"We were looking for a name and we had this guy Brian who went on the road with us doing our tech stuff and we were in a room and Gladys kind of came about because our drummer was a huge Elvis fan and that was Elvis's mother's name and I think Brian was the one who said, "Slammin' Gladys" and we all just kind of looked at him and said, wow. We thought it was kind of cool and the label liked it so we kind of went with it and the cover of the first album gives the name a lot of clarity."
Thirty years is a long time for a band to be together let alone decide to put out a sophomore recording; why now and what prompted the decision?
"This is the follow up to our first album which we did in 1992 and it was called "One" or "Slammin' Gladys" and we were signed to Priority Records who had NWA, Ice Cube and all that really cool stuff that was happening at the time and they decided to take on a rock band and a few other bands and it was a good experience, we got to make an album."
"We formed in '89 and did the album in '92 so, we've known each other for gosh, 30 years. In between the first album and the second album everyone kept in touch and has done their own musical journeys. We decided that we wanted to get together and do a couple of songs just for fun and a good time to see what we come up with and we ended up doing nine (laughs); we didn't realize that we were doing it until we started. We recorded the drums and the bass in a great room out here in North Hollywood called Analog and Digital Recording with a guy named Doug Messenger. The Foo Fighters, Incubus, No Doubt; a lot of really cool bands have gone through the doors there and done some kind of work. So, we went there because it has great gear, really good mic pre-amps and a guy named Nick Rutger was the engineer; a great engineer; we have a great team over there so we did all of the drums and bass there. After that we took it back to my place because I have a studio here and we finished all of the guitars and vocals and mixed everything here and finished it here."
It has been said that music makes the world smaller, however, in this instance Farris is the producer; how did Lane get involved?
"Our bass player Al Collins played with Jani Lane back before Slammin' Gladys in a band called Plain Jane who were playing on The Sunset Strip before Warrant and they had a couple of the Warrant songs that they had been playing in Plain Jane and from what I understand they are in the process of taking the demos of some of those Plain Jane songs and are going to be re-releasing them as an album; so, that's something to look out for."
When putting your first recording together in literally decades there's bound to be some creative differences but couple that with a year-long quarantine and it had to be interesting to say the least; not so says Farris.
"It's all different now; some of the songs initially started like "Dragon Eye Girl" and "Toxic Lover;" when I went back to my parent's house in the summer of 2018, Dave our singer came over and we decided we were going to write some songs and we hung out in my mom's den. "Toxic Lover" I had already kind of started, I had a good road map for that one but "Dragon Eye Girl" was spawned that day as well and it was cool because those two songs kind of really got the momentum going and then we kind of filled in the gaps with a couple of songs that were older songs we had done that we never thought would see the light of day so, we brought a couple of the archives back. We have a video for "Dragon Eyed Girl," it is up online on YouTube and we have a second video for a song called "Hold Up My Blue Sky" is just finishing up and should be out soon. We reconnected with our video director and producer who we worked with back in the 90's because we had done a couple of videos from our first album; his name is Eric Middleman and we got a chance to work with him. We basically went on a roof in downtown Los Angeles and we shot both videos for the live performance stuff on top of this roof; one with the city of Los Angeles as the backdrop and the other just a different type of space but it was great! We were real efficient, we got up there one day and spent four hours and got two videos worth of stuff; we're finishing all of that now. So, we have a video for "Toxic Lover" planned and another one for a song called "Durango;" we're gonna round it out with four or at least that's our plan at the moment. So, we're going to release these videos and keep that going to help people learn about Slammin' Gladys. We want to eventually get some shows going and we've already started working on the next album; we already have a handful of songs that we've been tossing around and we are eventually going to get to the point where we'll look at starting recording; we're gonna keep this train going because it's a lot of fun."
Videos, singles and according to Farris an, "Album out now on Merchbucket.com or on our site at SlamminGladys.com" and with all of that going on; what's next?
