Thursday, June 28, 2012

Nightbeat 6-29

Friday – June 29


Commander Cody - of Lost Planet Airman fame - will play his hits on the Somers Point Beach 

The Commander Cody Band in a free concert at the Somers Point beach; Country Swing and Rockin’ Boogie Woogie piano - . Commander Cody’s biggest hits, including “Hot Rod Lincoln”,”Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar” and “Rockett 88”. 

For more information or last minute weather updates go to www.SomersPointBeachConcerts.com.

– Mighty Parrot Band, Tuckahoe Inn, Back Bay Café, Beesleys Point 7-11

– Budesa Brothers – Biai deck, Bay Ave., 7pm

- The Jacksons, Borgata
- John Oates Band, Borgata
- Celtic Thunder, Harrahs
- Mary J. Blige, Caelsars

Saturday – June 30

- Ben Singleton and the People’s Choice Tuckahoe Inn, Back Bay Café, Rt. 9 Beesleys Point, 6-10

- Dave Gustafson, Biai deck, Bay Ave. 7pm 

- Rick DeKarski on piano in the historic Tap Room at Atlantic City Country Club. Chef Ed Dagger’s reputation is renown.

- Crosby, Stills & Nash, Borgata
- Dom Irrera, Tropicana
- Celtic Thunder, Harrahs

Sunday – July 1

- Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, Borgata
- Celtic Thunder, Harrah’s Resort July 1, July 4-8

Monday - July 2 –

- Celtic Thunder, Harrahs

Tuesday July 3 –

- Celtic Thunder, Harrahs
- Mary J. Blige, Caesars

Wednesday - July 4 –

- The Bob Campanell Band with Danny Eyer in free concert at Somers Point Beach: Jersey Shore Rock ‘n Roll Icon with his favorite lead guitarist

- Reggae with SMB Tuckahoe Inn, Back Bay Café, 6-10

- Celtic Thunder, Harrahs
- Mary J. Blige, Caesars

Thursday - July 5 –

- Mike Lunemann –  Every Thursday (6pm) on the patio at Atlantic City Country Club [ACCountryclub.com]  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy01esg4g5k&feature=related

- Rock of Ages w/  Tuckahoe Inn Back Bay Café, Beesleys Point
Celtic Thunder, Harrahs 

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Where the Bands are June 29 - July 5

Friday – June 29 The Commander Cody Band in a free concert at the Somers Point beach; Country Swing and Rockin’ Boogie Woogie piano. Commander Cody’s biggest hits, including “Hot Rod Lincoln”,”Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar” and “Rockett 88”. For more information or last minute weather updates go towww.SomersPointBeachConcerts.com. – Mighty Parrot Band, Tuckahoe Inn, Back Bay Café, Beesleys Point 7-11 – Budesa Brothers – Biai deck, Bay Ave., 7pm - The Jacksons, Borgata - John Oates Band, Borgata - Celtic Thunder, Harrahs - Mary J. Blige, Caelsars Saturday – June 30 - Ben Singleton and the People’s Choice Tuckahoe Inn, Back Bay Café, Rt. 9 Beesleys Point, 6-10. - Dave Gustafson, Biai deck, Bay Ave. 7pm - Rick DeKarski on piano in the historic Tap Room at Atlantic City Country Club. Chef Ed Dagger’s reputation is renown. - Crosby, Stills & Nash, Borgata - Dom Irrera, Tropicana - Celtic Thunder, Harrahs Sunday – July 1 - Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Ted Nugent, Borgata - Celtic Thunder, Harrah’s Resort July 1, July 4-8 Monday - July 2 – - Celtic Thunder, Harrahs Tuesday July 3 – - Celtic Thunder, Harrahs - Mary J. Blige, Caesars Wednesday - July 4 – - The Bob Campanell Band [bobcampanell.com ]with Danny Eyer [eyermusic.com] in free concert at Somers Point Beach: Jersey Shore Rock ‘n Roll Icon with his favorite lead guitarist - Reggae with SMB Tuckahoe Inn, Back Bay Café, Beesleys Point 6-10 - Celtic Thunder, Harrahs - Mary J. Blige, Caesars Thursday - July 5 – - Mike Lunemann – Every Thursday (6pm) on the patio at Atlantic City Country Club - Rock of Ages w/ Tuckahoe Inn Back Bay Café, Beesleys Point - Celtic Thunder, Harrahs

