Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...7/8/21

By Danny Coleman

originally published: 07/08/2021

"I am one third of the band, we are co-conspirators, we're collaborators, we write everything together, we play everything together, we all sing lead and we all sing harmony; I can also play guitar," stated statuesque Grace Pettis of Austin, TX based Americana/Pop/Folk trio Nobody's Girl.

Pettis, who like her band mates Rebecca Loebe and BettySoo has had success on her own enthusiastically discussed the upcoming July 30 release of their first full length self-titled album, their current single and post pandemic tour plans.

A veritable melting pot of influences has created a sound which may fall into any of the aforementioned categories or as was once said it, "Bridges the gap between folk and heavenly pop."

"I love that description! I think it was our publicist Wendy who said, "We were like if The Bangles were an Americana trio;" I like that too," explained a laughing Pettis. "It is interesting how kind of pop it is and how it's sort of sequined and fun which is a big part of what we do together and that happened really organically; it's not like we were trying to manufacture some kind of a sound. We get together and it's a good time; we all hang out, we were friends for a decade before we were ever in a band together. So, it feels like kind of one long slumber party, road trip, band talk; it's a lot of fun being together and I think that translates musically with the tight harmonies and up-tempo pop songs but at the same time we all come from that whole Americana/Roots tradition so there's a lot of that in what we do."

Riding the success of their 2018 EP "Waterline" which saw them perform more than 100 shows, release several more singles and essentially pave the way for this full-length record; they didn't rest, instead they began to write what would become "Nobody's Girl."

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"There's a couple of covers on the record; a Carole King cover and an Eliza Gilkyson song called "Beauty Way" but all of the other ones are co-written by the three of us. I think there's 10 tracks, now that you ask me I can't remember," she said with a laugh. "They are all originals except for those two; there's no concept behind this necessarily unless the concept is what has been going on in our lives and the country at large over the past couple of years but there's a lot of influence from the later years of the Trump era which influenced the record for sure as well as our own personal lives and the things that we went through during that time. These are a lot of the songs that we wrote in 2018 and 2019 and there's a few songs that we re-worked from our original key as well; it was pretty much just finding time whenever we could to get together and write. This record was supposed to come out in early 2020, then later in the summer of 2020 but things happened (laughs). We had a few unpredictable events that made it not ideal to be on the road playing shows as a harmony centric trio that relies heavily on vocals. So, we just decided that it was in the best interest of the record and in our own best interest to push back the release to 2021 so that we could do it right."

The current single "Kansas" has been inspired by life events and some from a classic film, some real and others from lessons learned

"Kansas;" I don't know if any of us are particular "Wizard Of Oz" fans but we're all from the South, we all moved away from our home towns in search of a bigger world and there's all of the complicated emotions that go along with that sort of thing, which I think is kind of universal. Everybody, you hit 18 and you leave home to kind of find out who you are and to see who you are outside of the context of everyone who has known you since you were a baby; you know? That's just a part of growing up and that's really what "Kansas" is about; the "Wizard Of Oz" is just a metaphor to get us there. It's a girl who clicks her heels and finds herself in a different world and in the end she sort of finds all of these things that she's been searching for; courage, heart and all of that has really been available to her the whole time and those things are found inside. So, whatever it is that you are out there looking for is readily available to you anywhere all of the time and I think it is really about that."

So, with the pandemic slowing and the world opening up; what do they do after their release show on July 29 at a "Surprise venue" in their hometown of Austin followed by a livestream release on July 30?

"Then we play some shows! We are going to play some shows, we've got stuff on the calendar and God willing and the cases don't rise that is the plan. We've got a show locally, we are playing Mountain Stage in West Virginia, tours on the East Coast, the Northeast and a California tour. We are going to get in a car and do a big blow-out release tour and play all of our favorite venues if they are still standing; just have one big party to celebrate the record and have some fun."

Pettis who says, "I think people should listen to it because I think it's good," is definitely in line with the early reviews and to see for yourselves; please go to www.wearenobodysgirl.com to discover more about this Texas trio.

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
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Artist Talk with Robin Resch (FREE and located in Dohm Alley next to Starbucks on Nassau St.)
Fri. 6 p.m. "Summer Nights" Concert Series feat. Billy Joel Tribute w/ "You May Be Right." (Takes place at Princeton Shopping Center 301 North Harrison Street)

Bill's Olde Tavern
2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Thurs. 7 p.m. Kindred Spirit Duo
Tues./Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ "Super" Dave Curtis
Ages 21+

Broken Goblet Brewing
2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Thurs. 7 p.m. Mike Estabrook
Sat. 8 p.m. Steve (the band)
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic w/ Cara Cartney
All Shows 21+

Bruno's Bicycles, One Sweet Ride
19 South Main Street Allentown
(609) 208-0544
Fri. 7 p.m. The Successful Failures

Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic Street Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Thurs. 6 p.m. Thursday Night Blues Jam Hosted by The Mojo Gypsies. $5 (Includes hot buffet)

Championship Bar
931 Chambers street Trenton
(609) 396-5457
Mon. 8 p.m. "Art Chill Night"
Tuesday 8 p.m. "Jam Night" Hosted by Nikki & Caleb
Ages 21+

COARadio.com
125 South Main Street Hightstown
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Katye Kellye and the Interruption

Cooper's Riverview
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. (7 p.m.) Fuzzy Side Up (9 p.m.) Club Night feat. Rotating DJs (inside event)
Fri. (5 p.m.) "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere Happy Hour" (8 p.m.) The Mix
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" (7 p.m.) The Slick Rhodes Band
All Events Ages 21+

Cream Ridge Winery
145 Route 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 259-9797
Sat. 1:30 p.m. Maggs and Bud

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 Pub
437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Throwback Thursday/Ladies Night" w/ DJ entertainment feat. retro 70's, 80's and 90's music.
Fri. / Sat. 9 p.m. DJ entertainment

Dog & Bull Brew House
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Fri. 6 p.m. Justin Beck
Sun. 11 a.m. Dana Collins

Eddington House Bensalem
2813 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA
(215) 639-1220
Sat. 8 p.m. Mike D

Escape Resort, Restaurant & Bar
120 Pheasant Run Road Newtown, PA
(215) 968-0600
Fri. 6 p.m. Kirko

German American Society
215 Uncle Pete's Road Hamilton
(609) 585-5200
Sat. 10 a.m. "16th Annual Euro American Car & Motorcycle Show" w/ Union, DJ Entertainment

Gleason's Bar
6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-4781
Thurs. 7 p.m. Weekly Corn Hole Tournament
Sat. 9 p.m. Never Enough
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
Fri. 8:30 a.m. Wellness Walk
Sat. 10 a.m. "Member Mornings"
Sun. 1 p.m. "Family Meditation"

Halo Pub (Fete)
9 Hullfish Street Princeton
(609) 921-1710
Sat. 6 p.m. Blue Jersey Band

Havana New Hope

105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 7 p.m. Funk n' Blues Jam
Fri. 8 p.m. Eric Clapton Tribute w/ "Bell Bottom Blues"
Sun. 5 p.m. Jenny Grace
Mon. 9 p.m. "Lipstick Mondays Drag Show"

Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5:30 p.m.) Christine Havrilla
Sat. (1 p.m.) Ed Wilson (5:30 p.m.) "Music & Merlot" feat. Acoustic DuoVer
Sun. 1:30 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Darla & Rich

Iron Plow Vineyards
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Monk & Monk
Sat. 6:30 p.m. Wayne Palmer Trio
Sun. 2 p.m. Ronnie Brandt

Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9:30 p.m. "Thursday Night Dance Party"
Fri. 8 p.m. Ess Gees Duo
Sat. 8 p.m. Southside Wanderers

John & Peter's
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. 8 p.m. Tom Kanach
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
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 Series
115 West Richardson Avenue Langhorne, PA
Wed. 7 p.m. Bullzeye

Laurita Winery
85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Laurita Idol 2021" (Tryout) (Open to adults 18+, $15 registration fee to tryout)
Fri. (12 p.m.) "Wine In The Grove Friday (7 p.m.) Paint & Sip Bicycle Wines (7 p.m.) BBQ Grill (7 p.m.) Awesome 80's Dance Party
Sat. "Winery Weekend" feat. (1 p.m.) Living The Dream
Sun. "Winery Weekend" feat. (1 p.m.) Rick Winow

Makefield Highlands Golf Club
1418 Woodside Road Yardley, PA
(215) 321-7000
Fri. 5 p.m. Rob Groden

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
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night

Mercer County Park Festival Grounds
Hughes Drive/Old Trenton Road West Windsor
(609) 448-1947
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Mercer County L.E.A.D. Fest" feat. (6:30 p.m.) Diamond Eye Jack
Fri. 5 p.m. "Mercer County L.E.A.D. Fest" feat. (6:30 p.m.) B Street Band
Sat. 1 p.m. "Mercer County L.E.A.D. Fest" feat. (6:30 p.m.) Southern Steel
Sun. 1 p.m. "Mercer County L.E.A.D. Fest" feat. (6:30 p.m.) Ernie White

Music Mountain Theater
1483 Route 179 Lambertville
(609)397-3337
Fri. 8 p.m. "Head Over Heels"
Sat./Sun. 3 p.m. "Head Over Heels"

Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company
909 Ray Avenue Croydon, PA
(215) 458-7081
Thurs. 7 p.m. Super Smash Brothers Project M Tournament

New Hope Winery
6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Fri./Sat. 8 p.m. Classic Stones feat. The Glimmer Twins

Newtown Brewing Company
103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8609
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night
Sat. 7 p.m. Music with Two Duo

