JOHN OATES CELEBRATES HOMECOMING WITH THE RELEASE OF"1000 MILES OF LIFE"

For Philadelphia area native John Oates, of Hall and Oates fame, life has been an amazing journey. While building an impressive list of accomplishments that most can only dream of, as half of the biggest all time top selling pop recording duo, John Oates and his long time partner

Daryl Hall have amassed and astonishing catalog of recordings that includes twenty one albums selling more than eighty million copies worldwide, ten number one songs and more than twenty top forty hits. Performing at the

original "Live Aid" concert in 1985 as well as an integral part of the "We Are the World" charity recording only solidified the career of Hall and Oates, which by now had gone full circle. With so much to be proud of, one

would think that there is nothing left that Oates has not done. As he rapidly approaches forty years in the music industry Oates has most recently released his first solo effort in six years appropriately titled

"1000 Miles of Life".



Oates was born and raised in North Wales, Pennsylvania graduating from North Penn High School in 1966. While attending Temple University, he struck up a friendship with fellow student Daryl Hall and the rest is history. The two formed Hall and Oates in the early seventies releasing

their debut "Whole Oates" in 1972. Their break through record, 1974's "War Babies" featured their first major hit singles "Sara Smile" and "Rich Girl" catapulting Hall and Oates into the limelight and the record charts where

they would remain for the next ten years. A string of hit albums, which included the singles "Kiss on My List", "Everytime You Go Away", "You Make My Dreams", "Private Eyes", "I Can't Go For That", "Maneater", "One on One", "Say It Isn't So" and "Out of Touch", flooded the airwaves well into the eighties furthering the cause bringing Hall and Oates fame and fortune beyond their wildest dreams. By the mid eighties non stop touring and massive attention seemed to have taken it's toll and Hall and Oates decided

to disband taking a much needed break and to pursue solo efforts. They reunited in 1988 releasing a series of albums into the nineties but nothing garnered the attention they had come to expect. Hall made had chart success on a moderate level with his solo efforts while Oates remained

quiet staying out of the limelight indefinitely. In 2002 Oates reemerged releasing his first studio album "Phunk Shui"to enthusiastic reviews from critics and fans. Six years later Oates has resurfaced with his sophomore

master piece "1000 Miles of Life". Featuring eleven fresh compositions that he has spent the past year and half writing, Oates has captured the thoughts, emotions and feelings that only a well traveled artist could convey. "The last couple of years there has been a lot of personal changes in my life", says Oates. "Some very important people to me musically as well as personally passed away. It's life and it's one of those things that

seemed to compress into a short period of time. I started thinking of things in a lot more serious terms. The emotions and things that were going on inspired me to start writing." Oates added, "It's one of those records

where I felt that the songs were so personal and so important it had to have this elegance and the recording and the playing had to have simplicity. I think that's something you can only achieve when you've been

recording and have done this for as long as I have." When talking about the CD Oates is visibly proud of his work and very much aware of who he is and where he has come from in a music climate that has dramatically changed from the days he first strapped on a guitar. "The history is what gives me

the foundation to do what I want now", says Oates. ""It actually gave me freedom. Let's be frank, my name value alone gets me in the door but in the end you still have to deliver. It doesn't matter what you've done in the

past. If you show up with a bunch of songs that are mediocre people know it, you can't live on your laurels. The legacy of Hall and Oates wasn't even a consideration. It was really about making a good record of uncompromised quality and to the best of my ability." Oates efforts have

not gone to waste. It is difficult to put this CD down and not give it a good listen over and over again. For Oates this effort took on a very special meaning "I'm so fortunate to not have to have a hit record", says

Oates. "To not have to be on the radio, to not have to sell a million copies, luckily I've done all that. There were no commercial considerations at all on this record. It was totally about the beauty of music and a pure musical statement. I'm very, very lucky. I think that the spirit comes through on the record." Songs that deserve special attention is the tear jerking journey of "The Good Son", the roller coaster ride through life in, "Spinning Down", the rocking harmonies of "Carved in Stone", the importance

of family in "Circle of Three" and the bluesy rock of the title track "1000 Miles of Life".



