The Makin Waves Song of the Week is “Golden Cage,” the latest single from Cranston Dean. PHOTO BY TYLER HARRISON
Imagine a world where the immigrant is the hero rather than the villain.
Jersey Shore singer-songwriter legend Cranston Dean has with his new single, “Golden Cage,” the Makin Waves Song of the Week.
As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “Golden Cage” also can be heard between 6 and 8 p.m. on July 4 on “Radio Jersey at ThePenguinRocks.com. If you miss it, you can tune in any time in the archives at The Penguin and Mixcloud.
“I wrote this song while working building a house from the ground up,” Cranston said. “I worked under a man who immigrated here to America who taught me many things, became a great friend, and is someone who I trust with my life.
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“One day, the plumbing crew — and boy, did they do more yappin' than working — was being particularly rude and prejudiced to my friend. It struck me as disappointing that a man who loves this country and who was working circles around everyone was getting ridiculed by these two fools that were just born here by stroke of luck. So, I sat with my guitar that night and wrote this for all the people who have come here and made a good honest go of it. In my America, the immigrant is the hero, not the villain.”
A multi-instrumentalist, Cranston plays all the tracks except the electric guitar by Lee Ferejohn. “Golden Cage” was recorded by Michael Young, mixed by Pat Noon and mastered by Alan Douches.
Hear the song live when Cranston plays July 4, Triumph Brewing, New Hope; July 5, Fox Hollow Winery, Holmdel; July 11, Low Dive, Asbury Park; July 12, Channel Club Pool, Monmouth Beach; July 13, Tiki Boat, Toms River, and then Proving Grounds, Highlands, where he’ll also play July 19; July 15, The Sandbox, also Highlands; July 17, The Seafarer, again Highlands, and July 31, Tiki Boat, Brick.
Cranston also will play with Patty C & the Pints on July 10 at 90.5 the Night’s Songwriters on the Beach and July 26 at Gaslight in his hometown of Atlantic Highlands and with Jackson Pines on July 27 at Monmouth County Fair in Freehold. Cranston is the drummer in both bands.
He’s also part of the crew of Radio Garden State. You can hear a whole bunch of Jersey jams on Cranston’s show 6-8 pm Wednesdays at https://www.radiogardenstate.com and WFKU 96.9, as well as live from The Chubby Pickle in Highlands on first and third Mondays.
New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.
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"Well, I certainly hope so, it seems like it is," laughed Blues Traveler bassist Ben Wilson as he discussed what the band has been up to and their preparations before they hit the road once again for a Summer tour. "The band has been quite active over the years through touring and we managed to continue to record some records. We've done two kinds of covers records, the first one was a blues record which actually got nominated for a Grammy which was pretty cool and the next one, we did some soul covers. That one wasn't quite as well received but it was sure fun to make. So, it's been really cool; you have this massive success for a decade or so and then you kind of dip below that cultural Gestalt line where you're just kind of bubbling below the surface and you can do just fine there even though you're not on the cover of "The Rolling Stone" and that's kind of what we've been doing. We've had a good run, it has been fantastic and these summer tours where we get together with these other kind of bands of similar eras with similar kinds of hits; we're very fortunate as kind of a neo-hippie jam band from that era that kind of bucked some of the trends that were going on at the time but we were lucky enough to have a couple of hits and that has allowed us to have kind of a different career than just the straight jam bands do; not that that wouldn't be awesome as well because obviously many of them are doing just fine but it's just a slightly different road but it has been wonderful. We didn't rehearse a whole lot because we've been playing together for 38 years but things are good and we're stoked for this upcoming tour."
(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 7:30pm. Griffin is an American singer-songwriter and storyteller. Touring and making records for over 20 years, House has a discography that includes over 13 albums.
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic baskets to Reeves-Reed Arboretum and celebrate summer with their 2025 concert series, Sounds of a Summer Night! All performances will be held on select Wednesday evenings on the grounds of this non-profit public garden located in Summit.
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