By Danny Coleman
originally published: 05/06/2021
"You've got it, that's where I get my fix and I don't get it anywhere else; not like there," emphatically stated legendary guitarist and founding member of Grand Funk Railroad, Mark Farner as he discussed the joys of performing as well as his new concert DVD, "From Chile` With Love."
Farner, whose high energy style and authenticity helped launch Grand Funk Railroad into the stratosphere after their appearance at the 1969 Atlanta International Pop Festival has never lost his enthusiasm for the stage and has continued to create new music while bringing his past into the present and this latest effort is a perfect encapsulation of the man, the music and a rock 'n' roll career that has spanned nearly seven decades.
When Farner talks about the making of this DVD, he does so with such enthusiasm and passion, not only because he's very proud of his career and accomplishments but because he is also doing something very special with some of the profits.
"That's right! It is 16 live performances, there are two bonus videos; one of which is available right now at Markfarner.com. The "Rock & Roll Soul" video which is taken from this live shoot from Santiago, Chile at Teatro Caupolican and there's five additional bonus tracks, just the audio, on this DVD as well for $14.99; such a deal I'm telling ya'," he said with a laugh as big as his personality. "Also, my wife Lisa and I are giving three dollars from the sale of each DVD to our friends at Veterans Support Foundation; they help get veterans integrated back into society. They have taken veterans off the street, given them transitional housing, they have gotten them job placements, they get them some self-esteem and put them back in society as a whole person. I love these guys because it's veterans serving veterans; there's no government B.S. or red tape in there whatsoever. The funds go straight to the efforts and none of these guys who work this take a salary; not a penny. They give all of the money to the cause and I've been working with them since the '70's so, I know these guys are real, I believe in them and I thank all of the people who bought the pre-sale DVDs which are not only autographed by me but three dollars from each one is going to our brothers and sisters who need the help. I want to thank those who have pre-ordered or will buy the DVD and even after the DVD comes out we are still going to give three dollars for every one sold to the cause because it's that near and dear to our heart."
A worthwhile charity indeed; so why exactly is it, "Near and dear" to their heart?
"My dad was a World War II veteran, he was a tank driver in the 7th Armored Division and he returned home with four Bronze Stars; he made it through four major battles and I'm telling you, most tank drivers didn't get to see more than one or two and that was it. So, I'm telling you, my dad was very, very fortunate and so were the guys in his tank because they all came home. My mother was the first woman in the United States to weld on Sherman Tanks at Fisher Body in Michigan. I remember the front page of the Flint Journal had her standing on a Sherman Tank, she had her helmet tipped back, she had her striker in her right hand and her left hand clinched and this big beautiful smile on her face and it was like; I'm here for my man, we can do this, we are gonna do this! That revved me up as a young man to the point where I'm very proud of my parents and the efforts that they made during the second world war to bring us to a peaceful situation in our country and because of the songs that I've written and the veterans that have grabbed on to the hope that they find in those songs; I find that they are my most prized audience. They are coming from their hearts; these guys that joined us up at Fort Irwin for the celebration for the Viet Nam veterans, we got as many Viet Nam veterans on that stage as we could possibly put and then we did "I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home" and I'm going to tell you something; all of these guys from different states had never met until they got together for this reunion there at Fort Irwin but they were standing there hugging, crying, singing "I'm getting closer to my home" and I'm tellin' you, it's such an emotional fix and you know you're doing something right when something touches your heart in this way."
Farner grew up in Michigan but his family roots were far south of there; yet, no matter where you settle down it is the atmosphere that shapes us; something that has never escaped this veteran rocker.
"My mother moved from Litchfield, Arkansas when she was 16 years old to come to Flint, MI and the whole family moved there to get jobs in the auto factory; uncles, aunts, grandma, grandpa, everybody and all of the kids. Every Sunday we would do a hoedown either at Aunt Dorothy's or our house and everybody brought their instruments; fiddles, banjos, guitars, violin, my dad blew sax and all of the women sang like angels; it was good. I felt so good about what they were doing every time we got together that I couldn't wait for Sundays because I knew there would be jammin' and singin' and I was going to be eating southern fried chicken with those hockey puck dumplings or Sloppy Joes guaranteed (laughs)."
Southern roots, a Cherokee heritage and a full rock 'n' roll pedigree have served Farner well over his years in music as he has graced some of the world's largest festival stages, variations of his music have gone platinum 30 times over and his successes have been many. So, with all of the different venue stages he has graced in countries literally around the globe; why was Chile` the choice for the DVD?
