Lovers of ’60s folk music walk right in to the Grunin Center’s Gia Maione Prima Studio Theatre in Toms River, NJ, this Saturday, March 15, 2025 evening for a concert by A Band Called Honalee, a modern-day folk trio inspired by the legacy and music of Peter, Paul and Mary.
Heidi Sheridan, Executive and Artistic Director of the Grunin Center, welcomes the crowd and introduces the members of A Band Called Honalee — guitarist Michael Perrie, Jr., vocalist Sigrid Wise, and guitarist Michael Grieve — who take the stage and launch into Peter, Paul and Mary’s “If I Had a Hammer.”
Accompanied by bassist Magda Kress, the performance features dual strumming guitars, a clear strong lead vocal from Wise, and smooth background harmonies by Perrie, Jr. and Grieve.
The musicians introduce themselves and invite the audience to sing along on their next selection which Wise says, “Peter, Paul and Mary sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.” Grieve and Wise duet on Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” before Perrie, Jr. joins in and the music crescendos in volume as the song’s message of unity and justice intensifies.
The crowd applauds and Perrie, Jr. jokes, “This song is about unrequited love… and the ingredients of lemonade,” as he sings lead on PP&M’s “Lemon Tree,” backed by tight harmonies rendered by Wise and Grieve.
Grieve points out that the group’s next number was “made popular by The Rooftop Singers” before the crowd claps along to a lively rendition of “Walk Right In” where Perrie, Jr. picks out a guitar solo and the audience happily sings along on the tune’s bouncy “Walk right in/Sit right down” refrain.
Following a country rendition of Peter, Paul and Mary’s “Rocky Road,” Grieve sings lead on the Gordon Lightfoot-composed “For Loving Me,” a modern folk song on which the trio vocalizes, “That’s what you get for loving me.”
The crowd cheers and Perrie, Jr. — who mentions that he used to live in Jersey City, NJ — rhythmically taps on his guitar as Grieve strums his guitar and sings lead on an arrangement of Peter, Paul and Mary’s “I Dig Rock and Roll Music” which includes snippets of ’60s rock and roll tunes including The Mamas and the Papas “California Dreamin’” and The Beatles’ “Drive My Car.”
Wise declares, “We need some female artists here!” before the group serves up a story about a Johnny Cash dinner party where artists like Joni Mitchell introduced new songs to the guests. Here, Wise performs one of those songs, “Both Sides Now,” her sweet soprano calling out the timeless lyrics of this classic coming of age tale and making it her own.
Following a jaunty interpretation of Simon and Garfunkel’s “59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” Wise takes the lead on John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” where the audience strongly sings along on the tune’s “So kiss me and smile for me/Tell me that you’ll wait for me” chorus.
Concertgoers continue to sing on A Band Called Honalee’s rendition of PP&M’s “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” where they clap along in rhythm to the tune’s ubiquitous “Puff, the Magic Dragon/Lived by the sea” refrain.
Rhythmic guitar playing accompanies the trio’s compelling vocals on Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” before the trio launches into a medley of tunes by The Mamas and the Papas. Perrie, Jr. channels the spirit of Denny Doherty with his lead vocal on “Monday, Monday,” and the ensemble continues with hits including “Go Where You Wanna Go,” “I Saw Her Again,” and “This is Dedicated to the One I Love.”
After Perrie, Jr. talks to the audience about “Robert Zimmerman” — aka Bob Dylan — he expertly fingerpicks his guitar while giving a touching vocal performance on Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”
Wise announces that she and Michael Grieve are getting married in April before dedicating the group’s next number, “Angel from Montgomery,” to the city of Montgomery, AL where they recently got engaged. With her pointed vocal, Wise sings lead, accompanied by Grieve, who provides harmony on this John Prine folk ballad.
Next, Grieve is featured on The Beatles’ “I Will” and Perrie, Jr. handles the lead vocals on Jonathan Edwards’ “Sunshine” where upbeat guitar strumming accompanies the tune’s “Sunshine go away today” lyric.
