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ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...5/7/15


By Danny Coleman

originally published: 05/08/2015
"CBGB? No, I don't miss it at all," says music legend, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and Ramones drummer Marky Ramone. "The club had its run; there is a time and place for everything and it served its purpose well." 
 
Ironically enough, it was at that famed New York City Club where Marky encountered Dee Dee Ramone and was asked to join the line up which would occupy fifteen years of his life, break new ground, create legions of still faithful fans and allow him the continued success which he enjoys today. 
 
Recently, I caught up with Marky in advance of his upcoming 7 p.m.  May 9 show in Asbury Park, NJ at the "Legendary Stone Pony." We discussed the Ramones Rock and roll Hall of Fame induction, his past, his influences and his new book "Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My life as a Ramone." 
 
Rock On: A new book? Why now and whose idea was it to write it; were you approached by someone? 
Ramone: "It was my idea. Now? Now was five years ago; it took a lot of time out of my life to do this. I was with the Ramones for fifteen years. I went back over videos, visuals and all of the funny stories that I could recall; it was time, it was just time." 
 
Rock On: Along those lines, remembering all of those stories and times; what were your thoughts and feelings while composing the book?
Ramone: "I, just the truth about our personalities. We had some really different personalities. I remembered meeting Phil Spector and filming "Rock 'n' Roll High School," his influence and our influence on other bands. The Ramones were very unusual people; I just wanted to convey a realistic view of us and the band." 
 
Rock On: While composing the book; was their a favorite ramone or rock 'n' roll m oment that stood out from the rest? 
Ramone: "Well, I liked when Tommy asked about joining the band, the Hall of Fame, working with Phil Spector and travelling around the world. I met so many great fans, many I still see today; of course they're much older now. They're bringing their husbands and wives and kids; it's an ever changing group of fans." 
 
Rock On: How does that feel knowing that you and the band have influenced generations of musicians and fans? 
Ramone: "Flattering. Grateful that they see something in me, in our music; they really bridge the generation gap. The Ramones were a very American band; we were lucky that other countries took a liking to us and helped in our success. We built a following all over the world at a time when we were in competition with soft rock, stadium rock and all kinds of other forms of music. We were different from all those other forms and people took a liking to us." 
 
Rock On: In the early 1980's, you were asked to leave the band; care to elaborate on that or is that taboo? 
Ramone: "I drank a lot of beer. I never drank before shows so that wasn't an issue but in the recording studio; that was what led to that. There was this one time that I was disappointed in the drum sound and I started drinking and things got out of hand. The band told me that I needed to get right, get clean; it was the right thing to do. I'm glad they did because otherwise I'm not sure what may have happened. You can read it in the book; it's all in there." 
 
Rock On: Many a great musician has suffered a similar fate, or worse; who were some of your influences?
Ramone: "Ringo, Mitch Mitchell of Jimi Hendrix's band, Buddy Rich, Ginger Baker, Joe Morello, there are so many more but those were my main influences." 
 
Rock On: You are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; can you describe the feeling when you were told that the band had made it? 
Ramone: "Well, we were among our peers; I was honored. We got in the first year that we were eligible and we were now sharing it with the bands we loved to listen to. We were in there with The Kinks, The who, The Beach Boys and we were the first punk band to get in; it all evolved so we were very happy."
 
Rock On: So you're on tour and you've enlisted Andrew W.K.; how's that going? 
Ramone: "Yeah, Andrew is my singer. He handles the material so well. there are thirty five classic Ramones songs; they're too good not to be played. I finally decided that it was time because I kept getting so many e-mails, and texts from friends and fans who wanted to hear the material and who wanted to hear me play. I asked Andrew and now we're out on the road having a lot of fun." 
 
Rock On: When not on the road, I see you've delved into various other projects like a pasta sauce? 
Ramone: "Yeah, I have my own beer and hot sauce too to go along with the pasta sauce. I do it for the various charities that I support. 
 
