Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...2/9/23

By Danny Coleman
originally published: 02/09/2023

“We change things up from night to night so that people get some different stuff but we're covering music from across the catalogue. We're doing stuff from earlier records all the way up to the later records and a cross section of both vocal and instrumental materials. So, if you're into the really insane, ridiculously complex instrumental compositions or if you're into the more straight ahead rocking vocal songs; you'll definitely get both. We just play hard; we really bring a lot to the songs; we're not kidding around.”  

Mike Keneally made a childhood dream come true when he "Boldly" took a chance and reached out to musical great Frank Zappa in the decade of decadence better known as the 1980s. Little did Mike know, that his almost life-long "Obsession" with the man who many called a "Genius," would lead to him joining Zappa's band and since late 2018 hitting the road with the blessing of the Zappa family in; The Zappa Band.

“I was very young," he said as he relayed his early and current journey that was and is the music of Frank Zappa. "The first time I encountered him was probably when I was eight years old and there was a record store in my neighborhood that I really loved going to; this is 1970 so it was still like basically recovering from the 60s and it was definitely a hippie record store with posters in the back and all this stuff. I would always go back and look at this poster of Frank and there was something about it that was in equal parts terrifying and fascinating because that's just the way he looked and even the way his name looked. I thought; what is up with this guy? Then not long after that, The Mothers of Invention were on the Dick Cavett Show and my dad let me stay up late to watch it because I was so curious now as to what these guys sounded like and what they were really all about. They played the song “Sofa,” which is this really pretty waltz; it's 3/4 time with a lovely melody and it was important for me; it was an important, "Can't judge a book by its cover" lesson for me. I just figured that these grimy looking guys were gonna play the ugliest music you can imagine and it ended up being this really pretty song. Then the real-life changing thing was a few months after that, the kid across the street who was a couple of years older than me and who I thought knew all of the secrets of the universe because he was an older kid said, “Hey, you're a weird dude, I've got a song that you need to hear. I think you're really gonna like this.” I went over to his house and he played “Help, I'm a Rock” from “Freak Out!” and that was the song that changed the course of my life; literally. I became absolutely fascinated; I thought it was the best thing I ever heard and that I had finally found music that was truly made for me. I was a huge Beatles fan when I was growing up but I never entertained the notion that anything that The Beatles were doing was meant for me specifically. They were obviously a phenomenon that was designed for the entire world but when I heard “Help, I'm a Rock,” I really honestly felt like it connected to me in that intimate way and I really felt like that song was meant for me. I obsessed over Frank for the next 16 years and then I managed to secure an audition. So, from a very young age I was playing music and as I was growing up and getting into my teenage years and older, one of the things that I would do just to hone my chops was learn Zappa songs. I would teach myself his stuff off of the records; it was inspiring to me and it really sharpened me up. I mean, if you're gonna take the time to try and teach yourself how to play “The Black Page,” it's gonna have an impact. This was primarily my idea of a good time but I also knew that it was an important discipline, it was like exercise; you know? It was really helping me a lot and I just kept teaching myself Zappa stuff casually on and off for fun. Then I called up his office one day and asked for a job (laughs) and he said, “Yeah? Come on over here and audition” and I was able to finally apply all this stuff that I had taught myself. The main thing that I think I was able to offer him is, because I was such a huge fan, I had his music playing in my head nonstop. So, he was able to just name a song and even if I hadn't played it before I could just push the button on the Zappa jukebox in my head and play along with that. He found that to be a useful attribute and I felt really fortunate to be there. I remember one time, he said, “I'd really like to play, “Who Needs the Peace Corps?” which is a song from 1968; “I haven't played that song in like 20 years” and then he turned around and just looked at me and waited for me to start playing it and from my recollection of that song, we were able to piece together and arrange it for a twelve-piece band because we had a five-piece horn section in that group. He was able to, from time to time, just do that. He called me “The Walking Encyclopedia” because he was able to go to the well and occasionally just pull out a song that he hadn't played in a long time. I was really grateful that I could contribute to that because I always loved it when Frank played older tunes. It was neat when he would pull out some unexpected old songs and that was just great. I'm so grateful because the week that I called and I talked to a guy at his business office; they used to have this hotline called the 818 Pumpkin and if you called at night after business hours there would be a tape recording on their outgoing answering machine. I called and it said, “For those of you who have heard the rumors; they're true. Frank is in rehearsal with a new band.” This was late ‘87 and he had sworn after the 1984 tour, which they had lost a bunch of money on because he would spend an incredible amount of money on rehearsal before the tour began and he paid the band well, pretty well according to mid 80s economics and so he was losing cash hand over fist; he decided he didn't want to do that anymore. Then a couple of years later he got bored of sitting at home writing music on the Synclavier; his computer musical instrument. He decided that he wanted to hang out with musicians again and I got a little bold and called the business office during business hours and offered my services. I'm just lucky that the guy who answered the phone believed me when I said that I played guitar, keyboards and I sing and that I've taught myself to play a whole bunch of Frank’s music and that I listen to it constantly, I'm familiar with all of it and I don't know if Frank is looking for anybody but here I am. Frank called me up himself the next day and said, “You really can play all of my music?” I said, well, I can play a lot of it and I'm familiar with all of it. He said, “Do you know how many songs that is?” I said, yeah, they're all in the next room and he said, “I don't believe you. Get your ass over here and prove it!” I'm very lucky, very, very lucky and then I subsequently found out that it was a guitarist and vocalist who had just left and I think Frank had a keyboardist that had just recently been in rehearsal and he was gone too. So, all of a sudden, Frank was in need of precisely the positions that I was offering myself for except that I was one guy claiming he could do all of this stuff. Frank was like, “OK, if this is true this could answer a lot of questions for me,” but I needed to go up there and prove it first. I know that I just got lucky with the timing; I'm sure of that.”  

