Friday, June 29, 2018

Billy Walton Band

THE BILLY WALTON BAND

Somers Point Beach - Free Concert Tonight - Friday June 29



THE BILLY WALTON BAND

Recently back from another tour of Europe, where they have a growing fan base, the Billy Walton Band puts ashore at the Somers Point Beach tonight, and are set to play the Jersey Shore bar circuit for the summer before invading Europe again in the fall.

Ten years in the making, Billy Walton thanks his mother for bringing him along to see the LBI bar bands when he was just a kid, and now he's the hottest guitarist and band leader at the Shore - and there is no second.

After slinging his guitar with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes for a number of years, Billy headed out on his own, putting together a tight band around his stnadout guitar and vocals. There's William Paris, Walton's longtime bass guitarist and sometimes vocalist, who is known as William Paris since there's only one Billy in this band.

Backed by drummer Johnny D'Angeloand a hot horn section that provides the emphasis to most songs, Billy Walton makes his guitar shine on some classic tunes while promoting his own original songs that will someday be considered classics.

With his signature Chuck Taylor Converse All-Star black high tops, Billy moves around the stage with confidence, and his band takes his cue to move from one song to another in really moving sets that seem to go too quickly. There's no pause between songs to figure out what they're going to do next, they just plow through each set from beginning to end without stopping.

This band, after over two dozen trips abroad, this band is a great representative of real Jersey Shore Rock & Roll, and like many other bands, maybe they are better appreciated in Europe than they are at home, though the local fans are slowly catching on.

After the free Somers Point beach concert tonight - Friday June 29, they put into the Borgata Beer Garden tomorrow, do Mott's Creek on July 1, and play JFK Plaza on the Atlantic City Boardwalk on July 4th.

Other dates include: Laguna Grill in Brigantine on July 6, Tuckerton on July 7, and Breezes Bar at the Viking Boat works dock on July 9. They come back to play the Somers Point Beach with Devon Allman on July 20, do Borgata the following day and a double header at Golden Nugget Rush Lounge the same night.

I will keep you posted on where and when they will be playing throughout the summer.




Latest Album - "Soul of a Man" 





William Paris and Billy Walton Jiving Together Live 

Friday, June 22, 2018

Beaver Brown Band


John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band



Tonight's free Somers Point Beach Concert features John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, made famous for doing the movie soundtrack for Eddie & the Cruisers, much of which was filmed at Tony Marts and the Somers Point vacinity.

The movie bombed at the box office, but when it appeared on HBO cable TV a year later, a new generation of youngsters started buying the soundtrack album and put three of the songs on the charts - "Wild Summer Nights," "On the Darkside" and "Tender Years."

Formed in 1972 at Narraghansitt, Rhode Island, they were a real garage band - taking their name from the Beaver Brown color paint cans they sat on in the garage. Establishing themselves as a popular college band, they made the local bar circuit and got some songs on the local radio before being asked to do the soundtrack for Eddie & the Cruisers.

As the story concerns an up and coming rock and roll band at the Jersey Shore, led by the dominating Eddie, the band lands a gig at Tony Marts, the Bay Avenue Somers Point nightclub that had reached its peak in the 1960s and by 1980 was for sale. The club was actually sold and was going to make its last summer run when the location scout for the movie learned about Tony Marts and booked it for the few weeks it took to make the movie.

Local pedestrians dressed in 50s outfits to get in the movie, and the author of the book P.F. Kluge came to town to watch some of the filming. He had been a Vineland high school teacher who frequented the Jersey Shore nightclubs when he wrote the book, and went on to teach college literature.

One major difference between the book and the movie is the book that "Wordman" - played by Tom Berringer in the film, gives to Eddie and inspires him. In the book Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" is the book, and the band drives Eddie's 57 Chevy to Whitman's Camden home, that sits in the middle of a ghetto. In the movie Whitman is edited out and replaced by an eccentric European poet who reportedly faked his own death in order to live in obscurity, something that Eddie does in the followup film - Eddie Lives.

In any case, the movie accurately captures Tony Marts on celluloid as it was the last summer of its existence.

Bay Shores, the nightclub across Bay Avenue from Somers Point, was also purchased by attorney Harris Berman, who raized both clubs within a year of each other and on the bay built the Waterfront at the old Bay Shores site, and Egos nightclub where Tony Marts was located.

Both buildings still stand, the Waterfront a first class restaurant with a nice deck and soft jazz music on summer nights, while Egos is now owned by Dr. Trocki, the plastic surgeon who was also Mike Tyson's doctor in his corner at Atlantic City fights.

Trocki also purchased the old Point Pub, Corletto's and later Mayer's Marina and Egg Harbor Boats, all at distress auctions.

When the two rock and roll nightclubs - Bay Shores and Tony Marts were razed, and the live music era appeared to have come to an end, Nick Regina took a job with the city's school system and funneled some money razed from local business to bring live music back to Bay Avenue at the William Morrow beach.

Carmen Marotta, who played a bar tender in the Eddie and the Cruisers movie, has kept his hand in the music business through his Tony Marts Presents company that books the bands at both the Somers Point beach on Friday nights, and the bandstand at Kennedy Plaza on the boardwalk in Atlantic City on Wednesdays nights.

Carmen and Nancy Marotta go to New Orleans every year for the jazz fest and always bring back some really great acts - some of which are booked at one or both of the free outdoor venues this summer, including Marchia Ball, Johnny Sansone and Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers.

The first Somers Point beach concert last Friday featured Countdown to Ecstasy - a tribute to Steely Dan. If you missed the cover band, you can still catch the real deal as Steely Dan, at least half of the duo will perform at the Camden Pavillion and Borgatta in October.

