I think "Lonesome Jubilee" is one of the best albums of John Mellencamp's career. The singer-songwriter from Indiana came through with a record that sounded very different from anything he had released before. It had a couple of top 15 hits, but mostly it seemed to define a sound for his music - one unlike anybody else's.
My favorite tracks include "Cherry Bomb" (one of the best songs of the 1980s in my opinon), "Paper In Fire", "Check it Out", and "The Real Life".
John Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Des & the Swagmatics, Bamberdost, Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves, Jonny Couch, Sean Henry Tonight!, and Ava LaMonte. Plus a look back at "Duluth" by Particle Zoo.
(FORKED RIVER, NJ) -- In honor of Patriot Day, the Lacey Branch of the Ocean County Library will host "The Soundtrack of Resilience: Music and 9/11" on Thursday, September 10, 2026. The event begins at 2:00pm.
(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Split Level Concerts at the Jersey Shore Arts Center (JSAC) in Ocean Grove has announced the full concert lineup for its third season. All shows will take place beginning at 8:00pm in JSAC's Palaia Theater. The season lineup includes Willie Nile, John Gorka, Dan Bern, Catie Curtis and Band, Stephen Kellogg, Abbie Gardner, Heather Maloney and Band, and Kim Richey. As they have done in prior years, artists from the Asbury Park music scene will open many of the shows.
