For those of you who long for the days before CDs replaced vinyl, fear not – July is here, and it’s bringing some old-school music acts along with it. These two classics will perform in separate Hoboken gigs in the upcoming week.Pete Best
Pete Best, the “Fifth Beatle,” will be performing with his band for two shows on July 4 at Maxwell’s. (Each show will be followed by an autograph session.) Best has visited New Jersey before. In fact, in April of this year, he made an appearance at the “Fest for Beatles Fans” in Secaucus, where he was featured as a special guest speaker. Best also signed copies of his latest book, Beatle! The Pete Best Story, and posed for photographs with fans.
Best became the band’s drummer in August of 1960, after Paul McCartney called him and asked if he’d be interested in an audition. On January 5, 1962, The Beatles released “My Bonnie” on Brian Epstein’s Polydor record label. Best was a member of the band until August 16, 1962, when Ringo Starr replaced him for “circumstances still clouded in mystery,” according to Best’s Web site.
Following the dismissal, Best received several offers to join other bands, including Ringo Starr’s former group, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. A month after his departure from The Beatles, Best became the drummer for Lee Curtis and the All Stars. The band toured the UK and Germany, and came in second to the Fab Four in a 1963 Mersey Beat poll.
Today, Best – who still lives in Liverpool – keeps busy by making personal appearances and giving talks regarding his stint as a Beatle. The Pete Best Band was formed in 1988, and continues to tour the world.
Best’s Web site, www.petebest.com, says the band is “proud of their authentic sound and energy.” The Pete Best Band’s music delivers the “raw, thumping intensity” of The Beatles’ early 1960s sound.
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
Mitch Ryder (a.k.a. William Levine Jr.) and the Detroit Wheels are best known for “Devil With the Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly,” which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart in 1966. The band has toured throughout the world, including several stops over the years in the Garden State.
“I’ve been everywhere in New Jersey, from the shore to the south to the borders. Over the decades, we’ve managed to go to quite a few places in New Jersey. It’s a beautiful state,” Levine said. “Next to my state [Michigan], it’s my favorite. It’s got an enormous output of musical talent – the Boss, definitely.”
Bruce Springsteen seems to admire Levine as well, since he included “Devil with the Blue Dress On” in his concert set list in the 1970s.
“The medley that Mr. Springsteen did included it for quite a while,” said Levine. “One of my favorite pictures in my office is me and him singing it together here in Detroit.”
Levine’s New Jersey connections don’t end with Springsteen. As it turns out, the July 8 show won’t be Levine’s first stop in Hoboken.
“Once in the ’60s, they made me a spokesman for the American Heart Association. I remember going to Hoboken to receive the honor. It was really nice,” Levine said, adding that the title was previously held by Hoboken native Frank Sinatra.
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels briefly relocated from Michigan to New York City in 1965. Levine was quick to point out that he enjoys New Jersey’s “attitude” more than that of the Big Apple.
“I lived on the island [Manhattan] for three and a half years in the ’60s. I don’t imagine it’s changed much,” he said. “You either have a lot of money or you have none. We started out in a really bad section and then moved to a nice section, and then we got out of there.”
Levine’s experience in New York led to the release of the album Monkey Island in 2000, whose cover features the Statue of Liberty holding a banana in place of its torch.
“It was so radical that nobody understood it. The song “Monkey Island” is about Manhattan, and in a bigger overview, it’s about the whole country,” Levine said. “It’s very important for America to be materialistic. If people stop wanting things and buying things, the wheels of industry come to a halt.”
He added, “If we don’t consume, we die. If people stop going to concerts, I’ll be out of a job.”
Showtimes
The Pete Best Band
When: Two shows on Sunday, July 4: 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Where: Maxwell’s, 1039 Washington St., Hoboken.
Tickets: Advance tickets are $20.
Other info: Autograph sessions will be held after each show. For more information, call Maxwell’s at (201) 653-1703.
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
When: Thursday, July 8, at 6 p.m.
Where: Sinatra Park – on Sinatra Drive between Fourth and Fifth streets – in Hoboken.
Admission: Free
Other info: The show is part of Hoboken’s summer Concerts in the Park. Also on the bill: 747 Highjackers.
Blasts from the Past ’60s acts to perform in Hoboken
