Orleans and Atlanta Rhythm Section at the Keswick Theatre this Thursday

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Glenside | Music

October 5th, 2021 | By Ben Bergman

This coming Thursday, October 7th, the Keswick Theatre welcomes 70’s pop music stalwarts, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Orleans with special guest Sahara Moon (7pm, Tickets). Ahead of the concert, we had a chance to talk to Orleans co-founder John Hall about the upcoming show and his 50+ year career in the music industry.

John Hall and Orleans – Photo Courtesy of John Hall

Besides John on guitar, Orleans is anchored by other founding member Lance Hoppen on bass. Youngest brother Lane Hoppen plays keyboards, Brady Spencer drums, and newest member Tom Lane is on guitar. You cannot turn on classic rock stations without hearing their ubiquitous hits, Dance With Me and Still The One and along with those, an attendee at Thursday’s concert will hear album tracks and newer material including a song from John’s 2021 CD “Reclaiming My Time.”

An Orleans show runs the gamut from reggae to rock with guitar jams and a cappella singing thrown in.  As John puts it, “I started playing music because it was fun; we’re a band that likes tangents.”

Indeed, as Orleans’ first ever Christmas album is being released Friday, featuring original holiday songs and tunes crafted by friends from other bands. The title track, New Star Shining, was penned by John and Johanna Hall and recorded as a duet by Ricky Skaggs and James Taylor.

The material comes from various sources, most written internally but not all.” said John. Some had previously-recorded lives elsewhere and made the cut unaltered. Some had previous starts but underwent major revisions and upgrades. Some were cut from scratch. Some are purely secular, while others center around the Christmas Story

You may not know that John served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives for New York’s 19th congressional district. This was after serving in the Ulster County New York legislature and the Saugerties, New York Board of Education. When asked about his tenure in the House, John said that the “four years I served in the House were harder than the 50+ years I’ve spent in the music industry”. Incidentally, the title of John’s new solo album, “Reclaiming My Time”, is a phrase used in Congress after being interrupted. John says it’s also an allusion to the music he might have written and played during ten years in elective office.

Tickets are still available for Thursday’s show.