By Danny Coleman
originally published: 06/22/2017

"Um, they're going to be OK for the first five minutes, then they're probably gonna look at each other and say; whose idea was it to go see Gilbert Gottfried anyway?" 

Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up comedy at the age of 15 because he liked to make people laugh, plain and simple, straight to the point; he enjoys using his personality, thought process and style to bring smiles to the masses.

"I was never the class clown so to speak," he began in a semi-reflective tone as he explained his start in the comedic world. "Eh, yeah, I was 15 and did my first open mic and people thought I was pretty funny. Ya' know what's funny? To this day, people come up to me after shows and say, "Hey, I'm the funniest guy at my job. I think I can do what you do" and I just smile and wish them luck." 

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Gottfried has come a long way from that first open mic; even being called, "More than a National Treasure," by famed author Stephen King. Gilbert has appeared on countless television programs, lent his voice to many animated productions (Perhaps most notably the parrot Lago in Disney's, "Aladdin"), was the voice of the AFLAC duck, has had movie roles, started a successful podcast called, "Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast" and continues to do voiceover work as well as his stand-up comedy.

"I always say I prefer whichever line of work is waving a check at me at the time," he said with a hearty laugh. "I don't prefer acting over comedy or voiceover or the other way around, I always wind up in the long run enjoying it when I know that other people have enjoyed it. If I can look back and people laugh during a scene or after a show they let me know they had a good time, then I like what I have done."

 

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Some of Gottfried's appearances have become the stuff of legend, A.K.A. his scene with Eddie Murphy as accountant Sydney Bernstein in, "Beverly Hills Cop II." "That scene was total improv," he said with a twinge of pride. "People look back at that scene, and they loved it then and they still talk about it now. My biggest surprise though had to be with John Ritter in, "Problem Child" and John's reaction after we were done. John came up to me after and said, "Thanks for taking the offer, go on to the next one;" I think he was apologizing and wasn't expecting much (laughs). That turned out to be a big hit and great for me to the point of being brought back for the other films. When I look back at my career I get depressed (laughs), guess I'm a glass half empty kind of guy."

Ah but his glass is never seemingly half empty, however perception is in the eye of the beholder and many eyes have focused on the huge animated hit, "Aladdin." The role of a wise cracking parrot seemed to fit Gottfried's persona and he owned it beautifully. When asked what it was like working alongside comedic mad man Robin Williams, his response was unexpected. "Ya' know, the funny thing with "Aladdin" was that I'm often asked, "Gilbert; what was that like working with Robin Williams? We hear it was sound booth insanity" and honestly, I never once worked with Robin in the booth, never saw him. Oh well, I guess it sounds better in the media to make it that way."

Gottfried enjoys voiceover work because it tends to be more relaxed, "Some people do it from inside their own apartment. Must be nice to climb out of bed and pour a cup of coffee and work in their pajamas. Can you picture it? Morgan Freeman in his underwear (laughs). I've never been that lucky."

Voicing a podcast was not on Gilbert's list of planned things to do but he did so at the urging of wife. "This was entirely my wife's idea," he explained as if he still could not believe that he has done one and that it's highly successful. "I still don't totally understand," he chuckled. "She said, "It's like a radio show done on the computer" and she thought if I took my knowledge of old movies, TV shows and the what not and talked about them that it'd be successful. I thought to myself; who's gonna remember that? So far its gone over very well and people listening may have discovered things that they would not have known. So far I've had Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner and a woman named Janet Ann Gallow: do you know who she was? As a child actress she starred in monster movies; in particular with Lon Chaney Jr and Bella Lugosi as Cloestine in, "The Ghost of Frankenstein." "She talked about how Lon and Bela would play hide and seek with her during down times in filming while in full make up, these are little known stories like that which come out. My co-host (Frank Santopadre) is a research guy. He studies everything about our guests from their childhood up until now; me? I walk in and I'm hoping for the best (laughs)."

