{"id":25193,"date":"2022-01-06T07:51:38","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T12:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=25193"},"modified":"2022-01-06T07:52:14","modified_gmt":"2022-01-06T12:52:14","slug":"on-stage-double-vision-stand-up-comedy-at-uptown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=25193","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Double Vision, stand up comedy at Uptown!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Double Vision<\/p><\/div>\n

This will be a busy weekend at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, uptownwestchester.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

On January 7, Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center will host a show featuring the band Double Vision.<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s name should give music fans an idea of what kind of music to expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cDouble Vision\u201d was the name of the sophomore album by Foreigner in 1978. The title track also reached Number Two on the Billboard magazine Hot 100. Its predecessor, \u201cHot Blooded,\u201d also reached the heights when it climbed to Number Three on the same charts earlier in the year. <\/p>\n

\u201cDouble Vision \u2013 The Foreigner Experience\u201d authentically recreates Foreigner\u2019s hits from the 1970s and 1980s.<\/p>\n

Featuring some of New York City\u2019s top professional rock musicians, Double Vision is a seven-piece band that delivers an unparalleled level of integrity and technical prowess, resulting in a legitimate tribute and authentic performance.<\/p>\n

Double Vision was founded by lead singer Chandler Mogel, a\u00a0professional studio vocalist who has performed on more than 400 songs and more than 25 albums.<\/p>\n

\u201cDouble Vision is a tribute to the music of Foreigner,\u201d said Mogel, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from his home in Secaucus, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a sense, it holds its own. I didn\u2019t want it to be a tribute band with guys wearing wigs. It\u2019s about the music. People have always told me I sound like Lou Gramm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foreigner\u00a0is a British-American\u00a0rock\u00a0band, originally formed in\u00a0New York City\u00a0in 1976 by veteran British guitarist and songwriter\u00a0Mick Jones\u00a0and fellow Briton and ex-King Crimson\u00a0member\u00a0Ian McDonald, along with American vocalist\u00a0Lou Gramm. Jones came up with the band\u2019s name as he, McDonald and\u00a0Dennis Elliott\u00a0were British while Gramm,\u00a0Al Greenwood\u00a0and\u00a0Ed Gagliardi\u00a0were American.<\/p>\n

Foreigner arrived on the scene as a band loaded with talented veteran British musicians.<\/p>\n

Jones\u00a0was a singer, songwriter, and record producer. Prior to Foreigner, he was in the band Spooky Tooth.<\/p>\n

McDonald\u00a0was a multi-instrumentalist best known as a founding member of King Crimson in 1969. He is well regarded as a rock session musician as a saxophonist, keyboardist, flautist, and guitarist.<\/p>\n

Elliott\u00a0was a musician and artist who burst on the scene in the 1970s as the drummer for the pioneering jazz-rock British band If.<\/p>\n

In 1977 Foreigner released its\u00a0self-titled\u00a0debut album, the first of four straight albums to be certified at least five-times platinum in the US.\u00a0\u201cForeigner\u201d\u00a0peaked at Number Four on the US album chart and in the Top 10 in Canada and Australia, while yielding two Top 10 hits in North America, \u201cFeels Like the First Time\u201d and \u201cCold as Ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s 1978 follow-up,\u00a0\u201cDouble Vision,\u201d was even more successful — peaking at Number Three. Foreigner\u2019s third album, \u201cHead Games,\u201d\u00a0went to Number Five in North America and featured two Top 20 singles.<\/p>\n

