Local music is thriving in central New Jersey. Local musicians and venues, however, are not. If you’re a fan of live music, which is highly likely if you happened upon this article, then please indulge this brief PSA. Your local scene needs the support of your wallet and not just your social media account. Buy artists’ merch and use their tip jars, virtual or otherwise. Support your local venues by stopping by your favorite for a cheeseburger or buying a t-shirt on their website. Make a pledge to NIVA or the Freak’s Action Network’s Musician’s Relief Fund. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
I almost feel like my livemusic life returned to normal this week. Here’s the week in review …
2021/1/27 Kevin Hill, Mike Jaskewicz, & Bob Scholz @ Jamian’s, Red Bank, NJ
A prodigious talent with a predilection for the funk, Kevin Hill is driven by an insatiable desire both to create and to collaborate. This past Wednesday at Jamian’s in Red Bank, Kevin called upon fellow guitarist Mike Jaskewicz and bassist Bob Scholz to round out the trio that blew my mind for this midweek gem. The obvious synergy between these men belied the fact that they were playing together for just the first time. They shot the moon and their willingness to take chances and go for broke paid off hand over fist, far outweighing the few mistakes that came as a result of betting big. Mike Jaskewicz’ career of late is the very image of what it looks like to bet on oneself. Mike has broken free of his comfort zone with the recent release of his first album, and with a second soon on the horizon, I have to believe that the rest of the world is soon to discover our local jamily’s well guarded secret. And then there’s Bob Scholz, understated but brimming with confidence, the very definition of smooth, holding it all together on his teal five-string bass.
Sometimes it’s dangerous to have high expectations. Other times they’re both met and exceeded. Such was the case on Wednesday. A glorious set of familiar tunes opened with a unique spin on “Jesus Left Chicago”, played neither in the style of originator ZZ Top nor frequent adapter Phish, but rather with the unique approach that I’ve come to know as exclusively Kevin Hill’s. When an old favorite becomes overplayed it has a tendency to become mundane, but Hill has a knack for taking the familiar and turning it on its head, reinvigorating and breathing new life into songs along the way. That’s what he did with ZZ Top’s classic and he kept doing it with the rest of the Grateful Dead covers that were scattered about the set. From what little I’ve seen of Hill, providing a high fun quotient is priority number one. Want proof? Check out this video of this first set standout, a cover of the 1995 hit “Waterfalls” by TLC that had the thirty or so of us in attendance really straining against the no dancing policy.
The second set opened with a thirty minute segment that went as follows: Dark Star > Don’t Let Go > Walk Like An Egyptian > Statesboro Blues > Don’t Let Go > Ain’t No Sunshine. For the uninitiated, that’s Grateful Dead > Jesse Stone (popularized by Jerry Lee Lewis and later on the JGB) > The Bangles > The Allman Brothers > Bill Withers. To be honest, I can’t really think of a better way to spend thirty minutes. With soft acoustic solos and a perfectly toned electric bass, “Crazy Fingers” followed before a ridiculous “Rapper’s Delight” medley saw the trio take flight. I mean, I’ve never seen an acoustic jamband version of this song with improvised lyrics and I’m betting you haven’t either, but then Erez Lirov materialized with a trumpet – wait, what?!? – paying homage to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious” before the medley culminated with a Secret Sound original that was quite literally written on the spot by Hill. Jaskewicz, not one to be outdone, replied in kind with an improvisational ode to shrimp and grits that’s quote worthy, “I like chicken, and I like tits, but nothing makes me happier than some shrimp and grits!”
I can never get enough “Iko Iko” and “Jack Straw” ripped before Hill took the stage solo for a lovely original. Jaskewicz’ title track “Crooked Tree” saw Amy Jones say fuck it to the no dancing policy before a “China Cat” > “Thank You” put a bow on what was a perfect and intimate night of local music. The Jersey shore is really blessed to have such talented musicians who live to lay it on the line and take us to our happy place night in and night out.