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

"Eddie & the Cruisers" 30 Years Later


“Eddie & the Cruisers” – 30 Years after Hollywood Came to the Jersey Shore


Tony Marts Reunion - this Saturday at the Ocean City Music Pier, features Billy Walton's great band, and they will play some of the songs from the movie. Billy is now lead guitarist with Southside Johnny, who was a consultant for the film.

It’s been thirty years since Hollywood came to the Jersey Shore to film “Eddie & the Cruisers,” but it’s still fondly remembered for documenting the times and the places that were very special to a lot of people.

Set in the 60’s and filmed on location on the Ocean City (NJ) beach and boardwalk and Somers Point Bay Avenue nightclubs, “Eddie & the Cruisers” tried to capture the early spirit of  rock & roll and did capture the basic landscape of another, bygone era, a landscape that for the most part, no longer exists.

Based on a novel by P.F. Kluge (Viking Press, 1980), the story of Eddie Wilson and his band The Parkway Cruisers is founded on fact, as Kluge spent some of his formative years at the Jersey Shore and taught high school in Vineland, as does the protagonist – Frank Ridgeway, aka “Wordman,” played by Tom Berringer in the movie.

Berringer portays a college student working the summer at the Jersey Shore as a day time clean up guy at Tony Marts. Berringer’s Ridgeway is pushing a broom around the tile floor, stools up on the bar, when in walks Eddie Wilson. There’s a sign just above the front doors that reads:“Through these doors walk the most beautiful girls in the world.”

Eddie, in his leather jacket, arm around his girl - the lead singer (Helen Schneider) and the rest of the band, says “Tell Tony Eddie & the Cruisers are here.”

If any band actually did that, Tony would have fired them before they ever played a note, because Anthony Marotta was treated with respect and didn’t take anything from anybody, especially some young punks in a band who wanted him to give them a job. Tony fired a band a week, “Get atta here you bums!” was often heard, but Tony wasn’t a character in the movie, though maybe he should have.

Berringer, as Frank Ridgeway the English major, writes a few songs, is taught how to play a few songs on the piano, and is recruited into the band. In Kluge’s book Berringer’s character takes Eddie and the band on a road trip to visit Walt Whitman’s home in Camden, where Eddie is profoundly moved by the dichotomy between the literary home of the poet and the surrounding ghetto. Berringer gives him a copy of Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass,” which becomes the title of a mysterious, radical recording that is lost when Eddie dies in a car crash - he drives his ’57 Chevy into the bay off the causeway bridge.

Both Kluge and Berringer went on to bigger and better things – Kluge a professor of literature and writer in residence at – College and Berringer a superstar with many popular credits (“Big Chill,”), as did other then unknown actors in the movie that became stars – Helen Schneider, Joe Pantoliano (See: Boardwalk Journal June 2012), Matthew Laurance and Ellen Barkin.

But the movie bombed, crashed at the box office, without any marketing it came and went without much notice.

Then, a few years later, the movie was released on HBO pay per view TV – in cable’s early years, and sales of the movie soundtrack suddenly shot up on the charts (like a bullet), with three of the songs hitting the pop charts as singles – “On the Darkside,” “Wild Summer Nights” and “Tender Years.”

The movie and the music had found a new, younger audience who were beyond the nostalgia and realized the music really was good. They recognized, hey, that’s the story their mom and dad experienced when they were teenagers and rock & roll was new and revolutionary.

The Beaver Brown Band, a real New Hampshire garage band led by John Cafferty, took their name from the Beaver Brown paint cans they sat on when jamming in the garage. They suddenly had three hit songs, record contract offers and got on the Chitlin’ Circuit, and the HBO revival of the almost forgotten movie also called for a followup, and suddenly there was money available for reviving the lead character even though they had killed him off in the original.



