There are plenty of quotes along the lines of, "From tragedy comes..." or "It was a tragic event but..." and then people tend or should it be better said that human nature tends to console a traumatic or tragic event with a "Look at the bright side" or a "Well try to think positive," "Time heals all wounds" perspective change approach which is easy to say if the one espousing positivity was not the victim and even though the receivers of an unpleasant event in life know these do gooders mean well, the ones hurting will come to terms on their timetable and when they are ready.
Then there are people like musician Tony Tripi whose emotional roller coaster ride kicked off a journey which began with elation, quickly turned to worry, then hope followed by grief and now determination. That determination will be on display October 30 at New York City's Cutting Room located on 32nd Street with an album release party and concert for "Close to Fire: Roman's Anthology Release Part l" featuring some of the finest musicians the New York, New Jersey and just beyond areas has to offer.
"I appreciate the curiosity about this, something always seems to come from somewhere," began Tripi as he discussed the show, Roman, grief and some of Asbury Park's finest talent who have come together to make this special evening happen. "Brielle Brown and Marc Swersky and Jack Daley; I was delighted to find out there are some really cool people in New Jersey and they were so extremely helpful in this whole thing coming together and I've been really blessed just being able to be around them and introduced to some of their circles and friends. I'm from Buffalo originally, I grew up in Indianapolis and I live in Florida now so it's really cool to meet some of the people on the East Coast that they are really connected with and those three right there are three people that I really think are wonderful human beings. They were very instrumental in this whole project and Jack is gonna be playing at the event on October 30 at The Cutting Room and of course, you know Jack, he plays with the Spin Doctors, he played with Lenny Kravitz, he has played with just about everybody; he is rock 'n' roll royalty on the bass guitar. He produced the album, he played on the album, he brought a bunch of his friends, he performed on the album and sang one of the tracks called, "Life Without You" a Stevie Ray Vaughn cover. We put it on the album, it's a beautiful song that Stevie did and Jack absolutely just hit it out of the park; it's not easy to cover Stevie and Jack just did incredible on it. There are so many parts of this project and album and the people connected to it with the stories they have and the experiences they've shared as human beings, some tragic, some beautiful and wonderful. Stories of perseverance and recovery; it's been an incredible journey going through this and I'm quite certain October 30 will be the close of one chapter and that we'll also turn the page into what's next down this path. So, I'm really excited about this show. A lot of the people who contributed to the album, Tommy Byrnes, Mike DelGiudice, Johnny Gale, Jesse Wagner and probably 15 to 18 other musicians and songwriters who contributed; it's the best musical project that I've ever been part of up to this point in my life."
Although he may now be enthusiastic about the October 30 show, the event that led to its eventual creation had him very much in a horrible place. Even now as he recounts what brought him and this fine cast together, one could hear the sadness as he reflects upon the past.
"It started with the loss of my grandson Roman, my first grandson, the day after he was born; it went from hearing him the night he was born which was during COVID so they wouldn't let me in the hospital to see him and I wound up sneaking in a back entrance and hiding out in the cafeteria and waiting for a glimpse to sneak in there and I got caught by a nurse who turned me around and sent me outta there. That night of his birth, September 13, 2001, I went through an experience there where I've heard grandparents talk about this but you never know until you go through it what it did for me and it was a really wonderful profound moment and the next day the switch flipped and it all turned from the most elated feeling I can remember having to all Hell breaking loose. He caught an infection overnight in the hospital and I don't think the hospital was prepared, they didn't have a NICU or children's section and they got in over their head. They worked really hard to try and save him; we couldn't recover from it, it was a horrible experience. There were nine hours of chest compressions and all kinds of medications. They were scrambling to find out what happened and we still haven't really definitively found out; we lost him that afternoon. It was the most tragic experience I think I've ever had and I've had a lot of them."
