July was a great month for music. The traveling circus that is Southside Johnny pulled into the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ on July 3rd to vaccinate the souls of the Johnny afflicted by tearing up the now annual extravaganza called Summer Stage.
Photo by Jerry Frishman ©2012
A sold out crowd partied in a frenzy and screamed to the sounds of the Jukes with notable additions to our lineup: Billy Walton – gtr; Bobby Bandiera – gtr; Mark “Loveman” Pender – tpt; Bill Harris – ten & bari saxes; and Don Harris – tpt. It was indeed a joyful noise, and a really fun night. Nothin’ quite like the Jukes on their home turf at the Jersey shore… This annual event has become a pilgrimage of sorts to the temple of Jersey rock – and South is center stage! What a great energy to be a part of!
Photo by Natalie Ellis ©2012
We spent a substantial part of the month performing outdoors, and after several heat stroke inducing shows managed to return to the air conditioned comfort of indoor venues for a few really fun gigs. We just got back from Cleveland Heights, OH where we performed in the Amphitheater at Cain Park and then followed that up with a really fun show at thePalace Theater in Greensburg, PA. It’s amazing how a torrential downpour at an outdoor venue can turn a large setting into an intimate show!
Since July was such fun, you might think August will be boring. Well, in a word, no! August is gonna be a blast! First up is a run to Scandinavia playing in Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Notodden, Norway. SSJ’s fan base in Europe is just wonderful – and growing. I have never had the pleasure of traveling to that part of Europe, so I am extrememly excited to be performing there for the first time! I’ll be making my way to Copenhagen at the end of the run to spend some time with an old and very dear friend, and decompress for a few days. When we return from Europe, we then are once again with the Allman Brothers performing at the Peach Music Festival in Scranton, PA. One of the highlights of my career has been the times I’ve had the pleasure to perform with the Allman’s, and I’m sure this will be no different! In addition, I’m very excited since we’ll
Photo by Linda Tartaglione Theobold ©2012
also be joining Little Feat at the Theater at Westbury – and this for me is just awesome, as I’ve been a Little Feat fan for as long as I can remember! I mean, growing up in the South, how can you NOT be a Little Feat fan? Southern rock infused with funk and soul – I cut my teeth playing music right out of that realm and I am psyched to play with some of the originals of that genre! Woo-hoo!
We’ll also be rolling into that end-of-summer Jersey shore bastion called Martell’s Tiki bar for our annual takeover of the Point Pleasant boardwalk. Usually crammed to the rafters with hardcore Jukes fans, these two shows are a rockin party good time and a great opportunity to see the jukes in a classic NJ shore venue. Plus it’s outdoors and when the weather’s nice and the rum runners are flowing, there’s no better way to see/hear the Jukes!Hope to see any and all of you at these upcoming shows! Check out my website and/or the dates below for more information:
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