Kim Talks with Alexander Gould, General Manager of The Phoenix

Breaking Down the Stimulus Package

By Rob Nagy


If there was ever a man born to be singing on stage it is Bruce Springsteen. Well into his fourth decade as one of the all-time biggest selling recording artists, “The Boss”, as he is affectionately referred to by millions, is showing no signs of slowing down. In support of his latest release “Working on a Dream”. Springsteen and his E Street Band played to another sold out crowd of more than 30,000 diehard fans at Hershey Stadium in Hershey, PA on May 15, 2009. Taking the stage dressed in his customary black jeans and shirt, Springsteen was greeted by a thunderous roar of an already charged crowd. He wasted no time diving into a three hour set of many of the Springsteen classics and some more obscure songs backed by The E Street Band, which includes Clarence Clemons (sax), Gary Talent (bass), Nils Lofgren (guitar), Steve Van Zandt (guitar) and Roy Bitton (piano). Missing were Patty Scialfa, who is recovering from a horse riding accident, and Max Weinberg, who had a taping commitment with the Conan O’Brien Show. Filling in for Patty was Soozie Tyrell while the drumming duties were anchored by Weinberg’s nineteen year old son Jay, who did an impressive performance adding a raw edge to an already flawless show. Springsteen tirelessly moved about the stage like a teenager smiling from ear to ear often including the audience, especially the many young children that were in attendance. He was visibly touched by the hundreds of signs fans had made, carrying a special Springsteen message, that were held up throughout the concert. Every so often Springsteen would gather up his favorite signs and place them around the stage. Of his nearly thirty song set, standouts included “Rosalita”, “Thunder Road”, “Trapped”, “The Promised Land”, “Backstreets” and Springsteen’s swan song “Born to Run”. Following a five song encore Springsteen was off to the airport rolling down his car window waving and giving the thumbs up to a few hundred fans waiting for a glimpse of their idol. Following a summer of European concert dates, look for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band to return to the region when they play Giants Stadium September 30, October 2 and October 3, 2009 as the final musical event to take place at the stadium. For more info of Bruce Springsteen go to www.brucespringsteen.net

Photo by Rob Nagy

Q: How long were you on tour for?
T: I think over all, about three months. I think there was a little break. Basically, we went out on tour with Lil’ Wayne, and we jumped off of that early because our guitarist was having a baby. After that we were taking a break, and we were supposed to be off for a little while, but we ended up going back on tour with Lil’ Wayne because apparently the tour got extended and was still going on. And then, after tha,t we just did a two-week tour of a bunch of different colleges, and that brings us up to now pretty much.
Q: How has being in the Gym Class Heroes changed your life in a way you didn’t expect?
T: It’s a really odd feeling having people around the county who know who you are and support what you are doing. And granted, I am closer to the bottom of all of that; I don’t stand out as much and make an attempt to be out front, but it’s really interesting to have people be that supportive. So if I put out a blog, and I have a thousand followers; if I had put out a blog when I was delivering auto parts it would have been my ten friends following me, it’s really kind of cool to know in that sense that you can write stuff and people will read it and comment on it and say I agree or I disagree.
Q: Talking about blogs, how do you think things like Twitter, Facebook and Myspace affect the future of the music industry?
T: It’s kind of a double-edged sword. The thing I find most disappointing about the music industry and the way things are going right now it seems music on a physical medium is getting ruled out, and I think that is sad for the next generation of kids. Don’t get me wrong, I have an I-pod and it’s packed with music, and I download a lot of stuff, but to not have something to correlate the vision. Cover art, and holding it when I was younger, was the coolest thing, and I guess it’s sad that younger people are going to get to the point where they don’t have that.
Q: So what have you been working on during your down time with The Gym Class Heroes?
T: Well, I definitely will record a lot, and work on solo material, and I’m hopefully do a project with Justin from The Danger-O’s. I’ve been doing pretty crazy free-range noise stuff with my brother. And I’m trying to start a summer band that will only exist for the next three months. We’ll write songs, I can record us, and we’ll probably play a couple of shows, and that will be it.
Q: If people want to get in touch with you or keep tabs on what you’re working on, where should they go?
T: Myspace.com/tylergrant, is my music myspace page, I put a lot of stuff I’m working on, including a link to download my new solo album for free. And if you want to be in my summer band you can send me a message there.


Click Here to Hear Extended Interview with Tyler

Brown Suger and Honey Glazed Ham Steak

Alt-folk-bluegrass'ers Mason Porter will be settling into a residency at Philadelphia's Blinkin' Lincoln for the month of May. Since the release of their debut EP in 2008 the band has quickly built buzz playing clubs and festivals around the region. Each Thursday Mason Porter will be joined by great supporting acts, including Wissahickon Chicken Shack, Hezekiah Jones, and Tom Hamilton. Special guests will be featured each week as well. Located in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, the Blinkin' Lincoln is one of the hottest spots for local music in the area and has become one of Mason Porter's favorite spots to play. 10:00 pm on May 7, 14, 21 and 28. Free. http://www.blinkinlincoln.com/ 6080 Ridge Av. Philadelphia, PA

http://www.masonporter.com