"About three months later we ended up at a care farm in Sedona, Arizona called Selah Carefarm where they partner bereaved families with rescued animals; goats, horses, emus on a farm," he went on. "They do bereavement counseling and we were there. I was there with my daughter, my fiance` and my daughter's husband and there was a woman there who lost her son Charlie about nine months earlier and she was telling some stories. One of them just stuck with me, I couldn't let it go and it was a story about how Taylor Swift wrote a song about a little boy who died and she made some comment about how,"Nobody ever wrote a song about my Charlie" and I couldn't shake that. I couldn't let that go and I got back to Buffalo and picked up my guitar everyday from the time I got home and for nine months I couldn't play anything other than a riff, those chords and a melody started coming through and I put in some words and it became a song. I thought that'd be the end of it where I'd just give it to Liz, my daughter and their families and like, hey, here ya' go and it turned into I'm gonna record it, I'm gonna have Mike DelGiudice sing it and ask him if he'll sing "Tears In Heaven" with me and give those two songs to my daughter and Liz. We got to the studio and Mike said, "I'm not singing that song, that's for you to sing" and I said, "I can't do that" and then it just kind of grew into something that we're experiencing today; it's just baffling to me how this thing evolved from that and it has been the most interesting event I've ever had over these last four years and the hardest."
When asked how a guy from Buffalo, who lives in Florida has hooked up with a bunch of Asbury Park, NJ musicians to do a show in New York City, he relaxed a bit and instantly answered.
"Thanks for putting it that way, I couldn't have said it any better," he said with a loud laugh. "I would love to say I did but I couldn't have scripted this. If I knew everyone who is part of this event owed me a big favor and I called all of my chips in i couldn't have done a better job than what this event organically has turned into and the only thing I can say is that there is a power that flows through me that's much greater than me and I think it flows through all of us and somehow there's something more at work; that's the only real explanation, otherwise it's all just random accidents that happened and ya' think, well maybe but I started showing up and talking to people and one of the things that started it was; it was less than a year after Roman left and I was in an airport in Tampa flying to Detroit and I see this guy, I was the last one on the plane and then I see this couple come in behind me. I've got my guitar on my back and the kid said something to his wife and they had a little baby with a stroller and I'm looking at the baby and the guy said something to me about the guitar and this is what I mean about "Showing up," I was just kind of standing there and we just started talking and there was some comment I made about is there a brother or sister for the baby and the mom had a little bit of a reaction that I noticed maybe because of Roman and something just struck me. While we were in line to get on the plane, the guy made a comment about how his dad was a luthier who built guitars and resonators out in Michigan. It was over a year later before I even reached out to the guy and I went to his shop, M.J. Franks was the name of the guitars and we just started talking; "I really don't even know why I'm here other than I feel some connection to your daughter" and I shared that with him and that was it. About eight months later I went back to see him again and told him I wanted to build a guitar; can you build me a resonator? I showed him a picture of my grandson's footprints and told him I wanted to put them on the fretboard and the headstock and I want to call it "The Romanator" not a resonator and man, he built the most stunning, incredible guitar. So, we were having a conversation in his shop and I decided to tell him about Roman and he started to tell me this story about how he lost two sons; he lost two of his three sons and I felt this deep connection to him. I remember watching my daughter holding her son after he was gone and I said to him, how could you survive after losing two sons? He said something about "I don't know how you get through it" or something like that "But what I can't understand is how you can watch one of your children experience death, that would've broken me." I don't know but all of these stories just started coming in and that was one of the first things where I thought, oh all I did was show up at a conversation and try to be available and aware and one thing led to another and another. Somehow, I got into a studio with Mike DelGiudice and his guitar player, it turns out he had a similar experience to what my daughter went through and he shared that with me later on, not in the studio but later on. Jack Daley lost a brother and he sang on the album in a way where I tried singing the song and I couldn't do it and he said, "Let's take a break" and a couple of weeks later, he went in alone one night and recorded the version that is incredible. So, these things just started happening and I thought, OK, well now you have to show up and he introduced me to a bunch of Asbury Park players and somebody knew Steve at The Cutting Room and Steve said, "I'd love to host an event like this" and you know the cool thing? What is interesting to me? The Cutting Room is hosting two shows that night October 30, and they have now added a third. There is a Steely Dan tribute band in the afternoon, then our show the grief literacy show as they call it and they added a burlesque show called, "G Strings" and I thought to myself, of course! Grief and G Strings and I think that higher power I said flows through me has a really interesting sense of humor; let's see what Tripi can do with this (Laughs)! Grief and G Strings, rock 'n' roll music and then Andy York who plays guitar for John Mellencamp referred someone over to us who immediately said, "Yeah, I'll do it" and all of these things were like I was traveling on this path and something comes along and says, no, you're gonna do things this way and somebody else gets in and changes the direction of the path and I'm astounded."
