"Indeed! I can testify that I have lived and breathed this album for quite a few years trying to get it made and get it out," says a somewhat relieved and very excited Carla Olson about the June 17 release of "Americana Railroad," a collection of songs, simply put; about trains.
Olson, whose music career is as well travelled as the very tracks she has romanticized about since her days growing up in Texas, has been a train buff since her youth and has carried her enthusiasm for the rails along with her to this very day which has led to the creation of this new compilation album.
"Yeah, I was brought up in Austin, TX where the trains came through the center of town which was my neighborhood when I was a little child and also when I was a teenager," she began. "We really only had freight trains that came through Austin until, I don't know, maybe late '60s or early '70s. Then there was a passenger train that was called the Texas Eagle that came through but it only came through a couple of times a week; other than that, it was freight trains. When I was little, my brother and I had a Lionel Train set and would run it around the living room and put tracks together and make the little bridges and the cars and all that stuff. We lived in in Austin, near kind of the center of, town we had a fairly large house that was on a little parcel of land. We had chickens; my mother was born and raised on a ranch so, you know, she wanted to have her chickens," she said with a laugh as she described the semi-rural setting and its proximity to the rails. "So, we had our chickens until the town made us get rid of them but the trains, I could hear them at our house but also as we grew older and we would be walking home from school there'd be the train tracks between school and home and generally when we would leave school around 3 p.m. there would be one that would come through about 3:15 p.m. and where the tracks were, we had to cross over them to get from school to our house and if you were lucky, the conductor would wave to you or blow the horn. We were lucky that we had that in central Austin; it's kind of one of those things that you have a childhood memory of, putting pennies on the track so the train could mash them up. The power and speed of the trains; you'd wonder about where they were going and where were they coming from and then as you grew older you began more to wonder about getting out and going away from where you are from; not necessarily for a good or bad reason but just for the adventure of it. The trains would always blow the whistle because there were no guard gates. We didn't have that; we didn't have any gates that went down over the street so we just had to be careful because all we had were just the signals."
Olson took that mental wanderlust and moved out to Los Angeles circa 1978 where she formed the Textones with Kathy Valentine,Markus Cuff and David Provost where they quickly became fixtures in the L.A. New Wave and Punk scene but to hear Carla tell it; they really weren't that, "Punk."
"You know, I or we kind of got looped into that genre because I was from Austin in a time where there weren't any punk bands. The first band that I was playing in with Kathy Valentine; we had a band called The Violators, which seems like a punk band but we were not a punk band. We were doing Rolling Stones covers and rock covers; I mean, we worked in some punk songs but we just did a couple and I mean like one or two but it was mostly rock and roll. We had two guitars, bass, drums and you know we were loud, real loud but she and I came out to L.A. and started a band called the Textones and we ended up playing together for a couple of years after we left Texas and then she got an audition with the Go-Go's; their bass player got sick and the rest is history. So. I'm real proud of her; she's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and she's a diligent person, she's a very good mother and she's a fantastic musician and I'm proud to have been part of that moment. Yeah, we actually also played the Chestnut Cabaret in Philly and then we played at Irving Plaza in the city and once we played at Rockefeller Center for a charity event for African famine relief. We played there with Joan Jett and Darlene Love, Paul Shaffer and we had all kinds of crazy fun. We had a great time though, some really good times up that way and hope to get up there again."
Olson speaks no less than five languages and utilizes her communication skills working with other musicians as a player, performer and producer but how did all of those roles "Translate" into the concept that would become "Americana Railroad?"
"Well, we have two songs by Gene Clark of The Byrds and a song by Stephen McCarthy from the Long Ryders and one of the Gene Clark songs is a song that he wrote with Bernie Leadon from the Eagles; it was on the first Eagles album and it's called "Train Leaves Here This Morning" and then another song that he wrote called "I Remember The Railroad," which was not commercially released by Gene and it's a beautiful song and I always wanted to perform it and before Gene passed away in the early '90s we had talked about doing some kind of railroad project that would incorporate several of his railroad songs; he was a big railroad enthusiast. Then when Stephen McCarthy was in the Long Ryders, he had written a song called "Here Comes That Train Again" which we always loved hearing those guys play and it was on their first album in the '80s. My plan was to do a whole album of songs that related in some way, either metaphorically or not, about railroads or trains; so, that's how it came about. I guess somewhere around in the early 1990s or around then but we just didn't get it done. I mean, we were trying to get someone to help us finance it and back then there were not a lot of labels that wanted to do compilation albums; they were not wanting to do singer-songwriter, they wanted to do hard rock bands, They didn't really come to the table on this one like we had hoped and so we just finally self-financed it and got it together and tried to find someone that wanted to put it out. We were successful in finding BMG, which is a label based in Germany, based in Berlin and they have offices in America and they're also a publisher so, they were into it; what can I say? It's been great and we're glad that somebody saw the idea as a viable."