"Lead vocals is Dave Brooks, on bass is Al Collins, on drums is Steve DeBoard and myself, JJ Farris on guitar and we are starting to get a couple of offers for the summer in the mid-west from clubs that we know of or that are aware of us and are aware of our album. There's starting to be a little bit of a buzz on shows and we're starting to get offers and we have to now find out what will be feasible because two of us are in Los Angeles and two of us are in Ohio at the moment. So, we're going to figure all of that out but yeah, we're looking forward to playing shows; no tour planned at the moment but we're looking forward to getting this thing started."
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
This week's event listings
Arts Council of Princeton 102 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-8777
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Story & Verse: A Storytelling and Poetic Open Mic "I'm Coming Out." (Sign up 6:15 p.m.)
Bill's Olde Tavern 2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Tues./Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ "Super" Dave Curtis
Ages 21+
Bowman's Tavern 1600 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2972
Thurs. 6 p.m. Matt Gordeuk
Broken Goblet Brewing 2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Thurs. 7 p.m. Mike Estabrook
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Castles In The Sky Trio
Sat. 1 p.m. Juniper Bonsai
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic w/ Cara Cartney
All Shows 21+
Cadwalder Park299 Parkside Avenue Trenton
(408) 335-4400
Sat. 4 p.m. New Jersey Capital Philharmonic Orchestra (FREE event / Rain date Sunday)
Championship Bar 931 Chambers street Trenton
(609) 396-5457
Tuesday 8 p.m. "Jam Night" Hosted by Nikki & Caleb
Ages 21+
Clubhouse at Mountain View (The Patio)850 Bear Tavern Road Ewing
(609) 771-0400
Fri. 6 p.m. Bridge Beat Duo
COARadio.com 125 South Main Street Hightstown
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Janine Verduci & Maria Bevins, Jocelyn Garrett, Mike Squillace, "Theresa," Dave Caponetto
Cooper's Riverview 50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 7 p.m. Time Peace
Fri. (5 p.m.) "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere Happy Hour" feat. (TBA) (8 p.m.) No Way Out
Sat. 7 p.m. Full Moon Fever (Tom Petty Tribute)
Sun. 11 a.m. " Sunday Latin Jazz Brunch" w/ Victor Tarassov
Mon. 7 p.m. "Sunny Monday Blues Jam"
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke w/ Karen and Mark
Wed. 12 p.m. "Wine Down Wednesdays'
All Events Ages 21+
Cream Ridge Winery 145 Route 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 259-9797
Sat. 1:30 p.m. Alex English
Dacey's Pub 215 West Philadelphia Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-4838
Fri. 6 p.m. Acoustic Music Night
Wed. 8 p.m. Quizzo
Dempster's Pub437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Fri. 6 p.m. Random Notes Duo
Dog & Bull Brew House 810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Fri. 6 p.m. Ziggy
Sun. 4 p.m. Dana Collins
Eddington House Bensalem2813 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA
(215) 639-1220
Fri. 8 p.m. The Zone Duo
Sat. 8 p.m. Jack Kidd
Gleason's Bar6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-4781
Thurs. 7 p.m. Weekly Corn Hole Tournament
Fri. "Happy Hour" w/ (TBA)
Sat. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 5:30 p.m. Family Fun Night w/ "Gina the Balloon Girl"
Greenhouse 90 South Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1657
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Musicians Night Out" Hosted by Lovelight
Tues. 8 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Sam Ryan
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia Hosted by Dwayne Dunlevy
Grounds For Sculpture 80 Sculptors way Hamilton
(609) 586-0616
Sat. 10 a.m. "Member Mornings"
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
(215) 862-9897
Sun. 6 p.m. Joe & Marc "The Music of The Eagles." (Doors open at 4 p.m., $20)
HG New Hope Pizza6510 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 862-1740
Sat. 6 p.m. Stranger Things
Hopewell Valley Vineyards 46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Kick Off to Summer" w/ Brian Erickson
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5:30 p.m.) Winery Catz
Sat. (1 p.m.) DJ Darius The 1st (2 p.m.) (5:30 p.m.) "Music & Merlot" feat. Living The Dream
Sun. 1 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Oliver Dagum
Iron Plow Vineyards 26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Melissa Wegfahrt
Sat. 6 p.m. Mixtape Mojo Duo
Sun. 2 p.m. Wayne Palmer Trio
Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9:30 p.m. "Thursday Night Dance Party"
Fri. 9 p.m. Cover Up
All shows 21+
Killarney's Publick House 1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Girls Night Out" w/ Radio Fiction
Sat. 5 p.m. Mario & Frank
Langhorne Summer Concert Series115 West Richardson Avenue Langhorne, PA
Wed. 7 p.m. Mikey Jr.
