New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

#8 The Commons: Come On Get Gone


By Gary Wien

originally published: 01/26/2012


The Commons were the pride of Trenton’s rock and roll scene for nearly a full decade.  Consisting of Keith Monacchio,  lead vocals, guitar, and songwriter; guitarist Sean Glonek, bassist Tom McDonald, and drummer Tom Kale, the band became one of the few Trenton acts to be able to break into Asbury Park’s music scene as well as their own.

Come On Get Gone may be one of the most introspective, most personal, and, ultimately, most depressing albums you’ll ever hear.  It’s also one of the best.

Imagine being dumped at the altar.  That’s the kind of mind set behind several of the songs on this release.  Take “China” for example.  This is arguably the album’s masterpiece.  Starting slowly with a quiet guitar behind him, Monacchio describes how he is emotionally fragile, “Treat me like china / ‘cause baby I’ll break.” But the song doesn’t stay a quiet ballad, instead it keeps building until Keith is literally roaring with pain.

The effect is an outpouring of emotion as powerful as anything in rock and roll’s history... and that’s just the way the album begins.  There’s the ultimate desperation while a relationship is going sour shown in “Country #5”; the nervousness and doubt of the big day in “At The Altar”; the realization of the end in “The Marrying Kind”; the hope that love can survive in “Capsize”; and the simple things that keep us going each day with “Just Before Morning.”  In between all of this is the brilliant “Jesus Had A Brother,” a song that believes everyone has it tough,  even the brother of a God.

Sean Glonek’s guitar work throughout the album, especially on songs like “Capsize,” is simply mesmerizing.  His guitar provides a classic rock feel with a minor resemblance to the Edge from U2.  It’s the perfect accompaniment to Keith’s vocals and lyrics.

Highlights include “China,” “Jesus Had A Brother,” “The Outskirts,” and “Capsize.”


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 [email protected].



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




FEATURED EVENTS

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

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


Candlelight

Candlelight Concerts - Tribute to Adele

Thursday, December 04, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music


 

LeAnn

LeAnn Rimes: Greatest Hits Christmas Tour

Thursday, December 04, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

David

David Jacobs-Strain and Bob Beach

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


 

An

An Intimate Evening with Eric Benét & Raheem DeVaughn

Friday, December 05, 2025 @ 8:00pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

Orchestra

Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea

Friday, December 05, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music


 

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


 


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





EVENT PREVIEWS