FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
1. THE STONE PONY INTERVIEW WITH BAD MEDICINE
2. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
3. STONE PONY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS
This Week at The Stone Pony: Bad Medicine (The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute) (Friday), Hookah Brown (featuring Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes) (Saturday)
New on The Stone Pony Calendar:
T.M. Stevens (February 1),
Duncan Sheik (February 21)
It takes a lot to stand out in the New Jersey cover band scene. Lots of acts scope the top 40 charts to pull out a few easy marks to heat up an audience. Some go as far as to form tribute bands, trying to create the magic achieved by the mega-stars of the rock world. Bad Medicine, the Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute, has earned their right to play the Pony stage, a legendary platform for original music, by not only being accomplished and capable musicians in their own right, but by reaching the top of the tribute heap. A Bad Medicine show goes beyond the songs, styles and sights of a Bon Jovi performance. They manage to capture, somehow, that intangible quality that made their inspirations international superstars, millions of albums later. Think you know what it takes it put together a tribute band, a great one? Think about it for a moment, then read our interview with the band to find out the truth. When you're hooked, get your tickets and come down to the club to experience the show.
Bad Medicine is:
Steve Sage - Lead Vocals, Guitar (Jon Bon Jovi)
Steve Frangadakis - Lead Guitar, Second Vocals (Richie Sambora)
John Cappadonna - Drums, Vocals (Tico Torres)
Josh Pincus - Keyboards, Vocals (David Bryan)
Duane Lozada - Bass Guitar, Vocals (Hugh McDonald)
The Stone Pony: Let’s start with the obvious question: what about Bon
Jovi’s music drew you to spending so much time and effort perfecting the
style and creating Bad Medicine? How did you progress from being a fan
of the music to devoting so much of your professional energy performing it?
Steve Sage (JBJ): Bon Jovi's music is so powerful. There is something in the chords that make all people feel, and there is something in the lyrics that make all people hear. I've enjoyed singing Bon Jovi since I was a teen, and as I grew, and my own musical identity started taking shape, and I started meeting people with the same opinions, the obvious next step was to form Bad Medicine. As we did, my appreciation for the band grew as I found myself lucky to be able to capture the passion Jon Bon Jovi has for his art and communicate that to my own tribute audience.
Steve Frangadakis (RS): We all love and respect Bon Jovi and the contributions they have made to the music world. They are our mentors, and as we work individually on our own contributions to music, we are enjoying showing people our appreciation for Bon Jovi, hence the word tribute. All of us have our own lives and write our own music outside of Bad Medicine that is unrelated to Bon Jovi.
The Stone Pony: Newsletter readers are familiar with the stories of how difficult it is for original bands to promote themselves, and get their break in the business. Is the road to success different for the tribute band? What are the challenges in getting those first gigs, and building your fan base?
John Cappadonna (TT): Without sounding pompous, there are so many tribute bands out there that started just because their band wasn't making it or there wasn't enough money to make ends meet. The tribute scene is overflowing right now and only the strong and real good will survive. We do it because we believe in Bon Jovi, and although we had the already-established Bon Jovi fan base to gain audience from, maintaining their interest is sometimes even more difficult than in an original act. Everything has to be there, not only the music, the showmanship, the clothes, the attitude. By labeling our act a "Tribute Band", we have accepted the challenge of having every breath we take compared to one of the best bands in the world. We embrace that challenge, however meeting it is no easy feat.
Steve Sage (JBJ): With Bad Medicine, we signed on with Coallier Entertainment because they handle national acts, [such as] Dee Snider, Twisted Sister, Thin Lizzy, and others. It gave us better access to venues and helped up us on a more prestigious level. We love playing the music, and we love accepting the challenge that my drummer refers to, but let's face it, the better the venue, the better the respect to the real Bon Jovi. We are playing everywhere now - throughout the US - NY, NJ, PA, TX, CO, FL - and hitting places like Puerto Rico, Spain and other countries.
Steve Frangadakis (RS): Bad Medicine always keeps in sight that although a fan base already exists, the road paved for us is not an easy one. We still have an overwhelming amount of promotions and marketing strategies, such as weekly emails and constant updating of our website. We have to coordinate the shows, we have a production manager and have hired a publicist who handles our promo and PR. Doing a Bon Jovi Tribute well is like running a business, and the Bon Jovi fans are so used to the stellar job Bon Jovi does in running their business that we have to stay ahead of the game. Like our drummer John said, it is not easy, keeping Bon Jovi fans coming back is a challenge in and of itself.
