By Bob Makin
originally published: 05/31/2018
Jahk performs May 19 at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park during “Honoring Powerhouse Females,” an all-star tribute concert that benefitted Planned Parenthood. Also featured in this week’s Scene Report are Homeless Apians, Karmic Juggernaut, Predator Dub Assassins, and Franke Previte & Lisa Sherman.
Jersey Shore-based Jahk are releasing a few singles that will lead up to an album at the end of the year. The latest, the chill, sultry love song “Into You,” can be heard live on June 1 at Lemon Restaurant in Freehold.
Jahk will drop their next single, the upbeat indie-pop tune “Round,” on June 18. Namesake singer-songwriter Jahk said the Monday release is on a special date that honors her late grandfather ...
Asbury Park-based cB3 are a new take on a soul-jazz organ trio along the lines of Soulive, Medeski, Martin & Wood with guitarist John Scofield, Hammond B3 players Jimmy Scott or Jimmy McGriff with guitarist Grant Green, and Masters of Groove with guitarist Grant Green Jr., Hammond B3 player Reuben Wilson, and drummer Bernard Purdie.
The funky all-star three-piece consist of organist Ben Stivers (Gregg Allman, Gloria Estefan), drummer Tobias Ralph (Lauryn Hill, Adrien Belew) and namesake guitarist Chris Buono (Dweezil Zappa). They will make their live debut May 31 at 10th Avenue Burrito in Belmar. They also will open every Thursday from June 21 to Aug. 30 for the national and regional acts playing Jams on the Sand at Anchor’s Bend. The headliners of those free shows include Pink Talking Fish, Kung Fu, Organ Freeman, Aztec Sun and New Kingston. Visit www.JamsontheSand.com for more info ...
Also, Buono has released “Guitar Gym Weekly Workouts V. 3-6,” the second half of 48 guitar lessons originally produced in 2015 for his Guitar Gym Online Classroom. They all can be found at www.chrisbuono.com/guitar-instruction/truefire-courses/ ...
Twenty-six years ago, Jersey Shore singer-songwriter Karen Mansfield embarked on a cross-country journey with her friend Leslie Kiffin. The trek inspired “Me and Leslie,” the latest single and video from her first full-length, “Thistle & Boon,” released earlier this year.
About the trip, Mansfield said, “When your friend needs a companion on her cross-country trip to join her love, and you’re along for the ride, filled with belief in all the good that awaits, like true love everlasting and living out your rock ‘n’ roll dreams. Life, love, risks, adventure, blessings and danger. Trusting that the sun’s gonna shine, love is supreme and the story will unfold as it will.”
In the video, that story is made up of the photos taken during the cross-country trek and continued at a first-time reunion of Mansfield and Kiffin since that trip on the night of the “Thistle & Boon” release party last month.
Mansfield next will perform on June 3 at a house concert accompanied by Jimmy Farkas. Show info can be found at www.facebook.com/KarenMansfieldMusic/posts/10156241439351698 ...
The eco-minded alt-roots trio Homeless Apians and the jam ‘n’ groove outfit Karmic Juggernaut will celebrate a dual record release on June 1 at Langosta Lounge, Asbury Park. Homeless Apians are dropping “Humour as a Defense Mechanism,” a seven-song follow-up to the 2016 full-length debut, “Mr. Sun.” Their buds in Karmic Juggernaut are releasing their debut LP, “The Dreams that Stuff Are Made of,” following two EPs since 2012. For more info on the show, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/172365496920127??ti=ia.
Karmic Juggernaut also will play on June 16 at Beardfest. The seventh annual three-day festival will combine live music, outdoor fun, personal music and art expression, and community engagement from June 14 to 16 in the Pinelands of Hammonton. Other performers will include former Prince bassist MonoNeon and John Medeski and Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin & Wood; Moon Hooch; Marco Benevento of Benevento-Russo; Ghost-Note; Splintered Sunlight; Upstate Rubdown; Swift Technique; Medusa’s Disco; Underwater Sounds; Muscle Tough; The G-Nome Project; Suburban Sensi; Hungry Ghost; Miss Cantaloupe; The Quixote Project; PanSong and much more. For info, visit www.beardfest.org.
Karmic Juggernaut also will play June 24, John & Peter’s, New Hope, and July 7, FarmJammaLamma, Brookville, Pa. ...
Asbury island-flavored favorites Predator Dub Assassins will release their first album in two years, “Songs in the Key of Sea,” on June 1 at Asbury Park Yacht Club. Sharing the bill will be everyone’s favorite pirate band The Jolly Daggers, plus DJ Joe HoldFast, who’ll spin some of the tasty platters he found in Jamaica that he sells at his Asbury store and record shows. Also on hand will be artist Adelle Marcero, who will create a live painting ...
Oscar-winning Jersey Shore rocker Franke Previte and his talented partner Lisa Sherman have two hot stage revues coming up. “Calling All Divas” is a new production co-directed by Micheal LaFleur (Celine Dion, Cirque du Soleil, Disney), cast member/co-producer Frank Dicopoulos (“Guiding Light”) and Executive Producer Dennis D’Amico (Paul McCartney). Free tickets are available for a final dress rehearsal on June 6 at New York City’s Theatre at St. Jean, which will stage the full production on June 7. The cast also includes Philly “Honey Soul” singer Carol Riddick (DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Jill Scott), Nashville triple threat Trenna Barnes Cowboy Crush, “Ring of Fire”), and Brittneyann Accetta, an actress-singer who is working on her debut album in between gigs singing the National Anthem at major sporting events.
