John Barry, Author at MendoWerks

Springsteen, ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere’ and the American Way—Whatever Your Definition of America

5Nov

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music, Uncategorized

Springsteen, ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere’ and the American Way—Whatever Your Definition of America

Jeremy Allen White, as Bruce Springsteen, surrounded by actors portraying the E Street Band in "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere." Roughly 40 years after first hearing Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” album in the dishroom at Lock, Stock & Barrel restaurant in Bardonia, NY (Yes, New Jersey, I’m a BENNY), I continue to struggle with that collection of songs. I have been trying and trying to wrap my arms and my brain around “Nebraska.” I’m getting there, but I’m also still working at it. I really enjoyed my first job washing dishes, earning $3.50 an hour when the New York State minimum wage was $3.35. I remember a close friend poking fun at me, earning 15 cents above what most of our peers were making, and singing David Lee Roth’s hit song at the time—“He’s just a gigolo” while ...

Saugerties, NY, Woodstock ’94, Jack Petruzzelli and Celebrating The Local: A Photo Gallery

3Nov

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music

Saugerties, NY, Woodstock ’94, Jack Petruzzelli and Celebrating The Local: A Photo Gallery

Singer-songwriter Ginger Winn performs Oct. 26 at The Local in Saugerties, NY. Photo by John W. Barry Saugerties, New York, in 1994 hosted Woodstock '94, a 25th anniversary celebration of the 1969 Woodstock festival. As he was in 1969, Woodstock festival promoter Michael Lang ran the show and, yes, there was plenty of rain and plenty of mud. Saugerties in 2024, in a clever move, hosted a 30th anniversary celebration of Woodstock '94. Yes, that's right, a 30th anniversary celebration of the 25th anniversary celebration of the 1969 Woodstock festival. And yes, doesn't this seem completely appropriate, and doesn't this make total sense for the community where funny man and successful television comedian Jimmy Fallon grew up? Agreed! Saugerties, like Woodstock on the other end of ...

‘Deliver Me From Nowhere:’ Bruce Springsteen on set was ‘Just Standing There, With Tears Rolling Down His Cheeks’

23Oct

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music, Uncategorized

‘Deliver Me From Nowhere:’ Bruce Springsteen on set was ‘Just Standing There, With Tears Rolling Down His Cheeks’

Bruce Springsteen in London, England. Courtesy Photo/Shore Fire Media Very early in the Bruce Springsteen biopic, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” there is a scene in which Gaby Hoffman, who portrays The Boss’s mother, exits the family home. According to Hoffman, the structure was designed to replicate Springsteen’s actual childhood home in Freehold, NJ, where he grew up. For example, the decor included an actual portrait of Springsteen’s aunt, who died when he was a child. And while Hoffman is currently starring in what will without doubt become the cinematic blockbuster of 2025, about one of rock music’s most enduring stars, biggest names and familiar faces, the actress is going to remember the experience for something extremely, well, human. Hoffman clearl...

Bruce Springsteen, ‘Nebraska,’ Photo Gallery Gratitude for the Jersey Shore and a Directive from The Boss: ‘Let’s Hear Three Cheers for Asbury Park!’

22Oct

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music, Uncategorized

Bruce Springsteen, ‘Nebraska,’ Photo Gallery Gratitude for the Jersey Shore and a Directive from The Boss: ‘Let’s Hear Three Cheers for Asbury Park!’

With the impending release of the major motion picture, "Deliver Me From Nowhere," about Bruce Springsteen and his 1982 album, "Nebraska," the time is right for a deep dive on all things related to The Boss. By way of federal highways, Nebraska is roughly 1,500 miles from Asbury Park, a trip that, by car, would take just less than 24 hours if driven in one clip. But, in reality, Nebraska, and "Nebraska," are much more closely aligned with New Jersey than what appears at first glance. The distance between Asbury Park, Nebraska and "Nebraska" grows shorter by the day this week. Asbury Park is a seaside community on the Jersey Shore that will forever be linked to Springsteen, the E Street Band and the legacy of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who changed the course of modern m...

Woodstock, Bearsville Theater, Mike Viola and Songs You May Not Know, That Have Already Changed Your Life

20Oct

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music

Woodstock, Bearsville Theater, Mike Viola and Songs You May Not Know, That Have Already Changed Your Life

Mike Viola/Courtesy photo OK, OK—let’s get a few things covered before we proceed here. I recently spoke with singer-songwriter-performer Mike Viola—notable for his links to Panic! at the Disco and Vulfpeck—about his illustrious career for about 30 minutes. But after more than 30 years in newsrooms, I consider myself (not to boast) a pretty good judge of character. I hung up the phone with Mike and I was all, this guy’s a killer dude, a Broham if I may be so bold. And yeah, we haven’t even met yet. I spoke with Mike in advance of his performance at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, NY, this week, Tuesday, Oct. 21, to be precise. Frank Bango will open the show. Click here to listen to Frank Bango serve as Guest Co-Host on Red Hook, NY radio station WKZE, in...