The Stone Pony: How do you account for the fact that a lot of Bon Jovi’s early hits, some originally released in the early 1980’s, have held up for so long and are still popular with fans today?
Josh Pincus (DB): A great song will always be a great song no matter when it was released and regardless of what sort of label is put on the genre. Although Bon Jovi was labeled an 80's hair band, they proved to be more than that by writing great songs that stand the test of time.
Steve Frangadakis (RS): Bon Jovi prides themselves on being a band that evolves. I think their attention to evolution not only helps keep them current, but helps Jon and Richie write timeless pieces.
The Stone Pony: What would you say are the songs from the set list that the fans most enjoy and generate the best reaction from the crowd? Are there lesser-known Bon Jovi tracks that the band particularly enjoys and tries to introduce to more casual fans?
Duane Lozada (HM): The huge hits that Bon Jovi is known for (way too many to name) will always be fan favorites, but it is interesting to see large reactions from the crowd when we play songs that might have been a lesser-known track, or a B-side.
Steve Sage (JBJ): A song like "Edge Of A Broken Heart" and some of the earlier material before the Slippery album are always fun to play and get great reactions because people don't hear them as often. Playing the rare numbers is always great. One of the best reactions we've received lately was when Steve (Frangadakis) and I sat down on two stools with a couple of acoustics and did an impromptu version of "Something To Believe In."
Steve Frangadakis (RS): Playing the new songs off Bounce like "Undivided" and "Hook Me Up" are fun too because even if the casual fans are unfamiliar with these, the great songs coupled with the live energy of Bad Medicine, really draws them in. Plus, we take great pride in having the opportunity to introduce Bon Jovi music to people who may not have heard it yet.
The Stone Pony: You’ve added an acoustic part to your set, which harkens back to the famous Video Music Awards set performed by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. What’s your take on the legend that their performance led to the creation of Mtv’s “Unplugged” series? Do you feel that acoustic performances bring a new element to those songs and shine a light on the songwriting itself?
Steve Frangadakis (RS): Jon and Richie played unplugged many, many years before the "Mtv Awards Show", but that was when the world really took notice. Mtv has actually given them credit for sparking the Unplugged idea and I think that's great. For the die-hard fans, it was natural to see them onstage with two acoustic guitars playing the songs the way Jon and Richie originally wrote them. The songs stripped down really does bring a new element that many people might not see. A Bon Jovi anthem such as "Livin' On A Prayer" takes on a whole new meaning when you play the song with an acoustic guitar. You also can't hide behind huge guitars amps and a band when the songs are played that way. It gives enormous credit to Bon Jovi by showing how great the songs can be, any way they are performed.
The Stone Pony: Would you say the bulk of your fans have followed Bon Jovi throughout their career, or do you find people attending your shows that are more recent fans or are just discovering their classic material? Are there fans of Bad Medicine who have become fans of yours without necessarily following Bon Jovi beforehand?
Steve Sage (JBJ): There will always be a handful of die-hard fans at the Bad Medicine shows, but I think the majority of people that attend our gigs are people who enjoy and are familiar with the Bon Jovi hits and who love to have a great time. We feel lucky to have also built an enormous fan base of Bad Medicine fans consisting of people who just happen to be at the venue when we played. Overall, most people that go to our shows are there to get the feeling of actually attending a Bon Jovi concert. We are not Bon Jovi, but as a tribute we aspire to capture those special live moments every time we play.
The Stone Pony: Is it more difficult to cover a mega-hit song, like “Wanted Dead or Alive” or “Livin’ On A Prayer”, that you know most of your audience is already able to recognize and sing along to note-for-note, or a track fans may not be as familiar with? Is the band completely faithful to the original recordings, or are there songs where you put your own mark on the performance?
John Cappadonna (TT): Both. Playing the mega-hits is always fun and challenging because everyone does know these songs note-for-note. The pressure is high, we can't let them (Bon Jovi), or ourselves, down by making mistakes on such classic hits like "Prayer," "Wanted," etc. But, playing those songs also has its easy side because the crowd already knows and loves them, we don't have to win anybody over. Even the biggest Bon Jovi cynic can't help jam a little bit to the "Wanted" hook.
