FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
1. AN EXCLUSIVE Q&A WITH JOE GRUSHECKY
2. JERSEY JAMS, JERSEY CARES SUMMER ARTS CARNIVAL
3. GUIDED BY VOICES BRINGS UNIVERSAL TRUTH TO ASBURY PARK
4. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This Week at The Stone Pony: Guided By Voices (Friday), Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers (Saturday)
New on The Stone Pony Calendar: Ekoostik Hookah (July 27), Marah (July 28), Cracker (August 6), Highway 9 Homecoming Party (August 10), Gary U.S. Bonds (August 17).
Supporting his first solo CD Fingerprints, Joe Grushecky brings his full band, The Houserockers, for a return appearance at The Stone Pony on Saturday, July 13th. The Houserockers will be headlining a stellar show, which includes "supporting" acts, The Bobby Bandiera Band and La Bamba's Big Band. Fingerprints, which was released in March on Schoolhouse Records, isn't a sign that Grushecky is going solo, just another creative outlet for a prolific songwriter and performer and The Stone Pony's most popular import from the Pittsburgh music scene. The newsletter had the opportunity to ask Joe a few questions about his latest solo effort, his first contribution to a major motion picture and making the Houserockers a family affair.
The Stone Pony: Your latest CD release is “Fingerprints”, considered your first solo record. Is there a difference in the style or substance of this album from your recordings with the Houserockers? Is there a side of yourself musically that you’re able to express on a CD billed as a solo effort, rather than as a full band? Will “Fingerprints” songs be integrated into Houserockers sets, or do you plan to play solo shows to showcase them?
Joe Grushecky: There are a lot of different types of recordings that I want to do. A solo project was one of them. It just seemed like the right time. The songs are a diverse mix and there are several that don't fit the band. I am still a Houserocker. We do a lot of the new songs in our set. I am doing a few acoustic shows this summer. I will play solo at the Tin Angel in Philly on Thursday before the Pony show.
The Stone Pony: Your son, Johnny, makes his recording debut on “Fingerprints”, providing drums on the song “Talk is Cheap”, a track which has been described as a radical departure from the other music on the disc. What were your feelings, as a father, being able to work in the studio with your son, and collaborate on the song? Are there any plans for Johnny to perform at your live gigs or participate in future recordings?
JG: Johnny brought a lot to this project. Watching him get excited about playing made me reconnect to why I started playing in the first place. For the love of it!! He plays both drums and guitar with us and it is a really special part of the show for me.
The Stone Pony: A great songwriter is able to draw upon life experience when writing. In addition to your own life, your “real job” as a teacher must give you an insight into the lives of the children you work with, resulting in some of the recurring themes in your music. Does being a songwriter, with an obvious talent for expression and self-reflection, help you to relate to your students and understand what they are going through while growing up?
JG: As a teacher, I work with kids who are extremely needy. Some of them have suffered through a lot. It's a harder world now then when I grew up and today's music reflects that.
The Stone Pony: Speaking of your students, does being a cool, rock and roll star impress them at all? Does the fact that you play music, make records, and have famous friends, give you more credibility with your students, and do you ever use your music to try to reach individual students on a personal level?
JG: Music is a great communicator. I always have a guitar handy in the classroom. Some of the kids love it; others could care less.
The Stone Pony: You’ve played many times at The Stone Pony, including the inaugural “Light of Day” concert two years ago. Do you remember the first time you were booked at and play the Pony stage?
JG: I believe my first gig at the Pony wasn't until 95; although I could be wrong about that. I'd been there many times to see other bands. It's a great club, one of the last real rock and roll bars. The Pony is a special place to play.
The Stone Pony: Regarding Light of Day, the first two annual concerts, held at The Stone Pony and Tradewinds, were both successful events that brought together a great selection of musicians to benefit The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF). Can you share your thoughts about these two shows, which raised over $65,000 for the PDF, and describe how you became involved with the cause? Are there any plans for this year’s “Light of Day” event that you can share with our readers?
JG: Bob Benjamin, my dear friend and manager, has Parkinson's, so it's a cause that is near and dear to my heart. I hope to do another benefit. It's one of the year's best shows.
The Stone Pony: One of your songs, "I'm Selling Out but Nobody's Buying", is going to be featured on the soundtrack for Disney’s “The Country Bears”, being released in July. How did this project come about and do you know yet how it will be used in the film? Is there any irony to the title of the song (especially in a Disney film), that after twenty years of performing, you might like the opportunity to “sell out” yourself and reap a larger monetary reward from your work?
JG: I did all I could for integrity, now I need some dough re mi. The title says it all. I just got lucky getting in the film.
The Stone Pony: Being included on movie soundtracks has become a very popular among musicians these days and some artists have made entire careers writing music for film. Do you consider your participation in “The Country Bears” a one-shot deal, or are you interested in future opportunities to present your music in other forums? What is your opinion of musicians who actively promote their music for use in TV commercials or more mass-media outlets as a means of selling their albums?
JG: I'd love to do more movies. It's so hard for artists to get their music exposed these days, and anything that helps the little guy or underdogs, I'm all for. Some of the superstars certainly don't need to do it, though.
The Stone Pony: Throughout your career, you’ve been known as a prolific songwriter. Do you have notebooks filled with song lyrics? Is your lyrical writing process more structured, where you’ll sit to write a song, or do you just takes bits and pieces that you write and put them together to a piece of music? Do you feel that being so closely identified as a songwriter takes away some attention from your guitar-playing and performing?
