Longtime Union City and Hasbrouck Heights resident Tony Orlando, 80, was honored in Louisiana with “The Louis Prima Award.” The award was established in 2011 by Prima’s wife Gia Prima with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). “I was so humbled to receive this award at the Louisiana Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame Gala,” gushed Orlando.

They will hear the twang throughout Cape May County from June 19 to the 22^nd when Wildwood hosts the fifth annual Barefoot Country Music Fest happening right on the beach in-between Morey’s Piers. Over 40 artists will perform on five stages:  Jelly Roll, Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, Rascal Flatts, Jordan Davis, Megan Moroney, Chris Janson, Warren Zeiders, Elle Langley, Boyz II Men, Sam Barber, Larry Fleet, Chris Gagle, Colt Ford, Meghan Patrick and Kaitlin Butts are but the tip of the iceberg.

The mind-blowing three-day orgy of Dark Force will take place in Parsippany, Morris County, May 2-4, when hordes of metalheads, punks, goth kids, monsters, vampires, rockers, zombies and adventurers descend upon the Sheraton Hotel on Smith Road to witness 35 bands from around the globe on two stages of Hard Rock, Industrial, Goth, Punk, Post-Punk, Darkwave, Metal (be it trad, black, death, power or nu) and alternative.

Michale Graves, 49, born and raised in Bergen County’s Dumont Township, has had a string of shows cancelled on his current tour. Once known because he sang for The Misfits 25 years ago, he’s now most known for his association with The Proud Boys and the January 6 insurrection.

If you ask Asbury Park singer-songwriter Doug Gatta about his home town, he’ll tell you that it’s “Lonesome City” to him. The multi-instrumentalist—who debuted with God’s Lonely Men in 2022—has now put his thoughts and feelings into “Lonesome City.”

Punk didn’t kill Prog. The Inquisition comes out of Hackettstown in Warren County. They grew up wearing out their Pink Floyd, Genesis and Porcupine Tree albums. Now they have an album of their own called The Magi of Kent Act #1: Turn Of The Tide. It’s all about corruption and ambiguous intentions. Feel free to call it a fantasy rock-opera.

Singer-Songwriter Todd Bailey may be from Burlington County in South Jersey but in his mind and heart, he resides in Cactusland.

The second-annual Fourth Wave Fest will take place on Cookman Avenue at Asbury Park’s House Of Independents March 8. Promoted as “Music For All:  A Women-Led Day of Music,” the event will benefit an organization known as “180 Turning Lives Around” that helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The last album by the original Smithereens lineup, 2011, will be released for the first time ever on vinyl in 16 Days (Sunset Blvd Records). March 14 is also the date it will be re-released on CD for the first time since 2015.

Despite retiring from touring seven years ago after the loss of hearing in his left ear, Paul Simon, one of America’s greatest living songwriters, has decided to come out of retirement for what he is calling his “Quiet Celebration” tour. Simon, born in Newark 83 years ago, will perform his brilliant 15^th solo album, Seven Psalms, in its entirety, as well as old favorites.

There’s been a lot of genius to come out of Newark: The Four Seasons, Gloria Gaynor, Ice-T, Sarah Vaughan, Fred Schneider of The B-52s, “Mighty” Max Weinberg, Whitney Houston, Connie Francis, rapper Shaquille O’Neal, Paul Simon, Woody Shaw, Queen Latifah, Jerry Lewis and Jerome Kern for starters. Then there’s Wayne Shorter, who revolutionized jazz with Miles, and then revolutionized jazz again with Weather Report.

We take time out from our regular programming for a very good cause. The Jersey Sound will match every $20 donation with another $20. Let's help these three beautiful children.

Morris County sometimes rings with rock’roll angst when the members of Above The Moon practice its new single, “The Only One.” Drummer John Gramuglia calls the group “a straight-up suburban New Jersey rock band. No bells or whistles, not even a backing track. We pride ourselves on delivering tight live performances with big guitars, loud drums and high energy.

If you love the New Jersey music scene or have ever been part of the New Jersey music scene, you have John Pfeiffer to thank.

Hoboken band Phoneboy’s Heartbreak Designer album won’t be out until April 25 but their “Better Than You” tune can be dialed up now. The boys (and girl) in the band are opening for Good Kid tonight in Missouri, Friday in Colorado and Saturday in Utah with stops in California, Texas, Florida, Tennessee and Ohio before their own headlining tour starts May 2 in DC.

Longtime Chuck Mangione lead guitarist Coleman Mellett found fame as a jazz guitarist but always loved singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Paul Simon. Married to Dizzy Gillespie’s daughter, vocalist Jeanie Bryson, they settled in East Brunswick, Middlesex County, and would always record songs in their home studio. Now, for the first time, those home recordings, as finished by pianist-producer-author Barry Miles, is being released as Sing You A Brand New Song.

Those jazz fans who missed last night’s debut performance of this season’s Jazz Room at William Paterson University in Wayne need not fret. The schedule is an A-List of talent scheduled for next month, three times in April and a solid May ending. The concerts, inexpensively priced, will take place at the on-campus Shea Center for Performing Arts.

The Cape May Singer-Songwriter Showcase weekend is set for March 28 and 29 with performances, music-biz panels, workshops, keynotes and jams galore all happening at the Congress Hall Hotel Grand Ballroom, the Harrison Conference Center, and 15 music venues. 

Mike Campbell—of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac and his own band Dirty Knobs—will sit down on the BergenPAC stage in Englewood, March 19, with longtime rock critic David Fricke to discuss his new book, Heartbreaker, due March 18.

We’re so glad Michael Arnone will be bringing a lot of Louisiana back to New Jersey at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta May 30, 31 and June 1. Starting in 1989, and continuing every year until 2019, the pandemic knocked it off-course in 2020 and 2021 but it returned in 2022, and there hasn’t been one since.