"Broadway and Beyond" is back by popular demand on June 29 at McLoone’s Supper Club in Asbury. “This is by far one of my favorite productions and I'm so proud to share to it ... again with even more incredible songs than last time,” Sherman said on Facebook. Joining Sherman, Previte and Musical Director Bob Himmelberger will be cast members Kristin Cochran of Brian Kirk & the Jirks, Benny Gramm (Lou Gramm, Yoko Ono), John Micco (Crush, Cats on a Smooth Surface), Forrest Lawson (Gloria Gaynor, The Village People), and local performers Ralph Notaro and John Martin.
Bob Makin is the reporter for www.MyCentralJersey.com/entertainment and a former managing editor of The Aquarian Weekly, which launched this column in 1988. Contact him at [email protected]. And like Makin Waves at www.facebook.com/makinwavescolumn.
About the author:
New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.
You can have your events appear here,
whenever someone reads an article about
click here for more information
Singer/songwriter Evening In The Round
Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJSomething Special a round robin evening of music featuring a group of the finest singer/songwriter from our local area who come together for this one of a kind show not be missed
Freestyle Takeover 3
Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJStarring Cynthia, The Jets, George Lamond, Johnny O, Nyasia, Denine and hosted by Dom G! Freaturing Dare Goes Da DJzz. After-Party available for additional fee. (Must purchase a show ticket to buy the After Party ticket)
The Righteous Brothers: Lovin’ Feelin’ Farewell Tour
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJBlue-eyed soul pioneers The Righteous Brothers are back! With a string of #1 clas-sics, including the most played song in radio history,
You’ve Lost
That Lovin’ Fee/in’, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield topped the charts in four decades. After Bobby’s death in 2003, Bill Medley con-tinued to perform to sold-out crowds around the world, but fans and friends pleaded with him to keep The Righteous Brothers alive.
Beat: Belew/vai/levin/bozzio Performing The Music Of King Crimson
Monday, November 09, 2026 @ 8:00pm
NJPAC - Prudential Hall
1 Center Street, Newark, NJFollowing more than 100 acclaimed performances across North and South America, Europe, and Japan, BEAT returns this fall for the last North American tour. Former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin are joined by guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and legendary drummer Terry Bozzio to perform the music of the three landmark 1980s King Crimson albums—Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair.
Joe Russo's Almost Dead
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJJoe Russo's Almost Dead is Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. We're a Grateful Dead cover band.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Rick Steves Joins New Jersey Symphony for a Symphonic Journey Through Europe
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Guidebook author and public television host Rick Steves joins New Jersey Symphony November 7–8, 2026 for Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey, a concert that pairs Europe's most stirring Romantic-era anthems with high-definition travel footage and Steves' insights into European history.
Albert Music Hall to Celebrate Pinelands Folklore with Annual Jersey Devil Show on Saturday
(WARETOWN, NJ) -- Halloween may have come and gone, but the Jersey Devil is always lurking in the Pines! On Saturday, November 7, 2026, Albert Music Hall will celebrate one of New Jersey's most enduring legends with its annual Jersey Devil Show, an evening combining live music, storytelling, and the rich folklore of the New Jersey Pinelands.
The Newton Theatre presents Puss N Boots featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Newton Theatre presents Puss N Boots featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 7:00pm.
Grunin Center's "Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon" Celebrates 100 Years of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five Recordings
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts' "Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon" series brings a century of jazz history to the stage this fall with a celebration of Louis Armstrong's groundbreaking Hot Five recordings, featuring trumpeter Andrew Stephens on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 3:00pm.
U.K. Folk Trio, The Longest Johns, to Perform at The Vogel
(RED BANK, NJ) -- U.K. folk trio The Longest Johns will perform at the Vogel on Sunday, November 8, 2026. They are are known the world over for their rollicking harmonies and raucous energy, blowing new wind into the sails of traditional sea shanties and work songs. They are on a U.S. tour to support their latest release End of the Earth. Showtime is 7:00pm.
State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead on Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 7:30pm. The band was formed in Brooklyn, NY in 2013. While they are a Grateful Dead cover band, they are known more for interpreting songs by the Dead rather than attempting to replicate the band's work.
NJPAC presents Gregory Porter with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell
(NEWARK, NJ) -- With a voice that can fill a concert hall and make every listener feel personally embraced, Gregory Porter has become one of the most beloved artists in contemporary jazz. On Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm, the two-time GRAMMY® winner returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell for an evening of soulful expression, exquisite storytelling and remarkable vocal artistry, presented as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival.
Forte Piano Music Company presents Exquisite Contrasts: Haydn & Schubert Piano Trios
(PARAMUS, NJ) -- The Forte Piano Music Company presents a Piano Trio Concert - "Exquisite Contrasts" - Haydn & Schubert on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 2:30pm. This program brings together two landmarks of the piano trio repertoire, revealing the evolution of the genre from the Classical era to early Romanticism.
Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki
(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Come to the Mahwah Museum on Sunday, November 15, 2026 for a discussion of a 29-year friendship, rare memorabilia, and the story behind Les Paul's home with Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki from his nearly three-decade friendship with legendary musician and inventor Les Paul. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor
(PRINCETON, NJ) — The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor on Friday, November 20, 2026 in an evening of upbeat and bubbling song filled with enthusiasm and love. The concert takes place at Christ Congregation Church in Princeton. Showtime is 8:00pm. A livestream option is available as well.