The album itself is a compilation of covers and a few original songs sung by very talented musicians from all over the eastern seaboard. Tripi simply gushed as he discussed all of those involved in its creation.
"It's called "Close to Fire: Roman's Anthology Release Part l" and it will be out October 30. There are 10 songs on there, mostly cover songs but there are 15 or 18 artists contributing like Jack Daley sang a track, Mike DelGiudice sang a track, Tommy Byrnes and Jesse Wagner did "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and it's beautiful; it's a bluesy beautiful version, it's incredible. Johnny Gale, Mike Sorrentino contributed to it and the list goes on and on. There is a cover song from Taylor Swift; Emily Grove from Asbury Park covered that and I love her version. It is such a sad song and so beautiful and she just brought this tenderness and light to it, she's incredible. James Maddock did a Sturgill Simpson song and that was incredible. Mike DelGiudice did a heavy piano version of "Tears In Heaven," a native American friend of mine who is a psychologist and a great songwriter, Darryl Tonemah wrote this beautiful song called "Sleep Well" Steve Conti sang it and we covered it in a different version. About five or six years ago, they found the remains of about 100 native children buried under a school in Canada and they began to investigate what happened. It was just a terrifying story and he wrote this incredible song about it. My brother Mark Tripi wrote an incredible song called "Angel Eyes," his deeply inspired song and we covered that. I've got "Charlie's Song" that I wrote and we've got Danny Brooks, who is like a Memphis blues guy who lives in Texas now and is from Toronto who wrote a song that pulled me from a really difficult dark space 20 years ago that I covered; he heard it, he blessed it even though I effed up the lyrics and didn't know it until I saw his lyric sheet (Laughs) but it's like that, all these incredible artists with these great stories that people want to hear and thank God there are people like you who have the ability to weave them all together."
Everyone grieves differently, the loss of a parent, sibling, spouse or close friend hits harder than that of an acquaintance or co-worker you only know well enough to offer a cordial greeting to as you pass in the workplace hall but then again, some are hit hard when least expected and others not so much. The point is, we are all different and it is impossible to hold any of us to the same standards of grieving or how we each deal with it but Tripi has discovered some light being shed through newer studies that may take the edge off the process.
"An interesting thing that's been happening to me through this grief process; there is a lot of talk about psychedelics and things like that and how they are gonna be used to help with PTSD and other traumas, other things like that and the thing that has been happening to me and that I'm gonna connect; when we go through a traumatic experience, which most people have at some level, time stands still right? Sound and time, everything shifts and your brain goes into a whole different mode and that happens with psychedelics too. Grief is one of those things that can bring the same thing about and it will instantly put us in a state of; not quite sure how to say it but when somebody sits down next to you and they've lost somebody or you are sharing a deep loss with somebody be it your loss or theirs or both, something happens. The veil kind of thins in some way similar to what happens in trauma or with psychedelics and if you just kind of put that together, the web is there and it's the lens of grief or trauma or mushrooms or something (Laughs) that allows us to get a glimpse of it maybe. I like to think about it that way because I feel connected t everybody, I don't feel so alone and at the concert, I hope that I can get that message out in the 85 minute set we're gonna do."
Speaking of that 85 minute set... "There will be less talk, I've got all of this horsepower on stage ready to play and I'm gonna sit up there and tell stories? I'd smack my own self (Laughs), it'd be like, what are you doing Tony? It's gonna be a rock 'n' roll show I'm hoping for like I've never experienced and you know the caliber of the talent there. Andrew Carillo, Rob Clores, Andy Burton, Jesse Wagner with Jack Daley on bass, they are the house band. We're gonna do most of the songs on the album and a couple of songs I wrote from my last album, "Find Your Way Home" which have now taken on a whole new meaning to me. I thought they were about something five to seven years ago and now they mean something different. I've got a new album coming out next year called, "There's Enough Pie for Everyone" and we're gonna do some songs off that album and a couple of well known cover songs but I hopefully can be a lens or highlighter of some sort to say hey folks, take a look at what is on this stage and give us 85 minutes of your attention and if you're disappointed I'll buy you a chocolate shake or a tee shirt or something (Laughs)."
