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ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...10/17/19


By Danny Coleman

originally published: 10/17/2019

"I think it's great when music inspires people to do things. I find that absolutely fascinating and I think it's an important part of how the people who are listening to music and get into music can actually relate to the people making it and also how the people who are making it can relate to those who are listening to it." 

With more than than five decades of experience under his trademark cape, the respect of fans, peers and band mates; this "Grumpy Old Man" of the UK has influenced generations of keyboard players worldwide.

Exactly! Rick Wakeman gets it and; why wouldn't he? With more than five decades of experience under his trademark cape, the respect

He's been called, "Wickedly Irreverent"and "Legendary" and has just completed a 25 city "Grumpy Old Rock Star" U.S. tour; his first solo tour in 13 years with two recent shows in New Jersey which included, "Solo material, YES and British humor." Wakeman had much to say on a wide range of topics prior to those aforementioned shows as he reflected on his "Grumpy" status, music today, ARW, YES and more.

"I do a lot of comedy in the UK and one of the programs I follow and have been involved with is, "Grumpy Old Men" which is a massive program in the UK that has run for quite a few years; so I became known by people as "Grumpy old Man," he elaborated with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Then a book publicist said, "Look, all of your silly stories; why don't you put them in a book and call it, "Grumpy Old Rock Star," and I thought, OK. So I did the book which was really successful to my amazement; so they said to do another one. So I did another one which was equally successful and I became known as that on TV and with the radio stations and then I had been doing different shows in England every couple of years that mingled in different stories and other things mixed in and my agent from in America was over in England and he saw one of the shows and said, "You have to bring this to America" and I said, well you're my agent; bring it! He took me at my word and said look, "I want you to tour as "The Grumpy Old Rock Star" and I said, I don't mind it but will the people get Grumpy Old Rock Star? Then he said, "Oh they will trust me" and that's what we called it and that's fine by me." 



 
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"In my show I tell lots of stories about YES and David Bowie, Cat Stevens and other people that I've worked with; I just tell lots of ludicrous stories about people, it's a lot of fun. It's an interesting thing, the guy who produces the "Grumpy Old Men" TV show is a great friend of mine and a very clever guy and he's produced many, many hit TV programs and we were talking about it over lunch not that long ago and he said, "There's an interesting thing about grumpy, if you're grumpy it's also funny and if it's funny that's fine but if you take it slightly the wrong way; it becomes angry and angry isn't funny. So as long as you keep it on the grumpy side of things, self-deprecating or whatever, then it's funny" and I think he's right. I know people who claim to be grumpy but they're actually quite angry and that's not nice; if you can't look at yourself and sort of go, hold on a minute and poke at yourself; if you can't do that then you don't see yourself properly."

Very few people with the exception of possibly musicians have the ability to stay at their profession for more than 50 years. Wakeman couldn't help but chuckle a bit when he recanted a favorite question from "Melody Maker" entertainment journalists during the early days of his career; and beyond. 

"I can remember being in my 20's just before joining YES in 1971 and I remember getting asked by music journalists; what do you think you'll be doing when your 30? There were no 30 year old rock musicians to look at so I said, I don't know, I guess I'll keep doing this as long as I can. Then when I got to 30 I was asked; what do you think you'll be doing when you're 40? Well, I don't know, I'm surprised that I'm still doing it at 30 but you never know, I might still be doing it at 40. Then when I got to 40 they asked; what will you be doing when you're 50? I said, "I figured I'd be dead by now but I guess I'll continue and it's true really; none of us knew what was going to happen, we were just incredibly happy that we were able to carry on. It wasn't always a garden of roses, there was a time that our music was about as popular as a condom machine at the Vatican but you just carry on anyway and play what you believe."

It is no secret that today's music industry from the record companies on down is in disarray and Wakeman has distinct opinions as to why this; many are accurate and all impassioned. 

