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ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...8/19/15


By Danny Coleman

originally published: 08/19/2015
“Summer, Jersey Shore; there’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world,” says Hank Woji as he prepares to revisit the area with his first full band show in New Jersey in twenty two years. “I’m very excited to do this show at The Saint and to play with Sonny Kenn and George Wirth again too!”

 

Woji was “Born in Elizabeth and moved to Matawan” NJ at a very young age. Fifteen years ago he went to Texas on a three month business trip and fell in love with his current home. “My family bounced around, I mean we lived all over the Jersey shore it seems,” he said with a chuckle. “I was working a corporate job and was sent to Houston for a short time and I really liked living there. I decided to move and I live in a little town near the Mexico border where I fell in with a bunch of songwriters and started playing guitar again. I was a bass player for the majority of those years in Jersey, so it was nice to start playing my guitar and writing.”

 

Make no mistake about it; the bass has been very good to Hank as he was a fixture in clubs along the Jersey shore, providing the bottom line for various bands and projects. Woji’s good fortunes included opening for or sharing a stage with Jimmy Cliff, Hot Tuna, The Smithereens, The Wailers, Jon Bon Jovi, Johnny Winter, Clarence Clemons, Johnny Johnson and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. His luck held out as a solo artist performing with or as an opener for Amy Speace, Kinky Friedman and the late great Pete Seeger.

 




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This show in Asbury Park marks a return to a place, where he not only hob knobbed with those large personalities but made lifelong friends; who to this day share his love of music. “I played in and around Asbury Park from 1980 until 1995 or ’97. I used to play with Sonny and guys like Billy Hector but it’s been a long time, probably since like ’92 or ’94 since I played an Asbury bar so this is going to be fun,”  he said with a laugh.

 

The Wednesday show at The Saint will mark a new adventure of sorts for Woji; playing for the first time with his band and the band with each other. “Nobody knows each other,” he explained with an even heartier laugh. “I mean forget ever playing together; they’ve never even met, let alone even seen one another! This is why I call it a conspiracy; it’s like the old days of Watergate where I’m the common thread between all of the parties, I’ve practiced with each of these guys individually but The Saint will be the first time we’re all playing together and actually meeting each other. It really is a conspiracy; a conspiracy to commit music (laughing)!”

 

Upon moving to Houston, TX in 2001 and “Falling in with a rough crowd also known as singer songwriters,” Woji released “Medallion” the first of his five discs in 2005. “The Working Life,” his most recent effort, hit the markets in 2014 and by his own admission fits the pattern of not fitting a pattern. “I’m not one of those guys that you can pigeon hole,” he said with confidence. “My albums? They’re all different. One is kind of political and the rest can fit into the “Americana” genre I suppose but they sound nothing alike but I can tell you this much; they are all honest. Americana is a Grammy category now, as Nashville got to be less country, record companies gained more control and music seemed to get homogenized. Americana is more like roots music, a mash of traditional blues, country, folk and roots music just all kind of thrown together; my music is definitely Americana.”  

 

Woji says his live performances are similar to his recordings in that all of his influences come through while on stage. “When I do band stuff, I tend to sound like The Band or the Dead; maybe some Dylan or even Little Feat and if you like the Allman Brothers I kind of can be like them, like a jam band. I tend to just go with the flow of the music and what’s happening on stage and let the players have freedom; it’s always more fun that way.”




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So what can those in attendance expect this Wednesday from Woji and his friends Kenn and Wirth? “I think,” he said as his hesitation quickly turned to laughter; “I think it’s gonna be interesting. It is definitely going to be an adventure. These are five guys who’ve never met and as I said; I’m the common contact. These guys are great players, an all-star band for sure so it’s going to be new, probably a lot of just jamming until we get comfortable. I’ll definitely have to bring my “A” game and everyone coming out to the show should bring their sense of adventure. I do know this, I’ll be sitting in with Sonny and he with me and I’m sure George will be in on these too; he’s an amazing songwriter that George Wirth and I am honored that they are doing this for and with me. I am very excited!”

