Written by Jeff Spevak – 20120126 — There was a point, about 20 years ago, when we nearly lost Southside Johnny. “I was sick of the music business, I had personal problems, my mother was dying,” he says.

“I needed to get away. I found this little house, kind of a lodge with a four-burner stove, two of which worked, and a fireplace. Every now and then I’d go into town and buy some groceries… talk to the perky little checkout girl. But mostly, it was just a pile of books and listening to classical music — and whiskey. Piles of books and whiskey bottles, and that was it.”

It seems like a bad story, but romantic at the same time. The musician who drifts away, searching for something, puttering with dysfunctional appliances. Turning his back on those amazing times in the early ’70s when Bruce Springsteen came roaring out of New Jersey, and right on Springsteen’s heels was his own band, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes.

Jon Bon Jovi — he’s another one of those Jersey rockers — said it was Southside who inspired him to put together his first rock band. A mesh of rock and soul. These guys made something.

“The past is gone, I’m much more interested in what’s in front of me,” Southside insists. Yet look at the band that he’s bringing to the German House Theater on Sunday: Southside Johnny & the Poor Fools. Rootsy American songbook. Dylan, George Jones. Muddy Waters. Southside’s even going to play some guitar, which scares him, since he lost a lot of the feeling in his left hand years ago, when he cut it on broken glass. “I remember when James Taylor was doing a solo tour, and he cut his hand with an axe,” Southside says. “The tour was just him and a guitar and a glass of water onstage, and they had to cancel a bunch of shows. And everybody I knew was asking, ‘Why is this guy cutting wood?’”

Maybe the burners on his stove were out.

“We’ve been rehearsing about 30 songs,” Southside says of the Poor Fools. “Some we’ve written, some by Tom Waits, who’s a friend, and Emmylou Harris, and some Jukes classics done in a different way. Songs by Robert Johnson, Son House ….”

Read the full article at: The Democrat And Chronicle

By Joel Rubinoff, Record staff — “I’d seen James Brown and Ray Charles,’’ Southside Johnny, a.k.a. Johnny Lyon, is telling me over the phone from somewhere on the New Jersey Shore.

“But I walked into the place I used to hang out, the Upstage Club, and this long-haired guy was onstage telling a story about how the nuns taught him the blues by bringing in a B.B. King album one day. “And he just was riveting, and I thought ‘Wow, who is this guy?’ ’’His name, of course, was Bruce Springsteen, though at the time he was just another up and coming nobody trying to get a break.

And when he and Lyon struck up a friendship, it changed the course of Lyon’s life…

The year was 1967, says Southside, or maybe ’68, and New Jersey was alive with the sounds of the primitive, pre-Beatles rock and Stax soul that would infuse both his and Springsteen’s work.

“I was living with Miami Steve (Van Zandt, Southside’s guitarist, songwriting partner and producer before departing for Springsteen’s E Street band) and Albany Al in a three-bedroom apartment,” recalls the 63-year-old rock vet.

Read the whole article at: TheRecord.com

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

BY JIM BECKERMAN – The Record – Southside Johnny is trying something materially different. “Southside Johnny” Lyon and the Poor Fools aren’t afraid to mix things up. “Everybody’s playing all sorts of instru­ments,” the influential Shore rocker says. If you see them Friday, you can expect to hear an eclectic range of tunes, too. For a start: different material.

“Parchman Farm,” by Mose Allison, “Shiver Me Timbers,” by Tom Waits, and “Shim Sham Shimmy,” by Champion Jack Dupree, along with B-sides, lesser-known original tunes and others that are off the beaten track, are all liable to turn up on the set list of Southside Johnny and the Poor Fools. “This is mostly doing good songs that I don’t normally do,” says “Southside Johnny” Lyon. “We’re doing a mix of material. Including some pretty obscure things.” But a new songbook isn’t the only thing that makes this latest side project of Lyon, Jersey’s quintessential Shore rocker, different from his flagship brand, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes.

Read the full article at: NorthJersey.com

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*

Posted by Marc Berman on Friday, November 18, 2011 6:48AM – Little Steven Van Zandt, Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez take the stage with the B Street Band and surprise guests at a fundraiser for Gilda’s Club South Jersey held at the Hard Rock Cafe Atlantic City

Source: NJ.com

Watch Southside Johnny on PBS. See more from ON CANVAS.

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