Keith Lenn Project

     If you follow me on social media (KJ Lenn on Facebook, rock1967star on Instagram), then you may already know that The Maniacs will be disbanding, sort of, after our last show November 18th. It's become apparent that the current lineup is incapable of working together for much longer and in anticipation of this “break up” we have not been booking new shows.

     All this being said, Tracy (the drummer) and I will continue the Maniacs “brand” with a new vocalist and lead guitarist. We may even add a fifth member to the fold, either a second guitarist or possibly a keyboardist. We are already knee-deep in talks with prospective players and will be jamming with a bunch of people as we sort out the future of our band!

     You also may come across some negativity in social media connected to the Maniacs, me, or other band members and friends… Please know that I have taken the high road, wishing all former members of the band the best of luck moving forward… there's no room or reason for any hate or ill will. I am blessed to have been able to play so many amazing shows with the Maniacs, make so many new friends, meet so many new people, and play at some really cool venues. Please just disregard anything negative that you see and let the negative comments speak to the character of those posting them.

     The Maniacs will be back better and stronger and hotter than ever! And if you happen to see “two” Maniacs bands out there, remember that “my” Maniacs band is the one you want to see!

     What an eventful weekend! So much to unpack!

     Friday night the Maniacs played a really solid show at The Doghouse Saloon and Grille in Township of Washington, NJ. We had a decent enough crowd and I think everyone really liked us. It wasn't our best gig ever, but I think we held our audience's attention well and we received many compliments at the end of the night, so that was awesome…

     Saturday night was an incredibly fun evening jamming with Zer0 at the Pearl River Hotel (or as we call it, The Hotey) in Pearl River, NY. The Hotey is a really special place for Zer0 - we have had a tremendous history with the Hotey and our show Saturday night was simply a beautiful mess! We had one of the most amazing crowds the band has ever had and we really were firing on all cylinders! We had a late crowd pop in during our second set and we ended up playing some songs from our first set again so everyone could hear them! We even took a few requests - songs we never played together but were still able to pull off… was so much fun! And even my Maniacs friends Tracy and Dave showed up! That was super cool!

Zer0 at the Hotey: Michael, Corey, Bobby, and Keith

     The Maniacs played a great show at Uncle Tommy's Tavern in Pearl River, NY on Friday night! We played three incendiary hours of classic rock and had the whole crowd up and moving all night! When I get some action photos I will post them here! Special thanks go to David Brown of Up ‘n’ Mary's Room and Trenzer for filling in on lead vocals while we narrow down our search for a new lead vocalist! David is pictured with me below!

     Last night was another EPIC show for Zer0 at our home away from home - Gerry's Place in Norwood, NJ! Truthfully, the last time the four of us were in a room together to play was our last gig way back in late July so we were a little concerned about how much rust we needed to shake off! Once we got the first song under our belt (My Hero by The Foo Fighters) all of our muscle memory chimed in and we played two solid sets. Our third set was a typical Zer0 third set - I won't go into any details, but if you have seen us live before, then you know what I mean!

     The night was not without some Spinal Tap moments, however! Corey forgot to bring his drum sticks so a friend of the band had to drive a half hour each way to go back to Corey's house and grab his stick bag! Then, in the middle of the second set as we were playing “Swallowed” by Bush, I smelled something burning. It appeared as if the smell was coming from something on stage. I actually had to stop the band from playing until we could ascertain the source of the burning. Then it got super hot in the bar. We thought something in the kitchen was on fire, but as it turns out, a fan belt in the air conditioning system started to melt. We did finally resume playing and in 30-plus years of playing shows, this was a first!

     And… we got to take a band photo in front of a hearse!

     Our next show is this Saturday night, September 16th, at the Pearl River Hotel in (you guessed it) Pearl River, NY! Hope you can come out to see us!

Back on September 2nd I had the pleasure of driving down to Seaside Heights, NJ and watching a couple of really fun bands play! Tilted was the first band - they were fun - had never heard of them but lots of KISS and the Ramones, as well as some catchy originals, kept me entertained. Then Ripped came on! Fun, talented classic rock band from New Jersey - the drummer had asked me a while back to come down and sit in on a song - so I did! We did rehearse beforehand, a few weeks earlier. At rehearsal I played two songs - “Lights Out” by UFO and “I'm Eighteen” by Alice Cooper. The Alice Cooper tune is the one I played live and I have some video below as well as a couple of pictures! The club was EJ's Tap House, right on the Seaside Heights boardwalk.