"Now you've got me started," he said with a laugh. "When I and a lot of bands started out, you played live, you went out and played live anywhere you could. You played at pubs, clubs, little village balls, tiny places, anywhere you could play you played and you started to build up supporters who told you they liked what you did and their also the ones who told you whether they liked it or not; at the same time you kept working and record companies would have their reps out on the road looking at different bands and they'd say, "OK we might look at that and sign you in a year's time if you carry on like this" and that's what happened. Then they would do long term investment with them; it wasn't just a one year project to make a record, it was like a five year project where you signed for five years and you'd do four maybe five albums and you'd tour and they'd invest in the band. You would go out and your supporters would go with you and you also had radio stations where you had DJs that actually had a choice of what they played; it wasn't formatted radio so they could discover an album and they played it. YES is a classic example; Ed Sciaky who is sadly no longer with us in Philadelphia discovered the "YES Album" and "Fragile"  and played it to death on his program and that got picked up by the people of Philadelphia and other radio stations and that was because he had the freedom to actually play what he liked. I remember when I first went to America, what was fantastic was getting in the car, putting on the FM radio and no matter what town you were in hearing a lot of different music. Then it all became formatted and once it became formatted it was ruled by the advertisers and then the record companies were dictated to; you must have a lot of three minute or four minute songs. So bands like YES who didn't like four minute songs were told you better start liking them or you won't be getting radio time; so that started that. A lot of those bands were saved because those bands could go out and play live because that's what they were brought up on. You had record sales and record shops and record companies who believed in the bands and you had audiences that were as much interested in how good the musicians were and how they performed live; it was fantastic! then it slowly started to die because the record shops started to die and my argument over all of that is that we don't have any mainstream record stores in the UK anymore. I've got no objections to downloading or streaming but my big objection is that when something new came in it was; oh CDs, let's replace vinyl, then mini discs will replace CDs and then downloading will replace CDs because nobody will want those anyway. My objection is it shouldn't be a replacement, those things should be an additional way to having music. Today vinyl is outselling CDs in the UK and so many young people are discovering it; everyone wants vinyl because of the wonderful artwork and everything that comes with it. The record companies were the ones who said we don't want addition we want replacement and now their discovering that people do want it. If a new brand of coffee came out, all of the supermarkets wouldn't clear out all of the the other brands of coffee on their shelf; it would just be there with the others as an additional coffee."

 "So that's why there aren't any bands; you've got all of these reality shows which I can't stand which are always geared at singers and not musicians and there are some fantastic young musicians who don't get a look because record companies are not interested. You're not going to get a record company to sign a young player with the talent of Steve Vai because they don't know how to market it. Luckily Steve made it earlier, he's a phenomenal player who made a great name for himself; we had a system that worked, it worked for the artist, the public and everybody and it got mucked up. Once it got mucked up it is very hard to put it all back together again and I think it can be fixed but it will take a very brave record company to do it. Record shops were social places, you'd browse and discover new music and you'd wind up going in for one record and coming out with three and you'd always meet somebody and say; have you heard this album? Have you heard this band? That's how it used to work, everything including the music industry was word of mouth and we've destroyed that. OK, I'm 70 years old and people may say; why should I care? Well, I do care because I care about young musicians. I've got six kids and three of them are professional musicians and I do care; I'm too old now but put me in charge of a record company and I'll start it (laughs)."

Wakeman finally saw a desire come true when in 2017 YES was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; an induction which saw him give an acceptance speech that brought the house down. The induction meant much to him and not for the reasons one might think; he described the importance as he elaborated on the honor. 



 
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"It was more important than people might think. I pushed for YES to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the late 80's and I wasn't even in the band. I felt that they deserved it and they were still surviving in the 80's when progressive rock was far from flavor of the year. It took a long period of time before they were recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because it didn't accept prog-rock in any way and what it had given to music. One of the main things prog-rock did was give credence that there was no rules on how you had write and play all of the chords. When YES was finally inducted I was pleased for the music because as far as I'm concerned it's the music getting inducted and not the individuals. I was really upset because we lost Chris (Squire) and I was dreadfully upset when Chris died because I hadn't seen him in about a year. His contribution to music was incredible and he was a founding member that was there for the whole time so not having him there was disappointing. So that got me thinking about the number of other musicians that really deserved to be inducted with their bands but it was long after that their bands got in. I think it's a shame that sometimes it's too late when bands get in and I think it should be looked at more closely. I was very proud to be a part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because I feel that YES made a contribution to music and I say the same thing about The Moody Blues, The Who, Deep Purple and so many acts like that; why are they so late to be inducted in?"

With the tour wrapped up and other irons in his fire; where will he go next? Will there be a YES reunion? ARW? What's the next page in his storied career?

"Great time that last ARW tour was, we're getting ready to start a farewell tour in 2020. We set out to achieve what we wanted to achieve and that was to play the songs that we wanted played. We had a great time doing it so we're going to do one last sort of farewell; it will be a lot of fun."

