Southside Johnny began a new performance project late last year, dubbed Southside Johnny and The Poor Fools. They’ve played ten shows now; more are scheduled in between Jukes gigs. The new venture delves into the sort of acoustic-electric roots rock / Americana that one might associate with The Band, Bob Dylan, latter-day Hot Tuna, and various Brothers acts (Wood Brothers, Felice Brothers). It’s both a departure from Jukes music and a natural extension of Johnny’s catalog.

Read the whole story by Anton A at Tantalized – A Live Rock Chronicle

Browse the pictures at Photobucket

Photo (c) by Anton A – 2012

Southside Johnny & The Poor Fools – Love On The Wrong Side Of Town – Light Of Day 2012 – Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ, USA 01-14-2012 – Video by Backstreetsbev

Night 3 – The Paramount Theatre: When The Asbury Jukes are away Southside Johnny Lyon will play…the guitar that is. With a six-sring strapped to his back, much to the surprise of Bruce Springsteen who remarked later in the evening “I didn’t know he [Lyon] could do that,” Southside, backed by his latest outfit The Poor Fools (Soozie Tyrell, Jeff Kazee, John Conte, Tommy Byrnes), serenaded the capacity Paramount Theatre assemblage with a six-song set of acoustic-ish tunes, none more crowd pleasing than the group’s opening trudge through “Love On The Wrong Side Of Town” and an equally adored and subdued rendition of “I Don’t Wanna Go Home,” nor did we want them too, as Southside and the crew, playing its first show in Asbury Park, recorded the most impressive Boardwalk debut of the weekend.

Source: SpeakIMGE – LOD: Best Asbury Park Debut…Southside Johnny & The Poor Fools

Southside Johnny & The Poor Fools – Trapped Again – Light Of Day 2012 – Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ, USA 01-14-2012 – Video by BLHowardProductions

(…) Last night’s event at the Paramount Theater was the main attraction, and with one of the strongest lineups in years, it did not disappoint. There were spirited sets by Lisa Bouchelle, longtime shore favorite John Eddie, the effervescent Willie Nile, and New Yorker Garland Jeffreys, who previewed several songs from an upcoming CD release. There were the bluesy guitar and vocals of the legendary David Bromberg. And there was also the Asbury Park debut of Southside Johnny & the Poor Fools, who presented both Jukes staples and unusual and well-chosen covers by the likes of NRBQ and Lucinda Williams in stripped-down arrangements that highlighted longtime Jukes keyboardist Jeff Kazee and the fiddle of Jukes alum Soozie Tyrell.

Source: Backstreets.com

Bruce Springsteen & The Light Of Day All Stars – Thunder Road – Light Of Day 2012 – Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ, USA 01-13-2012 – Video by LeynaESantore

(…) The show was almost stolen by the Asbury Park debut of Southside Johnny’s Poor Fools, a freewheeling bluegrass-inflected folk-rock experiment for the roughneck R&B singer.

The Fools, which featured accordion, banjo, and mandolin in place of the pounding drums and overdriven guitars typical of Southside shows, was quite a departure for the singer, but was perfectly in keeping with the Dylanesque tone of the evening. (Southside Johnny, who is usually unencumbered by a musical instrument, even strapped on a guitar — an event so notable that Springsteen felt the need to tease him about it later.)

Source: NJ.com / Tris McCall / The Star-Ledger

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So, this new “acoustic-ish” ensemble hit the road the last two weeks for six shows in far-off lands (c’mon, some of those rides to Connecticut were long! Haha.) I was only able to make two this time around … but the schlep up to Danbury and then to Old Saybrook was definitely worth it.

What initially excited me about this endeavor is that I always applaud when well-established artists decide to do something different than what they are known for. Many times, artists have a tendency to stay in their comfort zone for fear of the unknown. How will the fan base react? What if I make mistakes? What if it’s a total disaster? And the ultimate … will they still like me? But, the truth is … to continue to grow artistically, you MUST do projects outside the realm of “the normal course of business.” It gives you experiences, material, ideas … and even added humility sometimes … to bring to the creative process.

As this was the first shows for this group, they tended to stick to the set list a bit more than at a Jukes show. But, still it seemed they added a song or two each night and sometimes just did something on the spot, working their way through it. Some highlights for me included Johnny’s gorgeous version of Beneath Still Waters, a turn on keyboards by the super-talented Tommy Byrnes, Soozie Tyrell tearing it up on Poor, Poor Pitiful Me, them covering NRBQ’s It Comes to Me Naturally and an incredible Hearts of Stone with just Southside and Jeff Kazee. As for Jukes tunes, the arrangement of Trapped Again is simply awesome. Period.

