The Stone Pony plays host to The 22nd. Annual Asbury Music Awards on Thursday December 18. This yearly gathering, which began as stated above in an excerpt from the Award's web site, has become more than just an awards ceremony; it's an Asbury Park institution.
The "AMAs" as they are affectionately known, like any other recognition ceremony is chock full of entertainment, nominees and even the occasional controversy but for all those who are nominated or attend one thing is certain; you will witness incredible talent.
Every year the list of nominees seems to get bigger and each deserving of the nod. Every year the musical acts selected to perform from a talent pool which runs deeper than the ocean itself fill the night with magic. Recent years past performances by The Amboys, Thomas Wesley Stern, Scarlet Carson and many more have been memorable. This year, there are a host of new performers ready to rock 'n' roll the Pony to its rafters. Players such as Sofia Nicole with Megan Doucette, Francis Lombardi, Matt Wade and great acts such as Deal Casino and The Battery Electric will all hit the storied stage beginning at 6 p.m. and running until 2 a.m.
This year's event is hosted by comedian Taylor Allen; a job that has belonged to Brookdale Radio's Jeff Raspe for the last several years. Raspe had and still has his hands on the pulse of the Asbury Park and Northern Jersey Shore area music scene better than most anyone over the last twenty five years. Another man who has received multiple nominations is music journalist and owner of The Penguin Rocks Radio Mr. Gary Wien. Gary is a well respected author of several books about the Jersey Indie artist population and the Asbury Park and surrounding area's music communities.
The event's main man, Scott Stamper does yeoman's work to put together this show every year and deserves the accolades which come his way. The Saint is an original music hub and under Stamper's direction has allowed many an artist to flourish. Scott and Meg Kelly, along with the rest of their committee deserve a nice round of applause for their yearly efforts.
Tickets for the Asbury Music Awards are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and can be purchased at The Stone Pony, The Saint or on line at www.thesaintnj.com, www.ticketmaster.com or www.ticketweb.com. To discover more about the awards and their history; please go to www.asburymusicawards.com .
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Alchemist & Barrister
28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Einstein Alley Musicians Collaborative
Sun. 9 p.m. Ed Wilson
Wed. 10 p.m. Open mic. night
All shows 21+
Amalfi's Restaurant
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Amarones Windsor Inn
29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Scott Cager & Debbie
Fri. 8 p.m. Greg Martiello
Sat. 8 p.m. Meg Hanson Band feat. Billy Hill
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Texas Hold'em
Wed. 7 p.m. DJ John Rossi
Big Shots Bar and Grill/Hebe Music Lounge
835 E Rte. 130 South, Burlington
(609) 267-1200
Fri. 7 p.m. A Breed of Human, Allora Mis, Bove the Wom
Sat. 7 p.m. Kara Lia, High Rise, Kimmy Dole
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic. feat. The Great Socio and Eric Sommers
Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Thurs. 6 p.m. Scab, Grim Legion, Morbid Visions, Mindless Flesh, Mind of The destroyer, At variant Air. All ages, $10
Fri. 6 p.m. Dog Fashion Disco, Super Terrific Action Team, Devo Spice (CD Release Show), Justin ‡ Symbol, (More TBA). All ages, $13/$15.
Sat. 5 p.m. Disaster Committee, Final Showcase, Milhouse, (TBA). All ages, $10
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Webb T Quartet w/ Face Rickman. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chambers Walk Cafe
2667 Main St. Lawrenceville
(609) 896-5995
Fri./Sat. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Dubh Linn Square
167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-7100
Sun. 4 p.m.Billy O'neal
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night hosted by Shaun Ruymen
Wed. 9 p.m. Trivia Night
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215)862-5539
Sat. 8 p.m. Mister Revelator
Sun. 3:30 p.m. Dave Bond
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Mic Blues Jam hosted by Jimmy Pritchard
All shows 21+
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat the Clock" DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Big House Band
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Fish Out of Water
Sun. 6 p.m. Bob Lanza Blues Band
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke in the Bar w/ DJ Ron Sherr and Bridget
Tues. 7 p.m. An Evening with Colorado Earth
Wed. 8 p.m. Pat Foran and Friends
All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. The Dawgs
Sat. 10 p.m. Infinite Bandwidth
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. J & P's Comedy Night
Fri. 9 p.m. Brother Eye and The Rips
Sat. (3 p.m.) Basement Noise (9 p.m.) Corkscrew and Dusty Mason
Sun. (3 p.m.) The Fermenters (9 p.m.) Husky Burnette
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Lauren
Tues. 9:30 p.m. Snackpile
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Sat. 10 p.m. The Polish Nannies
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Steve Bross
Sat. 7:30 p.m. McMillian & Company
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Mercer County Pour
Sat. 9:30 p.m. F2 and The Anchovy Brothers
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. College Night "Santa's Helper Pajama Party" w/ DJ Paul Desisto
Fri. 4 p.m./8 p.m. Club Christmas w/ DJ Bryan
Sat. 9 p.m. "A Night at RHO Cuffing Season and Dance Party Celebration. $20
All Shows 21+
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. Pretty Baby
Sat. 9 p.m. ArHouse
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr
Fri. 10 p.m. Rainbow Fresh
Sat. 10 p.m. DJ Fatha Ramzee
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. Theme Night w/ DJ Rockin' Ron
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 9 p.m. Jay Keller
The Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
This show occurs at The Open Arts Stage Theater
located at 146 Route 130 South in Bordentown
Wed. 7:30 p.m. The Dickies w/ Soraia, The Droogettes. Doors at 7 p.m., $20
The Millhill Basement
300 South Broad St Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Thurs. 9 p.m. Sex Cross, Manalive, Don't Bother Me, Head Creeps. $6
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. Paul Plumeri & Joe Zook. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
Sat. 8 p.m. Danielle Steward (Trio) CD Release party / One Punch Mickey. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $10 (advance)
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. (5 p.m.) Bill Shannon
Sat. 9 p.m. Seamus Kelleher
Tues. (7 p.m.) Rock On Radio Happy Hour Hosted by Danny Coleman (9 p.m.) Open Mic. Hosted by Bob Daley
Wed. 9 p.m.
All shows 21+
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. Cinema Thursdays Presents: "The Half-Life Horror From Hell" or "Irradiated Satan Rocks The World!"
Fri. 10 p.m. Friday night w/ Jay Kountree & Jaxx
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Adam Ezra Group. ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Caroline Reese w/ Matt Romagna. ($5 cover charge)
Tues. 9 p.m. Acoustic Grateful Dead feat. members of Splintered Sunlight
Wed. 9 p.m. Bengal Gold
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