Laurita Winery 85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Fri. (5 p.m.) "Cornhole Tournament" (6 p.m.) Pasta Night "All You Can Eat." $29
Sat. 12 p.m. "Memorial Day Weekend in The Grove" w/ Strolling Accordion by "Kristopher"
McGuinn's Place 1781 Brunswick Avenue Lawrence
(609) 392-0599
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Ages 21+
More Than Q 13 Klines Court Lambertville
(609) 773-0072
Sun. 11 a.m. "Gospel Brunch" Open Stage
Music Mountain Theater1483 Route 179 Lambertville
(609)397-3337
Fri. 8 p.m. "The Fantasticks"
Sat./Sun. 3 p.m. "The Fantasticks"
New Egypt Flea Market Village933 Monmouth County Road Cream Ridge
(609) 758-2082
Thurs. 5 p.m. Full Moon Market feat. Michael Jaskewicz at "Tye Dye Amy's"
New Hope Winery 6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Sun. 1 p.m. Stranger Things
Newtown Brewing Company103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8609
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night
Fri. 7 p.m. Bob Tomlinson
Sat. 7 p.m. Oliver Dagum
Sun. 1 p.m. "1st Annual Memorial Day Chili Cook-off"
Nick's Roast Beef4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA
(215) 637-5151
Thurs. 6 p.m. Natalie & Tim
Fri. 6 p.m. The Flying Circus (Led Zeppelin Tribute)
Sat. 6 p.m. Old School Electric Tent Show
Sun. 4 p.m. AJ Slick Band
O'Fowley's Tavern & Grill200 State Road Croydon, PA
(215) 785-6998
Fri. 8 p.m. DJ Entertainment
Palmer Square40 Nassau Street Princeton
Thurs. 4 p.m. "Locals Night" w/ Live "Strolling" Musician
Sat.12 p.m.The Outcrops
Pasquale's Sports Bar9078 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(267) 202-6268
Fri. 5 p.m. Happy Hour feat. (TBA)
Sat. 7 p.m. DJ or Live Band Entertainment
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Quizzo
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic
Patriots Crossing 1339 River Road Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo"
Recklesstown Farm Distillery2800 Route 206 North Columbus
(609) 784-8046
Thurs. 6 p.m. The Fourth Son
Revere Restaurant802 River Road Ewing
(609) 882-6365
Fri. 6 p.m. Brian Elliot
Rosedale Mills101 Route 31 North Pennington
(609) 737-2008
Sat. 1 p.m. Outdoor Line Dancing. $10 (Rain date Sundays 12 p.m.)
Rossi's Bar & Grill 2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 890-2004
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Ernie White
Sherman Theater/Penn Community Bank Amphitheater2400 Byberry Road Bensalem, PA
Wed. 7 p.m. 70's Flashback. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m., Tickets available online)
Tara's Tavern 1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Big Daddy G
Temperance House 5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia w/ Righteous Jolly
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night w/ Cara Cartney
Terhune Orchards 330 Cold Soil Road Princeton
(609) 924-2310
Sat. 1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. Maggs & Bud
Sun.1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. Kingston Ridge
TGI Fridays3535 U.S. Route 1 North #275 Princeton
(609) 520-0378
Fri. 5 p.m. Joe J and Kim Yarson
The Bog (Cranbury Golf Club)
49 Southfield Road West Windsor
(609) 799-0341
Sat. 7 p.m. Guns 4 Hire
The Buck Hotel1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA
(215) 396-2002
Fri. 7 p.m. Love Junk
The Cool Cricket 216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 8:30 p.m. (TBA)
The Irish Horne Bar & Restaurant882 2nd Street Pike Richboro, PA
(215) 942-4000
Fri. 9 p.m. The Kickbax Trio
The Morrisville Tavern376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-5310
Fri. 7 p.m. Dan Ward
Mon. 7 p.m. "Country Night"
The Sycamore Grill 255 North Sycamore Street Newtown, PA
(215) 908-6326
Fri. (4 p.m.) "Patrick & Renee are Getting Married" Party (8 p.m.) Lisa Bouchelle
Sat. 8 p.m. Christopher Hyns
Trenton Buzz 702 Pine Street Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic.
