Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 12 BEACHCOMBER continued from page 11 The Incomparable Remember Jones J ust when audiences thought Remember Jones couldn't be any better, he reinvents himself yet again and leaves them screaming even louder for more. The high-energy showman who boasts a wide param- eter of musical ability and versatility recently launched his 2022 won't u be my hater? tour where he'll perform songs from his newly released album, HAHA, BITCH! The Brick Township native (born Anthony D'Amato) has been a Jersey Shore stage and theater staple for more than a decade, but 2022 marks the year Jones embraces his true self instead of a persona. "The pandemic allowed me to re-envision a stage performance and to write songs that are an amplified version of myself," he said. "I was able to write and record twelve songs for my new album of all different genres, and the unifying quality is me and my personality." Jones made artistic choices that allowed him to break through the ceiling and create a new and provocative musical experience complete with a new band and a new female counterpart. "We all play off each other so well. I'm excited because it's a super flashy and fun show with outlandish costumes," he revealed. "I used to characterize Remember Jones shows as classic or soul, but this tour will be more glam rock, indie pop, something I was always capable of doing and truly encompasses my authenticity." The first two songs from his new album, "Fat Jeans" and "boys+girls+inbetween," were released in 2021 to rave reviews and critical acclaim. Jones grew up in a family of music lovers, and from a very young age, he connected to the sounds of the 1950s and 60s. "I fell in love with rock musicals like Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ Superstar and started performing when I was about twelve years old," Jones said. The thirty- seven-year-old connected with the Brick Community Children's Theatre as an adolescent, where he made lifelong friends and performed in numerous productions. His interests and love of theater led him to per- forming on average two productions a month during his teenage years on stages up and down the Jersey Shore. "I have no formal training but worked with many vocal teachers and learned through my experiences," he explained. With an innate propensity for entertaining and showmanship, Jones' naturally high-energetic stage presence keeps audiences coming back for more. "The audience expe- riences something they've never felt before, and they can't get enough. That's just me doing my thing." Over the years, Jones has shared the stage with such musical icons as Bruce Springsteen, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes, Darlene Love, Buster Poindexter, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. He served as interim artistic director of The Strand Center for the Arts in Lakewood and has performed in theater productions and with his orchestra on the stages of Asbury Park including Asbury Lanes, The Stone Pony and Stone Pony Summer Stage, and The Saint, as well as the Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Deal and Sound Waves at Atlantic City's Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. No matter the stage, any Remember Jones performance is full of life and theatrical in presentation, and that includes the staging and costum- ing. "Performing last September at the SeaHearNow festival in Asbury Park was awesome, and I really love a big stage with a lot of people and plenty of room to run around and sweat," Jones said. He has a special connection to the stage at the Count Remember Jones performing with his band at the SeaHearNow festival in Asbury Park in 2021. Brick Township native Remember Jones (born Anthony D'Amato) has been a Jersey Shore stage and theater staple for more than a decade, but 2022 marks the year Jones embraces his true self instead of a persona. Michael Kravetsky Michael Kravetsky

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