“This movie would not have been done without the commitment and dedication that all of them have given to the film.”
Season’s change, and here in the Garden State, we experience that to a great extent with colorful sunsets that drop down behind tall trees whose falling leaves are just as colorful.
What hasn’t changed, though, season after season or year after year, is the colorful music scene that has shaped both the state, and the industry, for decades. Something global warming can’t take away from us is this: The Jersey Sound. Even as we fluctuate from spring-like temperatures to frost-covered mornings to the point of whiplash, we can find the beauty in this state with ease. It’s everywhere, filling the five major senses no matter where you go. You can see swirling sunsets of orange and pink, feel leaves crunching underfoot, taste a rouge snowflake on a chilly day like today, smell the industrial cities (for better or for worse), and hear The Jersey Sound. This state may just be the most sense-heavy place in the nation, and we are not going to complain. (Although, NJ is known for that – some complaints, some choice words, some high octane moments, some energy, and some attitude. The attitude of New Jerseyan artists and New Jerseyans in general is a through-line in the film at hand.)
The Jersey Sound: The Musicians Who Call New Jersey Home, the aptly named documentary that came out this year and premiered this past June in the cultural hub of Asbury Park, explores such. “This was a tough four years, but it was a labor of love, and to see the reaction that I, myself, and my team received on that day in Asbury Park was very gratifying,” the producer told us in a conversation a couple months of ago. “And since then, there have been some good articles written. I’ve gotten some nice responses from people. I’m very pleased to say the least.”
Viewers are taken up the coast, inland, back in time, and up ’til now. There are the notable names referenced, of course – Springsteen, JBJ, MCR, JoBros, Southside (the latter who is interviewed extensively for the film). However, a larger majority of this hour-and-a-half journey focuses on the history surrounding the notables; people who played with them, sat in with them, brushed shoulders with them, lived and learned and were inspired by them. That is in addition to the conversations with those who put New Jersey on the map earlier on (Tommy James, the Hoboken scene), and those who keep it there (Chris Jericho, the Jersey club genre).
Mike Greenblatt – former editor of this legacy publication and longtime columnist, friend, and creative – narrates this sonic exploration of the music that made its mark far beyond the bars, arenas, theaters, and hole-in-the-walls within our wondrous little state. The film is a self-proclaimed “love letter” to the music that continues to make us, us. The appreciation for all of that – and much more – is real no matter what, and you can feel that in every scene and every frame, even if it was an independent production that was not free of the pit falls of movie-making, not an exception to artistic integrities, and not remotely drama free come release. Honorable work has its highs and lows – period. The ability for patrons of the Garden State and global audiences at large to immerse themselves in this entertaining, educational, melodious, history-laden, clever, and diverse film is a true high point, though, and we couldn’t wait to speak to the producer, Randy Dominguez, at length about that.
In a year filled with informative music documentaries throughout television (Thank You, Goodnight) and film (The Greatest Night in Pop), alike, this one is a homegrown must-see and can’t-miss. And we promise that we are not at all biased because we, The Aquarian, are referenced throughout.
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For the readers and people who don’t know, how did you, Randy, get involved with The Jersey Sound and this motion picture project? What was your role and, how did we get from square one to today – talking about it and loving it?
So I met Fulvio [Cecere], the director, back in November/December of 2019. We both frequent the same cigar bar. Over time, we started to talk. He had begun the project. He mentioned the concept to me. He was not financially equipped to really do a full scale project, so he was doing bits and pieces. I supported him a little bit at the time. Eventually, I realized that he needed a partner who could finance the project, and that’s where I came in. I became the executive producer and the financier. I handled all business matters. He and I connected and picked up some of them team member, some through him and some through me. Quite honestly, these team members… they’re an integral part of this movie. This movie would not have been done without the commitment and dedication that all of them have given to the film. I will tell you that we’ve had weekends that we worked through to get certain aspects corrected and put together for the final product.
Dedication – I think that’s the perfect word to describe the inner workings of this documentary, and I think that is further evident with the amount of interviews done, as well as the extensive knowledge that Mike Greenblatt, who we know very well, included in the narration. He really covers a lot of ground, and it seems like everyone brought something to the table.
Yes. In fact, that was one of the big things. It was suggested by Ryan Hanratty, who is the editor, that we should have narration. Let’s just say we had creative differences when it came to that, but we decided ultimately we need to do it. Then a question that came in was, “Who are we gonna get to do this?” We had talked about a few people; I had reached out to Mark Mulch, my music supervisor and one of the individuals that we had interviewed in the film. We were considering him because he’s a musician from New Jersey, but Mike, because of his passion and his history in music working with you guys and the fact that he’s an incredible writer… I thought, “Oh my God, this would be the perfect for him.” I gave him the task and I said, “Ok, you write the script, go work with Ryan.” They worked very closely together to come out with the ultimate narration that became the movie. You could hear in his voice the passion, the love for music, and the love for New Jersey that Mike has. You can tell that it meant a lot to him. He was able to really project that in his narration to the viewing public.