Rock On: What charities are they? May I ask?
Ramone: "Yeah, yeah; I support "Autism Speaks" and "Musicians Without Borders," i like their work. 
 
Rock On: What about your show on Sirius XM? 
Ramone: "I've been doing it for ten years already. It's really cool, I get to play what I want so there's a mix of old and new punk; plus I get to help new bands get heard. I like that bands send me their music; send me music and if I like it I'll play it on air. I do this because I am in fifty states. Who knows? Maybe a producer or a record company will hear it and want to sign them to a contract or a deal; that'd be something and great for them." 
 
Rock On: You have a show coming up at the Stone Pony on May 9; what can we expect and what do you think of the venue? 
Ramone: "The home of the Ramones! We loved playing there; we used to be somewhat of a regular or so it seemed. This show is going to be a barrage of thirty five Ramones songs; no talking. May 9 is Andrew W.K.'s birthday so we'll be celebrating that with a punk birthday thing and who knows; maybe even a cake fight (laughs)." 
 
Rock On: Being a Trenton guy; can you give me your thoughts on the infamous club City Gardens? The Ramones played there twenty five times or more.
Ramone: "Oh yeah, that place was great; we really liked it there. The good thing about playing there was that it was so close to home that we actually got to go home and sleep in our own beds; that was nice. We liked it, they always treated us very well there." 
 
Marky Ramone has a new book, a new singer and the same approach and that's to rock and roll to the best of his ability; leaving an already rabid fan base yearning for more. 
 
To learn more about this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, please go to www.markyramone.com .
 
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!

THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS 
 

Amalfi's Restaurant


146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville

(609) 912-1599

 

Sat. 8:30 p.m. Hard 2 Explain




 
Amarones Windsor Inn




29 Church St. Windsor

 



 


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




(609) 448-7144

 

Thurs. 6:30 p.m. "Country" Ron Crites

Fri. 8 p.m. Robert Bruce

Sat. 8 p.m. Meg Hanson Band feat. Billy Hill

Tues. 8 p.m. Amviance the Duo

Wed. 7:30 p.m. Robert Bruce

 

Blend Bar & Bistro

911 Highway 33, Hamilton

(609) 245-8887

 

Thurs. 7 p.m. Pennsylvania Beer Night

Fri. 8 p.m. Jim Gaven

Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam

 

The Backstage at Championship Bar 

931 Chambers St. Trenton

 

Fri. 7 p.m. Suspect, The Garbage State, Before The End, The Choices, Angels 8 Riot.  All ages, $10

Sat. 5 p.m. Blue Son, Ashes To Oranges, The American Standard, Between The Vertebrae, A Crucifying Feeling, Gastonia. All ages, $10

Wed. 5 p.m. 36 Crazyfists, Toothgrinder, Cranely Gardens, Common Wealth, Earthbound Immortal, Dreadful Recognition, The Greatest Virtue. All ages, $12/$15

 

Candlelight Lounge 

24 Passaic St. Trenton

(609) 695-9612



 

Sat. 3 p.m. Lynn Riley Alto Sax Quartet. (No cover-$10 minimum)

 

Chickie's & Pete's

183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown

(609) 298-9182

 

Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs

Dog & Bull Brew House

810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.

(215) 788-2855

 

Thurs. 8 p.m. Dane Rosenfeld

Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" w/ Visoon (9 p.m.) Joe Robinson



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



Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Michael Leggerie (9 p.m.) The Conshohocken Curve

Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Keli Vale Jazz Duo (3 p.m.) Soul Custody Trio

Mon. 8 p.m. Perry Wolf

Tues. 8 p.m. Nytrous

Wed. 8 p.m. Rivers

 

Dubh Linn Square 

167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown

(609) 298-7100

 

Thurs. Ladies Night

Sun. 4 p.m. Irish Sessions

Mon. Military Day

 

Fran's Pub



116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.