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


Amalfi's Kitchen & Bar   
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Road Lawrenceville   
(609) 912-1599   
Sat. 8:30 p.m. No Way Out
Arts Council of Princeton     
102 Witherspoon Street Princeton     
(609) 924-8777    
Sat. 3 p.m. "Tricks and Treats" (FREE event, takes place at Princeton Shopping Ctr Harrison Street)
Artworks Trenton   
19 Everett Alley Trenton   
(609) 394-9436  
Fri. 7 p.m. "Latino Heritage" (Music Event)
Sat. 12 p.m. YAL: "Tarot Cards"      
Bill's Olde Tavern     
2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton     
(609) 586-0192     
Thurs. 7 p.m. Ladies Night 
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke Contest
Ages 21+    
Blend Bar & Bistro     
911 Highway 33 Hamilton     
(609) 245-8887   
Fri. 8:30 p.m. 
Sun. 7 p.m. Karaoke  
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia  Jam     
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke    
Bowman's Tavern     
1600 River Road New Hope, PA     
(215) 862-2972     
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Neil Podgurski Trio
Fri. (5 p.m.) Bennett Lee (8 p.m.) Bob Egan  
Sat. 7 p.m. David Dales Trio
Sun. 6 p.m. Lorenzo
Mon. 6 p.m. Andy Prescott
Tues. 6 p.m. Gary Reed & Arturo
Wed. 6 p.m. Lorenzo
Brickwall Tavern & Dining Room     
19 E. Union Street Burlington     
(609) 733-3562  
Wed. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics
Broken Goblet Brewing   
2500 State Road Bensalem, PA   
(267) 812-5653   
Thurs. 8 p.m. Mike Estabrook 
Fri. 8 p.m. Saint 
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic w/ Dana Collins
All Shows 21+
Caffe Galleria   
23 North Union Street Lambertville   
(609) 397-2400   
Sun. 12 p.m. Puppies!! Animal Alliance NJ Adoption Day
Candlelight Lounge     
24 Passaic Street Trenton     
(609) 695-9612     
Thurs. 6 p.m. Thursday Night Blues Jam. $5 (Includes hot buffet) 
Sat. 3 p.m. (TBA) $10 (cover charge/$10 Minimum includes buffet)    
Championship Bar   
931 Chambers street Trenton   
(609) 396-5457  
Sun. 7 p.m. "Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market After Party" feat. Screaming Females, Dusk, Freya Wilcox & The Howl. All ages (Under 18 must be accompanied by an adult), Doors open at 6 p.m., $15
Mon. 8 p.m. "Art Chill Night"   
Tuesday 8 p.m. "Jam Night" Hosted by Nikki & Caleb   
Chickie's & Pete's 
   
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown     
(609) 298-9182    
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night     
Wed. 9 p.m. Quizzo Trivia     
City Streets     
510 Highway 130 South East Windsor     
(609) 426-9400  
Mon. 9 p.m. "Malibu Mondays"      
Tues. 9 p.m. Trivia w/ Jessie & Chelsea 
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Wine Down Wednesdays" w/ Rich Genoval      
COARadio.com     
125 South Main Street Hightstown     
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. The Successful Failures
Wed. 7 p.m. "The Health & Wellness Show Hosted by Maryann Castello
Conservatory Mansion
540 East State Street Trenton 
(609) 858-2279
Thurs. 6 p.m. Cha-Cha, Bop, 2-Step w/ Instructor "EL" ($12 walk in fee $40 monthly
Tues. 6 p.m. Line Dance Classes
Cook A.A.  
411 Hobart Avenue Hamilton  
(609) 586-5117 
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. "Karaoke at The Cook" Hosted by Superstar Entertainment 
Cooper's Riverview 
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton 
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour w/ ArHouse (9 p.m.) DJ Nater
Fri. 4 p.m. Paradise Happy Hour" w/ 1969  
Sat. 9 p.m. "Saturday Night Social" TCNJ Homecoming After Party w/ DJ Paul Desisto
Sun. 11 a.m. "Sunday Brunch"
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 7 p.m. Acoustic Showcase Songwriter Night 
Dacey's Pub 
215 West Philadelphia Avenue Morrisville, PA 
(215) 295-4838 
Fri. 7 p.m. Acoustic Music Night
Wed. 8 p.m. Quizzo 
Dog & Bull Brew House     
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.     
(215) 788-2855     
Sat. 11 a.m. "Saturday Brunch" 
Sun. 11 a.m. "Sunday Brunch" 
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night w/ Brian Cono
Friendly's
1031 Washington Boulevard Robbinsville
(609) 426-9203
Sun. 3 p.m. Open Mic and Karaoke
German American Society   
215 Uncle Pete's Road Hamilton   
(609) 585-5200   
Fri. 7 p.m. "4th Annual Witches Ball Tricky Tray." Benefiting The Jeremy Fund. Ages 18+,  $25 
Sat. 2 p.m. "Southern Rock BBQ Benefit" feat. Southern Steel. $25 (advance)
Greenhouse  
90 South Main Street New Hope, PA  
(215) 693-1657  
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Musical Chair" (Rotating Live Music)
Fri. 9 p.m. Other Mother Brother Band
Sat. 9 p.m. Karmic Repair Company
Sun. 3 p.m. Faye Meyer
Tues. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night Hosted by Sam Ryan Music
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia hosted by Duane 
Grounds For Sculpture   
80 Sculptors way Hamilton   
(609) 586-0616    
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Sing Along with Sculpture" w/ Seward Johnson   
Grover's Mill Coffee House
    
Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction     
(609) 716-8771     
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Anker   
Hamilton Tap & Grill  
557 US Route 130 North Hamilton  
(609) 905-0925  
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 8 p.m.Trivia Challenge  
Havana New Hope 
   
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.     
(215) 862-9897    
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Rocky and His Friends
Fri. 8 p.m. Phil Collins Tribute w/ "Hello I Must Be Going." Doors open at 6 p.m., $35 (SOLD OUT please check for ticket availability)
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Screaming Broccoli. $8
Sun. 2 p.m. Eagles Tribute w/ "Best of the Eagles." Doors open at 12 p.m., $35
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Dwayne 
Tues. 8 p.m. Funk 'N' Blues Jam Hosted by Sidewinder Blues Band
Wed. 8 p.m. "Live and Local Music" Hosted by Pat Foran feat. Souls of Fate, Stephanie Chin
Hopewell Theater      
5 South Greenwood Avenue Hopewell     
(609) 466-1964    
Fri. 8 p.m. Toshi Reagon. $28, $30, $33
Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn     
15 East Broad Street Hopewell     
(609) 466-9889  
Thurs. 6 p.m. "Jazz On Broad" Hosted by Phil Orr. $15 (Ages 22 and under $5)
Fri. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night  
Hopewell Valley Vineyards     
46 Yard Avenue Pennington     
(609) 737-4465     
Thurs. 6 p.m. Alex and Gian Jazz Duo
Fri. 6 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Catmoondaddy
Sat. 6 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Got 35
Sun. 3 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Victor Tarasov
Hurricane Jacks Bar and Grill     
7759 New Falls Road Levittown, PA     
(267) 914-4517     
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paul Kircher    
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula & Sam      
Irish Rover Station House  
1033 Bellevue Avenue Langhorne, PA  
(215) 970-5412  
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke 
Fri. 9:30 p.m. DJ Entertainment  
Sat. 9 p.m. Steamboat Annie
Tues. 7:30 p.m.  
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia 
Iron Plow Vineyards     
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus     
(732) 306-9111  
Fri. 7 p.m. The Williamsboy
Sat. 1 p.m. John & Carm
Sun. 1 p.m. Frank Stagliano
Iron Plow Vineyards Tasting Room
61 High Street Mt. Holly 
(732) 306-9111
Thurs. 7 p.m. John Rossi
Fri. 7 p.m. Darla Rich Jazz Duo
Sat. 7 p.m. Steve Guyger Duo
Ivy Tavern     
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton     
(609) 888-1435     
Thurs. 9:30 p.m. Karaoke     
Fri. 9 p.m. Unleashed
Sat. 9 p.m. Honey Spot Blvd. 
All shows 21+     
Jake's Eatery     
869 Bustleton Pike Richboro, PA     
(215) 322-6787     
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Ladies Night"    
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia Night     
Jimmy's Firestone American Grill   
140 Route 130 South Bordentown   
(609) 291-0200   
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Bar Games and Trivia"   
John & Peter's     
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa     
(215) 862-5981    
Thurs. 9 p.m. Sam Ryan
Fri. 9 p.m. Alright Junior, Matt Setzer, Tim & Dim 
Sat. (3 p.m.) The Real Fugitives (9 p.m.) Apollo Saunders, Nick Ryan & the Mess, Thoughts, Foes of Fern, Three Idea Men,The Extensions.
Sun. (3 p.m.) Black Cat Habitat, Honey Spot Blvd, The Missing Frets. (9 p.m.) The Mayflys, Red Light Radical
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic 
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. "Girls Night Out" w/ Radio Fiction
Fri. (6 p.m.) Joanna Caruso (8 p.m.) Recklesstown (10 p.m.) DJ Bay
Sat.10 p.m. Marty and The Martians / DJ Jimmy G
Wed. 8 p.m. Drop the Beat Bingo / Kids Bridge Fundraiser
Laurita Winery     
85 Archertown Road New Egypt     
(609) 752-0200   
Thurs. 7 p.m. Laurita "Adult Idol"
Sat./Sun.11 a.m. "Oktoberfest" w/ Food Trucks & Fire Pits II
Wed. 6 p.m. "Girls Night Out" 
Legends Tap and Pizza  
318 High Street Burlington  
(609) 486-3001  
Fri. 7 p.m. Gypsy Mother
Logan Inn 
   
