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Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites... 01/02/2026


By Danny Coleman

originally published: 01/01/2026

"I'm playing with a friend of mine, Husky Burnette and he does sort of a heavy blues rock kind of thing. We don't tour much but we just finished an album that is coming out some time in the Spring. I'm still at it, I don't really know what else to do other than play music and write books," laughed Douglas Bales, author, drummer and music man, whose recent book, "Rock 'N' Rolla Coaster" (Anxiety Press) details a life in music and its adventures as well as its misadventures. 

Many books have been written about music, touring and life inside of both so, to understand what makes Bales' newest effort different, let's take a look into exactly who he happens to be. 

"I've been a musician for about 40 years now and have done everything from the bottom to the top and back again," he began once again with a laugh. "I started out when I was about 19 or 20 years old back in the mid-eighties. I played with a number of bands over the years that saw little if any success; you know, the majority of us that play in bands, it's a long hard road. I hooked up with this guy in 2016, a fella called Mark "Porkchop" Holder, I was the drummer for him. I mostly play drums, I did front a band for a little while but I've mostly been a drummer my entire career. We got to tour extensively in the U.S and short run down in Mexico and a two week run in France. I got to play in front of some pretty big audiences doing the international stuff but I'm a drummer and also an author. My first book called, "Maximum Taxi" came out about two years ago and my newest one called, "Rock 'N' Rolla Coaster" came out about three months ago." 

Bales states that the book is "Fictionalized" but only technically so because apparently, the names have been changed to "Protect the innocent." 




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"It's fictionalized because I changed all of the names of the people, the bands and the venues and all of that but honestly, it's pretty much autobiographical, it's based on every crazy and weird story happening in the book I've pretty much witnessed myself. Like I mentioned earlier, my first book, "Maximum Taxi" was based in reality as well. It was based on the few years I spent as a cab driver in Chattanooga and I had all of these stories in my head. I've always written, even when I started out in music, I wrote a lot of the lyrics for the songs in my first several bands. I've just always been a writer with all of these stories in my head, I like to kind of clear the space out from my mental filing cabinet so I have room for more (Laughs)." 

"Rock 'N' Rolla Coaster" took almost two years to write and get it cleaned up," he continued. "You don't just write it, you have to go back and clean it up, edit it and all that. So, it took me almost two years to finish it and luckily, the publisher picked it up right away as soon as I was done with it. The main guy at Anxiety Press is Cody Sexton and I hit him up with an email and asked if he'd be interested and he said, "Hell yeah, let's do it" and so, that was a big relief knowing that it was gonna be picked up and put out and it took a few months even after that because we have t go through and get everything straight on the page so it looks good and all that. So, it's a process of writing; just like playing music, that's one thing that a lot of people who don't play don't understand. They'll go to a club, a bar or a big venue and they see the band and they say, "Man, what a great job, you only work like an hour a day" (Laughs) but the reality is, you travel four hours, spend a couple of hours loading in and soundchecking, not to mention time spent writing and rehearsing, it's a week's worth of work in every single show." 

The book's forward pages highlight some quotes, one of which is from legendary member of The Clash, Joe Strummer; someone Bales greatly admires.

"Joe Strummer is one of my biggest musical heroes and influences. I think he was a great songwriter and he was just great. He was more or less the front man for The Clash, him and Mick Jones kind of split it up but I always just admired him for his intelligence and his humor, especially in his lyrics where his intelligence and humor come through. Ever since I was a teenager, he has been a really big influence on me; him and several others. I've got several other musical favorites but Joe has always stood out. I got turned onto them when I was probably around 12 or 13 years old, like the late '70s was when I was turned onto The Clash and around the same time, another favorite was Blondie, The Ramones of course. I've always sort of gravitated to punk rock and hard rock but I listen to all sorts of stuff; everything from jazz to classical, to folk and punk but something about The Clash spoke to me."

Did any of that speaking have anything to do with the book's title?

