(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Dramarama returns to the Wonder Bar on Saturday, September 26, 2026 with Lisa Bouchelle & The Bleu opening the night. Doors are at 7:00pm. New Jersey Stage considers Dramarama as one of the best live bands to ever come out of the Garden State.
Rooted in distorted grit, punk energy, and American songbook eloquence, and sporting three of the original “four-ish” members (“four-ish,” you ask? Well, they didn’t start out with a permanent drummer), Dramarama has always been both classic and cutting-edge. This iconic alternative rock group was formed in the basement of a record store in Wayne, New Jersey by John Easdale [singer, songwriter], Mark Englert [lead, rhythm guitar] Peter Wood [lead, rhythm guitar], and have, for the past 20-plus years, been joined by Mike Davis [bass], and Tony Snow [drums], who not only preserve but strengthen the spirit that established Dramarama as a history-making force in 1982.
As the story goes, John, Peter and Mark traded New Jersey for Los Angeles. Long before the nineties alt rock radio boom, the West Coast initially embraced the group’s single, “Anything, Anything (I’ll Give You...)” (off their 1985 debut, Cinéma Vérité), as the de facto anthem of the nascent alternative nation. It notably made history as one of the most requested songs of all time on KROQ 106.7 FM in Los Angeles. It could also be heard loud and clear everywhere from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master to HBO’s Entourage. And although Dramarama has yet to become a household name (still the next big thing), Easdale’s work has been cited as an influence on several major bands of the last three decades.
On the heels of Cinéma Vérité’s success the band delivered a decade of fan favorite albums: Box Office Bomb [1987], Stuck in Wonderamaland [1989], Vinyl [1991] and Hi-Fi Sci-Fi [1993], and after a 10-year hiatus served up Everybody Dies in 2005. As their legacy solidified, more critical praise followed. The Chicago Sun Times christened them “one of America’s best rock bands” and the Los Angeles Times proclaimed Easdale “one of the finest singer/songwriters of these times.” And the praise continues as Dramarama’s latest release, Color TV, was named one of the Top 10 Albums of 2020 by legendary music journalist and critic Robert Christgau.
Tickets are $48 and available for purchase online. The Wonder Bar is located at 1213 Ocean Ave, Asbury Park.
Dramarama is having more fun than ever and exudes a confidence and ease that can only come through experience and mutual respect. As Easdale puts it, “Few things compare to that sense of uninhibitedness you feel during a great show–waving your fist, stomping your feet, singing out loud… I’m proud to say that this is the feeling experienced by both the band and audience at the vast majority of Dramarama live shows—fast, tight, loud, sweaty sing-a-longs. every time we play, the audience’s pleasure is our primary concern.”
Lisa Bouchelle & The Bleu - Lisa Bouchelle is an artist highly respected by her peers, lauded by the press, who has been building a loyal fan base with constant touring, often driving herself across the country with just the guitar on her back. And that hard work has paid off with the penultimate album of her career, Vandals, Thieves & Lovers, a tour-de-force of Americana that features contributions from a number of well-known names in the Americana world, including three Grammy winners. Guests include Amanda Shires, Larry Campbell, Waddy Wachtel, and Jake Clemons, among others.
Lisa’s last album, Jump In!, yielded two Billboard A/C Top 25 singles, including “Love Is For The Making,” which reached #17 and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks, an impressive feat for an indie artist. The video for the song has over 4 million views on YouTube, and videos utilizing the song garnered over 4.6 million views on TikTok. She was named one of “Ten Up-And-Coming Artists” by Paste Magazine, one of “10 Rising Artists To Watch” by GQ Magazine, and Relix Magazine called her “One of the underground music world’s most respected artists.”
Lisa has sung backup for Bruce Springsteen, dueted in concert with Jon Bon Jovi, and toured with and/or opened for The Wallflowers, Train, Shooter Jennings, Bryan Adams, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Blues Traveler, and Don Felder, among others. She brings her all-star band to the Wonder Bar, including drummer Rich Scannella (Tonic), bass player Hal B. Selzer (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts), and guitarist Dan Neary.
UCPAC invites children in Pre-K through third grade and their families to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Join us for story time with classic books read in both Spanish and in English by community leaders. Pages from the books will be projected onto our screen, as well as read aloud. Admission is free, but tickets are required.
Superstar saxophonist Kenny G has been a staple in pop and contemporary jazz since the 1980s, with crossover hits such as “Songbird” that have made him a favorite of fans worldwide who love his expressive melodies and emotional solos.
Fights Worth Fighting by Dolph Lundgren is a powerful and unflinchingly honest memoir from one of the most enduring icons of action cinema.
“A JOYFUL, EBULLIENT ANTIDOTE TO REALITY!” — Rolling Stone
Pictured: Ailey II’s Adanna Smalls and Eric J. Vidaña. Photo by Nir Arieli.
