"I think it's still that way to a certain extent, you release a collective project and then you go out and promote it. I think when you're first starting out you kind of want to see what people like and gravitate towards; I think it also has something to do with our attention spans on the internet (laughs). So it's like, focus on this song, especially in the streaming world where you want your song to get on playlists and different things so you kind of put focus on the one song. It's kind of exciting to see what's coming next so it kind of keeps the momentum going so that you always have something in your back pocket to release to the world. I'm kind of at a crossroads; do I want to do that or do I play the game? The music scene, as much and great as that is; do people listen to concept albums anymore? It may not be easy to promote them and market them, I think people would listen but as a new artist I think it would be difficult to drop a large album and expect everybody to listen to it."
A New Jersey native who has shifted towards the bright lights of New York City, Evangelia is at home operating as both a solo act or with accompanying musicians. However when it comes to marketing herself and formulating promotion techniques she feels that good old fashioned networking and being present is the way to garner the contacts and materials needed to hone one's craft.
"I was born in Bridgewater and now I live in Jersey City. I love that I'm close to New York City since I'm basically in and out of New York all of the time now. I'm recording, playing shows, started playing with a full band and in New York I've been playing around the Lower East Side. I think something that I do have as an artist is that when I sing my voice is related to; well that's based on the feedback that I've gotten. I'm told that it's soulful and that it makes you kind of feel something or unique in a certain way and I think that my songwriting is honest. I don't just make music for the sake of people hearing it; do you know what I mean? My songs are definitely honest to me and who I am so you're getting an authentic piece of me. I think people like or want that from an artist and the art that they create; it's not just factory manufactured it's coming from a real place. The good thing is, there's a lot that you can do independently now where as we talked about earlier versus back then; if you didn't have a label you were screwed. I think if you play your cards right and also are just a good person in the networking game; ever since moving to Jersey City I'm constantly in New York and I'm meeting so many people that are in the industry and I kind of think that if you just play your cards right and you're a good person that people will gravitate towards you and want to help you out. A lot of it is networking, a lot of it is who you know that's why you'll always catch me supporting fellow artists. I go to support friends or discover and meet new artists and go looking to collaborate and I think that if you get an artist collective and surround yourself with creative likeminded people with a similar right attitude and drive then you've kind of got a whole team behind you."
When asked what she wants from her music; licensing, airplay, TV appearances or selling out stadiums and arenas; her response was perfect. "All of the above," she said with a sly little laugh. "I definitely would like to get my music licensed on TV, films, commercials and I've also written songs for short films which is really awesome. I like having a concept and then writing for it, that's why I think I really enjoyed doing, "Hello Again" and writing about Tony. I would love to have the ability to travel the world and perform my music; I mean that's the dream."
With the continued success of, "Hello Again" and a plan in place; what does the future hold for this emerging talent? "I have a collaboration that's coming out soon, it's a single with this band called Sleeping Lion who've come out of Berklee College of Music and they're really great producers and songwriters and then I have songs that are ready to go in the pipeline; it's just a matter of how I want to release them. It's looking like that this collection of songs that I've done in the past year will be released as singles and then they'll make up an album and then I'll take some time and drop an EP after that. Things just aren't as black and white so we'll see what the end turns out."