\u201cDouble Vision started as a band a year before COVID started,\u201d said Mogel. \u201cMore than half of the band\u2019s existence has been during COVID.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the lockdown, we knew we couldn\u2019t sit down and do nothing. So, we brought Kathy (Wagner, President\/Agent, Panzyler Entertainment Group) on board. Had we been with anyone else, the band would have been dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe posted some of our shows on YouTube for six or seven weeks. People were very receptive. We set up in our living room \u2013 \u2018Live on the Orange Couch.\u2019 We made it as personable as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Double Vision performed a worldwide livestream from the prestigious Daryl\u2019s House Club in Pawling, New York \u2013 the venue where Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates films his award-winning TV series \u201cLive From Daryl\u2019s House.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Livestream went out O.K. but we weren\u2019t able to have a live audience,\u201d said Mogel. \u201cThe Livestream show got thousands and thousands of views.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe live show with a live audience got moved three times. In April 2021, we did a Livestream with 50 people in the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Double Vision\u2019s line-up also features Sean Tarr (lead guitar, backing vocals), Scott DuBoys (drums),Chris Tristram (bass, backing vocals), Alex Lubin (keyboards), Jason Draven (guitar, backing vocals) and Tony Carfora (saxophone).<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our show, we go back and do a lot of stuff from Foreigner\u2019s first record, including \u2018Starrider,\u2019\u201d said Mogel. \u201cWe do all the big hits. It\u2019s a night of non-stop hits so there\u2019s not a lot of time for deep cuts. We do play \u2018At War with the World\u2019 which was just an album track on the first album.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to filling the room at Daryl\u2019s House, the band has sold out several other top tier venues this year, including Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, Maryland; Penns Peak in Lehigh Valley; Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe; and The Vogel in Red Bank, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

While many tribute acts feature music by groups that have either disbanded or no longer tour, Double Vision is playing the music of a still-active band. Foreigner tours a lot every year and has an upcoming multi-week gig at the Venetian in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\u201cForeigner still tours rabidly,\u201d said Mogel. \u201cThat could be a disadvantage. At the same time, it helps us because they don\u2019t play our area a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis weekend\u2019s show will be the first time we\u2019re played the Uptown. Actually, it\u2019s our first show in the Philadelphia area. The closest we\u2019ve come was in early 2020 at the casino in Harrington, Delaware.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Double Vision — https:\/\/youtu.be\/OhWBcH-vG8Q<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center on January 7 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n

With the post-holiday doldrums setting in and the prospect of three months of cold, bleak winter weather ahead, now is a good time for comedy shows \u2013 for shows that make you smile and laugh.<\/p>\n

There are two good comedy shows on January 8 at area venues. The Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center is one of them and Jamey\u2019s House of Music inLansdowne is the other.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jim McCue<\/p><\/div>\n

On Saturday night, the Uptown! will present \u201cBest of the Boston Comedy Festival\u201d featuring Jim McCue, Carolyn Plummer and Dave Decker.
\nJim McCue\u00a0went viral this year with his DryBar special \u201cnothing personal\u201d which has had three million views. He has been featured on Comedy Central, Comcast Comedy Spotlight, NBC\u2019s \u201cLast Comic Standing,\u201d and Live at Gotham AXS.<\/p>\n

Since 2000, McCue has also entertained U.S. troops at hundreds of military zones and in several war zones around the world.<\/p>\n

The veteran comic star has played hundreds of cities around America and in more than 50 countries around the world. When he takes the stage at the Uptown! on Saturday, it will only be the second time he has performed in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI also played the Uptown! two years ago,\u201d said McCue, during a phone interview from his car Tuesday afternoon. \u201cIt\u2019s a really nice theater run by nice people. I\u2019m glad to be coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

A mixture of witty \u201cA-list material\u201d and his ability to work off-script has earned McCue the title \u201cBoston\u2019s King of Crowd Work!\u201d It\u2019s not only his height (6-6) that makes McCue stand head and shoulders above club comedians of the \u201cstick-to-the-script\u201d variety.<\/p>\n

McCue blends thought-provoking material and uncanny improv skills with a style that encourages audience participation. No two shows are ever the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m old enough to remember Johnny Carson and the comedians of that day,\u201d said McCue. \u201cI learned the trade in all the clubs \u2013 Nick\u2019s Comedy Stop, Improv, Catch a Rising Star.<\/p>\n