John Oates most recently came to the Philadelphia area to do a solo show, with the support of his back-up band, which included long time Hall and Oates bassist and music director T.B. Wolk, at the historic Sellersville

Theatre in Sellersville, PA. Earlier that day Oates returned to his alma mater North Penn High School to perform and lecture to the student body and faculty. That evening many of his former teachers and classmates converged

onto the Sellersville Theatre to attend Oates's performance. Prior to the show there was a private reception for Oates and his family, which included

his parents, wife and son, hosted by theatre owner William Quigley and the North Penn School District. A video tribute to Oates, which was produced by North Penn High School students, was played followed by Oates entering the

gathering. Oates mingled taking photos and signing autographs before performing a ninety minute set to a standing room only audience. Oates was engaging and visibly touched this very special homecoming. He performed

many songs off his new release "1000 Miles of Life" while throwing in the occasional Hall and Oates classic. Following his performance, Oates greeted a hundred or so fans signing more autographs, taking photos and extending

his genuine appreciation for a very special night. The following day Oates and his family attended a very special concert and awards ceremony for the R & B Foundation based out of Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center. Oates was

joined by dozens of legendary artists which included the Whispers, Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin. While Oates is not officially doing the traditional concert tour, he is playing select venues through-out the U.S., doing lots of media and has a live webcast performance scheduled with Daryl Hall later this month. To stay up to date with John Oates go to www.johnoates.com or www.myspace.com/johnoatesmusic To see what shows are

coming to the Sellersville Theatre go to www.st94.com

Album Review

Dirk Quinn
QuinnTet
Released by Sunset Jazz Recordings, the sophmore release from Dirk Quinn, entitled "QuinnTet," brings out the human side of his work, noted Quinn. "We were able to play live, which makes it more coherent," said Quinn. "It has multiple points of view, and it's a step toward how I want to play music." With funky riffs like "Money Bus," Quinn definitely gets his point of view across, while "O.U.R." features hard hitting trumpet beats overtop some fine guitar playing. They manage to bring out a smooth variation of rise and fall in "Covert Mini-Putt." My personal favorite on this CD is "Davil's Return," which is steady jazz guitar at its finest. As Quinn once noted "This CD has an earthy side that makes it better. All of the tracks (nine in total) are live in the studio and the quality comes across more honest.” Quinn and his band log a lot of miles as they perform throughout the East Coast. Quinn himself performs four to five days a week, some days with multiple shows. This hard work has helped Quinn and his ensemble forge a sound that makes "QuinnTet" one of the finest jazz releases I've ever heard.

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Album Review

Guns on the Run
For Glory

Even before listening to For Glory, the second release from Guns on the Run (Creep Records/Blackout Records), I was a little leary just looking at the cover art. A generic stars-and-stripes shield draped with a banner reading "Rock and Roll", resembling something tattooed on the weather beaten arm of an aging biker, originally led me to believe this band was some sort of "trucker rock" outfit that somehow ironically managed to emerge out of the Philly metropolitan area. Interesting as that may have been, that wasn't the case. Though I was pleased to find out that "For Glory" was actually an upbeat hardcore punk album, after listening for a while I was left pretty disappointed. The band is instrumentally strong, but sloppy vocals led me to read the lyrics in the liner notes, which turned out to be pretty directionless and generic, not to mention boasted a glaring spelling error in the second song ("oppologies"?!). The upbeat, fast paced instrumentals also clash with the deep, kind of melancholy lyrics of most of the songs on the album. A listen to their second release, I'll See You in Elysia, yielded even stronger instrumentals but lyrics just as vague as those on their first disc. Visiting their MySpace page was a letdown as well, as it's loaded with plenty of flashy layout graphics but offers no background information on the band at all. Lastly, the location listing set to "Killadelphia" and stage names all ending in "Gunnz" push the whole thing right over the edge. I get the feeling that this band definitely has talent that can be salvaged, but overall I was left with the impression that in making their first two musical attempts, this band moved a little too fast and tried a little too hard.

Posted by
Christine Gibboni

Military comedy thunders ahead of ‘Dark Knight’

DreamWorks’ “Tropic Thunder” dethroned “The Dark Knight” to capture the top spot at the box office this past weekend.

The war comedy starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. earned $26 million over the last three days — and $37 million since its opening last Wednesday.

Actors Tugg Speedman (Stiller), Jeff Portnoy (Black) and Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr.) find out that the war movie they’re making forces them to become real soldiers.

Each actor has their own bit of history and baggage going into this collaboration.

