THE SHADES 2nd Annual Reunion Shows

  Playing a great mix of their originals along with well chosen favorites of theirs from the 60's & 70's, The Shades played two nights to a full house of family and friends at The Record Collector. It was great to see them playing together again. HERE are some cell phone pics from the show and if you don't have your "record player" any more, here are links to their 45 posted on youtube.com :

Hello Mr. Johnson    -    Are You My Angel?

  
HEY!!!   WE'RE SCAT...WE'RE BACK!

Not really...but HERE are some new old pictures I recently rediscovered that we're sent to me by my old friend Henry Poreda the owner (along with his brother Ed) of "Brother's Ltd. - A Saloon" of a typical Thursday night in 1978 with Scat up on stage and a crowd fueled by $1 pitchers of Genesee Cream Ale on the dance floor!

To see how far we've come since then, check out this video of Joe Tobias' daughter Kelly singing lead in the Pittsburgh area band Big Hurry
 

HEEYYY!!!!....If you're my age...(and if you're checking out the bands on this website, you probably are!) check out the new band in town made up of some old friends - THE BOOMERS - they're too young for Medicare, too old for chicks to care and they’re not quite dead yet!

They will soon be releasing their first CD of songs about the fun(?) of reaching middle age and are putting together their summer live show schedule, featuring music geared to the older (with all due respect!) audience. I can guarantee these guys will be a lot of fun to go out and dance to!

Check out:  seetheboomers.com   and visit their facebook page

THE OLD:

Sainte Anthony's Fyre is probably the most legendary band to come out of Trenton, NJ in the late 1960's. With the release of just one album they still manage to gain legions of fans from all over the world. Founding member, drummer Savona "Bob" Sharples has put together a great website with a great overview of the band's history and hints at the future with an all new version of this much fabled power trio.

Check out: sainteanthonysfyre.com

Here's and e-mail I got from Bob Sharples:

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

HERE is a link to some pictures and the audio from the radio broadcast from Randy Now's Capital Garage Show when we welcomed Frank Stallone and some very special friends back to town. There are also a few pics from his appearance at The Record Collector in Bordentown later that week in April 2009.

HERE are some pics from Frank Stallone's personal scrapbook!
And here's even more stuff - VALENTINE: 1 * 2 * 3

Merry Christmas To All and A Healthy, Happy & Prosperous New Year. Check out this little Trenton related Christmas gift that I put up for you. Trenton Rocks & Rolls in many ways! St. Hedwig's Church Men's Choir 1964

geocities.com/TrentonMakes  -  10 YEARS OLD!

October 2008 marked the the 10th Anniversary of this web site. Back in 1998 when the whole web thing was in it's infancy, (do you remember using AOL and a modem on your phone line to connect?) I grabbed some free online space that a long forgotten company was offering and tried my hand at creating a website. My basic idea was, what do I know something about, that someone might like to look at, that isn't already out there. Being 20 years removed from 18 years old at the time, I still had fond memories of the days of Rock & Roll bands in the Trenton area and still had some old articles and pictures stuffed in a box in the attic. So I started scanning them into the computer and taught myself how to put together a website that was a scrapbook of those days. Sort of a "True Confessions of a Rock and Roll Boy, Man About Town, Creature of The Night" I shared it with a few friends that I tought would appreciate it and they shared it with a few friends and many others stumbled across it and some contributed to it and it has grown into what you're looking at today.

I've had a lot of satisfaction over the years hearing from people and how much they've enjoyed it and I just wanted to say thanks! Also thanks to so many who have contributed pictures and comments that have helped it grow.....(just off the top of my head and hopefully I don't miss anyone and if I do, you know who you are so thank you too...) Jody Giambelluca, Barbara Willson Smith, Jeff Guenther, Joe "Zook" Zuccarello, Paul Plumeri, Frank Stallone, Corinne Gately, George "Dewey" Williamson, Robert Cash, "Nickophonic" Nick Povio, Fred Campbell, Mike Ruch, Tom Kowalski, John Bushnell, Steve Bross, Randy "Now" Ellis, Mike Goydan, Reice Altomare, Alan Fowler, Jeff "Johnny Pompadour" Jarvie, Joe "Handsome Joe" - "Joey Suten" Grillo, Henry Poreda, Ron "Mr. Ron" Gittleman, Bob Heil and the gone but never forgotten Robyn Gately, Tommy Hutton and Steve Burgh.

And of course Norman "N.P." Tiedemann wherever you are, thank you for the inspiration.

I don't know how many people or if anyone even visits this website and I often wonder if I should take the time to update it. If you do check out the site, please take a moment to click HERE . I set up a page that just has a counter on it to see if anyone actually does visit. I'm not sure if the counter on the page actually works, but I'll give it a try.

Thanks for visiting, I hope you found a good memory and it put a smile on your face.

Tom Krawiec  11/16/085
   

NEW PICTURES FROM AN OLD FRIEND

Frank Stallone recently sent me some pictures from his scrapbook going back to his early days as a solo artist in the Trenton area. Check em' out HERE!  Randy Now is working on getting Frank to appear at The Record Collector in the hopefully near future...stay tuned.
 

HEEEERE'S JOHNNY!

   Two nights in one week hangin' with the THE INCOMPARABLE, HI-FONIC, SUPER-SONIC, KING OF CROON...drumroll please...THE LIVING LEGEND HIMSELF....JOHNNY POMPADOUR. Randy Now had Johnny and his band The Full Grown Men - Steve Bross and Joe Hosey on his radio show, so I stopped by to ask a few questions and visit. They did a great job performing an impromptu set of acoustic oldies, even banging out an un-rehearsed version of the Tommy James and The Shondells classic Hanky Panky  after I mentioned it was one of my first musical memories at age 5.

