Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...9/5/24

By Danny Coleman
originally published: 09/05/2024

"I'm in Brooklyn, New York, I was on a bus until recently. I got back last weekend, I'm doing a short instrumental tour next week and then I'm back doing some local shows, including the Metal Allegiance show and then a seven week tour with Kreator and Testament.and then about a week-and-a-half off and then about a month-and-a-half on tour in Europe again; never a dull moment," says Metal Allegiance's Alex Skolnick as the band preps for their September 6 show at Sayreville's Starland Ballroom. 

Returning to the East Coast for the first time in six years, the "Core 4" will be joined by Meanstreak and Held Hostage as well as special guests including Troy Sanders of Mastodon, John Bush of Armored Saint, Dave Davidson of Revocation and quite possibly many others. 

Celebrating 10 years as a unit, Skolnick laughingly says that keeping it together for a decade is very easy and maybe, just maybe a bit deceiving.

"Gosh, well, I think if you've added up the number of performances we've had and the amount of time we've spent in the studio, it's really more like a few years (laughs). So, yes, it has been 10 years but the activity has been very much spread out across those 10 years. So, it's different, it's a different answer from keeping a normal band together. Everybody has different schedules which is why activity doesn't happen more often but when we are able to get together and do a show we do and it's always more of an event than a concert and that is definitely the case here but it's been growing the whole time. We started out as this fun project with guys from different bands who'd actually never worked together in the studio or on the same stage before and we had a really good time doing that. I'm sure we'd like to play more often but our schedules only allow so much activity; that way it's special when we do it." 

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OK, so being scattered about due to scheduling definitely impacts live performances and tours but what about writing? How does the group produce and record material? 

"It's definitely a different writing session than other projects I'm involved with, most of the time music gets written and across periods of time and ideas get saved and it's a slow process over a long period of time but with Metal Allegiance, we tend to have these very compressed writing sessions. We have two studio records, there is talk of a third, we'll see if that happens, we're hoping that happens but every time, we wind up booking a long weekend with the four of us; myself, Mark Menghi, Mike Portnoy and David Ellefson and we just go on lockdown for three days and make sure we come out with enough material for an album or at least close to it," he explained with a laugh."By the time we leave, we usually have half a record and enough sketches to continue to work at a later time. The last time we did a studio record, Mark and I probably did the most post-writing after the three day lockdown with the whole group. Mark and I did a lot of the lyric writing, vocal melody writing, arrangements; when we are doing the initial sessions, Mike Portnoy is very much a part of the arranging and he makes his impact felt especially on arrangements when we are all in the same room. Later on, we might make some changes but we will run them by him but it's a combination. We all come in with parts we have laying around but I think when all is said and done, the majority of the parts are probably mine and Mark's, the majority of arrangements are by Portnoy and valuable contributions from Ellefson including lyrics and titles."

Since time is of the essence, are they able to rehearse and how does that impact the gig itself?

"The time between being together is so long that it wouldn't make sense to do a show without a rehearsal. So, we pretty much always do a rehearsal before the concert and it's an intensive rehearsal. We want the show to go off without a hitch, it needs to go off like a well-oiled machine. There is room for some spontaneity; it's fun but we do our best to have it flow smoothly and there are a lot of moving parts because in addition to us four; there are guest musicians who may play with us on one show and maybe not another. The set is different every time, so it is very important that we have at least one extensive rehearsal before each concert. There is no intermission, we always play straight through. The sets tend to be between an hour-and-fifteen-minutes and an hour-forty-five- minutes. We shoot for the 90 minute mark but that usually gets extended by the time you add in talking to the audience and the time it takes to change musicians because we tend to have a different line-up for each song or at least every couple of songs. So, you always have people staying on stage, some swapping instruments and it's this back and forth so..."

Oftentimes a performer or band is associated with the style of music they play the most but Skolnick is more than just a "Metal guitarist" and has a very impressive resume to back it up. Does he ever feel like he's been labeled just a heavy metal guitarist and just how did he gravitate towards the metal genre?

