Editors Note! Here today... Gone tomorrow. It appears the Mad Hatter Open Mic is already going through some changes since the following artical was written. As always, call ahead and check before traveling great distances.
On Jan. 12, I walked into a new Open mic night at the Mad Hatter pub and pizzeria, located at 10 East Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright, N.J. The open mic night runs every Monday from 8pm to midnight. Sign-ups start at 7:30pm. and your host, Patti Bramson, attempts to allocate 15 minutes of playing time to each performer.
Patti Bramson hosts Mad Hatters Open Mic
The open mic prov- ides microphones, cables, a very decent PA and speaker system with a stage providing ample room for two acoustic performers. For three dollars, to cover the cost of the cassette, you can have your performance recorded . As the open mic night progressed, the lighting (continued on page 6)
Beware the British
Beware to the Jersey Shore area, THE BRITISH ARE COMING!! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!! These words were shouted not only by Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride in 1775, but also shouted by every DJ in The States in 1964. Billy J. Kramer was one of the British artists who stormed American audiences then, and on February 6, 2004 stormed the Brookdale Performing Arts Center on the campus of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, N.J. I was witness to his show that night, called Fab 40: 40 Years of the Music and Magic of the Beatles. The Cryers, who opened the show and served as
Billy J. Kramer (far left) backed up by “The Cryers”
Kramer’s backup band, are a Freehold-based ensemble that has been performing since 1993 in venues like the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, Manasquan's Algonquin Arts Theatre and have been featured on News Channel 12 as well as many other media appearances. This was an evening celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Beatles' invasion of America. Backing Kramer for the shows' opening set were The Cryers with the night devoted to Beatle-written songs. This all makes sense when you consider that two of Kramer's hits were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Billy J. Kramer And The Dakotas shared the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, their label, EMI- Parlophone; and their producer, George Martin. That night, The Cryers had on board jazz guitarist Jerry Topinka, a performer with over 50 years experience. Jerry leans toward Jazz, Rock, Gospel and a bit of Country, but with a heavy emphasis on JAZZ! During his career Jerry has played with a number of guitar greats, including performances on Broadway with Les Paul. If you want to catch Jerry performing live, you can see him at the Red Bank Jazz/Blues festival in Marine Park sometime late in the afternoon on June 5th.
