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ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...4/17/15


By Danny Coleman

originally published: 04/17/2015


They may be from Provo, Utah but The Fictionist's resume reads like New York City, Hollywood and Royal Albert Hall all wrapped into one. Winners of an "Independent Music Award," semi-finalists in Rolling Stone's "Do You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" contest along with multiple song placements on various compilation discs, television shows and in festivals; the band has only begun to scratch the surface of their capabilities. 
 
"We've been together about six years," says guitarist/vocalist and one of the band's founding members Robbie Connolly. "We started out as friends, three of us were in a band with one another since high school; we've known each other a long time. We found a new drummer and things took off from there." 
 
"Took off," may be the understatement of the year as the band has made an appearance on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and had been signed to Atlantic Records as well as opened for Imagine Dragons. However, as is the case with many a first shot signing; things don't always work out as planned. "Well, the short version of a long story is that we were signed to a major label a couple of years ago," explained Connolly. "It took a long time to record the disc and it was never released; neither us nor the label were very happy. So we decided to start fresh; we recorded in our bass player's basement." "With a major label, everything is big," added guitarist and sometime bassist Brandon Kitterman. "We decided to go smaller; it's kind of nice. We are working with a budget and not paying $150 an hour for a studio. We have more freedom and it's much more relaxed." 
 
"Relaxed," is a great way to describe the band as they seem to have had that demeanor from the outset. From the naming process to the description of their sound and their upcoming tour; they seem focused yet level minded. Kitterman explained their approach with a laugh, "Well, our drummer had a dream which featured the word affectionist; I don't even know if that's a legitimate word but we liked it so we started thinking; what sounds like that? We thought novelist, no and then someone said, "Fictionist" and we kind of liked it so we said, "Why not?" We also like it because it has more than one possible meaning; we like to leave it open to interpretation." 
 
When it comes to their sound, Kitterman had an even bigger laugh when he explained what has now become the band's pat answer when asked questions about their sound. "Incandescent shadow pop," he said very amused. "Somebody actually described us as that a while back; we thought it was funny. So whenever we are asked about our sound or style that's always our response; we think it's unique. We describe ourselves as a "Peter Gabriel garage band" and we feel that's pretty accurate." 
 
Connolly was a bit more excited when he discussed the upcoming tour and how the summer is shaping up. "Right now we've got a little bit of time off and then we have a couple of big festivals to play and then we'll be hitting the road and going east to do some dates out there; New York, Philly. We just returned from South by South West and that was great! We're working on a few things but we'll be back out on the road soon enough!" 
 
To find out more about Fictionist, please go to www.fictionist.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. Paul Plumeri Trio




 
Amalfi's Restaurant


146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville

(609) 912-1599



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info


 

Fri. 9 p.m. Kindred Spirit




 
Amarones Windsor Inn



29 Church St. Windsor

 

(609) 448-7144

 

Thurs. 6:30 p.m. "Country" Ron Crites

Fri. 8 p.m. Lonnie Youngblood



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info


Sat. 8 p.m. Tony Malandro

Wed. 7:30 p.m. Robert Bruce

 

Blend Bar & Bistro

911 Highway 33, Hamilton

(609) 245-8887

 

Fri. 10 p.m. Shaun Ruymen Trio

Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam

 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info


The Backstage at Championship Bar 

931 Chambers St. Trenton

 

Thurs. 5 p.m. Dog Fashion Disco, Beebs And Her Money Makers, Idiot Boy,Epoch Failure, Jewel Eye, Imankita, The Rooftop. All ages, $12/$15

Fri. 5 p.m. Lionheart, Nasty, These Streets, Sicker Than Most, Before I Had Wings, Prospect, Choke Artist. All ages, $12/$14

Sat. 6 p.m. Beyond Dishonor (EP Release), A Wake In Providence, Proletariat, Every Minute Can Kill, The Artisan, Under The Red Hood. All ages, $10/$12

Mon. 5 p.m. Allegaeon, Product Of Hate, Prosper Or Perish, Burial Mound, Lethal Affection, Half Ton Of Humanity, (TBA). All ages, $12

Tues. 5 p.m. Every Passing dream, Invoker, Animal, Cranely Gardens, Lit By Darkness, Depreciator, Deadworld. All ages, $10/$12

Wed. 6 p.m. Post Season, Old Again, Golden Age, Civil Youth, levelhead, Catch The Break. All ages, $10/$12

 

Candlelight Lounge 

24 Passaic St. Trenton

(609) 695-9612



 

Sat. 3 p.m. "Valerie's Birthday Bash" w/ Madame Pat Tandy Quartet. (No cover-$10 minimum)

 

Chickie's & Pete's

183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown

(609) 298-9182

 

Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs

 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info


City Streets

510 Route 130 South East Windsor

(609) 426-9400

 

Fri. 9 p.m. That Acoustic 80's Band

 

Corner House Tavern

24509 E. Main Street Columbus

 

Sat. 9 p.m. Never Enough

Dog & Bull Brew House

810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.