"We had been to this venue before and the promoter Carlos has a friend in Abysmo Films; Carlos Toro and he is the head and president of Abysmo and they were talking and the guy from Abysmo says to Carlos, "I Want to do this eight camera shoot on Mark Farner when he gets here and you've got to pitch him on this because we want to put this out and we're going to do it right;" money is always a consideration of course but man, he made it so right that it was like an offer we couldn't refuse. I couldn't hardly wait for this concert because I knew that if it was going to be anything like the first time we were there it was gonna rock and brother, they didn't let me down at all. They were rockin' and they were rockin' hard and singing my songs back to me. I am who my songs say I am and I get on that stage and those people expect me to be that guy and I am and they sing it back in American English even though it's a Hispanic country. They sing it back; in fact, some of the fans that I talk to tell me that they learned how to speak English just so they could discover the words of what "Heartbreaker" meant. I'm telling you, music crosses all of those boundaries, there's no language barrier; I mean, they had to find it out but something in the music touched their heart in the music. Was it the guitars? The Drums? Something was prophesizing something lovely to them and they had to find out what it was; yeah."
Farner lives for his fan base and often finds ways to involve the crowd both on and off stage; for instance, choosing a set list. So, how did he choose the setlist for the DVD and how does he do so when touring?
"This is all the Grand Funk stuff and we did a Chuck Berry thing down there to honor him and to give him wishes from our heart and to speak of him highly as he should be spoken of; we did "Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller" down there," he explained. "We did "Heartbreaker" and like I told you the audience was singing it back to me so loud that it was louder than the PA and of course we did "The Locomotion," "Some Kind of Wonderful;" we just go for it. I polled the audiences a few years back to find out what they wanted to hear in a live stage performance and out of 2,700 people that responded in the two weeks that we had the poll out there; we put our set together and found out pretty much what people had in common, what songs that they wanted to hear. So, we built from that little nest-egg of about 10 songs that we had started and we add as we go but we always keep that base of songs in there just because we can (laughs). We pick the setlist from those 10 to start with and then it just goes as far as my heart and what I'm feeling. I always put songs that people might not; I put something obscure in there to keep people saying, wow! I didn't know they would play that! That happens all of the time, people say, I didn't know you guys were gonna play that, I've never heard you do that; there's so much music. I'd like to be able to sit there for five hours and play all those albums but I just physically can't do it. What we do is from our hearts and it's never too much for them because they always want more (laughs)."
Autographed copies of "From Chile` With Love" can be pre-ordered now at a cost of $19.99 with three dollars from each sale going to Mark's favorite veteran's charity; the DVD is scheduled to begin shipping on May 21 and by then Farner says he'll be up and running once again.
"People can find out on Markfarner.com; I'm on the road, I've got three gigs starting in May with Blue Oyster Cult in St. Augustine, FL and I've actually got a lot of offers coming in now. So, hopefully we can fill up this calendar and bring some love to the people because they really need to know that they are loved and they really need to clear their heads of the BS (laughs)."
To purchase the DVD or find out more about mark Farner, please visit www.markfarner.com.
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
Al's Airport Inn636 Bear Tavern Road West Trenton
(609) 883-5252
Wed. 7 p.m. Mark Sacco
Bailey's Bar & Grille 6922 Bristol-Emilie Road Levittown, PA
(215) 946-7992
Sat. 7 p.m. Soul Custody Trio
Blend Bar & Bistro 911 Highway 33 Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Sat. 4 p.m. "Ocho de Maya Party" w/ The Polish Nannies
Broken Goblet Brewing 2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Thurs. 7 p.m. Mike Estabrook
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic w/ Cara Cartney
All Shows 21+
Carpool Cinema204 North Union Street Lambertville
(609) 483-5237
Sat. 8 p.m. "The Bird Cage." Lot opens 7:30 p.m.
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. Full Grown Men
COARadio.com 125 South Main Street Hightstown
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Helen O'Shea, Duffy King, Marc Swersky, Lyssa Coleman, Dave The Rave
Cooper's Riverview 50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 7 p.m. El Ka Bong
Fri. (5 p.m.) "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere Happy Hour" feat. Jerry Monk (8 p.m.) Kindred Spirit
Sat. 8 p.m. Se7en Band
Sun. 11 a.m. "Mother's Day and 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
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Ronnie Brandt, Joe Nap, Arne Wendt
Sun. 2 p.m. Ronnie Brandt
Dacey's Pub 215 West Philadelphia Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-4838
Fri. 6 p.m. Acoustic Music Night
Wed. 8 p.m. Quizzo
Dog & Bull Brew House 810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Sat. 11 a.m. "Saturday Brunch"
Sun. 12 p.m. "Sunday Brunch" Mother's Day Celebration feat. Keli Vale
Eddington House Bensalem2813 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA
(215) 639-1220
Fri. 8 p.m. Stem Duo
Sat. 8 p.m. CJ & Kevin
Forsgate Country Club375 Forsgate Drive Monroe
(732) 521-0700
Sat. 6:30 p.m.
