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ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...5/4/17


By Danny Coleman

originally published: 05/05/2017

"REKIHNDLED," as in, I'm hoping it rekindles my career," said long time rocker Greg Kihn with a laugh as he discussed his recent release, his past, present and future. "I think it's a good album and not just because I made it but because it's really something I'm proud of and the guys in my band are so good and that helps."

A native of Baltimore, MD, Kihn began playing and singing in local coffee houses while still in high school.

Like many, Kihn was heavily influenced by the Beatles and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Legend has it that his mother submitted a recording of one of his original songs to a local radio station contest and it took first place. Kihn garnered a typewriter (he's written multiple novels), records and an electric guitar for his efforts; three prizes which would alter his life's path.

By the early '70's, Kihn had moved to the west coast to test the waters of the Pacific, the San Francisco Bay area in particular. "Growing up in Baltimore, I always had an audience. No matter where I played, if it was within a hundred miles of home, Philly, Washington DC or anywhere they could drive, my friends and family were there. I went west and took a chance and it worked out for me. I needed to test my material on different audiences other than friends and family."

The move out west proved to be the right one as Kihn became one of the first artists signed to Beserkley Records. Starting in 1976, he would produce about a record a year, culminating with his first big hit, "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write'em )" in 1981 which reached #15 on Billboard's Hot 100. Kihn quickly became Beserkley's number one selling artist and with great titles such as, "Rockihnroll," "Kihntinued," "Kihnspiracy" (which spawned the  #2 Billboard hit, "Jeopardy"), "Kihntageous" and "Citizen Kihn," he soon became a darling of the MTV set as his video for "Jeopardy" was considered to be, "Groundbreaking." The song did so well that master parody maker "Weird Al" Yankovic asked and received permission to put his spin on things and had nearly as much success as Kihn in the process. "I was totally flattered he did that," he said with a laugh. "He's a great guy and he and I are friends. I made a cameo appearance in the video, it was very cool and fun to do it. He said that he was turned down only once up to that point by anyone and that was by Prince. Here's the kicker, I still get mailbox money from it! Every now and then I go to the mailbox and there's a check (laughs)." 



 

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 "REKIHNDLED" is album number 17 for this long time rocker who has opened for such peers as Journey, The Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones and has made TV appearances on American Bandstand, Solid Gold and Saturday Night Live. "As I said before, I think it's a good album. One day I got the urge to write music again; have you ever gotten the urge to write and you don't know where it came from? That's what happened here and then the creative muscle kicked in and the next thing I knew, I had an entire album. I always liked tunes like Fleetwood Mac's, "Oh well," or Led Zeppelin's, "Black Dog" and one morning my son came to me with his guitar and played this riff and I said, "Big Pink Flamingo!" It's really cool and the best part is that my son and I wrote it in about 15 minutes and Robert Barry plays bass on it. I'm very proud of my son, he's a great guitar player and to be performing with him on stage is great; he'll probably move on after this is all done." 

Kihn says that pre-orders for the cd, ( released on March 17 and his first new music in 21 years) are going well and that he has not altered his style at all. "So far the sales are doing really well. I've received multiple orders from countries all around the world and I think that's because it sounds like the Greg Kihn Band. We stayed true to our sound, truth is, I haven't changed."            

Kihn had made changes though, one of which was putting his job as a full time musician on a back burner so to speak and delving into radio where he was a morning show host on KFOX FM Radio in the Bay area for 18 years. Another  was becoming a novelist and writer where he has been nominated for and won various literary awards. "Yeah my radio career finally ended three years ago. I had a good run and between that and the six novels, I kept busy. The music keeps calling me back. Once it's in you, you can never get rid of it. Oh it may lie dormant but eventually, if you're a musician, that's where you always return." 

So with a new CD, will there be a tour? A resounding affirmation came quickly from this now veteran rocker. "There is," he stated excitedly. "It's been weekends so far. I guess we've been weekend warriors, kind of getting our mojo back. This summer we will be going on the road, not a big tour, only several months but we'll be all over the country." 

When asked about the state of today's music and the industry in general, he is one of the rare artists who is in the proverbial driver's seat due to some smart moves and good fortune. "The music industry has changed a lot over the last 20 years and especially from the old MTV days. During those times, I was putting out an album a year and the ASCAP checks were coming in. Today it's not that way for most artists, or at least those checks aren't as big but I'm going to tell you something, I may be the only rock star you may ever meet that owns his entire music catalog; How lucky is that? I wasn't a sell out, I chose the frugal route and began to buy back what little I had turned over a little bit at a time. Eventually I got everything back and get this; are you ready? I even own the masters! I get requests all of the time for "Break Up Song" and "Jeopardy" from TV and movie people and I own it so I have the control." 

