Recently we had our second annual event From Delta to the Jersey Shore on the campus of Monmouth University, and I was speaking to JSJBF member Mike Feniello there, who is an accomplished bass player, and over saw our IBC event in 2022. He mentioned that he was playing with the Little Silver Creek Band the following week at Val’s, a Rumson establishment which for many years was a speakeasy until a recent makeover, and is now an upscale restaurant/bar. The thing that piqued my interest was that it was a CD release party and although Mike wasn’t on the disc, he was friends with, and has played with several of the band members for the better part of the last half century. While they aren’t a jazz or blues band, I would characterize their music as Americana with a healthy dose of Blarney.
As it turns out, the CD in question is titled E. P. Volume 1,and the lead singer acoustic guitarist and song writer John Rafferty, confided in me that if Mike passed the audition that night, he would be on Volume 2. The other players on the CD were there, with the exception of Heidi Sheehan who sings and plays violin. The five songs here are all originals, written by John, who is the lead vocalist on three of them. “Bows and Arrows,” features Jeff Daltons fine picking on the banjo, interspersed with some sweet violin work from Heidi. The second cut, “Winebox Blues,” is sung by Heidi with some nice soloing by her. Coincidentally the next song “Born on Flag day,” was one I heard that night, which happened to be Flag day! “Paris At Night,” a beautiful balled sung by Jessica Corbin, was performed live with Kate Dalton, the daughter of the banjo player Jeff handling the vocals, and she did an admirable job on what was my favorite cut. The closer, “Often and Always,” was a lively number that highlighted John’s clever way with lyrics. It should be noted that the band on this night included Dave Mccarthy on electric and acoustic guitars and Steve Puntolillo on drums, who both appear on the disc with Steve also handling the production duties. They are a fun, goodtime act comprised of excellent players and John writes music well suited to their abilities. I’m looking forward to Volume 2.
After listening to about an hour or so, I said my goodbyes and went over to Barnacle Bill’s where member group, The Chris Plunkett Band was playing. They were supposed to play the Matawan Blues & Cruise event back in May but it was postponed due to bad weather. I was pleasantly surprised to see the retired owner, Todd Sherman, sitting in on acoustic guitar and Bob Stasiak on keyboards along with Chris on bass and vocals. Guitarist Ricky Desarno and drummer Gary Dates rounded out the band. At the conclusion of their set, I spoke with Chris and learned he wouldn’t be able to do the July 10th car show makeup date due to an upcoming medical procedure. The band then sat down to the customary meal provided, and I spoke briefly with Todd and his son Sam, who now runs the place. Sam was a member of the JSJBF Youth Ensemble back some twenty plus years ago and is a fine keyboard player, in his own rite, who had to choose between playing full time with the Billy Walton Band or the family business. He made a wise choice as he still gets to sit in with the musical acts at the restaurant from time to time and work with people like Lisa Sherman (no relation) on special projects. We are so blessed to have such a vast array of local musical talent at the Jersey Shore.