Sun. 10:30 a.m. "Mother's Day Brunch"
Gleason's Bar6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-4781
Thurs. 7 p.m. Weekly Corn Hole Tournament
Fri. 6 p.m. "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
Halo Pub (Fete) 9 Hullfish Street Princeton
(609) 921-1710
Sat. 6 p.m. Kim Yarson Band
Hopewell Valley Vineyards 46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Fri. 6 p.m. Ralston Heights Book Party" w/ Author James Betz / Deb & Mike
Sat. (1 p.m.) The Mac Paige Band (4 p.m.) "Music & Merlot" feat. Tune Bandits
Sun. 1 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Robert Ruffis Experience
Iron Plow Vineyards 26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Jim Gaven
Sat. 6:30 p.m. Carly & Me
Sun. 2 p.m. Steve Guyger
Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9:30 p.m. "Thursday Night Dance Party"
All shows 21+
Killarney's Publick House 1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 5 p.m. Radio Fiction
Laurita Winery 85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Fri. (12 p.m.) "Wine In The Grove" (6 p.m.) Pasta Night "All You Can Eat." $29
Sat. 11:30 a.m. "Wine In the Grove"
Sun. 11 a.m. "Mother's Day Brunch"
McGuinn's Place 1781 Brunswick Avenue Lawrence
(609) 392-0599
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Ages 21+
McStews Irish Sports Pub 5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Sat. 9 p.m. Troublemakerz
More Than Q 13 Klines Court Lambertville
(609) 773-0072
Sat. 2 p.m. Ed Wall
Music Mountain Theater1483 Route 179 Lambertville
(609)397-3337
Fri. 8 p.m. "The Last 5 Years"
Sat./Sun. 3 p.m. "The Last 5 Years"
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company909 Ray Avenue Croydon, PA
(215) 458-7081
Sat. 12 p.m. "Puppies and Pints" Pet Food Drive
Sun. 11 a.m. "Mother's Day Bonsai"
New Egypt Flea Market Village933 Monmouth County Road Cream Ridge
(609) 758-2082
Sun. 8 a.m. "Mother's Day at The Market"
New Hope Winery 6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Fri. 8 p.m. "Tusk" Fleetwood Mac Tribute
Sun. 1 p.m. Mark & Ralph Acoustic Duo
Newtown Brewing Company103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8609
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night
Sat. 7 p.m. Tony Alosi
Nick's Roast Beef4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA
(215) 637-5151
Thurs. 6 p.m. Keep The Change
Fri. 6 p.m. LeCompt
Sat. 6 p.m. Ear Candy
Sun. 4 p.m. Sir Rod
O'Fowley's Tavern & Grill200 State Road Croydon, PA
(215) 785-6998
Fri. 8 p.m. DJ Entertainment
Palmer Square40 Nassau Street Princeton
Sat.12 p.m. David Alastre & Latineo
Sun . 4 p.m. McCarter Theater Concert Series feat. Esteem All Stars
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
Princeton Public Library 65 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-9529
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Mental Health 2021: Telling Our Stories, Coping with COVID and How to Reach Out" (Panel discussion)
Ralphie's2295 2nd Street Pike Newtown, PA
(267) 491-5408
Fri. 7 p.m. Stems and Seeds
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Sat. 3 p.m. The Amazing Kreskin
Recklesstown Farm Distillery2800 Route 206 North Columbus
(609) 784-8046
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Trivia
Revere Restaurant802 River Road Ewing
(609) 882-6365
Fri. 6 p.m. Two For Flinching
Sat. 6 p.m. Brian Elliot
Romeo's Restaurant & Pizza10 Schalks Crossing Road Plainsboro
(609) 799-4554
Fri. 7 p.m. The Blue-Eyed Balladeer
Rosedale Mills101 Route 31 North Pennington
(609) 737-2008
Sat. 1 p.m. Outdoor Line Dancing. $10 (Rain date Sundays 12 p.m.)