Being a musician has its perks and Tripi has been fortunate throughout this process and in his early career to have worked and as one sees, continues to work with great talents but what got him to become a musician and choose this journey over something less risky.
"The very first memory I have was of my grandfather, he wasn't a musician he was an electrician. He worked at Bell Aerospace in Niagara Falls, they were building those rocket backpacks and back in the day he used to play the harmonica. What I remembered most was; not that he was always grumpy, he did have a lot of pressure on him but when he was playing the harmonica, it was like there was a different person in the room and he was just measurably different. Then in the fifth grade, our school hosted a group of deaf kids so like 20 or 30 deaf kids came to our school for a tour. The first three kids in our class who learned sign language were allowed to be group leaders and take the deaf kids around the campus and show them around. I wanted to do that and wanted to show them the band and so I did and beat all the kids and became one of the three group leaders. I took my 10 kids to the band room and I was thrilled because I knew about music but I didn't know how to express it, I didn't know what to say or have the words but I was beaming and the kids were all lit up and all of my classmates were laughing at me. They were like, "What's wrong with you? You brought deaf kids to a music room, they can't hear." I had never thought of that and I was really embarrassed by it until the deaf kids teacher stood up and said, "No, you've got it all wrong. They can feel it on their face and in their chest" and she set everybody straight so I was walking two inches taller, yeah I'm the one who did that! So, that was my early introduction to music and the power of it and from there things went on; I was 16 and my brother and I were playing in bands and then when I was 18 I went away and joined the Coast Guard, came back four years later and tried to get the band back together. Then for the next 15 or 20 years it was starting businesses, getting married, having kids, my brother was doing the same; trying to get something going, tried getting in the studio, trying to tour somebody got sick, somebody had something else and then about 12 or 13 years ago, my practice turned in a different direction and I was able to support and I was able to say, that's it. I was 40 and said, I'm just doing this and that started the process. I started writing, I'd always been performing in bars but I started recording and then I thought, I better learn how to sing and play so I took vocal lessons and learned how to write so I could say what's happening inside of me; it was like that fifth grade kid again. I want my songs to say, OK, this is what it feels like in here, this is what I'm thinking in here and here it is and express that, record it and do it in a way where maybe it'll reach somebody. It's working a little bit because my grandson who was three years old at the time likes this new song that hasn't even been released yet and it's called "Learning to Feel." I just started randomly playing it and he just started dancing and I was like, he's dancing to my song, this is kind of cool (Laughs) and yeah, that's kind of my story there."
Mentioning earlier that the October 30 Cutting Room show may be the end of the first chapter and alluding to there being many more chapters possible; what is the end game for this project or isn't there one?
"So, this isn't a destination thing, it's more like, we're packing the bus and getting ready for something. I've observed over the last five years that people have a hard time talking about grief, especially their own grief. So, we're gonna give away scholarships at the concert to healthcare workers to go to specialized training and to Selah Farm to help healthcare workers learn how to talk to people who have had a sudden or traumatic or any loss really; healthcare workers just aren't trained on that. About a year after Roman, the doctor who tried to save him at Children's Hospital reached out to my daughter and she asked my daughter, her husband and myself to participate in a study. She got a grant to teach medical students a different language, what to say, what not to say to a person; there are certain words you shouldn't say when a person is in a traumatic state of grief or trauma. There are certain words that can stick with them for years and be very hurtful for them. So, this training is about that. We gave away four scholarships when we did a tour a couple of years ago and we are giving away more this time. I started thinking about it, people come up to me, "I lost my son to addiction, heroin overdose," "I lost my son to gun violence," "I lost my son to suicide," "I lost my son in a horrible medical tragedy," another person it was a car accident and it goes on and on and those stories just started really coming and the thing that occurred to me out of nthis was that we aren't teaching the survivors how to talk with each other. They have a lot in common but it often gets displaced from what got them in the room. My kid died from suicide, mine from gun violence so it feels different but it gets them in the room; they're in the same room together and they've suffered the same trauma. So, how do we talk about that and not necessarily how we got there? There are a lot of wonderful organizations supporting prevention and people, better gun laws, suicide, drug addiction and awarness but there is a gap there because people aren't talking to the survivors and saying maybe we can talk because we've all experienced the same thing. I'm hoping that this album and this concert will help open that door a little bit; not a little bit, I hope rock 'n' roll kicks the fucking door down and kicks it open and says hey! We're sorry you're in this room but you're not alone and we are here together and I think rock 'n' roll might be one of the only things capable of doing that."
