3 SONGS
J. Howard Duff
“Hey Now Baby (What’s Wrong With You)”
Longtime leader of The J. Howard Duff Band out of Union County, Duff moved down south and the vocal on his latest single sounds like it. When we asked him what accounted for the change from rock to blues, he answered, “the song was written/inspired by my wife and I going to the movies for the first time in 15 years to see A Complete Unknown which we loved. Don't know how, but the movie re-ignited my passion for music. The next day I came home in the afternoon to find my wife sad and weeping. She had been having health issues that for the most part kept her homebound and depressed. I felt helpless. Nothing I could do or say made her feel better. I retreated into my office/music room and picked up my guitar. The next thing I know, the words and melody just flowed out of me.
“Wrote it in about 30 minutes before I went to her and played it. All she said was `thank you’ but she smiled, something I had not seen in too long. The song was supposed to be in an Americana folk/Dylan style, but when I recorded it, the voice sounded like an old Black bluesman from Mississippi. I never intended that. It was as if God said to my vocal cords `This is the way I want you to sing it.’ I thought it might strike a chord with despondent people, plus those who love and care for them, so I released it as a single.”
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Bruce Gladstone
“Always She Calls To Me”
Bruce Gladstone’s journey began in Essex County at the age 11 with a $5 acoustic guitar from his father. His first electric setup—a Gibson amp and a four-pickup Zinger—ignited his passion. Though his grandfather was a singer in Ukraine, Bruce didn’t learn of his musical roots until 1993. Raised in a musical household, he took piano and voice lessons but soon ditched formal training, playing so loud he cracked the ceiling during band practice.
Rooted in classic rock and psychedelia, Bruce’s sound is all about guitar, guitar, guitar. Influenced by blues, Electric Light Orchestra, The Beach Boys, and the British Invasion harmonies. Seeing Jefferson Airplane in 1967 solidified his path. As a teen, Bruce formed a band and caught Les Paul’s attention. By 1967, he was recording for a film project that never materialized, but it confirmed his destiny. By the ‘80s, he was performing non-stop as part of a Jersey duo.
Bruce’s new album, Journey 2, is his most satisfying work yet. He has shared stages with legends like Jorma Kaukonen, Roger McGuinn, and Bob Weir. Outside of music, he finds artistry in tennis—not for competition, but for its grace. Decades in, Bruce is still driven by the same passion that started it all. With Journey 2 on the way, the best is yet to come.
Mike Daly
“Rose Colored Glasses”
A former Aquarian Weekly Editor, Mike Daly’s Lost N’ Found is a series of recently unearthed recordings by the front man for Every Damn Day and Mike Daly & The Planets. The songs, which date back as far as 1980, had all but been abandoned in favor of newer material that became the foundation of EDD’s repertoire in the early 1990s. They’ve now been spruced up using new technology and nursed to completion in 2024/2025 by mix-master Jim Van Sickle and some of Daly’s favorite collaborators, including John Reynolds (another former Aquarian Weekly Editor) and Ray Nissen.
The first single from this musical time capsule is “Rose Colored Glasses.” Written by Daly in 1980 and initially recorded in 1982, the acoustic guitar-based tune harkens back to those classic FM-radio ballads of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Last fall, Reynolds added new lead and rhythm guitar tracks, and he and Van Sickle recorded backing vocals.
“Once the New Wave came in, ‘Rose Colored Glasses’ kind of became ‘old hat’ to me, and it got shelved in favor of louder, edgier material,” says Daly. “But it kept coming up in conversation and Mike Daly & The Planets even performed it live at an acoustic show in Hoboken a few years back. Then we found the old tapes, and it gave us the opportunity to both introduce and reintroduce it. We’ve gotten great feedback on it from both older and younger fans.”