* Party City Miami Heat Tickets Contest.

If this floats your boat…

* Pop, Rock & Doo Wopp Live!

Trust Jeff Eats on this one, 50’s-60’s Oldies Fans in Port Saint Lucie, Daytona Beach and Boca Raton are in for a real treat…

Jay & The Americans, The Drifters, The Tokens, The Belmonts, The Chiffons, Dennis Tufano of The Buckinghams–3 shows/lineups to choose from!

I have seen all of the “acts” and I gotta tell you that- they all-put on a great show!

Just checked poprockdoowopp.com…there are- just a handful of tickets left…

So, if you wanna go- no time to waste!

__________

Starring:
Charlie Thomas’ Drifters (“Under the Boardwalk”, “This Magic Moment”, “Save the Last Dance for Me”, “Up on the Roof”, “Dance with Me”, “On Broadway”)
Jay Siegel’s Tokens (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, “Tonight I Fell in Love”, “Portrait of My Love”)
The Chiffons with original lead singer Judy Craig (“One Fine Day”, “He’s So Fine”, “Sweet Talkin’ Guy”)
__________

Enjoy an evening with legends of 50’s and 60’s rock & roll, as seen on PBS… Jay & the Americans (“This Magic Moment”, “Cara Mia”, “Come a Little Bit Closer”, “Only in America”, “Let’s Lock the Door”, “Walkin’ in the Rain” and more), The Belmonts (“A Teenager in Love”, “I Wonder Why”, “Where or When”), Charlie Thomas’ Drifters (“Under the Boardwalk”, “Up on the Roof”, “Save the Last Dance for Me”, “There Goes My Baby”), Jay Siegel’s Tokens (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, “Tonight I Fell in Love”, “A Portrait of My Love”) and The Chiffons (“One Fine Day”, “He’s So Fine”, “Sweet Talkin’ Guy”). Hosted by Emil Stucchio of The Classics.

A surprise guest star will also appear to sing his hits including a song that went to #1 in the country!

VIP tickets include a private post-show meet and greet with the stars where you can take photos and have your memorabilia autographed!

__________

Enjoy an evening with legends of 50’s and 60’s rock & roll, as seen on PBS… Jay & the Americans (“This Magic Moment”, “Cara Mia”, “Come a Little Bit Closer”, “Only in America”, “Let’s Lock the Door”, “Walkin’ in the Rain” and more), The Belmonts (“A Teenager in Love”, “I Wonder Why”, “Where or When”), Charlie Thomas’ Drifters (“Under the Boardwalk”, “Up on the Roof”, “Save the Last Dance for Me”, “There Goes My Baby”), The Chiffons (“One Fine Day”, “He’s So Fine”, “Sweet Talkin’ Guy”) and special guest star, The Buckinghams’ original lead singer Dennis Tufano (“Kind of a Drag”, “Hey Baby! They’re Playing our Song”, “Don’t You Care”, “Susan”.) VIP tickets include a private meet and greet with the stars.

__________

* 27th Annual Las Olas Art Fair Part II.

If you love ridiculously huge crowds aimlessly walking around…you’ll love this one!

Mrs. Jeff Eats loves- ridiculously huge crowds aimlessly walking around.

See everybody there on Sunday!

27th Annual Las Olas Art Fair Part II (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

March 28th & 29th, 2015

Saturday & Sunday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Free Admission
Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Located in the heart of Fort Lauderdale, Las Olas Boulevard is known as the jewel of the city. Las Olas has everything for a wonderful evening out, or a relaxing day window-shopping and dining at one of the fabulous sidewalk cafes. On Las Olas Boulevard you will find a multitude of art galleries, eclectic boutiques, and dining options that range from Cuban-American cuisine to fresh seafood caught in the Atlantic Ocean.

Howard Alan Events proudly presents the 27th Annual Las Olas Art Fair Part II. Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Boulevard is the ideal backdrop for this festival, blending an eclectic mix of artists, great weather and fantastic energy. As the second show of the season on Las Olas, this festival brings together longtime favorites with some of the newest names in the contemporary art scene. Life-size sculptures, spectacular paintings, one-of-a-kind jewels, photography, ceramics, and much more make for one fabulous weekend. Centrally located close to the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, this show is a must-do if your springtime travels take you anywhere in South Florida!

Directions:
Take I-95 to Broward Boulevard and go east on Broward. Make a right on Andrews Avenue, and then a left on East Las Olas Boulevard. Registration is at SE 6th Ave. and East Las Olas Boulevard.

