Jersey Shore’s Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes perform at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on July 11
From a press release:
It was announced today that Jersey Shore rock ‘n’ soul band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes will perform at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Saturday, July 11 at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $24 for regular reserved seating and $30 for premium reserved seating, go on sale next Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Penn’s Peak box office (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe), and Roadies Restaurant and Bar (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe). Penn’s Peak box office and Roadies Restaurant ticket sales are walk-up only; no phone orders.
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes first achieved prominence in the mid-1970s, emerging from the same New Jersey Shore music scene as their now legendary contemporary and friend Bruce Springsteen. Their first three albums, “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” “This Time It’s for Real,” and “Hearts of Stone,” were produced by band co-founder Steven Van Zandt (E Street Band, “The Sopranos”), and largely featured songs written by Van Zandt and/or Springsteen. The Van Zandt-written “I Don’t Want to Go Home” became Southside’s signature song, an evocative mixture of horn-based melodic riffs and sentimental lyrics.
In 1982, Rolling Stone magazine rated “Hearts of Stone” among the Top 100 albums of the 1970s and 1980s. With their classic blend of hardcore R&B and street-level rock, molten grooves, soulful guitar licks, and blistering horn section, Johnny and his Jukes continue to put their unique stamp on the Jersey Shore sound while recalling the glory years of Otis Redding and similar Stax Records titans.
Through career ups and downs, “comfortable” has never been a word associated with their brand of raucous, roots-tinged rock and bluesy reverie. The Jukes have more than 30 albums on their resume, thousands of acclaimed live performances across the globe, and a vibrant legacy of classic songs that have become “hits” to their large and famously dedicated fan base.
“With the Jukes, you’re out there every night leading this great rock n’ roll circus, giving it everything you’ve got,” frontman “Southside Johnny” Lyon said.
In 2015, the iconic band released the highly-acclaimed “Soultime,” their first new studio CD of all original material in five years, on Leroy Records. “Soultime” celebrates the transformative power of ’70s soul music and represents a return to – as Southside sings – “just letting the music take us away.” This album encapsulates everything that fans cherish about Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. The pattern of horns plus rhythm – each song painted with catchy choruses, top-notch string arrangements, and gospel-charged vocals – keeps on coming.
“Soultime” was well-received both in the U.S. and overseas. Music Riot in the U.K. proclaimed, “The more you listen to it, the more you realize it is a work of genius. Johnny’s voice is sublime and would melt a heart of stone.”
“I’ve been waiting for Southside Johnny to make this album for almost 40 years. It’s the best record of his entire career. If you really have soul, no further explanation necessary,” said SiriusXM’s E Street Radio channel host Dave Marsh.
“Soul music is not a genre; it is a way of life. Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes keep the classic R&B clock spinning hot and forward on ‘Soultime,’ one of their best records since they first burst out of that New Jersey night,” praised music writer David Fricke.
On their New Jersey home turf, The Aquarian Weekly said, “‘Soultime’ brings them to a completely different level and delivers genuine R&B-soaked soul right from the Jersey Shore. Oh, and did I mention that ‘Soultime’ is the best album he’s ever recorded?” New Jersey Arts Daily added, “‘Soultime’ is, indeed, one of the most enjoyable albums of Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes’ long career.”
Written and produced by Jeff Kazee and John Lyon, the album was recorded at Lakehouse Recording Studios in the Jukes’ hometown of Asbury Park. It features Southside Johnny on vocals and harmonica, Jeff Kazee on keyboards and vocals, Glenn Alexander on guitar, John Conte on bass, Chris Anderson on trumpet, John Isley on saxophone, Neal Pawley on trombone, and Tom Seguso on drums.
The Jukes’ previous release was 2012’s “Men Without Women: Live 7-2-11,” recorded live at the Stone Pony when Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes performed with Steven Van Zandt. The disc features live versions of the songs from the Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul album of the same name, along with three Asbury Jukes bonus tracks.
With a decades-long successful career, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes continue to deliver their soul-searing brand of blues and R&B live with material mined from their many albums, featuring hits like “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” “Love on the Wrong Side of Town,” “The Fever,” “This Time It’s for Real,” “Talk to Me,” and their fun cover of “Having a Party.” The Jukes’ legendary high-energy performances always satisfy with their classic blend of Stax-influenced R&B and gritty, Stonesy rock and roll.