Nick's Roast Beef
4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA
(215) 637-5151
Thurs. 6 p.m. Mike McCullough
Fri. 6 p.m. Jawn Of The Dead
Sat. 6 p.m. Old School
Sun. 4 p.m. AJ Slick

Nottingham Fire Co. Ballroom
200 Mercer Street Hamilton Square
(609) 890-9834
Fri. 7 p.m. "Show & Dinner" feat. The Amazing Grace Little & The Grace Little Band, Meg Hanson Group, Infinity Band, w/ Music by DJ EZP. (Doors open at 6 p.m., $45)

Odd Logic Brewing Co.
500 Bristol Pike, Bristol, PA
Thurs. 6 p.m. Trivia

O'Fowley's Tavern & Grill
200 State Road Croydon, PA
(215) 785-6998
Fri. 8 p.m. DJ Entertainment

Old Hights Brewing
123 West Ward Street Hightstown
(609) 469-5976
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia

Old Town Pub
135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 291-9232
Thurs. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics Trivia
Tues. 7 p.m. "Dinner Is A Drag"

Palmer Square
40 Nassau Street Princeton
Thurs. 4 p.m."Locals Night" w/ Live "Strolling" Musician
Fri. 8 p.m. Movie Night on the Green feat. "Sing"
Sun. 2 p.m. Some Assembly Required

Pasquale's Sports Bar
9078 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(267) 202-6268
Fri. 5 p.m. Happy Hour feat. (TBA)
Sat. 8 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
Sat. 7 p.m. Paul Plumeri Blues Band
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo"

Ralphie's
2295 2nd Street Pike Newtown, PA
(267) 491-5408
Fri. 7 p.m. Leisure Suit

Revere Restaurant
802 River Road Ewing
(609) 882-6365
Sat. 6 p.m. Brian Elliot
Wed. 7 p.m. David Boyd

Robbinsville Community Concert
Town Center Lake Drive Gazebo, Robbinsville
Tues. 7 p.m. The Gumbo Gumbas

Romeo's Restaurant & Pizza
10 Schalks Crossing Road Plainsboro
(609) 799-4554
Sat. 7 p.m. The Blue-Eyed Balladeer

Rosedale Mills
101 Route 31 North Pennington
(609) 737-2008
Sat. 1 p.m. Outdoor Line Dancing. $10 (Rain date Sundays 12 p.m.)

Sherman Theater/Penn Community Bank Amphitheater
2400 Byberry Road Bensalem, PA
Wed. 7 p.m. "Real Diamond" Neil Diamond Tribute (Doors open at 5:30 p.m., tickets available online)

Small World Coffee
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-4377 x2
Thurs. 8 p.m. "The Fluid Acrylics of Adriana Groza" (Runs 7 days a week thru 8/3)

Tara's Tavern
1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Fri. 9 p.m. Jason Fox
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Big Daddy G

Tavern On The Lake
101 Main Street Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke

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
Fri. 4 p.m. "Sips & Sounds Friday" feat. Ragtime Relics

The Bog (Cranbury Golf Club)
49 Southfield Road West Windsor
(609) 799-0341
Sat. 7 p.m. Mikey V and the Unprofessionals

The Buck Hotel
1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA
(215) 396-2002
Thurs. 7 p.m. Kevin Kirko
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. Asylum Choir

The Dubliner
34 North Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1816
Sat. 7 p.m. Sun. 3 p.m. "Traditional Irish Session"

The Morrisville Tavern
376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-5310
Sat. 7 p.m. The Williamsboy
Mon. 7 p.m. "Country Night"

The Roost
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Fri. 8 p.m. ArHouse
Sat. 8 p.m. Kindred Spirit

The Sycamore Grill
255 North Sycamore Street Newtown, PA
(215) 908-6326
Fri. 8 p.m. Sister Blue
Sat. 8 p.m. Plush Duo

Thomas Sweet Ice Cream
183 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 683-8720
Sat. 7 p.m. The Shaykz

Train Wreck Distillery
25 Madison Avenue Mount Holly
(609) 288-6300
Thurs. 6 p.m.
Fri. 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 Room
19 West College Avenue Yardley, PA
(267) 907-8550
Thurs. 7 p.m. Comedy Night w/
Fri. 7 p.m. Sarah Heine

Water's Edge Gastropub and Lounge
1067 Totem Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 332-2095
Thurs. 7 p.m. Cornhole "Blind Draw." $10
Sat. 9 p.m. "Comedy on the Crick" feat. Reverend Bob Levy, Matt Bridgestone
Sun. 12 p.m. Drag Brunch
Wed.7 p.m. Drag Bingo & Karaoke

West Windsor Arts Center/Nassau Park Pavilion
952 Alexander Road Princeton
Sat. 5 p.m. BD Lenz Trio

Working Dog Winery
610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Fri. 1 p.m. Jersey Sure Cats
Sat. 1 p.m. Maggs and Bud

WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 Radio
MCCC 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