10 West Ferry Street New Hope, PA     
(215) 862-2300   
Thurs. 6 p.m. Anna Oh
Fri. 7 p.m. Arianne Rox
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Adam Shaber
Sun. 11 a.m. "Jazz Brunch" feat. Melville
Mamma Rosa's     
572 Klockner Road Hamilton     
(609) 588-5454   
Fri. 6 p.m. Frank Pinto & Rich Ziegler  
Sat. 6 p.m. Monk & Monk
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke
Marcellos Coal Fired Restaurant & Pizza   
206 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown    
(609) 298-8360   
Sun. 10 a.m. "Blues Brunch" 
McGuinn'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     
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beer Pong Night"
Sat. 9 p.m. All Lit Up
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Video Trivia  
Wed. 10 p.m. "Karaoke Time" w/ Kirchner Entertainment   
Millhill Basement     
300 S. Broad Street Trenton     
(609) 989-1600    
Fri. 9 p.m. Te(i)am, Homebodies, Worser, Under 95. 
Tues. 9 p.m. "Millhill Experiment" feat. "Flawless Flow" w/ Sinia Parker, King Ave, Rich Smiles.
New Hope Winery    
6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA   
(215) 794-2331   
Fri. 8 p.m. The British Invasion Years. Doors open at 7 pm EST, $30
Sat. 8 p.m. Karla Bonoff. Doors open at 7 p.m., $30-$40. (SOLD OUT please check for ticket availability)
Nook's PourHouse     
2043 Route 130 South Florence     
(609) 447-0927  
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Tuesday w/ Quizoholics      
Nottingham Tavern     
9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square     
(609) 587-6623     
Thurs. 9:30 p.m. Karaoke w/ Super Dave Curtis 
Fri. 9 p.m. Musicology 
Sat. 9 p.m.Union
Ages 21+     
Old Town Pub     
135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown     
(609) 291-9232    
Thurs. 8 p.m. Quizzoholics Trivia   
Sat. 9 p.m. Audio Pilot Trio
Palermo's Of Hamilton     
310 Klockner Road Hamilton     
(609) 838-7979     
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke    
All shows 21 +   
Palmer Square
Nassau Street Princeton
Sun. 12 p.m. "Glam Fest" feat. (3 p.m.) Live Fashion Show
Patriots Crossing     
1339 River Road Titusville     
(609) 737-2780    
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night
Sat. 8 p.m. Paul Plumeri Blues Band
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo"        
Pete's Steak House     
523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton     
(609) 585-8008     
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Remember Us
Piccolissimo Italian Grille
23203 Columbus Road Columbus
(609) 291-1033
Sat. 12 p.m. The Williamsboy
Pj's Pancake House & Tavern
19 Main Street Robbinsville
(609) 772-4755
Fri. 8 p.m. Jim Matlack & Jerry Monk
Tues. 6:30 p.m. Open Mic Night
Princeton Elks Lodge #2129 
354 Route 518 Blawenburg
(609) 466-4945
Sat. 5 p.m. "Music for Camp Moore" Fundraiser. $16 (advance) 
Randy Now's Man Cave 
  
