ch%3DAfZU3X9iEJCdlPtNOBzECYrf2I9b7Dl8sPB7inLtbwczsJj2VARVGQ%3D%3D&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C6e54380d20064a8f58d108d58eaddf35%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636571799774561108&amp;sdata=YXaESl6PtyXTyABKTczbQa8XZ8fXgghX3TmR50ZxHo4%3D&amp;reserved=0\">Hawktail<\/a> will be releasing its debut album, \u201cUnless,\u201d on May 11. This album is a mixture of recordings from a studio (House of Blues in Nashville), a church (Downtown Presbyterian in Nashville), the bassist\u2019s house, and two live shows (recorded in California at Harlow\u2019s in Sacramento\u00a0and The Old Steeple in Ferndale).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs soon as we released the Haas Kowert Tice album, we started working on this batch of music,\u201d said Kowert. \u201cThe songwriting varies. One of us brings a tune fully formed and everybody comes up with their parts. Other times, we all write together. Each song is a little different.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made the new album two times without Dom. We thoroughly vetted out writing and arrangements. We listened and thought here was something missing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, they added the fourth part and became Hawktail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLooking at it objectively, there is a balance with two people with picks ands two people with bows,\u201d said Kowert. \u201cIt\u2019s our unique version we like to employ. We used one trio track that was recorded at my house. Everything else is as a quartet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hawktail has always emphasized playing music in its own distinctive style.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstrumental music is the music that has meant the most to me,\u201d said Kowert, who got to know Philadelphia when he studied at the Curtis Institute. \u201cWith this band, we have the opportunity to do something unique.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompared to other instrumental ensembles, our recording process is mostly about capturing the energy. It was really important to capture the energy that each song requires.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Video link for Hawktail \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/4LrssWrJKfY\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/4LrssWrJKfY<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s, which has Man About a Horse as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.<br \/>\nOne of the most popular stage musicals of all time is coming to Philadelphia this week for a limited run.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7028\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/soundofmusic_carousel1_1200x500.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7028\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7028\" src=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/soundofmusic_carousel1_1200x500-350x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"168\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7028\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sound of Music<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe Sound of Music,\u201d which is a musical about the life of the von Trapp family, is being presented now through April 29 at the Academy of Music (Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kimmelcenter.org\/\">www.kimmelcenter.org<\/a>) as part of the Kimmel Center\u2019s Broadway Philadelphia series.<\/p>\n<p>The new touring production of \u201cThe Sound of Music,\u201d is directed by three-time Tony Award\u00ae winner Jack O\u2019Brien and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the acclaimed film.<\/p>\n<p>The production features music by Richard Rogers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Linsay and Russel Crouse. The national tour stars Ben Davis as Captain Georg von Trapp (Broadway\u2019s Violet, A Little Night Music, La Boh\u00e8me), Ashley Brown as The Mother Abbess (Broadway\u2019s original Mary Poppins, NBC\u2019s The Sound of Music), and Jack O\u2019Brien\u2019s brand-new discovery, Kerstin Anderson as Maria Rainer<\/p>\n<p>The spirited, romantic and beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony\u00ae, Grammy\u00ae and Academy Award\u00ae winning Best Score, including \u201cMy Favorite Things,\u201d \u201cDo-Re-Mi,\u201d \u201cClimb Ev\u2019ry Mountain,\u201d \u201cEdelweiss\u201d and the title song.<\/p>\n<p>This show, which has been a family favorite through generations, enjoyed extraordinary success as the first live television production of a musical in over 50 years when \u201cThe Sound of Music Live!\u201d aired on NBC in December 2013 and was seen by over 44 million people. 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the film version, which continues to be the most successful movie musical in history.<\/p>\n<p>If you read the line \u2013 \u201cKeslie Ward plays the role of Liesl in the Sound of Muisc\u201d \u2013 your eyes and brain will probably make a correction and change it to \u2013 \u201cKelsie Ward plays the role of Liesl in the Sound of Music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The correction would only be partially right. The actress playing the role of Liesl in the touring production is Keslie Ward \u2013 not Kelsie Ward.<\/p>\n<p>Ward, a native of Garland, Texas, is performing in her first national tour and impressing audiences with her portrayal of Liesl, the eldest of the von Trapp children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI graduated from Oklahoma City University in 2015,\u201d said Ward, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Chicago, Illinois.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI worked regionally in Oklahoma and then moved to New York. I got a job with Disney Cruise Lines doing four different shows and then I got this job.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI auditioned at an open call in January 2017. After that, I had about seven callbacks and then got the job in May. The auditions were a good learning experience. We started rehearsals at the end of July and left for tour at the end of August. We were in Yakima, Washington for tech and then officially opened in Seattle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Like almost everyone, Ward was well-acquainted with \u201cThe Sound of Music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI grew up with \u2018The Sound of Music,\u2019\u201d said Ward. \u201cIt was the first soundtrack that I owned. I loved Julie Andrews and the movie. When I auditioned, I was familiar with all the songs and all the characters. Liesl is the oldest and \u2018Sixteen Going on Seventeen\u2019 is her song.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Audiences know that song \u2013 as well as almost all the other tunes from the soundtrack.