\u201cI live in Connecticut now, but I\u2019m based in Boston. I grew up in Hampton, New Hampshire. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t have a Boston accent.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCue founded and currently runs\u00a0The Boston Comedy Festival.\u00a0He works in top comedy clubs in Boston, Las Vegas, New York, Dublin, Montreal and Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was in1989 when had my first open mic \u2013 at Billy Jack\u2019s in Glastonbury, Connecticut,\u201d said McCue. \u201cAfter a short time, I was getting offered paid work. I moved to Boston in 1990. There was a big comedy scene then \u2013 Paula Poundstone, Sarah Silverman, Bobcat Goldthwait.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCue travelled down the comic\u2019s well-worn \u201cMC-feature-headline\u201d trail smoothly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got to Boston, I moved along pretty quickly,\u201d said McCue. \u201cDick Doherty, who owned several comedy clubs around New England started giving me work. I started getting featuring gigs in the early 90s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got on Comedy Central in the mid-90s and then \u2018Last Comic Standing.\u2019 I did cruise ships and a lot of USO tours in different war zones, I wrote a book about doing comedy in a war zone \u2013 in Bosnia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book, \u201cEmbedded Comedian,\u201d was published in 2011. The following description can be found on the purchase page on Amazon \u2013 \u201cFrom Boston comedian Jim McCue comes a true account of entertaining our troops overseas while keeping one\u2019s sense of humor intact. To many, the idea of doing a tour of duty in Iraq is no laughing matter. Yet for Jim McCue along with fellow Boston comedian and friend Joey Carroll, that\u2019s exactly what it is, as they perform standup comedy to bring smiles and laughter to the troops\u2019 otherwise very serious lives.<\/p>\n

This discerning memoir, taken from McCue\u2019s own journal entries while stationed abroad, explores the fine line between laughter and sorrow as he experiences what it is like to live as a soldier in a war zone on a thirty-day adventure leaving both Carroll and him embedded in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and finally Iraq.<\/p>\n

McCue\u2019s reflections on each new experience, such as visiting the mess hall at Camp Diamondback where a bomb killed 22 people with 14 of them being U.S. soldiers, are sharp and accessible, and provide the opportunity to follow along with both comedians as they take off for duty without being given any itinerary for security purposes, being told as they go along what to eat, where to go and what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his unique act, McCue keeps the audience on its toes. Volleying between set material and working the crowd, he cracks jokes with amazing timing and whip-like precision.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy comedy style features doing set material and interacting with the audience,\u201d said McCue. \u201cAnd I can do \u2018clean\u2019 and \u2018not clean.\u2019 It depends on the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Jim McCue \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/lFbXSgOrhfA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Carolyn Plummer<\/p><\/div>\n

A Google search revealed that Carolyn\u00a0Plummer passed away in Texas on December 28, 2021.\u00a0She is not coming back from the dead to perform at the Uptown! this Saturday \u2013 wrong Carolyn Plummer.<\/p>\n

Carolyn Plummer lives in central Pennsylvania and has a staging service for people wanting to sell their homes. She will not be onstage at the Uptown! this Saturday \u2013 wrong Carolyn Plummer.<\/p>\n

Carolyn Plummer is a comedian who lives in Watertown, Massachusetts. She will be part of the \u201cBest of the Boston Comedy Festival\u201d in West Chester this weekend \u2013 correct Carolyn Plummer.<\/p>\n