Visitor Parking:
Free shuttle bus for festival visitors will run in a continuous loop both Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 5:30pm from the City Park Garage (SE 2nd Street/SE 1st Avenue) to the corner of Las Olas Boulevard and SE 5th Avenue, just a block west of the US-1 tunnel.

Art FestivalsArt Festivals

* Culture Club.

You owe it to yourself-to see Boy George “live” at least once…

The legendary performer and his band- got 3-Florida August dates in the works…

If this is up your alley, ticketmaster.com.

TOUR DATES: NORTH AMERICA
Tickets Available Soon

20 July 2015
Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver, CO

24 July 2015
Greek Theatre
Los Angeles, CA

25 July 2015
The Greek Theatre UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

27 July 2015
Beacon Theatre
New York, NY

28 July 2015
Beacon Theatre
New York, NY

31 July 2015
MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods
Mashantucket, CT

01 August 2015
Etess Arena
Atlantic City, NJ

02 August 2015
Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
Boston, MA

04 August 2015
NJPAC
Newark, NJ

06 August 2015
Casino Rama
Rama, ON

07 August 2015
The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
Windsor, ON

08 August 2015
MusikFest Main Stage
Bethlehem, PA

10 August 2015
Wolf Trap
Vienna, VA

11 August 2015
Booth Amphitheatre
Cary, NC

12 August 2015
Fox Theatre
Atlanta, GA

14 August 2015
Klipsch Amp at Bayfront Park
Miami, FL

15 August 2015
Madeira Beach Waterfront Park
Tampa, FL

16 August 2015
Hard Rock Live
Orlando, FL

* Just Kids from the Bronx: Telling It the Way It Was: An Oral History.

Great read…even if you didn’t grow up in THE BRONX!

Jeff Eats caught a hard-copy (which came out 3/3/15) on Amazon for $21.72.

Amazon Book Review:
A touching and provocative collection of memories that evoke the history of one of America’s most influential boroughs-the Bronx-through some of its many success stories

The vivid oral histories in Arlene Alda’s Just Kids from the Bronx reveal what it was like to grow up in the place that bred the influencers in just about every field of endeavor today. The Bronx is where Michael Kay, the New York Yankees’ play-by-play broadcaster, first experienced baseball, where J. Crew’s CEO Millard (Mickey) Drexler found his ambition, where Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dava Sobel fell in love with science early on and where music-making inspired hip hop’s Grandmaster Melle Mel to change the world of music forever.

The parks, the pick-up games, the tough and tender mothers, the politics, the gangs, the food-for people who grew up in the Bronx, childhood recollections are fresh. Arlene Alda’s own Bronx memories were a jumping-off point from which to reminisce with a nun, a police officer, an urban planner, and with Al Pacino, Mary Higgins Clark, Carl Reiner, Colin Powell, Maira Kalman, Bobby Bonilla, and many other leading artists, athletes, scientists and entrepreneurs-experiences spanning six decades of Bronx living. Alda then arranged these pieces of the past, from looking for violets along the banks of the Bronx River to the wake-up calls from teachers who recognized potential, into one great collective story, a film-like portrait of the Bronx from the early twentieth century until today

* Studio M: A 70s & 80s Dance Party.

If you wanna go, you can catch tickets at:

https://tickets.completeticketsolutions.com/MAGIC/Online/seatSelect.asp.

VIP Tickets are 60 bucks, GA Tickets are 10 bucks if you buy them early, $25 at the door.

This one sounds like it could be real-fun- and you know, you’re gonna see some real crazy “getups.”

On which ticket “makes better sense” that’s your call!…Jeff Eats is thinking 10-is the way to go, but keep in mind I got a “65”-in 1962- in 7th Grade Math from Mrs. Muniz at Ditmas J.H.S. in Brooklyn, New York! For you guys who attended schools that used LETTERS-rather than NUMBERS…”C” is about right!

Studio M: A 70s and 80s Dance Party

March 28th, 2015 7pm
Join Magic 102.7 for a night of dancing & Tunes from the 70s and 80s, disco, New Wave, big hair and more!

VIP
Adult $60.00
General Admission
Adult $10.00

* Mr. Nice Guy Band.

Jeff Eats first told you guys about this superb Classic Rock band on 6/27/12 (that tale is down below).

Free show, but you know and Jeff Eats knows that Meatball Room wants you to eat and drink on its out-door patio -while the band is-on! So just maybe-if you go, you should go for some cash!

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats already-got plans, but we’re gonna try and catch the band’s last set!

Posted on June 27th, 2012 · Music/Events/Other
***** Mr. Nice Guy *****

Recently saw “Mr. Nice Guy” an absolutely dynamite classic rock band (1960s-1970s-1980s) at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood.

Speaking of dynamite, comedian- Jimmy J.J. Walker of tv’s 1970’s “Good Time” fame, just released a dynamite “tell-all” book, “DY-NO-MITE, GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES, OUR TIMES”—that I highly recommend that tv afficianados catch. But I digress…

Trust me on this, Mr. Nice Guy “plays” some of the best Beatles, Santana, Eagles, Joe Cocker, Zeppelin and Stones covers that you will hear.

Mr. Nice Guy often reffered to as “MNG” is a local South Florida sextet having formed in 2002. If the group’s recent Hard Rock appearance is any indication-it has an enormous fan base.

At this stage of the story you can check audio/video/info/schedule at www.mngband.com.

The really beautiful thing about Mr. Nice Guy…in addition to a steady twice a month gig at the Hard Rock, you can catch the group at various South Florida clubs, restaurants, casinos…usually “sans” a cover charge.

If you enjoy this type of music, do yourself a favor and catch Mr. Nice Guy in action.

***** Super Subs Etc.

Real simple tale,

Told you guys about this amazing sub joint way-back on 11/29/11 (that tale is reprinted down below)…hadn’t been back until yesterday afternoon- the chicken cordon bleu and bbq steak 12″ subs that I split with Mrs. Jeff Eats were absolute dynamite.

No ifs ands or buts, Super Subs Etc. is a great sub joint!

Trust me, if Super Subs Etc. wasn’t so far (like 63 miles one way) from Jeff Eats’ Boca Raton home- I’d be a real steady customer!

If you like subs- you gotta try Super Subs Etc.
____________

Super Subs Etc. (Coral Gables)
Posted on November 29th, 2011 · American Coral Gables Fast Food Subs/Salads

***** Super Subs Etc., 6380 Bird Road, Coral Gables, Florida 33155, (305) 665-0990.

In my day, I’ve eaten my fair-share of subs/grinders/heros (pick your regional term)—I maybe going out on a limb here, but this 6-seat sub shop which has been around since 1977- has to be right up there with the best-of-all time. Now this isn’t an exact count, but its menu lists something like 100 different hot/cold (6″ & 12″) sandwiches. You can check menu/prices at www.urbanspoon.com.

A recent outing had me “doing”—chicken cordon bleu, philly cheesesteak, bbq steak, bbq pork rib, mushroom cheeseburger subs. I am telling you, some of the best sub-stuff that I have ever eaten. On the price front—no more expensive than your favorite neighborhood joint.

For you-guys out there who don’t get from where I am coming… A Super Subs’ sandwich is a Rembrandt, Picasso, Renoir, Van Gogh (Well, maybe not a Picasso!). Think, your favorite “slice” of pizza matched against a slice from Little Caesar’s…a Volkswagen CC against a Corvette…a 32″ flat screen tv against a 72 incher.

To sum it all…Super Subs Etc. is a terrific sub shop.

The joint is open Monday-Saturday 9am-8pm and Sunday 10am-5pm.

***** Big Joe’s Burgers, Wings & Salads.

Way-back on 7/28/09 Jeff Eats told you guys about Big Joe’s- a “hole in the wall” burger joint in Boca Raton (“tale” is down below)…long story short, yesterday- Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats ate lunch at Big Joe’s and the mushroom cheese burger and French fries that I had-absolutely killed! Mrs. Jeff Eats’ cup of chicken noodle soup, hot ham/cheese wrap and macaroni & cheese were also- right on the money!

I know that like me, you guys are looking for real-good “hole in the wall” joints- that not too many people know about. Now, I can’t swear on how many people do or don’t know about Big Joe’s- but I can tell you that it’s definitely a hole-in-the-wall and that its food is real-good.

With the above in mind…just thought I’d mention Big Joes again- if you haven’t tried-it, try it!

By the way, back in 2009 the joint was open Monday-Friday 11am-8pm, closed on Saturday-Sunday…the hours are not 11am-7pm.
_________________

Big Joe’s Burgers and Wings (Boca Raton)
Posted on July 28th, 2009 · American Boca Raton Desserts
***** Big Joe’s Burgers and Wings, 2831 North Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33431 (561) 447-7995.

If you take out your Webster’s and look under “hole in the wall” burger joint…you will find Big Joe’s Burgers and Wings in Boca Raton. The joint seats something like 10, that’s right 10…and is located in a non-descript (aren’t they all) strip center on Federal Highway. Talk about crappy locations…This is what “we” call a destination spot.

Anyway…Big Joe’s is my kind of a joint. At this stage of this game, checkout its website www.bigjoesburgers.com for menu/prices.

Let me make this real simple…this joint is GREAT. The menu has loads of soups, burgers, sandwiches, wings…not to mention daily specials and desserts.

I recently did a taste-test of a bacon cheeseburger, chicken caesar salad, honey garlic chicken wings, blackened mahi mahi sandwich…absolutely delicious. Now…I don’t know how Big Joe’s makes them, but this joint serves mashed potatoes (you do remember Vice President Dan Qualye, don’t you?) that are absolutely incredible…by the way, the mashed potatoes come in “various flavors/combinations) I had the plain-old ones. The joint also has a lineup of home-made desserts…I did the chocolate peanut butter pie, great.

You absolutely-positively want to try this joint. Like I said before, it is a hole-in-the-wall—in a crappy strip center…so set your GPS or call ahead for directions.

Big Joe’s is open Monday-Friday 11am-8pm.

* The Four Preps.

The legendary 50’s-60’s vocal group makes a rare South Florida appearance at Kings Point in Delray Beach on Friday, March 27th at 8pm.

Trust Jeff Eats on this one, The Four Preps featuring original lead singer, Bruce Belland is an absolute must see…good looks alone- don’t get you millions of records sold, 8 gold records, 3 gold albums, tons of movie/tv appearances and countless live concert dates!

You can catch tickets at boxoffice.kingspointdelray.com.

from thefourpreps.com
THE FOUR PREPS
…featuring Original Lead Singer BRUCE BELLAND

The sound of any great vocal group is ultimately defined by the voice of its Lead Singer. In the case of THE FOUR PREPS, that voice belongs to BRUCE BELLAND who Co-founded the Preps in 1954 while still in high school and has been their front man ever since. Bruce is the only original member heard on every Four Preps track ever recorded.

Over five decades he’s become what one critic called “that rare creature – an Original Lead Singer from the Fab. 50’s who can still bring audiences to their feet.”

It all began in the Fall of 1954 when 35 girls and not one boy showed up to audition for the annual Hollywood High student talent show. The next day the school bulletin pleaded for “any guys out there who can do anything” and a show business tale of triumph began.

Unable to resist such amorously appealing odds, four talented and highly motivated boys in the school choir, Lead Singer Bruce Belland, baritone Glen Larson, bass Ed Cobb and high tenor Marvin Ingram, literally formed a quartet overnight and stepped into the crinoline void as THE FOUR PREPS.

After stealing the show with choice hits by their idols, The Crew Cuts and The Four Lads, they quickly found themselves in demand for every kind of event imaginable.

“We didn’t turn anything down”, Bruce remembers. “We once performed on the back of a flatbed truck for the opening of a parking lot. They paid us $75.00; enough to buy gas and our first matching sport coats. We were totally stoked.”

In 1956 legendary Capitol Records Producer Voyle Gilmore, who recorded stars like Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Louie Prima & Keely Smith, heard a tape of a live performance by the Preps and signed them to a long term recording contract. At the time the Preps were the youngest act ever to sign with a major record label. (In an article about their signing, Variety dubbed them “Capitol’s jolly juveniles”.)

They quickly became a favorite of the nation’s disc jockeys and soon their voices blanketed the airwaves. As 1957 began, Cashbox honored them as “the most promising Newcomer of the Year.” and critics began to praise their distinctive sound – and Bruce’s Lead – as “fresh”, “clean”, “bracing”, “warm” and “rich” which inspired Capitol to renew their contract for a second year while searching for that elusive hit record.

Their first national television exposure came on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett” playing singing fraternity brothers of their former HHS classmate Ricky Nelson. That led to their first national tour with Nelson which began the same week LIFE magazine coined the term “Teen Idol” under Rick’s picture on its cover. That SOLD OUT tour created a publicity tsunami for the four talented newcomers.

Shortly after the boys returned to Hollywood, “26 Miles” (written by Bruce and Glen) hit the airwaves and their young lives were changed forever. That million-selling song (9 million at last count) about the “island of romance” became what Dick Clark called “the first surfer hit” and took the Pop world by storm. (In their recent biographies, both Jimmy Buffett and Brian Wilson cite that Preps classic as their enduring teenage influence).

Bruce and the Preps were soon featured in LIFE magazine, on countless Ed Sullivan and American Bandstand Shows and capped it off by being honored as “Newcomer of the Year” in Billboard Magazine and signing for an engagement at the world famous Coconut Grove a scant 24 months after attending there as high school prom goers.

Their superstar status was confirmed when they Co-Starred in an Award-winning TV Special with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney and Louie Armstrong and then in the first surfer film, “Gidget” opposite Sandra Dee, James Darren and Academy Award winner Cliff Robertson.