Action star Speedman routinely saves the world as the star of the Scorcher series, and is in desperate need of a comeback film.

Speedman has been cast to be John “Four Leaf” Tayback, the real-life war veteran in the film “Tropic Thunder” (a film within a film).

Portnoy is tired of being celebrated for his girth and prodigious flatulence and wants to try something serious.

But serious drama is all Lazarus, the five-time Oscar winner from Australia, has ever known. Lazarus, who is blond and blue-eyed, is cast as a black man for most of the movie.

They come together as a unit in Southeast Asia to film a Vietnam War movie directed by first-time filmmaker Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan), a trigger-happy explosions expert Cody (Danny McBride), and the real “Four Leaf” (Nick Nolte), who wants Speedman to keep things as real as possible.

However, things go horribly wrong back in Hollywood, as studio chief Les Grossman (Tom Cruise in a surprise role), threatens to pull the plug on the runaway production.

In the meantime, Speedman’s agent (Matthew McConaughey) goes to any length to make sure his client is happy.

The three actors end up becoming real life soldiers in a war they presumed was just a part of a film.

Downey, in his second blockbuster film of the summer (“Iron Man”) is absurdly funny, as he manages to annoy people with his portrayal of a black man.

Stiller, who directed and co-wrote the film, has some good comedic moments himself.

The entire cast effectively lampoons cinematic clichés, for instance, an exchange between Downey and Stiller about playing disabled characters has spawned real-life protests.

Though perhaps insensitive, neither the dialogue nor the plot is truly mean-spirited, but that’s to be determined by one’s own eyes.

There are times when “Tropic Thunder” comes off as silly and shallow, but you’ll end up laughing at something during this movie.

This war, huh, what is it good for — “Tropic Thunder” is good for some laughs at three out of four stars.

“Tropic Thunder” is rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material. Running time is 1 hour, 47 minutes.

After enjoying the last month at No. 1, Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight” descended to No. 2 with $16.8 million. With $471.5 million, “The Dark Knight” is now in second place on the all-time box office rankings, trailing “Titanic” with $600.8 million.

Sony Pictures’ “Pineapple Express” pulled into the fifth spot at the box office, after dropping from No. 2, with $10 million. The Seth Rogan/James Franco comedy has earned and burned $63 million in ten days.

Universal Pictures’ “The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor” didn’t come unraveled as it only fell to No. 6 with $8.6 million — its three-week total at $87 million.

Sony Pictures’ “Step Brothers” fell from the top five to No. 9 with $5 million. The Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly comedy has earned $91 million over the past month.

For more information and show times, contact Regal Cinemas Marketplace 24, 180 Mill Rd., Oaks, at 610-666-6697.

Dennis J. Wright can be reached at dwright@phoenixvillenews.com.

Sharing His Amazing Talent

For guitarist Tommy Emmanuel sharing his amazing talent has been no easy task. A household name and iconic figure in his native Australia, Emmanuel has amassed an impressive track record yielding twenty albums,two Grammy nominations, Australia's Performer of the Year twice and Australia's Best

Guitarist seven times and performing and recording with Eric Clapton, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Keith Urban and a select group of notable symphony orchestras. Emmanuel's painstaking efforts and determination have rewarded him as Australia's all time biggest selling instrumentalist consistently

selling over one hundred thousand copies in Australia alone. But while Emmanuel is considered a guitar God in Australia, it has taken years of tireless performing abroad, averaging over three hundred live dates per year, to build an audience and a dedicated following . Following a much deserved break from the road in his adopted home of Nashville, Emmanuel has

most recently released his latest masterpiece "Center Stage", a double live CD and DVD capturing Emmanuel at his best.



Tommy Emmanuel started playing the guitar at the age of four in his birthplace Australia. With no formal training, Emmanuel, a child prodigy, learned to play by ear. By the 1960's he started playing professionally, first with his older brother Phil and than as a family. Following the death

of his father in 1966, the Emmanuel family, under the direction of Australian country music star Buddy Williams, hit the road performing a rigorous schedule until Australian child welfare intervened ending the extensive travelling and placing the Emmanuel children into a stable school

environment. On weekends Emmanuel began performing with a popular local group "The Trailblazers", while giving private instruction on the guitar.