A fascinating stage presence, Gottfried confesses that like his podcast interviewing style, he often just takes it as it comes to him. "My material? Oh God I don't know where I get it from. It is really a big mish-mosh of things. Funny thing, people often say, "Gilbert; no political stuff?" "I stay away from that for the most part but most of my material comes from whatever hits me while I'm on stage. When things come to me I go with it; I've never had a real good work ethic (laughs)."

Gottfried also tends to shy away from watching comics or going to comedy clubs unless he's performing. "Oh God, I used to have a lot of comics that I loved to watch when I was growing up. Now I just watch and nod my head and say oh that was clever, that was nice. Going to comedy clubs for me now is like going to work on my day off. I support comics and comedy but for me it'd be like going to a restaurant and saying something like; see? That's not how I'd have done that, I'd have done that differently. We all have our way of doing things."

After his three nights in NJ, Gottfried is spending the next three evenings (June 22, 23, 24) in Denver, CO then will be return to New Jersey for a show on July 13 at the Kathedral Event Center in Hammonton for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets for this event are $45 and can be purchased online at www.kathedral.com.

To discover more about Gilbert Gottfried, please go to www.gilbertgottfried.com. 

That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!

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This week's event listings

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Backstage at Championship Bar
 931 Chambers Street Trenton
Fri.  6 p.m. Vanish, Amnesty Please, Counterfeit Culture, It Gets Worse, Abilify, Muerte. All ages, $12
Sat. 5 p.m. The Dead Rabbitts, Set To Stun, Northern Ghost, Endless sacrifice, Ashes Of My Regrets, For Those Who Fall, Overtone. All ages, $12/$14

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Bill's Olde Tavern
02694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke Contest (Cash prizes) 
Ages 21+ 

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Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33 Hamilton 
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia  Jam

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Bowman's Tavern
1600 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2972
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. David Dales Trio
Fri. 8 p.m. Bob Egan
Sat. 8 p.m. Hazelrigg Brothers
Sun. (12 p.m.) Brunch With Ottmar (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Mon. 6 p.m. Andy Prescott
Tues. 6 p.m. Lovey Williams
Wed. 6 p.m. Lorenzo

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Brickwall Tavern & Dining Room
19 E. Union Street Burlington
(609) 733-3562
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Shorty Rock
Sun. 5 p.m. Grace Dolores

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Brothers Pizza
871 Route 33 Hamilton Square
(609) 586-2707
Thurs. 6 p.m. Fast Ant

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Candlelight Lounge 
24 Passaic Street Trenton
(609) 695-9612
 Sat. 3 p.m. Stafford Hunter. $10 (cover charge/$10 Minimum includes buffet) 
Tues. 6 p.m. "Tuesday Jazz Jam" Open Session feat. James Stewart / Tom Littwin Trios. $5 (Lite appetizers)

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Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night
Wed. 9 p.m. Quizzo Trivia 

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City Streets 
510 Highway 130 South East Windsor
(609) 426-9400
Mon. 9 p.m. "Malibu Mondays" w/ DJ Brett Gash
Tues. 9 p.m. Trivia w/ Jessie and Chelsea
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Wine Down Wednesdays" w/ Rich Genoval

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COARadio.com 
Main Street Hightstown 
(609) 241-7103
Wed. 8 p.m. "The Health and Wellness Hour" w/ Maryann Castello & Danny Coleman feat. Kenny Segall

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Dadz Bar & Grill
744 Main Street Lumberton
(609) 267-4344
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Pong Tournament"
Fri. (6 p.m.) Gypsy Mother Duo (10 p.m.) Never Enough
Sat. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Byrd
Sun. 4 p.m. Andrew Moorer
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Superstar Entertainment

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Dempster's Pub
437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. DJ DNIAL
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Chris

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Dog & Bull Brew House
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Acoustic Martin & Co.
Fri. (4 p.m.) "Happy Hour" feat. Keli Vale & Nick Bucci (9 p.m.) Dustin Beck
Sat. (11 a.m.)"Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Michael Leggerie (9 p.m.) Brian Bortnick
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Dick Gratton. (4 p.m.) Mike Ghantt
Wed. 8 p.m. Streets Of Rome