After a brief hint of big time success, Cafferty and Beaver Brown fell back into the bar circuit and I caught them playing an off night at a Cape May sports bar, where black sax man Wendell Newton was still holding his own. As Michael “Tunes” Antunes, Newton was a member of the Parkway Cruisers as well as the Beaver Brown band, but they killed him off in the film, dying of a drug overdose at a McArthur Blvd. motel. He’s replaced by Philadelphia sax and bagpiper, the late Rufus Harley.

“I ain’t dead,” Newton said to me. “That was just Hollywood.”

But mot of the “Eddie & the Cruisers” cast had moved on to bigger and better things and couldn’t be enticed back to do an Eddie II. Without Berringer or Schneider or Barkin in the lineup, the follow up “Eddie Lives,” wasn’t really that bad, it just lacked most of the same lead characters and Tony Marts was gone and out of the picture.

One scene that was left on the cutting room floor had Berringer/Ridgeway returning to Tony Marts years later and finding the place closed and boarded up – much like it actually was after the last night in late September 1982, a few months after the film was made.

Harris Berman, who had previously bought Bay Shores across the street, tore it down and built the Waterfront, also purchased Tony Marts and tore that down to build Egos, which was billed as the East Coast’s most lavish disco.

Capturing some of the streetscapes and landmarks that are now gone is one the best attributes of the original “Eddie & the Cruisers” movie, which includes scenes of the Ocean City beach and boardwalk, and Somers Point’s Bay Avenue. There’s a scene of the band practicing on the second floor roof which overlooks the bay, Dolfin Dock and the Clam Bar.



The indoor scenes of Tony Marts are pretty accurate as well, showing the college pennants on the walls and ceiling, the half dozen bars and the main stage as it was in its last years, against the far south wall.

While Kluge is non committed in naming any one band that inspired Eddie & the Parkway Cruisers, a number of groups come quickly to mind – Johnny Caswell & the Crystal Mansion,” who had a number of local hits, “Levon & the Hawks,” who spent the summer of ’65 at Tony Marts, and the Soul Survivors (“Expressway to Your Heart).

More to come on this. 

Were you there when they made "Eddie & the Cruisers"? 
Do you have any photos?

If so I'd like to hear from you.
Billkelly3@gmail.com 



Friday, June 15, 2012

Lionel Young at the Somers Point Beach




"On the Way to Memphis," the Lionel Young Band puts into the Somers Point (NJ) Beach for a free concert under the stars. 

Nancy and Carmen note: - "Bring a beach chair and a jacket." 

Don't miss Lionel Young appearing at the opening of the Somers Point Beach Concerts on Friday, June 15th @7PM!!

Violin meets the Blues. Winner of the 2008 International Blues Challenge (IBC) in MemphisTN for solo performer, Lionel Young has won numerous other awards including: The Young Artist Award -Pittsburgh Symphony, and Westword's Best of Denver 1989 for his band the Last Fair Deal. In 1992 he won a position with the Denver Chamber Orchestra and premiered a solo piece by William Hill.  

Lionel also won another award for Best Blues Band in  Westword's Best of Denver in 1996 and 1997 for his current incarnation -  The Lionel Young Band.  Releasing their first CD - As the Sun Goes Down - in December 1997, the disc has received excellent reviews regionally & nationally. Lionel has played in concerts with Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Paige/Robert Plant, James Taylor, Doc Severenson, Linda Ronstadt, Living Color, Billy Taylor, Woodie Herman, Stanley Turrentine, Homesick James, Homer Brown, Hamlet Bluiett, Chief Bae, and Johnny Long.  If world class and refined are keywords in your opinion – The Lionel Young Band has the Midas touch.

Lionel Young is a high energy performer with a bent for the blues. His LIONEL YOUNG BAND, winners of numerous awards for best in and around the Colorado region, have won the 2011 International Blues Challenge (IBC) band competition. 

Added to his victory at the 2008 IBC in the solo-duo catagory, that makes Lionel Young the first double champion in the history of the IBC.

