"My husband is the upright bass player, I play rhythm guitar and write songs, I really like to not tell anybody what to do; we are a team," she stated emphatically. "I won't lie, I do have the final say on our songs for the most part but I am really happy that I get everybody in on it; it's really important to me that everybody is happy. There have been cases where things vary from song to song but there are certainly some songs that I am confident in the arrangement and have already had it in my head the way I want it to be recorded and in that case I'll come in and say to Eddie, or sing a lead line for him but as many times as that happens, I'll come in and say, please; what do ya' got? What are your ideas? What do you think of the arrangement? Where do you think the solo should go? Let's work on the arrangement; so, yeah that varies from song to song."
Given the current climate of home studios and recording software being all the rage; where did they choose to record the record and why the wait on the release date?
"We went into a professional studio; we live in the city of Kingston which is right near Woodstock and we recorded in Catskill. We recorded with an engineer named Scott Petito and it was our first time working with him; he's pretty well known in the jazz world and he's a jazz bass player and he records a lot of bigger name jazz players like Jack DeJohnette but he's very eclectic and does all sorts of stuff. He's got a great studio called NRS and we spent 10 days in the studio with him at the beginning of 2020 and we thought that we were going to release the album later in 2020 in the summer but then because of everything that happened we decided to just hold off until the time felt right and that time is now."
"Now," is always a good time, no time like the present; right? Considering the unit has been sitting on this record for quite a while and the pandemic being the reason; the fact that it, "Felt right" can only come from the gut. So, what did they do while the record was percolating? Ah but being the fun-loving group they are; they found ways to keep busy.
"It came out on June 25 and our website is the easiest place to find it," Lara continued. "During the pandemic I did mostly three things; I mentioned already that my husband is my bass player and we closed on our first home on March 11, 2020. So, basically the day the world shutdown; we were planning on leaving that same evening for a six-week national tour. So, needless to say, we closed on our house and as we were packing the tour got cancelled. So, we had this new home and now basically a lot of time to unpack, settle in, paint, make it ours and just enjoy being home. We've been on the road so much this past decade that it was like, alright, we've got all of this time and we've got this space where we're happy to be so, let's enjoy it. We also spent those first few months writing and home-recording a duo EP called, "Songs In The Key Of Quarantine" which we released in July of 2020. We toured often before the pandemic, now we've also started doing a Monday night livestream since the pandemic hit and we've continued to do it every single Monday night since March of 2020 and it can be found on our Facebook page and YouTube pages Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones from 7-8 p.m. Eastern Time. Our connection with our fans is important to me and I really feel that the connection is stronger than it's ever been as a result of the livestream. I would have the livestream up and I'd have the computer open and read the chat and what people were saying and in between songs we would talk; we'd talk back and forth and the fans would talk amongst themselves. We actually formed this really tight-knit community of people that have tuned in every single Monday for the last 16 months; we even started calling them "The Monday Knights" and we made their own Facebook page called "The Monday Knights." We've made our own line of merchandise; one is Joan of Ark wearing the red-framed glasses called "The Tone of Ark" tee-shirt (laughs) and we've had this great community. There are people who pop in from all over the world and I'm sure there are others who only watch once or twice but there are a lot of people who are really diehards and these people have become friends with each other just because it's like this one thing that when everything in the world was so unknown; everybody would know, every Monday night at 7 p.m. grab your drink, sit down and let's all hang out together and that's how it felt. We had one of our Monday nights recently and because of them we made a strong connection in Michigan and during the livestream I said almost in jest, if anybody who is watching wants to come for our album release party; you can stay with us. I was kind of kidding but one of our Monday Knights who I only remember from once or twice while touring in Michigan reached out and said, "If I fly in from Michigan; can I stay with you?" "So, this woman that I don't really know just spent two nights at our house for our album release party on June 26; I joked that I finally gave birth to this album because it was finally out there."
Fun, danceable, maybe even slightly quirky but always extremely enjoyable, Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones are a great add to anyone's collection and to discover more about them; please visit www.larahopeandtheark-tones.com.
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
Arts Council of Princeton 102 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-8777
Thurs. 5:30 p.m. Artist Talk with Robin Resch (FREE and located in Dohm Alley next to Starbucks on Nassau St.)