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Fran's Pub
116 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Fri. 8 p.m. Conor Choi / Charles Laurita & The Mischief 
Sat. 8 p.m. Little Nikkis Radio
All shows age 21+

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Freddies Tavern
12 Railroad Avenue Ewing
(609) 882-0978
Fri. 8 p.m. Paul Plumeri Blues Band
Sat. 8 p.m. Off The Record
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Joe Vadala

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Grover's Mill Coffee House
Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction
(609) 716-8771
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Anker
Sat. 7 p.m. Beatlefest 9

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Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA. 
(215) 862-9897
Fri. (8 p.m.) "A Tribute to Santana" w/ Milagro. Doors at 6 p.m., $25 (11 p.m.) DJ Dance Party
Sat. (8:30 p.m.) The Naturals (12 a.m.) DJ Dance Party
Sun. (3 p.m.) "A Tribute to The Who" w/ The Wholigans. Doors at 1 p.m., $20 (7:15 p.m.) "A Tribute to The Eagles" w/ The Best of The Eagles. Doors at 7 p.m., $35  
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. "Local Original Music Series" Hosted by Pat Foran 

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Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn
15 East Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-9889
Fri. 8 p.m. Open Mic. Night

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Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Thurs. 6 p.m. Piano, Bass & Jazz
Fri. 6 p.m. John & Carm
Sat. 6 p.m. Victor Tarrasov
Sun. 2 p.m."Jazzy Sundays" feat. Hazelrigg Brothers

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Iron Plow Vineyards
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6 p.m. John Rossi
Sat.  1 p.m. John & Maggs
Sun. 2 p.m. Jerry Steele

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Ivy Tavern 
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 9 p.m. Mr. Lucky
Sat. 9 p.m. Sweetie Pie
All shows 21+

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John & Peter's 
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Colleen Ryan
Fri. 9 p.m. The Insidious Rays
Sat. (3 p.m.) Ellie Spy (9:30 p.m.) Brother Ray
Sun. (3 p.m.) Miss Pumpkin's Drag Show (9:30 p.m.) Old lady
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Tim
Tues. 9 p.m. Jonah Lloyd & Friends
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+

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Killarney's Publick House
1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 5 p.m. Dave Murray
Sat. 9 p.m. DJ Jimmy G

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Laurita Winery
85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Laurita Idol" Senior Idol Semi-Finals
Fri. 7:30 p.m. "Laurita Night On Broadway"
Sat. 1 p.m. Audio Pilot
Sun. 1 p.m. Lefty, the Man of 1,000 Songs
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Girls Night Out" 6.28 Self Defense

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Mamma Rosa's 
572 Klockner Road Hamilton 
(609) 588-5454
Thurs. 6 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Richard Schneider 

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McGuinn's Place
1781 Brunswick Avenue Lawrence
(609) 392-0599
Fri. 9 p.m. Sweet Tooth, Jezebel, Silent Tides. $5
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Ages 21+

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McStews Irish Sports Pub
5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Thurs. 10:30 p.m."Beer Pong" w/ DJ RV & MC Slim
Fri. 10 p.m. "Frisky Fridays" feat. DJ Favs. Ages 21+
Sat. 10 p.m. Steamboat Annie
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo hosted by Mike

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Millhill Basement
300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Tues. 10 p.m. "Local Artist" Hip Hop, Experimental EDM and Bass Music Showcase 

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New Hope Winery
6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Sat. 8 p.m. Ted Vigil: "A John Denver Performance." Doors at 7 p.m., $30

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Nook's PourHouse
2043 Route 130 South Florence
(609) 447-0927
Thurs. 8 p.m. Jimmy & The Parrots (Duo)
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Tuesday w/ Quizoholics

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Nottingham Ball Room
200 Mercer Street Hamilton Square
(609) 890-9834
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Mafalda's Hosts" feat. The Meg Hanson Group 

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Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Road Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21 +

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PANJ Radio
Bridge Street Lambertville
(609) 460-4673
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Megan Talay

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Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. (TBA)
Sat. 9:30 p.m. (TBA)

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Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Sat. 8 p.m. Nick Clemons Band. $10