To find out more about Evangelia, please go to www.evangeliamusic.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
Alchemist & Barrister 28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. "Pasta and Sinatra Night"
Wed. 10 p.m. (TBA)
Arts Council of Princeton 102 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-8777
Thurs. 6 p.m. "Summer Courtyard Concert Series" feat. Octavia Blues Band. (Held at Princeton Shopping Center. See details below)
Bill's Olde Tavern 2694 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-0192
Thurs. 9 p.m. Trivia
Ages 21+
Blend Bar & Bistro 911 Highway 33 Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Jam
Wed. 7 p.m. Karaoke
Bowman's Tavern 1600 River Road New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2972
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Neil Podgurski Trio
Fri. 8 p.m. Bob Egan
Sat. 7 p.m. Dave Dales Trio
Sun. (12 p.m.) Brunch w/ Ottmar (6 p.m.) Lorenzo
Mon. 6 p.m. Andy Prescott
Tues. 6 p.m. Ed Wilson
Wed. 6 p.m. Lorenzo
Brickwall Tavern & Dining Room 19 E. Union Street Burlington
(609) 733-3562
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Byrd
Sat. 9 p.m. The Boomers
Broken Goblet Brewing1500 Grundy Lane Bristol, PA
(267) 812-5653
Thurs. 8 p.m. Mike Estabrook
Fri. 8 p.m. Kinky Quizzo
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Brian Bortnick
Brothers Pizza871 Route 33 Hamilton
(609) 586-2707
Thurs. 6 p.m. "Music On The Patio" feat. (TBA)
BT Restaurant & Tavern2031 Route 130 South Burlington
(609) 499-1355
Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Karaoke
Burlington County Amphitheater5 Pioneer Boulevard Westampton
Fri. 7 p.m. B-Street Band
Sat. (5:30 p.m.) Nice Hatts (7 p.m.) Sounds Of The Street
Caffe Galleria23 North Union Street Lambertville
(609) 397-2400
Fri. 7 p.m. Chin & Blum
Candlelight Lounge 24 Passaic Street Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Thurs. 6 p.m. Thursday Night Blues Jam
Sat. 3 p.m. (TBA) $10 (cover charge/$10 Minimum includes buffet)
Tues. 6 p.m. "Tuesday Jazz Jam" Open Session feat. James Stewart / Tom Littwin Trios. $5 (Lite appetizers)
Championship Bar931 Chambers street Trenton
(609) 396-5457
Thurs. 6 p.m. Gideon, Polaris, Varials, Chamber, Born A New. All ages, $13/$15
Fri. 8 p.m. Iron Chic, ShadesApart, Great Wight, Brackish. $12 (Advance)
Mon. 8 p.m. "Art Chill Night"
Tuesday 8 p.m. "Jam Night" Hosted by Nikki & Caleb
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
Mon. 9 p.m. "Malibu Mondays"
Tues. 9 p.m. Trivia w/ Jessie & Chelsea
Wed. 6:30 p.m. "Wine Down Wednesdays" w/ Rich Genoval
COARadio.com 125 South Main Street Hightstown
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Ken Kurczeski (Kenny K & The Way)
Common Sense Brewing102 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 526-8651
Sat. 6 p.m. "Nina" of Calm Down / Kyle Alexander
Diamond's of Hamilton 661 Route 33 Hamilton
(609) 981-7900
Fri. 6 p.m. The Blue-Eyed Balladeer
Sun. 10 a.m. "Live Jazz Brunch Buffet"
Dog & Bull Brew House 810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Brendon Johnson
Fri. 9 p.m. Soul Custody
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch" feat. Keli Vale (9 p.m.) Will Monach
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Mikey Raggz (4 p.m.) Brian Elliot
Frans Pub116 South Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 862-5539
Fri. 8 p.m. Asylum Choir
Freddies Tavern 12 Railroad Avenue Ewing
(609) 882-0978
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 8 p.m. Gyrl Band
Sat. 8 p.m. (TBA)
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Joe Vadala
Grounds For Sculpture80 Sculptors way Hamilton
(609) 586-0616
Please check web site for upcoming events
Grover's Mill Coffee House Princeton-Hightstown Road Princeton Junction
(609) 716-8771
Thurs. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Anker
Halo Pub4617 Nottingham Way Hamilton Square
(609) 586-1811
Sat. 7 p.m. Jeff & Karen
Halo Pub (Fete) 9 Hullfish Street Princeton
(609) 921-1710
Sat. 6 p.m. The Noonan Brothers
Havana New Hope 105 S. Main Street New Hope, PA.
(215) 862-9897
Sun. 1 p.m./3 p.m./5 p.m. Princeton School of Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Wed. 8 p.m. "Local Original Music Showcase" Hosted by Pat Foran feat. "Special Guests"
Hopewell Theater 5 South Greenwood Avenue Hopewell
(609) 466-1964
Sat. 8 p.m. Billy Walton Band / Joe D'Angelo. $30.92, $31.99, $33.05
Hopewell Valley Bistro & Inn 15 East Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-9889
Fri. 8 p.m. Open Mic. Night
Hopewell Valley Vineyards 46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Thurs. 6 p.m. Robert Ruffis Experiment
Fri. 6 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Just Us
Sat. 6 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. The Lifters
Sun. 2 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Al Oliver
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
Fri. 6 p.m. Carol Brooks & Ed Wilson
Sat. 1 p.m. John & Maggs
Sun. 2 p.m. Keith Franklin Jazz
Ivy Tavern 3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Thurs. 9:30 p.m. Karaoke
Fri. 9 p.m. Honey Spot Blvd
Sat. 9 p.m. Smoked Ice
Tues. 7 p.m. Teddy Z Jam
All shows 21+
Jake's Eatery 869 Bustleton Pike Richboro, PA
(215) 322-6787
Thurs. 7 p.m. "Ladies Night"
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia Night
Jimmy's Firestone American Grill140 Route 130 South Bordentown
(609) 291-0200
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Bar Games and Trivia"
John & Peter's 96 S. Main Street New Hope, Pa
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Mike DiAlto's Comedy Show
Fri. 9 p.m. Keith Kenny
Sat. (3 p.m.) Hank Woji (9:30 p.m.) Lowlight, Leeds, Brian Molnar
Sun. (3 p.m.) Room Service (9:30 p.m.) Trio Of Madness
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic.