Tankard Pub440 Keim Boulevard Burlington
(609) 306-5079
Thurs. 7 p.m. The Williamsboy
Temperance House 5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7p.m. "Blues Night" w/ Steve Guyger
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. 12 p.m. "Mother's day Wine Trail Weekend" w/ Jim Matlack & Joe Kramer
Sun.12 p.m. "Mother's day Wine Trail Weekend" w/ Kara & Corey
The Beer Garden at Snipes Farm 890 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA
Sat. 5 p.m. "Music at Snipes Farm Spring 2021" feat. Dogs In A Pile / Diamond Eyed Jack
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. Kindred Spirit
The Five Four Bar & Grill 8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 547-5525
Sat. 9 p.m. "Dave Deegan's Birthday Bash" w/ Witzend
The Morrisville Tavern376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-5310
Fri. 7 p.m. Dan Ward
Sat. 7 p.m. Jukebox Graveyard
Mon. 7 p.m. "Country Night"
Tindall Road Brewing Co.102 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 526-8651
Sat. 7 p.m. Tiltin' Catz
Trenton Buzz 702 Pine Street Trenton
(609) 392-6000
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
All shows 21+
Vault Tap Room19 West College Avenue Yardley, PA
(267) 907-8550
Thurs. 7 p.m. Comedy Night w/ Marc Kaye
Water's Edge Gastropub and Lounge1067 Totem Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 332-2095
Thurs. 7 p.m. Cornhole "Blind Draw." $10
Sat. 7 p.m. "Comedy on the Crick"
Sun. 12 p.m. "Mother's Day" Drag Brunch
Wed.7 p.m. Drag Bingo & Karaoke
Working Dog Winery 610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Sat. 1 p.m. Spoondrift
Sun. 2 p.m. Jersey Sure Cats
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
The Lovin' Spoonful to Perform in Newton
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Lovin' Spoonful will perform at The Newton Theatre on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 8:00pm. They were America's answer to the Beatles! The band, led by John Sebastian, Steve Boone, Joe Butler and Zal Yanovsky, exploded onto the charts sending their first 7 singles soaring onto Billboard's top-10 charts virtually overnight.
Barrymore Film Center presents Ann Talman: Elizabeth Taylor and the Shadow of Her Smile
(FORT LEE, NJ) -- Ann Talman brings her award-winning show Ann Talman: Elizabeth Taylor and The Shadow of Her Smile to the Barrymore Film Center on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 7:30pm. Ann joined Actors' Equity with co-star Elizabeth Taylor in 1981 when she landed the plum role in The Little Foxes playing Miss Taylor's daughter on Broadway. The Little Foxes traveled the world for eighteen months including six months in London and their loving friendship lasted for the rest of Miss Taylor's life.
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center presents Eaglemania on May 8th
(CARTERET, NJ) -- Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center presents Eaglemania on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 8:00pm. EagleMania has been dazzling audiences for over a decade by spectacularly reproducing the music of the Eagles.
The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents singer-songwriter Richard Shindell on May 8th
(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents singer-songwriter Richard Shindell on Friday, May 8, 2026. Doors are at 7:00pm; showtime is 7:30pm.
Princeton Symphony Orchestra presents Music That Tells a Story: Opera 101
(PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ) -- On Friday, May 8, 2026 at 4:00pm, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents Music That Tells a Story, a free event for anyone who has ever dreamed of being an opera star. The presentation will take place at Westrick Music Academy (231 Clarksville Road, Suite 8) in Princeton Junction.
Wellmont Theater presents The Wallflowers on May 9th
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The Wellmont Theater presents The Wallflowers on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 8:00pm. The band is touring in support of the 30th anniversary of their landmark album, Bringing Down the Horse. The band will perform their classic album in its entirety, in sequence.
The Newton Theatre presents Lita Ford on May 9th
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Newton Theatre presents Lita Ford in concert on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 8:00pm. With a legacy that spans nearly five decades, Lita Ford continues to inspire generations of musicians— solidifying even more, her place as an icon, pioneer, and true Queen of Rock.
Monmouth County Park System presents 2026 Creative Arts Festival on May 9th
(LINCROFT, NJ) -- The Monmouth County Park System is hosting its annual Creative Arts Festival on Saturday, May 9, 2026 from 10:00am-4:00pm at Thompson Park. This celebration of the arts features more than 50 specially selected artists in a variety of mediums such as pottery, painting, jewelry, and more. This family-friendly festival also includes live music, engaging art demonstrations, and children’s art-based activities.
Grunin Center presents Taylor Simon King on May 9th
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Grunin Center for the Arts presents Taylor Simon King - Celebrating Three American Troubadours on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 7:30pm. The show features James Gedeon, Lisa Sherman, and Alice Leon paying tribute to James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Carole King. Limited tickets remain.
Scottish Rite Auditorium presents The Robert Cray Band
(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- Scottish Rite Auditorium presents The Robert Cray Band on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 8:00pm. Blues icon. Soul man. Rock and roller. Robert Cray is all these things – and more.