"No, not really," he was quick to answer. "I've had an interesting evolution, I play different styles of music, the tour I'm doing next week is with Percy Jones who was in Brand X with Phil Collins in the '70s. So, a totally different type of band and musician. I play with Stu Hamm who is best known for his work with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai; I took a break from heavy metal and Testament and I went back to school and got a degree in Jazz Guitar. So, I'm not one of these people who lives metal 24/7 but I love it when I do it and I'm 100 percent committed to it at the time. When I was growing up there was a big metal scene in the San Francisco Bay Area. Metallica was briefly based there when I was in high school but they were already off to the races and on their way to becoming one of the biggest bands in the world but a bunch of other groups were coming up under the inspiration of Metallica including Death Angel, Forbidden, Legacy; which was the band that would become Testament and perhaps the biggest one, Exodus which was started by Kirk Hammett who left that band to join Metallica. Between all of those bands and the fact that the music was coming from left field because you didn't hear anything like it on the radio, at least not at that time and it was exciting and it felt like it was the epicenter of it and if you like hard rock or heavy metal guitar; you could not avoid that type of heavy metal." 

"After I left Testament," he continued,  "I very  briefly played in a group called Savatage which is a bit of a legendary band. I replaced their guitar player who had tragically passed away; Criss Oliva was his name; fantastic guitar player and it was a very sad occasion. Savatage; I don't think they'll disagree with this, they were very much out of step for the times. This was 1994, we're talking Alternative Nation on MTV, we're talking "Nevermind," we're talking Grunge becoming a household name and Savatage still sounded like it was 1986 or 1987; very processed with those '80s tones, still a very intense, heavy music but they still had the hair and the look. They were a great band and I wasn't ready to join another band at that time but because of what happened with Criss I wanted to help those guys out. There is an issue of "Guitar World" magazine that's out now that you can buy that tells the whole story. The cover actually has Trey Anastasio of Phish but right above him it says, "How Alex Skolnick saved Savatage" and that tells the story in detail  but long story short; I only did one album with them and it was called, "Handful Of Rain" and I ended up moving to New York and going back to school. Their next album had a holiday song on it; kind of their version of "Carol Of The Bells." That became a huge hit on the radio, especially around the holiday season and it was a surprise hit. So, the producer ended up doing a whole new album based on that song with additional hard rock holiday songs and adding Broadway singers and symphonic instruments and called it the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. That record ended up going platinum, fast forward a year or so and they wanted a live version of the show. So, they tracked me down, they said that they were going to have two touring groups at once going out on the road as Trans-Siberian Orchestra and they asked if I wanted to be part of one of them. I agreed and it worked out great because it was only part of the year, the holiday season and so it didn't have that full-time band commitment. Fast forward a few years and Trans-Siberian Orchestra becomes an arena act and one of the top grossing concert tours in America. I was there from the time it was a theater act until it became an arena act and I stayed with them until the end of the 2000s and by then, the tour had expanded from about three-and-a-half weeks to two months and it just got to be too much. By that time, Testament had reunited and we were getting along, we were a much stronger band and we were getting great offers too. So, I left Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the end of 2009 I think but I'm still in touch and friends with everyone involved."

Speaking of Testament; what are they up to these days? 

"Testament just did a five week tour in Europe with a lot of festivals including The Rockit Festival which is one of the biggest in Europe. We played some shows supporting our friends Behemoth, we have a seven week tour coming up with Kreator which is a co-headline tour and our old friends Possessed and this is gonna be all over North America in Canada and the U.S. with one stop in New Jersey on or around October 11 in Montclair, New Jersey at The Wellmont Theater. We also have an album and we're almost finished. We're in the process of tracking it, the drums are done and we're just adding the rest of the instruments and the vocals and it will be done and turned in by the end of the year and on sale next year in 2025."

September 6 finds Metal Allegiance back in Jersey at The Starland Ballroom, a venue which is very friendly to the band and due to its central locale only makes any show a bit more special. 

"We love to play the Starland, it has been a little while; I'm trying to remember but I played it with my main band Testament last year and it's always a pleasure to play there. It's this great historic venue, and we always get a lot of friends from multiple states. We  get friends from Connecticut, from the city, from Philadelphia and of course from all over Jersey."

