Don McLean to Play Monmouth University's Pollack Theatre

by Danny Coleman - published 2024-04-30
"I'm excited, I love traveling and singing. I don't really tour for any particular reason; except for the pandemic I've never stopped since 1968," began music legend Don McLean as he talked about his career, folk music, "The SONG," and his upcoming May 4 show at Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre. "I just like rambling and singing and going and having a certain rhythm to my life where I'm home for a while and then I go to some place that maybe I've been to before or maybe never was before; when I would do foreign tours in places like Australia, England or Europe, that would often be behind an album and that would be called the "Prime Time" tour or the "American Pie" tour, the "Headroom" tour or whatever it was depending on the album because you'd be on a bus for a month and do 25 to 27 shows and that was intense and I've done many, many of those. I've decided to stop doing that sort of thing and what I'm doing now and will continue to do is the occasional one or two nights and then some time off. I'll go overseas for one or two shows; I'm going over to England to perform at a festival in August and I'll stay at a nice hotel with my girlfriend and we're gonna visit nice restaurants and do some sightseeing and that's what I'm gonna do from now on. Anybody else would say, "You are still working" but to me that's semi-retirement."

This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts Taking Place from April 30 to May 7, 2024

Here is a look at upcoming shows taking place from April 30 to May 7, 2024 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.

Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Wave" by Scott McDonald

by Bob Makin - published 2024-04-26
The very appropriately entitled Makin Waves Song of the Week, "Wave," is the second single from Tusk guitarist-vocalist Scott McDonald's forthcoming solo LP.

Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...4/25/24

by Danny Coleman - published 2024-04-25
"Quarto Valley, those guys picked me up and they released the record which is a tribute to Hubert Sumlin. Paul Rodgers put out a statement on his Facebook saying something to the effect of, it's good to see a young guitar player like Sean paying tribute to one of the best Chicago Blues players ever. Hubert was one of the best string benders ever or something like that; basically giving me props for paying tribute to Hubert."

This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts Taking Place from April 23-30, 2024

Here is a look at upcoming shows taking place from April 23-30, 2024 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas. Click on the title to go to the full preview. Jump to Featured Events, Event Previews, Event Listings.

Wicked to Cast Their Spell at Salty's Beach Bar

by Danny Coleman - published 2024-04-23
"We're so excited. The band is just poised and ready to hit the road and rock out and get this album out to the masses," laughed the man simply known as "Danny" as he discussed his band Wicked, their new album "Sunburn" and their April 25 show at Salty's Beach Bar in Lake Como, NJ. 

BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable NJ Music 4/22/24

by Lazlo - published 2024-04-22
Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians each week with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Marc Del Giudice, The Dracu-Las, SONOFDOV, Bobby Mahoney, Jason Didner, and Southpaw. Plus a look back at "Truth About Lions" by The Chilling Details.

Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Too Many Tabs Open" by Jason Didner

by Bob Makin - published 2024-04-19
Multi-instrumentalists, such as Xavier Rudd, Garth Hudson and Stevie Wonder, fascinate me. So does Jason Didner, who showcases his multi-hyphenated talent in the new video for his funny but meaningful song, "Too Many Tabs Open," the Makin Waves Song of the Week.

Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...4/18/24

by Danny Coleman - published 2024-04-18
"I tell everyone that I'm the last surviving original member of my band, however I had a 50/50 chance where some other guys didn't," laughed John Ford Coley as he reflected upon his former partnership with the late England Dan, current bands with no original members, his very loyal fan base and his fellow mellow rockers as they get ready to bring "Rock The Dock" to Englewood, NJ for a night of some of the greatest adult contemporary and easy listening tunes ever created.