To discover more about Tony Tripi, his efforts and tickets to the show, please visit https://www.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
Al's Airport Inn
636 Bear Tavern Road West Trenton
Thurs. 5 p.m. Jonathan savage
Sat. (12 p.m.) Acoustic Brunch w/ Keith Monacchio (7 p.m.) Snap Dragons
Sun. (12 p.m.) Sunday Acoustic Brunch w/ Rick Winow (6 p.m.) Mike Tusay
Mon. 5 p.m. Rob Silvers
Tues. 7 p.m. Mike & Laura
Wed. (3 p.m.) LGBTQ Happy Hour (7 p.m.) Jessica DiDonato
Ancient Order of Hibernians
2419 Kuser Road Hamilton
Fri. 7 p.m. Bill O'Neal
Sat. 7 p.m. Music BINGO
Wed. 7 p.m. Yoga
Aristaeus Brewing
2475C Big Oak Road Langhorne, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Arts Council of Princeton
102 Witherspoon Street Princeton
Thurs. 7 p.m. Story & Verse: A Storytelling and Poetic Open Mic
Fri. 7 p.m. ART OF: The Halloween Barn Bash
Sat. (11 a.m.) Stylebook Clothing Swap 2026 (7 p.m.) Cafe` Improv. $2
Wed. (6:30 p.m. Craft Corner (7 p.m.) JAM: Jersey Art Meetup
Ashlynn Distillery
32 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA
Thurs. 6 p.m. Cecil & Mike
Fri. 7 p.m. Jess & Andrew
Sat. 7 p.m. Sara & Tamer
Sun. 3 p.m. Cecil & Friends
Wed. 6 p.m. Cara Cartney
Bent Iron Brewing
70 Extonville Road Hamilton
Fri. 5:30 p.m. Mikel Paris
Sat. 3 p.m. Halloween Costume Party feat. (5:30 p.m.) Ridgemont High
Bill's Olde Tavern
2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
Thurs. 7 p.m. Music BINGO
Sun. 7 p.m. BINGO
Mon. 7 p.m. Trivia
Tues. 9 p.m. / Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Ages 21+
Bordentown City
Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
Fri. 7 p.m. "Frightening Fridays!" Haunted History Tours. $20
Sat. 12 p.m. Bordentown Walking Tours. $20
Sun. 2 p.m. Bordentown Halloween Parade
Bowman's Tavern
1600 River Road New Hope, PA
8 p.m. Bob Egan
Sat. 7 p.m. Maci Miller Duo
Sun. (12 p.m.) Bill Avayou Trio (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Tues. 6 p.m. Jenna Alvino
Wed. 6 p.m. Liz DuFour
Bucks On Bridge
25 Bridge Street Lambertville
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Poetry Night
Tues. 5 p.m. Chess Night
Wed. 6 p.m. Trivia
B2 Bistro Jimmy's American Grill
140 US Route 130 South bordentown
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia
Cazz's Sports Bar 'N' Grille
1560 Haines Road Levittown, PA
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paul
Club Atlantis
1858 Street Road Bensalem, PA
Sat. 9 p.m. DJ Robbie Tronco
All Events Ages 21+ and Dress to Impress
Cody's Roadhouse Distillery
5605 Bensalem Boulevard Bensalem, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Line Dancing. $10
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Continental Tavern
2 North Main Street Yardley, PA
Fri. 8 p.m. Eve Still
Sat. 8 p.m. Rob Clancy
Cooper's Riverview
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
Thurs. 7 p.m. PixieTwist
Fri. 7 p.m. 80s Undercover
Wed. 7 p.m. Be5D Halloween Party
Curran’s Irish Inn
1909 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Mon. 7:30 p.m. Quizzo
Dadz Bar and Grill
744 Main Street Lumberton
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night
Fireside Tavern & Table
215 West Philadelphia Avenue Morrisville, PAFri. 6:30 p.m. Acoustic Music Night
Wed. 8 p.m. Quizzo
Flying Pig Tavern & Tap
167 US-Route 130 North Bordentown
Fri. 7 p.m. Rave On
Sat. 7 p.m. Code 4
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia
Founding Fathers Sports Bar & Grill
2900 Street Road Bensalem, PA
Fri. 6 p.m. Bob Pantano Dance Party w/ DJ Joe Castro
Friendly's
1031 Washington Boulevard Robbinsville
Wed. 6 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Kevin McGowan and/or Gino Formaroli (Sign-ups begin at 5:30 p.m.)