There is a lesson to be learned here; it never hurts to ask and because he asked, Keneally became and is still a part of the Zappa legacy to this day but the story of The Zappa Band is one where music and technology meet at a crossroad. 

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“The band was formed for a tour that happened in early 2019 but actually, we started putting the pieces together like mid 2018 and it was kind of the brainchild of Ahmet Zappa who conceived this tour called “The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa” and it was known as the hologram tour but in practice it was a lot more than that. The visual replication of Frank was a portion of the event; about five songs included his image but the rest of the time there was just animation flying all over the stage. Frank was represented in a lot of different ways and then for a portion of the evening, we were just playing without any visual accompaniment at all. So, we started to get our chops together as a band and then we did that tour and it was a very expensive and technologically complex tour to mount; it is not the kind of thing that just easily gets off the ground anytime you feel like playing and us in the band felt like playing more so we talked to Ahmet about it and he said, “If you wanna play; go for it." We started doing shows at The Baked Potato which is a jazz club in Los Angeles and Ahmet came out to see us there and he thought that the show had a real energy to it and a real validity to it. So, we were very happy about that but we thought; what will we be called? Ahmet said, “You're The Zappa Band” and we couldn't think of a better name than that and as a result of having done the other tour, we just kind of became the officially sanctioned, Zappa Trust approved band. Four of us played in Frank's band and Joe our drummer, his day gig is working in the tape vault finding unreleased Frank Zappa music to put out on all of these archival box sets that have been coming out for the last few years; which are all fantastic. Jamie our other guitar player, I've played with him in Dweezil’s band, Zappa Plays Zappa and I produced his solo album. Joe, our drummer, also plays drums in my band so we have all of these connections where we're related in a lot of different ways and it's just the more we play, the more we kind of become more of a real band. A few years back we were out on the road opening for King Crimson and that really kind of helped cement us as a touring group.” 

Keneally is surely correct when he says the word "Hologram" strikes a discord with many. Hardcore fans of an artist are torn as to what a hologram show may hold for them; is it going to be realistic and a great tribute or will it be some half-hearted attempt to essentially exploit the deceased? Mike explains what it was like being joined on stage by his former boss and friend. 

“That was really cool," he said with reverence, "It actually ended up being very moving because first of all, from where we were standing on stage, we weren't able to actually interact with the hologram so that aspect of it, that visual aspect of it didn't really reach us on stage but the audio aspect did. We were playing along with unreleased recordings of Frank singing and talking and playing the guitar so, several times a night we were accompanying these long improvised Zappa guitar solos and even though obviously it's captured digitally and the solos aren't changing from night to night; the nature of the way Frank played is always so extemporaneous and fresh and literally every time we backed up these solos it felt like we were backing up Frank improvising and that really brought me back to 30 years previously when we were on stage doing exactly that and at no point in the 30 years since that tour had I felt quite that sensation. So, that was intense and then to talk to friends of mine who came out to the show; people I trust, people whose taste I know is really good and they were absolutely flabbergasted and unexpectedly moved by the show gave me the desire to mount that tour again. So, if you get a chance to check it out you really should because it goes far beyond what anybody might have envisioned. A lot of people are horrified by the word hologram but the reality of that tour was that it went far beyond anyone's visual expectations and it covers a lot of ground and was really something. I hope there's an opportunity for more people to check it out because it is powerful but in the meantime, it's also really cool for us to be able to play smaller venues where the stage could not support what's required to do that tour. That tour can only play on large stages that can handle all of the technical that's required to make it all happen because there's a whole bunch of screens, there's a whole bunch of visuals that are covering the entirety of the stage. So, it's a very specialized form of entertainment but sometimes you just want to be a band in a club and just like shred; you know? (laughs)”  

Buoyed by the success of that experience, the band decided, as was stated earlier, to keep going and bringing Zappa's legacy to his unique fan base; Mike explains what it' like to be part of such a project. 

