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

Atlantic City Boardwalk Concerts at Kennedy Plaza 2018

 

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.

 http://www.tonymart.com/live-events.htm

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

SOMERS POINT BEACH CONCERTS 2018

		SOMERS POINT BEACH CONCERTS 2018  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

http://www.tonymart.com/live-events-beach-concerts.htm

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

Josie Kellys Public House

Josie Kellys Public House



At some point in his life every Irishman wants to own his own bar, and for Dermot Lloyd that time has come.

Originally from Limerick, Ireland, Dermot attended college in Birmingham England, where he studied Hospitality and Business Management. He worked in first class hotels and managed the West Gate Pub in Cork, Ireland before being recruited by a group of Irishmen who opened a series of Irish pubs called Ri Ra, a Gaelic saying that loosely translates to "King of Good Times."

After opening new Ri Ra pubs in Atlanta, Charlotte and in Atlantic City at the Trop, he has gone out on his own and is now preparing to open Josie Kelly's Public House in Somers Point.

Jose Kelly's is not a franchise, and is named after Dermot's paternal grandmother, who was from Adare, County Limerick, but she won't be paying the bills or taxes, as only her Irish spirit carries on.

After looking for the right location for a few years and missing a few opportunities, Dermot came upon the shutted Sandi Point, that most people remembrer as Mac's.

Taking it's name from the original owner named Harold Megronigle, - that Dermot says is an Ulster Irish name. The building began as a Clam Bar off the alley until Megronigle opened Mac's in 1924.  But after it was sold to the Previti family, Italians from the Ducktown section of Atlantic City, it became famous for its Italian cusine, but kept the Mac's name for the 60 years they ran the place.

For many years it was one of five - first class five star restaurnats in Somers Point, along with Daniel's (Antolini), Harry's Inn (Buddy Styer) - now Clancy's By the Bay, Chi Chi's (another Previti) and the Crab Trap (the only survivor). Dermot hopes to reestablish that legend.

Dermot and his wife Kathleen, who is from Atlantic City, have two sons - Seamus and Cal, and recently moved into a new house in Linwood where the Previtii family lived, so they feel a spiritual bond with the family that ran the place so successfully for many years.

They liked the big building with a parking lot, large bar room, comfortable dining room, side ballroom for special events, and a small upstairs bar that Dermot will one day convert into a Whiskey lounge. Having been schooled in the history and processing of the strong drink, and acquiring an official Whiskey degree, he knows his stuff.

After the Previti family era ended, Sandi Point was operated by a husband and wife team who had previously managed the first class Smithville Inn. Redecorating the old Mac's with a granite bar and wall to wall carpets and fine dining, they failed to bring the first class clientel back, and closed two years ago.

Since a typical Irish pub doesn't sport a granite bar and wall to wall carpets, they were the first to go as Dermot imagined what he could do to bring the Irish motif to life, and decided on Mahogany bars and to add a few fireplaces.

"At the very heart it's a local bar in a nice neighborhood,"  Dermot says in his thick Irish brogue while taking a break from the redecorating. "It must be relevant to the community, a vibrant place, and I just want to feed into that and fit in."

After having a vacant business next to them for two years, the Gregorys are glad to see the Irish move in, as competition only raises the bar and helps businss. Gregory Gregory says, "The best seasons we've ever had - everyone had a great year."

"I'm not trying to be a Crab Trap or a Gregory's, Charlie's or Anchorge," says Dermot, "I will learn from them to see how they've thrived y the community for so long, and try to fit in among them with my own theme, and work side by side with those guys. I'm going to anchor down, get settled in, and learn how to be a local like them."

According to Dermot, "The elements of an Irish pub is its a place to meet friends, have a drink and something to eat, listen to music and enjoy sports, and I'm sports crazy!"

Although he wanted to be open by late June and have his friends Derick Warfield and the Wolftones open the place, their tour dates now preclude that from happening, but he will be open for the second round of the World Cup football, and will have TVs covering the local sports as well, including baseball, soccer and golf.

"When you walk into an Irish pub," Dermot says, "there's businesmen in suits and ties at a corner table, some men in work clothes at the bar, and some young people meeting to go out on the town for the night, and they all coexist in the same place."

Irish music will be part of the deal, especially during Sundays typical Irish brunch, as everyone whose been to Ireland knows that breakfast is the biggest meal of the day.

"Irish cusine is no longer just meat and potatoes," he says, as Ireland has seen an influx of major Eurpean chefs, and "every time I go back it's improved, adding different elements to what is now Irish cusine."

Having been to an English culinary school himself, and his mother Margarete being a retired culinary school teacher, the motif will be casual but the cusine will be first class. The menu, he says, will be a hybird of American standards and traditional Irish, with hamburgers and sandwiches along with Irish brisket, Shepards pie and stew.

Besides the Irish and Scotch whiskeys, there will be a variety of good beers on tap, Guinness of course, as well as Smithwicks, Harp and Red Ale.

There will be a happy hour on weekdays and afternoon tea will be served from 2-6pm.

Josie Kelly's Public House will not be a seaonsal establishment, when they open in early July they will  stay open all year, as they are in it for the long run.

As they announced themselves on social media with a quote from William Butler Yeats: "There are no strangers here, just friends who haven't met yet."