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown     
(609) 424-3766   
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Peter Case. $20
Sat. 7 p.m./9 p.m. The Richard Lloyd Group. $25
Mon. 7 p.m. The Avengers. $25
River Cat Cafe`    
142 South Main Street New Hope, PA   
(215) 693-1008   
Mon. 6 p.m. "Monday Night Jazz" 
Roebling Wire Works
675 South Clinton Avenue Trenton
Sat./Sun. 10 a.m. "Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market." Live music, vendors, food trucks. $5 (2 day pass/Kids ages 10 and under FREE)
Salt Creek Grille     
1 Rockingham Row Princeton     
(609) 419-4200    
Fri. 8 p.m. Lynn Randdal
Sat. 8 p.m. Kameelah Samar
Small World Coffee     
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton     
(609) 924-4377 x2   
Fri. 8 p.m. The Paris Trio
Sat. 8 p.m. Eugene Tyler Band
Starbucks Coffee   (Trenton Community Store) 
102 South Warren Street Trenton  
(609) 393-0261  
Sat. 3 p.m. Open Mic   
1867 Sanctuary     
101 Scotch Road Ewing     
(609) 392-6409  
Fri. 8 p.m. Seth Adam and Steve Rodgers. $20
Sat. 2 p.m. "19th & 20th Century Re-Imaginings" w/ Erin Heisel and Daniel Keene. $20
Sun. 3 p.m. Alexandre Djokic and Robert Gajdos. $20
Wed. 8 p.m. Shawna Caspi. $20
Tara's Tavern    
1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown     
(609) 286-2300     
Fri./Sat. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Big Daddy G
Sat. 10 p.m. Psycho Misfits
Tavern On The Lake      
101 Main Street Hightstown     
(609) 426-9345     
Fri. 9 p.m. After The Flood
Sat. 9 p.m. Black Rose
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night     
Temperance House     
5 South State Street Newtown, PA     
(215) 944-8050     
Thurs. 7 p.m. Blues Open Mic Hosted by Steve Guyger     
Fri. 7 p.m. Katie Sottile
Sat. 7 p.m. Two For Flinching
Tues. 7 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  
Sat./Sun.10 a.m. "Apple Days Harvest Festival" (Live Music)
Tessara's 
812 Route 33 Hamilton 
(609) 584-1700
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke
The Bar at the Lambertville House
32 Bridge Street Lambertville
(609) 397-0200
Sat. 6 p.m. JB Kline & Ed Wall
The Beer Garden at Snipes Farm   
890 West Bridge Street Morrisville, PA   
Sat. 11 a.m. "Oktoberfest" w/ hayrides, live music, corn maze, food trucks, beer/wine garden.
The Birdhouse Center For The Arts   
7 North Main Street Lambertville   
(215) 681-4660  
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Not Just Nyckleharpa Orchestra
The Cool Cricket     
216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro     
(609) 291-9110     
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke     
Sat. 9 p.m. El Ka Bong
The Cure Insurance Center     
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton     
(609) 656-3200     
Check website for upcoming events     
The Deck Restaurant and Bar @ the Bucks County Playhouse
70 South Main street New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2121
Fri. 5 p.m. Zachary Drew  
Sat. 2 p.m. Zachary Drew 
Sun. (2 p.m.) Sam Ryan (7 p.m.) Matt Gordeuk
Tues. 7 p.m. Adrian Holtz
The Dubliner   
34 North Main Street New Hope, PA   
(215) 693-1816   
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Gerry Timlin
Sun. 2 p.m. David Falcone
The Five Four Bar & Grill   
8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA   
(215) 547-5525   
Fri. 9 p.m. The Fredz
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Three Rows Deep
Wed. 7 p.m. "Lyrical Conundrums" w/ Cara & Righteous        
The HOB Tavern     
146 Second Street Bordentown     
(609) 291-7020     
Fri. 8 p.m. DJ Entertainment   
Sun. 1 p.m. Open Circle   
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night
The Ivy Inn     
248 Nassau Street Princeton     
(609) 921-8555     
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Rockin' Ron  
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Fatha' Ramzee
Sat. 10 p.m. Nancy & the No Bad Days
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv    
Wed. 10 p.m. DJ Dujour
The Pines Tavern     
6217 North Radcliffe Street Bristol, PA     
(215) 788-1659     
Sat. 9 p.m. Barefoot Bobby & the Breakers
The Record Collector     
358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown     
(609) 324-0880     
Fri. 8 p.m. Billy Hector Experience. All ages, Doors open at 7:30 p.m., $20 (Advance)  
The Roost     
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge     
(609) 208-0050   
Sat. 8 p.m. Off The Grid
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke   
The Sticky Wicket     
2465 South Broad Street Hamilton     
(609) 439-0007     
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Throwback Thursday" w/ DJ Chillio    
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke     
The Sycamore Grill     
255 North Sycamore Street Newtown, PA     
(215) 908-6326     
Thurs. 8 p.m. Jamie Stem
Fri. 8 p.m. American Hawk Band
Sat. 8 p.m. Plush Duo
The Union Firehouse  
18 Washington Street Mount Holly  
(609) 288-6491  
Thurs. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour w/ Cover Up (7 p.m.) "Jam Night" Hosted by Joe Vadala
Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour w/ Homespun Trio (8 p.m.) The Blenders, Bill's Department Store, Jason Pollock. $12
Sat. 5 p.m. Happy Hour 
Tindall Road Brewing Co.
102 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown   
(609) 526-8651    
Sat. 6 p.m. "RiverFest After Party" w/ Will Knapp
Tir Na Nog     
1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton     
(609) 392-2554   
Fri. 8 p.m. The River Drivers (Record Release)
Sat. 9 p.m. (TBD)
Sun. 3 p.m. "Irish Sessions"
All Shows 21+    
Train Wreck Distillery
25 Madison Avenue Mount Holly
(609) 288-6300
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Movie Night: "Hocus Pocus"
Fri. 7 p.m. Shelter In Place
Sat. 7 p.m. A Thousand Days Duo
Trenton Buzz     
702 Pine Street Trenton     
(609) 392-6000     
Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic.     
Sat. 10 p.m. "Buzzed Saturdays" w/ Bockman   
Trenton Social      
449 South Broad Street Trenton     
(609) 989-7777    
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Happy Hour" Hosted by Jay Kountree  
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)     
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.     
(215) 862-8300     
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia   
Fri.10 p.m. Foes of Fern. $5 (cover charge)  
Sat. 10 p.m. Gabrielle Chapman & The Vortex. $5 (cover charge)    
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Stage 
All shows 21+   
Veterans Park 
2206 Kuser Road Hamilton 
Sun. 11 a.m. "Oktoberfest" feat. Charles Laurita & The Mischief, Brothers In Harmony, 1969, Pete Tonti, Joe Zook, Jim Gaven, East Coast In Lullaby, Manta Band. (FREE admission)
VFW Post 491  
9 Fisher Place Yardville  
(609) 585-9645    
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
All shows ages 21+  
Wildflowers Inn     
2572 Pennington Road Pennington     
(609) 773-2392     
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock Night     
Mon. 9 p.m. "Moonshine Mondays" Trivia    
Working Dog Winery     
610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown     
(609) 371-6000     
Sat. 1 p.m. Vic Della Pello
Yardley Inn Restaurant & Bar   
82 East Afton Avenue Yardley, PA   
(215) 493-3800   
Sat. 8 p.m. Dan Ward