Olson has worked with or in conjunction multiple industry heavyweights over the years; names like Mick Taylor, Percy Sledge, Ry Cooder, DonHenley, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan only scratch the surface of the list. So; how were the artists chosen for "Americana Railroad?"
"I think my husband and I found that those three or four songs; they were the start of it and we had the three; well, the two Gene Clark songs and the one Stephen McCarthy song and then we kind of cobbled together our favorite songs. Songs like "Mystery Train;" we're friends with RockyBurnette who is Johnny Burnette's son from The Rock and Roll Trio and of course he used to perform that one when he was in his youth and there were other songs on the list; a particular one that comes to mind is the standard or one you could call a standard by Jimmie Rodgers called "Waiting On A Train" and that one was pitched to us by BMG, by the label. We also were talking to a couple of people like the guys from, do you remember the band I don't know you might remember them; they were called Rank and File? They were the Kinman brothers from California, Tony and Chip Kinman and they had this kind of pop band but they had a little western flair to it so they called them "Cow-Punk" and they had a song called "The Conductor Wore Black" and it was a metaphor for all of the bad things you did in life; you certainly ain't going to heaven so you know that one is like a standard in a way. I mean, listen to it and tell me what you think and then I've been working a lot with some local artists like Robert Rex Waller; a member of the band called the Icy Hots who are along the lines of a Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. They are kind of country, bluegrassy, folksy, funny guys and he recorded the song "Midnight Rail," the Steve Young song and that's one that should be a standard if it's not already; it's such a great song about working on the railroad and not really having any roots. You know, where they were just going all of the time and it's kind of one of those songs that we always felt was a real winner for this project. Kai Clark, Gene Clark's son, recorded "Train Leaves Here This Morning" for this project and Kai was, I don't know, maybe 10, 11 or 12 years-old when his dad had recorded that as a duet; some people called it the first unplugged Americana album and Kai turned out to be most incredible singer and songwriter, guitar player and so he's on this. There's other people like Peter Case; if you know Peter's work at all you know he's kind of a troubadour, a traveling troubadour and it's just him alone with his guitar and a suitcase and he goes around the world and plays all sorts of songs. The song "This Train" is the one that Sister RosettaTharpe arranged. "Whiskey Train" is also a metaphor song and I recorded that song with Brian Ray who is Paul McCartney's guitar player; he's the one on the right-hand side of the stage, he's the blonde guy. We recorded that Procol Harum song which is about alcoholism, "I gotta get off this whiskey train" and Brian produced that with me singing it; I knew the song but I had never sung it I'd certainly never played it and sang it until that day that we got together and he said, "Oh yeah, we gotta do "Whiskey Train" and there's a video of that coming out somewhere around the first of June. You can catch that hopefully on one of the platforms like YouTube and stuff like that."
"I'm really hoping that the message gets out there to people through a couple of the songs from this album about the demise of rail travel," she continued. "That's the thing that we kind of have to remind people about; that trains are a part of the American fabric. This is what got America up and moving; you know? We were in a one-horse town situation and trains and the railroad got people moving across the country. So, it's real; if you are on a plane; how much you really see of America? You don't see a lot but if you're on a train, you're looking out the window and you're seeing much more. Well, without getting too sad, you'd see what was the Dust Bowl and areas in the Midwest and you'd see those things and it's more of a vibe. People would see so much more of this country if they were able to travel by train. My husband's grandmother; his mother just turned 99 in January and she's doing fantastically but her mother was from Chicago and they used to take the Pullman from Chicago to Florida down to Boca Raton and stay down there during the winter months. That was their mode of travel and she would tell us all about it and it was fascinating how they were able to do so. I don't know how they could stand the length of time but I guess they did and that's just what it was but then again, I come from a family where my mother rode a horse to school (laughs) and it was a mile-and-a-half ride of course so..."
So, with the release just days ago; are there any plans to do a promotional tour or series of shows?
"We were toying with possibly setting up a whistle stop type of thing with stops at places like Penn Station; maybe do something like that but because of Covid it was really kind of put on hold because of the lack of ability to go anywhere. So, I'm not really sure what we're going to do but there's some things we are watching that seem like there's some light at the end of the tunnel and maybe we'll get up that way and do at least a few shows. Some people do live up there that are on this album but a lot of people are living in California and a few other places along the way. t We could try to do some kind of a whistle stop thing; I don't know if you're familiar with Dave Alvin's past but he used to have this band called TheGuilty Women and it was just a kind of a combination of of women musicians and him or men and him and he wrote this song called "Southwest Chief" which was written about one of his whistle stop tours and he would go all the way from Chicago and back and take handful of musicians with him and they would get on and off at the train stations and play a couple songs for people while it was boarding; we might do something like that. It's a neat concept; either that or we might also just try to see if we can't put something together; maybe something like the city wineries or someplace where you know they have a US small enough they have a small room and a large so that possibly do something really intimate listening rooms. A lot of them are gone now; when I was with my buddy Todd we did a bunch of listening rooms up in the Northeast. We played in Ardmore, PA at a nice little listening room and that's not there anymore unfortunately and a couple of places in Bethlehem and over in Easton, PA. We would love to do shows up that way and hopefully we'll get back out on the road. My buddy Todd Wolfe played slide on "Midnight Rail" so you know there might be a few of us that might want to get out and stretch our legs and do the road thing again; I certainly would."
"Americana Railroad" is fresh out of the roundhouse, so; does Olson have any plans formulated beyond that?
"I’m going in the studio to listen to a couple of mixes, I’m doing an album with Stephen McCarthy; we're doing a duets album and it's some rock stuff and it's some country stuff and you know it's really fun; I'm busy; what can I say? I also have a new single out, a version of The Who's "I Can See For Miles" for a project called Women Sing The Who and it's going towards; I don't know if you're familiar with The Who's charity Teen CancerAmerica but they are trying to outfit American hospitals with cancer wards for teenagers so that they don't go wacky. I mean hospitals have old people sections, maternity sections and infant sections but they don't have anything for teenagers. So, that's the charity; they're on the road right now actually. I don't if they're coming up your way but yeah they've been doing some shows and they're doing it for the benefit of this Teen Cancer America."
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
Al's Airport Inn 636 Bear Tavern Road West Trenton (609) 883-5252 Sat. (12 p.m.) Acoustic Brunch (5 p.m.) George Becker Sun. (12 p.m.) Sunday Acoustic Brunch feat. (6 p.m.) DJ Bobby Jones Mon. 5 p.m. Rob Silvers Tues. 7 p.m. Mike & Laura Tusay Wed. (4 p.m.) LGBTQ Happy Hour (7 p.m.) Jessica DiDonatoAristaeus Brewing 2475C Big Oak Road Langhorne, PA (215) 757-2337 Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia Fri. 5 p.m. Bill Monach Sun. 10 a.m. “Sunday Funday Brunch” (2 p.m.) Meg Russell Arts Council of Princeton 102 Witherspoon Street Princeton (609) 924-8777 Sat. (10 a.m.) Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood by Romus Broadway "Naming Party." (FREE event) (7 p.m.) Cafe Improv feat. Michael Patrick, Eric Sommer, (TBA). $2 Artworks Trenton 19 Everett Alley Trenton (609) 394-9436 Thurs. 7 p.m. Ink & Drink: DIY Screen Prints Sat. 11 a.m. Writers WorkshopBill's Olde Tavern 2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton (609) 586-0192 Thurs. 7 p.m. Tour de Force Duo Fri. 7 p.m. El Ka Bong Sat. 7 p.m. Moot Davis Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia Night Tues./Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ "Super" Dave Curtis Ages 21+Blend Bar & Bistro 911 Highway 33 Hamilton (609) 245-8887 Thurs. 5 p.m. DJ Anthony PasquaBlue Bottle Cafe 101 East Broad Street Hopewell (609) 333-1710 Wed. 6 p.m. Brian Elliot Bordentown City Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown Fri. 5 p.m. Sat. "Garden Tour" Bordentown Elks 11 Amboy Road Bordentown (609) 298-2085 Fri. 7 p.m. "Summer Jam 2022" feat. Thee Amazin' Grace and the Grace Little Band, Midnight Sun, Rodney Mansfield, Infinity, DJ Slowice. $35 (advance), doors open at 6 p.m. (includes food, cash bar) Boro Bean 9 East Broad Street Hopewell (609) 466-6681 Sat. 11 a.m. John AbbottBowman's Tavern 1600 River Road New Hope, PA (215) 862-2972 Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Dave Dales Trio Fri. (5:30 p.m.) Bennett Lee (8 p.m.) Bob Egan Sat. 7 p.m. Andrea Carlson Trio Sun. (12 p.m.) Larry Tamanini (6 p.m.) Lorenzo Wed. 6 p.m. Andy PrescottBroken Goblet Brewing 2500 State Road Bensalem, PA (267) 812-5653 Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Mike Estabrook w/ Syd on Guitar Fri. 8:30 p.m. Carly & Me Sat. 8 p.m. Movie Night: "RAD!" Sun. 3 p.m. Music Bingo Tues. 7 p.m. Luck of the Draw Weekly Dart Tournament Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo Hosted by Righteous JollyBucks County Brewery and Hewn Spirits 31 Appletree Lane Pipersville, PA (215) 766-7711 Sat. 5:30 p.m. Little Red RoosterCadwalader Park 299 Parkside Avenue Trenton (408) 335-4400 Sat. 1 p.m. Opening Reception: Ellarslie Open 39. $10 (advance) Candlelight Lounge 24 Passaic Street Trenton (609) 695-9612 Thurs. 6 p.m. Thursday Night Blues Jam Hosted by The Mojo Gypsies. $5 Sat. 3 p.m. Joe Ford. $20Catch A Rising Star (Hyatt Regency Princeton) 102 Carnagie Center Princeton (781) 568-1471 Fri./Sat. Jim Florentine.7:30 p.m. $23.69, Doors open at 7 p.m.Chickie's & Pete's 183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown (609) 298-9182 Fi./Sat. 8 p.m. DJ EntertainmentCity Streets 510 Highway 130 South East Windsor (609) 426-9400 Sat. 9 p.m. Kevin Toft & The AlternatorsClubhouse at Mountain View (The Patio) 850 Bear Tavern Road Ewing (609) 538-0808 Fri. 6:30 p.m. Kindred Spirit 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 Hit WonderersCooper's Riverview 50 Riverview Plaza Trenton (609) 393-7300 Thurs.(7 p.m.) Black Brant (9 p.m.) Club Night w/ DJ Ran D. Ages 21+ Fri. (5 p.m.) "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere Happy Hour" (8 p.m.) Se7en Sat. 9 p.m.The Pinheads Sun. 11 a.m. "Latin Jazz Brunch" w/ Victor Tarassov Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke Wed. (7 p.m.) Blues Jam on the Deck (8 p.m.) Disco “Hustle” Night w/ "Guest" DJs. $5 All Events Ages 21+Cream Ridge Winery 145 Route 539 Cream Ridge (609) 259-9797 Fri. 6:30 p.m. Friday Music Nights feat. Reggae Music Night w/ Random Test. $5, Ages 21+ (Monies collected go to a local charity) Sat. 12 p.m. Summer Sangria & Cheesecakes Sun. 1:30 p.m. Sangria Sunday Crossing Vineyard and Winery 1853 Wrightstown Road Washington Crossing, PA (215) 493-6500 Thurs. 7 p.m. Tarot Card Reading and Wine Tasting Sat. 2 p.m. Kim & Chuck Sun. 2 p.m. Bunny BarnesCross 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) Curran’s Irish Inn 1909 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA (215) 245-1800 Thurs. 7 p.m. Music Bingo Fri. 8 p.m. Six Cents Tues. 7:30 p.m. Lunch Money Quizzo Dacey's Pub 215 West Philadelphia Avenue Morrisville, PA (215) 295-4838 Fri. 6 p.m. Acoustic Music Night Wed. 8 p.m. Quizzo Dadz Bar and Grill 744 Main Street Lumberton (609)267-4344 Thurs. 7 p.m. DJ Millionz Sun. 4 p.m. Oldies with DJ Deuce Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Edgar Anderson Wed. 7 p.m./9 p.m. Poker NightDecades 2465 South Broad Street Hamilton (609) 439-0007 .Fri. 9 p.m. “Dance Party” w/ DJ Ran D Sat. 8:30 p.m. "Throwback Saturday" w/ DJ Matty Bruce Tues. 8 p.m. Karaoke Hosted by DJ Wildman MannyDempster's Pub 437 Pine Street Mount Holly (609) 261-0500 Sat. 7 p.m. Random NotesEddington House Bensalem 2813 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA (215) 639-1220 Fri. 8:30 p.m. Mike Duva / Bright Kelly Acoustic Wed. 7 p.m. Music BingoEscape Resort, Restaurant & Bar 120 Pheasant Run Road Newtown, PA (215) 968-0600 Fri. 6 p.m. KirkoFlying Pig Tavern & Tap 167 US-Route 130 North Bordentown (609) 899-7447 Thurs. 10 p.m. DJ Iron Mike Fri. 7 p.m. You Do You Wed. 8 p.m. TriviaFriendly's 1031 Washington Boulevard Robbinsville (609) 426-9203 Thurs. 5 p.m. Cruise NightGleason's Bar 6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA (215) 943-4781 Thurs. 7 p.m. Music Bingo / “Ladies Night” Fri. (6 p.m.) "Happy Hour" w/ Casey Welborn (9 p.m.) Malpractice Show Band Sat. 8 p.m. Hind SightGreen Parrot Restaurant Pub, & Patio 240 North Sycamore Street Newtown Township, PA (215) 504-7277 Fri. 8 p.m. JD Valenteen Sat. 8 p.m. Jeff Selby The Quixote Project DuoGrover's Mill Coffee House Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction (609) 716-8771 Sat. 11 a.m. 3-26 Rodney & EvaHamilton Tap & Grill 557 US Route 130 North Hamilton (609) 905-0925 Thurs. 7 p.m. Music Bingo w/ DJ Nebbs Wed. 7 p.m. TriviaHamilton Veterans Park 1865 Yardville-Hamilton Square Road Hamilton Sun. 9 a.m. Wellness WalkHavana 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.) Peter Gabriel Tribute w/ "Shock The Monkey" $35 (11 p.m.) DJ Dance Party Sat. (8:30 p.m.) Jumper (11:59 p.m.) DJ Dance Party Sun. 4 p.m.Tea Dance Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Dwayne Wed. 7 p.m. Jumper DuoHopewell Theater 5 South Greenwood Avenue Hopewell (609) 466-1964 Tues. 6 p.m. The Art of Living Well: Race To AlaskaHopewell United Methodist Church 20 Blackwell Avenue Hopewell (609) 466-0471 Sat.6 p.m. Hopewell Hayride (Old Time Country & Bluegrass). Hosted by Frank Bruno feat. Al Kessel & Never Too Late Band, Rupert & Scheetz feat. Mary Daly, Bob Belloff, Linda Kay. $15 (Suggested donation adults) Hopewell Valley Vineyards 46 Yard Avenue Pennington (609) 737-4465 Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5:30 p.m.) The Mac Paige Band Sat. (1 p.m.) Winery Catz (5:30 p.m.) "Music & Merlot" feat. Rainbow Fresh Sun. 1:30 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Hopewell Valley Vineyards Jazz EnsembleHowe Commons Main Street Pennington Thurs. 7 p.m. Charles Laurita & The Mischief (FREE event, BYOB, Food Trucks)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 (9 p.m.) Troublemakerz Mon. 7 p.m. Motown Mondays w/ DJ Slow Ice Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Tuesdays w/ Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Il Portico Restorante Italiano 273 West Route 130 South Burlington (609) 239-1000 Fri. / Sat. 6:30 p.m. Live Music (TBA) Irish Rover Station House 1033 South Bellevue Avenue Langhorne, PA (215) 970-5412 Wed. 7 p.m. QuizzoIron Plow Vineyards 26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus (732) 306-9111 Fri. 6:30 p.m. Gary Ryan Sat. 6:30 p.m. Ronnie Brandt Sun. 2 p.m. SpoondriftIron Plow Vineyards Tasting Room 61 High Street Mt. Holly (732) 306-9111 Fri. 6:30 p.m. Wayne Palmer & Friends Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton (609) 888-1435 Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Karaoke Sat. 9 p.m. AudioPilot Sun. 6 p.m. Karaoke Latinos All shows 21+ John & Peter's 96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa (215) 862-5981 Thurs. 9 p.m. Sean Tobin & the Boardwalk Fire, Widely Grown, Rachel Ana Dobken, ALLDEEPENDS. Ages 21+, FREE event Fri. 9 p.m. Waiting On Mongo, Part Time Custodian Sat. 3 p.m. Real Fugitives Sun. 3 p.m. Trip Dogs Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic (Sign-ups start at 8:30 p.m.) 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. Radio Fiction Fri. 7 p.m. Wayne Bilotti Duo Sat. 9 p.m. DJ Murph Sun. 10 a.m. Sunday Brunch: Mad Hatter Tea Party w/ DJ Jimmy G Langhorne Summer Concert Series 115 West Richardson Avenue Langhorne, PA Wed. 7 p.m. Big Whiskey Laurita Winery 85 Archertown Road New Egypt (609) 752-0200 Thurs. 7 p.m. Paint & Sip "Lighthouse" $50 (Includes one glass of wine) Fri. 5 p.m."Cornhole Tournament" Sat. School's Out Food Truck Festival feat. (11 a.m.) American Beauty (2:30 p.m.) Junkyard Dogs (6 p.m.) Fast Forward 80s. $12 (advance/online, teachers are FREE, VIP areas available $500) Sun. School's Out Food Truck Festival feat. (11 a.m.) 80s Undercover (3 p.m.) Nikki Briar and The Sweet Briar Band. $12 (advance/online, teachers are FREE, VIP areas available $500) Lawrenceville Main Street 17 Phillips Avenue Lawrenceville (609) 219-9300 Thurs. 6 p.m. "Music In The Park" feat. Grant Peterson and Friends. (Weeden Park FREE admission)Locust Hall at Johnson's Farm 2691 Monmouth Road Jobstown (609) 723-2630 Sat. 6 p.m. "Local Nights On The Farm" feat. The Grouser Girls. $12 (Ages 2 and Under FREE) Logan Inn 10 West Ferry Street New Hope, PA (215) 862-2300 Thurs. 6 p.m. Kat Rivers Duo Sat. 8:30 p.m. Ian Lander Sun. 11:30 a.m. Sunday Brunch feat. Aaron QuartermanMagikava 87a South Main Street New Hope, PA (215) 862-2739 Wed. 7 p.m. Open MicMakefield Highlands Golf Club 1418 Woodside Road Yardley, PA (215) 321-7000 Fri. 5 p.m. Bill Thomas Marie's Kozy Korner 111 Trenton Road Fairless Hills, PA (215) 943-3131 Fri. 7 p.m. Cara CartneyMcGuinn'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 Fri. 8 p.m. Tribute to J. Geils Band w/ "Bloodshot" and A Tribute to Green Day w/ "Nimrod" Sat. 8 p.m. Solow, Crown Of Earth, Menace and The Hellfire, Meatplow Tues. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula and SamMercer County Park Festival Grounds Hughes Drive/Old Trenton Road West Windsor (609) 448-1947 Fri. 4 p.m. "L.E.A.D Fest State Fair" feat. (7 p.m.) Rock N Roll Heaven. $8 ($5 Parking Fee) Sat. 12 p.m. "L.E.A.D Fest State Fair" feat. (1:30 p.m.) Matt Baker (6 p.m.) Rock of Ages. $8 ($5 Parking Fee) Sun. 12 p.m. "L.E.A.D Fest State Fair" feat. (4 p.m.) "Roots & Boots Tour" feat. Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin, Collin Raye w/ Tequila Rose. $26.95-$95 (Not included w/ the $8 admission + $5 Parking Fee) Mon. 4 p.m. "L.E.A.D Fest State Fair" feat. (7 p.m.) B Street Band. $1 ($5 Parking Fee) Tues. 4 p.m. "L.E.A.D Fest State Fair" feat. (7:30 p.m.) Cosmic Jerry Band $5 (Girls Night Out! All ladies get in for free until 8 p.m.) ($5 Parking Fee) Wed. 4 p.m. "L.E.A.D Fest State Fair" feat. (7 p.m.) Shorty Long and the Jersey Horns. $ 5 ($5 Parking Fee)Millhill Basement 300 S. Broad Street Trenton (609) 989-1600 Fri. 9 p.m. Pillowinde, (TBA) Sat. 9 p.m. Buff Pups, Puppy Pile, Dr. Feelokay, Hobo Houston, Erin Incoherent Sun. 9 p.m. The Amorphous Blob Orchestra, Wounded Animal, (TBA)More Than Q 13 Klines Court Lambertville (609) 773-0072 Sun. 2 p.m. Bill IhlingMorven Museum & Garden 55 Stockton Street Princeton (609) 924-8144 Fri. 7 p.m. Broadway Pops! Starring Sierra Boggess Sat. 7 p.m. Family Pops! w/ The Princeton Symphony OrchestraMusic Mountain Theater 1483 Route 179 Lambertville (609)397-3337 Fri. 8 p.m. La Cage Aux Folles Sat. 3 p.m./8 p.m. La Cage Aux Folles Sun. 3 p.m. La Cage Aux Folles All Shows Require Masks for the UnvaccinatedMusic On Main 25 East Main Street Yardley, PA Sat. 6 p.m. Drew Nugent & the Midnight SocietyNaked Brewing Company 212 Mill Street Bristol, PA (267) 544-7129 Sat. 11 a.m. Weekend “Acoustic” Brunch (12 p.m.) Music by Fly On The Wall Sun. 11 a.m. Weekend Brunch Tues. 7 p.m. TriviaNew Hope Winery / Tavern 6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA (215) 794-2331 Fri. 8 p.m. James Taylor Tribute w/ "Steamroller" Sat. 8 p.m. Paula ColeNewtown Brewing Company 103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA (215) 944-8609 Thurs. 7:30 p.m. "Naughty" Trivia Fri. 6 p.m. JDuo Sat. 6 p.m. Smooth Retsina Glow Sun. 3 p.m. Cara Cartney Nick's Roast Beef 4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA (215) 637-5151 Thurs. 7 p.m.Trivia Fri. 9 p.m. WURL Sun. 4 p.m. Ray Palmer & Erin DohertyNottingham Tavern 9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square (609) 587-6623 Thurs. 9:30 pm. Karaoke w/ Super Dave Curtis Sat. 9:30 p.m. Spellbound Ages 21+Odd Logic Brewing Co. 500 Bristol Pike, Bristol, PA Thurs. 6 p.m. Trivia Sat. 7 p.m. The CryansO'Fowley's Tavern & Grill 200 State Road Croydon, PA (215) 785-6998 Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Glen Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo Old Hights Brewing 123 West Ward Street Hightstown (609) 469-5976 Sat. 6 p.m. TanglewoodOld Town Pub 135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown (609) 291-9232 Thurs. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics Trivia Fri. 8 p.m. Radio Fiction Sat. 8 p.m. Tour de Force Tues. 7 p.m. Taco TuesdayPalmer Square 40 Nassau Street Princeton Sat.12 p.m. “Spring Music Series" feat. Dave VargoPatriots Crossing 1339 River Road Titusville (609) 737-2780 Sat. 8 p.m. MLC Band Pete's Steak House 523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton (609) 585-8008 Fri. 9:30 p.m. Sara and The SoundPiccolissimo Italian Grille 23203 Columbus Road Columbus (609) 291-1033 Sat. 5:30 p.m. Ed WilsonRalphie's 2295 2nd Street Pike Newtown, PA (267) 491-5408 Sun. 3 p.m. Never EnoughRevere Restaurant 802 River Road Ewing (609) 882-6365 Thurs. 6 p.m. Brian Elliot River Horse Brewing Company 2 Graphics Drive Ewing (609) 883-0890 Sat. 6 p.m. Trivia Night River House at Odette’s 274 South Rive Road New Hope, PA (215) 682-2022 Thurs. (5:30 p.m.) Bridge Beat Duo (7 p.m.) Gina Corso Fri. (5:30 p.m.) Mark Menkevich (7 p.m.) Paula Johns Duo Sat. (11:30 a.m.) Brunch w/ Russell Norkevich (5:30 p.m.) BD Lenz (7 p.m.) Bob Egan Sun. (10 a.m.) (11:30 a.m.) Brunch w/ Dave Dales Mon. 6 p.m. Russell Norkevich Tues. 6 p.m. Lorenzo Branca Wed. 6 p.m. Megan KnightRomeo's Restaurant & Pizza 10 Schalks-Crossing Road Plainsboro (609) 799-4554 Fri. 7 p.m. The Blue-Eyed Balladeer Rosedale Mills 101 Route 31 North Pennington (609) 737-2008 Sat. 10 a.m. Pennington Farmers Market w/ Music by Just JeffSecond Sin Brewing Company 1500 Grundy Lane Bristol, PA (267) 812-5251 Thurs. 4 p.m. Trivia Shady Brook Farm 931 Stony Hill Road Yardley, PA (215) 968-1670 Fri. 6:30 p.m. "Summer unWINEd Concert Series" feat. Sensational Soul Cruisers Sat. 6:30 p.m. Cara Cartney Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo w/ Emily & JoeSherman Theater/Penn Community Bank Amphitheater 2400 Byberry Road Bensalem, PA Wed. 7 p.m. A Tribute to Elton John w/ "Philadelphia Freedom." (Doors open at 5:30 p.m., tickets available online) Smithville Park 815 Smithville Road Easthampton Sat. 11 a.m. "Earth Fair" Sparky World-Famous Beer Garden 4333 New Falls Road Levittown, PA (215) 943-2321 Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Dana Sat. 9:30 p.m. AJ Slick 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 Spellbound Brewing 10 Lippincott Lane #12 Mt. Holly (609) 832-0077 Fri. 7 p.m. Mike Estabrook & Ryan Sat. 7:30 p.m. Opera On Tap-Hot Girl Summer-Divas GaloreStars & Stripes Harley Davidson 600 South Flowers Mill Road Langhorne, PA Sat. 11 a.m. Hogs N DogsSteam Pub 606 2nd Street Pike Southampton, PA (215) 942-6468 Sat. 10 p.m. Emo Pop Punk Night w/ Scene Points1675 at The Ridges 4666 East Bristol Road Trevose, PA (215) 876-6868 Sat. 7 p.m. Keep The Change Sun. 6 p.m. Rock-A-Billy w/ The Crescent City MaulersTankard Pub 440 Keim Boulevard Burlington (609) 306-5079 Thurs. 8:30 p.m. The WilliamsboyTaps Sports Bar 4021-4023 Veterans Highway Levittown, PA (215) 486-7862 Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke Hosted by Paula Sat. 8 p.m. DJ Frankie Paige Mon. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Joe Goodnall Tara's Tavern 1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown (609) 286-2300 Fri. 9 p.m. Castles In The Sky Duo Sat. 9 p.m. The WilliamsboyTavern On The Lake 101 Main Street Hightstown (609) 426-9345 Fri. 9 p.m. The Variants Sat. 8 p.m. Tavern & Tiaras PRIDE Month Drag Show Wed. 9 p.m. KaraokeTemperance House 5 South State Street Newtown, PA (215) 944-8050 Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Session Blues Hosted by Steve Guyger Fri. 7 p.m. Bad Hombres 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. 12 p.m. "Sips & Sounds Friday" feat. (5 p.m.) Ragtime Relics Sat. 1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. Brian Bortnick Sun.1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. (4 p.m.) Firefly Festival w/ Lolly Hopwood (FREE admission, $7 craft activities)TGI Fridays 780 Route 130 South Hamilton (609) 581-6910 Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke w/ Big Daddy GTGI Fridays 685 Middletown Blvd. Langhorne, PA (215) 750-8002 Fri. 6 p.m. Don LeeTGI Fridays 3535 U.S. Route 1 North #275 Princeton (609) 520-0378 Fri. 6 p.m. Veronica Kole Sun. 1 p.m. Don Lee The Beer Garden at Snipes Farm 890 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA Sat. 5 p.m. Kevin Hill & Secret Sound, Jerry Duty, The Great BonfireThe Buck Hotel 1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA (215) 396-2002 Thurs. 7 p.m. Kirko Fri. 7 p.m. Love Junk Sat. 8:30 p.m. DJ Entertainment Tues. 6 p.m. Danny LynchThe Cool Cricket 216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro (609) 291-9110 Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ Super Dave Curtis Sat. 9 p.m.Audio OutlawsThe Dubliner 34 North Main Street New Hope, PA (215) 693-1816 Fri. 7 p.m. Andrew Koontz & Bill O'Neal Sun. 3 p.m. "Traditional Irish Session" The Federal Twist Vineyard 8 Federal Twist Road Stockton (609) 773-6066 Fri. 7 p.m. Sunset Wine & Jazz Night w/ The Eric Mintel Quartet (Reservations Suggested) Sat. 2 p.m. Mac Paige Band Sun. 2 p.m. JB Kline & Ed WallThe Five Four Bar & Grill 8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA (215) 547-5525 Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula and Sam Fri. 8:30 p.m. Big Whiskey Sat. 9 p.m. SparepartsThe HOB Tavern 146 Second Street Bordentown (609) 291-7020 Tues 7 p.m. Music BingoThe Ivy Inn 248 Nassau Street Princeton (609) 921-8555 Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Rockin' Ron Sat. 9 p.m. Jah Guide Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv Wed. 10 p.m. Total Request w/ DJ Rockin' RonThe Morrisville Tavern 376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA (215) 295-5310 Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia Mon. 7 p.m. Musical Bingo Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia NightThe Pines Tavern 6217 North Radcliffe Street Bristol, PA (215) 788-1659 Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Fly On The WallThe Roost 181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge (609) 208-0050 Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Sean Cox & Joe Hoyer Fri. 8 p.m. Twenty Somethings Sat. 8 p.m. Even OddsThe Sycamore Grill 255 North Sycamore Street Newtown, PA (215) 908-6326 Fri. 8 p.m. Steve Toursin Sat. 8 p.m. Lisa BouchelleThe Union Firehouse 18 Washington Street Mount Holly (609) 288-6491 Thurs. 5 p.m. "Shakedown Street" a Summer Vendor Series (Drum Circle, Cocktails) Fri. 8 p.m. Bent Mushroom. $10, doors open at 7 p.m. Sat. 8 p.m. Brown Sugar. $10, doors open at 7 p.m. Sun. (12 p.m.) Muse vs Radiohead End of Season Show and Senior Graduations (3 p.m.) Queen End of Season Show and Senior GraduationsTir Na Nog 1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton (609) 392-2554 Sun. 3 p.m. "Irish Sessions" All Shows 21+Trenton Social 449 South Broad Street Trenton (609) 989-7777 Thurs. 5 p.m. "Happy Hour Throwback Thursday" (6 p.m.) NJYD and Mercer County LGBTQ Caucuses PRIDE Mixer 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.)Trinity Church 33 Mercer Street Princeton (609) 924-2277 Thurs. 7 p.m. Festival Chorus w/ "The Sebastians"Under The Moon 23 North Union Street Lambertville (609) 397-1710 Fri. 6 p.m. Corey & Cara Sat. (12 p.m.) Matt Gordeuk (6 p.m.) Jakeya & Daniel KaplowitzUnion Coffee 49 North Union Street Lambertville (609) 460-4637 Sun. 4 p.m. Java Jive w/ Bill Ihling Vault Brewing Company 10 South Main Street Yardley, PA (267) 573-4291 Fri. 7 p.m. Behn Gillece Duo Sat. 7 p.m. Tony Miceli TrioVince's Pizzeria and Taproom 573 Durham Road Newtown, PA (267) 491-5418 Sun. 5 p.m. John D's All-Star BandWest Windsor Farm Market Vaughn Drive Princeton Sat. 12 p.m. Camen MarrancoWilson's Pub 1870 Brownsville Road Trevose Heights, PA (215) 355-4739 Sat. 9 p.m. Dan & LizWoolsey Park 221 Washington Crossing - Pennington Road Hopewell Township (609) 281-5887 Sun. 5 p.m. An Evening Under The Stars: Classic Car Show & Fireworks feat. music by (7 p.m.) Jon Savage & The Classic Rockers (Fireworks approx. 9:15 p.m.) Working Dog Winery 610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown (609) 371-6000 Thurs. 3 p.m. Kevin McGowan Sat. 1 p.m. Kevin McGowan Sun. 1 p.m. Timi HendrixxWWFM 89.1 FM HD2 Radio MCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor Jazzon2.org Mon. 7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"Yardley Country Club 1010 Reading Avenue Yardley, PA (215) 493-4531 Sun. 3 p.m. The Mystery Four
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 7:000pm EST on multiple internet radio outlets where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!
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