Fans of the driven, classically trained Young, love his distinctive brand of blues on the electric violin. His show features not only Young originals but interpretations of blues classics by Willie Dixon, Leadbelly and Stevie Ray Vaughan, features the strength and passion of Young’s playing, as well as his smooth vocals and unique translations. The songs, which include his award-winning composition ” Brown Cloud Over Denver” and “Hey, O.J.,” a controversial little gem, alternately stir up social concerns and soothe the weary soul. It’s prime. It’s fun. It’s Lionel Young.

Born in RochesterNew York, Lionel Young began taking violin lessons at the age of six with Anastasia Jempelis at the Eastman School of Music. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Opera-Ballet Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra which commissioned him to play bluegrass and blues for their summer festival and on a tour of JapanTaiwan, and Korea during the 1988 Summer Olympic Music Festival.

Throughout his career, Mr. Young has won numerous awards including: The Young Artist Award (Pittsburgh Symphony); The Concerto Contest (Carnegie-Mellon); The Passamenic Award (Branchwood String Quartet); and the award for the Best Blues Band in Westword’s Best of Denver. He’s also won a position with The Denver Chamber Orchestra and premiered a solo piece by William Hill.



Thursday, May 17, 2012

Tony Marts - 30 Years Gone but the Music Carries On



Tony Marts - 30 Years Gone - But the Music Goes On 


A note from Carmen & Nancy Marotta 

Believe it or not, it’s been 30 years since the legendary Rock 'n Roll nightclub of Somers Point, Tony Mart’s, closed its doors on Bay Ave.  As Tony Mart music fans know, the excitement of live Jersey Shore Rock 'n Roll lives on; and this season, for the first time in 30 years, Tony Mart’s will bring this legacy back to the Ocean City Beach and Boardwalk with a series of live Saturday night Rock 'n Roll concerts recalling those "Wild Summer Nights" when so many Ocean City visitors headed to the sweaty, pulsating dance floor packed with partiers at the world famous rock 'n roll club.

The first show on May 26th will be a tribute to the most popular horn band of the '70’s at Tony Mart’s, Chicago, performed by the 9 piece show band, Sounds of Society.  This powerhouse showband features a "Chicago" style horn section and searing lead guitar in a two hour tribute to the greatest hits of one of the all time most popular Rock 'n Roll Big Bands.

On June 23rd the "Tony Mart Rock 'n Roll Reunion Party" will feature hot emerging Jersey Shore Rock Star, Billy Walton, from Southside Johnny’s Asbury Jukes.  Billy will perform with his own phenomenal band and special guest, Arthur Migiliazza opening the show with New Orleans sounds of Fats Domino, Professor Longhair and other classics before joining the Billy Walton Band to perform it’s tribute to Jersey Shore Rock 'n Roll artists including Bruce Springsteen and the music of "Eddie and the Cruisers" the classic Rock 'n Roll movie filmed in Ocean City and Tony Mart’s 30 years ago!

On August 18th "The Music That Made Tony Mart’s Famous" will showcase a sizzling series of famous songs in an exciting dance party celebration of the stars that played at Tony Mart’s from the '50’s to the '80’s including Billy Haley and His Comets, Conway Twitty, Duane Eddie, Joey Dee and the Starlighters, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Levon Helm and The Band and original soundtrack songs from Eddie and the Cruisers.  In addition to the biggest hits of these artists, the show includes songs from Ray Charles, Cream, Springsteen, Dylan and more of the great sounds celebrated for 38 years at Tony Marts.  The show features the Tony Mart Allstar Band with Dr. Bobby Fingers, Bob Campanell, Howard Isaacson, Danny Eyer, Rich Kurtz and Jimmy "Old School" Glenn from the Hawkins Road Band.  This should not be missed!

Seating for all the Saturday night shows will be a General Admission/Open Seating with  doors opening at 7PM and shows beginning at 8PM.  $20 tickets are available at the Ocean City Music Pier Box Office or by calling (609)525-9248 or 525-9300.  For more information contactTonymarto@aol.com or go to WWW.TONYMART.COM.

