Why in the world should you listen to Jessie Poland? What is so great about her and her band? Why should I spend my hard-earned money and go dedicate an hour to listening to her music? Because she’s got something special going on. Something you can’t quite put your finger on. J. Poland and the Pilots, J. being Jessie and the Pilots being Mike Basmagy, Will Macirowski, Ricky Joyce, and Cory Pula-Bowers, are part of a new wave of music that comes in response to all the bubble gum pop that has flooded the radio for the last few years. According to Jessie, “It’s quirky…indie pop-rock. It’s mainstream without being mainstream. We’re not trying to be weird.” When you’ve got bands like The White Stripes and Belle and Sabastian, it’s hard to see the medium between easily digestible spoon-fed pop and the left-of-field style these players subscribe to. But Jessie’s got it just about right. She has a marketability about her, but does not fit into the mold of current girl-fronted bands.

   J.P.P. (to which I like to shorten it), were asked to play at Asbury Park’s first annual Wave Gathering, a sort of South By South West of the Jersey Shore. They took the stage at the Saint at 7pm and played to a rather small crowd but you just got the feeling that whoever wasn’t at that show was probably missing something important. There’s something ironic about Jessie’s delivery. There is a sarcasm with which she approaches her lyrics, which seem to have a little something to do with relationships. She interprets them for you right onstage. It’s like going to the theater. The acoustic ensemble that supports her is solid and when she is not playing front-man, or woman, as it were, she is playing guitar.

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the center, and they can use financial help with their reconstruction efforts.
   Partygoers purchased raffles with their donations for fun parrot-themed prizes. Everyone brought some food and snacks and, of course, cold concoctions to drink! Saul and Jim were flipping the burgers on the grill under umbrella. Buffett tunes dominated the radio and that driving rain did not stop partiers from hanging out on the porch.
   If you would like to donate to the center, please surf www.dolphins.org, or call 305-289-1121 x229. No donation is too small, and some come with great perks that’ll surely lure you out of your shore house to get some fin fun.
   I had a blast, so much fun, and made many new friends, most Jersey residents or at least Jersey shore–loving folks.
   Better yet, I made a difference! Leave it to the Jersey shore to bring
together such dedicated people with generous hearts.
By Carole J. Brandi

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