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ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...11/27/14

By Danny Coleman

originally published: 11/27/2014


The holiday band schedule is as usual, lighter than normal but there is still loads of great music happening this weekend.


Southern rock enthusiasts may want to consider stopping by the Ivy Tavern in Hamilton on Friday evening as Gunsmoke plays in front of "The Great Wall of Alcohol." These fellas are always a lot of fun and very good at giving you that "Down home southern feeling." Pay attention to their version of "Simple Man;" it'll catch you one way or another for sure.


Classic rockers listen up! Tangled will be rocking Pete's Steak House in Hamilton on Friday evening as well. There's a reason why these guys work steady and are booked for months in advance; they're just that good. Playing a wide variety of the tunes from the 1970's to today; Tangled never disappoints.


If jazz is your thing, Dick Gratton returns to Chambers Walk in Lawrenceville on Saturday evening; performing his array of standard instrumentals as only he can. Also, the Candlelight Lounge plays host to the Jason Marshall Baritone Quartet in a matinee at this Trenton landmark.


How about blues? JB Kline Band takes to the stage at Havana in new Hope, PA on Sunday at 8 p.m. JB is one of the most respected and sought after talents between the two bridge communities of Lambertville, NJ and new hope and beyond. A little further out is Mr. Lucky at the 709 located on Arnold Avenue in Point Pleasant. This is the third recent appearance of this group from central/south Jersey at this popular shore eatery.


Speaking of Havana; a "Super Group" of sorts will be taking the stage there on Wednesday at 8 p.m.





 

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The Empty Hearts whose cast includes members of The Cars, Blondie, Romantics and The Chesterfield Kings will be rockin' Main Street to its core.


That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!


THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS

Alchemist & Barrister




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28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Closed for Holiday

Sun. 9 p.m. Paula Ryan

Wed. 10 p.m. Open mic. night

All shows 21+
Amarones Windsor Inn

29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. (TBA)

Fri. 8 p.m. The Gyrl Band

Sat. 8 p.m. Greg Martiello

Tues. 7:30 p.m. Texas Hold'em

Wed. 7 p.m. DJ John Rossi
Big Shots Bar and Grill/Hebe Music Lounge

835 E Rte. 130 South, Burlington





 

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(609) 267-1200
Fri. 7 p.m. Solus Rex, Soraia, BlackRue, Midnight Mosaic

Sat. 7 p.m. Risen Resilient, Could've Been Kings, Crosswick

Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Blend Bar & Bistro

911 Highway 33, Hamilton

(609) 245-8887
Sat. 9 p.m. ZQ Acoustic w/ Mike & Steve

Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Fri. 5 p.m. Burn The Empire, Sithis, Bloodtouch, (TBA). All ages, $10.

Sat. 5 p.m. Windermere, A Right To React, The Catering Company, Vague Advice, S.O.L., Able Moving Hearts, Dragon's Bane, Entropy. All ages, $10
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612


Sat. 3 p.m. Jason Marshall Baritone Quartet.. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chambers Walk Cafe
2667 Main St. Lawrenceville
(609) 896-5995


Sat. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
Chickie's & Pete's

183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown

(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Dubh Linn Square
167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-7100
Sun. 4 p.m.Billy O'neal


Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night hosted by Shaun Ruymen

Wed. 9 p.m. Trivia Night
Fran's Pub

116 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.

(215)862-5539
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Mic Blues Jam hosted by Jimmy Pritchard

All shows 21+
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897

Fri. 9:30 p.m. "Black Friday" DJ Dance Party


Sat. 9:30 p.m. "College Thanksgiving Break" DJ Dance Party

Sun. (3 p.m.) Ladies 2000 (8 p.m.) JB Kline Blues Band





 

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Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke in the Bar w/ DJ Ron Sherr and Bridget

Wed. 8 p.m. The Empty Hearts feat. Elliot Easton (The Cars), Wally Palmar (Romantics), Clem Burke (Blondie) and Andy Babiuk (The Chesterfield Kings). Doors at 6 p.m., $20