Still a teenager, television appearances and music competitions became common place for Emmanuel and the Trailblazers as he started to make a name for himself, winning two televised talent competitions and releasing a well received EP. In an effort to pursue a fulltime career as a guitarist, Emmanuel picked up stakes and relocated to the high profile city of Sydney where, when he wasn't playing in a club any given night of the week, he was

doing recording sessions as a much sought after guitarist. Emmanuel became an integral part of the highly successful 70's rock act "Dragon" recording numerous commercial jingles as well as working studio sessions with two of

Australia's biggest acts, "Air Supply" and "Men at Work". Europe became Emmanuel and Dragon's stage as they were the opening act for Tina Tuner's multi-million dollar "Break Every Rule" tour. Following his departure from Dragon, Emmanuel embarked on a solo career that found him to be the

recipient of numerous honors which include Gold and Platinum albums, Rolling Stone (Australia) Magazine's "Most Popular Guitarist", Gold Guitar Awards and a performance at the closing of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Emmanuel gave birth to and continues to play host to an annual four day

concert series "TommyFest" where many of the best musicians in the world gather to perform.



Emmanuel has most recently released a new double live concert DVD/ CD entitled "Center Stage". Filmed and recorded over three nights at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, California, Emmanuel recorded everything in high definition using multiple cameras and the highest quality audio to capture his performance as close to perfection as possible. "I went out there with all the attitude and everything I could muster up", says Emmanuel. "I was expecting that the first night would probably be the one because that was the first one to sell out, but it just didn't turn out as good as I had hoped, even though there were some really great parts. So

the third night is the one we went with which was basically the whole concert. I am very pleased with what we came away with", added Emmanuel. Of the twenty-four songs Emmanuel is engaging from the start. Having captured such a rich and diverse cross section of his music abilities, it is hard to

select tracks that standout above the rest. "I think I play my best when I'm sitting in front of a microphone with headphones when I'm in the zone inside my guitar", says Emmanuel. "However things happen on stage that you don't do in the studio 'cause you're bouncing off people and the sound that is in the room and there's an energy and excitement. So you've got to tap into both. It's a dangerous line to walk if you're a person that really wants to put something out that people really want to examine it and go

through it with a magnifying glass. I haven't listened to the whole thing because I never liked listening to too much of my own stuff", added Emmanuel. "There's always a compromise especially in the situation like mine where when I go on stage you really gotta stand and deliver. It's not

like I've got fifteen hits that I can make my way through and do a good job on and sit there nice and relaxed. I've gotta sit there and entertain people and at the same time I know I'm recording so I've gotta try and do it well. When I walk on stage all my attention goes to the audience so

there is an element of sacrifice of perfection so to speak." Emmanuel has worked as hard as anyone to take his music to audiences all over the world realizing that conquering America is the Holy Grail for every performer.

"I've been coming here for a long time", says Emmanuel. "I have always been

willing to come back to build this audience. Everything has to have a plan. If there's anything I've learned in my life, if you want to achieve something you've got to go backwards and take the steps. You do take those steps coming here and being willing to play in a small place for no money.

Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to come back and play in a small place and make a tiny bit of money? Are you willing to come back a third time and sell out two nights and make a bit more money and get a bigger crowd? Than are you willing to come back and take a risk on a bigger theatre with the right promoter and show people you can draw a crowd?"

Emmanuel's philosophy has not gone unrewarded with record sales increasing with each new release and larger venues booking his shows. His biggest disappointment would be the lack of response from American television. "We been trying very hard to get Leno or Letterman", says Emmanuel, " But it is just so hard. Most artists who have achieved that have had some serious hits. We've been sending them material and people have been writing them. Sooner or later the hundredth monkey thing is going to happen. In the mean time things like youtube and myspace have really helped. We'll get there."



On June 10th Tommy Emmanuel played the first of two shows at Phoenixville's Colonial Theatre. Severe weather caused the power to go out at show time. Being the consumate professional, Emmanuel came on stage on time playing two sets illuminated by several flashlights, held by fans, lighting the stage. The promoter placed luminaries across the front of the stage to aid in the lighting of the stage which only added to the intimacy of the evening. The audience of several hundred were visibly appreciative of

Emmanuel's efforts. Emmanuel played many selections of his current release "Center Stage"as well as selections from previous releases. His guitar playing skills were impressive while his story telling was engaging. Emmanuel continues his non-stop touring through-out the U.S. and abroad the

remainder of the year and beyond. For more info on Tommy Emmanuel go to www.tommyemmanuel.com or http://www.myspace.com/tommyemmanuel1 To stay up to date on shows at the Colonial go to www.pointentertainment.com



