This time of year, when the weather is warm and the drinks are flowing, I find myself leaving my nest more and more. A specific hobby of mine involves going to see cover bands, as you may see I write about often in my Radar. A band I have spotlighted in the past has been all over the map, so I figured I would take the time to catch up with them and see what they are up to this summer season.
Check out my chat with Josh of Sweet Chin Music below, and if you’re looking for a fun night out on the town, they’re your guys! From private events, weddings and more, they’ve got you completely covered.
Thanks for taking the time to chat! It’s been about a year since we spoke on Sweet Chin Music, how have things been going for you guys?
Thanks, things have been going well. I’ve been busy with the many hats I wear in this band, more importantly the growth of the band/brand. I have been able to get us into a bunch of new venues to help set us up for a successful summer. The summer is where cover bands need to capitalize on the benefit tourists coming down for the few months and play as much as possible.
Summer is usually your busy season, tell us a little bit about new places you will be at this year.
Yes, it definitely is. Our summer is shaping up to look pretty good this summer. We are playing at a bunch of news bars all the way from Point Pleasant to Asbury Park. We also have a wedding in Pennsylvania in early August.
Fan reaction, how important is that to you guys as a band in dictating your setlist?
It is very important to dictate our setlist, especially with the audience range of bars we play. We fortunately have a deep song bank ranging from 1950s music all the way to anything modern. Which is great, when we play the bars with the younger crowd, we cater to them by playing anything modern. Then when we play the bars that draw an older crowd, we are able to cater to them by playing the Elvis tracks, Bruce Springsteen’s, etc. etc.
Bruce is always a crowd pleaser, especially down on the shore! Do you guys just play local bars, or do you do private events as well?
We do everything. We are booked up this summer at a few private parties, so we will be busy with them on top of playing the bars.
Would you say New Jersey has a great market for cover bands?
I’d think so, not that I’d ever want to do this full-time, but there are a lot of bands in the area in which this is their full-time job, and they make a decent living doing it. Lots of places to play!
For anyone who has yet to see you, where can they find you/and or book you?
Check out our Facebook; Facebook.com/SweetChinMusicNJ. On there we have our current schedule, and you can of course “Like” us to keep up to date on where we will be next.
Be sure to save the date on your calendars this season and check out Sweet Chin Music live. You will most likely see me singing along, swaying my hair with a cold drink in my hand. Until next week, my friends, keep on sending in those tunes!
