Bayonne’s own Zakk Wylde—after adding immeasurably to Ozzy Osbourne and his own sterling solo stuff—has become the go-to guy in the newly reformed Pantera with former Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante keeping the beat, bassist Rex Brown holding down the bottom and vocalist Phil Anselmo spitting out his lyrics.

They call Newark-born Raheem DeVaughn “The Love King of Soul & R’n’B.” His new EP, ‘Summer Of Love,’ on New Era Soul/DMG, isn’t due until June 21, but DeVaughn has teased us with “All Night.” And although the 47-year old wasn’t even born yet in 1967’s real Summer Of Love, his addition to the canon is a worthy one.

The Americana Music Foundation and Grammy Museum are teaming up to present a rare one-night-only sit-down at The Greene Space in Manhattan with the iconic soul singer Bettye LaVette, of Essex County, and producer/composer/drummer Steve Jordan, on May 31, as part of their “A New York Evening With…” series.

Frankie Valli grew up in Newark’s North Ward, a lower-middle class Italian neighborhood, in a public housing project. He came back April 27 to get a street named after him, Frankie Valli Way.

By all accounts it was a night to remember. On April 27, in Manhattan’s Cutting Room, friends, family and fans of legendary Rascals drummer Dino Danelli [1944-2022] came together to celebrate the life and music of the first great rock-star Drum Hero. Billed as “An All-Star Tribute To Dino Danelli,” the documentary film ‘Dino Danelli: Second To None’ was screened.

Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records have released “Still Holding On” by The Dollyrots. Bassist/Vocalist Kelly Ogden says the song “is a stand-alone single pulled from our new album [due this fall] about counting on the people you love to get you through the strangeness of modern life. The lyric video features an AI-generated version of me, a digital reminder of how off-kilter the future is becoming.”

Whether it was the complaints from fans or the demand for refunds, New Jersey’s most celebrated music festival has pulled the plug just days before it was to begin.

The newest discovery of Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records is The Bayonets from Los Angeles: Lucrecia Lopez Sanz, Brian Ray and Oliver Leiber (whose dad was one-half of the legendary Leiber/Stoller songwriting team who wrote almost every great song of the 1950s).

Stevie Van Zandt, Darlene Love, Steve Earle and Sam Moore were honored by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University April 15 in Long Branch.

Keyboardist Joe McGinty and his merry band of New York City rockers called The Loser’s Lounge will headline the free Hoboken Arts & Music Festival on May 7 at 4:30 p.m.

As Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd told us himself in April’s “Up Close,” his string of singles for Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records will continue. Now, on the heels of his delicious “Glamdemic Blues”/”Reach Out (I’ll Be There”) comes “Alien.”

Wow. That’s all one could say upon hearing ‘That You Not Dare To Forget’ by M.E.B. (formerly Miles Electric Band). This amazing amalgam of hiphop and jazz is a stunning reminder that Miles Davis [1926-1991] never looked back, always looked forward to the next musical adventure which would capture his soul.

Blue Rose Records will be re-releasing Steve Forbert’s 1988 ‘Streets of This Town’ album on June 2. Long out-of-print, it marks the first time in 28 years this classic album—produced by the E Street Band’s Garry Tallent in Long Branch—will be available on CD and vinyl. Rolling Stone called it “arguably the best record he has ever made.” The Washington Post called it “the most moving and consistent album of his career.” Remixed and remastered, it sounds better than ever.

The New Jersey Hall of Fame is now accepting votes for the 2023 televised Induction ceremony. Vote now!

Those original “Jersey Boys”—Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famers Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons—have sold a staggering 175 million records since 1960 after being named after a bowling alley in Union. ‘Working Our Way Back To You’ (Madfish/Snapper Music), due June 2, is a monster boxed set containing 44 CDs and one vinyl LP with 195 singles, 31 newly remastered studio albums, alternate versions of well-known songs, demos, in-concert moments, even a failed Motown audition tape, over 800 tracks in all.

The Pride of Passaic, Donald Fagen, is set to remaster Steely Dan’s groundbreaking 1973 second album ‘Countdown To Ecstasy’ for a May 26 re-release on Geffen/UMe. This includes the album—with original versions of such Steely stand-outs as “Bodhisattva,” “My Old School” and “Show Biz Kids”—returning to vinyl. It’s all part of an extensive reissue program of the records made within the ABC and MCA catalog.

One thing you can unequivocally say about Stevie Van Zandt is the cat has ears. Everything he puts out on his Wicked Cool Records label is certainly worth hearing. The same can be said for his Sirius Satellite radio show Underground Garage. So when news came out about “Secrets” by Kurt Baker, my ears widened in anticipation.

Factory Records, in Dover of Morris County, is reinventing what record store patrons have been missing for years: a place to browse through hundreds of titles in a non-stressful environment, strong on vinyl in every imaginable genre. What’s most newsworthy here, though, is its special events with artists like Joe Bouchard of Blue Oyster Cult, Vince Martell of Vanilla Fudge, Richard Lloyd of Television, Carmine Appice of Rod Stewart’s band and Kasim Sulton of Utopia.

Paul Simon, born in Newark 81 years ago, goes ever on. His new album, Seven Psalms (Sony Music), due May 19, is one 33-minute piece in seven movements meant to be digested whole.

The pride of Paterson, vocalist-guitarist John Pizzarelli, will release Stage & Screen, April 21 on Palmetto Records. “In thinking about some of the songs that I really love to play,” he says, “it struck me how many of them come from either a Broadway show or from a movie.”