"One reason I settled on the title is because of that quote from Strummer we discussed earlier which is from a line in The Clash's "All The Young Punks" where he said, "Everybody wants to bum a ride on the rockin' rollercoaster" but also, I've been doing this for 40 years and there have been a lot of ups and downs, twists and turns and it's very much like a rollercoaster. I even mentioned it in the book, there was one point when I was touring with Mark "Porkchop" Holder, we played those shows in France and that would've been somewhere around 2017 or 2018 and a couple of those shows were in front of 20,000 or maybe 30,000 people and then we get back here to The States and we're playing to like 12 people (Laughs), talk about a shock; it's a crazy way to make a living." 

That very essence of "Crazy" is spot on because making a living in the arts has never been and will never be easy but yet millions around the world pour their heart and souls into doing so and Doug hopes that "Rock 'N' Rolla Coaster" will open up people's eyes as to what the journey is all about. 




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"A lot of the book is trying to capture the crazy things that happen within a band that people who have been in bands can recognize or relate to and also for people who haven't been in bands and travelled and stuff like that; just to let them know it's a job, it's work, it's not all fun and games and backstage glamour that people perceive it as, it's really rough sometimes. There are a few stories I touch on in the book, especially when I was younger; like I said, I came up listening to a lot of punk rock. So, I had a lot of angst and my leather jacket and all of that and somebody would come out and hand the band 50 bucks and I was like, "Man! What are you talking about?" Sometimes it was even worse than that and when I was younger I would get really angry about it. I've settled with it now but in my younger days it almost came to blows a few different times because I was so insulted by somebody coming up and handing you a pizza with 40 bucks for the entire band to split up and to me that's terrible; art is worth more than that."

Perhaps rightfully so, the book's end takes us up to where blues music is widely considered to have begun; Clarksdale, Mississippi. Bales' travels took him to this Delta town with a rich music history where things came full-circle.

"The book kind of winds up when my buddy Porkchop decided he needed a break from the scene because he had some physical and mental problems that he needed to take care of and he moved back to California where he could get better medical help than in the Southeast. So, it sort of winds up when I was basically stranded in Clarksdale, Mississippi. I was sittin' in and playing with several cool people but it put on the brakes of the whole touring thing for a few years. As a drummer, I could pick up two or three gigs a week doing the blues shuffle, just sitting in keeping a beat. I played a few gigs with Deak Harp because his drummer, Quicksand had some heart problems. So, this book comes up from when I started out, when me and my brother formed a band in the mid-eighties doing sort of alternative rock and being in Chattanooga, we were really drawn to the whole Athens scene; R.E.M, B52s, Pylon and those sorts of bands. So, we were doing the alt-rock thing and we travelled around a bit, mostly in the Southeast and we were convinced we were gonna be the next R.E.M because we were 20 years old and didn't know any better (Laughs) and after that band split up, I fronted a grungy-punk sort of thing, then a band that was more Americana like Creedence Clearwater or The Band and then with another punk-pop band, then back to another punk band and then I struck up with Porkchop. I love playing, I love travelling and when I'm not doing that, I love writing all of this crazy stuff down (Laughs)." 

To Discover more about Doug Bales, his music and books, please visit https://www.douglasbales.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