Tickets for the September 6 show are available through The Starland Ballroom or through the band's website and to purchase them or find out more about them, please visit https://www.metalallegiance.com/

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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Abbott Marshlands
157 Westcott Avenue Hamilton
Sat. 10 a.m. First Saturday Wellness Walk

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Ace Cafe 
15 Market Place New Hope, PA
Thurs. 6 p.m. Bike Night
Sat. 11 a.m. Vintage Moto Meet
Sun. 11 a.m. British car & Bike Meet 

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Al's Airport Inn
636 Bear Tavern Road West Trenton
(609) 883-5252 
Thurs. 5 p.m. Marc Hoffman
Sat. (12 p.m.) Acoustic Brunch w/ Joe Hutchinson (5 p.m.) John Brennan
Sun. 7:30 p.m. DJ Justin Macellaro
Mon. 5 p.m. Bill Thomas
Tues. 7 p.m. Brian Elliot
Wed. 7 p.m. Rick Winow

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Aristaeus Brewing
2475C Big Oak Road Langhorne, PA 
(215) 757-2337
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia 
Sat. 7 p.m. Little Red Rooster 
Arts Council of Princeton 
102 Witherspoon Street Princeton 
(609) 924-8777 
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. ART OF: Poets & Performers
Sat. 3 p.m. Gallery Opening: "Intersecting Identies" / "Charles Evans Scholars"
Wed. 7 p.m. JAM: Jersey Art Meet-Up

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Ashlynn Distillery 
32 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA 
Thurs. 5 p.m. Cecil & Carl
Fri.  7 p.m. The Faculty
Sat. 7 p.m. Mike Goldman
Sun. 3 p.m. Cecil & Troy
Wed. 6 p.m. Cara Cartney

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Bill's Olde Tavern
2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Thurs. 7 p.m. Blind Lemon Pie
Fri. (7 p.m.) '80s Undercover (10 p.m.) DJ BayNice
Sat. (7 p.m.) Black Brant (10 p.m.) DJ Dan Murphy
Sun. 7 p.m. BINGO 
Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia 
Tues. 8 p.m. / Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke 
Ages 21+

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Bit-hin' Kitten Brewery
58-B East Bridge Street Morrisville, PA
(267) 799-5348
Thurs. 6 p.m.
Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo

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Bordentown City
Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown  
Fri. 7 p.m. "Frightening Fridays!" Haunted History Tours. $20
Sat. 12 p.m. Community Block Party / Bordentown Walking Tours. $20 

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Boro Bean 
9 East Broad Street Hopewell 
(609) 466-6681 
Sat. 11 a.m. John Abbott 

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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

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Bristol Bourough
250 Pond Street Bristol, PA
Sat. 12 p.m. "40th Annual Bristol Lions Italian Festival"

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Broken Goblet Brewing
2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Fri. 7:30 p.m. AC/DC Tribute w/ "GayC/DC" $15-$25, doors open at 6:30 p.m., ages 21+
Sat. 12 p.m. 98 September Skirmish Classic Presented by High Five Arm Wrestling
Sun. 7 p.m. Sheer Terror, CDC, Fool's Game, Slighted. $20 (advance), doors open at 6 p.m., all ages.
Tues. 6:30 p.m. Paint & Sip Workshop w/ Penelope Fox Art Studio. $29

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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 

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Burlington County Fairgrounds and Pavillion
1960 Jacksonville Jobstown Road Columbus
(609) 265-5858
Sat. 1 p.m. Craft Beer & Food Truck Festival

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Cadwalader Park (Ellarslie Museum)
299 Parkside Avenue Trenton 
(408) 335-4400 
Sat. (10:30 a.m.) Open Juror's Talk w/ Kimberly Camp (1:30 p.m.) Alumni Kickball Tournament 

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Catch A Rising Star (Hyatt Regency Princeton) 
102 Carnagie Center Princeton
(781) 568-1471
Fri. 8 p.m. Kevin Israel. $26.50, Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Kevin Israel. $26.50, Doors open at 7 p.m. 

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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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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. MLC Band

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Cooper's Riverview                                                                     
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300 
Thurs. 7 p.m. Cosmic Jerry Band
Fri. 5 p.m. Happy Hour  (7 p.m.) Se7en / DJ John Rossi
Sat. 7 p.m. No Way Out / DJ Dream

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Cranbury 
North Main Street Cranbury
Sat. 9 a.m. "Cranbury Day" Town-wide Fair

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Crossing Vineyard and Winery
1853 Wrightstown Road Washington Crossing, PA
(215) 493-6500 
Fri. 7:15 p.m. "Summer Wine and Music Series" feat. The Fabulous Greaseband $20 (advance), Doors open at 5 p.m., Ages 21+ 
Sat. 2:30 p.m. Bill Thomas
Sun. 2 p.m. Kat Rivers

