People Movers

The up-and-coming Townhall will return to Philadelphia for a show at the Jam on the River 2002 at Penn’s Landing May 25.

By: Matt Smith
   Just a few months after their first gig, the members of Townhall, then music students at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, decided to give up textbooks and composition classes for a cramped van and smoky bars.
   "We started dropping like flies," says Townhall’s George Stanford, speaking via cell phone on the way to a tour stop in Athens, Ga. "It just got too hard to play all night and go to class the next day, with all the playing and traveling and doing it on our own."

Townhall will record a batch of new songs May 13 at Indre Recording Studios in South Philly, to be released as a "live-in-the-studio" CD.

   The group made its public debut Oct. 18, 2000, at Abilene on South Street in Philadelphia and soon landed a regular Thursday-night slot at the club. Within three months, the funky, jam-oriented outfit was on tour.
   "We realized the only way to spread the word is to get out and bring the music to the people," says the 20-year-old Mr. Stanford, who sings and plays trombone, guitar and bass. "We have a pretty great fan base. They’re really supportive and come to all our shows, even outside of just our area."
   Townhall — composed of Mr. Stanford, Nate Skiles, Mark Smidt, Tim Sonnefeld and Kevin Pride — played about 175 dates last year alone. The heavy touring schedule gave the band’s members, who range in age from 20 to 22, a road education beyond their years.
   "We’ve had our share of bad gigs," says Mr. Stanford, an Ardmore, Pa., native. "It’s all part of it. We’ve gotten kicked off the stage for numerous reasons. Some gigs are hard on the road: On our last swing to Colorado, we drove 24 hours straight to Kansas City to play for nobody…just the bartender."
   Mr. Stanford and company captured a great show for their first independent release, the double-disc Live at the Point. Recorded June 30, 2001, at the intimate coffeehouse in Bryn Mawr, Pa., the 18 tracks show off Townhall’s accomplished musicianship, tight hooks and the immediate vocals of Mr. Stanford and Mr. Skiles. The bluesy single "Kudzu Killer" spent 12 weeks in regular rotation on 88.5 WXPN in Philadelphia and led to a spot on the World Café.
   The up-and-coming quintet will play Conduit in Trenton May 7 with the Yardley-based band Electric Jellyfish, and return to Philadelphia for shows at the Theater of Living Arts May 12 and the Jam on the River 2002 at Penn’s Landing May 25.
   The TLA date will mark Townhall’s third show at the South Street venue in past six months, including festive performances on Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. The band also is making a repeat appearance at the Jam on the River, where it shared the stage with the likes of Little Feat and James Brown last year.
   "That was one of our best gigs to date," Mr. Stanford says. "There were a few thousand people, and the response was just overwhelming."
   Townhall has also opened for noted jam bands Deep Banana Blackout and Moe, but the group, which shares a house in Skippack, Pa., when not on the road, eschews the "jam band" label.
   "We’re not a jam band at all," Mr. Stanford says. "That term was slapped on us just from bands we play with and the audience we draw from the jam-band scene. Those fans on that scene are the best music fans out there — they spread the word and they tell their friends. But compared to what’s considered a jam band, we’re not one."
   Mr. Stanford says Townhall is too song-based to be considered alongside such free-form improvisationalists, focusing instead on its compositions. This approach is a product of its diverse influences: Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, Bob Marley and Miles Davis. The band’s songwriting process is also a democratic one, he adds.
   "One person will originate an idea," Mr. Stanford says. "A lot of the tunes I write, I’ll bring in the lyrics, chord progressions and melody, and then the group will offer its ideas. You have to push egos aside for the sound of the song. It’s definitely a learning experience."
   Townhall will record a batch of new songs May 13 at Indre Recording Studios in South Philly, with the intention of releasing them as a "live-in-the-studio" CD.
   "We’re selling about 100 or 150 tickets, that’s how we’re paying for the recording," Mr. Stanford says. "A $25 ticket includes an advanced copy of the CD. We hope to capture that live energy in the studio setting, aiming for the balance of (Bob Marley’s) ‘Talkin’ Blues’ or (the Beatles’) ‘Let It Be.’ We’ve been on the road for a few months, and the songs have been getting tighter and tighter."
   Although Townhall is wildly successful for a year-and-a-half-old band, the group is wary of selling its soul to a major label too soon.
   "It’s a big scam," Mr. Stanford says. "They tempt you with a lot of things a young band needs, particularly money. Luckily, we’ve got good organizational backing, which allowed us to get the van and the house and just do it.
   "We plan to stay on our own until we need to take the next step," he says, "building a fan base and introducing people to our music."
Townhall plays Conduit, 439 S. Broad St., Trenton, May 7, 8 p.m. Electric Jellyfish opens. Tickets
cost $7; $10 under age 21. For information, call (609) 656-1199. On the Web: www.conduitmusic.com.
Townhall plays the Theater of Living Arts, 334 South St., Philadelphia, May 12, 8 p.m. Brothers
Past and The Ally open. Tickets cost $15. For information, call (215) 922-1011. On the Web: www.electricfactory.com.
The group also plays Jam on the River 2002, Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, May 25, 12:30 p.m. Tickets to the
three-day event (May 25-27) cost $10-$25 per day. On the Web: www.jamontheriver.com.
Townhall on the Web: www.townhallmusic.com