Fri. 6 p.m. "Summer Nights" Concert Series feat. Mural Dedication Concert: "You May Be Right" A Billy Joel Tribute (Takes place at Princeton Shopping Center 301 North Harrison Street)
Bill's Olde Tavern 2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Fri. 7 p.m. Tom Craig
Tues./Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ "Super" Dave Curtis
Ages 21+
Blend Bar & Bistro 911 Highway 33 Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Bob Banka
Sat. 7 p.m. Deep Release
Bowman's Tavern 1600 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2972
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. PJ Parker Trio
Fri. 8 p.m. Bob Egan
Sat. 7 p.m. Wendy Simon Trio
Sun. 6 p.m. Lorenzo
Wed. 6 p.m. Andy Prescott
Broken Goblet Brewing 2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Thurs. 7 p.m. Mike Estabrook
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Pearl Jam Tribute w/ "The Ledbetters"
Sat.8:30 p.m. Stems and Seeds
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic w/ Cara Cartney
All Shows 21+
Candlelight Lounge 24 Passaic Street Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Thurs. 6 p.m. Thursday Night Blues Jam Hosted by The Mojo Gypsies. $5 (Includes hot buffet)
Championship Bar 931 Chambers street Trenton
(609) 396-5457
Tuesday 8 p.m. "Jam Night" Hosted by Nikki & Caleb
Ages 21+
City Streets 510 Highway 130 South East Windsor
(609) 426-9400
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Kindred Spirit Duo
Mon. 9 p.m. "Malibu Mondays"
Clubhouse at Mountain View (The Patio)850 Bear Tavern Road Ewing
(609) 771-0400
Fri. 7 p.m. Radio Fiction Duo
COARadio.com 125 South Main Street Hightstown
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Natalie Farrell and Lou Panico
Cooper's Riverview 50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. (7 p.m.) Time Peace (9 p.m.) Club Night feat. Rotating DJs (inside event)
Fri. (5 p.m.) "It's 5 O'clock Somewhere Happy Hour" (8 p.m.) The Pinheads
Sat. 8 p.m. No Way Out
Sun. 11 a.m. " Sunday Latin Jazz Brunch" w/ Victor Tarassov
Mon. 7 p.m. "Sunny Monday Blues Jam"
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke w/ Karen and Mark
Wed. 12 p.m. "Wine Down Wednesdays"
All Events Ages 21+
Cream Ridge Winery 145 Route 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 259-9797
Fri. 6 p.m. Deadhead Night w/ Gratefulmen. $5
Sun. 1:30 p.m. Sangria Sunday w/ Ronnie Brandt
Dacey's Pub 215 West Philadelphia Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-4838
Fri. 6 p.m. Acoustic Music Night
Wed. 8 p.m. Quizzo
Dadz Bar and Grill744 Main Street Lumberton
(609)267-4344
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night
Sat. 6 p.m. Banned for a Day
Dempster's Pub437 Pine Street Mount Holly
(609) 261-0500
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Throwback Thursday/Ladies Night" w/ DJ entertainment feat. retro 70's, 80's and 90's music.
Fri. / Sat. 9 p.m. DJ entertainment
Eddington House Bensalem2813 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem, PA
(215) 639-1220
Fri. 8 p.m. Jonathan Hesbol
Sat. 8 p.m. Dale Ciccarelli
Escape Resort, Restaurant & Bar120 Pheasant Run Road Newtown, PA
(215) 968-0600
Fri. 6 p.m. Tubetop Mama
German American Society 215 Uncle Pete's Road Hamilton
(609) 585-5200
Fri. 7 p.m. The Sounds of Billy Joel w/ Chris Pinella
Gleason's Bar6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-4781
Thurs. 7 p.m. Weekly Corn Hole Tournament
Fri. 6 p.m. "Happy Hour"
Sat. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 5:30 p.m. Family Fun Night w/ "Gina the Balloon Girl"
Greenhouse 90 South Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1657
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Musicians Night Out" Hosted by Lovelight
Tues. 8 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Sam Ryan
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia Hosted by Dwayne Dunlevy
Grover's Mill Coffee House Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction
(609) 716-8771
Sat. 11 a.m. Rodney & Eva
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 7 p.m. Funk n' Blues Jam
Fri. 9:30 p.m. DJ Dance Party
Sat. 9:30 p.m. DJ Dance Party
Sun. 1 p.m. Midnight Sun Orchestra
Mon. (9 p.m.) "Lipstick Mondays Drag Show" (11 p.m.) Karaoke w/ Dwayne
Hopewell Valley Vineyards 46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. (5:30 p.m.) Bad Hombres
Sat. (1 p.m.) Just Us (5:30 p.m.) "Music & Merlot" feat. Craig Leach Group
Sun. 1:30 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Ashley Pettet
Iron Plow Vineyards 26750 Mount Pleasant Road Columbus
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6:30 p.m. Jim Gaven
Sat. 6:30 p.m. Spoondrift
Sun. 2 p.m. Same Old Antics
Iron Plow Vineyards Tasting Room61 High Street Mt. Holly
(732) 306-9111
Fri. 6:30 p.m. IPV 2nd Anniversary Event feat. Wayne Palmer Trio
Sat. 6:30 p.m. IPV 2nd Anniversary Event feat. Steve Guyger & Filthy Rich
Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9:30 p.m. "Thursday Night Dance Party"
Fri. 8 p.m. Shameless
All shows 21+
John & Peter's 96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa
(215) 862-5981
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic (Sign-ups start at 8 p.m.)