All Saints Club
1143 Wood Street Bristol, PA
Sat. 8 p.m. One Year Anniversary Party feat. Little Sister. $65 (Includes food, beer, well drinks)
Al's Airport Inn
636 Bear Tavern Road West Trenton
(609) 883-5252 
Thurs. 5 p.m. Danny Lynch
Sat. (12 p.m.) Acoustic Brunch w/ Rob Silvers (7 p.m.) Sandy Zio
Sun. (12 p.m.) Sunday Acoustic Brunch w/ Sandy Zio (6 p.m.) Snap Dragons
Mon. 5 p.m. Joe Hutchinson
Tues. 7 p.m. Mike & Laura
Wed. 7 p.m. Kindred Spirit Duo
Aristaeus Brewing
2475C Big Oak Road Langhorne, PA 
(215) 757-2337
Wed. 7 p.m. DIY Trinket Tray
Arts Council of Princeton 
102 Witherspoon Street Princeton 
(609) 924-8777 
Sat. 3 p.m./5 p.m. Fiesta del Dia de Los Reyes Magos 2026: A Three Kings Day Flamenco Celebration
Wed. 7 p.m. JAM: Jersey Art Meet Up 
Ashlynn Distillery 
32 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA 
Thurs. 6 p.m. Cecil & Mike
Fri. 7 p.m. Sara & Tamer
Sat. 7 p.m. Lisa Bouchelle
Sun. 3 p.m. Cecil & Friends
Wed. 6 p.m. Cara Cartney
Bent Iron Brewing
70 Extonville Road Hamilton
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Bill's Olde Tavern
2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Sun. 7 p.m. BINGO
Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia 
Tues. 8 p.m. / Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke 
Ages 21+
Bordentown City
Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown  
Fri. 7 p.m. "Frightening Fridays!" Haunted History Tours. $20
Sat. 12 p.m. Bordentown Walking Tours. $20 
Bowman's Tavern 
1600 River Road New Hope, PA 
(215) 862-2972
Fri. (5:30 p.m.) Bennett Lee (8 p.m.) Bob Egan 
Sun. (12 p.m.) Bill Avayou Trio (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Wed. 6 p.m. Liz DuFour
Broad Street Brewing
2621 Durham Road Bristol, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Vinyl Night 
Bucks On Bridge
25 Bridge Street Lambertville
(609) 483-2615
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Poetry Night 
Tues. 5 p.m. Chess Night
Wed. 6 p.m. Trivia
Burlington Riverfront Promenade
Sat. 6:30 a.m. F3 Burlington Workout
B2 Bistro Jimmy's American Grill
140 US Route 130 South bordentown
(609) 291-0200
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia 
Cazz's Sports Bar 'N' Grille
1560 Haines Road Levittown, PA 
(267) 580-5469 
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paul
Club Atlantis
1858 Street Road Bensalem, PA 
(215) 944-1777 
Sat. 9 p.m. DJ Robbie Tronco 
All Events Ages 21+ and Dress to Impress
Cody's Roadhouse Distillery
5605 Bensalem Boulevard Bensalem, PA
(215) 252-3575
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Continental Tavern
2 North Main Street Yardley, PA  
(215) 493-9191
Fri. 8 p.m. Oliva Caldara & Nico Bove
Sat. 8 p.m. Boondashark
Cooper's Riverview                                                                     
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300 
Fri. 6 p.m. 2026 Music Kickoff Jam: Ed Wilson, Jam w/ Lance & Friends, Drum Circle 
Sat. 8 p.m. Balanced Breakfast Band 
Crafty Crab 
1847 Street Road Bensalem, PA
Sat. 7 p.m. No Filter
Crossing Vineyard and Winery
1853 Wrightstown Road Washington Crossing, PA
(215) 493-6500 
Sat. 2:30 p.m. Sweet Spot
Sun. 2 p.m. Rodney Wright
Curran’s Irish Inn
1909 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA
(215) 245-1800
Mon. 7:30 p.m. Quizzo
Dacey's Pub 
215 West Philadelphia Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-4838
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Acoustic Music Night 
Wed. 8 p.m. Quizzo
Dadz Bar and Grill 
744 Main Street Lumberton
(609)267-4344
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Rough Cut
Dharma Bums 
4935 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 663-2867
Fri. 8 p.m. The Pajamies, Struggle Till You Chuckle, Colacore. $11.75
Sat. 8 p.m. "Born to Run Down The Dream" Tom Petty / Bruce Springsteen Tribute. $17
Sun. (1 p.m.) Acoustic Circle ($10 Suggested Donation) (6 p.m.) The Reverend Graham Ford: Songs from the Reverend's Jukebox
Wed. 7 p.m.  DBums Hootenanny: An Open Mic of Music, Comedy & Spoken Word Hosted by Michael Henry Robert
Flying Pig Tavern & Tap 
167 US-Route 130 North Bordentown 
(609) 899-7447
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia
Forsgate Country Club   
375 Forsgate Drive Monroe
(732) 521-0700 
Fri. 6 p.m. "First Friday"
Founding Father's Sports Bar & Grill 
2900 Street Road Bensalem, PA 
(215) 923-1100