Sat. 10 p.m. "Buzzed Saturdays"
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Stage
Vault Tap Room19 West College Avenue Yardley, PA
(267) 907-8550
Thurs. 7 p.m. Comedy Night w/ Tommy Gooch
Fri. 6 p.m. Brick Acoustic Duo
Sat. 6 p.m. Easy Driver
Water's Edge Gastropub and Lounge1067 Totem Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 332-2095
Thurs. 7 p.m. Cornhole "Blind Draw." $10
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Spring Into Summer" Vendor Event (7 p.m.) "Comedy on the Crick"
Sun. 12 p.m. Drag Brunch
Wed.7 p.m. Drag Bingo & Karaoke
All shows 21+
West Windsor Farm Market 877 Alexander Road West Windsor
Sat. 9 a.m. Anker
Working Dog Winery 610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Sat. 1 p.m. Kevin McGowan
Sun. 1 p.m. Nick Moccia
WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 RadioMCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor
Jazzon2.org
Mon. 7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"
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.
EVENT PREVIEWS
MPAC presents Patti LaBelle on April 17th
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Legendary vocalist Patti LaBelle comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. Beautiful, simply does not describe the incomparable force known to the world as Patti LaBelle. Through the years, the songbird's name has become synonymous with grace, style, and class.
Killer Queen to Perform at Scottish Rite Auditorium
(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- Killer Queen, the award-winning UK-based Queen Tribute featuring the incredible Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury, will perform at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. The group's ambitious twelve-week 2026 US Tour runs from April 16 to October 23.
Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR
(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America's favorite female singers for more than two decades. A limited number of tickets remain for the show.
The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Simple Gifts on April 17th
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Simple Gifts on Friday, April 17, 2026 at Christ Congregation Church. Two women plus ten instruments equal one good time when the award-winning duo of Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon take the stage. Showtime is 8:00pm.
Remember Jones to present 50th Anniversary Celebration of Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life"
(RED BANK, NJ) -- Remember Jones will present a 50th Anniversary Celebration of Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life - a one night only theatrical event featuring the ENTIRE album and MORE Stevie Wonder hits with a full expanded band, Count Basie Center Gospel Choir, and Very Special Guests on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at Count Basie Center for the Arts.
Algonquin Arts Theatre presents Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience
(MANASQUAN, NJ) -- Algonquin Arts Theatre presents Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 2:00pm. This is a unique experience that puts the audience in control.
MPAC presents Tony Danza: Standards and Stories on April 18th
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Popular entertainer Tony Danza brings his Standards and Stories concert to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:00pm. Combining timeless music with wit, charm, storytelling, and a dash of soft shoe and ukulele performances, Danza performs a selection of his favorite standards from the Great American Songbook while interweaving stories about his life and personal connection to the music.
Split Level Concerts presents Lucy Kaplansky at Jersey Shore Arts Center; Dave Vargo to Open
(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Contemporary folk stalwart Lucy Kaplansky will perform at Jersey Shore Arts Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:00pm. Jersey-born songwriter and guitarist Dave Vargo will open the show. The show is part of the on-going Split Level Concerts Series which highlights renowned Americana and contemporary folk musicians in a uniquely intimate setting.
State Theatre New Jersey presents '60s Rock 'n Roll Revival
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents '60s Rock 'N Roll Revival on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:00pm. The evening features performances by Jay and the Americans, The Grass Roots, The Lovin' Spoonful, and The Brooklyn Bridge.
Actor, Writer, Designer Isaac Mizrahi to Bring Six-Piece Jazz Band to Stockton on April 18th
(GALLOWAY, NJ) -- Actor, writer, designer and producer Isaac Mizrahi will blend comedy, storytelling and jazz for a performance at Stockton University's Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Showtime is 7:30pm.
