New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

Does Your Church Have A Liquor License?


By Gary Wien

originally published: 12/06/2008


(KEYPORT, NJ - DECEMBER 6, 2008) Review of Jon Caspi's CD Release Party for "Eddie Knows!" at Trinity, Keyport, NJ

There's definitely something special about seeing Jon Caspi perform in Keyport, his adopted hometown. He has a huge base of fans there and they all come out for his shows knowing every word to every song - even on nights like this one where Caspi is celebrating the release of a new CD. Caspi chose Trinity, a former Church converted into an upscale restaurant/night club, as the site for the party this time around.

Trinity was an interesting experience. Described to me by Caspi as a swanky, NYC styled venue, it certainly lived up to its billing. From the outside, Trinity still looks every bit like a church built a hundred years ago, but the inside contains a blend of sin and decadence to go along with the remnants of its religious past. One of the coolest things about the new venue is the way it sort of gives off the vibe of a very small Radio City Music Hall with its tiny stage and curtains and a huge upstairs that lets people have a balcony view. Caspi definitely looked as though he thoroughly enjoyed having the entire place there to see him - including those in the upper tier.

As for the show, it was probably the best sounding concert I've heard from Caspi. The acoustics at Trinity really impressed me. The band was tight and glided in-between originals and covers. As with any Caspi show, he pressed often to get the crowd involved in singing along and the hometown audience was more than willing to do so. Covers included "She's The One", "This Magic Moment", "Blister In The Sun", "Ring of Fire", and "American Girl" among a few Christmas songs and a 50s medley. Jon's original tunes included cuts like "Rising Above", "Big Change", and "Brand New Heart" off the new CD and older favorites like "We Don't Talk About It", "Down In It", "Maybe I", and "What Does Eddie Know?" - the song that inspired his new disc. It was a nice blend of tunes for a show that ran from around 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. with one break in between.

"Eddie Knows!", the new CD by Caspi is unusual in that all of the songs are not only related but each tell the chapter for what amounts to an entire novel. Listening to it sort of reminds me of Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell" record in that while the songs all tell a story they easily stand on their own as well.




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



Overall, a totally enjoyable night. The band was into it, the crowd was into it, and the music left me anxious to hear the new disc in its entirety - what more could you ask for with a CD release party?



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

Two

Two NJ Jazz Musicians Will Play with The Jazz Ambassadors in Morristown

Pianist Anthony Pocetti grew up in Hamilton, NJ, studying piano, "doing sort of traditional piano lessons. I have an uncle who was always encouraging me to get into the jazz thing. He gave me the (Miles Davis) Kind of Blue CD, and he knew that the jazz pianist Jim Ridl was living in Hamilton."



Asbury

Asbury Lanes presents There, There - A Tribute to Radiohead

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Asbury Lanes presents There, There on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 8:00pm. They are the premier Radiohead tribute act, playing songs from throughout the band's iconic multi-decade catalogue.



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.