As you'd probably expect in mid July, the weather was pretty hot, with temperatures skirting the 90 degree mark. But, faced with a decision whether to attend, or go up to the Berkshire Geobash, a "mega event" held in Massachusetts to celebrate my other love, geocaching (which I picked over the WNTI event last year), I decided on the music this year.
I arrived sometime around 1:30, at which time, the lead-off Saturday act, Bubba Grouch was playing. From what I saw of them, they are a good rock band, with some blues and soul influences, and they played their heart out. These guys hail from Northern New Jersey, and are described as "rock with a southern twang". Not bad at all for beginners.
The schedule was running 15 to 20 minutes late, but after the Grouches, the action turned to the Café Stage with alternative folk artist Zack Russack from Hackettstown NJ played. Russack has a lot of talent.
The first real thrill of the festival, however, was the next band on the main stage, The Grip Weeds. They hail from Highland Park, NJ, but based on their stage props--The British Union Jack flags and some hippie-era "flower power" posters, their music was rooted in the 1960's, and early 70's as a power pop and rock hybrid. The band has several albums out, and the first few numbers really displayed their soul-inspired rock. If you're into digging deeper musically, they are a good band to check out. This week, I added the song "Rainbow Quartz" from their most recent album How I Won The War; it appears as a Tremor this week. The band has been around since 1988 and as played some national festivals such as South By Southwest (SXSW).
I had left the Grip Weeds set to get a good seat for the next performer on the Café Stage, Paul Czekaj. I was talking to him earlier, and he was a bit nervous regarding his performance, but I told him there was no reason to be. Paul, a friend of mine, is from Flanders and has written many songs centering on his home state. He has released three albums to date, with the most recent, the just-released Gallimaufry.
Paul, who performs regularly at Bells Mansion in Stanhope, doing mostly a repertoire of songs from the 1950's and 60's, said that he had to brush up on his original material as he hadn't performed them in a while. Put he need not be concerned. Introduced as "Mr. New Jersey", Paul played much of the songs that readers of my blog and Facebook timeline are familiar with. His "classics' "My Home New Jersey", and his current #2 song "That Old New Jersey". He introduced his latest single "A Place I Once Called Home", which I will add in the next few weeks, as well his 2013 summertime anthem "At the Beach". He also played other songs from his new album, including "I'll Find a Way" and "I Miss You", as well as the recent single "Up In the Sky". He offered some stories before each song, and is a consummate performer.
Although many tavern and pub owners demand that their artists play cover material, Paul should seek out some places that allow him to perform his originals as well. Great job, Paul.
Back to the main stage, where jam band Steel Gravy took the stage. If you're a fan of the Grateful Dead and similar bands, you will love Steel Gravy, as they played many Dead songs, along with those by Steve Earle, NRBQ and others.
Kirsten Maxwell, a singer/songwriter from Huntington NY, delivered a top notch acoustic set back at the Café Stage.
My favorite band on the Main Stage today, however was The Doughboys, a quartet from Plainfield, NJ. I loved their music, but I learned that they were original together from the 1960's! From 1965 to '68 they released singles and were definitely a part of the local, North Jersey scene. One of their singles was written by Four Season Bob Gaudio. They didn't achieve the heights of say, The Rascals, or even the Critters (several released singles didn't chart), but they had some cool stories to tell. They had performed in shows sponsored by one of the Top 40 powerhouses of the era, WMCA, with artists such as the Fifth Dimension, Neil Diamond, The Syndicate of Sound (of "Little Girl" fame), and The Music Explosion (with their big hit "Little Bit O' Soul"). They also opened for the Long Island band The Hassles, which featured a young Billy Joel. They also opened a show for The Buckinghams and The Beach Boys. One story was that they forgot to bring a floor tom to their show, and after the Buckinghams refused to lend theirs, they got one from the Beach Boys. But when drummer Myke Scavone started riding it like a horse, Beach Boy Dennis Wilson came on stage, tackled him and a fight ensured as the concert was going on!!
The band pursued other interested after their late 60's breakup (Scavone, for example, fronted Ram Jam, known for their 1977 hit "Black Betty"), but reformed in 2001, and have released four albums since, including last year's Hot Beat Stew. Their music that they performed this afternoon still has that sixties-inspired groove, but their music does fit in with the rock music of today. Like The Grip Weeds, I add a song from their recent endeavor "For Your Love". A catchy peach of rock, for sure. The song also debuts in Tremors, with an SNS 100 debut imminent next week.