(215)862-5539

 

Thurs. 9 p.m. Curtain Call

Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam

All shows 21+ 

 

Freddie's Tavern

12 Railroad Avenue Ewing

(609) 882-9845

 

Fri. 9 p.m. Paul Plumeri & Jerry Monk

 

Havana New Hope

105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa. 

(215) 862-9897

 



Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party

Fri. 8 p.m. Blind Boys of Alabama. Doors at 6 p.m., $50


Sat. 9 p.m. David Uosikkinen's "In The Pocket" fest. members of The Hooters, The A's, Tommy Conwell, Soul Survivors. Hosted by Pierre Robert. Doors and VIP at 7 p.m., order tickets on line at comcastTIX

Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron

Wed. 8 p.m. Todd Rundgren. Doors at 6 p.m., $50 (advance), Ages 21+

 

Ivy Tavern 

3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton

(609) 888-1435

 

Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke

Fri. 10 p.m. The Ernie White Band

Sat. 10 p.m. El Ka Bong



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



All shows 21+



 

John & Peter's 

96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.

(215) 862-5981

 

Thurs. 9 p.m. Cassidy Catanzaro

Fri. 9 p.m. Honey Spot Blvd.

Sat. (3 p.m.) Desoto Rust (9 p.m.) The Paul Gargiulo Band

Sun. (3 p.m.) Jamie Salvatore (9 p.m.) Matt Setzer

Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Chris



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

Sat. 9 p.m. Radio Fiction

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. Soul Kitchen

 

Pete's Steak House

523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton

(609) 585-8008

 

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Beetle Pie

 

Plumstead Grill

457 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge

(609) 758-5552

 

Sat. 10 p.m. The Aldrich Brothers Band

 

Randy Now's Man Cave

134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown

(609) 424-3766

 

Check Web Site for Upcoming Events

 

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 p.m.) The Once Again Band

Sun. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Mother's Day Brunch. $21.95 per person adults/$11.95 kids



All Shows 21+

Tavern On The Lake

101 Main St. Hightstown

(609) 426-9345

 



Fri. 9 p.m. Drew's farm

Sat. 9 p.m. (TBA)

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

Sat. 10 p.m. Milan and The Sour Goat

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

Wed. 8:30 p.m. Tune Trivia (10:30 p.m.) DJ Rockn Ron

 

The Millhill Basement

300 South Broad St Trenton

(609) 989-1600

 

Mon. 7 p.m. Drag The River, The Cryptkeeper Five, Brian McGee, Sammy Kay, GB. $12

 

The Record Collector

358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown

(609) 324-0880

 

Fri. 8 p.m. Jack Grace Band / Buffalo Stack. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)

Sat. 8 p.m. Bill Kirchen Band. All ages, doors at 7:30, $25 (advance)

 

The Roost

181 Route 539 Cream Ridge

(609) 208-2500

 

Sat. 9 p.m. Kindred Spirit 

 

The Sun National Bank Center 

81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton

(609) 656-3200

 

Check web site for upcoming events

 

The Yardley Inn

82 E. Afton Avenue Yardley

(215) 493-3800

 

Sat. 9 p.m. Paul Plumeri & Jerry Monk

 

Tir Na Nog 

1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton

(609) 392-2554

 




Fri. 9 p.m. Moot Davis

Sat. 9 p.m. Oliver McElhone

Tues. 9 p.m. Taylor Reed

All shows  21+

Trenton Buzz

702 Pine St. Trenton

(609) 392-6000

 

Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Hek Cat

 

Trenton Social

449 South Broad Street Trenton

(609) 989-7777

 

Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Cinema Thursday Presents: "Electric Boogaloo" 

Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday

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. Davina & The Vagabonds ($5 cover charge)

Sat. 10 p.m. AfroZep ($5 cover charge)

Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night



Tues. 9 p.m. Looseleaf Trio

All shows 21+

 

Wildflowers Inn



2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington

Sat. 9 p.m. Crazy Ivan

















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.

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