“I was in Frank’s band in ‘88 with Robert Martin and Scott Thunes and Jamie Kime the guitar player who I've played with and I also produced his solo album a few years ago; Joe Travers the drummer, plays drums in my band, Beer For Dolphins. So, the only guy in the band that I had never played with before was Ray White and it was fantastic to finally be able to play with him; his energy, his voice just remains so phenomenal and his guitar playing is beautiful and the more we play together, the more we discover in the music and the more we can bring to it. The way we communicate with one another musically on stage develops from night to night and to some degree we were able to do that when we opened for King Crimson but it was also challenging because we were given a 45-minute opening slot which we could not exceed by one minute. We had to keep it down to 45 minutes and the safest way to make sure we didn't run over was to play the same set night after night that we had timed out to the nanosecond which was great because it meant that we were able to slay the audience every night because we knew the music really well but it also meant that there was less of the opportunity for the kind of experimentalism and improvisation and spontaneous stuff that really ought to happen at a concert of Zappa music. So, that was great for getting our chops together for our last tour and was great for band communication and different things happening every night because we were able to change the set list every night which is really important because a lot of people, especially on the East Coast where there seems to be a larger concentration of Zappa freaks for some reason; a lot of people like to come to multiple shows specifically because they want to see how things change up from night to night. So, since we know more music than we're able to play in a two-hour show, we were able to change things up and people got to hear different songs if they came to different shows. We also felt free to really change things up even within the same song because there are certain songs like “Big Swifty” and “Be-Bop Tango” and “Pound For A Brown” and some other songs where there's just a lot of room for genuine improvisation and not just soloing over the group but for some spontaneous, new, unusual things; that can happen every day. Obviously, Frank was very much about that as much as he was into the very disciplined, organized, complex composed stuff; he was also very interested in what can happen improvisational on stage when you have a bunch of people sharing a moment that will never happen again; you know? He wanted to create moments on stage that would never be repeated and we would like to do the same thing.”  

“There have been bands in this country and in other countries that just are really passionate about Frank's music. I think it has a lot to offer a certain type of musician but it's not like everywhere you look that there's a band playing this stuff. There are people out there that no one even suspects who are really into what Frank did and the thing about it is, that most people, if they're into what Frank did; they're really into what Frank did and they're heavily devoted.” 

To see what The Zappa Band is all about, please go to https://www.facebook.com/TheZappaBand and to discover more about Mike Keneally, please visit https://www.keneally.com/2021/06/11/zappa/. 

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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Al's Airport Inn
636 Bear Tavern Road West Trenton
(609) 883-5252
Thurs. 5 p.m. Jessica DiDonato
Sat. (12 p.m.) Acoustic Brunch w/ Jerry Monk (5 p.m.) Bev & Dan Duo
Sun. (12:30 p.m.) Sunday Acoustic Brunch w/ Jessica DiDonato (7:30 p.m.) 6:30 p.m. Super Bowl Watch Party
Mon. 5 p.m. Bud Belviso
Tues. 7 p.m. Brian Elliot
Wed. 7 p.m. Mark Sacco

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Ancient Order of Hibernians
2419 Kuser Road Hamilton 
Sun. 5 p.m. Super Bowl Party  

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Arts Council of Princeton 
102 Witherspoon Street Princeton 
(609) 924-8777
Fri. 5 p.m. Art of the Potter's Wheel
Sat. 3 p.m. Opening Reception "Where Color Meets Memory"   

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Artworks Trenton  
19 Everett Alley Trenton 
(609) 394-9436  
Sat. 10 a.m. Valentine's Day Special Fluid Acrylics Workshop w/Adriana Groza. $225 (Includes canvas, paints, tools/supplies. gourmet refreshments) 

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Ashlynn Distillery
32 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA
Thurs. 5 p.m. Open Mic Night
Fri. 7 p.m. Singing Humans
Mon. 4 p.m. "Galentine's Day" feat. (6 p.m.) Ty Kingsley
Tues. 6 p.m. Be Your Own Bartender: "Valentine's Day" Mixology Class. $50
Wed. 8 p.m. Comedy Show Night. $15  

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Bailey's Bar & Grille
6922 Bristol-Emilie Road Levittown, PA  
(215) 946-7992  
Fri. 9 p.m. Shot of Southern

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Bill's Olde Tavern 
2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton 
(609) 586-0192 
Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia
Tues. 8 p.m. / Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ Dave Curtis
Ages 21+ 
Blend Bar & Bistro    
911 Highway 33 Hamilton 
(609) 245-8887 
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Hamilton Has Heart" Benefitting the RWJ Young Professionals Group. (Guest bartenders, appetizer buffet, drink specials, prizes)   

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Blue Bottle Cafe
101 East Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 333-1710
Wed. 6 p.m. Brian Elliot  

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Bordentown City
Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown  
Fri. 5:30 p.m. "Chocolate Walk" $8 (advance)  

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Boro Bean
9 East Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-6681
Tues. 10 a.m. "Music For Lovers" Valentine's Day at The Boro Bean w/ John Abbott. 

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Bowman's Tavern 
1600 River Road New Hope, PA 
(215) 862-2972 
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Jonathan Daddis
Fri. (5:30 p.m.) Bennett Lee (8 p.m.) Bob Egan
Sat. 7 p.m. Jeffrey Fadden Trio
Sun. (12 p.m.) Larry Tamanini (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Tues. 6 p.m. Valentine's Day w/ (TBA)
Wed. 6 p.m. Liz DuFour   

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Bristol Riverside Theater
2501 Bath Road Bristol, PA
(215) 785-0100
Thurs. 8 p.m. "My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish, I'm In Therapy"
Fri. 8 p.m. "My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish, I'm In Therapy"
Sat. 2 p.m. / 8 p.m. "My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish, I'm In Therapy"
Sun. 2 p.m. Bristol Community Concert w/ Karen River Band

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Broken Goblet Brewing
2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Thurs. 8 p.m. Mike Estabrook
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Broad Street Appeal
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Eagles/Giants Bet Payoff w/ Bub and Jay
Sun. 11 a.m. Sunday Brunch  
Wed. 7 p.m. Soulfly, Bodybox, Half Heard Voices, Hath. Ages 18+, Doors open at 7 p.m.