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.

 

COLUMNS


Makin Waves Song of the Week: "With You Still" by Helen O'Shea feat. Emily Grove

Helen O'Shea's forthcoming single, "With You Still," featuring beloved Jersey Shore songstress Emily Grove, is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...3/28/24




This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts Taking Place from March 26 to April 2, 2024




BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable NJ Music 3/25/24






 

MORE NEWS

Helen O'Shea's forthcoming single, "With You Still," featuring beloved Jersey Shore songstress Emily Grove, is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.


Ocean Casino Resort presents Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo




The Princeton Folk Music Society to Celebrate Pete Seeger's legacy with Professor Allan Winkler




State Theatre New Jersey presents One Night of Queen






 

UPCOMING SHOWS


Bruce Springsteen Archives presents "Music America: Iconic Objects from America's Music History" at LBJ Presidential Library

(AUSTIN, TX) - Since the nation's inception nearly two and a half centuries ago, music has informed, interpreted, and inspired our national identity. To celebrate and explore this remarkable heritage, the LBJ Presidential Library and the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University announce the premiere of the exhibition Music America: Iconic Objects from America's Music History. Opening at the LBJ Presidential Library on Saturday, February 17, during Presidents' Day weekend, the exhibition will be on display through August 11, 2024.


Arts Council of Princeton partnering with Stibol Music to provide Music Lessons and Programming




The Newton Theatre presents Foreigners Journey




Prudential Center presents Kane Brown






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