Dave Greico, a singer/songwriter was next on the Café Stage, followed on the main stage by Garland Jeffreys. The only performer tonight to make the Billboard Hot 100 (his cover of Question Mark and the Mysterians' "96 Years", which also got MTV and album rock airplay), he has a long and varied career, and aside from that cover, he is also known for his 1973 song "Wild in the Streets". He is very versatile, playing anything from reggae to blues, soul and Americana music, and is still active today. A great set from him.
But for me, the other "highlight" from the Café Stage was the other reason why I chose to attend this instead of the Geobash: The Above Ground Blues Band. The only band to take that stage today, it marked the first time I saw my old friend, bassist Tom Sterno, whom I used to work with back in the late 1980's and early 90's. After catching up a bit, I sat back and watched his band go wild, with a fusion of blues, jazz, rock and anything else you could throw in there. They guys looked and sounded like they were having a blast. The band, fronted by lead singer Carol Fredericks, who was the consummate female lead (move over Brittany Howard!), played many covers and some originals. They rocked "Shakey Ground", a 1974 song by the Temptations, just as an example.
The band is based in Somerville, NJ, and usually plays gigs in that general area. They are a must see, as they got much of the crowd that assembled for the Main Stage over to the Café Stage and were dancing and joining in on the fun. Tom Sterno had played solo, during the first WNTI stage, on that Saturday, but alas I came on Sunday. This one was worth the wait! I also hear that they will start recording an album this fall. If it captures even some of the excitement of their shows, this will be a must hear.
At this point, I had to get ready to leave, but not without hearing the evening's headliner on the Main Stage, Los Straitjackets. A surf-rock quartet formed in 1988, they were much sought after for this festival, and after a few years, thanks to last year's headliners The Smithereens, they were able to snag them this year. If you want a timeless instrumental romp with twang guitars, then it's these guys who play in Mexican wresting masks.
All in all, I felt I made the right decision to come today. Not only did I get to see two friends play--Sterno and Czekaj, but two of my good friends, Gene and Val, joined me for a few hours to just kick back with some beers, and enjoy the ambience that the music creates.
STILL PEPPERED: Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dark Necessities" still holds at #1 for a second week. Paul Czekaj's "That Old New Jersey" jumps to number two, his highest position since "At the Beach" reigned for six weeks at the top in 2013. Kaleo drops a notch to #3, while Us Commoners advance to #4 with "The Hot Spot". There are four new entries in the top 20, including the third single from Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweat's debut; Pink's fifth SNS top 20, "Just Like Fire", Awolnation's second top 20, "Woman Woman"; and finally Adele's 11th consecutive top 20 song here, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)".
Coin, who last year reached #6 with "Run", lead the list of rather low debuts, with their latest "Talk Too Much". Phantogram, who hit #7 in 2011 with "Don't Move", also enter with "You Don't Get Me High Anymore". Newcomers Amos Lee and DMA's also debut, with the two aforementioned WNTI bands, plus Katy Perry's new one are among the Tremors this week.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
July 17,
2016
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | NUMBER ONE:
"Dark Necessities"
Album: The Getaway
(2 weeks at #1)
|
8 |
| 2 | 4 | Paul Czekaj - That Old New Jersey | 6 |
| 3 | 2 | Kaleo - Way Down We Go | 17 |
| 4 | 5 | Us Commoners - The Hot Spot | 6 |
| 5 | 3 | Fitz and the Tantrums - HandClap● | 13 |
| 6 | 7 | Trent Harmon - Falling | 10 |
| 7 | 9 | The Heavy - Since You Been Gone | 11 |
| 8 | 12 | Cage the Elephant - Trouble | 7 |
| 9 | 10 | Ray Lamontagne - Hey No Pressure | 16 |
| 10 | 6 | Rachel Allyn - Next Year's Girl | 11 |
| 11 | 14 | Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - No Love Like Yours | 13 |
| 12 | 18 | The Revivalists - Wish I Knew You | 8 |
| 13 | 8 | Smash Palace - My Mistake● | 15 |
| 14 | 22 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEKL
"I Need Never Get Old"
Album: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
|
10 |
| 15 | 24 | Pink - Just Like Fire | 5 |
| 16 | 11 | The Parlor - The Surgeon's Knife | 16 |
| 17 | 17 | Collective Soul - Contagious | 11 |
| 18 | 13 | Garbage - Empty | 9 |
| 19 | 26 | Awolnation - Woman Woman | 10 |
| 20 | 27 | Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover) | 6 |
Tremors:
| 101 | The Doughboys - For Your Love | ||
| 102 | The Grip Weeds - Rainbow Quartz | ||
| 103 | Katy Perry - Rise | ||
| 104 | 888 - Critical Mistakes | ||
| 105 | 102 | Glass Animals - Life Itself | 1 |
| 106 | Bastille - Good Grief |
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more
plays on my iPod.
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