JG: I have a lot of lyrics and ideas on notebooks and scraps or paper/lying around everywhere! I drive my wife nuts with them. I write in streaks and find that I am more prolific when working on a project. There is no set process to writing for me. Sometimes the music comes first. Sometimes the lyrics. It's the best when they both just seem to appear in your brain at the same time. I am probably a better songwriter than anything else. I love a good song. I'm a song and dance man when you get right down to it and playing with a band is icing on the cake.
The Stone Pony: On July 13th, the Houserockers will be sharing the Stone Pony Summer Stage with the Bobby Bandiera Band, followed by La Bamba’s Big Band inside the Pony at night. Not a bad line-up by any measure! What are your expectations for that day at the club, and what can fans look forward to spending a few hours with yourself, Bobby and La Bamba?
JG: Sounds like a great night on the Jersey shore to me!!
Absolutely! Gates open at 6 pm on July 13th. The evening will start off with the Houserockers and the Bobby Bandiera Band on the outside Pony Summer Stage, and the evening will cap off with La Bamba's Big Band inside the Pony at night. Fans can check out more about Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, as well as purchase Fingerprints, or any of the Houserockers CDs, at his official web site, www.grushecky.com.
Now at asburypark.net:
Council amending noise ordinance
The City Council has introduced an ordinance which would allow downtown entertainment-oriented businesses to
play live and recorded music until midnight.
The Stone Pony is proud to host the Jersey Jams, Jersey Cares Summer Arts Carnival on Sunday afternoon, July 21st. The Carnival, put together in support of the Jersey Jams Fund, will bring together music, barbeque, fun and games for families who spend the day on Ocean Avenue. The Jersey Jams Fund, a fiduciary fund of Bergen County’s United Way, was put together to raise money to provide music scholarships and other assistance to families affected by September 11th. In addition to a series of shows at venues throughout New Jersey, the Jersey Jams Fund produced the Jersey Jams, Jersey Cares CD, a compilation of original music and contributions from fifteen of area's finest musicians. Performers who have contributed to the Jersey Jams effort and will be performing on July 21st, include Ta-Ta, Chris Dargis, Frosty, Chrisie Santonie & New Family, Kathy Phillips, deSol, Danny White, Matt Angus Thing and Matt Witte's New Blood Revival. In addition to the performances, which will take place both outside and on the legendary Pony stage, there will be workshops on rap, cartooning, DJing, concert photography, songwriting, fiddle versus violin and Latin music. The Children's Community Art Project will also run on the Pony stage from 3:30pm to 6:30 pm. Throughout the day, attendees will also be treated to balloon art and face painting from Gitsy the Rainboy Lady, as well as spin art, sno cones and cotton candy. Not only is this event a great opportunity to support a great cause and hear some of the top local talent, but parents have a rare opportunity to be able to bring their kids to the Jersey shore and introduce them to one of rock's most famous clubs (hey, get them started young, right?) As an added bonus, kids under 16 are free if accompanied by a parent. Merchandise will be available for sale, include the Jersey Jams, Jersey Cares CD, so fans can pick up a copy while enjoying the afternoon to listen to on the ride home. Doors open at 3 pm and the carnival will run through 10 pm, concluding with Matt Witte's NBR performing inside the club. Learn more about the Jersey Jams Fund by visiting their web site at www.jerseyjamsfund.org.
Have your party at the Pony!
The Stone Pony is the perfect place for your party. We can accommodate six or 600, or anywhere
in between. We can arrange for entertainment as well. Call 732-502-0600 Ext. 12.
There are certain bands that can automatically make a record collection cool. Since the release of their first LP, Devil Between My Toes (Schwa), in 1987, Guided By Voices has gained a cult status without falling into the same traps that often beset bands who gain underground success. Part of this success reflects the band's attitude that they are not a niche, alternative act catering to a small following, but a solid and important rock band that could turn a stadium on its ear if given the opportunity. Trying to define the sound fans will experience at the GbV show at The Stone Pony on Friday evening, July 12th would probably prove to be misleading. While most of the songs will probably come from the band's latest CD, Universal Truths and Cycles (Matador Records), released in June, singer/songwriter Bob Pollard has proven adept at writing solid rock songs, radio pop hits and the perfect under-one-minute punk gem over a generation of band line-ups, record labels and musical evolution. Classic GbV records as Bee Thousand (Matador) and Under the Bushes Under the Stars (Matador) have caused critics and fans to compare GvB to anyone from lo-fi versions of the Beatles and the Who, to indie legends like Pavement and the Pixies. The latest trend is to credit GvB as the forefathers of current wonderbands The Strokes and The White Stripes. On top of all of the wonderful sounds are inventive, challenging and thoroughly original lyrics that can be unsettling, but always worth another listen. All of the influences, styles and sheer volume of material produced by Guided By Voices makes them a band that has to be judged for oneself. Lucky fans at The Stone Pony will be able to do so when the band headlines with Superdrag at the club on July 12th. For tons of great information about the band, check out their official web site at www.gbv.com
Thursday Nights. Bounce Thursday: The Ultimate Dance Party with DJ Matrix and MC BJ, 20-oz. $1 drafts and $1 tube shots all night long, ladies free until 11, $5 with Monmouth University ID, 18 & up for everyone with two forms of ID, doors at 9:30.