Grieve explains, “The next two songs are traveling songs. The first was written in 1908 by an 11-year-old Elizabeth Cotten, and the second is a Peter, Paul and Mary song.” Thundering into “Freight Train,” Grieve sings with feeling and dynamics on this melancholy tune.
Segueing into “500 Miles,” the audience sings along with Wise on the tune’s somber “If you miss the train I’m on/You will know that I am gone” lyric.
Grieve thanks the audience for coming tonight before he and the band fire off a barn-burning rendition of Peter, Paul and Mary’s “If I Had My Way.” PP&Ms signature harmonies are on display as the vocalists deftly move up and down in sync on the upbeat folk song’s “If I had my way in this wicked world” lyric.
Music lovers stand as the musicians take a bow and inquire, “One more?” The crowd responds in the affirmative and claps and sings along to an encore version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” before the musicians take a final bow to hoots, hollers, and animated applause.
As concertgoers make their way into the Gia Maione Prima Studio Theatre lobby, several comment on tonight’s performance by A Band Called Honalee. Declares Joe from Toms River, “This show was excellent! The song selection was great, the vocals were strong, plus I like this venue — it’s a great place!” Cecilia from Silverton concurs, declaring, “Knowing these songs really showed my age, but it was a wonderful show and I’ll be coming back for more.”
Dorit from Toms River asserts, “It was an amazing show that brought me back to the 1960s! I just saw the Dylan movie, A Complete Unknown — and I’m related to Johnny Cash, too — so I especially loved it. Plus, the acoustics were amazing so I’ll definitely be coming back.” Jo from Dallas, TX, agrees, adding, “This show was unbelievably stupendous! I knew every word to every song and the performers were fabulous musicians as well as nice folks!”
Christopher from Ocean Gate insists, “The show was really good! I’ve always loved Peter, Paul and Mary so it was right up my alley, but the greatest thing about it was getting to see young people authentically perform this type of music — you could tell they totally ‘get it.’” Angel from Ocean Gate concurs, noting, “I loved it, too — it was very entertaining, especially since I’m a fan of Peter, Paul and Mary, as well.”
The Honalee cast members also make their way out into the lobby where they chat with concertgoers. In talking about their interest in ’60s folk music, Michael Perrie, Jr. reveals, “I originally got interested in music and performing because of Buddy Holly. My cousin was in a production of The Buddy Holly Story and I saw that show as a kid and said, ‘I want to learn how to play guitar and sing and be on stage like him.’ Years later, I ended up touring the country playing Buddy Holly, but it was that initial experience that got me started playing ’50s and ’60s music.”
Whereas Sigrid Wise reveals, “My parents got me interested in this type of music by playing it at home all the time,” Michael Grieve recalls, “I got a guitar when I was eight years old and my uncle gave me a James Taylor songbook and a Beatles songbook. At the time, I remember thinking, “This music is so cool!” and I still love it — in fact, the music I write myself is in this very same genre; it’s such inspiring music.”
As far as what it’s like to be able to interpret the folk music of the ’60s on stage with A Band Called Honalee, Grieve explains, “The creator of our show, Aaron Gandy, has been adamant from the start that we are not a cover band but, rather, a modern folk trio which is inspired by this music, so we’re thrilled to be encouraged to put our own fingerprint on these songs that still resonate today.” Perrie, Jr. agrees, prior to concluding, “I love playing this music together live with my musical colleagues. We all come from different musical backgrounds but what brings us together is the simple elegance of Peter, Paul and Mary’s music.”
To learn more about A Band Called Honalee, please go to abandcalledhonalee.com. For info on upcoming performances at The Grunin Center’s Gia Maione Prima Studio Theatre — including Stoned Soul Picnic: The Music of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Laura Nyro on April 5, Vance Gilbert on April 12, and Nat Adderly, Jr. on April 27 — please click on grunincenter.org.
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