Like McCue, she grew up in New Hampshire \u2013 Wolfeboro \u2013 and that is why she doesn\u2019t have a Boston accent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do comedy full-time,\u201d said Plummer, during a phone interview Tuesday from her home in the Boston area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to work a cruise ship prior to the pandemic. Now, they\u2019re having trouble again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plummer traces her comedic skills back to her childhood days.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad was a minister, and I was the youngest of three kids,\u201d said Plummer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a wise ass in school. I got sent to the principal a lot. He was cool. He\u2019d ask what I said to get myself in trouble. He\u2019d tell me \u2013 that\u2019s funny bit you can\u2019t say it in class. Sit here for 15 minutes and then just go back to class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plummer attended college at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire and that\u2019s where she officially started her career as a comic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw an ad for a comedy class in New Hampshire,\u201d said Plummer. \u201cAt the end, you get to do standup. The teacher encouraged me to keep at it \u2013 so I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began doing open mics in New Hampshire \u2013 Gilford and Manchester \u2013 and at the Comedy Connection in Portland, Maine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was driving more and more to Boston in 2003. I moved to Boston and the rest is history. I played Giggles, Comedy Connection Nick\u2019s Comedy Stop, Calhoun Comedy, Comedy Connection and some of Dick Doherty\u2019s clubs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feature a lot and I headline as well. In Boston, all the old school headliners are still here in their sixties and still performing. So, it\u2019s harder to get headline gigs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plummer\u00a0is a Boston Comedy Festival favorite and had been selected to perform at the Boston Fleet Center in front of 17,000 people this November with Dennis Leary\u2019s \u201cComics Come Home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Comics Come Home\u2019 in November got cancelled,\u201d said Plummer. \u201cJust a little more bad luck on my part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plummer is not a topical comedian. Instead, she gets her material from the humdrum, day-to-day monotony of the life of everyman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talk about my crazy family and the stupid shit that happens to me,\u201d said Plummer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, it was hard to get the timing for the lead. I was a writing major, so I realized I had to get to the point faster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a crowd work person like Jim McCue. I\u2019m more a storyteller with a punch line and I structure my story with jokes within jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Carolyn Plummer — https:\/\/youtu.be\/NztJ4Q1Hw6I<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Host\u00a0Dave Decker, a native of Massachusetts, performs regularly at clubs from Boston to New York City. Winner of the coveted Betty Crocker Award in 1975, Decker brings his distinct point of view to the stage in a way that both engages and charms audiences.<\/p>\n

Video link for Dave Decker — https:\/\/youtu.be\/soeW_aDM76g<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show on January 8 at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) will have a similar schedule format for this weekend \u2013 live music on Friday night and a comedy showcase on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

The show on Saturday night will feature Zack Hammond as the headline with Gary Sharp and Pat George as the opening acts.<\/p>\n

Hammond has been plying his trade as a stand-up comic for more than a dozen years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a full-time comic,\u201d said Hammond, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. \u201cI\u2019m mostly on the road \u2013 doing what I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being on the road a lot can be a good thing if you home is in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania and your hometown is Myersville in Frederick County in western Maryland.<\/p>\n

\u201cMyersville is where they captured the D.C. snipers,\u201d noted Hammond.<\/p>\n

In 2006, Hammond left the hustle-and-bustle of Myersville and replaced it with the hustle-and-bustle of Wyoming Valley where he graduated with a writing degree after four years at Kings College.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I graduated, I was already doing comedy,\u201d said Hammond. \u201cI chose to stay here so I could live in a dirt-cheap place that was a good location to do comedy work in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a fan of comedy. I was doing comedy in college, but I had to wait until I was 21 because the clubs have liquor laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first show was at Wisecrackers in Scranton \u2013 three minutes and it was horrible. But the host encouraged me to come back \u2013 and I did. After that, I kept travelling on to different places to play.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been 13 years since I started with open mics, and I was doing MC stage by the end of the first year. It took me another five years to feature and that bled into headline.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammond\u2019s humor is not for sensitive audiences \u2013 not because he is gross or drops one expletive after another. It is because Hammond\u2019s humor is dark humor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have pleasant thoughts \u2013 I never have,\u201d said Hammond. \u201cI don\u2019t have the ability to make humor like Jim Gaffigan.\u201d
\nHammond takes topics such as going to Catholic grade school, suicide, disastrous shows, Nazis in America and fat shaming and somehow manages to find a humorous slant about each.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t take anything seriously,\u201d said Hammond. \u201cI didn\u2019t deliberately look for screwed-up things that I can talk about. They are just there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammond\u2019s jokes may be in-your-face real but are never depressing.<\/p>\n