Fri. 6 p.m. Bob Pantano Dance Party w/ DJ Joe Castro
Friendly's 
1031 Washington Boulevard Robbinsville 
(609) 426-9203 
Wed. 6 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Kevin McGowan and/or Gino Formaroli (Sign-ups begin at 5:30 p.m.)
Gallagher's Taproom
437 Pine Street Mount Holly 
(609) 261-0500   
Fri. 6 p.m. DnZ
Gleason's Bar
6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-4781 
Thurs. 12 p.m. Jackie's Pajama Karaoke Birthday Party
Fri. (6 p.m.) "Happy Hour" (8:30 p.m.) DJ Mr. Miami
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Steal Your Face
Tues. 7 p.m. Game Show Palooza
Green Parrot Restaurant Pub, & Patio
240 North Sycamore Street Newtown Township, PA 
(215) 504-7277 
Tues. 7 p.m. Music BINGO
Halo Pub
4617 Nottingham Way Hamilton Square 
(609) 586-1811  
Sat. 6 p.m. Mark Sacco
Hamilatte Cafe
1971 Route 33 Hamilton
Sat. 6:30 p.m. Acoustic Saturdays 
Hamilton Veterans Park 
1865 Yardville-Hamilton Square Road Hamilton  
Thurs. 11 a.m. 2026 New Year's 5K and 1.5K "Pup Strut" K9 Walk
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
(215) 862-9897
Fri. 9:30 p.m.  DJ Dance Party 
Sat. 9:30 p.m. DJ Dance Party 
Sun. 1 p.m. Midnight Sun Orchestra
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Steve
Tues. 7 p.m. Jillian Ashcroft Jazz Quartet 
Wed. 7 p.m. Jumper Duo
Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Avenue Pennington 
(609) 737-4465 
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5 p.m.) Jersey SureCats
Sat. 5 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Rob Messina Dave Matthews Band Experience
Sun. 2:30 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Blue Jersey Band
Hurricane Jacks Bar and Grill
7759 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(267) 914-4517
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Tuesday 
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic w/ Laura Fiocco
Il Portico Ristorante Italiano 
273 West Route 130 South Burlington
(609) 239-1000 
Thurs. 7 p.m. Jazz Night
Fri. / Sat. 7 p.m. Live Music w/ Tony O
Irish Rover Station House 
1033 South Bellevue Avenue Langhorne, PA 
(215) 970-5412 
Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo Night 
Iron Plow Vineyards
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus 
(732) 306-9111 
Fri. 5:30 p.m. Steve Millington
Sat. 4:30 p.m. Andrew Moorer
Sun. 1 p.m. Bob O & Kim Montalvo 
John & Peter's
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa 
(215) 862-5981 
Fri. 8 p.m. Sweet Pete, Hollow Howl, Meteor Police, Greg Mcgarvey's Dead Painters
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+ 
Killarney's Publick House
1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166 
Thurs. 10 a.m. New Year's Day Pajama Brunch
Fri. (5:30 p.m.) Mark Sacco (10 p.m.) DJ Jimmy G
Sat. 10 a.m. Brunch feat. (11 a.m.) Bryan Hill (5:30 p.m.) LakeHouse (10 p.m.) DJ Jimmy G
Sun. 10 a.m. "Sunday Funday" Brunch feat. (4 p.m.) Bob Banka
Tue. 7 p.m. Music BINGO w/ Brother Mike
Laurita Winery 
85 Archertown Road New Egypt 
(609) 752-0200 
Thurs. 1 p.m. First Call 
Library Company of Burlington
23 West Union Street Burlington
(609) 3861273
Fri. (1 p.m.) Bookworm BINGO (6:30 p.m.) Open Mic Night
Magikava
87a South Main Street New Hope, PA 
(215) 862-2739 
Mon. 6 p.m. Magik "Art Mondays" 
Wed. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night  
McStews Irish Sports Pub
5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA 
(215) 949-9570 
Sat. 9 p.m. Old School
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night 
Naked Brewing Company 
212 Mill Street Bristol, PA 
(267) 544-7129
Fri.  7 p.m. Firs Friday Karaoke w/ Triiish
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia
New Egypt Flea Market Village 
933 Monmouth County Road Cream Ridge 
(609) 758-2082
Sun. 8 a.m. Flea Market 
Wed. 8 a.m. Flea Market 
Newtown Brewing Company
103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA 
(215) 944-8609 
Fri. 6 p.m. Aaron Quarterman
Sat. 6 p.m. Dave Maida
Nick's Roast Beef
4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA 
(215) 637-515
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke
Nomad Distilling Company
20 South Main Street New Hope, PA
Sun. 10 a.m. Brunch
Nottingham Tavern 
9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square 
(609) 587-6623
Sat. 9 p.m. Talking In Cursive
Mon. 6 p.m. BINGO
Tues. 4 p.m. Pies on the Patio feat. (6:30 p.m.) Matt Coyle
Ages 21+   