There was so much to learn and still so much to discover.
Do you know who Unicorn 151 is?
I believe so. He’s in the film, yes?
Yeah, he is. He’s a young, hip-hop and rap kind of guy. He’s created a new genre of hip-hop that he calls New Jersey Club Music. It’s very upbeat, positive, happy, a lot of dancing, a lot of back and forth. Ironically, he sat next to me while we were screening movie. After the movie was finished, I said, “What did you think about it?” He was there with his girlfriend, and he said, “I can’t believe that there is so much that I learned about the history of music in New Jersey that I was not aware of. This movie has really brought that to the forefront for us.”
What a great sentiment, and a truthful one at that! I found that even if you’re surrounded by music, even if you’re a lifelong resident of New Jersey, or even you’re a combination of both, there is still so much to take away from this film. That is truly a testament to the talent, drive, and creativity that each distinct area of New Jersey has – and hones in on. It’s also something that the film did well: showcase and cultivate the cornerstones of the state, because we might be a smaller state, but each region does have its own sound and history. The Jersey Sound captures that well.
To further that, one of the things that I’ve discussed with other people is that if you look at the Chicago blues or New Orleans jazz and Cajun music, New York has its own thing. Philadelphia’s got its own thing. They are individual cities. New Jersey is, in essence, a place that captures all genres, all time periods, and all within a single state. In fact, and I mentioned this in the movie, New Jersey has more musicians per capita than any other state – something that I am very proud of. It really resonates, I think, in the interviews that we put together, too – the camaraderie and the passion that these musicians have.
I do want to mention one person in particular who was very influential in helping us get connected to a number of musicians, as well as giving us his own input, and that is Steve Brown from Trixter. He’s an amazing guy. He happens to be good friends with, and has collaborated with, Mark, the music supervisor. Mark is a musician in his own right, like I said. He’s originally from New Jersey, but he lives in Nashville now. I learned so much from them and from my team, honestly.
My background is not music. I spent 55 years in finance banking and that kind of thing. When I retired back in December of 2018, I really didn’t know what my direction was. I was a wealth manager with my ex-wife and we would talk people through the transition of retiring, so I understood it intellectually, but, personally, I just wasn’t sure. I ended up joining two charities and becoming board members on both of them. They are completely different ones, but they both had to do with special needs individuals, because it was something that I had passion for. Quite honestly, though, just being on a board at a charity doesn’t take up a lot of time, so when I met Fulvio and I started to look into the project, I realized that I didn’t know very much, but it was an industry that I wanted to get into. I decided that I was 74, and at this point in my life, I think it’s ok to take a risk… and this is one that I’m quite happy with.
I’m glad to hear it, Randy. You can always teach an ‘old dog new tricks,’ as the saying goes! People of any age, whether they grew up with some of the music featured the film or they’re only getting into some of the music because of the film, can take something away. There really is something for everyone, and that’s both in terms of the film and the state! Knowing that, you must be proud, and it seems like you are.
Yeah, and for me, I learned about licensing music. I learned about getting releases for photos. I was able to understand the entertainment world, but more specifically the entertainment and music documentaries. We’ve been talking with the team, and once we make a little bit of money out of this thing first, we’re thinking of doing another edition – the Sound of Seattle or something a bit different with the same concept, just maybe a little better thought out. This was sort of all over the place at the beginning. I loved the idea that [Fulvio] had, he just didn’t have the real direction set to execute. Ultimately, when I came and stepped in, my team was already ready. They were passionate. They were absolutely all over it. And I think, from my perspective, it turned out much better than I had anticipated.
The film ended up being entertaining and educational, and fairly concise even though there are a lot of voices. I can only imagine how difficult it was for you and the team to narrow down whose voice was going to be heard, how much so, or and what lines hit the cutting room floor. There’s a lot of meat to this, so how did that work?
There were some people who were interviewed who voiced some concerns that either they didn’t get enough time or they weren’t in it, but at the end of the day, no director or producer or whoever films anything for any kind of motion picture or documentary, puts everything in there. We’ve tried to explain that this is what we call the pilot episode. We still have enough content that we could do a second episode or possibly even a third, but I have to be able to remunerate myself first to get this going and to fund the next project.
Of course, and someone might make a great point and have a great moment on screen, a great quote to pull, but if it doesn’t match the timing and the sequencing you’re going for, it’s not gonna match and make sense. It’s never anything against them!
Exactly. We actually took quite a bit of time to make sure that every person that we spoke to or interviewed or had any kind of connection to the film, were given credit at the end. We only had one issue – one photographer that (for some reason) their name was left out, but we were able to correct that and she’s happy now. Her name is in the film. We updated the release a little bit. There were some small, little, tiny corrections that we needed to make that most people wouldn’t have noticed. Of course, after you watch it 150 times, you start to kind of notice things [Laughs], and we wanted to make it as clean as possible. […] Especially since we’re working on conversations with disruptors of DVDs and films for educational institutions, and I’ve always believed that this is of the caliber. And as you’d said, and to the fact of what Unicorn 151 said to me, there is so much to learn from watching this. I could see this for anyone who has any musical institution or that has a music venue, this would be very helpful in their curriculum.