According to Hammond, \u201c\u201cThere is nothing I wouldn\u2019t joke about. If I can find a way to make it funny, I will do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammond follows a \u201cNothing Is Sacred\u201d school of thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took a while to figure out how to talk about something dark — three-to-four years to figure out that I had to understand what I say is funny,\u201d said Hammond.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest thing for me is to get people into what I\u2019m doing. I\u2019ve always had a slant that was different. It\u2019s hard at first to get people on board. I talk aboutschool shootings, homeless people, pedophile teachers, abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Hammond, \u201cComedy is there to make people laugh, and comics are like flavors of ice cream \u2013 some you like, some you don\u2019t. If you don\u2019t like what someone jokes about, walk away and find someone who you do like. You don\u2019t have a right to be offended, but you do have the ability to enjoy the things that don\u2019t offend you. Try that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hammond has logged a lot of miles, performed a lot of shows and learned a lot about the profession over the last 13 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever your act is, you have to warm them up,\u201d said Hammond. \u201cYou have to get them to trust you.<\/p>\n

\u201cStory-wise, I\u2019m an English major, so I learned how to write and tell stories. I\u2019ve always been good at telling stories. I know what the big punch line is and where the little punch lines are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Hammond released his latest album, \u201cBecause I\u2019m Considerate.\u201d It was recorded locally at a show at the at\u00a0Midnight Oil Brewing\u00a0in Newark, Delaware.<\/p>\n

Video link for Zack Hammond — https:\/\/youtu.be\/1jqTb23ttP8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

LeMaire Lee was originally on Saturday\u2019s bill but has been replaced by Gary Sharp.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeMaire was going to be the third act,\u201d said Sharp, during a phone interview Tuesday night from his home in South Philadelphia. \u201cThen he got asked to do a Punch Line gig, so he pulled out \u2013 understandably \u2013 and brought me into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharp\u2019s history never appeared to be heading to a career in comedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m from South Jersey — Burlington Township,\u201d said Sharp. \u201cIn high school, I went to a boarding school in Hightstown \u2013 to Peddie School on a football scholarship. In 2014, I graduated and went to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

\u201cI played football there too. I was a tailback. I graduated with a degree in civil engineering and now work in construction management.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humor was always in his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, I was always laughing,\u201d said Sharp. \u201cI always enjoyed comedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2019, I was living in South Philly \u2013 actually Queen\u2019s Village. They offered at \u2018Stand-Up 101\u2019 class at Helium (Comedy Club on Philly). I took the class, and it was an incredible six-week class. We had a graduation show and I killed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI finished the class and hit the ground running. I got booked for two shows in February 2020 and did both. I had more booked for the spring but then everything shut down in March.\u201d
\nSharp\u2019s career got back on track this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve still got to do open mics,\u201d said Sharp. \u201cIt\u2019s a necessary evil.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started up again in the beginning of summer. I was doing 15-20 gigs a month \u2013 some feature work but mostly hosting gigs.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo friends of mine started a monthly show at Penns Port Beer Boutique in Philadelphia. It will be a year in May. It\u2019s called \u2018Boozed and Confused Comedy Showcase\u2019 and the next one will be January 25.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharp is a storytelling comic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe topics are things like growing up, family, relationships, myself, not wanting kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey deem me as a \u2018twisty\u2019 comic. I lead you down a path and then hit you with a left-turn punch. I\u2019m quick and witty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Gary Sharp — https:\/\/videos.ctfassets.net\/z7jxy1j5016o\/6yJ5x9BCJsxykoG2eNJXO4\/1454e24dcdf2bd9303ca43e84fa4e2e3\/trim.48B44D79-5D62-4125-9860-C68FF78BE76B.MOV#t=0.5<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pat George (The Hard Times\/Baby Mermaid Productions on YouTube) is a comedian\/podcaster who is native of St. Peterburg, Florida who currently lives in Harrisburg.<\/p>\n

