Welcome to my musical world! This is one man's attempt to alert you to the best in area entertainment!
When talking with Vanilla Fudge guitarist Vince "Vinny" Martell, it is impossible to not get a sense of nostalgia nor to feel the pride that this man has for his instrument and his accomplishments. Whether it be his service to our country as a member of the U.S. Navy, the impact that "Fudge" had on the rock music world, his charitable undertakings or the many festivals and countries in which he has appeared; the man that now departed Doors keyboard legend Ray Manzarek once spoke,"A more soulful shredder may not exist in all of classic rock;" is definitely still very much a viable force to reckon with in rock 'n' roll music today.
Yes, the man who was once told by Jimi Hendrix to, "Contact him if the Fudge ever broke up," is still going strong into his sixth decade of making music and currently prepping for an upcoming February 28 appearance at Havana in New Hope PA. "The first set will be acoustic with Peg Perl and I, then the second set will be heavy electric and we'll bring up the band and we'll rock the place out," said a seemingly excited Martell.
Rising to fame in the late '60's as a member of the aforementioned Vanilla Fudge, Martell has left and continues to leave an indelible mark on rock 'n' roll as well as the musicians that he comes across. However, he is well aware that the music industry, players and the times in general have changed; to the point where the creativity and the final product possibly suffers. "It's a different dynamic today," he explained as an air of caution crept into his voice. "Things are different with agents ya' know? Today it's more dollars and cents, there's business people running the show, not the creative people anymore. Years ago radio, live performances were the big deal, it was the way things went; now it's all studio production and video, things that bands can't reproduce live. In Vanilla Fudge we never overdubbed anything because we wanted to be able to do it live."
Continuing on, I asked Vinny to elaborate a bit on his storied past, as well as the band's tenure as one of the top drawing acts of their time and he responded without hesitation. "Well, initially from the start it was wonderful! I mean we did nineteen dates with Hendrix, we got on tours together; it was tremendous! We hung out just talking with Jimi, one night Eddie Kramer says to us around 4 a.m., well, he invited us to go over to The Record Plant and record a few things; so we went down and recorded some jams, Jimi and I together on tape, I'm sure that it's floating around somewhere, I wish I knew where."
One would think that an evening like that would be hard to top if ranking memories but once pushed, Martell was more than happy to oblige my thirst for more. "I don't know if I have a favorite memory to tell the truth; I mean Hendrix was tremendous, oh I know, there was this one night at the Red Rocks in Colorado, the outdoor gigs were always my favorite and Red Rocks is just a mind blowing place. It's this beautiful setting where the stage is set at the bottom and the seats just rise up and, well it's really special. I remember we broke into Hendrix's "Season Of the Witch" and the sky and the clouds all just came together and it was a magical night. Funny thing is we had passed on an opportunity to play Woodstock, our manager didn't think it would be a good idea (laughs); well, we know how that turned out."
Vanilla Fudge aided the careers of several well know bands and Martell in particular has influenced many a player over his time wielding an axe. "We were on the Ed Sullivan Show twice," says Martell. "We were also on David Frost, Mike Douglas, we made the rounds. We shared shows with The Who, B.B. King; we did a show at The Spectrum in Philly with Janis Joplin; she was great, that was a good night." I asked him about Led Zeppelin, what it was like dealing with a band, who at the time were the brash, young, up and comers; he quickly responded, "They wanted to make some noise. We'd known Jimmy Page from his days with The Yardbirds, so we had a great camaraderie with them, we did a bunch of gigs with them opening. They're a great bunch of guys."
Martell went on to mention several shows and documentaries that he is especially glad to have been a part of; one being "Love In - A Musical Celebration" and the other about the tumultuous days behind The Iron Curtain called "Rockin' The Wall." "Love In" was hosted by Ben Vereen and it had me, Peg, The Strawberry Alarm Clock,Buddy Miles and gosh so many others. They flew Peg and I out to the west coast for a four day production for a two hour show, it's on PBS if you want to look it up."
"Rockin' The Wall," I was involved and let me tell you, it was intense," he stated as his voice became very serious, as if warning me about history repeating itself if not careful. "I was involved, Stein, Robby Kreiger of the Doors; this was all about the horrible things going on behind that wall in Germany. There was no rock 'n' roll allowed, it was considered evil because it was western influence. Radio Free Europe, Vanilla Fudge, we were played behind the curtain, we were considered bad influences. One of the stories in this documentary is that of kids who were asked by their school teachers if they watched The Beatles on TV the night before; some of the teachers were working for the government and were loyal so they tricked the kids into a show of hands. The ones who admitted watching the show, well, their parents disappeared courtesy of their government; it was some sad stuff. I was in the Navy during the Cuban Crisis but I never had to deal with anything like that."