I don’t have a proper setlist, but it goes something like this …
Set One: Jesus Left Chicago, ?, Call Me The Breeze, Big Railroad Blues, Althea, What Am I*, Waterfalls, China Doll, Give Up The Funk, Cumberland Blues
Set Two: Dark Star > Don’t Let Go > Walk Like An Egyptian > Statesboro Blues > Don’t Let Go > Ain’t No Sunshine, Crazy Fingers, Rapper’s Delight Medley%, Shrimp & Grits#, Iko Iko > Jack Straw > Hill solo original > Help On The Way^, Crooked Tree*, China Cat Sunflower > Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
* Jaskewicz original
% w/ Erez Lirov on trumpet, a Superstitious jam, and a Hill improv original written on the spot for Asbury Park
# Jaskewicz improv
^ guitar duo with Mike and Kevin
2021/1/29 Pete Tonti Band @ The Lanes at Sea Girt, Sea Girt, NJ
Much to my delight, Pete Tonti has figured heavily in my live music life these past few months. It’s a pretty simple formula really. Super talented dudes spreading good vibes through music. Then, if you’re lucky enough to get to know the young men behind the instruments, those vibes are amplified tenfold by both the kindness and generosity that marks their personalities. Throw in the loving and all inclusive community that gathers to see their shows and for those of us who are always seeking, have I not just described the pot of gold on the other side of the rainbow???
I’ve seen Pete and his band a lot lately and in various configurations – Trio, Quartet, with various guests, and with *most of* The Band – but this is my first time seeing the *full* band. Perhaps my expectations were skewed by the acoustic nature of previous shows, but when a full electric band took the stage for what ended up being an instant sellout of just their fifth show ever, I was instantly freed of all prior thought and buckled up for the ride. I mean, I was just amped up to dance without being confined to a table but this was something else entirely. “When you are free of expectations, you are free to enjoy things for what they are instead of what you think they should be.” Well, this is what happened: an up and coming local band exploded onto the scene with a monster show of largely original songs for their first ever headlining sellout. I’m grateful to have been in the room.
This was a big show for the Pete Tonti Band. They knew it and we knew it. And the fact that they opened with a trio of originals was a declarative statement of their vision for the future. Mike Jaskwewicz, who had a rare turn in the audience, had this to say, “You know I gotta be honest, seeing them last night, the bond and camaraderie they have onstage and the trust, they’re all fearless because they have each other’s back and they all believe in the same dream.” I felt every ounce of that. Opening with twelve minute rocker, “Dove”, Tonti displayed early and often why the band bears his namesake. But don’t let that distract you from the talent of his bandmates, especially co-guitarist Brian Abrecht. Sometimes it’s hard to notice the guitarist next to *the guitarist*, but Abrecht had my well-deserved attention all night. Complimentary when he needed to be and stealing the show when it was his turn, his performance was nothing short of WOW. “Everytime”filled the two-slot, a concise tune with bluesy undertones that showcases the full power of the PTB, not least of all the red Nord played by keyboardist Kevin Cooper.
“Chalkdust Torture” was the evening’s first cover folllowed shortly by Abrecht’s first vocals on a fiery version of Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright” and then a buttery smooth segue into Jerry Garcia’s “That’s What Love Will Make You Do”. “Tuesdays Are Rough” had me fooled into thinking it may have been “Wharf Rat” before the Tonti original took off as Pete worked the hell out his pedals. He then made a short jump to the electric piano for “Puddles”, an original song that he introduced as being about depression. If the first third of the song musically underscored the melancholy about which it was written, then the latter two-thirds seemed designed to raise you from the despondency of the former. Quite a tune, really. Bob Scholz plays noticeably but that’s not to say that he steals the spotlight. Quite the contrary actually, he’s just consistently awesome and understated. But if you dare give him your attention, don’t be surprised if it’s five or ten minutes before you remember that there’s a band around him. Every now and again, however, his number is called, just as it was for this set closing medley that saw him he took off his hat and literally let his hair down. If this doesn’t take you right to your happy place then nothing will.