O'Connor's American Bar & Grille 
1383 Monmouth Road Easthampton  
(609) 261-1555
Thurs. 11 a.m. New Year's Day Brunch. $46
Odd Logic Brewing Company
500 Bristol Pike Bristol, PA
Sat. 8 p.m. Kricket Comedy feat. Steve Bickel, Troy Moore, Eddie Gallagher
O'Fowley's Tavern & Grill 
200 State Road Croydon, PA 
(215) 785-6998 
Mon. 7 p.m. Music Bingo Hosted by Best Choice Productions w/ DJ John S 
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo
 Old Barracks
100 Barrack Street Trenton
Sat. 7 p.m. Concerts by Candlelight
Old Hights Brewing 
123 West Ward Street Hightstown 
(609) 469-5976
Thurs. 5 p.m. Vinyl Night
Fri. 3 p.m. Happy Hour feat. (6:30 p.m.) Acoustic Karaoke w/ Rory 
Sat. 6 p.m. Barron Caromano
Wed. 6:30 p.m. Trivia 
Old Town Pub
135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown 
(609) 291-9232
Sun. 10 a.m. Brunch
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia
Patriots Crossing 
1339 River Road Titusville 
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 9 p.m. Beer Pong
Sat. 8 p.m. Brooks Brothers Blues Band 
Wed. 7 p.m. Pub Trivia
Pete's Steak House 
523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton
 (609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. LakeHouse
Picture Perfect Affairs
76 High Street Mount Holly
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday Lyrics To Go Open Mic and Showcase
Plainsboro Preserve
80 Scotts Corner Road Cranbury
(609) 799-4013
Fri. 12 p.m. Winter Break-Eyes of the Wild: Winter Survivors
Tues. 6 p.m. Day 1 of Day's End Yoga
Princeton Battlefield
500 Mercer Road Princeton
Sun. 9:30 a.m. The Battle of Princeton Re-enactment
Princeton Country Club
1-Wheeler Way West Windsor
(609) 452-9382 
Thurs. 6 p.m. Karaoke Night w/ Live DJ
Fri. 5 p.m. Happy Hour 
Sun. 11 a.m. Jazz Brunch
Princeton Public Library (Hinds Plaza)
65 Witherspoon Street Princeton  
(609) 924-9529 
Sun. 3 p.m. Open Acoustic Jam w/ Mike & Judy Seidel
Puss N Boots Tavern
942 Trenton Road Fairless Hills, PA
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia
Randy Now's Man Cave
119 West Ward Street Hightstown 
(609) 424-3766
Sat. 7 p.m. Richard Lloyd Group
Raza's at Hamilton
557 Route 130 North Hamilton
Sun. 11 a.m. Brunch feat. (12 p.m.) DJ Manny The Greek
Ristorante LUCCA & Piano Lounge 
144 US Route 130 Bordentown 
(609) 262-0110
Thurs. 8 p.m. Jazz Night 
River Horse Brewery
2 Graphics Drive Ewing
Sat. 3 p.m. Brewery Tour
Rossi's Bar & Grill
2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 890-2004 
Sat. 11 a.m. Brunch
Sun. 11 a.m. Brunch 
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics
Saint Mary's Parish 
145 West Broad Street Burlington 
Sun. 3 p.m. "BRAVO Brass" Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute (Rescheduled Christmas concert)
Sandy's Beef & Ale
2028 E. Old Lincoln Highway Langhorne, PA
(2670 852-2333
Thurs. 8 p.m. Quizzo  
Mon. 7 p.m. Music Bingo 
Slim's Irish Pub 
2195 Galloway Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 332-0047
Mon. 6 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Cecil 
Wed. 6 p.m. Karaoke Contest
Small World Coffee 
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton 
(609) 924-4377 x2 
Sat. 7 p.m. BD Lenz
Sparky World-Famous Beer Garden
4333 New Falls Road Levittown, PA 
(215) 943-2321 
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Dana
Sat. 9 p.m. Unleashed
Sun. 9 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Cara Cartney
Mon. 9 p.m. Game Night Hosted by Kid Dalton 
Tues. 7 p.m. Johnny Betz 
Starving Artist Cafe
18 Bridge Street Stockton
Fri. 10 a.m. JB Kline Facebook Live
Sat. 6 p.m. Jerry Monk 
Tankard Pub
440 Keim Boulevard Burlington
(609) 386-5079
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Karaoke 
Sat. 8 p.m. DJ Jerry
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by The Williamsboy  
Tavern On The Lake 
101 Main Street Hightstown 
(609) 426-9345  
Thurs. 8 p.m. Country DJ Night
Tues. 6 p.m. Trivia 
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke 
TCNJ College of New Jersey
2000 Pennington Road Ewing 
(609) 771-2467
Sat. 9 a.m. Radio Merit Badge 
Terhune Orchards  
330 Cold Soil Road Princeton
(609) 924-2310 
Sat. 1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. Mark Mayer
Sun. 1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. Bud Belviso
TGI Fridays
2703 Mount Holly Road Suite 3 Washington Twp.
(609) 239-486 
Thurs. 7 p.m.  Trivia 