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
Killarney's Publick House 1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 7 p.m. Radio Fiction
Laurita Winery 85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Laurita Junior Idol 2021" Tryouts
Fri. (12 p.m.) "Wine In The Grove Friday" (5 p.m.) "Cornhole Tournament" (6 p.m.) BBQ Grill Night
Sat. 12 p.m. Winery Weekend feat. (1 p.m.) Roundabout Trio
Sun. 12 p.m. Winery Weekend feat. (1 p.m.) The Bergers
Lawrenceville Main Street17 Phillips Avenue Lawrenceville
(609) 219-9300
Thurs. 6 p.m. "Music In The Park" feat. Kindred Spirit. (Weeden Park FREE admission)
Makefield Highlands Golf Club1418 Woodside Road Yardley, PA
(215) 321-7000
Fri. 5 p.m. Larry Hinkes Jazzy Trio
Marie's Kozy Korner111 Trenton Road Fairless Hills, PA
(215) 943-3131
Fri. 7 p.m. Hind Sight
McGuinn's Place 1781 Brunswick Avenue Lawrence
(609) 392-0599
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Ages 21+
McStews Irish Sports Pub 5316 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 949-9570
Sat. 9 p.m. Troublemakerz
Mercer County Park Festival GroundsHughes Drive/Old Trenton Road West Windsor
(609) 448-1947
Fri. 6 p.m. Summer Concert Series: "Motown Night" feat. The Sensational Soul Cruiser/The Discoteks, $5 (Parking fee)
Sat. (10 a.m.) Mercer County 4-H Fair (6 p.m.) Summer Concert Series: "Jersey Shore Night" w/ Best Of The Eagles / Reock and Roll Revue. $5 (Parking Fee)
Sun. 10 a.m. Mercer County 4-H Fair (1 p.m.) Crown Acoustic
Millhill Basement 300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Sat. 9 p.m. "Millhill Returns From the Dead" feat. Breaklite, Worst Ones, Hateful Scarecrows, Bury Your Brother. Ages 21+, $5
More Than Q 13 Klines Court Lambertville
(609) 773-0072
Sun. 11 a.m. Gospel Brunch Open Mic
Music Mountain Theater1483 Route 179 Lambertville
(609)397-3337
Fri. 8 p.m. Matilda
Sat./Sun. 3 p.m. Matilda
Music On Main 25 East Main Street Yardley, PA
Sat. 6 p.m. Peter Veteska & Blues Train
New Hope Solebury High School184 West Bridge Street New Hope, PA
Sat. 7 p.m. Calla Bere and the Attitude. (FREE event)
New Hope Winery 6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Fri. 8 p.m. "Into The Mystic" The Van Morrison Experience
Sat. 8 p.m. "Into The Mystic" The Van Morrison Experience
Newtown Brewing Company103 Penns Trail Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8609
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Harry Potter Trivia Night
Sat. 7 p.m. Jake Bracey
Sun. 12 p.m. Local Artisan Craft Fair
Nick's Roast Beef4501 Woodhaven Road West Philadelphia, PA
(215) 637-5151
Fri. 8 p.m. The Naturals
Sat. 8 p.m. Kenny Raye Band
Sun. 4 p.m. AJ Slick
Wed. 7 p.m. LeCompt Acoustic Duo
O'Fowley's Tavern & Grill200 State Road Croydon, PA
(215) 785-6998
Fri. 8 p.m. DJ Entertainment
Old Hights Brewing123 West Ward Street Hightstown
(609) 469-5976
Thurs. 7 p.m. Trivia
Olde Liberty Tavern2114 Liberty Street Trenton
(609) 396-2262
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Sara and the Sound
Old Town Pub 135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 291-9232
Thurs. 7 p.m. Quizzoholics Trivia
Palmer Square40 Nassau Street Princeton
Thurs. 4 p.m. "Locals Night" w/ Live "Strolling" Musician
Sat.12 p.m. David Alastre & Latineo
Pasquale's Sports Bar9078 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(267) 202-6268
Fri. 5 p.m. Happy Hour feat. (TBA)
Sat. 8 p.m. DJ or Live Band Entertainment
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Quizzo
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic
Patriots Crossing 1339 River Road Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night
Sat. 8 p.m. The Brooks Brothers
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo"
Restart The Arts407 High Street Burlington
Sat.1 p.m. Acoustic Linda with Bryan Cooper
Revere Restaurant802 River Road Ewing
(609) 882-6365
Fri. 6 p.m. Paul Plumeri Duo
Sat. 6 p.m. Brian Elliot
Wed. 7 p.m. David Boyd
Rosedale Mills101 Route 31 North Pennington
(609) 737-2008
Sat. 1 p.m. Outdoor Line Dancing. $10 (Rain date Sundays 12 p.m.)