Tues. 9 p.m. James Popik Band
Wed. 9 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
Killarney's Publick House 1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 9 p.m. Class A Kings
Sat. 10 p.m. DJ Jimmy G
Sun. 4 p.m. Jeep Meet
Laurita Winery 85 Archertown Road New Egypt
(609) 752-0200
Thurs. 6 p.m. Low Country Boil
Fri. (6 p.m.) Low Country Boil) (7 p.m.) Movie Under The Stars: "Grease." Ages 21+
Sat./Sun. 11 a.m. "Awesome 80's Food Truck Festival"
Wed. 6 p.m. "Laurita Summer Grill Night"
Logan Inn 10 West Ferry Street New Hope, PA
(215) 862-2300
Fri. 7 p.m. Russell Norkevich
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Ed Wall
Sun. 11 am "Jazz Brunch" feat. Zeke Stambovsky
Mamma Rosa's 572 Klockner Road Hamilton
(609) 588-5454
Sat. 6 p.m. Roundabout
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
Thurs. 10:30 p.m."Beer Pong" w/ DJ RV & MC Slim
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo hosted by Mike
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ Kirchner Entertainment
Mercer County Park Boathouse MarinaHughes Drive/Old Trenton Road West Windsor
(866) 683-3586
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Happy Hour" feat. (TBA). (Food/drink specials, cigar bar, boat tours)
Mercer County Park Festival GroundsHughes Drive/Old Trenton Road West Windsor
(609) 448-1947
Please check web site for upcoming events
Millhill Basement 300 S. Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Tues. 10 p.m. "Local Artist" Hip Hop, Experimental EDM and Bass Music Showcase
Mill Hill Park Levitt Amp Concert Series165 East Front Street Trenton
Thurs. 5 p.m. Making Movies / Xol Azul. (FREE Admission)
Music On Main15 South Main Street Yardley, PA
Sat. 6 p.m. Eco del Sur
Music On The Street16 South State Street Newtown, PA
Thurs. 6 p.m. Damascus Road
New Hope Winery 6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Thurs./Fri. 8 p.m. Raul Malo. $65
Nook's PourHouse 2043 Route 130 South Florence
(609) 447-0927
Sat. 9 p.m. Unleashed
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Tuesday w/ Quizoholics
Nottingham Tavern 9 Mercer Street Hamilton Square
(609) 587-6623
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Super Dave
Fri. 9 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 9 p.m. Asylum Choir
Ages 21+
Old Town Pub 135 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 291-9232
Thurs. 8 p.m. Quizzoholics Trivia
Fri. 9 p.m. B-Street
Sat. 9 p.m. Jenny Cat
Tues. 7 p.m. Sir Xerri's Open Mic Night
Palace Of Asia4591 Route 27 Kingston
(609) 497-9500
Wed. 7 p.m. True Acoustic
Palermo's Of Hamilton 310 Klockner Road Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21 +
Patriots Crossing 1339 River Road Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Bobby Jones
Fri. 9 p.m. Joe Robinson
Sat. 8 p.m. Blues In Disguise
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo"
Parx Casino (360 Bar) 2999 Street Road Bensalem, PA
(888) 588-7299
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Latin Night" w/ DJ George Dennis
Fri. (5 p.m.) Stem Live (9:30 p.m.) Bigg Romeo (10 p.m.) DJ Willoughby
Sat. (5 p.m.) Scattertrain (9:30 p.m.) The Fredz
Sun. 3 p.m. Showcase Sunday
Wed. 8 p.m. Willie Tyler
Pete's Steak House 523 Whitehorse Avenue Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9 p.m. No Way Out
Sat. 9 p.m. (TBA)
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Princeton Shopping Center301 North Harrison Street Princeton
Thurs. 6 p.m. Octavia Blues Band
Randy Now's Man Cave 134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Pleas check web site for upcoming events
Rossi's Bar & Grill 2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 890-2004
Thurs. 7 p.m. Ernie White
Salt Creek Grille 1 Rockingham Row Princeton
(609) 419-4200
Fri. 8 p.m. Paul Plumeri Blues Band
Sat. 8 p.m. Jerry Topinka
Small World Coffee 14 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-4377 x2
Please check web site for upcoming events
Stone Terrace by John Henry's2275 Kuser Road Hamilton
(609) 581-8855
Thurs. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