The Birdhouse Center For The Arts
7 North Main Street Lambertville
(215) 681-4660
Tues. 7:30 p.m. NJNO the "not just nyckelharpa orchestra" Community Orchestra
The Buck Hotel 
1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA 
(215) 396-2002 
Fri. 7 p.m. DJ Jamie
Sat. (11 a.m.) Brunch (8 p.m.) Gilligan 
The Cool Cricket
216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Dave Curtis
Sat. 9 p.m. Metallica Tribute
Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia
Tues. 7 p.m. BINGO
The Corner Inn
24509 East Main Street Columbus
(609) 298-8543
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ We R Entertainment 
The Five Four Bar & Grill
8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA 
(215) 547-5525
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula and Sam  
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo w/ Jonathan Appel
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Fri. 9:30 p.m. DJ Fatha Ramzee
Sat. 9:30 p.m. DJ Meat5z
Sun. 2 p.m. Gameday
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv 
Wed. 10 p.m. Good Vibes Night w/ Trey Brown
The Morrisville Tavern 
376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-5310
Mon. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia Night
The Newtown Theatre
120 North State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 968-3859
Sat. 8 p.m. Tribute to the Man in Black-Johnny Cash w/ "Michael Patrick's Ring of Fire" $34.99-$40
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Cult Vault: "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" $8-$13, doors open at 7 p.m. 
Wed. 7:30 p.m. Movie Club: "It Happened One Night" $11-$13 (Members pay what they wish), doors open at 7 p.m.
The Penguin Rocks (24 Hour On-Demand Music/Radio)
www.thepenguinrocks.com 
Mon. -  Fri. "Radio Jersey" Hosted by Lee Mrowicki 
Sun. - Sat. "Classic Jersey" Hosted by Gary Wien
Sun. - Sat. "Beyond The Palace" Hosted by Lee Mrowicki 
Sun. - Sat. "Danny Coleman's Rock On Radio" feat. Georgia Owen and a call from Rebel Kicks
Sun. - Sat. "From The Basement" Hosted by Mike Marrone
Sun. - Sat. "Deuce Radio" Hosted by Matt Barker
Sun. - Sat. "Altrok Radio" Hosted by Sean Carolan
Sun. - Sat. "Lighty's Corner" Hosted by Gary Wien 
Sun. - Sat. "The Troubador Show" Hosted by John Godfrey
The Roost
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Fri. 9 p.m. Bent Fender
Sat. 9 p.m. Out of the Red
Mon. 6 p.m. Music BINGO
Tues. 6 p.m. Trivia
Wed. 6 p.m. Joe Vadala
The Tavern at Penns Park 
2295 Second Street Pike Newtown, PA
(267) 491-5658
Sat. 8 p.m. "Light My Fire" Doors Tribute
The Union House 
19 East Union Street Burlington
(609) 531-6077
Fri. 8 p.m. (TBA)
Sat. (10 a.m.) Brunch (8 p.m.) Xstream
Sun. 10 a.m. Brunch
Tir Na Nog 
1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton 
(609) 392-2554
Sun. 3 p.m. "Irish Sessions"
All Shows 21+
Trenton Free Public Library
120 Academy Street Trenton
(609) 392-7188
Fri. 5 p.m. "First Friday"
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Happy Hour Throwback Thursday
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Music (TBA)
Mon. 6 p.m. "Monday Night Karaoke" Hosted by Sweets
Triumph Brewing Company (Princeton Location)
20 Pamer Square east Princeton 
(609) 924-7855
Fri. 5 p.m. Atmospheric Trio
Sat. 5 p.m. Matt Khan Trio
Union Coffee
49 North Union Street Lambertville 
(609) 460-4637
Fri. 5 p.m. "First Friday" Tarot Meet-Up w/ Kristina Gorman
Vault Brewing Company
10 South Main Street Yardley, PA 
(267) 573-4291
Fri. 7 p.m. Liam Sutcliffe Trio
Sat. 7 p.m. John Sheridan Trio
Sun. 12 p.m. Pilates & Pints
Mon. 6 p.m. Quizzo
Washington Crossing Historic Park 
1112 River Road Washington Crossing, PA
Thurs. 10 a.m. First Day Hike (Takes place from the Nature Center on the NJ side)
Sat. 7:30 a.m. Saturday Trails (Takes place on the NJ side)
Washington Crossing Inn 
1295General Washington Memorial Boulevard Washington Crossing, PA
(877) 882-1776
Thurs. 11 a.m. New Year's Day Buffet
West Windsor Arts Center/Nassau Park Pavilion
952 Alexander Road Princeton 
Sat. 10 a.m. Revolutionary March
Working Dog Winery
610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Fri. 4:30 p.m. Gary Cavico
Sat. 1 p.m. Justin Love
Sun. 1 p.m. Rob Silvers
WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 Radio
MCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor
Jazzon2.org
Mon. 7 a.m./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.