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Curran’s Irish Inn
1909 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA
(215) 245-1800
Thurs. 7 p.m. Music Bingo 
Mon. 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 

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Dharma Bums 
4935 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 663-2867
Thurs. 7 p.m. Michael Kracht
Fri. 8 p.m. Dead to the Core. $10 (advance)
Sat. 8 p.m. Landline / Alpaca Lips. $10 (advance)
Wed. 7 p.m.  DBums Hootenanny: An Open Mic of Music, Comedy & Spoken Word Hosted by Michael Henry Robert

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Dockside Bensalem 
3330 Hulmeville Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 520-7184
Fri. 8 p.m. Shot of Southern
Sun. 11 a.m. Bottle Feeding & Snuggle Time

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Donkeys Place
37 Washington Street Mount Holly
(609) 689-5015
Sat. 1 p.m. Wounded Souls 
Eddington House Bensalem
2813 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA 
(215) 639-1220 
Fri. 6 p.m. Eagles tailgate Party w/ DJ Cousin Donnie
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Tailspin
Sun. 4 p.m. EMO Night
Mon. 5:30 p.m. "Family Fun Night" w/ Amazing Balloon Creations by Kelsi-Joe

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Escape Resort, Restaurant & Bar 
120 Pheasant Run Road Newtown, PA 
Fri. 6 p.m. Aaron Quarterman Band
Tues. 6 p.m. Karaoke

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Flying Pig Tavern & Tap 
167 US-Route 130 North Bordentown 
(609) 899-7447
Thurs. 7 p.m. BINGO
Fri. 9 p.m. The Balanced Breakfast Band
Sat. 9 p.m. Regency 
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia

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Forsgate Country Club   
375 Forsgate Drive Monroe
(732) 521-0700 
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Doggy Swim & Yappy Hour"
Fri. 6 p.m. "First Friday" w/ Jeff Fernandez

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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

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Friendly's 
1031 Washington Boulevard Robbinsville 
(609) 426-9203 
Thurs. 5 p.m. Cruise Night 
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"/Eagles Tailgate Party 
Sat. 7 p.m. Freestyle Night w/ DJ Slice
Tues. 6:30 p.m. Trivia Night Hosted by Best Choice Productions 

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Green Parrot Restaurant Pub, & Patio
240 North Sycamore Street Newtown Township, PA 
(215) 504-7277 
Fri.  8 p.m. Sir Rod
Sat. 8 p.m. Derek Petaccio & Christian Alexander

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Grounds For Sculpture
80 Sculptors way Hamilton
(609) 586-0616 
Fri. 5:30 p.m. "Swirl:" An Evening of Art and Wine.

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Grover's Mill Coffee House 
Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction   
(609) 716-8771  
Sat. 11 a.m. John Ezzo
Thurs. 6 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Wade Prestridge

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Hamilatte Cafe
1971 Route 33 Hamilton
Sat. 6:30 p.m. Acoustic Saturdays feat. Frank Pinto & Richie Z 
Hamilton Tap & Grill
557 US Route 130 North Hamilton 
(609) 905-0925
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Music Bingo w/ DJ Nebbs
Sat. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia

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Happy Apple Inn 
29 Imlaystown Road Cream Ridge
(609) 259-7889
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Woodford Doubled Oak Release Tasting. $110

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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 feat. Mikey Jr. 
Fri. ( 7 p.m.) Billy Walton Band. $25 (11 p.m. ) DJ Dance Party 
Sat. (8:30 p.m.) Semitones (11:59 p.m.) DJ Dance Party w/ DJ Iron Mike
Sun. 6 p.m. Tom Petty Tribute w/ "Radio Petty" $30
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Steve
Tues. 7 p.m. Jillian Ashcroft Jazz Quartet 
Wed. 7 p.m. Jumper Duo

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Hopewell Valley Golf Club
114 Pennington-Hopewell Road Hopewell
(609) 737-1199
Fri. 7 p.m. Kindred Spirit

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Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Avenue Pennington 
(609) 737-4465 
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5:30 p.m.) Just Us
Sat. (9 a.m.) WWFM (1 p.m.) Mark Margolies Band (5:30 p.m.) "Music & Merlot" feat. FOGLight
Sun. (1 p.m.) "The Kind Vine" Art Show and Sale (2:30 p.m.) "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Alex Otey Trio