A ridiculous first set that felt like a coming out party featuring just the right amount of originals and tasty covers, there was even a proper dose of setbreak music as Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac serenaded me from the PA while my heart rate settled. Everything about this night was the real deal so there wasn’t an ounce of surprise when Pete and company exploded out of halftime with an emphatic cover of Goose’s “Hot Tea” that had the house bumping hard. Fifteen minutes of pure badassery that saw me completely sweat through my shirt for the first time since last I saw, well, Goose.
The rest of the set followed in similar fashion. “Fog and Fire” had a bluegrass feel, Pete’s guitar sounding more like a fiddle with the feel and tempo of Ricky Skaggs’ “Uncle Pen”. This next segment was affectionately termed “No Friction” jam in my mind, so called for the sock-footed dancing that I was doing on the smooth bowling alley floor. Next time I’m bringing powder, too, but I digress. I was nothing short of delighted to learn that this otherworldy jam was actually a sequence of originals called “Time Fade” > “Trance Jam” > “Time Fade”. Really, it was perfect. Watch Bob Scholz go off and don’t leave before the “Hot Teaprise”.
I’m telling you there was a “Wharf Rat” floating around earlier in the first set and it finally surfaced as the bread on a Pink Floyd “Breathe In The Air” jam-wich. Rush’ “Spirit Of Radio” teased the intro to a hard-rocking cover of “Phil’s Farm”. \mm/ … woot. I mean, is there another band in the world covering both UM and Goose??? I think not. Oh yeah, and Jon Crow’s impromptu drum solo cuz Abrecht had to pee … lol. Damn, these guys are locked in. “Feeling Upside Down” put an exclamation point on a perfect night and a great fucking show. There are a ton of bands playing Grateful Dead heavy cover sets and they’re a dime a dozen. But this was not that. With a heavy emphasis on top shelf originals that highlight the range and talent of the Pete Tonti Band, I had all the feels from start to finish. And we weren’t even done because if Jaco Pastorious’ “The Chicken” is in your wheelhouse, then why not just sneak one in before curfew for good measure.
A real throwback night of dancing and laughing and sweaty masked hugs, big ups to The PTB and The Lanes at Sea Girt for keeping live music alive.
19,584 steps. BOOM!
Setlist …
Set One: Blind Dove*, Everytime*, Cold*, Chalkdust Torture, When You’re Something*, Feelin’ Alright > That’s What Love Will Make You Do, Tuesdays Are Rough*, Puddles*^, Whipping Post > The Eleven > La Fiesta > Whipping Post
Set Two:Hot Tea > Fog and Fire*, Time Fade* > Trance Jam* > Time Fade (reprise)*, Wharf Rat > Breathe In The Air > Wharf Rat, Phil’s Farm+, Feeling Upside Down*%
Encore: The Chicken
*original song
^Pete on keys
+w/King Of The Hill theme and “Spirit Of Radio” (Rush) teases
%w/“I Wonder Why” (Dion and the Belmonts) acapella tease
Shoutout to Tony Plisko at BT Sound & Imagery for the amazing cover photo along with this incredible gallery of pics.
2021/1/29 Late Night Jams with Kevin & A Pack of Dogs, ???, NJ
Fresh on the heels of an almost 20,000 step dance fest, I had myself an old school double. Just the first double since mid-September when I saw Cosmic at Woodbridge HS then Dogs In a Pile at Snipe’s Farm, and only the second since an old school NYC triple on January 2 of last year that featured Will Shore and Kenny Wolleson in a salt cave, Gyan Riley’s Elixir at Barbes, and Wayne Krantz with James Genus and Josh Dion at 55 Bar. Ah, the good old days.
Until I get permission to write about this, for now I’ll just say, um, holyfuckingshit. Yeah, that about covers the nearly two hours of intimate jams with different configurations and collaborations of legitimately world class musicians switching instruments and getting out of their comfort zones. A little improv and a lot of Grateful Dead with a fair dose of funk, I fear that I lack sufficient vocabulary to bring you up to speed on this. One day I’ll unlock the video vault and share some more words. Until then, hang tight. Hopefully I’ll be back sooner than later.
6,359 undisclosed steps.
Jerzee ftw.