When speaking with Greg Kihn, one gets a sense of a man who has had a fulfilling career, is quite at ease and he recognizes that his fan base has played a huge part in his success. "Can I just say one more thing? I need to say this to all of my fans, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for hanging in there through my music, then 18 years of radio. I can't thank you enough. Not many guys can say they've had success in three different careers and I have say thank you to everyone and I'm looking forward to getting back out there!"    

To discover more about Greg Kihn, the tour and his careers; please go to www.gregkihn.com.    



 
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 That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!

This week's event listings

Alchemist & Barrister
28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Wed. 9:30 p.m. Paul Plumeri Blues Band
Backstage at Championship Bar
 931 Chambers Street Trenton
Sat. 5 p.m. Shining, Revenge, Wolvhammer, IATT, Night Rite, Blasphemous. All ages, $20
Tues. 6 p.m. Famous Last Words, Manafest. All ages, $13/$15
Wed. 7 p.m. Misery Loves Company, Hot Gospel, In Trees, (TBA). All ages, $10
Bill's Olde Tavern
02694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke Contest (Cash prizes) 
Ages 21+ 
Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33 Hamilton 
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia  jam
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Shaun Ruymen
Bowman's Tavern
1600 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2972
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Michelle Wiley Duo
Fri. 8 p.m. Bob Egan
Sat. 8 p.m. David Dales Trio
Sun. (12 p.m.) Brunch With Ottmar (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Mon. 6 p.m. Andy Prescott
Tues. 6 p.m. Michael Long
Wed. 6 p.m. John & Maggs
Candlelight Lounge 
24 Passaic Street Trenton
(609) 695-9612
 Sat. 3 p.m. Landham Bros. Sax Quartet. $10 (cover charge/$10 Minimum includes buffet) 
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night
Wed. 9 p.m. Quizzo Trivia 
City Streets 
510 Highway 130 South East Windsor
(609) 426-9400
Fri. 9 p.m. Asylum Choir
Mon. 9 p.m. "Malibu Mondays" w/ DJ Brett Gash
Tues. 9 p.m. Trivia w/ Jessie and Chelsea
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Wine Down Wednesdays" w/ Rich Genoval
COARadio.com 
Main Street Hightstown 
(609) 241-7103
Check web site for programming
Dadz Bar & Grill
744 Main Street Lumberton
(609) 267-4344
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Pong Tournament"
Fri. (6 p.m.) "Red & Reynolds Cinco De Mayo Party" (10 p.m.) Phantom Trap
Sat. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Byrd
Sun. 4 p.m. Aaron Hehl & John Dutton
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Superstar Entertainment
Dempster's Pub
437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. DJ DNIAL
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Chris
Dog & Bull Brew House
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Dane Rosenfeld
Fri. 4 p.m. "Happy Hour" feat. David Dzubinski Group
Sat. (11 a.m.)"Saturday Brunch Jam" feat.  David Dzubinski Group (9 p.m.) Gypsy Mother
Sun. 11 a.m. "Sunday Brunch" feat. Dick Gratton
Freddies Tavern
12 Railroad Avenue Ewing
(609) 882-0978
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Joe Vadala
Grover's Mill Coffee House
Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction
(609) 716-8771
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Anker
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA. 
(215) 862-9897
Fri. 8 p.m. Fish Out Of Water
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Billy Walton Band "CD Release Party." Ages 21+, Doors at 6:30 p.m., $10
Sun. (2 p.m.) Midnight Sun Orchestra (8:30 p.m.) Ian Hunter & The Rant Band. Ages 21+, Doors at 6 p.m., $35 (advance) $40 (DOS)
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. "Local Original Music Series" Hosted by Pat Foran 
Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn
15 East Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-9889
Fri. 8 p.m. Open Mic.
Hopewell Valley Vineyards
46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Thurs. 6 p.m. Michaela McClain
Fri. 6 p.m. Catmoondaddy
Sat. 6 p.m. Alex Otey
Sun. 2 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Keith Franklin
Hurricane Jacks Bar and Grill
7759 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(267) 914-4517
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paul Kircher
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Paula & Sam
Iron Plow Vineyards
26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Wine & Paint Night"
Fri. 6 p.m. Gregg Parker
Sat. 2 p.m. Rob Ballonoff
Sun. 1 p.m. Don The Medicine Man
Ivy Tavern 
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 9 p.m. Papa D'Lux
Sat. 9 p.m. Boss Radio AM Gold (B.R.A.G)
All shows 21+
John & Peter's 
96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
Killarney's Publick House
1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 5 p.m. Joe & Matt Acoustic
Fri. "Cinco De Mayo Party"
Sat. (5 p.m.) "Kentucky Derby Party" (9 p.m.) DJ Jimmy G
Laurita Winery
85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Thurs. 7 p.m. "2017 Laurita Idol Singing Showcase" Adult Idol Finals
Fri. 7 p.m. "Canvas Mixers"
Sat. 11 a.m. VinoVinyasa with Mettamade 
Sun. 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia Hand bell Ensemble
