When Southside Johnny Lyon visits Monmouth University on April 13, 2013, it will mark a rare non-holiday outing for the music legend, whose full-length concerts remain “drop everything” destination events. To make the occasion even more momentous, this time it’s a junket undertaken without the Jukes.
For the 8 p.m. show at the Pollak Theatre, Lyon will be stepping out in front of The Poor Fools, the stripped-down, “free-wheeling bluegrass inflected folk rock experiment” that made its debut at the 2012 Light of Day concert in Asbury Park. A back-roads tour of the songs, singers, and regional seasonings that helped spice up the S.O.A.P. soup, the Poor Fools project presents the veteran big-band ringmaster in an intriguing “no rules, no fences” setting that takes in “a wide range of music from Dylan, Mose Allison, Muddy Waters, NRBQ, Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris, The Band, George Jones and more” – with excursions into Asbury Jukes territory; the classics as well as the deep-track grooves.
Having just released their new album, Songs From the Barn, this CD release show will highlight as described by Johnny “a loose mix of songs, stories and banter between the musicians and – hopefully – the audience.” The concert features Lyon in a rare public appearance as guitar player, joined by a team of multi-instrumentalists that include Juke’s musicians and long-time collaborators. Band members will be taking turns singing, switching off on instruments, and trying out new material, in a format that finds Southside “just lookin’ to have a good time. It’ll be a little side trip between the usual Asbury Jukes touring and our next recording.”
The Performing Arts series continues into Spring 2013 with concerts by John Hammond (April 5), Step Afrika (April 12), and Roger McGuinn (April 19). For additional information on these and other events, or to purchase tickets, please contact the Box Office at 732-263-6889, or online at www.monmouth.edu/arts. To schedule an interview, please contact Eileen Chapman at 732-571-3512.