Steve Sage (JBJ): The band works really hard to be faithful to Bon Jovi. There are a few numbers where we are loyal to the studio track but there are many where we enjoy bringing our audience the "LIVE" Bon Jovi version. This takes a lot of studying as well as good interpretation. When I go to alter a live performance I try to think of something Jon would do, for example, throwing a Stones cover in the middle of "Keep The Faith," or tossing in a little Southside Johnny to the mix. Again, it's all about making the audience feel they're at a Bon Jovi concert, so knowing Jon's likes and dislikes are imperative when adding our own interp.
The Stone Pony: During your shows, you’ve been known to go into the audience, and sing from within the crowd. What kind of connection do you feel with your audience during a show, and how important is it to you to be able to have that interaction? Have you learned any tricks that help you to grab and keep an audience’s attention throughout a performance?
Steve Sage (JBJ): Interaction with the audience is the show. We are not Bon Jovi, if we don't interact and make it fun for the audience, the audience can just stay home and listen to an album. Jon is a great showman, his frontman abilities keep the fans going wild. I aspire to that, and love it just as much as the audience does when they receive that showmanship from me.
Steve Frangadakis (RS): I think people come back to Bad Medicine shows because the interaction with the crowd is so important to us. People love to be involved. As big as Bon Jovi is, many people can't get close enough when there are 15, 30, even 60 thousand people at a show, but with Bad Medicine, and audience interaction, we bring the arena show to your local club and try to make the whole audience feel like they are in the front row of a Bon Jovi concert.
The Stone Pony: Have you ever had an opportunity to meet the members of the band, or gotten any feedback from them regarding your performance? Can you remember the first reviews of your shows that convinced you that you had perfected the “Bon Jovi” experience?
Steve Sage (JBJ): Many of the Bad Medicine members have been fortunate enough to meet the band on several occasions. We actually had the honor of playing with Hugh McDonald, the bassist for Bon Jovi, at the Tradewinds. He had a great time playing with us, as did we. Hugh commented on Steve (Frangadakis) saying that Richie himself needs to see this to believe how we had captured the Jovi vibe.
Steve Frangadakis (RS): Yeah, Huey at the Tradewinds; watching his reaction to Steve's (Sage's) Jon-like antics during "Keep The Faith" was priceless, just priceless. I could tell by his reaction, Steve nailed it.
The Stone Pony: Can you give some tips to Bad Medicine fans that are going to be attending your show at the Pony, and are trying to convince their friends who know nothing about Bon Jovi to join them for the evening?
Steve Sage (JBJ): Well, everybody has got to know something about Bon Jovi, especially in this area. The energy at this show is going to be amazing. We're really looking forward to playing at a venue that is credited [with] helping Bon Jovi and other Jersey greats get their start. The audience is going to reap the reward of our excitement at the Pony, so come down and party with us. Be prepared to sing along and have a great time. We welcome all music fans, die-hard Jovi fans, "the newly converted," and even our biggest cynics, just be prepared to leave singing your new favorite Jovi song. If you need to warm up first, check us out at www.BonJoviTribute.com.
Bad Medicine, the Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute, transforms the Pony stage, along with Hinderance and Trace of Shadows, Friday evening, January 24th.
New at The Stone Pony Store
Now at The Stone Pony
Store, we're offering high-quality, signed and numbered prints of a
beautiful watercolor of the Pony by artist Ray Sternesky. We also have
winter caps, jackets, sweatshirts and more, so make sure to visit our
online store today!
Did you know that The Stone Pony often
posts set times for our shows a few days before certain events?
Be sure to visit the Stone Pony's online
Calendar
often for new event announcements, show times and the latest goings-on at
the legendary Ocean Avenue landmark.
Now at AsburyPark.net:
Five Grammy award nominations
for "The Rising"
Bruce Springsteen and The Rising have been nominated for five
Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year (for the title
track, The Rising), Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (for The
Rising), Best Rock Song (for The Rising), and Best Rock Album.
The album is closely associated with Asbury Park, having debuted there in a
network broadcast of NBC's Today show in July. The music video for
the latest single from the album, Lonesome Day, was shot in and
around Asbury Park.
Thursday Nights: Ladies Night
The best mix of house, trance,
progressive and vocal. 18 to enter, 21 to drink (ID mandatory). Drink
specials. Doors open at 9:30 pm. DJ Prime and B.G. are on the wheels of
steel ... Dress to impress - our promoters are tough on the door ... Come
see for yourself what all the hype is about. It's on every Thursday
only at The Stone Pony! Click here for
more information, details and $2 off admission!
