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The Smithereens With Marshall Crenshaw To Perform At Outpost In The Burbs
By Gary Wien
originally published: 04/30/2018
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- When Pat DiNizio passed away on December 12, 2017, the future of The Smithereens was suddenly thrown into doubt. Thankfully, the band has decided to continue motoring on with shows here and there. One show coming up is at Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair on Friday, June 1st with fellow 80s rock legend Marshall Crenshaw on hand as special guest vocalist alongside Jim Babjak, Dennis Diken, and Mike Mesaros.
Crenshaw was one of many artists to take place in the tribute "Time and Time Again: A Celebration of the Life of Pat DiNizio" concert, which took place at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank on January 13th. He played with the band on tracks like "Even If I Never Get Back Home", "Strangers When We Meet", and a cover of Budd Holly's "Well, All Right." His own career includes such classic radio hits as "Someday, Someway" and "Whenever You're On My Mind."
The Smithereens may not have been the biggest band to ever come out of New Jersey, but they were arguably one of the best representations of a Jersey band. They combined a Jersey rock and roll vibe with a Beatlesque sound. DiNizio was not just from Jersey - he was proud of being from Jersey. He never forgot his hometown of Scotch Plains and would be glad to know that there is now a "Pat Dinizio Way" in his honor.
To me, The Smithereens are one of the best rock and roll bands to ever come from Jersey, and one of the most underrated bands around. The band’s breakthrough release, Especially for You, was one of the best albums of the 1980s and sounds as fresh today as it did the day it was released. That release contains the MTV hits "Blood & Roses" and "Behind the Wall of Sleep." It was their first album after a pair of EPs (Girls About Town in 1980 and Beauty and Sadness in 1983). They would go on to release hits like "Only a Memory", "A Girl Like You", and "Top of the Pops" and record wonderful albums covering The Who and The Beatles.
Speaking of covers, while we do not know if there will be any new Smithereens original songs in the future, the band is releasing "COVERS" - a new release featuring 20 over the band's favorite cover songs from the Smithereens vault. The disc includes covers of such artists as The Clash, Bruce Springsteen, Iggy Pop, The Kinks, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Beach Boys, and more. It is expected to be released in late May or early June.
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In addition to the Count Basie Theatre show, The Smithereens’ Jim Babjak and Dennis Diken, along with Marshall Crenshaw and Graham Maby (of the Joe Jackson Band,) paid tribute to Pat DiNizio for an upcoming PBS-TV special which will honor musicians who passed away in 2017. The show's performance and interviews were taped at Forge Studios in PA.
The Outpost in the Burbsshow on June 1st will take place at The First Congregational Church of Montclair, located at 40 S Fullerton Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey. Tickets are $40 and are available online.
Light of Day's Main Event To Be Broadcast Live at McLoone's Supper Club (ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- If you couldn't get tickets for the fabled "main event" of the 2019 Light of Day Winterfest, you have another chance see the show. For the first time in the 19-year history of the festival, the "main event", the star-studded “Bob’s Birthday Bash” on January 19th (a show that has long sold out), will be broadcast live via fiber optic cable at McLoone's Supper Club in Asbury Park.Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts To Hold Winter Open House On January 27 (BERKELEY HEIGHTS) -- Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts (WIPA) will host a Winter Open House on Sunday, January 27 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. The free event is open to the public and will be held at the Performing Arts School (PAS) located at 60 Locust Avenue in Berkeley Heights.Billy Idol and Steve Stevens To Perform At Count Basie Center For The Arts (RED BANK, NJ) -- Billy Idol and Steve Stevens, one of rock’s most iconic and enduring duos, will hit the road this March for their first ever tour performing as a duo: Turned On, Tuned In and Unplugged. The Billy Idol/Steve Stevens tour comes to The Count Basie Center for the Arts on Thursday, April 4th.McDonald's Gospelfest To Celebrate The Life of Aretha Franklin With Return to Prudential Center (NEWARK, NJ) -- The 37th Annual McDonald’s Gospelfest returns to the Prudential Center on Saturday, May 11 for the gospel event of the year. This year's event will honor and celebrate the life and legacy of the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin with an All-Star cast. The 5:00pm to 7:00pm portion of the evening will feature a rising stars competition for all ages and cultures in categories including Soloists, Choirs, Praise Dancers, Singing Groups, Gospel Comedians, Gospel Poets and Gospel Rappers. The gospel concert, beginning at 7:00pm, will feature some of the most renowned gospel artists in music history with the goal of spreading love, peace and joy to all races, nationalities and beliefs.Bickford Theatre Presents Herb Gardner's Groundhog Jam (MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- The great Groundhog Jam has a long history of prying jazz fans out of their warm burrows and into the chill of February weather in order to welcome the advent of spring. The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum continues a tradition of hosting this event on Monday, February 4 at 7:30pm. Herb Gardner, who plays both trombone and piano, is assembling a stellar group of musicians from the New York, New Jersey, and New England areas including: Fred Vigorito on cornet, Joe Licari on clarinet, James Chirilloon guitar, Mike Weatherly on bass and Robbie Scott on drums. Daughters Abbie and Sarah Gardner will be handling the vocals and guitar.
Scott Wolfson and Other Heroes At Riverside Rhythm & Rhyme This coming Sunday, January 20, Scott Wolfson and his band will be serving up their unique blend of Americana at the Riverside Rhythm & Rhyme series at Investors Bank Theater in Succasunna, New Jersey. The band – Scott Wolfson and Other Heroes – formed in Jersey City in 2011, and, even though the members have migrated in various directions since then, they still consider themselves to be a Jersey City band."He Totally Wowed Us!" John Oates LIVE! at SOPAC It’s brisk for an evening walk on South Orange Ave. in South Orange, NJ, this Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 evening, but it’s a good road to follow as it leads us directly to the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) for a special performance by singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Oates and his backup group, The Good Road Band.“Tons of Fun!” The Glenn Miller Orchestra LIVE! at the Grunin Center Although Friday, December 21, 2018 is the shortest day of the year, the audience of big band music lovers here at Toms River, NJ’s Grunin Center for the Arts is hoping for a long evening of classic swing and holiday tunes performed by the incomparable Glenn Miller Orchestra!Mike Davis and The New Wonders Mike Davis traces his love for the trumpet back to a Disney movie.
He grew up in a musical family, with both his parents playing strings in the Seattle Symphony. But Davis wanted an instrument of his own.
Then, at age 9, he saw “The Aristocats,” the animated film about a bunch of French felines — including a group of jazz-playing alley cats.Ana Gasteyer's "Holiday Tipple" LIVE! at the Grunin Center The Grunin Center stage in Toms River, NJ is set this Saturday, December 15, 2018 with drums, a grand piano, a guitar, an acoustic bass, and various microphones for vocals. A stool and several microphone stands are bedazzled with colorful garlands of shiny red, gold, and green, and wrapped gifts are strewn on stage among the instruments. Projected white snowflakes adorn the walls, and Christmas music plays as patrons enter the theater to put everyone in the mood for tonight’s holiday show — Ana Gastayer’s Holiday Tipple!
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