I look forward to seeing where this project goes … word is they are writing songs and headed into the studio next month. Additionally, there will be another set of shows in January (including Toronto and Rochester … thanks, guys, brrrrrrilliant. LOL)

So, kudos to the fools who rush in … and no worries, you’re all still angels in our hearts. As for being wise men, umm … I’ll get back to you on that one. *wink*

My fourth stop on this tour was the port city of Bristol, where I had actually spent a whole 20 hours last June when Bon Jovi had performed here on their tour.  This visit, unfortunately, didn’t last much longer than that one.

That is always the case when you’re following some crazy band around the world. You end up seeing the train station (or airport), the hotel, the venue and whatever sights may be on the way to/from any of those three destinations.  Luckily, I ended up with a very friendly taxi driver from the train station who gave me a brief history of the region and any “places of interest” we passed while en route to the hotel.

My hotel was right on the “floating harbor” running through the old part of the city, providing me with some lovely views out my window.

Once again, I decided not to queue in favor of walking around the city a bit. Amusingly, I still ended up in the same old spot I usually am. As in London, the Canadian band The Trews was serving as the support act … though with fewer technical difficulties. (As an aside, I ended up hanging for a couple of hours with a few of the guys at the hotel after the show in Wolverhampton – just shooting the breeze talking music and sports. Really nice guys. If you can, check them out – their newest album, Hope & Ruin, was released back in April.)

In my opinion, this show was the best of the five I saw while in the UK. Everything just seemed to click … including an absolutely BRILLIANT improvised narrative by Southside during “Why Is Love Such a Sacrifice.” That man’s ability to string together words on the spot is just downright amazing. It was also great to hear Jeff Kazee’s kick-ass performance of “I’m A Man” — one of the two songs I had hoped to hear during this trip (the other being “Some Things Just Don’t Change” … which I actually got at my final show. I’ve basically given up all hope of ever hearing my beloved “Don’t Call Me Baby.”)

The band just seemed to be in a great mood and simply having fun. That energy is contagious and translated into all of us simply having fun as well. By the way, I have no idea why there was a blow-up plastic wallaby on stage, but it did prompt a parody of Eric Carmen’s ”Don’t (Wallaby) All By Myself” during the encore set. It was that kind of night.

Ended up having a late dinner at an adorable Italian cafe after the show. Perfect end to a wonderful night.

up next … my final stop: Wolverhampton

I learned a number of things on this trip – of both personal and practical nature. For example, how to cross the street without dying (thank goodness for the “look right” and “look left” directions painted on the curb.) And, that Cardiff is in Wales and Wales is not England.

So, off I went on the train to Wales. After missing my connection in Westbury — three trains and one shuttle bus later — I arrived in the waterfront city of Caerdydd (that would be Cardiff in Welsh *wink*) I had completely lucked out with hotel accommodations and was staying for two nights at the absolutely gorgeous St. David Hotel and Spa (thank you Asbury Jukes for touring during the off-season!) Surprisingly, the weather was quite nice, encouraging me to just sit on my balcony for a while with a glass of wine and one of my biggest obsessions, the UK edition of Vogue magazine. *smile*

The hotel is a five-minute walk from Mermaid Quay, the restaurant/entertainment district on the waterfront (also where the Jukes would be playing the next night.) Home to dozens of restaurants and small boutiques, I enjoyed exploring the streets, eventually stopping for an absolutely fabulous dinner at Las Iguanas …

(burrito stuffed with butternut squash, spinach, cheese and chickpeas … yumm!)

I spent the next morning relaxing in the hotel spa *big sigh* and then headed over to Cardiff Castle (well, one can’t visit the UK and not see a castle, right? LOL) By then, the wind and rain had moved in and I headed back for the show at The Glee Club, where I almost expected a set list of the Jukes covering Broadway songs. LOL

With this being generally a comedy venue, acoustics were downright lousy — but the show was really quite excellent. There were some great surprises (at least for me) including I Remember Last Night and Long Distance, and stand-out solos from Jeff Kazee and Neal Pawley. Of all the concerts I attended this tour, I think this one displayed how truly diverse the band is stylistically – from R&B to soul to funk to reggae to rock. It was a treat to experience it.