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Bucks On Bridge 
25 Bridge Street Lambertville
(609) 483-2615
Thurs. 5 p.m. Bill Ihling
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Poetry Night
Tues. 5 p.m. Chess Night

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Bury The Hatchet Princeton
2495 Brunswick Pike Lawrenceville
(609) 337-2557
Fri. 7 p.m. Glow Throw
Sun. 11 a.m. "Super Bowl Sunday"
Tues. 1 p.m. Axes & Os    

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Cadwalader Park
299 Parkside Avenue Trenton
(408) 335-4400
Fri. 6 p.m. "Trenton Talks" Curators RoundTable  w/ C.a. Shofed, Lank, Buck Malvo, Heather Palecek, Brass Rabbit, Habiyb Shu'aib. (Takes Place at Ellarslie Museum) 
Sat. 4 p.m. "Trenton Talks" Curators RoundTable  w/ C.a. Shofed, Lank, Buck Malvo, Heather Palecek, Brass Rabbit, Habiyb Shu'aib. (Takes Place at Ellarslie Museum)    

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Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic Street Trenton  
(609) 695-9612 
Thurs. 6 p.m. Thursday Night Blues Jam. $5
Sat. 3 p.m. Elijah Cole $20

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Catch A Rising Star (Hyatt Regency Princeton)
102 Carnagie Center Princeton
(781) 568-1471
Fri. 8 p.m. Vince August, John Bramnick. Hosted by Steve Trevalise. $23.69, Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Sat. 8 p.m. Bobby Collins Hosted by Michael Schwartz. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. (Takes place in the Jr. Ballroom)

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Cazz's Sports Bar 'N' Grille
1560 Haines Road Levittown, PA 
(267) 580-5469
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paul

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Chickie's & Pete's  
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown   
(609) 298-9182 
Fi./Sat. 8 p.m.  DJ Entertainment

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City Streets 
510 Highway 130 South East Windsor 
(609) 426-9400
Sat. 9 p.m. Jim Delre Band

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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   

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Clubhouse at Mountain View  (The Patio)
850 Bear Tavern Road Ewing
(609) 538-0808
Thurs. 7 p.m. Karaoke 
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Ernie White

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COARadio.com 
125 South Main Street Hightstown 
(609) 241-7103
Fri. 7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"
Sat. 3 p.m. “Rock On Radio Indie Hour"
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. The Break Plans and Asbury Park Vibe's Diane DiMemmo  
Color Me Mine (Princeton Shopping Center)
301 Harrison Street Princeton 
(609) 581-9500
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. "Mother Son Night of Fun" $15 (Covers Mother and son, additional son(s) $5 each. Registration required)
Fri.. 6:30 p.m. "Daddy Daughter Date Night" $15 (Covers Dad and daughter, additional daughter(s) $5 each. Registration required) / Family Canvas Painting Event "Gnomes" (Registration required)
Sun. 4 p.m. "GALentine's" Painting Event "Paint by Candlelight"

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Cooper's Riverview                                                                     
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Club Night "Traffic Light Party" w/ DJ Paul Desisto. Ages 21+
Fri. (8 p.m.) High Energy 80s w/ "The Influence" (9 p.m.)  DJ Jazzi. Ages 21+ 
Sat. 8 p.m. Se7en
Sun. 11 a.m. Jazz Brunch w/ Victor Tarassov 
Tues. 5 p.m. Salsa Tuesdays w/ DJ Jay Serrano
Wed. (7 p.m.) Blues Jam (8 p.m.) Disco “Hustle” Night w/ "Guest" DJs. $5 

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Cream Ridge Winery 
145 Route 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 259-9797
Fri. 6:30 p.m. "Design & Wine" Floral Arranging Hosted by The Prickly Pig. $50 (Includes one glass of wine, you keep the glass) 
Sat. 12 p.m. Wine & Chocolate Day. $15 (Includes 10 tastes of wine, you keep the glass)  

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Crossing Vineyard and Winery 
1853 Wrightstown Road Washington Crossing, PA
(215) 493-6500
Thurs. 7 p.m. Pairing Wine & Popcorn
Fri. 7:15 p.m. "Summer Wine and Music Series" feat. $15 (advance), Doors open at 5 p.m., Ages 21+
Sat. 2 p.m. Valentine's Weekend w/ Kim & Chuck Duo
Sun. 2 p.m. Valentine's Weekend w/ Joe Grillo  

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Cross Pollination Gallery
2 North Union Street Lambertville
(609) 213-6734
Fri. 5 p.m. "Friday Happy Hour." (Talk art, wine and musicians who bring instruments)
Sat. 5 p.m.  "Second Saturday" feat. SiriOm Singh and the Soul Warriors 

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Curran’s Irish Inn
1909 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA
(215) 245-1800
Thurs. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Sat. 8 p.m. Mushed Up
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Quizzo

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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                                                                                                                                                      

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Dadz Bar and Grill
744 Main Street Lumberton
(609)267-4344
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic w/ Jimmy Mannix
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Edgar Anderson  