He works up and down the east coast, spreading his unique form of \u201cPeaceful Nihilism\u201d shrouded in silliness.<\/p>\n

Video link for Pat George — https:\/\/youtu.be\/NJz0qXQecgk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Jamey\u2019s on September 8 will start at 8 p.m. with the kitchen opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 online advance and $30 at the door.<\/p>\n

The live music at Jamey\u2019s on Friday evening will be performed by Gabe Stillman.<\/p>\n

Stillman, an accomplished blues guitarist from Williamsport, last played in this area back in February with a Livestream show at the at Sellersville Theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started playing live in front of audiences not long after that,\u201d said Stillman, during a phone call Wednesday from his home in the birthplace of Little League Baseball.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was at the end of March. I\u2019ve stayed busy all through this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stillman was busiest during a two-week period in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to Austin in April and recorded my first album,\u201d said Stillman. \u201cIt was produced by Anton Funderbergh at Wire Recording.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funderbergh is top-flight guitarist\u00a0and\u00a0the bandleader\u00a0of\u00a0Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets\u00a0since 1978. Their style incorporates both\u00a0Chicago blues\u00a0and\u00a0Texas blues. He is also one of the most respected producers in Texas\u2019 capitol city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met Anton at the International Blues Challenge a couple years ago,\u201d said Stillman. \u201cI\u2019ve been a fan of his since I was a teenager. He\u2019s in my top 10 list of blues players. And I loved his production work with other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stillman\u2019s album, \u201cJust Say the Word,\u201d was released in August by the Vizztone Label Group.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a 15-song album \u2013 13 originals and two covers,\u201d said Stillman. \u201cThe covers were Bill Withers\u2019 \u2018Friend of Mine\u2019 and Bobby Blue Bland\u2019s \u2018I\u2019ll Take Care of You.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the album came out in August, it debuted at Number 10 on the Billboard Magazine Blues chart. It was also named one of the top blues albums of 2021 by Roots Music Report.<\/p>\n

\u201cI brought my rhythm section Bassist Colin Beatty and drummer Ray Hangen \u2013 down to Austin. In the studio, we used Taylor Streiff, a piano player from St. Louis, Austin\u2019s Texas Horns and had Sue Foley and Anton playing guitar on one track.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a big step forward for Stillman, who\u00a0has been studying guitar for almost a decade-and-a-half.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started taking guitar lessons when I was 11,\u201d said\u00a0Stillman. \u201cI\u2019m 25 now so I\u2019ve been playing for 14 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started out, I wanted to play heavy rock and heavy metal. Listening to guitarists in those genres, I realized that their playing was very fast and technically complicated. A teacher told me to learn rock by getting into the blues.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I started listening to a lot of blues guitarists like B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, Buddy Guy and Elmore James. I was also listening to guitarist such as Duane Allman and Derek Trucks. I realized \u2013 hey, I can do this. I got hooked on blues and R&B \u2013 and jazz. When I was 13 or 14, I started to perform live.\u201d<\/p>\n

A key stage in\u00a0Stillman\u2019s development came at the Uptown Music Collective in Williamsport.<\/p>\n

