New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

#44 Ken Shane: South Ridgeway Avenue


By Gary Wien

originally published: 01/28/2011


Ken Shane grew up in both North Jersey (Springfield) and South Jersey (Atlantic City), but it’s clear his heart remained at the Shore.  His memories of the beach, boardwalk, and summers spent at his Grandparents’ house on South Ridgeway Avenue were the inspiration behind this wonderful collection of songs.

The album begins with “Summer And Smoke,” a beautiful tale of a beach town moving into the off-season.  He’s singing about Atlantic City, but the story remains the same for every beach town.  The end of the summer is a time of sadness, a moment when time seems to stop and the world goes into hibernation.  Ken describes it perfectly.

Summer has ended again this year

The carousel’s run out of steam

September is always so bitter sweet

The beginning and end of a dream


-- “Summer And Smoke”

His songwriting reminds me of artists like Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon. A fine cast of musicians including Walt Stacey, Herb Maitlandt, Jerry Cordasco, Rich Bunkiewicz, Chris D’Amico, and Jim Brown were enlisted for the album; together they lift the music from its singer-songwriter origins to that which sounds like a veteran band whose played together for years and years.

South Ridgeway Avenue is a soundtrack for the lives of those who have grown up along the Shore.  The album contains tales of love and loss (“When I Loved You”), undying hope for the future (“World Without End”), memories of places which sadly no longer exist (“Disappeared”), and simply growing older (“Invisible”).

If Bruce Springsteen is the bard of Asbury Park then this album should warrant Ken Shane a nomination for Atlantic City’s title. 




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



Highlights include those already mentioned plus the amazing title track.


From the book Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists by Gary Wien


Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station The Penguin Rocks. He can be contacted at gary@newjerseystage.com.

FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Tuesday

Tuesday Night Record Club - Crowded House

Tuesday, July 01, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Monmouth University - The Great Hall
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music


 

Curtis

Curtis Salgado

Wednesday, July 02, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

John

John Lee & Friends

Thursday, July 03, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

Blues

Blues People with Special Guest: Jeff Levine

Saturday, July 05, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

Straight

Straight No Chaser - Summer: The 90’s Part 2

Tuesday, July 08, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music


 



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





 

EVENT PREVIEWS

bergenPAC

bergenPAC presents Straight No Chaser - Summer: The 90's Part 2

(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- After a totally fly 2024 summer tour packed full of 90s boy band, pop, and R&B hits, RIAA-certified Gold a cappella group Straight No Chaser is back by popular demand with "Straight No Chaser Summer: 90s Part 2." The tour comes to Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) on Thursday, July 8, 2025 at 7:00pm.



Blue

Blue Curtain presents 2025 Summer Concert Series in Princeton

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Blue Curtain returns to Pettoranello Gardens Amphitheater this July with a free three-concert series. The 2025 season opens on Saturday, July 12 at 8:00pm with a performance by internationally acclaimed trombonist, composer, and bandleader Jimmy Bosch, also known as El Trombon Criollo.



NJPAC

NJPAC presents KEM with special guest Melania Fiona

(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents a special evening with KEM, known as Soul's Greatness, on Friday, July 18, 2025 at 8:00pm. Special guest Melanie Fiona will open the night.



Drew

Drew University Rocks the House with Legendary Tributes and Live Comedy In September

(MADISON, NJ) -- This September, Drew University's Concert Hall in Madison will transform into a powerhouse of live entertainment, delivering six unforgettable nights of tributes and laughter. From heartland rock and Southern soul to mystical classics and offbeat comedy, each event brings a unique and electrifying experience to audiences of all ages.



Levoy

Levoy Theatre presents The Artimus Pyle Band – Honoring Ronnie Van Zant's Lynyrd Skynyrd

(MILLVILLE, NJ) -- The Levoy Theatre presents The Artimus Pyle Band on Friday, August 22, 2025 at 8:00pm. The band features Artimus Pyle, the last surviving member and drummer of the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup & 2006 Rock & Roll HOF inductee with Lynyrd Skynyrd.