 

COLUMNS


This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from December 30 to January 5, 2025

Here is a look at shows taking place from December 30 to January 5, 2025 along with our featured listings and a look at some upcoming shows. New Jersey Stage offers previews of concerts throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.




Makin Waves Song of the Year: "My Best" by The Well Wish




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...12/25/25




This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from December 23-29, 2025






 

MORE NEWS

(RAHWAY, NJ) -- New Jersey resident and former Angela Bofill Manager Rich Engel is teaming up with old friend and fellow Jersey resident Will Downing this Valentine's Day (Saturday, February 14, 2026), with a love fest not to be forgotten at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway.


Lizzie Rose Music Room presents James Maddock




Albert Music Hall presents its annual Winter Hootenanny in the Pines




State Theatre presents Tusk: The Classic Fleetwood Mac Tribute




The Smithereens LIVE! at The Vogel






 

UPCOMING SHOWS


Start the New Year with Rikki Lee Wilson's Taylor Swift Tribute at The Broadway Theatre of Pitman

(PITMAN, NJ) -- The Broadway Theatre of Pitman presents Love Story – A Tribute to Taylor Swift from January 2-4, 2026. The show starring Rikki Lee Wilson brings the ultimate Taylor Swift concert experience and has wowed audiences nationwide.


Albert Music Hall presents its annual Winter Hootenanny in the Pines




Lizzie Rose Music Room presents James Maddock




bergenPAC presents The Band Perry on January 11th






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