For 20 years, the Uptown Music Collective has been providing exceptional modern music education grounded in traditional educational principles. Its programs engage students through an emphasis on modern genres including rock, pop, soul, blues, country, R&B, and funk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI studied at the Uptown Music Collective when I was younger,\u201d said\u00a0Stillman. \u201cI also taught there after I got out of college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stillman\u00a0spent his college years in Boston where he got a degree in \u201cProfessional Music\u201d with an emphasis on guitar performance and songwriting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started my band in 2015 after graduating from Berklee,\u201d said\u00a0Stillman, whose honors include making it to \u201cFinal Eight\u201d of the 35th Annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy band has been primarily a trio but at the Blues Challenge, I made it to the finals with the addition of a harmonica player in the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy bass player Colin Beatty, who is also from Williamsport, has been with me the whole time. We\u2019ve had different drummers come in-and-out. Right now, our drummer is Ray Hangen from Buffalo, New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the trio, we play mostly blues and American rock. There also is a little mix of R&B in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Gabe\u00a0Stillman\u00a0—\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/QGIJgb51Kw8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Jamey\u2019s on January 7 will start at 8 p.m. with the kitchen opening at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 online advance and $30 at the door.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music this week posted this message \u2013<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID Statement:\u00a0We have reduced our seating capacity by 25% from 80 to 60 to provide more space per patron for increased safety. Full covid vaccinations, including a booster, are required (honor system) and once again, masks are required unless sitting and actively eating\/drinking until covid is under control. In addition, Jamey’s has implemented\u00a0mitigation measures<\/a>\u00a0that greatly exceed CDC guidelines to help keep you safe and worry free.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more than a month, People\u2019s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern,\u00a0peopleslight.org<\/a>) has presenting the world premiere of \u201cA Christmas Carol.\u201d<\/p>\n

All the live shows sold out. Fortunately, you can stream the filmed version of\u00a0\u201cA Christmas Carol,\u201d\u00a0featuring Ian Merrill Peakes as Ebenezer Scrooge,\u00a0now through January 6\u00a0for $25.<\/p>\n

This version of \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d is adapted from Charles Dickens by Zak Berkman and features original music by Zak Berkman.<\/p>\n

Callous Scrooge, shackled Marley, and the haunting spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future spring vividly to life in this fresh adaptation of a favorite yuletide ghost story.<\/p>\n

Featuring a lively mix of original songs and newly arranged 19th-century English carols, this music-infused retelling captures the magic, joy, and generosity of Dickens\u2019 beloved classic.<\/p>\n

Each year, the People\u2019s Light holiday\u00a0show is a panto\u00a0that transforms a beloved children\u2019s story into a musical extravaganza filled with outrageous characters, toe-tapping original music, slapstick comedy, and topical humor for both kids and adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d\u00a0is not a panto. But it is music-filled, interactive fun for every age — whether you believe in spirits or not.<\/p>\n

The Ardmore Music Hall (23 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, 610-649-8389,\u00a0www.ardmoremusic.com<\/a>) will present Lez Zeppelin (all female Led Zeppelin tribute) on January 7 and Boat House Row on January 8.<\/p>\n

118 North (118 North Wayne Avenue, Wayne, www.118northwayne.com<\/a>) will host Four Lean Hounds on January 6, Super Unknown on January 7, Baked Shrimp on January 8 and Amanda & Teddy on January 12.<\/p>\n

City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, citywinery.com\/philadelphia<\/a>) will have Griffin House on January 6, Broken Arrow on January 7, Urban Guerilla Orchestra on January 8.<\/p>\n

The Kimmel Cultural Campus (Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelculturalcampus.org<\/a>) will present the touring Broadway musical \u201cPretty Woman\u201d now through January 16 (Academy of Music), Vox Ama Deus on January 7 (Perelman Theater) and Rock the Organ on January 8 (Verizon Hall).<\/p>\n

World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>) will host Countdown to Ecstasy on January 7 and Breakwater with Seth Aaron on January 8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0 This will be a busy weekend at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, uptownwestchester.org). On January 7, Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center will host a show featuring the band Double Vision. The band\u2019s name should give music fans an idea of what kind […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[10216,10215,3162,8149,7137],"class_list":["post-25193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-carolyn-plummer","tag-double-vision","tag-featured","tag-jim-mccue","tag-uptown-knauer-performing-arts-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25193","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=25193"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25194,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25193\/revisions\/25194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}