Gallagher's Taproom
437 Pine Street Mount Holly
Mon. 6 p.m. Music BINGO
German American Society
215 Uncle Pete's Road Hamilton
Sun. 11 a.m. Jersey iron MC 3rd Annual Biketoberfest Swap Meet and Bike Show
Gleason's Bar
6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
Thurs. (7 p.m.) Music Bingo / “Ladies Night” Hosted by Best Choice Productions (9:30 p.m.) Karaoke.
Fri. (6 p.m.) "Happy Hour" (8:30 p.m.) Anger Management
Sat. (12 p.m.) Music BINGO Brunch (8:30 p.m.) Se7en
Tues. 7 p.m. Game Show Palooza
Green Parrot Restaurant Pub, & Patio
240 North Sycamore Street Newtown Township, PA
Tues. 7 p.m. Music BINGO
Grounds For Sculpture
80 Sculptors way Hamilton
Sat. 10:30 a.m. Yoga Sanskrit and Floiw
Grover's Mill Coffee House
Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction
Thurs. 6 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Wade Prestridge. $10
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
Thurs. 7 p.m. Blues Jam Hosted by Mikey Jr.
Fri. ( 8 p.m.) "Midnight Toker" Steve Miller Tribute / "NY to Boston" Boston Tribute (11 p.m. ) DJ Dance Party
Sat. (8:30 p.m.) Bigg Romeo (11:59 p.m.) DJ Dance Party
Sun. 4 p.m. High Heel Drag Race
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Steve
Tues. 7 p.m. Jillian Ashcroft Jazz Quartet
Wed. 7 p.m. Jamie Stem
Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Avenue Pennington
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5:30 p.m.) Frank Pinto & The Gypsy Ramblers
Sat. (1 p.m.) Soaking Wet Sandwiches (5:30 p.m.) "Music & Merlot" feat. The Dadz
Sun. 2:30 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Hopewell Valley Vintage
Il Portico Ristorante Italiano
273 West Route 130 South Burlington
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
Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzo Night
Iron Plow Vineyards
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
Fri. 5:30 p.m. Songs From the Basement
Sat. 4:30 p.m. Michael Zandman
Sun. 1 p.m. Wild Grit
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa
Fri. 8 p.m. Gabe Parsons
Sat. 9 p.m. Hub City Stompers / Graveyard Ghost Story
Sun. (3 p.m.) Irish Sessions (8 p.m.) Beach Cheetah, The Barbs, Grand Image. Doors open at 7 p.m., costume party event
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic Night (Sign-ups start at 8 p.m.)
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
Kelly's Bar n Banquet Hall
14 Railroad Avenue Fort Dix
Fri. 8 p.m. Out of the Red
Sat. 8 p.m. Polish Nannis
Killarney's Publick House
1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Halloween Themed Mixology Class. $50 / Lou Mutter
Fri. (5:30 p.m.) Skyline (10 p.m.) DJ Jimmy G
Sat. 10 a.m. Brunch (6 p.m.) Talking In Cursive (10 p.m.) DJ Bay
Sun.10 a.m. "Sunday Funday" Brunch
Mon. 5:30 p.m. Kids Night
Tues. 7 p.m. Music BINGO w/ DJ Brother Mike
Wed. 4 p.m. "Paint The Bar Pink" $40
Library Company of Burlington
23 West Union Street Burlington
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night
Lillipies Bakery
30 North Harrison Street Princeton
Sat. 10 a.m. Storytime with Jeff
Magikava
87a South Main Street New Hope, PA
Thurs. 6 p.m. Astrology Readings by Riss Cottrill
Mon. 6 p.m. Magik "Art Mondays"
Wed. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night
Main Street Mt. Holly
28 Washington Street Mt. Holly
Fri. 7 p.m./8 p.m. Haunted History Tours
Sat. 6 p.m./7 p.m./8 p.m. Haunted History Tours
McManimon's Pub
151 Liberty Street Trenton
Sat. 6 p.m. The Wild Clovers
McStews Irish Sports Pub
5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
Sat. 9 p.m. SidePiece
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Trivia Night
Mercer County Park (Boathouse at Mercer Lake)
334 South Post Road West Windsor
Fri. 6 p.m. Celebration of the Great Outdoors gala
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company
909 Ray Avenue Croydon, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia Night
New Egypt Flea Market Village
933 Monmouth County Road Cream Ridge
Sun. 8 a.m. Flea Market
Wed. 8 a.m. Flea Market
Newtown Brewing Company
103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Fri. 6 p.m. Just Todd
