"One of the weird things is that history has the biggest, most dominant presence in the arts; with the exception of music," says Al Stewart who will be performing at the Open Arts Stage Theater in Bordentown, NJ on Friday April 10 at 8 p.m. "It's always done it. History is impervious to fashion. What's cutting edge this year will be out by the next and everyone has moved on. Where as with music; we are always looking back. Great classical music, the Beethoven's and the like are still as prominent as they were centuries ago. People still go to hear classical music and see great works of art that have stood the test of time. History is constant in the universe; it's invaluable."
So the man who is an "Award winning wine connoisseur," hasroomed with Paul Simon,worked with the likes of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and gave us the hit songs "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages" is an avid history buff as well. Relying on history for inspiration and writing material, Stewart is one of the rare artists who has chosen to live in the past instead of the present. "I'm always looking back," he stated with a laugh. "I write songs about history and I am always looking back, I never live in the present at all; sometimes I joke that I should write my material witha quill pen. Writing about the present or the future is easy but the past; to be able to bring that to the light of today is what I like to do. I've been asked about '78 and I ask 1968 or 1868? I spend a lot of time in 1868 and 1878 (laughs)."
Working with guitarist David Nachmanoff, as has been the case for years now, Stewart has taken to doing tours without releasing any new material; 2010's "Uncorked" a live CD recorded from an earlier East Coast tour being his last commercial release. "I'll start making CDs when people start buying them again," he said matter of factually. "Only then will I start remaking them. The CD market has evaporated since around the year 2000 in the favor of downloads and who knows if it will ever come back. Again, history has shown us the constant change and morphing of the record industry. Think about it, we started with seventy eights and then thirty threes and forty fives; then came 8-tracks, cassettes and eventually the CD. Now we have iPods and downloads. Who knows what lies in wait around the corner or down the road? We know it's coming but exactly what it is is the question. Sadly, essentially comes down to dollars and cents as well; CDs cost a lot of money to make and I'm not going to take on that expense and then I will lose it."
Stewart says that over the years he has enjoyed playing many different size venues and doesn't alter his style or approach based on the capacity; he does realize that audiences, no matter how large or small, need to connect with the performer. "It doesn't matter to me what size the venue really," he explained. "I have no preference, they've each got their advantages. I enjoy getting out there and connecting with the audience. If you're coming to hear just sixty or one hundred and thirty or whatever, however many minutes of music there will be, with no talking; perhaps you shouldn't come to my show. If you are coming expecting to hear three hundred words, you'll be getting three thousand. I like language and I like guitars; I like to tell stories and give a bit of background on what I'm doing or why it was written. History professors and English teachers like my shows due to my use of language. If you want to hear less talk you can go to a rock show where there's sex and fashion and what not; not that there is anything wrong with that, I like all of that myself (laughs) but my show is much different."
When he was asked about his past success, particularly in the late 1970's; Stewart recalled the feeling of coming to grips with stardom and making it big as best he could. "I'm not sure what that means," he began somewhat cautiously. "I have had that feeling three different times for three different reasons. For instance, I'm getting ready to go on a UK tour in three weeks. I've lived in L.A. for thirty years and once a year I return to my home and tour the UK for a month or so. So far, every year for the last thirty years I've passed the taxi test. What i mean by that is, I get off the plane with my guitar in hand and get into a taxi and in-evidently the taxi driver asks me the same question every year; thirty years, thirty different taxi drivers. They are very chatty drivers for the most part and they all have asked, "What's your name?" So I tell them my name and they all just kind of nod and say, "Oh, so you make a living as a musician?" Now they are very knowledgeable on the latest trends and music happenings and they know all of the pop stars and read "Melody Maker" but I have yet to have one of them recognize my name. 1973 was the future, the beginning of what I've done ever since and I had an actual hit single in 1976 or 1977 whenever it was and nothing (laughs). I never get recognized on the strip when I walk down it; I'm sure that Paul McCartney or Elton John couldn't do that. I'm a songwriter and that's my lifestyle and I'm good with that."
One of Stewart's encounters over the years was with now legendary guitarist Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Stewart had no clue at the time that this young studio session player would eventually go on to form what many consider one of the greatest rock bands of all time. "I first met Jimmy in 1966 during the sessions for my first Decca Records release. We talked about what most nineteen or twenty year old boys talk about; guitars, we had a long conversation about guitars. I recall when it was done and before we parted ways; Jimmy telling me that he was thinking of starting this new band and he asked me if I played bass guitar. I don't know what I was thinking but all I managed to say was, "Well, good luck." I don't know if we want to call it a missed opportunity but that band went on to become Led Zeppelin but Jimmy did play on the title track of my "Love Chronicles" album and it was very cool."
These days, Stewart and Nachmanoff take their duo to a loyal aforementioned fan base and According to Al the April 10 show in Bordentown promises to be a good one. "Well, there are two things that we do," he explained with confidence. "One, there will be a lot of guitars and some very interesting arrangements; not effects. What you'll hear is all guitar work. The other is stories; I like to talk to my audience."
The Open Arts Stage Theater is located at 146 Route 130 South in Bordentown, NJ and is an intimate venue with a capacity of approximately two hundred patrons. A scant few tickets remain but they may be obtained by going to www.mancavenj.com . It should be noted that former City Gardens promoter Randy Now is the man behind Stewart's appearance. To discover more about Al Stewart, please visit www.alstewart.com .
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
Sun. (3 p.m. ) the Sailers (9 p.m.) Dick & The Deer Gutters
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Chris
Tues. 7 p.m. Meatball Mash
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Paint the Roses Tea and Café
37 West Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-8200
Sat. 11 a.m. Bryan Hill
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. Steve Bross
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Raven Rock Rounder
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Fri. 8:30 p.m. "Live at The Open Arts Stage Theater" Located at 146 Rte 130 South, Bordentown, NJ Presents: Al Stewart w/ Dave Nachmanoff. All ages, doors at 8 p.m., $30 (advance) $35 (door)
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Paul Desisto
Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30) Dance Party w/ The Xculsive R & B Band
Sat.
All Shows 21+"Spring Fling" House Music Party / DJ entertainment. $20
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. Out of The Red
Sat. 9 p.m. Speed Limit
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Darius The First
Sat. 10 p.m. The Diablo Sandwich Band
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 8:30 p.m. Tune Trivia (10:30 p.m.) DJ Rockn Ron
Wed. 10 p.m. Heads Up / DJ Rockn Ron
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. The Gripweeds CD Release party. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
Sat. 8 p.m. Bruce Katz All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $18 (advance)
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Never Enough
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. (5 p.m.) Tommy Glover (9 p.m.) Michael Nabinger & Joe Chianese
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. the Royal Noise. ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. New Sweden. ($5 cover charge)
Sun. (1 p.m.) Challenge Accepted (7 p.m.) Open Jam Night
Tues. 9 p.m. Challenge Accepted
Wed. 9 p.m. Bengal Gold
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
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 7:000pm EST on multiple internet radio outlets where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- New restaurant 87 Sussex will be celebrating their grand-opening all weekend long on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 starting at 5:00pm with music performances, spirit and wine tastings, giveaways, photo booth and so much more. A memorable culinary journey awaits at this new gourmet experience offering refined dining in the heart of Jersey City (87 Sussex Street) in the quaint neighborhood of Paulus Hook.
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