Drawing from his military background, Vinny now lends his time to several veteran's charities. "I raise money for them," he told me. "I'm involved in a few, like "Three Hots and A Cot" and "VetAid National" which help homeless vets and some other charities too."
A busy schedule seems to have no effect on Martell as I was impressed with his enthusiasm over the upcoming Vince Martell Band show at Havana and the Vanilla Fudge tour of Europe that follows nearly immediately after his New Hope appearance. "Hippy Fest! St. John Terrell's Music on Magic Mountain," I've played there in 1968, with Vanilla Fudge. Recently I did a thing at The Bucks County Playhouse which is right down the street from Havana, I love the area, great atmosphere, neat town; it's going to be a great show!." "You know, before I was in Vanilla Fudge, I was in a band called The Pigeons. We did one album and they (record label) never released it until Vanilla Fudge took off, then they let it loose. My band for the Havana show features Peg Pearl on vocals, Pete Bremy, myself and Joe D'Angelo on drums. Like I said, it's just Peg and I doing an acoustic first set then we'll rock it out for the second set, I'm ready; it will be a great night."
After Havana, Vanilla Fudge will be spending the month of March in Europe with stops in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy before returning home to the U.S. Three of the long time members will be taking part in the European tour, Martell, Mark Stein and drummer Carmine Appice as well as Pete Bremy; Tim Bogart has retired from music and currently resides on the west coast.
When the topic of a new CD in the works for either The Vince Martell Band or Vanilla Fudge was broached; Martell was somewhat elusive. "We (Vanilla Fudge) did a Zeppelin tribute album back in '06 called "Out Through The In Door." That was a lot of fun, yeah, yeah, we have something in the works but we're keeping it under wraps for now. When we get back from Europe we will start that..."
So as you can see, Martell has no intentions of slowing down any time soon. Two bands, a tour, recording and possibly resurrecting two radio shows which are currently "on hiatus" due to time constraints will keep Vinny a busy man. So catch him along with Hamilton area drummer Joe D'Angelo while you can at Havana on Main Street, in New Hope, PA. Tickets are only $15 in advance and can be found at www.havananewhope.com . To learn more about The Vince Martell Band and/or Vanilla Fudge, please go to http://www.rockersusa.com/vincemartell/main.htm .
Friday, No Way Out is at Pete's Steak House in Hamilton. Good inexpensive food, drink and now music await those who venture out to hear this classic rock cover band perform their fine selection for our listening and dancing pleasure.
El Ka Bong will be at The Ivy Tavern on South Broad St. in Hamilton as well on Friday evening. This good time, party, cover band brings a fantastic selection of rocking tunes to the table every time out and are well worth the trip.
Saturday looks like the more popular of the two nights this weekend as many of our areas finest will be competing for our attendance. Kevin Toft and his All Star Band will be performing for what is the last time at Cedar Gardens Pub on Rte. 33 in Hamilton. Due to recent developments,resulting in a change in bar policy, this great little hot spot, which was very original music friendly, will most likely curtail, if not stop all music. Toft will be giving his all one last time at a venue which is one of his favorites.
Also on Saturday, one of my favorite Jersey Shore area bands will be in New Hope, PA at Fran's Pub located on South Main Street. Classic rockers VyntEdge will take to the new stage at this old spot at 9 p.m. performing their brand of great classic rock covers both. Always ready to rock, VyntEdge plays a great selection and with the statuesque Sondra on vocals has lots of variety to choose from. Check them out and if you do, do tell them that I sent you!
This space welcomes any suggestions and/or comments. Please send them to: Rockonradio1460@hotmail.com
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Alchemist & Barrister
28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Barley Harvest
Sun. 9 p.m. Joe Kaplow
Wed. 10 p.m. Open mic. night Hosted by Eric Puliti
All shows 21+
Amalfi's Restaurant and Bar
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Fri. 8 p.m. The Aldrich Brothers Band
Amarones Windsor Inn
29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-714
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Pizza Party Night feat.Scott Gager & Debbie
Fri. 8 p.m. Valentine's Day Dinner feat. Living The Dream
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Tony Malandro
Tues. 7 p.m. Texas Hold'em
Blend
911 Rte. 33 Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Sat. 9 p.m. Meg Hanson Group
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Bruce Williams Quartet. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Cedar Gardens Pub
661 Hwy. 33 Hamilton
(609) 587-0930
Sat. 9 p.m. Kevin Toft & The All Stars "The Last Waltz at Cedar"
All shows 21+
Chambers Walk Cafe
2667 Main St. Lawrenceville
(609) 896-5995
Fri./Sat. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
(609) 394-7437
Fri. 5 p.m. "Headbang For The Highway" feat. Proletariat, Lessons Learned, Premonitions, All For One, Provenance, Endless Sacrifice, A Long Time Waiting, Cranely Gardens, Ingdorf, (TBA). All ages, $15
Sat. 5 p.m. Valacar, Ratfarm, Top Hats and Effigies, Sithis, The Artisan, The KMX Band, Half Ton of Humanity. All ages, $10
Sun. 10 p.m. Shaboizi + Tumultuous Mules + Jay Toxic + Josh. Ages 21+, $5
Tues. 5 p.m. "Headbang For The Highway" feat.Eye 4 An Eye,Last Minute Hero, Inventure, Every Minute Can Kill, The Beggar's Hands, Like Legends, Handed To The Thousands, Born A New, Ancora, Liars And Legends. All Ages, $15.