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Salt Creek Grille
1 Rockingham Row Princeton
(609) 419-4200
Fri. 8 p.m. Michael Bernabe
Sat. 8 p.m. Rainbow Fresh

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Small World Coffee
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton 
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Nobi Poohsea

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1867 Sanctuary 
101 Scotch Road Ewing
(609) 392-6409
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Solo Contemporary Cello" feat. Dan Kassel. $20
Sat. 8 p.m. "Brazilian Piano/Jazz" feat. Luiz Simas. $20
Sun. 8 p.m. "Solo Classic Guitar" feat. Vladislav Blaha. $20

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Tara's Tavern 
1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Fri. 10 p.m. El Ka Bong
Sat. 10 p.m. Black Brant

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Tavern On The Lake
101 Main Street Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. (7:30 p.m. / Upstairs Room) Victor Provost. $25 (9 p.m.) ArHouse
Sat. 9 p.m. Vince Sasso Band
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night 

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Temperance House 
5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic Blues Session w/ Steve Guyger
Sat. 7 p.m. Sister Blue
Sun. 2 p.m. Schwubby Buzzer
Wed. 7 p.m. Live Jazz w/ John Sheridan

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Terhune Orchards
330 Cold Soil Road Princeton
(609) 924-2310
Fri. 5 p.m. "Sips and Sounds Summer Music Series" w/ Darla & Rich

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The Birdhouse Center for the Arts
7 North Main Street Lambertville
(215) 681-4660
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Folk Jam. $10 (Minimum suggested donation)

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The Cool Cricket
216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. Asylum Choir

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The Dubliner
34 North Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1816
Fri. 8 p.m. Willie Lynch Band
Sat. 8 p.m. (TBA)

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The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street Bordentown
(609) 291-7020
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Entertainment
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Wed. 8 p.m. John & Maggs

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The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Rockin' Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. Jam Lab
Sat. 10 p.m. The River Dogs
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. "Wednesday Wheel Night Spin To Win Karaoke" w/ DJ Rockn Ron

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The Pines Tavern
6217 North Radcliffe Street Bristol, PA
(215) 788-1659
 Sat. 9 p.m. Steve Bross
Sun. 3 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Bill Monach Jr.

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The Raven 
385 West Bridge Street New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2081
Thurs. 5 p.m. Russell Eiffert. 
Sat. (9 p.m.) Russell Eiffert (10 p.m.) DJ Dance Party
Tues. 8 p.m. Burlesque
Wed. 6 p.m. Dena Underwood

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The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Fri. 8 p.m. Professor Louie & the Crowmatix. All ages, Doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)

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The Roost 
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050 
Fri. 9 p.m. Radio Fiction
Sat. 9 p.m. Out Of The Red

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The Sticky Wicket 
2465 South Broad Street Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. (TBA)
Sat. 9 p.m. Einstein Bridge
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke

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The Sun National Bank Center 
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check website for upcoming events

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Tir Na Nog 
1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Diarmuid MacSuibhne
Tues. (7 p.m.) "One More Rockin' Happy Hour" Hosted by Danny Coleman (9 p.m.) Open Mic. Hosted by Jerry Monk 
All shows  21+

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Trenton Buzz
702 Pine Street Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic. 

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Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Audio History of Funk and Soul" w/ Professor DJ Tangency
Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Benny

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Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. "Billy Joel Tribute" w/ You May Be Right. $5 (cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Jakubi. $5 (cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Stage Night (Sign ups at 6:30 p.m.)
All shows 21+ 

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Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Road Pennington
(609) 773-2392
Thurs. 9 p.m. Ernie White Solo Acoustic
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. "Moonshine Mondays" Trivia
Ages 21+

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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.

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Coreyah

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 @ 12:30pm
William Paterson University - Shea Auditorium
300 Pompton Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470
category: music

Click here for full description

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Joanne Shaw Taylor

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 @ 7:30pm
The Vogel
99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701
category: music

Click here for full description

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The Motet with lespecial

Wednesday, April 24, 2024 @ 8:00pm
The Vogel
99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701
category: music

Click here for full description

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