Performing on the recordings on this page: AJ Stone, vocals, acoustic & electric rhythm guitars, harmonica, drum & bass programming, keyboards, and orchestration, except, and in addition to ... Matthew Scott Hamblen, acoustic lead guitar on "Little Missy" & "Northbound Train/Kimberly", lead vocal on/songwriter of "Northbound Train", backing vocal on "Kimberly" ... Brian McLaughlin, drum & bass programming, keyboards, orchestration, and co-songwriter on "Give Me A Choice" *** Special thanks to John "CAMS" Campbell for helping to get this MySpace page going and his continued assistance keeping it going! ***
Influences
PERSONAL: My wife, daughter & stepson, my friends, Thomas Jefferson, Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, Kevin Smith, Edward Burns, The New York Giants, The New Jersey Devils, Jeeps, VW's (especially buses), beer, apple martinis.
MUSICAL: Neil Young, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Band, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Yes, REM, U2, The Eagles, The Allman Brothers Band, Jefferson Starship, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Black Crowes, Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, Phish, Blues Traveler, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Joe Cocker, Tracy Chapman, Van Morrison, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Warren Zevon, Jimmy Buffett, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Jack Johnson, The Ramones, The Beastie Boys, The Sex Pistols, Metallica, Guns n Roses, Anthrax, The Misfits, Black 47, The Pogues, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Ronnie James Dio, The Georgia Satellites, REO Speedwagon, Blondie, Cher, Heart, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, The Clancy Brothers, Bob Marley, Bob Seger, James Taylor, Squeeze, Taylor Hicks, Freddie Mercury, Frank Zappa, Tenacious D, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Green Day, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, John Denver, Garth Brooks, ZZ Top, Frank Handlowitch, Cardon Raquet, Don Lee, Jon Caspi, and much, much more!
*** FRANK ZAPPA TALKS ABOUT CENSORSHIP ON CNN'S CROSSFIRE IN 1986 ***
*** JOHN STEWART ON CROSSFIRE IN 2004 ***
*** Shortly after this aired, Tucker Carlson was fired and Crossfire was cancelled! Tucker no longer wears a bowtie at his new network. ***
Sounds Like
Tom Petty, Looks like Tom Green, Smells like Teen Spirit ...
*** "Take Me Home Country Roads" at Espresso Joe's in 2007 ***
T M H C R at Espresso Joe's
*** "Mary Jane's Last Dance" with Debbie Strauss & Rockin' Ruckus at the Shark Fin Inn 8-24-08! ***
I am Andrew J Grogan, also known to some people as AJ Stone. People call me Andy or AJ. I was born & raised in Jersey City, NJ, but from about the age of 10 on I spent my summers in Forked River, which instilled in me a love of the beach and the shore area. Since 1994 I have been primarily located in Monmouth County, NJ, at the northern end of the "Jersey Shore" area. From a young age I enjoyed singing, and in 1980 at the age of 15 I began accompanying myself on the guitar. After playing in countless "garage bands" that never made it out of the garage, in 1992 I finally began performing in public and getting paid for it. That is also the year I adopted the stage name "AJ Stone". Why AJ Stone? It's not what most people think. In 1991, while I was recording my debut demo album, "Hide Your Mother", it was said to me that I would never be successful in the music business because I was not "eccentric enough". Now, I always thought I was plenty eccentric. But, maybe there was something to that. So, I decided I needed a good "rock" name. Rock, Stone. Get it? OK, so I'm not that clever. Anyway, since 1992 "AJ Stone" has played throughout the state of New Jersey, and occasionally elsewhere, in bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes, with bands, duos, trios and as a solo artist. I have appeared on television and radio. Am I successful? That's all relative. When I was 17 I thought I was going to tour America and make a million dollars. Now that I'm 43 and married with 2 kids, I'm happy playing bars, coffee houses, backyard barbeques, having fun and making some extra cash. About the recordings on this page: 1) they were recorded in the early 1990's and have been circulated among my family and friends for years; 2) they are admittedly "low-fi"; and 3) thanks to MySpace my music is now available for enjoyment worldwide! In May of 2006 I founded a start-up Open Mic Night on Thursdays at Connie's Bar, Grill & Night Club in Sayreville, NJ, which I still host. I have also appeared recently, and in most cases regularly, at such fine New Jersey establishments as The Firehouse Eatery & Pub in Rahway, The Clubhouse in Monroe Township, The Engleside Sand Bar in Beach Haven (on Long Beach Island), The Shark Fin Inn in Forked River, The Cambridge Inn in Spotswood, The Olde Village Pub in Middletown, Molly Maguire's in Clark, Yogi's All-American Grill in Carteret, Tumulty's Pub in New Brunswick, J.O'Neill's Place in Sayreville, Beacon on the Bay in Highlands, The Beacon Street Grille in Neptune, The Walt Street Pub in Red Bank, Espresso Joe's in Keyport, The Twisted Tree Cafe in Asbury Park, & Via Dolce in South River. In October of 2007 I performed for the first time outside of the USA, a house concert in Ojochal, Costa Rica. I AM CURRENTLY BOOKING PERFORMANCE DATES FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2008 AND SPRING/SUMMER 2009. I AM AVAILABLE FOR WEDDINGS, PRIVATE PARTIES AND CORPORATE EVENTS. REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. FOR BOOKING INFORMATION CALL 732 778-2914 OR EMAIL stoneaj1@yahoo.com. PLEASE JOIN MySpace AND VIEW MY GALLERY OF PHOTOS FROM THROUGHOUT MY MUSICAL CAREER. THANKS!
Hey AJ, Just wanted to let you know that I'm playing over at O'Toole's in Convention Hall tomorrow night (Dec 5)around 9:30pm and I'm going to have two special guests playing with me! Hope you can make it. Feel free to bring some friends and share the love. It's going to be a good one.