Sat. 6 p.m. Soulshine Acoustic
Wed. 4 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Bill Monach
Nick's Roast Beef
4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA
(215) 637-515
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke
Nottingham Tavern
9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square
Thur. 9 pm. Karaoke w/ Super Dave Curtis
Sat. 9 p.m. Deep Release
Mon. 6 p.m. BINGO
Tues. 4 p.m. Pies on the Patio feat. (6:30 p.m.) Order 609
Ages 21+
O'Fowley's Tavern & Grill
200 State Road Croydon, PA
Mon. 7 p.m. Music Bingo Hosted by Best Choice Productions w/ DJ John S
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo
Old Barracks
100 Barrack Street Trenton
Sat. 7 p.m. Concerts by Candlelight
Old Hights Brewing
123 West Ward Street Hightstown
Fri. 3 p.m. Happy Hour feat. (6:30 p.m.) Scott Ivory
Sat. 6 p.m. Ragtime Relics Trio
Sun. 3 p.m. Family Halloween Party/Local Performer Showcase
Old Town Pub
135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
Sun. 10 a.m. Brunch
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia
Palmer Square
40 Nassau Street Princeton
Sat. 1 p.m. Fall Music Series feat. Ess Gees
Patriots Crossing
1339 River Road Titusville
Thurs. 8 p.m. Ladies Night
Sat. 8 p.m. Spanky's Garage
Wed. 7 p.m. Pub Trivia
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton
Fri. 9 p.m. El Ka Bong
Princeton University (Richardson Auditorium)
Nassau Street Princeton
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Opening Weekend: Beethoven's "Emperor" & Schubert's "Great"
Puss N Boots Tavern
942 Trenton Road Fairless Hills, PA
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Trivia
Randy Now's Man Cave
119 West Ward Street Hightstown
Fri. 7 p.m. Flamin' Groovies / The Dracu-Las
Sat. 6:30 p.m. An Evening with Lenny Kaye
Raza's at Hamilton
557 Route 130 North Hamilton
Sun. 12 p.m. Sunday Brunch w/ DJ Manny The Greek
Ristorante LUCCA & Piano Lounge
144 US Route 130 Bordentown
Thurs. 8 p.m. Jazz Night
River House at Odette’s
274 South Rive Road New Hope, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Cara Cartney
Fri. 5 p.m. Liz DuFour
Sat. 7 p.m. Bob Egan
Sun. 11:30 a.m. Brunch w/ Alex Otey Duo
Wed. 5 p.m. Tony Alosi
Rossi's Bar & Grill
2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Ernie White
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Balanced Breakfast Duo
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 11 a.m. Brunch
Sun. 11 a.m. Brunch
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics
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
School of Rock Princeton
1761 Princeton Avenue Hamilton
Sun. 9 a.m. Homefront Halloween 5K (Takes place at 502 Carnagie Center Princeton)
Screamin' Hill Brewery
83 Emleys Hill Road Cream Ridge
Sat. 2 p.m. the Successful Failures
Second Sin Brewing Company
1500 Grundy Lane Bristol, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Shady Brook Farm
931 Stony Hill Road Yardley, PA
Mon. 6 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Slim's Irish Pub
2195 Galloway Road Bensalem, PA
Mon. 6 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Cecil
Wed. 6 p.m. Karaoke Contest
Small World Coffee
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton
Sat. 7 p.m. The Sid & Harry Duo
Smithville Park
803 Smithville Road Easthampton
Sat. 12 p.m. Autumn Lands Festival feat. (1 p.m.) Gypsy Funk Squad
Sparky World-Famous Beer Garden
4333 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
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
Starving Artist Cafe
18 Bridge Street Stockton
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Daisy Jane
Fri. 9 a.m. JB Kline Facebook Live
Stratosphere Brewing Company
72 Washington Street Mount Holly
Mon. 5:30 p.m. Mount Holly Collaborative Residents & neighbors Community Kickoff
Subculture Artisan Ales
11 West Second Street Florence
Thurs. 5 p.m. Vinyl Night
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main Street Hightstown
Thurs. 6 p.m. Country DJ Night Music BINGO
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Velvet Vinyl
Tues. 6 p.m. Trivia
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke
The Birdhouse Center For The Arts
7 North Main Street Lambertville
Tues. 7:30 p.m. NJNO the "not just nyckelharpa orchestra" Community Orchestra
The Buck Hotel
1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA
Fri. 8 p.m. The Heartbeats
Sat. (11 a.m.) Brunch (7:30 p.m.) Gilligan
Tues. 6 p.m. Danny Lynch Duo
The Corner Inn
24509 East Main Street Columbus
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Random Notes
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ We R Entertainment
The Five Four Bar & Grill
8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula and Sam
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo w/ Jonathan Appel
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau Street Princeton
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Trey
Sun. 2 p.m. Gameday
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Trey
The Morrisville Tavern
376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Mon. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Music Bingo
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia Night
The Newtown Theatre
120 North State Street Newtown, PA
Fri. 8 p.m. The Uncle Louie Variety Show
Sat. 8 p.m. Beatles vs Stones The Greatest Show That Never Was
Sun. 3 p.m. Broomsticks & Bow Strings w/ The Newtown Chamber Orchestra
The Penguin Rocks (24 Hour On-Demand Music/Radio)
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. JB Barnes, John Gonzalez and Calls from Korre Razzik and Anthony Krizan
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
The Roost
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. DC Duo
Mon. 6 p.m. Music BINGO
Tues. 6 p.m. Trivia
Wed. 6 p.m. Joe Vadala
The Union Firehouse
18 Washington Street Mount Holly
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic hosted by Carie McCay and Billy Garrett
The Union House
19 East Union Street Burlington
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Fri. 8 p.m. Be5D
Sat. (10 a.m.) Brunch (8 p.m.) No Alibis
Sun. 10 a.m. Brunch
Tindall Road Brewing Co.
102 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
Thurs. 7 p.m. Music BINGO Hosted by Rene`
Sat. 7 p.m. The Emulators '80s Party
Sun. 4 p.m. Benefit show w/ Gunpowder Falls
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton
Sun. 3 p.m. "Irish Sessions"
All Shows 21+
Train Wreck Distillery
25 Madison Avenue Mount Holly
Fri. 7 p.m. Radio Fiction
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
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
Triumph Brewing Company (Princeton Location)
20 Pamer Square east Princeton
Fri. 5 p.m. Mike Noordzy Trio
Sat. 5 p.m. Parker Cheek Quartet
Vault Brewing Company
10 South Main Street Yardley, PA
Mon. 6 p.m. Quizzo
Village Idiot Brewing Company
42 High Street Mount Holly
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Villa Maria Restaurant
3800 Quakerbridge Road Mercerville
Thurs. 6 p.m. The Blue Eyed Balladeer
Washington Crossing Historic Park
1112 River Road Washington Crossing, PA
Sat. 7 a.m. Saturday Trails
Washington Crossing Inn
1295General Washington Memorial Boulevard Washington Crossing, PA
Fri. 6 p.m. Halloween Happy Hour
Working Dog Winery
610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
Thurs. 4:30 p.m. Jordan Allen
Fri. 4:30 p.m. Open Mic Night w/ Kevin McGowan
Sat. 1 p.m. Chris from Rave On
Sun. 1 p.m. Erin McAndrew
WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 Radio
MCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor
Jazzon2.org
Mon. 7 a.m./7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"
There are multiple performances including:
Saturday, October 24, 2026
@ 2:00pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
Manasquan, NJ
Saturday, October 24, 2026
@ 8:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
Carteret, NJ
There are multiple performances including:
Saturday, October 24, 2026
@ 2:00pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
Princeton, NJ
Saturday, October 24, 2026
@ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
Tuckerton, NJ
Saturday, October 24, 2026
@ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ