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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. 
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Tuesday 
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

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Irish Rover Station House 
1033 South Bellevue Avenue Langhorne, PA 
(215) 970-5412 
Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo Night

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Iron Plow Vineyards
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus 
(732) 306-9111 
Fri. 5:30 p.m. Chuck McCrory
Sat. 4:30 p.m. Don the Medicine Man
Sun. 1 p.m. Carmen Marranco

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Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton 
(609) 888-1435 
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Karaoke 
All shows 21+    

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John & Peter's
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa 
(215) 862-5981 
Fri. 8 p.m. Gourd, Ape! Bagel. $10
Sat. 9 p.m. Bugger, El Dingo, Jim E. Brown
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic Comedy Night (Sign-ups start at 8 p.m.) 
Tues. 9 p.m. Brat
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
Fri. (5:30 p.m.) LoFash (7 p.m.) Eagles "Paddy-O" Party (10 p.m.) DJ Mike Perez
Sat. (10 a.m.) Brunch (5:30 p.m.) Skyline (8 p.m.) Electric Stingray (10 p.m.) DJ Dom
Sun. 10 a.m. "Sunday Funday" Brunch  

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Lambertville Station Restaurant and Inn 
11 Bridge Street Lambertville 
(609) 397-8300 
Sat. 11 a.m. Rivers Edge Artisan Festival                                                                       

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Laurita Winery 
85 Archertown Road New Egypt 
(609) 752-0200 
Thurs. (5 p.m.) Pumpkin Pick & Sip. $20-$40 (6 p.m.) Pallet Sunflower Workshop. $50
Fri. (5:15 p.m.) Sip, Snip & a Sunset. $40 (7 p.m.) Billy Joel Tribute w/ Wade Preston. $20
Sat. "Grape Stomp Festival" feat. (11 a.m.) Dave Matthews Experience (2:30 p.m.) Strictly '60s (6 p.m.) Nikki and the Sweetbriar Band. $13 (advance/ages 20 and under FREE)
Sun. "Grape Stomp Festival" feat. (11 a.m.) Jersey SureCats (3 p.m.) Shore Bet. $13 (advance/ages 20 and under FREE)

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Library Company of Burlington
23 West Union Street Burlington
(609) 3861273
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night

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Lillipies Bakery
30 North Harrison Street Princeton 
(609) 423-2100  
Sat. 10 a.m. Storytime with Jeff

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Locust Hall at Johnson's Farm
2691 Monmouth Road Jobstow 
(609) 723-2630  
Sat. 10 a.m. Sunflower Summer Festival

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Logan Inn 
10 West Ferry Street New Hope, PA 
(215) 862-2300
Fri. 6 p.m. Bill Bang Trio
Sat. 7 p.m. JP3 
Sun. 11:30 a.m. The Burners 

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Magikava
87a South Main Street New Hope, PA 
(215) 862-2739 
Thurs. 6 p.m. Astrology Readings by Riss Cottrill 
Mon. 6 p.m. Magik "Art Mondays" 
Wed. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night    

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McStews Irish Sports Pub
5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA 
(215) 949-9570 
Sat. 9 p.m. Midnight Sun
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night 
Mercer County Park Festival Grounds 
Hughes Drive/Old Trenton Road West Windsor 
(609) 448-1947 
Sat./Sun. 12 p.m. "Fiesta Latina" $15 (advance/2-day pass $25, kids under age 12 FREE)

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

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Naked Brewing Company 
212 Mill Street Bristol, PA 
(267) 544-7129
Thurs.6:30 p.m. Dana Collins Project (Dana's Birthday Party)
Fri. 7 p.m. "First Friday" Karaoke w/ DJ Triiish
Sat. 7 p.m. "First Saturday" w/ Joe & Krista
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia

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Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company 
909 Ray Avenue Croydon, PA 
(215) 458-7081
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia Night 
Sat. 7 p.m. EMO Night 

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New Egypt Flea Market Village 
933 Monmouth County Road Cream Ridge 
(609) 758-2082
Fri. 5 p.m. "First Friday" 
Sun. 8 a.m. Flea Market "Tractors, Trucks & Big Stuff (65th Anniversary Celebration)"
Wed. 8 a.m. Flea Market

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New Egypt Speedway
Sat. 11 a.m. 2x Monster Trucks Live 