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s nice is the \u2018The Sound of Music\u2019 is such a classic piece and people come to the show knowing all the songs,\u201d said Ward. \u201cBut, most people don\u2019t know that it was a stage musical before it was a movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d is a musical based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, \u201cThe Story of the Trapp Family Singers.\u201d Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun.<\/p>\n<p>She falls in love with the children, and eventually their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. He and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children.<\/p>\n<p>The original Broadway production, starring Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel, opened in 1959 and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The first London production opened at the Palace Theatre in 1961. It was adapted as a 1965 film musical starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, which won five Academy Awards. \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d was the last musical written by Rodgers and Hammerstein; Oscar Hammerstein died of cancer nine months after the Broadway premiere.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith our production, we stay true to the story, the message and the characters,\u201d said Ward. \u201cWe were told \u2013 as long as you stay true to the script, the characters will come through. It\u2019s also nice that we\u2019re able to put some of our personalities into the characters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like Liesl a lot. Even though she\u2019s 16, she\u2019s pretty smart for her age \u2013 very observant. She\u2019s very caring about her siblings throughout the play and really grows up by the end.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Video link for \u201cSound of Music\u201d &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/XOEQxVYtBvM\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/XOEQxVYtBvM<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The show will run from April 24-29 at the Academy of Music. Ticket prices range from $50-$120.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7029\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/great-peacock.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7029\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7029\" src=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/great-peacock-350x197.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"197\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7029\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Great Peacock<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hawktail isn\u2019t the only Nashville-based band to be performing in Philadelphia early this week. On April 24, Great Peacock will headline a show at MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 215- 925-6455, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.milkboyphilly.com\/\">www.milkboyphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Great Peacock capture the vibe of Nashville 2018 \u2013 a city where music genres flow together like rivers in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n<p>Great Peacock &#8212; lead singer and guitarist Andrew Nelson, guitarist Blount Floyd, drummer Nick Recio and bass player Frank Keith IV &#8212; challenge the notion of genre as they dismantle tradition and blur the lines between rock \u2018n roll, conventional folk music, modern country and true Americana.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlount and I had been playing music together for about 10 years before this band,\u201d said Nelson, during a phone interview last week from his home in Nashville. \u201cIt was a <em>laissez<\/em>&#8211;<em>faire acoustic project \u2013 just having fun. We wrote a song, out it on the internet and people loved it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>After college, Nelson had moved to Nashville to pursue his musical career and that is where he crossed paths with Lloyd.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI first met Blount through his brother,\u201d said Nelson. \u201cI went over to hang out with his brother, but he had to leave. Blount was there so I hung out with him. We went out and got a case of beer and shotgunned them. After that, we started playing and writing songs together. We found out we sang together pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From that meeting, a seed was panted that eventually grew into Great Peacock.<\/p>\n<p>According to Nelson, \u201cWe jokingly said we were going to start a folk band, and we wrote a song called \u2018Desert Lark.\u2019 Friends said they really liked it. So, the band started to take shape and became a reality in 2013.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The music was slightly different at the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was more acoustic,\u201d said Nelson. \u201cThere was fiddle, pedal steel, and electric guitar. It was somewhere between rock and country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter three years, we decided we were a band and added permanent members. Nick Recio, our drummer, was the first to hop on board and he\u2019s still with us. We\u2019ve had the current line-up since last fall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made our first album in 2015. It took us a long time to make our second album \u2018Gran Pavo Real.\u2019 I don\u2019t want to ever go that long again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Great Peacock&#8217;s latest release, \u201cGran Pavo Real,\u201d came out on March 30 on Ropeadope Records.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t have a bass player when we made the record, so we used Tom Blankenship from My Morning Jacket,\u201d said Nelson. \u201cWe recorded it at Sound Emporium in Nashville last spring. It was a quick recording process \u2013 just four or five days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe did most of it live in the studio. We only had two days of preproduction with our producer Dexter Green. We only had to do three takes at the most for each song. It was our first time to work with Dexter. He brought a strange cosmic energy and it turned out really well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Video link for Great Peacock \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/lMVcUkJrDSE\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/lMVcUkJrDSE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The show at MilkBoy Philadelphia, which as Sparkle Pony as the opening act, will start at 8 p.m. Ticket are $8 in advance and $10 day of show.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7030\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/quinn-sullivan.