Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Miss Take" by Tom Kanach

By Bob Makin

originally published: 12/04/2020

Veteran Jersey Shore rocker Tom Kanach has released “Miss Take,” the second single from his forthcoming EP, “Change,” and Makin Waves premieres the video for the clip at New Jersey Stage. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE DITORRO

After a long break from such legendary Jersey Shore bands as Mischief and Well of Souls, veteran singer-songwriter Tom Kanach has been rather prolific with plans to release a third album since the 2017 LP, “Undertow.” In February, Tom will follow last year’s “Once” EP with the five-song “Change,” the latest single for which is “Miss Take,” featuring a video that premieres here:

As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “Miss Take" also can be heard at 5 and 11 a.m., 5 p.m. and midnight through Thursday at ThePenguinRocks.com and 6:45 p.m. on Friday and Monday on its “Radio Jersey” show. The Beatlesque garage-rocker follows the forthcoming EP's first single, "Now (Close Your Eyes)," and the video follows a recent clip for "Once," the title track of Tom's previous EP.

“All of the songs on the EP are about the mental impact of the current world situation on us,” Tom said. “The message is that we must prioritize what is important and find it in ourselves to embrace change to make the world better by individual effort.”

The exciting release will be marketed by The Syndicate with help from Jersey-raised music industry vet Matt Pinfield, Tom said.

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The protagonist of “Miss Take” is reminiscing about a brief relationship that changed his life, he said.

“The protagonist met this girl once that he knew was not right for him but who was so magnetic and different that he went against his better -- and frightened -- nature and took a risk,” Tom said. “He knew it was wrong, but he closed his eyes and jumped. And while the relationship didn't last, he has never regretted taking the risk, the journey. Sometimes safe doesn't mean best and sometimes pain can lead to growth.”

The artsy video produced by Jersey Shore videographer George McMorrow follows the protagonist during the course of his day, Tom said. The visual style was inspired by the video for Radiohead’s "Karma Police," he said, especially the shots of Thom Yorke in the backseat.

Tom’s band features Dramarama guitarist Pete Wood, The Hammers drummer Steve Buzbee, and Dead Cowboys bassist Joe Rowley, who produced the mixed “Change.” The next single will be the title track to coincide with the EP’s release.

In the meantime, enjoy these other videos by Tom:

Bob Makin has been a New Jersey music writer for 40 years and is a former managing editor of The Aquarian Weekly, which launched this column in 1988. Contact him at [email protected]. And like Makin Waves on Facebook.

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.

Joe Russo's Almost Dead
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ

Joe Russo's Almost Dead is Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. We're a Grateful Dead cover band.

Mccarter At The Museum: An Evening With Jason Robert Brown
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Princeton Art Museum
45 Elm Drive, Princeton, NJ

Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.

Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.

With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.

A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.

Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].