Wed. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
1867 Sanctuary 101 Scotch Road Ewing
(609) 392-6409
Thurs. 8 p.m. Lemongrass Duo. $20
Fri. 8 p.m. Tom Tallitsch Quartet. $20
Sat. (3 p.m.) The Tool Shed (8 p.m.) Seth Adam w/ Jeff Burnham
Sun. (3 p.m.) Hopewell Valley Central High School Alumni Jazz Ensemble w/ Jack Furlong. $15 (7:30 p.m.) Helen O'Shea and the Shanakees. $20
Mon. 8 p.m. Alex Laurenzi Quartet. $20
Wed. 8 p.m. Rhenda Fearrington and Gloria Galante. $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. Bent Mushroom
Tavern On The Lake 101 Main Street Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. Round Trip
Sat. 9 p.m. One Flight Up
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
Temperance House 5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7 p.m. Blues Open Mic Hosted by Steve Guyger
Tues. 7 p.m. Quizzo w/ Righteous Jolly
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Session Jazz Night
The Birdhouse Center For The Arts7 North Main Street Lambertville
(215) 681-4660
Please check web site for upcoming events
The Cool Cricket 216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. Nami Lane
The Cure Insurance Center 81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check website for upcoming events
The Dubliner34 North Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1816
Fri. 8 p.m. Andrew Koontz & Bill O'Neal
Sun. 2 p.m. "Jam Session" w/ Seamus Kelleher
The Five Four Bar & Grill8919 New Falls Road Levittown, PA
(215) 547-5525
Wed. 7 p.m. "Lyrical Conundrums" w/ Cara and Righteous
The Four Crows Café41 North Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 869-5252
Sat. (2 p.m.) Brad Vickers / Vestapolitans Duo (4:30 p.m.) The Long Hill String Band
Sun. 2 p.m. Stephen DiJoseph
The HOB Tavern 146 Second Street Bordentown
(609) 291-7020
Fri. 8 p.m. DJ Entertainment
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. Seth Tieger Band
Sat. 10 p.m.DJ Jon Gosselin
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
Sun. 3 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Bill Monach Jr.
The RRazz Room (Clarion Hotel)
6426 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(888) 596-1027
Fri. 8 p.m. "Float Like A Butterfly-The Music of Sting" w/ Barb Jungr & John McDaniel. $30/$40 (Limited VIP)
Sat. 8 p.m. "Gone But Not Forgotten" feat. Sharon McNight. $35
The Record Collector 358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Check web site for upcoming events
The Roost 181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-0050
Wed. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Sticky Wicket 2465 South Broad Street Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Thurs. 9 p.m. "Throwback Thursday" w/ DJ Chillio
Tues. 7 p.m. Karaoke
The Sycamore Grill 255 North Sycamore Street Newtown, PA
(215) 908-6326
Thurs. 8 p.m. Joe Robinson
Fri. 8 p.m. Go Hamm
Sat. 8 p.m. Monique and RJ
Sun. 3 p.m. Rachel and Tyler
Wed. 6 p.m. AJ Slick
Third State Brewing 352 High Street Burlington
(609) 387-1620
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog 1324 Hamilton Avenue Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Diarmuid MacSuibhne
Sun. 3 p.m."Irish Sessions" w/ Diarmuid MacSuibhnew
All Shows 21+
Trenton Buzz 702 Pine Street Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Fri. 8 p.m. Live Band & Open Mic.
Sat. 10 p.m. "Buzzed Saturdays" w/ Bockman
Trenton Social 449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Sun. 9 p.m. "SIN Industry Night"
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Benny P
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia
Fri. 10 p.m. Essie & the Big Chill. $5 (cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Mo Lowda & the Humble. $5 (cover charge)
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn 2572 Pennington Road Pennington
(609) 773-2392
Sat. 9 p.m. Acoustic Rock Night
Mon. 9 p.m. "Moonshine Mondays" Trivia
Working Dog Winery 610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Sat. 12 p.m. "Lobster Fest" feat. The Successful Failures
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.