Be part of this historic series as Tony Marts will "Let the Good Times Roll" for the first time ever on the Ocean City Boardwalk this summer!

TONY MART’S CONGRADULATES JUMPIN’ JOHNNY SANSONE, CURTIS SALGADO, TERRY HANCK AND DAVID MAXWELL ON 2012 BLUES MUSIC AWARDS

Please join us in celebrating the Blues Music Awards given to 4 international recording artists who have recently performed for Tony Mart’s and/or the Somers Point Beach Concerts.  On May 10th, the Blues Foundation gave prestigious blues music awards for Song of the Year to our good friend, Johnny Sansone, best Soul Blues Male Artist to the great Curtis Salgado, Best Instrumentalist to friend and world class saxophone player, Terry Hanck and the Best Acoustic Album of the Year to the phenomenal Blues and Boogie Woogie Piano Master, David Maxwell all of whom performed in the last year at one of our shows!

To help us celebrate, Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone will return to the area to perform and party with all of his friends at a show to be scheduled in late August.

The next Tony Mart show will be the last “Concert at the Café” this Friday, May 18th when the talented“Hawkins Road Trio” features “Ernie T” Trionfo, Brian “The Voice” Conover and Jimmy “Old School” Glenn performing from 7 to 10PM.  Please reserve seats as soon as possible as this will be a repeat performance by popular demand (609-653-6069 or Tonymarto@aol.com).  Friends and fans are also invited to celebrate the birthday of Chef Richard Spurlock, a long time friend and member of the Tony Mart Team at the Café this Friday.

On Saturday, May 26th Tony Mart’s celebrates the legacy of Jersey Shore Rock ‘n Roll at the Ocean City Music Pier for the first time ever.  The new series, “Rockin’ the OC Music Pier” will begin with a performance by the 9 piece Sounds of Society Show Band performing a 2 hour tribute to the music of Chicago, one of the most popular Rock ‘n Roll Big Bands in the history of Tony Mart’s.  Go towww.TONYMART.COM for the details of other shows on June 23rd and August 18th as Tony Mart’s will Let the Good Times Roll!  Live!  Saturday Nights at the Ocean City Music Pier.

Nancy Marotta
tonymarto@aol.com





Billy Walton Band from UK to Somers Point


The Billy Walton Band, seen here performing at the Regal Theater in Evesham, Englandin England earlier this year, are a native Jersey Shore band that has developed a good following on the other side of the pond. 

Many thanks for the photos by Ian Cameron

Billy will do double duty at the Trop this coming weekend (May 26) when the Billy Walton Band opens for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and then he plays lead guitar with the Jukes, a double dynamite show.

They also play on accassion, at Tara's in Cookstown, in the Jersey Pines, Breezes in New Gretna and Sweetwater Casino, and will play their annual concert on the Somers Point Beach this year as well as dozens of other gigs at the Shore this summer. 













Photos compliments of bass player William Paris

Latest email:

We want to thank everyone who was so supportive and helpful during our recent UK tour.  17 shows in 19 days was a lot of fun.  We made alot of new friends.  We'll be seeing everyone again.  Major news coming overseas!

Now our gigs are coming in.  Summers right around the corner.  Just picked up a gig in AC at the Trop opening for Southside Johnny!  Billy will lead his band AND play with the Jukes!  See you soon.  Also, don't forget to order our new cd, Crank It Up!

May
18  Cabana's, Cape May NJ
19  Curran's, Palmyra, NJ
24  Breeze's, New Grertna, NJ
26  Tropicana, AC, NJ w/ Southside Johnny
27  Sweetwater Casino, Sweetwater, NJ
31  Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA w/ smokin Brit blues guitarist Matt Schofield!!
Always double check our site & the venue site to confirm!!!!
Thanks - Billy, William, Taz, & Johnny 


Grahame Rhodes wrote:

Billy Walton Band – Crank It Up!
(Mystic Records: MYS CD 208)

From Asbury Park, New Jersey, the Billy Walton Band have been regular visitors to the UK since 2007, and initially toured on the back of their excellent “Neon City” debut album, which blended a hard rock style with some classic home area soul influences from the great Southside Johnny, with whom Billy Walton currently holds down the much-coveted guitar ‘seat’.