 

The Saint is Located at 601 Main Street in Asbury Park; tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.thesaintnj.com and to find out more about Hank Woji, please go to www.hankwoji.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 

 


Amarones Windsor Inn








29 Church St. Windsor

 

(609) 448-7144

 

Fri. 8 p.m. F2 & The Anchovy Brothers




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Sat. 8 p.m. Tony Malandro

 

Blend Bar & Bistro

911 Highway 33, Hamilton

(609) 245-8887

 

Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam 

 

The Backstage at Championship Bar 

931 Chambers St. Trenton

 

Fri. 7 p.m. Crescent Ave., Shattered Skin, Octobrists, Sun & Flesh, Know Your Enemy. All ages, $10

Sat. 5 p.m. Dead Robins, Reverse Psychology, Catching Wasps, Fool Me Once, No Wifi, Flippedoubt, (TBA). All ages, $10

 

Candlelight Lounge 

24 Passaic St. Trenton

(609) 695-9612



 

Sat. 3 p.m. Bruce Williams Sax Quartet. (No cover-$10 minimum)

 

Chickie's & Pete's

183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown




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(609) 298-9182

 

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

Wed. 9 p.m. Trivia Night

 

Dog & Bull Brew House

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

(215) 788-2855

 

Thurs. 8 p.m. Heather Heather

Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour Jam" feat. Cecil Middleton (9 p.m.) Brian Bortnick

Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Michael Leggerie (9 p.m.) Wizard Duo

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

Mon. 8 p.m. Perry Wolfe

 

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+  

 

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. "INXS Tribute" w/ Kick, The INXS Experience


Sat. 8:30 p.m. The Jump Off

Sun. 3 p.m. Ladies 2000

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

Wed. 8 p.m. Pat Foran & Friends 

 

Ivy Tavern 

3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton

(609) 888-1435

 

Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke

Fri. 10 p.m. The Buicks

Sat. 10 p.m. New Dawn

All shows 21+



 

John & Peter's 

96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.

(215) 862-5981

 

Thurs. 9 p.m. John & Peter's Comedy Night 

Fri. 9 p.m. Paul Gargiulo

Sat. (3 p.m.) The Porchistas (9 p.m.) Billy Hector

Sun. (3 p.m.) Jamie Salvatore (9 p.m.) Eric Sommer

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

Tues. 1 p.m. "Dunk Tank Benefit" & DJ Aggreschen



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

 

Levitt AMP Trenton Music Series at the Capital Green

201 Barrack Street Trenton

 

Sat. 7 p.m.  Orrin Evans Captain Black Big Band. All ages, outdoor event

 

Millhill Basement

300 S. Broad Street Trenton

(609) 989-1600

 

Please check web site for upcoming events

 

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

 

Sat. 7:30 p.m. Kevin Toft & The All Stars

 

Pete's Steak House

523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton

(609) 585-8008

 

Fri. 9:30 p.m. Dusty Rivers Band

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Out Of The Red

 

Randy Now's Man Cave

134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown

(609) 424-3766

 

Wed. 8 p.m. Kepi Ghoulie / Kevin Preston. All ages, Doors at 7:30 p.m., $10

 

RHO Waterfront








50 Riverview Plaza Trenton



(609) 393-7300

 

Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30 p.m.) Xclusive

Sat. 9 p.m. "Come My Way Leo/Virgo Bornday Bash" w/ DJs William H, Bark Da Ripper, Selecta Bam Bam. $20 (advance)



Tavern On The Lake

101 Main St. Hightstown

(609) 426-9345

 



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. Rainbow Fresh

Sat. 10 p.m. Twisted Charm

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

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

 

The Sticky Wicket 

2465 South Broad St. Hamilton

(609) 439-0007

 

Fri. 9 p.m. New Dawn

Sat. 9 p.m. The Drunk Monkeys

 

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

 




Sat. 9 p.m. Oliver McElhone

Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Jerry Monk

Wed. 9 p.m. Dermot McSweeney

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: (TBA)

Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday

Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P

Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic.

 

Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)

400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.

(215) 862-8300

 

Fri.  CLOSED

Sat. 10 p.m. Jerry Fiess ($5 cover charge)

Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night (Sign ups 6:30 p.m.)



All shows 21+

 

Wildflowers Inn



2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington

Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock 

All shows 21+


























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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