Sandy's Beef & Ale2028 E. Old Lincoln Highway Langhorne, PA
(2670 852-2333
Thurs. 8 p.m. Quizzo
Sav'Aged Designs110 South Main Street New Hope, PA
(609) 937-6104
Sat. 10 a.m. The Art of Adriana Groza
Sherman Theater/Penn Community Bank Amphitheater2400 Byberry Road Bensalem, PA
Wed. 7 p.m. "Best Friend's Girl" A Cars Tribute. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m., tickets available online)
Small World Coffee 14 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-4377 x2
Thurs. 8 p.m. "The Fluid Acrylics of Adriana Groza" (Runs 7 days a week thru 8/3)
Stars & Stripes Harley Davidson600 South Flowers Mill Road Langhorne, PA
(215) 752-9400
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Wet & Wild Bike Night"
Sat. 11 a.m. Customer Appreciation Day "Bikini Bike Wash and BBQ"
Stumpy's Hatchet House (Princeton)
745 Alexander Road Princeton
(609) 436-9737
Sat. 3 p.m. Asylum Choir
Tara's Tavern 1 Cookstown-New Egypt Road, Wrightstown
(609) 286-2300
Fri. 9 p.m. Mike & Karly
Sat. 9 p.m. Zach Trucksess
Tavern On The Lake 101 Main Street Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Temperance House 5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7p.m. "Blues Night" w/ Steve Guyger
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia w/ Righteous Jolly
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Night w/ Cara Cartney
Terhune Orchards 330 Cold Soil Road Princeton
(609) 924-2310
Fri. 4 p.m. "Sips & Sounds Friday" feat. Bill O'Neal and Andy Koontz
Sat. 1 p.m. "Weekend Music Series" feat. Acoustic DuoVer
The Bog (Cranbury Golf Club)
49 Southfield Road West Windsor
(609) 799-0341
Sat. 7 p.m. Guns 4 Hire
The Buck Hotel1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA
(215) 396-2002
Thurs. 7 p.m. Kevin Kirko
Fri. 7 p.m. Love Junk
Sat. 9 p.m. Danny Lynch Duo
The Cool Cricket 216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Unleashed
The Dubliner 34 North Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1816
Fri./Sat. 7 p.m. Gerry Timlin
Sun. 3 p.m. "Traditional Irish Session"
The Five Four Bar & Grill 8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 547-5525
Sat. 9:30 p.m. The Polish Nannies
The Morrisville Tavern376 West Trenton Avenue Morrisville, PA
(215) 295-5310
Fri. 7 p.m. Dan Ward
Mon. 7 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Tim
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic
Wed. 7 p.m. Trivia Night
The Sycamore Grill 255 North Sycamore Street Newtown, PA
(215) 908-6326
Fri. 8 p.m. Kickbax Acoustic Trio
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Stage
All shows 21+
Vault Tap Room19 West College Avenue Yardley, PA
(267) 907-8550
Thurs. 7 p.m. Comedy Night w/
Fri. 7 p.m. BoondaShark
Sat. 7 p.m. Brieann Wall
Wilson's Pub1870 Brownsville Road Trevose Heights, PA
(215) 355-4739
Fri. 7 p.m. Keep The Change
Working Dog Winery 610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Sat. 1 p.m. Roger Gardella
Sun. 1 p.m. The Williamsboy
WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 RadioMCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor
Jazzon2.org
Mon. 7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"
Yankee Doodle Tap Room10 Palmer Square Princeton
(609) 921-7500
Thurs. 6 p.m. Dueling Piano Night (Palmer Square)
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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EVENT PREVIEWS
StocktonPAC presents The Drifters on April 12
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2025 Cape May Music Festival Preview
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Now celebrating its 36th year, the annual Cape May Music Festival presented by Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture), with major support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, returns to this seaside resort with an engaging variety of musical concerts that launch on Memorial Day weekend. There are 14 classical, chamber, jazz, funk and brass band musical performances, some free to attend, from May 25-June 28, 2025.