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Dempster's Pub
437 Pine Street Mount Holly 
(609) 261-0500    
Fri. 7 p.m. Rob McMahon
Sun. 1 p.m. Super Bowl Sunday Tailgate Party w/ Rough Cut  

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Eddington House Bensalem
2813 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA
(215) 639-1220
Fri. 8 p.m. Keep The Change
Sat. 8 p.m. Last Call 
Sun. 3:30 p.m. Super Bowl Party  

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El Barrio Cantina & Tequila Bar
1470 Buck Road Southampton, PA
(267) 685-0725
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Cara Cartney
Sat. 8:30 p.m. DB3  

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Flying Pig Tavern & Tap
167 US-Route 130 North Bordentown
(609) 899-7447
Fri. 8 p.m. Mike Estabrook and the E-Miners
Sat. 8 p.m. El Ka Bong
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia

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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.) 

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Gleason's Bar
6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-4781
Thurs. 7 p.m. Music Bingo / “Ladies Night” Hosted by Best Choice Productions
Fri. (6 p.m.) "Happy Hour" (9 p.m.) Tailspin
Sat. 8 p.m. Leading Zero
Tues. 6:30 p.m. Trivia Night Hosted by Best Choice Productions

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Hamilton Tap & Grill
557 US Route 130 North Hamilton
(609) 905-0925
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Music Bingo w/ DJ Nebbs
Sun. 4 p.m. Super Bowl Watch Party
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia   

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Havana New Hope 
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA. 
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 7 p.m. Funk & Blues Jam Hosted by The Slidewinder Blues Band 
Fri. ( 8 p.m.) Rolling Stones Tribute w/ "Well Alright" (11 p.m.) DJ Dance Party
Sat. (8:30 p.m.) Bigg Romeo (11:59 p.m.) 9:30 p.m. DJ Dance Party 
Sun. 12 p.m. ALL Day Super Bowl Party
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Dwayne
Tues. 7 p.m. Jillian Ashcroft Jazz Quartet
Wed. 7 p.m. Jumper Duo

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Hopewell United Methodist Church
20 Blackwell Avenue Hopewell
(609) 466-0471
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night
Sat. 6 p.m. Hopewell Hayride (Old Time Country & Bluegrass) feat. Al Kessel & Never Too Late Band, Magnolia Street String Band, Ann Brown, Bob Belloff, Chis Turner. $15 (Suggested donation adults includes food)   

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Hopewell Valley Vineyards 
46 Yard Avenue Pennington 
(609) 737-4465 
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5 p.m.) Christine Havrilla
Sat.  (1 p.m.)  (5 p.m.) "Music & Merlot" feat. Modern Rewind
Sun. (11 a.m.) Vanlentine's Day Brunch. $39.95 (1:30 p.m.) "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Mark Feingold

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Hurricane Jacks Bar and Grill 
7759 New Falls Road Levittown, PA 
(267) 914-4517 
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Music Bingo w/ DJ John W.
Fri. (6 p.m.) Happy Hour w/ Johnny Betz (9 p.m.) Jed's Gold
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula & Sam
Mon. 7 p.m. Motown Mondays w/ rotating DJs BeeNice, Rawskillz, JusGroove
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Tuesday w/ Harley Minton
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic w/ Laura Fiocco 

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Il Portico Restorante 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
Sat. 8 p.m. Aaron Quarterman
Sun. 6 p.m. Super Bowl Watch Party
Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo Night  

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Iron Plow Vineyards 
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus 
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Justin Love
Sat. 2 p.m. Bob & Dave
Sun. 2 p.m. Bob O

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Iron Plow Vineyards Tasting Room
61 High Street Mt. Holly
(732) 306-9111
Sat. 6:30 p.m. Wounded Souls & Trinity Poetry

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John & Peter's 
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa 
(215) 862-5981
Fri. 9 p.m. "Hunker In The Bunker" feat. Bill Hangley, Bill & Fred's Excellent Adventure, The 9-9ers feat. Graham Ford.
Sat. (3 p.m.) D Town Outliers (8 p.m.) The Cryptkeeper Five, Alright Junior, The Waywoods
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic w/ Mike Dialto (Sign-ups start at 8 p.m.)
Tues. 9 p.m. T-Bird & Rico's Love Lounge
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. (5:30 p.m.) Mark Sacco (9 p.m.) The Benjamins
Fri. 9 p.m. Big Hix Trio
Sat. 10 p.m. Stupid Cupid Dance Party w/ DJ 
Sun. (10 a.m.) "Sunday Funday" Brunch (6:30 p.m.) Super Bowl Watch Party
Mon. 5:30 p.m. Fundraiser for Artie. $65 
Tues. 5:30 p.m. Valentine's Day feat. menu/drink specials and music by Wayne Billotti 
Wed. 6 p.m. "Ladies Night" 

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Lakeside Cafe and Liquors
129 Route 31 North Pennington
(609) 621-9998
Sat. 1 p.m. Trivia