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7030\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7030\" src=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/quinn-sullivan-350x186.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"186\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-7030\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quinn Sullivan<\/p><\/div>\n<p>On April 25, Quinn Sullivan will return to headline another show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.st94.com\/\">www.st94.com<\/a>) after packing the house there last summer.<\/p>\n<p>A little over a year ago, Sullivan was a student at New Bedford High School in Massachusetts. Two days after he graduated, he and his band played a blistering set at the Western Maryland Blues Festival in Hagerstown, Maryland.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after that, he was playing blues shows in the Deep South. And, he hasn\u2019t stopped touring since.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re doing a lot of shows in New England and the Northeast right now and then we\u2019ll be doing some festivals,\u201d said Sullivan, during a phone interview Tuesday morning from his home in the New England whaling town.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s usually runs of five or six days. I come home for few days and then I\u2019m out again. \u201cI\u2019ve been getting together with a new band lately. I took a new band with me for a tour of Europe back in March. It\u2019s a new project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been rehearsing with these guys for a while. A couple are from California and a couple are from the Boston area. It\u2019s four guys \u2013 guitar, bass, drums, keyboards \u2013 and me on guitar and vocals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That initial trip down South to Meridian, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana had more happening than just a few concerts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was out for a few days in Meridian and Baton Rouge filming for a documentary about me and Buddy Guy,\u201d said Nelson. \u201cIt was really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sullivan\u2019s history with Guy goes back more than a decade \u2013 which is pretty impressive considering Sullivan just turned 19 in March.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI first saw Buddy Guy play in a video of the Crossroads Festival in 2004,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cI was playing a guitar but wasn\u2019t into blues yet. Prior to that, I was playing rock. Blues came into the picture after I saw Buddy Guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sullivan began taking guitar lessons at age three. He first gained national media attention at age six when he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce I saw Buddy and how he played his guitar, I said to my family \u2013 we have to go see this guy play,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cIn 2007, he came to New Bedford to perform at the Zeiterion Theater.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made friends with the people at the theater and got to go backstage. I went to his dressing room and he was very welcoming and signed my guitar. I was seven or eight at the time. He asked me if I could play. I played a few licks for him and he looked at me and said \u2013 be ready when I call you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Guy did follow through and make the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat started the journey I\u2019ve been on for the last 10 years,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cIn July 2007, he came for a show in Lowell, Massachusetts and I got to jam with him for a second time. That was when it clicked for us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe kept going to see him every time he came to the area. Eventually, he asked me to open some shows for him. The first time I opened for him was in Arlington, Kentucky when I was 11. It got to a point where we were opening a lot of shows for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sullivan has released three of his own albums \u2013 \u201cCyclone\u201d in 2011, \u201cGetting There\u201d in 2013 and \u201cMidnight Highway\u201d in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recorded the \u2018Cyclone\u2019 album in Nashville in 2010 and it came out in 2011,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cThat was my first time in the studio and it taught me so much.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was working with Buddy Guy\u2019s producer Tom Hambridge. He pushed me a lot \u2013 which was needed. I\u2019ve worked with Tom on all three albums. We recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville which is a legendary studio.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made the new album over the course of eight months. I was still in school, so I couldn\u2019t go to the studio for months at a time. Time management came into play.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been working \u2018Midnight Highway\u2019 in the live show. I taught them the record and they\u2019ve been killing it. But, my shows now are not just blues but other stuff too. It\u2019s a different genre \u2013 a completely new project.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Video link for Quinn Sullivan \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/_F48l-mWfAI\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/_F48l-mWfAI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Video link for Quinn Sullivan (age 8) \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ix4TNJvVk8M\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/ix4TNJvVk8M<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The show at the Sellersville Theater will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $40.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times In the world of rock music, there are thousands and thousands of bands that are loud. But, there is only one band that is Aloud. On April 23, that band will be playing a show in the area. On Monday evening, Aloud will headline a show at The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[6918,3162,6921,6919,5850,6920],"class_list":["post-15140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-aloud","tag-featured","tag-great-peacock","tag-hawktail","tag-quinn-sullivan","tag-the-sound-of-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15140","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=15140"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15141,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15140\/revisions\/15141"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}