New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


Eric Harrison releases "(That's What I) Ode to the Dirty Jerz"

originally published: 11/14/2024

In the words of New Jersey-based Americana songwriter Eric Harrison, "You can neither take the New Jersey out of me nor take me out of New Jersey. I'm a proud lifer."

Fresh on the heels of last year’s critically acclaimed album “No Defenses” and the spirited musical defense of a fellow Garden State songwriter charged with DUI, Harrison and producer Kevin Salem began recording new material last fall with the goal of releasing another album in early 2025. Along the way it occurred to the singer that a couple of the new tracks stood out as “very New Jersey – literal, unapologetic, generally not giving a f#%^ what you think of them. These songs deserved their own home alongside some prior tracks with a similar attitude.”

Thus was born “(That’s What I) Ode to the Dirty Jerz,” a six- song EP featuring the new singles Sal’s Place and Diner, followed by four tracks from prior albums.

Harrison brags. “Nobody has ever released a bunch of songs about growing up in New Jersey ... right?!”

Historical cluelessness notwithstanding, the songs on this EP are undebatably Jersey-coded. Diners, bars and cars abound. The waitress in Breakfast has “frosted hair that never ends” ... The morning commuter in Friendly Town travels the Garden State Parkway steeped in “razor burn and gasoline/Howard Stern and nicotine.”




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



Sal’s Place celebrates a home for wayward New Jersey rock and rollers where everybody knows your name – “If you got a cowbell or a mandolin/Step inside, we’re gonna let you in.”

88 Jeep captures an eternal summer drive with “the wind in my hair and the heat on my feet/Now we got the top down/ Now we’re feeling complete.”

1986, a nostalgic tune about “growing up Jersey” in the 80s, celebrates a less impressive but biographically vital vehicle: In 1986 I knew more than I thought / I drove a grey Dodge Colt with a Kenwood deck My poetry was overwrought. . . . Looking for a hook or a ploy / I was an upper-middle-class white boy / Chasing credibility / In a game yet unexplained to me / Knowing that one day I’m gonna miss these days

The EP begins and ends within the proud confines of that endangered species long considered indigenous to the Garden State: a 24-hour diner.

“Step to me at 3 AM, slap a menu on my table,” the lovelorn singer beckons to his waitress in Diner, where, he concludes five tracks later in Breakfast, “we’re squared away now – nothing left to say/Though I forgive with all the love I save.”

She must have burned the toast!

“(That’s What I) Ode to the Dirty Jerz” was released in November 2024. You can check out the album on SoundCloud, Bandcamp or at Harrison’s website. 




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here




FEATURED EVENTS

COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

Narrow results by date, categories, or region of New Jersey.

The

The Alan Parsons Live Project: Reset and Power Back On Tour

Thursday, November 14, 2024 @ 8:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music

View event page for full information


Josh

Josh Turner: The Greatest Hits Tour

Thursday, November 14, 2024 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music

View event page for full information


The Moody Blues’ John Lodge Performs Days of Future Passed

Friday, November 15, 2024 @ 8:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music

View event page for full information


More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages






 

EVENT PREVIEWS

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Rock band Senses Fail is thrilled to hitting the road this fall with fellow New Jersey act Saves The Day for the iconic New Jersey Vs. The World Tour. A celebration of all things NJ, the two bands will be playing seminal records – Let It Enfold You and Through Being Cool, respectively – in full. The tour kicks off on November 5th in Austin, with stops to follow in Orlando, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and more. Additionally, the bands will be teaming up with Veeps to livestream their hometown show on Thursday, November 14, 2024 from the Wellmont Theater in Montclair.


NJPAC

NJPAC presents a Tribute to Funk Featuring appearances by Bilal, Nona Hendryx, Christian McBride, Savion Glover, Vernon Reid, George Clinton and more!


 

UPCOMING EVENTS

(NEWARK, NJ) -- This Fall, AG Touring and Mammoth, Inc. proudly present the Rod Wave - Last Lap Tour. This large-scale multi-city outing will feature Rod Wave headlining 36 of North America's top arenas coast-to-coast. The tour will kick off on October 19 at Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix, AZ visiting major markets across the country, including Newark’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 with special guests Moneybagg Yo, Toosii, Lil Poppa, Dess Dior and Eelmatic.


Outpost

Outpost in the Burbs presents Robyn Hitchcock

2024-10-26 to 2025-10-26


More event previews