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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. Fly On The Wall
Sat. 6 p.m. The Accidental Brothers
Wed. 4 p.m. Open Mic Night w/ Bill Monach 

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Nick's Roast Beef
4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA 
(215) 637-515
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia 
Sun. 4 p.m. Nothing2Prove
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke

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NJWeedman's Dispensary
322 East State Street Trenton
(609) 437-0898
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke

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Nomad Distilling Company
20 South Main Street New Hope, PA
Sun. 10 a.m. Brunch

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Nottingham Tavern 
9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square 
(609) 587-6623
Thur. (7 p.m.) Rock On radio Happy hour Hosted by Danny Coleman feat. Music by The Williamsboy (9:30 pm.) Karaoke w/ Super Dave Curtis 
Ages 21+   

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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
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Acoustic Karaoke w/ Rory
Sat. 12 p.m. Live Like "V" Live Music & Food Truck Festival 

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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. John Coler Trio
Sun. (10 a.m.) Brunch (12 p.m.) "16th Annual Blessing of the Fire Trucks" w/ Radio Fiction

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Palmer Square 
40 Nassau Street Princeton 
Sat. 12 p.m. Summer Music Series feat. Kindred Spirit 

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Pasquale's Sports Bar 
9078 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA 
(267) 202-6268 
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke 

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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. 9:30 p.m. Spanky's Garage

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Picture Perfect Affairs
76 High Street Mount Holly
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday Lyrics To Go Open Mic and Showcase

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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. 5 p.m. Happy Hour 
Sun. 11 a.m. Jazz Brunch

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Princeton Public Library (Hinds Plaza)
65 Witherspoon Street Princeton  
(609) 924-9529 
Sun. 4 p.m. The Rebound

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Princeton University (Richardson Auditorium)
Nassau Street Princeton
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Nassau Street Sampler" (Takes place at Dillon Gym)

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Puss N Boots Tavern
942 Trenton Road Fairless Hills, PA
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia
Wed. 6 p.m. Cocktail Shaking & Craft Making

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Randy Now's Man Cave
119 West Ward Street Hightstown 
(609) 424-3766
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. lain Matthews / Jim Fogarty. $25, doors open at 7 p.m.
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Gas Money / Jet Weston & his Atomic Ranch Hands. $12, doors open at 7 p.m., all ages.

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Ristorante LUCCA & Piano Lounge 
144 US Route 130 Bordentown 
(609) 262-0110
Thurs. 8 p.m. Jazz Night

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River Horse Brewing Company
2 Graphics Drive Ewing 
(609) 883-0890
Sat. 6 p.m. Trivia Night 

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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
Fri. 7 p.m. Len Rogers
Sat. 7 p.m. Max Rogers / Cara Cartney
Wed. 7 p.m. Joanna Caruso  

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Rossi's Bar & Grill
2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 890-2004 
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Ernie White
Sat. 11 a.m. Brunch
Sun. 11 a.m. Brunch 
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics

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Saint Mark United Methodist Church  
465 Paxson Avenue Hamilton Square 
(609) 587-1286
Fri. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Bill Wieszczek

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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, P
(267) 812-5251
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia

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Shady Brook Farm 
931 Stony Hill Road Yardley, PA 
(215) 968-1670 
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia

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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

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Small World Coffee 
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton 
(609) 924-4377 x2 
Sat. 7 p.m. McMillan & Co.

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Sparky World-Famous Beer Garden
4333 New Falls Road Levittown, PA 
(215) 943-2321 
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Dana
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 

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Starving Artist Cafe
18 Bridge Street Stockton
Sat. 6 p.m. Successful Failures

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Steam Pub 
606 2nd Street Pike Southampton, PA 
Sat. 10:30 p.m. EMO Pop-Punk Night

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

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Temperance House
5 South State Street Newtown, PA 
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7 p.m. Steve Guyger and Filthy Rich 
Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia Hosted by Neville Esquire
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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TGI Fridays 
780 Route 130 South Hamilton
(609) 581-6910 
Sun. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Burn

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TGI Fridays
2703 Mount Holly Road Suite 3 Washington Twp.
(609) 239-486 
Thurs. 7 p.m.  Trivia   

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TGI Fridays
3535 U.S. Route 1 North #275 Princeton
(609) 520-0378
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia Night 