(215) 788-2855

Thurs. 8 p.m. Twin Ghost

Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" w/ Cecil Middleton (9 p.m.) Soul Custody

Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Jazz 180 (9 p.m.) Hambone Relay

Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. the Evolution Jazz Band (3 p.m.) Dick Gratton

Mon. 8 p.m. Nick & Greg

Tues. 8 p.m. Brian (Challenge Accepted)

Wed. 8 p.m. Dick Gratton

 

Dubh Linn Square 

167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown

(609) 298-7100

 

Thurs. Ladies Night

Sun. 4 p.m. Irish Sessions

Mon. Military Day

 

Fran's Pub



116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.

(215)862-5539

 

Thurs. 9 p.m. Curtain Call

Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam

All shows 21+ 

 

Havana New Hope

105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa. 

(215) 862-9897

 



Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party

Fri. 8:30 p.m. Rusty


Sat. 8:30 p.m. se7en

Sun. (2 p.m.) Sip and Shop (6 p.m.) JB Kline Band 

Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron

Wed. 8 p.m. Pat Foran & Friends

All shows 21+

 

Ivy Tavern 

3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton

(609) 888-1435

 

Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke

Fri. 10 p.m. F2 & the Anchovy Brothers

Sat. 10 p.m. Soul Custody

Tues. 8 p.m. Ted Z Memorial Open Jam

All shows 21+



 

John & Peter's 

96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.

(215) 862-5981

 

Thurs. 9 p.m. The Living Deads

Fri. 9 p.m. Little Lesley & the Bloodshots

Sat. (3 p.m.) The Fermenters (9 p.m.) Redrover Revue Burlesque

Sun. 9 p.m. Chris Harford and the Band of Changes

Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Lauren

Tues. 7 p.m. Jerry Feiss



Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational

All shows 21+

 

JoJo's Tavern

2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton

(609) 586-2678

  

Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke

 

Paint the Roses Tea and Café

37 West Broad Street Hopewell

(609) 466-8200

 

Sat. 11 a.m. Bryan Hill

 

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. TJ Nix Music variety Show

Sat. 7:30 p.m. Blues In Disguise

 

Pete's Steak House

523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton

(609) 585-8008

 

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Blind Lemmon Pie

 

Plumstead Grill

457 Route 539 Cream Ridge

(609) 758-5552

 

Fri. 9 p.m. Dirty Red

 

Randy Now's Man Cave

134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown

(609) 424-3766

 

Sat. "Record Store Day" Open 9 a.m. feat. in store show (2 p.m.) Honah Lee 

Sun. 1 p.m. In store "Meet and Greet" w/ Heathens rage

 

RHO Waterfront








50 Riverview Plaza Trenton



(609) 393-7300

 

Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Paul Desisto

Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8 p.m.) DJ Frank Oliveti (9 p.m.) Soul Cruisers

Sat. 9 p.m. "Traffic Light Dance Party" w/ DJs and Kombo Latino. $20

Sun. 7 p.m. "30th Anniversary Concert" Heathens Rage. $20 (advance) $25 (door) 



All Shows 21+

 

Small World Coffee

14 Witherspoon Street Princeton

(609) 924-4377

 

Sat. 8:30 p.m. Matt Wong Group

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 HOB Tavern

146 Second Street

(609) 291-7020

 

Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke

 

The Ivy Inn

248 Nassau St. Princeton

(609) 921-8555

 

Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron

Fri. 10 p.m. Rainbow Fresh

Sat. 10 p.m. El Ka Bong

Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv

Wed. 8:30 p.m. Tune Trivia (10:30 p.m.) DJ Rockn Ron

Wed. 10 p.m. Heads Up / DJ Rockn Ron

 

The Millhill Basement

300 South Broad St Trenton

(609) 989-1600

 

Sat. 9 p.m. Future Damage, Radical Discharge, Too Late. Ages 21+, $6

 

The Record Collector

358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown

(609) 324-0880

Fri.  8 p.m. Eliot Lewis (CD Release Party)/Nalani & Sarina. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $15 (advance)

Sat. "Record Store Day" Opening at 9 a.m. (12 p.m.) Anker, Paper Jets, Successful Failures 

 

The Sticky Wicket 

2465 South Broad St. Hamilton

(609) 439-0007

 

Fri. 9 p.m. The Drunk Monkeys

 

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 (9 p.m.) The Successful Failures

Sat. 9 p.m. Dermot McSweeney

Tues. (7 p.m.) Rock On Radio Happy Hour Hosted by Danny Coleman feat. Moot Davis.  (9 p.m.) Open Mic. w/ Bob Daley

All shows  21+

Trenton Buzz

702 Pine St. Trenton

(609) 392-6000

 

Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Hek Cat

 

Trenton Social

449 South Broad Street Trenton

(609) 989-7777

 

Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Cinema Thursday Presents: "Hectic Films Double Feature"

Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday

Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree 

Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic.