Atlantic City Concerts - Summer 2018

Top Upcoming Atlantic City Concerts – Summer of 2018

1)     Saturday 14 April – Englebert Humperdinck – Golden Nugget

2)     Saturday 5 May - Paul Anka – Golden Nugget

3)     Saturday 12 May – Jackson Browne – Borgata

4)     Friday 25 May – John Fogerty and ZZ Top – Borgata

5)     Sunday 27 May – Kenny Logins – Borgata

6)     Saturday 2 June – Sir Ringo Starr and His All-Star Band – Borgata

7)     Saturday – 9 June – Three Dog Night – Trump / Righteous Brothers – Borgata

8)     Saturday – 16 June – Boz Scaggs – Trump

9)     Saturday 23 June – Stephen Stills and Judy Collins – Trop

10)  Wednesday 27 June – Bobby Rydell – Caesars

Sunday 15 July – Huey Lewis and the News – Borgat

Thursday 19 July and Friday 20 July and Saturday 21 July - Britney Spears – Borgata

Friday 3 August – Yanni – Borgata

Saturday 4 August – Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper – Boardwalk Hall

 Sunday 2 September – Earth, Wind and Fire – Borgata

Saturday 15 September – Jefferson Starship – Tropicana

Dreaming of George McGonigle

I had a dream that I went to Gregory's bar in Somers Point and George McGonigle was bartending and I took a selfie photo of him with my camera.

And then I found this among my old photos, I think my brother Leo took this in the late 1970s

Dreamin' of you George, you old rascal.

Herb "Bubba Mac" Birch RIP

Herb "Bubba Mac" Birch - RIP



Herb "Bubba Mac" and Carmen Marotta
Two Jersey Shore Music Heavyweights

By William Kelly

It was at the Tony Marts All-Stars concert on the Somers Point beach last summer (2016) when I was approached by a hesitant young kid who asked me if I was Bubba Mac.

"No," I said to the clearly disappointed kid, "but if you follow me I'll introduce you to The Man himself," and his face lit up and he followed me to the stage where Bubba was standing with Carmen Marotta, son of the legendary Tony Mart and primary promoter of the Point beach concert series, now in its 25th season.

While I somewhat resemble Herb Birch with now white hair and beard and we are about the same height, he was older, wiser and richer than me by a long shot.

We shook hands and he gave me a big biker hug and I said hello to Carmen and Herb's son Mac, and then introduced him to the kid who wanted to meet Bubba Mac.

Herb didn't look too good, as he was on oxygen, but played his guitar and sang in his distinctive voice and put on a great show with the other Tony Marts All Stars.

So it was with much dismay that I learned of his recent death.

In retrospect - I recall when he first came to town in the late 1990s, buying a house in Ocean City and frequenting the Point, looking to put a band together.

Having sold his Maryland medical services company for millions, he had deep pockets and money to spend.

First he put a band together - one with a blues bent that consisted of him and his good friend Ritchie Baker on guitars, and brought in the best local talent money could buy - including guitarist Danny Eyer, Lew  London on fiddle, Chris Sooy on piano, and rounded it out with Charlie Winters on harp and vocalist Terri Showers.

Then he needed a place to play, and sat down with Randy Scarborough, whose bar/restaurant was up for lease. Randy's father had pretty much built Cherry Hill as a suburb of Camden, and Randy, being a racing sailor, bought the bayside land at the north end of Bay Avenue, erecting upscale townhouses that came with boat slips. He also built a large restaurant, got a liquor license and leased it out to the son of the president of an Atlantic City casino they called Markers - as in ship markers.

It was an upscale carpet joint in a shot and beer drinking town with a fishing problem, and it served the people with money - no riff raff. But after five years, someone new tried something different - a Friday's type place that didn't work for long. But Bubba had his own ideas and Randy handed the keys over to him in 2000and Herb opened the Bubba Mac Shack - a mid-scale barbecue and beer joint with live music - featuring The Bubba Mac Blues Band. And the Riff Raff were welcome.

Somers Point hadn't seen such a big place since Bay Shores and Tony Marts bit the dust in the late 1980s. With two stages - the first up front in the main bar, and he built a new large wood stage out back that had a dance floor and balcony, the Shack had four bars - one outside overlooking the bayside boat slips - and you could arrive by boat as transient slips led right to the bar.

Besides his own really terrific band - CDs are still available, Herb hooked up with Carmen Marotta and Jerry Blavat - the Geater with the Heater - the Boss with the Hot Sauce, who spun the oldies but goodies on dance night. Carmen introduced Herb to a lot of great talent that played the Shack's main stage over the years - blues harp man the late great James Cotton, Hubert Simkin - Howlin' Wolf's legendary guitarist, drummer Levon Helm from The Band and Bill Haley's Original Comets, who made a Labor Day weekend performance a regular gig for years.

Sunday afternoons were particularly popular as Herb gave the main stage to local talent Jackie Major, whose band was solid and visiting guests really jammed.

Herb "Bubba Mac" Birch brought a rush of fresh air to the Point and brought back the great music the  town was know for in its heyday glory years, something no one believed would happen.

Now I don't know what happened, but from what I understand, it was the neighbor's complaints that did the Shack in, as some of the people who lived nearby didn't appreciate the music or noise that came out of the Shack until two in the morning - something the Point was known for. You don't buy a house next to an airport and complain about the planes.

So Randy, shortly before he died, let Herb finish out his lease and then sold off the liquor license and tore the building down - a parting shot if ever there was one.

But Herb kept the band together, opened another Bubba Mac Shack on the Ocean City boardwalk, and kept plugging the blues - sponsoring a fantastic two day Blues Fest at the big baseball field - Bernie Robbins Stadium in Atlantic City - the last time I saw Woody and the late Carol Stone - founders of the Cape May Jazz Festival.

And now Herb - Bubba Mac Birch is gone too, leaving us with his big smile and a lot of great memories of the music he brought to town - the Music Man.





Bubba Mac and Jerry Blavat - TGWTH-TBWTHS



Levon Helm on drums and Bubba at the Mic at the Old Shack






Bruce Aydelotte's photos of Levon at the Shack - Circa 2001