Photo

by Rob Nagy

TOAD THE WET SPROCKET ROCKS A SOLD OUT TROCADERO

Posted By Rob Nagy

Toad the Wet Sprocket, named in honor of a sketch by the Monty Python comedy troupe, first came to national prominence 1991 with the Columbia Records release “Fear” yielding the bands first two hits “Walk on the Ocean” and “All I Want”.
Formed in 1986, this Santa Barbara, California based foursome consisting of lead singer and guitarist Glen Phillips, lead guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning and drummer Randy Guss, successfully created a folk-pop sound making them one of the most successful alternative rock bands of the early nineties. Honing their skills in the local bar scene, “Toad”, as their fans fondly refer to them, entered a local
studio in 1988 recording their debut album “Bread and Circus”, which was completed in a little over a week at a cost of $650. Initially sold as a homemade cassette in Santa Barbara record stores, “Bread and Circus” found its way to Columbia Records, who signed Toad only after agreeing to the band's request to reissue the album in its original form, without any alterations or remixes. Toad hit the road performing at a backbreaking pace releasing their sophomore effort “The Somber Pale” in 1990 followed by 1993’s “Dulcinea”, which yielded their third and fourth hit singles "Fall Down" and “Something”. “In Light Syrup”, a collection of unreleased material was released in 1995 followed by the bands last official album “Coil” in 1997. One year later “Toad the Wet Sprocket” called it quits. T hey recorded two studio tracks for a compilation release, “
P.S. A Toad Retrospective” in1999. Following a three year hiatus they temporarily reunited in 2002, playing a benefit in their hometown of Santa Barbara as well as opening a few shows for the Counting Crows. While they continued to regroup from time to time playing many successful concert dates, staying together permanently seemed to be difficult as they routinely decided to continue on their individual paths.

On June 11^th Toad the Wet Sprocket, currently on a mini tour of the northeast, made a rare Philadelphia appearance playing to a sellout crowd at the Trocadero. All four original members graced the stage to a thunderous applause playing a ninety minute set of all the Toad hits and beyond, which included “Fall Down”, “Something”, “All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean”.
With all four band members having now moved onto solo projects, producing and recording, lead singer and principal songwriter Glen Phillips has most recently released his fifth solo effort “Secrets of the New Explorers”. While Toad is not officially together or a touring band anymore, they continue to play sporadic dates through-out the U.S. If tonight was any indication of what Toad is still capable of doing on stage look for them to return in the future. For more info on Toad the Wet Sprocket go to www.toadthewetsprocket.com

Photo by Rob Nagy

Book Review

When You Are Engulfed in Flames
by David Sedaris


Being a long time David Sedaris fan, I can safely say that "When You are Engulfed in Flames" is one of his best works as of yet. Though I'd be quite hard-pressed to pinpoint a favorite, this book has a bit of a different feel than all of its predecessors, and has the best cover art by far. The first three quarters of the book is classic Sedaris - short essays about pretty much any topic that on the surface seems mundane; a visit to the doctor, helping his elderly neighbor with housework, or dealing with a heinous childhood babysitter. In several chapters, he even examines his relationship with long time partner Hugh Hamrick, which he’d only given cursory mention to in his previous books. The last quarter though is what makes this book stand out from all of the others; the actual diary the author kept on a three-month "motivational" excursion to Japan in the hopes of finally quitting smoking. As always though, these tales are told through the witty, biting worldview of David Sedaris. If you’re already a fan, I guarantee you’ll be pleased and even feel a little bit crestfallen when you’re nearing the end of the book. If you’ve never heard of him, you’re sure to enjoy this book as well. The beauty of it, as with all of Sedaris’ works, is that none of them fall into any sort of chronological order, neither by title nor individual chapter. You can pick it on your lunch break at work or even while in the bathroom, enjoy a few good laughs and keep going with your day, looking forward to the next time you’re stuck in the bathroom for a while. Luckily, months before the release of the book this summer, Sedaris appeared on David Lettermen and read a hysterical excerpt entitled “With a Pal Like This, Who Needs Enemies?, chronicling his search for the perfect “masculine” accessory. Video below to listen!

Posted by
Christine Gibboni