In 1962 The Preps’ career took another quantum leap with their first LIVE concert album, “The Four Preps on Campus” which soared to the top of the charts. One track, “More Money for You and Me”, highlighted the Preps’ uncanny vocal parodies of other groups and became a Top Ten single that the nation’s DJs voted “the novelty record of the year”.

That first LIVE album was followed by two more in their legendary “On Campus Series, “Four Preps – Campus Encore” and “Four Preps – Campus Confidential” making them the only group of their genre to ever record three consecutive “LIVE IN PERSON” albums.

For three straight years in the mid 60’s, The Four Preps were the country’s Number One College Concert Attraction, touring in their own 13 passenger plane and averaging 150 campus concerts a year. They went on to headline in Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City, the Hollywood Bowl and Greek Theater and other prestigious venues across North America, and throughout Europe and Asia, prompting Variety to describe their sold out live performances as “all the rage these days!”.

In 1969 after a successful 15 year collaboration, the original Four Preps: Belland, Ingram, Larson and Cobb, disbanded to pursue other highly successful individual careers in the entertainment industry.

BRUCE BELLAND – who co-wrote the Preps’ hits, has created songs for Willie Nelson, Johnny Mathis, Roy Clark, T.G. Shepherd, Sammy Davis, Lena Horne, Donny Osmond, Della Reese, Herman’s Hermits, The Mouseketeers and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and written special material for Johnny Carson, Chevy Chase, Bob Newhart, Tim Conway, Steve Allen and the Smothers Brothers as well as feature films, numerous TV screenplays and theatrical productions including two on Broadway. As Producer of over 1,000 hours of TV, including “Name That Tune” and “Truth or Consequences”, he’s been a three time Emmy nominee, senior NBC programming executive and done voices for many animated features including the Disney classic, “Jungle Book”. As Co-Author of the Official Anthem of the Bi- centennial of the U.S. Constitution, he was awarded the Freedom Foundation’s Presidential Medal of the Arts and cited in the Congressional Record.

In 1989, at Dick Clark’s suggestion, Bruce and Ed Cobb re-formed The Four Preps with David Somerville of The Diamonds and Jim Pike of the Lettermen (who was subsequently replaced by Jim Yester of The Association.) That foursome toured and recorded until Cobb retired in 1997. (Ed Cobb died in 1999 as did original high tenor Marv Ingram.)

Recently PBS asked Bruce to re-assemble a version of The Four Preps for the star-studded musical special “Magic Moments” featuring legendary hit makers: Pat Boone, Patti Page, Debbie Reynolds, The McGuire Sisters, The Chordettes, The Platters, The Four Preps and their high school idols… The Crew Cuts and The Four Lads. Over 100 million viewers have watched that history-making Special which started a groundswell of demand for a full blown Four Preps concert tour.

It became clear that, despite occasional personnel changes in the other three voices, Bruce’s distinctive style and sound – which once inspired Ed Sullivan to introduce The Preps as “the greatest recording group in the country” – has garnered a legion of fans that still remain loyal many decades later.

As the only original member of The Four Preps still actively performing, Bruce loved the idea of going back on tour and once again singing Lead in a great harmony ensemble. So now there’s a new touring version of The Four Preps strolling millions of Oldies lovers back down memory lane with the distinctive song stylings of the voice that has defined their music from the start.

Meet today’s other Preps:

BOB DUNCAN high tenor, is one of the harmony world’s most successful and seasoned performers. He first launched his vocal career with The Safaris’ hit “Image of a Girl” then sang with The Ray Coniff Singers, The Jubillaires gospel quartet and the Blenders on Lawrence Welk’s television show for many seasons. He went on to star with The Diamonds for twenty years and with The Crew Cuts for almost a decade before joining Bruce in The Four Preps.

MICHAEL REDMAN baritone has, over five decades, performed and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Henry Mancini, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers and on TV classics The Smothers Brothers, Donnie and Marie and Lawrence Welk. He’s on movie soundtracks for “Annie”, Blues Brothers”, “Big”, “Lonesome Dove”, “Apocalypse: Now”, and “Oh God, Books I, II And III”. Until joining The Four Preps, he was a key member of The Crew Cuts.

JIM ARMSTRONG The newest member of THE FOUR PREPS brings with him a colorful and well-rounded background of show business experience and diverse musical talents. As a gifted pianist, vocalist, arranger and actor he has performed with Debbie Reylolds, Juliet Prowse, Vickie Carr and Henry Mancini at prestigious venues around the world. With his rich bass voice and unerring musical instincts, Jim provides a solid musical foundation for the Preps legendary harmonies.