To open the radio show and to welcome Johnny, we played the intro and opening song from another great area entertainer from an earlier era, Mr. Lou Giovi. You can check out hear the song and see Lou's record HERE

Check back here soon, I hope to get a copy of the show to post on the Radio Archive page.

Friday night The Legend took his show, with the addition of drummer Keith Csolak to the Full Grown Men line-up, over to The Record Collector where he proceeded to shake rattle and roll the crowd with two sets of entertaining and danceable fun. If you're ever looking for entertainment for any...ANY...type of function, these guys do it ALL. With over 300 songs in their pocket, they can make a good time happen before the end of the first song and if you see them playing somewhere around town, get out and see them, you won't be disappointed. If you can't have fun with Johnny Pompadour, then you can't have fun!

Visit: johnnypompadour.com    and myspace.com/johnnypompadour

Tommy K - 9/23/08
 

I WAS A TEENAGE MONKEE

   O.K. ...I wasn't, but Peter Tork once was (or at least he was a twenty-something Monkee). I had the honor of doing sound for Peter and his band Shoe Suede Blues last Friday night at The Record Collector. The band performed two shows, both to a capacity crowds and played a great mix of classic blues and Monkees favorites in the blues style. I really liked their cover of the Sex Pistols cover of the Monkees' cover of Paul Revere and The Raiders "I'm Not You're Steppin' Stone"

If you missed them, they're supposed to be coming back this January 2009...stop back again for info!

Visit: myspace.com/petertorkandshoesuedeblues

l to r: Peter, A.J., Derek (in back on drums), John

Thanks to my pal Mike Goydan and the lovely Karen for this pic prom the show!

Tommy K. - 9/1/08
 

A Saturday night with a LEGEND

   Due to life happening, I really haven't ventured out to see live music very much over the last few years (other than going to see my kids play in school bands through high school...I've never missed one of those). But lately I've started going to The Record Collector Store in Bordentown who have been hosting shows in conjunction with DJ Randy Now. Randy is bringing in an eclectic mix of artists to play in a really neat and intimate setting. A small but comfortable space, no smoke, no spilled beer, no attitudes and no ringing in your ears on the ride home. Just musicians an audience and music. And back home by 11PM!

Saturday I went to see an all time favorite of mine, the legendary Philly blue eyed soul singer Billy Harner (but he is a true Jersey Boy). For a guy who started recording not long after I was born in the early 60's, he is still out there in great voice (one of my all-time favorite voices in fact, up there with the likes of Jackie Wilson & David Ruffin) and he's still a energetic performer filled with a great spirit and seems to really enjoy what he's doing. After working all day he came out and did a dynamite set of all his hits and then took the time to talk to the throng of folks who came out to see him.

Billy is out on the road these days performing in support of his great new CD Billy Harner - The Human Perkulator: Then - Now - Forever. The CD is a great mix of re-recordings of his classic hits, recorded true to the originals, just without the clicks and pops of our beloved 45's as well as a great mix of songs that Billy's incredible voice and vocal style can now lay claim to. Just check out the cut "What About The Children" the sound is pure Philly soul. This collection of tunes should have the fans of Northern Soul out on the dance floor from first song 'til last...drenched in a pool of soul-sonic sweat!

To steal a line from Sally Sayin' Somethin' - "...from the front 'round to the back" Perk "it's a natural fact you're" soundin' "FINE!"

CHECK THIS OUT, after talking to Billy about the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, I dug this out of the vaults!

And CHECK THIS OUT a nice history of Billy Harner's early recordings & record labels from the archive of at Larry Grogan's great blog Funky 16 Corners at: funky16corner.wordpress.com

Tommy K. - 8/17/08   
 

A Friday night with The Shades and Friends...

All I can say to start this note is HOW COOL WAS THAT?!!

I went to see The Shades reunion show that Randy Now put together at The Record Collector in Bordentown Friday, Aug. 1st. The "classic" Shades line-up; Bob Destefano, Jack Destefano, Scott Evans, Joe Hosey & George Messina were joined by Steve Bross, Joe Tobias, Tom Priester & Pete Tomlinson who all  played a part in the evolution of the Trenton area's pioneering punk band.

The store was jammed to capacity with family and friends who were treated to a terrific show that included their unique choice of covers and their ever popular originals. The crowd was smiling, singing and bopping from start to finish. It was great to see old friends come together both in the band and among the audience in a celebration of love for the music of our youth...the only thing that woulda helped the solidify the transport back in time would be a $1 pitcher of Genny and the bouncing of the plexi-glass disco dance floor under foot!

Soon, I hope to have some audio (possibly video) from the show and if you have a few nice pictures from the show (please don't overload my e-mail) I would really like to add them to the website.
Send them to trentonmakes@hotmail.com

It was also great to see some old Trenton Makes band friends there for the show, Mark (and Sherry) Mahoney from the Mahoney Brothers, Kartunes & Smart Remarks, Tim Stives lighting tech from Construction, The Rivals & The Greaseband. I also spotted Keith Csolak who played in Dash Weaver and met Chris Breetveld of the legendary NJ powerpop band The Breetles. And of course a good time can't be good without the Living Legend - Johnny Pompadour in attendance.

The Record Collector is a very cool shop for vintage & current CD's and vinyl, as well as a neat place to see a show. It's all age so you can bring the kids and not too loud so you don't go home with your ears ringing. The shows start early, generally 7 or 8 PM and you can get home by 11! Randy is booking a lot of very cool bands in the future so your bound to find something appealing. I really miss going out to see live bands but I think I found the place to go. See you there sometime.     

Tommy K. - 8/4/08