All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. Gunsmoke

Sat. 10 p.m. Soul Custody
All shows 21+


John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981

Thurs. 9 p.m. Chris Harford Annual Thanksgiving Show

Fri. 9 p.m. Ammunition / Kid Is Qual

Sat. (3 p.m.) Modzilla (9 p.m.) Danny DeGennaro Memorial Concert

Sun. (3 p.m.) Miss Pumpkin's Drag Show Benefitting Lifeties (9 p.m.) Collin Rocker

Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night

Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern

2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton

(609) 586-2678

Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979


Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke

All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing

1339 River Rd. Titusville

(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Strange Brew

Sat. 7:30 p.m. Music Variety Show Hosted by TJ Nix
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008


Fri. 9:30 p.m. Tangled
RHO Waterfront


50 Riverview Plaza Trenton


(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. Closed for Holiday

Fri. Closed for a Private Party

Sat. 10 p.m. Ladies Night Party w/ DJ BPM, Marcoz Rioz, Thomas Della Monica / Live performances by ray Rodriguez, Swing Sabroso. Men $20, Ladies $10 (after 10 p.m.)


All Shows 21+
Sunsets at Cream Ridge

181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge

(609) 208-2500
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Melanie & Sonny

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Tangled


Tavern On The Lake

101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345

Fri. 9 p.m. El Ka Bong

Sat. 9 p.m. Black Rose

Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Ivy Inn

248 Nassau St. Princeton

(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr

Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv

Wed. 10 p.m. Theme Night w/ DJ Rockin' Ron
The HOB Tavern

146 Second Street

(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Millhill Saloon

300 South Broad St Trenton

(609) 989-1600
Sat. 9 p.m. Planning For Burial, Street Sects, Hex Cult, Drugstore. Ages 21+, $6
The Record Collector

358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown

(609) 324-0880
Sat 8 p.m. 2nd Annual Cigar Box Guitar Festival feat. Stompers. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m.
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554

Fri. 9 p.m. Black Brant

Sat. 9 p.m. Gregg Carpenter

All shows 21+
Trenton Social

449 South Broad Street Trenton

(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. Cinema Thursdays Presents:

Fri. 10 p.m. Friday night w/ Jay Kountree & Jaxx

Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300

Fri. 10 p.m. Brotherhood of Thieves. ($5 cover charge)

Sat. 10 p.m. Steve The Band. $5 (cover charge)

Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night

Tues. 9 p.m. Acoustic Grateful Dead feat. members of Splintered Sunlight

All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn


2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington


Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke

About the author:

Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.



The

The Righteous Brothers: Lovin’ Feelin’ Farewell Tour

Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ

Blue-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:

Beat: Belew/vai/levin/bozzio Performing The Music Of King Crimson

Monday, November 09, 2026 @ 8:00pm
NJPAC - Prudential Hall
1 Center Street, Newark, NJ

Following 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

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

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].

 
John

John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ

The legendary Rhode Island multi-platinum rock’n’roll group JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND began their career in 1973 and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s with the “Eddie & The Cruisers – Motion Picture Soundtrack”. The hit single “ON THE DARK SIDE” held the “#1” position on the Billboard Rock charts and the MTV video charts for five consecutive weeks.



 


 


EVENT PREVIEWS

(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

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

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

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

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.
Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Friday

Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Friday

(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 7:30pm. Griffin House is an American singer-songwriter and storyteller who has been making records for over 20 years.
Forte Piano Music Company presents Exquisite Contrasts: Haydn & Schubert Piano Trios

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 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 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.
NJPAC to Celebrate Ben Vereen

NJPAC to Celebrate Ben Vereen's 80th Birthday with All-Star Concert on November 21st

(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Ben Vereen's 80th Birthday Concert on Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 8:00pm. This special one-night only celebration is part of NJPAC’s 2026 TD James Moody Jazz Festival (November 6-22). Several of today's leading Broadway stars and vocalists unite for a spectacular birthday bash performance toasting the legendary actor/dancer/singer Ben Vereen who turns 80 on October 10, 2026.