I must apologize for almost getting Glenn Alexander killed. In true Southside fashion, he tried to get someone up on stage to sing. This time I was the “lucky” target. When I refused (cuz seriously, wouldn’t y’all rather hear the band than me?!), Johnny requested my camera and sent Glenn down so he could take a picture of us. Unfortunately, the monitor Glenn used as a stepping stone wasn’t anchored to the stage and he ended up tumbling off the stage. Thankfully, the stage was very low and he was fine.

The stage was so low, actually, that us regular first row people sort of created a no-fly zone in front of it so that we weren’t standing eye-to-eye with the band. Holding down our spots, we felt a bit like the offensive line for the New York Giants. LOL Additionally, the small stage space inspired the need for some choreographed moments between John Conte and Southside, though at one point they got their signals crossed and Johnny got himself knocked on his noggin.

This show continued my photographic woes with the amount of red light used, but musically (which is all that really matters anyway) the night was fantastic. Oh, and I’m wondering if Jeff Kazee gets doubling fees for all the percussion instruments he insists on playing. Haha.

As someone who finds a lot of strength, comfort and solace in being by the water, I was sad to leave Cardiff. But, I definitely look forward to returning there on next year’s tour.

next stop: one seriously awesome show in Bristol

After not nearly enough sleep the night before and still feeling a bit jet-lagged, Sandy and I decided to forgo the whole queueing thing and just enjoy a nice, quiet meal (I love tapas!) at a cafe near our hotel.

When we arrived, the energetic crowd was lined up around the corner and down the block. Nonetheless, we ended up with decent spots, second row center with Tasha and Quilly right in front of us. It was sort of like being back in the States … but with better beer.

The Brook is a tiny, little venue right across from an auto dealer/repair shop (NOT a pub, like the attendant at our hotel had told us. Oops.) I sort of snickered at the description they used in their marketing materials.

Umm…I think the Jukes are pretty darn good whether it’s a Tuesday OR a Saturday … in my humble and completely objective opinion, of course. (oh … and note to marketing people … don’t use bold colors behind black text or you can’t read what’s written. #justsaying)

With no opening act, the band took the miniscule stage by storm and never looked back. I had thought that given the previous night’s challenges that this show was probably going to be a great one. And it was.

It is a known fact that these guys can really play … and really sing. Those talents were certainly on display at The Brook and lucky us who got to witness it.

One of the many highlights was an incredible solo by John Conte. Ya know … I love bass players. They just stand back there, holding down the fort, usually out of the spotlight, simply doing their job (and often very well.) It was nice to see JC up front and given the opportunity to really shine.

Then there was the asbsolutely breathtaking performance of Many Rivers to Cross. Southside called Jeff Kazee the most soulful guy to come out of Lima, Ohio. I would expand the geographic description to include most of the Northeast … or maybe North America. Just one time listening to him sing that song will convince you. Also outstanding … Johnny doing A Change is Gonna Come. I will never tire of hearing him do that. And there was Chris Anderson’s solo in Fever which just about brought down the house. Great versions of Umbrella in My Drink, Why Is Love Such a Sacrifice and Lead Me On (though that song just kills me.)

Some amusing comments from the stage included Johnny opening up the floor to a vote on soccer … Manchester United vs Manchester City, and a not-so-flattering description of the cuisine in Wolverhampton. We also had SSJ and John Conte doing strange bird/alien sounds, as well kung-fu fighting (later reprised by Conte and Kazee.) Then there was this long talk about ladies being attracted to Glenn (apparently it’s the hair … and the hat.) Yes, folks, this is why we go to Jukes shows.

I actually really liked this venue. Small and quirky — with a pool ladder that you could use to get up on stage from the floor. And a stage so small that they put brackets on the wall to hold guitars (or a cowbell) so that it didn’t take up precious floor space. There was a balcony with tables overlooking the stage and even a spot where you could sit and look directly down onto the stage from above.

But, at the end of the day, it’s really about the music. And we had plenty of that … and LOUD. (no joke … really loud! When they were playing “Talk to Me” I was thinking … well, not tonight, cuz I won’t be able to hear a damn thing you’re saying by the time this show is over. LOL)

Next up: Cardiff (where I am currently … and loving it … and contemplating looking for an apartment. Haha.)

p.s. The lighting at The Brook was lousy for pictures .. so rather than subject you to numerous less-than-mediocre shots, I’ll just post a few barely acceptable ones, instead.

