ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...7/16/15

By Danny Coleman

originally published: 07/16/2015

With the Atlantic Ocean as a foreground, Sam Sims hit the first notes of "Sunday Sun" and the night was off to a feel good start; complete with the kind of vibe that says, "Every Little Thing is gonna be alright."

Jenk's Pavilion in Point Pleasant, NJ recently hosted Sims, Random Test and The "Legendary" Wailers for a night of rock and reggae that defied the most stiff of leg to stay still, warmed the coldest hearts and provided an evening filled with singing and a vibe of togetherness rarely seen from one band let alone three.

Random Test, hailing from Red Bank, NJ and their front man Danny Love took the baton that Sims passed off and the second leg of this three legged race picked up steam and picked it up quick. Wasting no time, Love and his band mates performed a high energy set; even having the chutzpah to throw a Bob Marley tune in the mix as a tribute to the very band waiting to take the stage next.

With the crowd now in a shoulder swaying, knee bending state; The Wailers took to the stage at 10:03 p.m. EST to a packed house. The beach, mostly empty now, void of those who had just arrived or had no interest in the opening acts; provided a perfect setting as the ocean now became a tide of bodies attempting to get closer to the stage.

The first beats of "Cobra Style" split the now cool night and the band was off and running; actually more like "Running Away Crazy" which was the second offering of the evening. The crowd expressed its pleasure and joined in and sang along with the first of the mainstream selections; that of the popular "Buffalo Soldier."

"Pimper's Paradise," "Roots Rock a Reggae" and "Stir It Up" proceeded the ever popular "Could You Be Loved" which took it up yet another notch as the crowd was by now in full Rasta mode.

Several tunes later the night began a steamroll towards its end when front man and vocalist Dwayne Anglin uttered, "I shot the sheriff but I will tell you this; I did not shoot his deputy." That is all of those in attendance needed to hear as they sang the timeless classic in unison from start to finish and were now raring for more.

"Heathen" was followed by another favorite, "Three Little Birds," and the show was then brought to a temporary close at 11:30 p.m. EST with a lengthy version of "Jamming;" which had hands waving, interpretive dance and once again, hundreds of vocalists helping the men and lady along.

A three minute wait turned into the first encore and as the first finger picked chords of "Redemption Song"permeated the captive audience, a calm fell over the room with all eyes trained forward; not even noticing the remaining band slowly filtering back in place. They did notice them however as they next hammered the night home with "Get Up, Stand Up," literally bringing everyone to their feet to join in this battle cry off of the 1973 album "Burnin'."

Another great night from a great band; three great bands is a more apt way to say it as Jenk's rocked hard from start to finish with the rock/reggae party of the year. Their members may change over the course of time but the music does not; long live the memory of Bob Marley and long live the Wailers!

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 Band

Sun. 9 p.m. Ed Wilson

Wed. 10 p.m. Open mic w/ Kevin Rovner

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

All shows 21+

Amarones Windsor Inn

29 Church St. Windsor

(609) 448-7144

Fri. 8 p.m. Voice of Legends: Hear All The Stars

Sat. 8 p.m. Tony Malandro

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

Blend Bar & Bistro

911 Highway 33, Hamilton

(609) 245-8887

Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam

The Backstage at Championship Bar

931 Chambers St. Trenton

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

Thurs. 4 p.m. Bermuda, The Funeral Portrait, The Prestige, Sovereign Kings, Under The Red Hood, Nights Of Malice, (TBA). All ages, $10/$12

Fri. 7 p.m. Thrashole, No More Pain, Galesburg, Windfaerer, Mindless Flesh, Logan Svihovec. All ages, $10

Sat. 6 p.m. Concrete, Lowered A.D., Forced Out, Ground, Garland Greene, Time Spent. All ages, $10

Sun. 5 p.m. Backyard Superheroes, P-Funk North, Fun While You Wait, Llama Tsunami, The Rooftop, Modern Eyes, The Mad Splatter. All ages, $10

Candlelight Lounge

24 Passaic St. Trenton

(609) 695-9612

Sat. 3 p.m. Carrie Jackson 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

Wed. 9 p.m. Trivia Night

City Streets

510 Route 130 South East Windsor

(609) 426-9400

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

Fri. 9 p.m. Kim Yarson & Sandy Zio

Dog & Bull Brew House

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

(215) 788-2855

Thurs. 8 p.m. Dick Gratton

Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" feat. Cecil Middleton (9 p.m.) Visoon

Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Jazz 180 (9 p.m.) Chris & Tommy's Good Time Folk Rock Show

Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Joe Robinson Brunch Jam (3 p.m.) Heather Heather

Mon. 8 p.m. Perry Wolfe

Tues. 8 p.m. Brian Cono

Wed. 8 p.m. Paul Donavan

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 p.m. The Flozells feat. Sammy Flow w/ Nalani & Sarina

Sat. (1 p.m.) Sip & Shop (8 p.m.) Creem Circus. Doors at 6 p.m., $7 (10:30 p.m.) DJ Entertainment

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

Wed. 8 p.m. Pat Foran & Friends

Ivy Tavern

3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton

(609) 888-1435

Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke

Fri. 10 p.m. The Dawgs

Sat. 10 p.m. Beatles Pie

All shows 21+

John & Peter's

96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.

(215) 862-5981

Thurs. 7 p.m. Ralph Smith's WALK ON Benefit

Fri. 9 p.m. The Happy Dog

Sat. (3 p.m.) The Hallowed Roots (9 p.m.) Billy (The Band)

Sun. (3 p.m.) Faust / Fulton Duo (9 p.m.) Dan Zimmerman & The Torquebillies

Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Justin Pope

Tues. 9 p.m. Just Cause, Sin PA, Obist Abettor

Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational

All shows 21+

JoJo's Tavern

2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton

(609) 586-2678

Sat. 10 p.m. Radio Fiction

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. Blues In Disguise

Sat. 7:30 p.m. DT & The Burnerz

Pete's Steak House

523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton

(609) 585-8008

Fri. 9:30 p.m. Tone Rangers

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Kramer Monk Band

Randy Now's Man Cave

134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown

(609) 424-3766

Check web site for upcoming shows

RHO Waterfront

50 Riverview Plaza Trenton

(609) 393-7300

Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30 p.m.) The Main Event

Sat. 10 p.m. Social Dance, DJ Entertainment, Guest Celebrity "Deelishis," $30, $40 (VIP)

All Shows 21+

Tavern On The Lake

101 Main St. Hightstown

(609) 426-9345

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. The Seth Tieger Band

Sat. 10 p.m. Diablo Sandwich Band

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

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

The Sticky Wicket

2465 South Broad St. Hamilton

(609) 439-0007

Fri. 9 p.m. New Dawn

Sat. 9 p.m. Gyrl Band

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. 9 p.m. Mike Brill

Sat. 9 p.m. Seamus Kelleher

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: (TBA)

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. Josh Olmstead Band. ($5 cover charge)

Sat. 10 p.m. No Good Sister. ($5 cover charge)

Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night

All shows 21+

Wildflowers Inn

2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington

Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock

All Shows 21+

About the author:

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.

Joe Russo's Almost Dead
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ

Joe Russo's Almost Dead is Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. We're a Grateful Dead cover band.

Mccarter At The Museum: An Evening With Jason Robert Brown
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Princeton Art Museum
45 Elm Drive, Princeton, NJ

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].