This, the band’s third album, following “Live At The Stone Pony”, is again on the rocky side in places, but still with a few lovely soul-tinged tunes . . . . you don’t ‘sit in’ or play with such legends as Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen and Gary US Bonds and not pick up some good habits!

On “Crank It Up!”, apart from Billy Walton on lead guitar and vocals, the band comprises: William Paris (bass), Rich ‘The Taz’ Taskowitz (saxophone) and Johnny D’Angelo (drums) – and what a fine outfit they are. The opening “Deal With The Devil” rides on a nice opening acoustic groove, before giving way to Walton’s gritty vocal and slide guitar and the band kicking in.

The following title cut, “Crank It Up!” is a tough rocker that features Taskowitz’s saxophone, together with some blistering Walton guitar, and at times recalls another of the Jersey Shore’s heroes, Jon Bon Jovi, whom to me, Walton is a lot like vocally at times.

The riffy “Lifeline” has a Stonesy vibe to it with Billy Walton’s choppy guitar work; and next up is the delightful, soulful “The Night The Deal Went Down”, calling up hot summer nights on the Jersey boardwalk, and more great work here from Rich Taskowitz. The soul feel continues on the lovely “Til Tomorrow”, again with a ‘home town’ edge to it and delivered with a fine vocal performance from Walton.

The pace is taken down on “Night Turns Blue”, a ballad of the highest order with some sweet guitar licks and a soaring solo; the funky blues of  “One In A Million” is another highlight, with the saxophone featuring again to fine effect, with Walton’s searing playing. Walton takes us home again on “Summertime Girl”, another tune crafted on the Jersey boardwalk and surely influenced by “The Boss” himself!

The band put the hammer down on the rocking “Hot Blues”, driven by the very good rhythm section of long-time bass player William Paris and in-demand drummer Johnny D’Angelo; with proceedings rounded off with the breakneck rocker, “Black Jack Dealer” . . . with some great piano and also more sterling work from Rich Taskowitz.
Walton is a fine singer and guitarist, with a very capable band, and it’s easy to see how UK audiences have taken to him and the band, and his prowess live has been admirably  captured here in the studio on “Crank It Up!” Definitely an outfit worth checking out, be it live or recorded.
GRAHAME RHODES






Friday, May 11, 2012

2012 Somers Point Beach Concerts





THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOMERS POINT BEACH CONCERTS

With the demise of Bay Shores, Tony Marts and other rock and roll night clubs that featured live entertainment, Somers Point  has kept the music tradition going by presenting free community concerts on the beach every Friday night all summer long.

Now in its 20th year, the 2012 beach concert schedule is better than ever, and includes a good mix of local talent and top flight national recording acts that play a variety of music styles that should please everyone.

Carmen Marotta, son of Tony Marts’ owner Anthony Marotta, and producer for the Beach Concert Committee, said this year’s line is, “Truly Amazing!  It’s unbelievable that a Free Summer Concert Series, in a small town, can present this many international recording artists of headliner stature.”

“We’re doing a lot of extraordinary, exciting things to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of this phenomenal concert series with 14 magical shows on the beautiful Somers Point beach,” Marotta said.

The stars this summer include the a cappella Doo Wop vocals of the renown Persuasions, blues rock guitarist Walter Trout, famous recording artists The Commander Cody Band and harmonica virtuoso Rick Estrin and the Nightcats.

On a few nights the audiences will be entertained by more than one act, some of them jamming together, including the Scott Kirby Band - Margaritaville Radio’s most requested artists, with local legend Lew London, the Persuasions and the Shakes, and Dr. Bobby Fingers with Howard Isaacson and the Hawkins Road Band.  

The series will begin on Friday June 15th with the electric violin led roots rock and blues of the Lionel Young Band, a multiple winner of international blues awards.  

On June 22nd the musical stars of HBO’s Treme, funky, trombone led New Orleans band, Bonerama will make their Somers Point debut with their three trombones playing Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers on the Beach.