There’s a lot of stuff that can be pulled from this and enjoyed along the way. It’s not a staunch, strict piece of media either; there is levity to it, and there’s music. And those two things together are, if anything, enticing to a student who might be studying something in the entertainment realm.
Yes, I agree completely. I’m very proud and I’m proud of my team. It was interesting because I was sitting with a friend who joined me that evening – a dear friend of mine who I asked to join me because she had been with me for most of the journey. I turned around and Monica Mason, who is my associate producer and my clearance supervisor who has been very diligent in ensuring that we were on the right track, was crying. They were all crying. I think Mike even had some tears in his eyes, which I found really kind of interesting and very heartwarming.
That is heartwarming, Randy. Seeing everything put together, finalized, screened for friends and family and peers and cohorts must have been exhilarating. What a pay off for you all on that fateful day in June!
When I got up on the stage to do the opening lines, I was prepared. I had written some notes to myself with certain people that I wanted to thank. There’s one person, unfortunately, I missed, and that was Ken Cummings, who wrote the score for the animation piece. He also has been helpful in guiding us a little bit along the way. He was not at the screening, but he saw it later with his wife, and he said, “It’s absolutely amazing, Randy.” I could hear it in his voice – he was so pleased and happy for me and proud of me. He’s one of these people that I respect a lot, so hearing that from him was very gratifying.
Absolutely, and I know a lot of the musicians and executives and historians who were in the film were also present in the venue that day. It was quite the lineup of genres, ages, and culture. – much like the movie!
A number of people, including my sales agent said, “Can you get Bruce, can you get Bon Jovi?” And it’s not that we didn’t try, but we have experts here. We had a number of people that we interviewed who were in each of their respective bands, so we got a perspective on them. We were able to obtain a number of photos that had Bruce in them, and we secured a little tape of Bruce on stage that really resonated. But the point is, and I would say this unequivocally, if you ask Bruce and Jon Bon Jovi, they would say, “We’re not the music of New Jersey. We are part of the music in New Jersey.” If you’re gonna talk about it, you gotta talk about Frank Sinatra, you gotta talk about the blues of individuals back from the thirties, forties, and fifties. There’s such a rich history to New Jersey and it is so diversified, so wide. The sound of Jersey isn’t from any one city in New Jersey either – it’s from north to south. There were just some great musicians that came out from all of those places. I was very grateful that some of them were very open in sharing their stories with us. […]
One of the things that I heard, because Mark has a connection with Bon Jovi – and we reached out to him on a number of occasions – was that their participation was sort of a soft “No.” Then I realized why, and it was because he had a multi-part documentary also out this spring or summer, which is why he didn’t want to be part of another documentary at the same time, and that is wholly understandable. The best comment that I got surrounding that, though, was from somebody who did see the Bon Jovi documentary. He said, “It’s absolutely fantastic, Randy. The thing is, Jon Bon Jovi is very honest, very clear about his many lives, including some of the ‘down’ parts of it.” My movie doesn’t have downers, which is one thing that I was keen on, because, to what you were saying earlier, this is a fun movie to watch, a fun documentary to watch. That’s what I wanted to achieve, and I believe that we’ve met that objective.
It all comes down to the fact that The Jersey Sound, no matter what that means to you, is joyous, knows no bounds, has been monumentally influential, and there’s still even more to discover. I love that, and I know it even more having seen The Jersey Sound documentary you created, so thank you.
I appreciate that, Debra, and everything The Aquarian and its team offered to us during the pre-production and creation of this documentary. I’m proud of this, and I also wanted to leave the door open for whatever future projects I’m able to fund, because there were certain mistakes made that we are aware of now. We would change the platform a little bit, but still be able to create the whole concept we got to. I’m very fortunate my team has stayed with me through that. In fact, I talked to Monica, my associate producer, and I said, “At the end of the day, and depending how this film does, maybe I’ll form a production company with you as my junior partner.” Then the rest of the same team members would be involved too, like Mark Mulch, the music supervisor, Ryan Hanratty, the editor, and, obviously, Mike, who runs our website. He was really important, too, because he looked through the list of musicians that we had, those that we were giving thanks to or credit to, and we needed somebody like him to go in and spell-check every one of those. Mike did a pretty awesome job. He was committed to it from day one. […] I said it was a labor of love and it was, but it is one that I think my entire team took a lot of satisfaction out of. I am very grateful.
THE JERSEY SOUND, AN AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTARY OF OUR BELOVED HOME STATE BY OUR PEERS & FRIENDS, CAN BE STREAMED ON TUBI & YOUTUBE FOR FREE, AS WELL AS RENTED/PURCHASED ON AMAZON. FOR MORE INFO ON THE JERSEY SOUND, VISIT THEIR BLOG, WHICH IS ALSO RUN BY THE GREAT MIKE GREENBLATT!