Wed. 5 p.m. "Headbang For The Highway" feat. Extractus, We...Our War, Bow to the Fallen, Damien The Cat, Reborn Divided, DeathThrob, Panic, We Are Them, Prosper Or Perish, Assayer. All ages, $15
Dubh Linn Square
167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-7100
Fri. 9 p.m. "Cupid Stupid" feat. The Nog Bhoys
Sun. 4 p.m. Irish Sessions w/ Billy O'Neal
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night hosted by Shaun Ruymen
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215)862-5539
Sat. 9 p.m. VyntEdge
All shows 21+
Halo Pub
4617 Nottingham Way Hamilton Square
(609) 586-1811
Sat. 7 p.m. Ange & Friends
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party
Fri. 11:30 p.m. DJ Dance Party
Sat. 8:30 p.m. FM
Sun. 6 p.m. The Battle of The Unplugged
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron Sherr and Bridget
Wed. 8 p.m. Wino Wednesday Local Original Music Night feat. Connor Choi
All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. El Ka Bong
Sat. 10 p.m. Tangled
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Matt Rome
Fri. 9 p.m. Mike DiAlto's Lonely Comedy Night
Sat. (3 p.m.) Stew (9:30 p.m.) Red Rover Revue (Burlesque)
Sun. (3 p.m.) Jason Ager (9:30 p.m.) Skip's Museum
Mon. Open Mic.
Tues. John & Peter's Holiday Party
Wed. The Invitational (Featuring John & Peter's House Band)
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Sat. 10 p.m. F2 and The Anchovy Brothers
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. Trivia Night
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Sat. 7 p.m. Blues in Disguise
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. No Way Out
Sat. 9:30 p.m. The Kootz
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. College Night w/ DJ Jeff Scott
Fri. 7 p.m. "Love Is In the Air" Valentine's Dinner Show w/ The Good Company Band and DJ Jimmie Palumbo. $30 per person
Sat. 8 p.m. "Amor Latino" hosted by Mike Magic w/ DJs JOAO/21/Trump/Flako, a live appearance by Calle Sol! $10
All Shows 21+
Spigola Ristorante
3817 Crosswicks Hamilton Square Rd. Hamilton
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Mark Giovi
Sat. 8:30 p.m. After Dark
Star Subs Café
621 Rte. 130 Buckley Plaza Hamilton
(609) 333-1230
Wed. 7 p.m. Acoustic Open Mic. Night hosted by Bri LoBue
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. (8 p.m.) Sarcasm Comedy Night (9 p.m.) Whiskey Fueled
Sat. 9 p.m. Steve (the band)
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Cool Cricket
216 4th St. Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Thurs. 8 p.m. Kinky Bingo
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. Rush To Judgment / Crosswick
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Sat. 8 p.m. Emily Danger Band. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Out Of The Red
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Slightly Used
All shows 21+
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Sat. 12 p.m. Mardi Gras Bead Blitz (Cheerleading comp.) Doors at 11 a.m., $10
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Mike Brill
Sat. 9 p.m. John Byrne & Andy Keenen
All shows 21+
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 7 p.m. Social Thursdays w/ DJ Tangency
Fri. 7 p.m. Social First Fridays
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-JayKountree
Tues. 9 p.m. LiveMusic/Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Wig Party. $5 (coverage)
Sat. 10 p.m. Yo Momma's Big fat Booty Band. $5 (cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night hosted by Up The Chain
Wed. 9 p.m. Twiddle. $8 (advance) $10 (day of show
All shows 21+)
Villa Romanza
429 Rte. 156 Hamilton
(609) 585-1717
Sat. 7 p.m. Uncle Floyd & Randi Lupi
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
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