The Pretenders: Chrissie Hynde Releases Solo Duets Album

18Oct

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music

The Pretenders: Chrissie Hynde Releases Solo Duets Album

Chrissie Hynde. Photo Credit: Ki Price Legendary rocker Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders has released an album of stripped down, intimately-arranged duets with some of modern music’s biggest names. “Duets Special” features Hynde performing with k.d. Lang, Dan Auerbach, Julian Lennon, the late Mark Lanegan, Dave Gahan, Cat Power, Rufus Wainwright, Brandon Flowers, Debbie Harry, Shirley Manson, Alan Sparhawk, Carleen Anderson and Lucinda Williams. “Duets Special” Hynde's fourth studio album under her name and follows the release of the latest studio release by The Pretenders, “Relentless.” And that album’s global tour generated a new live record, “Kick 'em Where It Hurts.” When she’s not in the recording studio, Hynde has been indulging her passion for painting. Acros...

Bruce Springsteen, Jeremy Allen White and ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere:’ A Photo Gallery

17Oct

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Film, Music, Uncategorized

Bruce Springsteen, Jeremy Allen White and ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere:’ A Photo Gallery

The long wait is almost over. After months (years, maybe?) of anticipation, we are just one week out from the cinematic release of "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere," the 20th Century Studios that chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s groundbreaking and game-changing 1982 album, “Nebraska.” Springsteen at the time stood teetering on the cusp of global superstardom. In the wake of his colossal hit album, "Born to Run," and the success of "The River," Springsteen took a hard left turn and recorded the spare, personal, intimate and haunting "Nebraska" on a four-track recorder in his New Jersey bedroom. The film stars Jeremy Allen White as The Boss and is based on the book, “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” by Warren Zanes. The courtesy photos below come by way of Dis...

Tom Hamilton, Just in Time for Halloween, Declares, “I’m Your Vampire” with Debut Album Release

16Oct

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music

Tom Hamilton, Just in Time for Halloween, Declares, “I’m Your Vampire” with Debut Album Release

Innovative and edgy guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Tom Hamilton on a continuous basis breaks new musical ground fronting a range of bands with impressive breadth. Now, he’s conquering a whole new kind of cultural frontier with a project that is sure to resonate loudly with his many fans—he’s releasing his debut solo album. No, "I’m Your Vampire" is not a Halloween record. Yes. the announcement of its release comes as Halloween approaches. Yes, "I'm Your Vampire" is set to reach the masses on Jan. 23, 2025 via AWAL/Relix. The first single, “Don’t Give Up On Me” is out now. The album was co-produced by Hamilton and Alex Farrar of MJ Lenderman and Wednesday fame. Album pre-orders are available Click HERE to pre-order the album. “Don’t Give Up On Me” gives Hamilton the o...

The Chance in Poughkeepsie: Peter Shapiro’s Rock and Roll Playhouse to Honor Garcia, Weir and Grateful Dead

15Oct

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music

The Chance in Poughkeepsie: Peter Shapiro’s Rock and Roll Playhouse to Honor Garcia, Weir and Grateful Dead

On June 4, 1983, Andy Eisner and some pals set out from their New Jersey homes and headed due north to a city they had never been to, a city they would never visit again. There was no GPS to be had; no Siri; no Google Maps; no nothing, no how, no way. This band of bold adventurers were living in an era now known as the O.G.—they were using hard copy maps to reach Poughkeepsie, NY. Their destination was a former vaudeville house on Crannell Street, just a few blocks from New York State’s oldest newspaper, and the nation’s second-oldest behind the Hartford Courant, the Poughkeepsie Journal. The occasion was a performance by the Jerry Garcia Band—and the Eisner crew was stoked. But the trip took a really long time, and it grew laborious. Never ones to back down from...

Lost Leaders, featuring Byron Isaacs of The Lumineers, Set for Two-Night Run in Hudson Valley

12Oct

By John BarryNo Comments

Features, Music

Lost Leaders, featuring Byron Isaacs of The Lumineers, Set for Two-Night Run in Hudson Valley

Lost Leaders, Byron Isaacs, left, and Peter Cole. Lost Leaders, the band that includes Byron Isaacs, bass player for The Lumineers, will play two shows in New York’s Hudson Valley come November. This bill also features singer-songwriter Ginger Winn, who offers a compelling edge to just about everything she does. This righteous spectacle of triumph, which will celebrate creative minds that defy description and empower creative abandon, will unfold Nov. 15 at The Falcon in Marlboro, Ulster County; and Nov. 21 at Park Theater in Hudson, NY, Columbia County. Both venues anchor New York’s Hudson Valley, which is home to the Town of Woodstock and gave birth to the famed Hudson River School of Art of generations ago. Peter Cole is the Lost Leaders guitarist, vocalis...