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Girls Night Out" Cookie Decorating Class
Mamma Rosa's 
572 Klockner Road Hamilton 
(609) 588-5454
Thurs. 6 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Richard Schneider 
McStews Irish Sports Pub
5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Thurs. 10:30 p.m."Beer Pong" w/ DJ RV & MC Slim
Fri. 10 p.m. "Frisky Fridays" w/ DJ Favs and MC Fredo
Sat. 10 p.m. "A Tribute to Deep Purple" w/ Side Car
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo hosted by Mike
Millhill Basement
300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Fri. 9 p.m. Goat And Your Mom
Tues. 10 p.m. "Local Artist" Hip Hop, Experimental EDM and Bass Music Showcase 
Nook's PourHouse
2043 Route 130 South Florence
(609) 447-0927
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Tuesday w/ Quizoholics
Olde Liberty Tavern
2114 Liberty Street Trenton
(609) 396-2262
Sat. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Road Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21 +
PANJ Radio
Bridge Street Lambertville
(609) 460-4673
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. DW Dunphy
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. "Cinco De Mayo" w/ The Polish Nannies
Sat. 9:30 p.m. (TBA)
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Sat. 8:30 p.m. The Successful Failures. All ages, Doors at 8 p.m., $10
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night Cinco De Mayo Party" feat. DJ Natter and SoWavveyy. Ages 21+, $5 (with college ID0 $15 (without college ID)
Salt Creek Grille
1 Rockingham Row Princeton
(609) 419-4200
Fri. 8 p.m. Keith Franklin
Sat. 8 p.m. Jackie Jones
Small World Coffee
14 Witherspoon Street Princeton 
Fri. 7 p.m. Meredith Remz Art Opening
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Superfive
Sumo
12 Main Street Pennington
Sun. 4:30 p.m. Art Show feat. the works of Jessica Paris
1867 Sanctuary 
101 Scotch Road Ewing
(609) 392-6409
Sat. 8 p.m. "A Tribute to Nina Simone" w/ Michelle Wiley and Friends. $20
Tara's Tavern 
1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Fri. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Big Daddy G
Sat. 10 p.m. Psycho Misfits
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main Street Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night 
Temperance House 
5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Fri. 7 p.m. Steve Guyger
Sat. 7 p.m. Ed Wall
Wed. 7 p.m. Live Jazz
The Cool Cricket
216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. Asylum Choir
The Dubliner
34 North Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1816
Fri. 8 p.m. (TBA)
Sat. 8 p.m. Zaire
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street Bordentown
(609) 291-7020
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Entertainment
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Wed. 8 p.m. (TBA)
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Rockin' Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. Paper Shakers
Sat. 10 p.m. Papa D'Lux and the Main Street Groove
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. "Wednesday Wheel Night Spin To Win Karaoke" w/ DJ Rockn Ron
The Pines Tavern
6217 North Radcliffe Street Bristol, PA
(215) 788-1659
 Sat. 9 p.m. Mike & Shanna
Sun. 3 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Bill Monach Jr.
The Raven 
385 West Bridge Street New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2081
Thurs. 5 p.m. Russell Eiffert
Fri. (9 p.m.) Michael Ferreri (10 p.m.) DJ Dance Party
Sat. (9 p.m.) Russell Eiffert (10 p.m.) DJ Dance Party
Wed. 6 p.m. Dena Underwood
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Sat. 8 p.m. Phil McAuliffe & The Trenton Makes Band (CD Release Party).  All ages, Doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance)
The Roost 
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050 
Fri. 9 p.m. 80's Undercover
Sat. 9 p.m. Radio Fiction
The Sticky Wicket 
2465 South Broad Street Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. The Drunk Monkeys
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke
The Sun National Bank Center 
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check website for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog 
1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Oliver McElhone
Sat. 9 p.m. Billy Walsh
Sun. 3 p.m. "Irish Sessions" w/ Gormley & DeAngelo
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Taylor Reed
All shows  21+
Trenton Buzz
702 Pine Street Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic. 
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Audio History of Funk and Soul" w/ Professor DJ Tangency
Mon. 9 p.m. Monday Night Karaoke w/ Benny P
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Benny
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Kwame Binea Shakedown. $5 (cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Jerry Fiess. ($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Stage Night (Sign ups at 6:30 p.m.)
All shows 21+ 
Triumph Brewing Company (Princeton, NJ Location)
138 Nassau Street Princeton
(609) 924-7855
Fri. 10 p.m. Zeke Sky Band
Sat. 10 p.m. Wallace Brothers
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Road Pennington
(609) 773-2392
Sat. 9 p.m.
Mon. 9 p.m. "Moonshine Mondays" Trivia
Tues. 9 p.m. Ed Wilson
Ages 21+

Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.

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