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Laurita Winery 
85 Archertown Road New Egypt 
(609) 752-0200
Thurs. 6 p.m.  Wine & Bundt Cakes. $35 (Includes 4 glasses of wine and 4 Bundt cakes. SOLD OUT check for availability)
Fri. 7 p.m. "Valentine's Weekend Dinner. $60/$85 (Includes 4 course dinner)
Sat. 12 p.m. "Wine & Chocolate Weekend" feat. (1 p.m.) Carmen Marranco & Jim Matlack (7 p.m.) "Valentine's Weekend Dinner. $60/$85 (Includes 4 course dinner. SOLD OUT check for availability) 
Sun. 12 p.m. "Wine & Chocolate Weekend" feat. (1 p.m.) The Bergers 

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Magikava
87a South Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2739
Wed. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night 

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Marie's Kozy Korner
111 Trenton Road Fairless Hills, PA
(215) 943-3131
Sun. 6:30 p.m. Super Bowl Watch Party

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MarketFair 
3535 U.S Highway 1 Princeton (Center Courtyard) 
(609) 452-7777 
Fri. 5:30 p.m. "Galentine's Night Out" $35 (Includes charcuterie workshop, mocktails, desserts, gift bags) 
Sat. 1 p.m. Celebrate Lunar New Year

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McStews Irish Sports Pub 
5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA 
(215) 949-9570 
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Music Bingo
Sun. 5:30 p.m. Super Bowl Watch Party 
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night

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Millhill Basement 
300 S. Broad Street Trenton 
(609) 989-1600 
Sun. 5 p.m. Superbowl Party (FREE / Donations accepted benefitting T.A.S.K) 

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Mill Hill Playhouse (Passage Theater)
205 East Front Street Trenton
(609) 392-0766
Sat. 11 a.m. "Engaging The Pittsburgh Cycle: The Work of August Wilson" Workshop. $20  

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More Than Q
13 Klines Court Lambertville  
(609) 773-0072  
Sat. 1 p.m. Jet Weston & His Atomic Ranch Hands

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Music Mountain Theater
1483 Route 179 Lambertville
(609)397-3337
Fri. 8 p.m. "The Secret Garden"
Sat. 3 p.m./ 8 p.m. "The Secret Garden"
Sun. 3 p.m. "The Secret Garden"

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Naked Brewing Company
212 Mill Street Bristol, PA
(267) 544-7129
Thurs.6:30 p.m. Dana Collins Project
Fri.  7 p.m. Faraway Guys
Sun. 11 a.m. Weekend Brunch 
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia  
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company
909 Ray Avenue Croydon, PA
(215) 458-7081
Thurs. 7 p.m. Video Game Night
Fri. 7 p.m. FREE Movie Night feat. "My Bloody Valentine"
Sun. 5:30 p.m. "Birds N Brews" Big Game Watch Party
Tues. 4 p.m. Valentine's Day at Neshaminy Creek
Wed. 7 p.m. "Dungeons & Drafts"

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New Egypt Flea Market Village
933 Monmouth County Road Cream Ridge
(609) 758-2082
Sun. 3 p.m. Blooms and Sweets for Mommy & Me  

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New Hope Winery / Tavern
6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Sat. (5 p.m.) Snapdragons (8 p.m.) Mary Fahl
Sun. 1 p.m. Sunday Jazz
Tues. 8 p.m. Griffin House

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Newtown Athletic Club
120 Pheasant Run Newtown, PA
(215) 968-0600
Sat. 11:30 a.m. Open House & Family Fun Day 

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Newtown Brewing Company
103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8609
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. "Useless Knowledge" Trivia
Fri. 6 p.m. Aaron Quarterman
Sat. 6 p.m. Mike Gruve 

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Nick's Roast Beef
4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA
(215) 637-5151
Thurs. 7 p.m.  Trivia
Fri.  9 p.m. LeCompt
Sat. 9 p.m. WURL
Sun. 6:30 p.m. Super Bowl Party
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke

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Nottingham Tavern 
9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square 
(609) 587-6623 
Thurs. 9:30 pm.Karaoke w/ Super Dave Curtis. 
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Midnight Sun
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Black Brant
Ages 21+

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

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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 

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Old Hights Brewing
123 West Ward Street Hightstown
(609) 469-5976
Fri. 6 p.m. Mike Montrey Band Duo
Sat. 8 a.m. Saturday Morning Runs
Wed. 6:30 p.m. Trivia   

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Old Town Pub 
135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown 
(609) 291-9232
Thurs. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics Trivia 
Fri. 9 p.m. Monk & Monk
Sat. 9 p.m. Radio Fiction
Tues. 6 p.m. Farns & Rail Valentine's day
Wed. 7 p.m. Rotary Mix & Mingle  
Palmer Square
40 Nassau Street Princeton
Thurs. 4 p.m. "Skating On The Square" $10/$12 (Includes skate rental) 
Fri. 4 p.m. "Skating On The Square" $10/$12 (Includes skate rental) 
Sat. 12 p.m. / 4 p.m. "Skating On the Square" $10/$12 (Includes skate rental) 
Sun. (11 a.m.) DIY Pop-Up Project: Embroidered Hearts. (12 p.m. / 4 p.m.) "Skating On the Square" $10/$12 (Includes skate rental)  

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Patriots Crossing 
1339 River Road Titusville 
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 8 p.m. Ladies Night  
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo"

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

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Princeton Country Club 
1-Wheeler Way West Windsor
(609) 452-9382
Thurs. 6 p.m. Karaoke Night w/ Live DJ 
Fri. 6 p.m. Happy Hour w/ Live DJ 
Sun. 11 a.m. Jazz Brunch

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Princeton Makes 
301 North Harrison Street Princeton
Sun. 4 p.m. Second Sunday Poetry  
Princeton Public Library (Hinds Plaza)
65 Witherspoon Street Princeton  
(609) 924-9529
Thurs. 7 p.m. "The Sky is for Everyone" Women Astronomers in Their Own Words" w/ Jill Napp, Neta Bahcall Liz Fuller-Wright.