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The Beer Garden and Education Center at Snipes Farm
890 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA 
Sat. 12 p.m. "Snipes Rock Fest" feat. Lisa & Casey, Nova, WitZend, SpareParts, Hattrick, Se7en, All Lit Up, Flying Circus, DJ Dangeruss

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The Birdhouse Center For The Arts
7 North Main Street Lambertville
(215) 681-4660
Sun. 8 p.m. Hannah O'Brien & Grant Flick
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. 8:15 p.m. Eagles Watch Party
Sat. (11 a.m.) Brunch (9 p.m.) Rock the Yacht w/The Bassboards
Tues. 7 p.m. Danny Lynch

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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. Tim's Wedding and Rick's Goin' Fishin' Show w/ Asylum Choir
Sun. 5 p.m. Country Line Dancing (FREE event)

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The Corner Inn
24509 East Main Street Columbus
(609) 298-8543
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ We R Entertainment  

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The Dubliner
34 North Main Street New Hope, PA 
(215) 693-1816
Fri. 7 p.m. Gabriel Donohue
Sat. 7 p.m. Gerry Timlin
Sun. 3 p.m. "Traditional Irish Session"

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The Federal Twist Vineyard 
8 Federal Twist Road Stockton
(609) 773-6066 
Sat. 4 p.m. Music for a Cause w/ The Coleman Brothers 
Sun. 12 p.m. Strange Brew Crew. $5 (Ages 20 and under FREE)

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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. 5:30 p.m. Eagles Pre-Game Party w/ EarCandy and Eagles Watch Party
Sat. 9 p.m. The Naturals
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo w/ Jonathan Appel
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia w/ Jonathan

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The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. (7 p.m.) Bingo (10 p.m.) Karaoke w/ Trey Brown
Fri. 9:30 p.m. DJ Ty
Sat. 9:30 p.m. DJ fatha Ramzee
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv 
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Trey Brown 

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The Morrisville Tavern 
376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-5310
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Fri. 8 p.m. Shameless
Sat. 8 p.m. Never Enough
Mon. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia Night

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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. "Rock 2 Adopt"
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 

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The Roost
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Radio Fiction
Fri. 8 p.m. ArHouse
Sat. 8 p.m. M.O.B. (My Other Band)
Wed. 6 p.m. Joe Vadala 

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The Tavern at Penns Park 
2295 Second Street Pike Newtown, PA
(267) 491-5658
Wed. 7 p.m. Music Bingo w/ Jonathan Appel 

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The Union Firehouse
18 Washington Street Mount Holly
(609) 288-6491
Fri. 8 p.m. Jawn of The Dead. Doors open at 7 p.m.

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The Union House 
19 East Union Street Burlington
(609) 531-6077
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Sat./Sun. Brunch

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Tindall Road Brewing Co.
102 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 526-8651 
Mon. 6:30 p.m. Goat Yoga

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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 Free Public Library
120 Academy Street Trenton
(609) 392-7188
Fri. 5 p.m. "First Friday"
Sat. 2 p.m. Meet the Author: KC Taylor

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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

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Union Coffee
49 North Union Street Lambertville 
(609) 460-4637
Fri. 5 p.m. "First Friday" Tarot Meet-Up w/ Kristina Gorman

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Vault Brewing Company
10 South Main Street Yardley, PA 
(267) 573-4291
Thurs. 6 p.m. Patrick Donovan
Fri. 7 p.m. JDuo
Sat. 7 p.m. Jonathan Sheridan Trio

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Village Idiot Brewing Company
42 High Street Mount Holly
(609) 975-9270 
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia

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Washington Crossing Historic Park 
1112 River Road Washington Crossing, PA
Sat. 2 p.m. New Jersey's Intelligence Network During and After the Ten Crucial Days

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Wesley Grove Chapel Yardville
4800 South Broad Street Yardville
Sat. 11 a.m. Family Fun Carnival 

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Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Road Pennington 
(609) 773-239
Thurs. 6 p.m. Rob Silvers

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Wildflowers Too
255 Route 156 Yardville
(609) 585-5483
Wed. 7 p.m. Poker Night

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Woodlin Lodge 30
19 Park Street Bordentown
(609) 298-9849
Fri 8 p.m. Fridays On Park Street

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Working Dog Winery
610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Thurs. 4:30 p.m. Kevin McGowan
Sat. 1 p.m. Ronnie Brandt
Sun. 1 p.m. Patty Blee

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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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