 

Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)

400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.

(215) 862-8300

 

Fri. 10 p.m. Eryn Shewell & The Whiskey Devils ($5 cover charge)

Sat. 10 p.m. Tigerman ($5 cover charge)

Sun. 7 p.m.Open Jam Night



Tues. 9 p.m. Challenge Accepted

Wed. 9 p.m. Rob Clancy

All shows 21+

 

Wildflowers Inn



2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington

Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
















Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.

EVENT PREVIEWS
MPAC presents Patti LaBelle on April 17th

MPAC presents Patti LaBelle on April 17th

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Legendary vocalist Patti LaBelle comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. Beautiful, simply does not describe the incomparable force known to the world as Patti LaBelle. Through the years, the songbird's name has become synonymous with grace, style, and class.
Killer Queen to Perform at Scottish Rite Auditorium

Killer Queen to Perform at Scottish Rite Auditorium

(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- Killer Queen, the award-winning UK-based Queen Tribute featuring the incredible Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury, will perform at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. The group's ambitious twelve-week 2026 US Tour runs from April 16 to October 23. 
Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR

Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America's favorite female singers for more than two decades. A limited number of tickets remain for the show.
The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Simple Gifts on April 17th

The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Simple Gifts on April 17th

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Simple Gifts on Friday, April 17, 2026 at Christ Congregation Church. Two women plus ten instruments equal one good time when the award-winning duo of Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon take the stage. Showtime is 8:00pm.
Remember Jones to present 50th Anniversary Celebration of Stevie Wonder

Remember Jones to present 50th Anniversary Celebration of Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life"

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Remember Jones will present a 50th Anniversary Celebration of Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life - a one night only theatrical event featuring the ENTIRE album and MORE Stevie Wonder hits with a full expanded band, Count Basie Center Gospel Choir, and Very Special Guests on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at Count Basie Center for the Arts.
Algonquin Arts Theatre presents Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience

Algonquin Arts Theatre presents Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience

(MANASQUAN, NJ) -- Algonquin Arts Theatre presents Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 2:00pm. This is a unique experience that puts the audience in control.
MPAC presents Tony Danza: Standards and Stories on April 18th

MPAC presents Tony Danza: Standards and Stories on April 18th

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Popular entertainer Tony Danza brings his Standards and Stories concert to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:00pm. Combining timeless music with wit, charm, storytelling, and a dash of soft shoe and ukulele performances, Danza performs a selection of his favorite standards from the Great American Songbook while interweaving stories about his life and personal connection to the music.
Split Level Concerts presents Lucy Kaplansky at Jersey Shore Arts Center; Dave Vargo to Open

Split Level Concerts presents Lucy Kaplansky at Jersey Shore Arts Center; Dave Vargo to Open

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Contemporary folk stalwart Lucy Kaplansky will perform at Jersey Shore Arts Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:00pm. Jersey-born songwriter and guitarist Dave Vargo will open the show. The show is part of the on-going Split Level Concerts Series which highlights renowned Americana and contemporary folk musicians in a uniquely intimate setting.
State Theatre New Jersey presents

State Theatre New Jersey presents '60s Rock 'n Roll Revival

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents '60s Rock 'N Roll Revival on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:00pm. The evening features performances by Jay and the Americans, The Grass Roots, The Lovin' Spoonful, and The Brooklyn Bridge.
Actor, Writer, Designer Isaac Mizrahi to Bring Six-Piece Jazz Band to Stockton on April 18th

Actor, Writer, Designer Isaac Mizrahi to Bring Six-Piece Jazz Band to Stockton on April 18th

(GALLOWAY, NJ) -- Actor, writer, designer and producer Isaac Mizrahi will blend comedy, storytelling and jazz for a performance at Stockton University's Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Showtime is 7:30pm.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS
Actor, Writer, Designer Isaac Mizrahi to Bring Six-Piece Jazz Band to Stockton on April 18th
Shemekia Copeland
Friday, April 17, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room Tuckerton, NJ

 

Actor, Writer, Designer Isaac Mizrahi to Bring Six-Piece Jazz Band to Stockton on April 18th
Chris Mitchell: Begging For Sax Tour
Friday, April 17, 2026 @ 8:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) New Brunswick, NJ

 

Actor, Writer, Designer Isaac Mizrahi to Bring Six-Piece Jazz Band to Stockton on April 18th
Patti LaBelle
Friday, April 17, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) Morristown, NJ

 

Actor, Writer, Designer Isaac Mizrahi to Bring Six-Piece Jazz Band to Stockton on April 18th
The Brit Pack
Saturday, April 18, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Grunin Center - Main Stage Toms River, NJ

 

Actor, Writer, Designer Isaac Mizrahi to Bring Six-Piece Jazz Band to Stockton on April 18th
Lucy Kaplansky (with special guest Dave Vargo)
Saturday, April 18, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Jersey Shore Arts Center Ocean Grove, NJ

 


 



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