12-15-2012

For more than 35 years, Southside Johnny, aka John Lyon, has delivered a soul-searing brand of raucous blues and R&B that has made he and his Juke's a seminal force as All-American rock n' roll song-slingers. Now, the affable new Jersey rock icon is setting his sights on a long-desired project that will deliver an intimate, acoustically-mined live stage show billed as Southside Johnny and The Poor Fools. Backed by Juke's musicians John Conte/bass, Tommy Byrnes/guitar, longtime Juke's collaborator Jeff Kazee/organ and percussion, and premier Springsteen violinist/fiddle player Soozie Tyrell, The Poor Fools' project looms as a stripped-down, up-close-and-personal musical joyfest. Johnny is also quick to point out that the ebullient singer will be sharing frontman duties as well, "getting everyone out of their comfort zone," rotating singing, instrumentation, and percussion roles among fellow-Fools, and even strapping on a guitar himself, for the first time in decades. Johnny also sheds some light on the particular song choices they will be delivering onstage. "We'll be doing some country songs, some bluegrass stuff, older songs, softer songs maybe; covers from say Dylan or Tom Waits or Emmy Lou Harris stuff. And we’re going to do different versions of Jukes' material that the fans have never heard; "Sirens Of The Night," "Blue Radio," "Future In Your Eyes…" And songs of ours that maybe some people have never heard, ever.

Here's a clip of them at a recent show, putting their own spin on the Jukes favorite, "Trapped Again," co-written by Southside, Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt. "Trapped Again" was first recorded for the 1978 Jukes album, "Hearts of Stone," and has been a staple of Jukes shows ever since. - VIDEO