I’ve enjoyed a few great shows in Hoboken with the Toll Collectors this month. The first was at Finnegan’s on July 16. I actually got to open up the night with an acoustic set. Here I am with Ty Tuschen on electric guitar and Jack Breslin on bass.
Our second show was at Maxwell’s on 7/22 opening for Jane Lee Hooker.
Here was the setlist.
And here’s a video of our cover of “Long as I Can See the Light,” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. If you can’t see the embed below, here is the link.
Just a few hours after we learned of Prince’s passing, Northern Soul’s Thursday night of music began. Surrounded by videos of Prince performances on screen and the feeling that music has the power to connect us in mysterious ways, I took the stage with Ty Tuschen joining me on electric guitar. It was a special night to be playing music and one that I won’t forget anytime soon.
At the end of my set, we paid tribute to the purple one with two songs. “Nothing Compares 2U,” which Prince wrote but Sinéad O’Connor made popular. And for “Kiss,” we were joined by Jaime De Jesus, who had the perfect falsetto to take the lead vocal up into the stratosphere. To close the night, Jaime, Ty, James Calio, and I did a collaborative rendition of “Purple Rain.”
Here was the setlist.
And here’s a little clip of “Nothing Compares 2U” that Jonathan captured. (If you can’t see the embed below, visit this link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BEfP5rgAbRl/)
I also debuted a brand new original song called “Howlin’.” Special thanks to Lola for capturing this one! (If you can’t see the embed, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/h1Zu8z-IuK0)
And a few photos…
What a fantastic night of music. Thanks to everyone who came out to experience it with me!
Here’s a new Couch Cover. A song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers called “Dosed.” Hope you enjoy it!
Shareable YouTube link: https://youtu.be/dkvmXPo2bqU
What a fantastic night at Pianos!
On Tuesday, December 29th I was joined by Ardith Collins on cello for a nice little acoustic performance in the upstairs lounge.
Here are Ardith and the sound guy doing a little pre-show phone check.
Here is the setlist. We were able to pack a bunch of tunes in the set, including a folk tune (Who’s Gonna Shoe?), an 80s classic (Melt With You), a 90s one-hit wonder (Your Woman), a modern day cover (Loveland), and a bunch of my original songs. Oh… and… ummm… Britney Spears. There was some of that, too. I also experimented using looping pedals. One for the voice. One for the guitar. Worked out quite well and allowed me to add some additional layering.
Here is a post-gig photo of Ardith and I.
And finally, here’s a video of us performing “Loveland,” by Milky Chance. If you can’t see the embedded video below, you can watch it on YouTube right here: https://youtu.be/aXiP5vtfhuw
Captured during a live performance at Finnegan’s in Hoboken, NJ on Saturday, October 17th, here are three original songs by Christina Alessi & the Toll Collectors. Enjoy!
“Leave the Light On” https://youtu.be/NjqzH7R8gnA
“My Little Sin” https://youtu.be/HkhaWwjIhV0
“Rescue Me” https://youtu.be/Z-dNwKGeV3Q
Check out these new double-breasted live performance videos for “The Date,” “Enjoy the Silence,” and “Sweet Dreams.” Hope you enjoy them and share with others!
This is always such a great show, year after year.
Here is the stage all set and ready to go.
Here we are performing. 
Here is our cover of Aerosmith’s “Amazing.”
Note: If you can’t see the embed above, click here to watch on YouTube.
Here’s the setlist.
Back in January, I wrote a post called Writing Is Rewriting. It referenced a new song called “Walking On.”
Today, I’m happy to debut that song for you as a video. The song has a bluesy, porch stomper vibe to it. I hope you enjoy it!
(And if you do enjoy it, please share it. Here’s the link to copy/paste: http://youtu.be/pe2KHE6Yo5E)
What a gig!
I had a blast playing with Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors last Friday night at Tierney’s Tavern in Montclair, NJ – 12/12/14. It was so great to play in a band with such excellent musicians.
Here was the line up:
Christina Alessi: voice and acoustic guitar
Jon Andrew: Bass
Josh Bicknell: Drums
Ty Tuschen: Guitar
Mari Hubley: Mandolin/ Vox
Sean-David Cunningham: Epic Violin
Here was the setlist:
Watch a cover of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me”
In case the embed doesn’t work above, here’s the link: http://youtu.be/PetxyoxW2Kk
Watch a cover of “Wagon Wheel” (which actually has a pretty interesting origin story):
In case the embed doesn’t work above, here’s the link: http://youtu.be/MwjWWagcN8U
We hope to do it all over again sometime soon. Stay tuned!
Here’s a YouTube playlist of five songs from my performance at Espresso Joe’s last month. Thanks to my parents for capturing these on their iPhones!
The playlist includes:
If you can’t see the video playlist embedded below, click here.