Jersey Shore Nightbeat: SOMERS POINT BEACH CONCERTS 2018

Jersey Shore Nightbeat: Atlantic City Boardwalk Concerts at Kennedy Plaza 2018

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Atlantic City Boardwalk Concerts at Kennedy Plaza 2018

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2018 FREE CRDA SUMMER CONCERTS at KENNEDY PLAZA 

On The Atlantic City Boardwalk at Kennedy Plaza • Wednesday Evenings @ 7PM
In the event of inclement weather all shows will be moved to The Showboat Hotel. 

Bring your festival chairs & dancing shoes!!

~ June 20th ~
New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Brass Band

~ June 27th ~
Legendary Gary US Bonds

~ July 4th ~
Springsteen’s Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Drummer
Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez & The Billy Walton Band

~ July 11th ~
Marcia Ball & Her Band

~ July 18th ~
Reggae Stars Third World

~ July 25th ~
"The Weight" Tribute Band

~ August 1st ~
Johnny Sansone's "Jersey Gumbo"
Starring George Porter, Jr. & John Fohl

~ August 8th ~
John Cafferty & Beaver Brown Band
Original band from the movie "Eddie & The Cruisers" artists perform their hits “Tender Years,” “On the Darkside” and “Wild Summer Nights.”

~ August 15th ~
Shemeka Copeland Band
Chicago's Queen of the Blues

~ August 22nd ~
AC Airshow Funkfest Starring Ivan Neville & Dumpstafunk
Remember Jones Tribute To Amy Winehouse

  ~ August 29th ~
"Mad Dogs & Englishmen" by Remember Jones
Tribute to Joe Cocker, Beatles, Rolling Stones, & Leon Russell

~ September 5th ~
The "Maestro" Taj Mahal
Four Time Grammy Award winner spans 5 decades of music from his 1969 performance at Woodstock to perform the finale concert of the 2018 CRDA Concert Series in 2018.  Taj Mahal recently won his 4th Grammy for his collaboration with Keb Mo on “Tajmo”  - Taj received 4 Blues Hall of Fame Foundation Awards.  Fans have followed his incredible career for nearly 50 years with many remembering “Gone Fishin’ Blues” performed at Woodstock.



For more info call 609-653-6069
or Email 
TONYMARTO@AOL.COM

SOMERS POINT BEACH CONCERTS 2018

                                            



SOMERS POINT BEACH CONCERTS 2018 

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COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY 11 Great Musicians Performing a Tribute to Steely Dan

June 22

JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND, "BIG BOB" ERNANO & THE BRANDON IRELAND BAND, SOMERS POINT HISTORICAL SOCIETY NIGHT
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Bande...Original Multi-Million Selling "Eddie & The Cruisers" Recording Artists; "Big Bob" Ernano & The Brandon Ireland Band; Somers Point Historical Society Night

June 29

THE BILLY WALTON BAND Our Own Jersey Shore Rock & Soul Guitar Hero & "Asbury Juke"

Wednesday
July 4

"JERSEY GIRLS DO IT RIGHT" Tribute to Female Pop Rockers starring Patty Blee, Geri Mingori, Ci Bon, Sunday Grasso, Rosie "O'reilly" Gazarra with The Tony Mart Allstars
July 6

THE MUSIC THAT MADE TONY MART'S FAMOUS"
From Conway Twitty, Bill Haley to Mitch Ryder, Bob Dylan and The Band, "The Music That Made Tony Mart's Famous" by The Tony Mart Allstars...Bob Campanell, Danny Eyer, "Ernie T" Trionfo, Howard Isaacson, "Old School" Jimmy Glenn, Greg Pordin and Rich "Megahurtz" Kurtz, Musical Director
July 13

MARCIA BALL & HER BAND Grammy Nominated, Muti-Award Winning Swamp Boogie Piano Queen
July 20

THE DEVON ALLMAN PROJECT AND THE BILLY WALTON BAND The Devon Allman Project, Living Legacy Of Southern Rock and Blues; The Billy Walton Band, Jersey Shore Rock & Soul Guitar Hero
July 27

THE WEEKLINGS' TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES'
Sgt. Pepper/51 White Album/50, starring Glen Burtnik from Styx, Elo and Beatlemania
Aug. 3

LOUISIANA HOUSE ROCKIN' PARTY Starring New Orleans Award Winner Johnny Sansone and Grammy Nominated Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers
Aug. 10

CHESS RECORDS TRIBUTE Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker performed by The Nick Moss Band with Special Guests "Little Charley" Baty and Dennis Gruenling
Aug. 17

THE DANE ANTHONY BAND Premier Party Dance Band...Motown, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Dance Favorites
Aug. 24

HAWKINS ROAD AND THE COCONUTZ SUPERGROUP
Country Rock, Reggae, Classic Rock and "Parrothead" Favorites
Aug. 31

WORLD RENOWN BONERAMA WITH DAVE MALONE FROM THE RADIATORS Brassy Funk, Fishhead Funk, New Orleans R&B, Classic Rock and Roll
Sunday
Sept. 2

THE ORIGINAL COWSILLS FAMILY BAND & CLASSIC POP TRIBUTE Performing their Multi-Million Selling Pop Hits "Hair", "Indian Lake", "The Flower Girl"; Classic Pop Tribute by Dr. Phil & The Heart Attacks
Sept. 7

CJ CHENIER & THE RED HOT LOUISIANA BAND
Multi-Award Winning, Grammy Nominated Son of Clifton Chenier, The Father of Electric Zydeco

Live Events For more info call 609-653-6069 or Email TONYMARTO@AOL.COM