notes on music

The past few years, singer-songwriter Jordan White and the band Kinetic Blu have been making a name for themselves. Even if they can’t agree on how exactly that name is spelled.

“I guess it depends on who you ask,” White said in a telephone interview. “I usually write it with the ‘e’ on the end, but the other guys seem to prefer it the other way. I guess I have been outvoted.”

The Allentown-based band, which played in Wilkes-Barre a few times about two years ago, was first formed in 2003 by guitarist Brian Kibler and drummer Rob Lilly. After numerous personnel changes and a hiatus, the band recently got back together, this time with vocalist Tara Crowe and White on vocals and bass (he normally plays guitar and piano, but he has been filling in on bass until they find a new recruit).

The band has many different influences – everything from Van Morrison to Guns ’N Roses – and all of them write and sing. Shows are filled with original songs and covers of tunes by Radiohead, U2 and Third Eye Blind, which White said influenced the band’s moniker.

“The ‘Kinetic’ part came from kinetic energy and how it can be passed on; that’s what we do, we pass on the energy through our music,” he said. “And the other part came from a 1999 album called ‘Blue’ by Third Eye Blind.”

White said he always wanted to be a musician ever since his parents bought him a Casio keyboard when he was in second grade. Eventually, he learned how to play guitar and piano and began writing songs about six or seven years ago.

“Looking back, I know a lot of those early songs weren’t very good, but I kept at it,” he said.

One that is very good is a song called “September,” which was included on a digital-only album from Sony Music (and still available from iTunes, Amazon and other MP3 retailers), after receiving more than 2 million plays on MySpace.

“I was a featured artist on the MySpace music homepage, so we got a lot of hits from that,” White said. “Eventually an A&R (Artists and Repertoire) guy saw that, liked the song and wanted to add it to the digital album.”

His songwriting has come so far he was nominated for two Lehigh Valley Music Awards in 2010, one for Best Songwriter and the other for Best Lyricist. At the ceremony in December, White debuted a new song called “Quarter-Life Crisis” in a solo acoustic performance.

He also will play a showcase in February during the 15th annual Millennium Music Conference and Showcase in Harrisburg.

Back in 2006, White got a taste of the “American Idol” experience, making it through two early rounds.

“It’s fun to watch, but it’s not really like what they show on TV,” he said. “You think you are going there to sing for Simon Cowell, and you end up singing for 15 seconds in groups of four for 40 producers with 2,000 other people.”

Since getting back together with Kinetic Blu, the band has been working on its live act, trying to find a permanent bassist and cutting some demos, White said.

“We’re always plugging away to keep the name out there and keep the music out there,” he said.

For a current gig schedule and more information on White and the band, visit.jordanwhitemusic.com.

STILL A QUIET TIME IN THE WYOMING VALLEY with no major-name concerts coming up until Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt take the stage at Wilkes-Barre’s F.M. Kirby Center on Jan. 27 for an acoustic performance.

Your best bet for live entertainment this weekend might be the Keswick Theatre, on Keswick Avenue in Glenside, just outside Philadelphia. I have seen a handful of shows at this impressive place, and it truly lives up to its billing as “the most-comfortable, friendly, acoustically perfect listening room in the Philadelphia area,” as its website ( www.keswicktheatre.com) proudly proclaims.

Tonight at the Keswick is a birthday concert in honor of Elvis Presley (who would have turned 76 on Jan. 8), with two Elvis tribute artists, Mike Albert as the “Vegas superstar” and Scot Bruce as the earlier, rocking Elvis. Both performers will be backed by the Big E Band, and the show gets under way at 8 p.m.

Disco lives at the Keswick tomorrow night at 8 with a double-bill including Gloria Gaynor and the Village People.

Gaynor is best remembered for “I Will Survive,” which stayed at the top of the charts for three weeks in early 1979. She also hit No. 9 in 1974 with “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

The Village People and their signature songs “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man” ruled pop culture in 1978. The group, which appeared in the 1980 film “Can’t Stop The Music,” also reached No. 3 in 1979 with “In The Navy.”

THE 2010 YEAR-END HOT 100 CHART FROM BILLBOARD MAGAZINE is out, and it confirms what many of us already knew: It’s a rough time for rock bands, as only one made the Top 10.

The biggest single of the past 12 months was “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha, followed by “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. Train, the only rock band to make the chart’s upper reaches, came in at No. 3 with “Hey, Soul Sister.”

The fourth-biggest song of the year was “California Gurls” by Katy Perry with Snoop Dogg, while “OMG” by Usher with will.i.am came in at No. 5.

Rounding out the Top 10 in order: “Airplanes” by B.o.B with Haley Williams; “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem with Rihanna; “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga; and a pair of songs by Taio Cruz: “Dynamite” and “Break Your Heart,” with Ludacris.

The year’s top album was Susan Boyle’s “I Dreamed a Dream,” with Eminem following close behind with “Recovery.” Lady Antebellum’s album “Need You Now” was the third biggest of the year, Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” came in fourth, and Justin Bieber rounded out the Top 5 with “My World 2.0.”

Andrea Bocelli came in sixth for the year with his seasonal offering, “My Christmas.” Taylor Swift placed two albums in the Top 10, coming in at No. 7 with “Fearless” and at No. 9 with “Speak Now.” Bieber made his second showing with “My World (EP)” at No. 8, and The Black Eyed Peas hit No. 10 with “The E.N.D.”

Brad Patton is the Times Leader’s music correspondent and hosts a three-hour program starting at 7 Tuesday evenings on 88.5 FM – WRKC (Radio King’s College).