Classic rocker Bob Campanell will return for his regular July 4th gig with his band that includes local java fueled guitarist Danny Eyer, and two days later on Friday, July 6th the beach scene will showcase the Jeremiah Hunter Band, a dance party group includes former members of the Soul Survivors (“Expressway to Your Heart”) and Fullhouse, who some will remember from the old nightclub days.       

On Friday, July 6th the Beach Concert Committee will commemorate the 20th  Anniversary Season by honoring Beach Concert Founder, Nick Regine, with a special, well deserved presentation. Nick, who obtained the commitments from the local businesses to start the beach concert series, also founded the Somers Point Jazz Society, which brings great jazz music to the clubs throughout the winter season.

According to Marotta, “We’re going to celebrate our 20th Anniversary with two special ‘double header’ concerts that will begin at 6:45PM on July 20th and July 27th in the heart of our season.”  

On July 20th the internationally renown Persuasions will perform a 75 minute a cappella show followed by a good old Somers Point Rock ‘n Roll Dance party with The Shakes, and on July 27th, pianist Dr. Bobby Fingers and Hawkins Road Band perform a jam concert with guest stars Howard Isaacson and Ernie T’ Trionfo.

Except for the 6:45 starts on July 20 and 27, Somers Point Beach Concerts are presented Friday nights from 7 until 9:30PM.

Jersey Shore guitar hero Billy Walton, from South Side Johnny’s Asbury Jukes, will rock Bay Ave on August 10th, having recently returned from their latest UK tour where they have a strong fan following.

The Midiri Brothers Band will present their world class tribute to Benny Goodman on August 17th, with special guest banjo virtuoso Franny Smith playing his traditional New Orleans musical celebration.

International blues guitarist Walter Trout will perform August 24th, while Jill West and Blues Attack will play on August 31st.

The 2012 Summer Season will close out on September 7th, Good Old Days Weekend, with a musical blessing from Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys.   

For more info, schedules and links to the website of the performing artists, please refer to SomersPointBeachConcerts.com.  

For Press contact call Carmen Marotta at 609-457-1316.
tonymarto@aol.com

2012 20TH ANNIVERSARY BEACH CONCERTS

June 15th - THE LIONEL YOUNG BAND
Multi Blues Award Winning Violinist

June 22nd – BONERAMA
Rockin’ Funky Trombone led Brass Band from New Orleans

June 29th - THE COMMANDER CODY BAND
Country Swing and Rockin’ Boogie Woogie Recording Stars

July 4th - THE BOB CAMPANELL BAND FEATURING DANNY EYER
Jersey Shore Rock ‘n Roll Icon with his favorite lead guitarist

July 6th - JEREMIAH HUNTER BAND
Favorites from The Soul Survivors & Fullhouse

July 13th - RICK ESTRIN & THE NIGHTCATS
World Class Jump, Swing Blues Recording Artists

July 20th - THE PERSUASIONS PLUS THE SHAKES
Legendary Doo Wop Vocal Stars PLUS Motown Party Dance Songs

July 27th - DR. BOBBY FINGERSBAND PLUS HAWKINS ROAD
Popular Sing-a-long songs PLUS The Best Country Rock

August 3rd - SCOTT KIRBY WITH LEW LONDON
One of Margaritaville Radio’s most requested Artists

August 10th - THE BILLY WALTON BAND WITH ARTHUR MIGLIAZZA
Jersey Shore Rock ‘n Roll Hero with New Orleans Piano

August 17th - THE MIDORI BROTHERS BAND FEATURING FRANNY  SMITH 
Swingin’ Tribute to Benny Goodman & New Orleans Favorites

August 24th - WALTER TROUT
International Rockin’ Blues Guitar Headliner

August 31st - JILL WEST AND BLUES ATTACK
Western Pennsylvania’s #1 Party Dance Band

September 7th  - REVEREND RAVEN AND THE CHAIN SMOKIN’ ALTAR BOYS
Rockabilly Swing & Roots Rock ‘n Roll