After a suprisingly enjoyable ”crossing” (row to myself, upgraded with extra leg room, unlimited wine and some very nice salmon. Thank you, Virgin Atlantic.) I landed at Heathrow at the crack of dawn Friday morning ready to see the Jukes rock London.

This was not the first time I had been to “The Old Smoke” (apparently, that was London’s nickname at one point??? Like Paris is “The City of Lights” … or New York City is “The Big Apple” *wink*) But, unfortunately, every time I’m in London I never have enough time to see as much as I’d like as I’m usually here for a concert of some type. Damn bands! LOL

My dear friend Sandy from Germany met me at the airport and we headed into the city to check-in and drop our bags at the hotel (where it seemed everybody and their brother was staying) and hit a good English pub and some shopping … in whichever order it may come. We’re girls … food and shoes are equal priorities. Fact.

Anyhoo, we eventually made it over to queue for the show. I had never been at Shepherd’s Bush Empire before and was blown away by the beauty of the venue with its ornate multiple balconies. The Canadian band, The Trews, was serving as support act … to me, definitely a “North of the Border” type of rock sound somewhat reminiscent of Nickelback … well, once the guitarist was finally able to get plugged into a working amp after his original one blew. Unfortunately, those weren’t the only technical issues of the evening as Glenn was also having significant amp problems during the Jukes set. Must have been some bad energy (literally and figuratively) on that side of the stage.

I realize that living on the East Coast, I’m spoiled in terms of seeing the Jukes on a regular basis. Still, I was happy to get a decent spot … actually, my favorite spot – front row basically between John Conte and Jeff Kazee (who was sporting some new footwear … orange, of course. LOL)

Opening the set with “Shake Em Down”, the night continued with, in my opinion, more fast/sing-along tunes than usual. There were very few mid- and slower-tempo songs, though it’s nice that “All the Way Home” is becoming a more regular inclusion in the set list. A couple of funny moments stood out including SSJ demanding 2£ for a song request (and getting it), as well as a very vocal audience giving their opinion on Johnny’s soccer jersey from Greece (maybe he should send the 2£ there … I think they could use it!)

In the end … sure, it was a slightly weird show that didn’t quite flow. BUT that is live performance – and I’ll take that ANYDAY over a computerized, scripted presentation. Performance is meant to be organic … ok, sometimes it might need a little more Miracle Grow … but each show is an experience and that’s why we keep coming back.

Afterwards, Sandy and I stopped at the pub next door where we had yet another experience … an ENTIRE bar of people singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody … and I mean every word … together. Only in England!

By this point, jetlag had pretty much kicked my bum and I was ready to crash for the night.

One down. Four to go.

Next Up: The Comeback in Southampton.

A sold-out crowd of 650 packed the Kent Stage on Saturday night for a high-energy show of blues, R&B and good-time rock ‘n’ roll by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. In recognition of the Kent Blues Fest, the group featured a number of blues classics early in their set. Southside clearly loved the opportunity to play some different tunes, and he sang and played harmonica with passion.

Things kicked into higher gear when the group started digging into the hits. Songs such as Better Days, Love on the Wrong Side of Town and Talk To Me had the crowd up, dancing and singing. A smoldering version of The Fever, written by Bruce Springsteen and given to Southside Johnny, was another highlight.

Read the full article…

Via: Speak Into My Good Eye by Chris Rotolo, Senior Staff Writer: According to a tweet made Tuesday afternoon by local producer, and electric ivory tickler for the Southside Johnny led Asbury Jukes, Jeff Kazee, he and the aforementioned front-man have finished recording a cover of The Beatles‘ “I’m Down” for a lengthy project, nearing the entrance to its third year, named The Beatles Complete On Ukulele (TBCOU).

Read the full article…

Past and present collided at Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes’ annual Fourth of July weekend appearance Saturday night at the Stone Pony, complete with moving tributes to several deceased fixtures of the Shore scene and a rare guest appearance by E Street’s own Little Steven Van Zandt.

The Jukes led off the night (broadcast live on Sirius XM radio) with a performance of Steven’s seminal Men Without Women album. After a brief introduction from Southside Johnny, the sold-out crowd was treated to a performance of the classic Disciples of Soul album that featured many of the original participants, including Stan Harrison, Ed Manion, Mark Pender and La Bamba (clad in original Disciples jacket), as well as two of the original three Jukettes, Soozie Tyrell and Lisa Lowell.