As long as I’m on the subject of going back to the Jersey Shore, it’s also important to remember that Thanksgiving is also the anniversary o

“AHahaha!”

He held her hand. He did so with trepidation. It always seemed like he had to cross some sort of threshold to show her some affection. And w

This is a sensitive subject. A place I long for. There has always been a place I long for—anywhere away from where I was at the time. The grass was always greener, so to speak—everything was better at the place I longed for, and so I’d act as if I was already in the place I longed for and abdicate any responsibility for things to be done in the place where I actually was. I think that the first places I longed for, which were not the places I actually was, were Wilmington, De

Wow ... it has been fifteen years since Soul In Exile 2: Jersey Shore Baby got its first review, before it was even finished. Kudos to Gary Wien for the fine words. --- AsburyMusic.com: The Home of Asbury Park Rock’n’Roll Demo Reviews for September 7, 2003 CD Review: Soul In Exile 2: Jersey Shore Baby by The Hesh Inc. (3 ½ stars out of 5) 1. Jersey Shore Baby 2. Coastal Groove (You Know It’s All Right) 3. Bruce! 4. Coda 5. Beach Town in the Off Season 6. Lost In Your Uni

The embers are glowing inside the ashes The new growth is sprouting through the parched earth The flowers are blooming behind the bushes When this jewel is polished we’ll see its real worth People are coming to watch the sparks fly There’s an electric excitement in the air The new faces stare in wonder as they pass by We just tell ‘em we always knew it was there. CHORUS This town’s coming back, I’m seeing it firsthand If you’re not seeing it you’ve got your head in the sand T

Yes, the David Bowie song. Never much cared for Bowie. And the message in the song … well, it’s OK (and covered elsewhere). I’m not even focusing on that; just the opening chords of piano and lush strings, leading into the introductory groove. That somehow conjures up the image of approaching the Berkeley-Carteret Hotel from the northwest after eluding my parents on that Sunday that I didn’t want to go home. And then, finding myself inside the hotel, and then running into my

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the streets are knee deep in water The town’s hunkered down and everything in it is out of order The sky is storming like a flaming sword threatening to bring the skyline asunder But I’m gonna walk outside anyway and damn the lightning and the thunder I fought long and hard to be here, I think I’ve earned the right To take my place among the spirits breaking out from among the blight No use explaining to all the folks who can never understand quite

Dani, the sun has gone down in our faces / The lights faded out and there’s no real sign of the morning

This city’s never gonna come back / As long as the negativity rules ...

So I'm back from Cape May, where I spent the last weekend taking part in the 10th annual Singer-Songwriter of Cape May conference / convention / festival. It was my fifth time there, as participant and performer, and I feel honored to have been so chosen. I must give kudos to the founder of the festival, John Harris, both for choosing me and for honoring what I call my "Lebowski-Sobchak clause," i.e., the fact that I don't perform on Friday nights or Saturday before sundown—t

Note: This article has been amended to correct an editorial error regarding the name of the rhythm guitarist. Hesh has been around for many years. When it comes to original music in New Jersey, I can remember as far back as the early ’90s seeing him perform in bars with piano and voice to many approving fans. When you talk to him about his past, his simple answer pretty much tells the story of yet another New Jersey original that not only made an impression but did so as he m

I was all of a wee second grader when this came out, without an inkling of who this artist was ...