Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 10/29/2022
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Matt O’Ree Band comes to the Grunin Center for the Arts on Thursday, November 3 to celebrate the release of their long-awaited seventh album, “Hand in Glove.” The band will perform at 7:00pm in the Gia Maione Prima Foundation Studio Theatre.
The new album represents a new approach to the way the band has written and recorded albums in the past, a full collaboration which shows the influence of each of the members. The band is extremely excited for fans to hear the new songs, which they describe as “true blues rock ‘n roll.”
The band will be numbering and signing the first 100 copies of their first CD prints.
"Whole Lotta Nothing" from the album was the Makin Waves Song of the Week and New Jersey Stage reviewed the album here. "In my opinion, it is by far the band’s most musically ambitious and solid release to date," wrote Gary Wien.
Tickets are $30 and are available for purchase online or by calling the Grunin Center Box Office at 732-255-0500. This event is made possible through the generous support of the Gia Maione Prima Foundation.
Former guitarist for Bon Jovi, NY/NJ Blues Hall of Fame inductee, and crowned King Of The Blues by BB King himself, Matt O’Ree has been a driving force in the blues/rock music scene for the last twenty years, garnering the attention of artists like Bruce Springsteen, David Bryan (Bon Jovi), Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG’s), John Popper (Blues Traveler), Bernie Worell (P-Funk), and Hubert Sumlin (Howlin Wolf), all of whom had volunteered to perform on the band’s album, "Brotherhood."
The newest addition to the band, Eryn, an accomplished artist and songwriter in her own right, has won awards such as the BELK Southern Musician Blues Showcase, beating out thousands of competitors. She is the youngest artist to be inducted into the NJ/NY Blues Hall of Fame, and has performed or opened for artists such as Don McLean, Gregg Allman, Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, Dr. John, Shemekia Copeland, Gin Blossoms, Little River Band, Marcia Ball, Walter Wolfman Washington, Eric Lindell, Sonny Landreth, The Radiators, Johnny A and so many more. She also sang backup vocals with The Smashing Pumpkins on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Together, the band takes their fans on a ride that hasn’t been heard or seen at this level since the ’70s. Their live show is like revisiting a Zeppelin concert at the Garden, and with Lex Lehman’s smooth soulful bass, John Hummel’s Bonham-esque drums, and Eryn and Layonne’s angelic and gutsy lead and backing vocals, combined with Matt’s blistering guitar, Matt and company have built a foundation that can hold up the biggest house on the block.
The Grunin Center for the Arts is located on the Ocean County College campus at 1 College Drive in Toms River, New Jersey.
For more than 50 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that prepare and empower diverse learners to contribute to and succeed in global societies. OCC invests in and fosters academic, economic, and cultural excellence, and ensures financial strength by generating new revenue streams, engaging in national and international university and corporate partnerships, and cultivating a technologically progressive and entrepreneurial spirit.
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