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Princeton Unitarian Church (Channing Hall)
50 Cherry Hill Road Princeton
Sun. 4 p.m. PSMA "Beethoven"  

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Princeton University (Richardson Auditorium)
Nassau Street Princeton
Thurs. (12:30 p.m.) Thomas Sheehan Organ Concert & Radio Broadcast. (Takes place at University Chapel) (7:30 p.m.) "Breath by Breath" feat. Fred Hersch.
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Borealis Wind Quintet (Takes place at University Chapel)
Sun. 2 p.m. "The Artist Within" w/ Eastern Wind Symphony. $30 

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Puss N Boots Tavern
942 Tenton Road Fairless Hills, PA
(215) 295-8236
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 7 p.m. "Oldies Night" w/ DJ Jimmy Mac
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia

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Recklesstown Farm Distillery
2800 Route 206 North Columbus
(609) 784-8046
Sat. 12 p.m. / 7 p.m. Cookie Decorating Class
Sun. 12 p.m. Valentine's Day Pop-Up w/ "House of Cupcakes"

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Revere Restaurant
802 River Road Ewing
(609) 882-6365
Sat. 6 p.m. DC Duo  

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River House at Odette’s
274 South Rive Road New Hope, PA
(215) 682-2022
Thurs. (7 p.m.) Gina Corso (9 p.m.) Cara Cartney
Fri. (7 p.m.) Carol Lynn Duo (9 p.m.) CJ Steinway
Sat. (11:30 a.m.) Brunch w/ Alex Otey (7 p.m.) Bob Egan (9 p.m.) Greg McGarvey
Sun. (11:30 a.m.)  Brunch w/ Neil Podgurski Duo (7 p.m.) Michael Andrew

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Rose Bank Winery 
258 Durham Road Newtown, PA  
(215) 860-5899 
Sat. 1 p.m. "Tastings & Tunes in the Buckman Barn" feat. Cara Cartney    

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Rossi's Bar & Grill 
2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton 
(609) 890-2004 
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Ernie White  
Salon 33
794 Alexander Road Princeton
Fri. 7 p.m. Christine Petrini w/ V diMura
Sat. 7 p.m. Caleb Eckstein's SWINGTET
Sun. 7 p.m. "La flute francaise" feat. Veronica Mascaro & Kristin Ditlow

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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 

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Second Sin Brewing Company
1500 Grundy Lane Bristol, PA
(267) 812-5251
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia  

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Shady Brook Farm
931 Stony Hill Road Yardley, PA
(215) 968-1670
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia 
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Winter UnWINEd Concert feat. The Naturals
Sat. 6:30 p.m. Winter UnWINEd Concert feat. Joe & Krista

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Slim's Irish Pub
2195 Galloway Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 332-0047
Sat. 9 p.m. Fat Mezz
Mon. 6 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Cecil
Wed. 6 p.m. Karaoke Contest    

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Small World Coffee 
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton 
(609) 924-4377 x2
Sat. 6 p.m. Tom Tallitsch 
Sparky's 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. Shameless
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
Wed. 8 p.m. Casey & Mike 

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Spellbound Brewing
10 Lippincott Lane #12 Mt. Holly
(609) 832-0077
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Ride or Die: "Galentines & Bromances" (FREE w/ $15 "Suggested" donation)   

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Steam Pub
606 2nd Street Pike Southampton, PA
(215) 942-6468
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Finnesse
Sat. 10:30 p.m. EarCandy

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1675 Spirits
2685 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA
(215) 645-1445
Fri. 6 p.m. Johnny Never and John Colgan-Davis

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Tara's Tavern
1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown 
(609) 286-2300 
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Karaoke w/ Big Daddy G
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Jay Oliver Acoustic

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Tavern On The Lake  
101 Main Street Hightstown 
(609) 426-9345  
Sun. 6 p.m. Super Bowl Party
Tues. 6 p.m. Trivia
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke 

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TCNJ College of New Jersey
2000 Pennington Road Ewing 
(609) 771-2467
Sat. 8:30 a.m. TCNJ Brass Summit 2023

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Temperance House 
5 South State Street Newtown, PA 
(215) 944-8050 
Sat. 7 p.m. The Triplets
Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia w/ Righteous Jolly
Tues. 7 p.m. Beginner Line Dance Lessons w/ Jeremy Line Dance. $40/4 Weeks
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night w/ Cara Cartney  

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Terhune Orchards  
330 Cold Soil Road Princeton 
(609) 924-2310 
Sat. 1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. "Wine & Chocolate Weekend" feat. Brian Bornick
Sun. 1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. "Wine & Chocolate Weekend" feat. Michael Montemurro 

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TGI Fridays
3535 U.S. Route 1 North #275 Princeton
(609) 520-0378
Fri. 6 p.m. Mike Rocket
Sun. 1 p.m. Lisa Bouchelle 

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The Birdhouse Center For The Arts
7 North Main Street Lambertville 
(215) 681-4660 
Fri. 8 p.m. Corner House
Sat. 8 p.m. 9th Annual Love Birds Concert feat. Bronwyn Bird & Justin Nawn, The Manchesters, Kelly Bolding & Shaun Ellis, John & Laua Lee & Clover Beacher, Joy & Ben Cole, Daniella Fischetti & Tim Ryan, Debra Jean, Sarah Dodge & Pablo Londono, Lisa & Justin Pope, Alyssah Zeehjack, Lauren & Michael Bird, Meg Lomax & Jim. $10
Tues. 7:30 p.m. NJNO the "not just nyckelharpa orchestra" Community Orchestra  

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The Buck Hotel
1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA
(215) 396-2002
Thurs. 7 p.m. Kirko
Fri. (6:30 p.m.) A Valentine's Sinatra Show Dinner & Dance. $68 (Includes buffet, cash bar) (7 p.m.) Love Junk
Sat. (11 a.m.) Brunch (8 p.m.) Murder Mystery Dinner. $68 (Includes buffet, cash bar) (9 p.m.) The Nerds
Sun. (11 a.m.) Brunch (6 p.m.) Super Bowl Party
Tues. 7 p.m. Danny Lynch Duo  

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

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The Cure Insurance Center  
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton   
(609) 656-3200   
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live! 

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

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The Five Four Bar & Grill
8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 547-5525
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula and Sam
Fri. 9 p.m. Buzzer Band
Sat. 9 p.m. Big Game "Super Tailgate Party" w/ Jukebox Graveyard
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Music Bingo w/ Jonathan Appel
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Chris Benedetti

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The Independent Order of Odd Fellows
112 Fourth Avenue Roebling 
Sat. 7 p.m. Country Line Dancing. $10, doors open at 6:30 p.m.  

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The Ivy Inn 
248 Nassau Street Princeton 
(609) 921-8555 
Fri. 9:30 p.m. DJ Fatha Ramzee
Sat. 9:30 p.m. DJ Slick
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. Total Request w/ DJ Rockin' Ron  

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The Morrisville Tavern
376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-5310
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia Night
Fri. 8 p.m. The Bambu Weasels
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia Night  

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The Newtown Theatre
120 North State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 968-3859
Sat. 8 p.m. A Soul Shakedown Party feat. "Crucial" Doors open at 7 p.m. 
The Roost 
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge 
(609) 208-0050
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. DC Duo
Fri. 8 p.m. Diablo Sandwich Band
Sat. 8 p.m. Underwater Airlines
Wed. 6 p.m. Joe Vadala

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

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The Tavern at Penns Park
2295 Second Street Pike Newtown, PA
(267) 491-5658
Fri. 8 p.m. Tuesday Night Special

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The Union Firehouse
18 Washington Street Mount Holly
(609) 288-6491
Fri. 8 p.m. Punk Rock Tribute Night w/ Wasted Potential (Misfits, Danzig, Dead Boys), Nimrod (Green Day), Rude Boy (The Clash) Doors open at 7 p.m.
Sat. 8 p.m. Steal Your Face. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Sun. 1 p.m. Michael Warren CD Release Party

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The Union House
19 East Union Street Burlington
(609) 531-6077
Sat. 8 p.m. Dave Cudrak

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Third State Brewing  
352 High Street Burlington  
(609) 387-1620 
Sun. 1 p.m. Super Bowl Party  

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Tir Na Nog 
1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton 
(609) 392-2554
Sun. 3 p.m. "Irish Sessions" 
All Shows 21+ 

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Trenton Social  
449 South Broad Street Trenton 
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Happy Hour Throwback Thursday"
Fri. 6 p.m. "Out of the Blue" feat. works by Alia Bensliman, Amanda Chesney, Heather Palecek
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Music (TBA) 
Mon. 6 p.m. "Monday Night Karaoke" Hosted by Sweets
Tues. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night w/ Tobias & Lea (Sign-ups at 7:30 p.m.)  

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Under The Moon
23 North Union Street Lambertville
(609) 397-1710
Tues. Valentine's Day Prix Fixe Menu. $80  

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Vault Brewing Company
10 South Main Street Yardley, PA
(267) 573-4291
Fri. 7 p.m. Wendy Simon Duo
Sat. 7 p.m. Carol Hamersma Trio  

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Wildflowers Inn 
2572 Pennington Road Pennington   
(609) 773-2392
Thurs. 6 p.m. Rob Silvers

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Witherspoon Grill
57 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-6011
Tues. 6:30 p.m. Keith Franklin Jazz

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Working Dog Winery 
610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown 
(609) 371-6000
Sat. 1 p.m. "Wine & Chocolate Trail Weekend" feat. Jersey Sure Cats. $5
Sun. 1 p.m. "Wine & Chocolate Trail Weekend" feat. The Williamsboy. $5

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WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 Radio
MCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor
Jazzon2.org
Mon. 7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"

About the author:

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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 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.

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