It’s amazing — and a little scary — how the last 40 years have flown by.
In the summer of 1985, music fans around the world were laser focused on the historic Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia.
But closer to home, a group of Trenton-area musicians were inspired by this charitable movement within the music community and got together to record and perform their own original song, “Have You Ever Seen Their Eyes (by Dave Hart, Marty Hegyi, and Frank Pinto).” Proceeds from record sales — and the Jam for Hunger concert at City Gardens that followed — helped raise funds for Ethiopian hunger relief through World Vision International.
Musicians from the Trenton area such as Hart, Hegyi and Pinto, Ernie White, Joe Zook, Ricky Collins, Brian Leahy, Joe Mancuso, and Bob Scannella, with assistance from the Trenton Central High School Choir, recorded the song at Tom Marolda’s Song Gram Studios in Mercerville during the spring of 1985. The participants all donated their time, as did Comcast in providing two music videos of the unfolding events.
One documented the recording of the single released on Hopewell Records and the other, also produced by Comcast’s Brian McLendon, captured the matinee and evening shows of several local all-star bands performing live in front of an enthusiastic audience during the follow up Jam for Hunger concert.
Between the concerts and record sales, the musicians raised a couple thousand dollars for the charity.
“Comcast ran the videos continuously for several weeks on their old local access channel,” Hart, a West Trenton resident, remembers. “What really surprised me was that, 40 years later, former WPST DJ Tom Cunningham went through his archives for the 40th anniversary and posted the original song’s cast picture on Facebook. That photo got re-posted numerous times, and suddenly a lot of people were talking about the song, the video, and the concerts again.”
“That’s how we got reinvolved. Filmmaker Art Varga (of Running River Films in Lambertville) saw the post and said, ‘wouldn’t it be great to re-create the song with the same performers, and document the studio sessions reunion as kind of a living history tribute.’ Art then got Frank and me together, and of course we said yes to the project without hesitation,” Hart says.
“The rub, however, was that world hunger relief was no longer the global lightening rod it was 40 years ago,” he adds. “Thus, finding an appropriate charitable cause to lend our talents and resources to became an issue. Naturally, there is still plenty of hunger, poverty, war, and disease in the world to go around, but most of these concerns are mired in political muck that could come across as being divisive rather than galvanizing.”
That’s when Hart and Pinto struck upon the idea of combining the 40-year anniversary of the release of “Have You Ever Seen Their Eyes” with a tribute to the City of Trenton’s musical history.
The result is a new song, “Listen Up! Trenton Makes Music,” by Hart and Pinto, and a reunion of most of the 1985 ensemble, and Varga’s documentary, which will be shown Saturday, January 31, at 7 p.m., Sunday, February 1, at 3 p.m., and Saturday, February 7, at 4 p.m. at the ACME Screening Room in Lambertville. A portion of all ticket sales will benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K.). In addition to the film, the event includes live music and a lobby reception. (Note that some of these shows are already sold out.)
After that, there are screenings planned for Saturday, March 7, at the Lambertville Elks Lodge, and Saturday, March 15, at the Starving Artist Café in Stockton.
Varga, the owner of Running River Films, which produces commercials, music videos, social media videos, etc., reflects that Trenton has faced years of decline, yet its creative music spirit endures.
“The film is both a tribute and a reflection — an honest portrait of a city whose music continues to entertain and inspire, sustained by the people who lived it, loved it, and never stopped making it,” writes the veteran documentarian/filmmaker.
“‘Listen Up — Trenton Makes Music’ explores the deep musical legacy of Trenton from the 1960s to today,” he continues. “Through interviews with artists, historians, and community voices, the film looks at the city’s once-vibrant music scene and the gifted performers who shaped it — some who reached national stages and others who devoted their lives to local audiences.”
As for the song, Hart and Pinto crafted a heartfelt rock ballad, Jersey style, with shout-outs to a couple dozen people and places that will resonate with Trenton-area music lovers. “Listen Up” was recorded and engineered at musician/producer Tom Reock’s Squirrel Ranch in Hamilton.
Although not all of the original Trenton ensemble were able to participate in the recording — they’re spread all across the United States — many members of the group came together to sing and play.
The new ensemble features Hart and Pinto, but also Billy Hill, Ernie White, Meg Hanson, Paul Plumeri, Joe Zook, Joe Kramer, Jerry Monk, Bob Scannella, Brian Leahy, D.D. Worek, and Tom Krawiec, all of whom are from in and around Mercer County.
“Listen Up” is almost a mini historical piece, something that educates a Central Jersey newbie to the national and international accomplishments of the region’s musicians.
For example, the songwriters namecheck the Van Eaton brothers, who were signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records label.
Maury Muehleisen was Jim Croce’s excellent guitarist; his work shines on in such great songs as “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim.”
Sarah Dash is mentioned; not only was she part of R&B royalty with LaBelle, but she sang and toured with the Rolling Stones and Keith Richards’ solo project, the X-Pensive Winos. Dash also sang with Alice Cooper, David Johansen, and the O’Jays, to name just a few.
“Listen Up,” the new song recorded for the film, is about 6 ½ minutes long, but “it would have been a 30-minute song if we’d included all of Trenton’s famous singers and musicians,” Hart says.
As many as Trenton’s acknowledged music “authority” Tommy K (Krawiec) could remember are listed alphabetically in the film’s ending credits.
And there’s a lot of love for local and regional talent, as in this stanza:
Blues Deluxe down at Billy D’s
Joe Zook kept us company
Another guy who’s paid his dues
Paul Plumeri, the Bishop of the Blues.
Songwriter, author, historian, and researcher Hart, who is a family descendant of Declaration of Independence signer John Hart, says he has been writing songs for about 50 years, mostly together with versatile musician and singer-songwriter Frank Pinto.
“I’ve played in a couple of early bands, but now I mainly write music with Frank, and we get the most talented folks we can find to record the songs with us,” he says.
He also writes screenplays and books, including Plexus Publications’ “Adventures Along the Jersey Shore” and “Trenton,” co-authored with John Calu.
In addition, Hart wrote, directed, and produced the documentary “John Hart: Portrait of a Patriot,” an intimate look at the life of his famous ancestor.
His songwriting partnership with Pinto goes back more than 40 years.
“In 1982, I went with my college roommate to see him perform at the old Colonial Lanes Bowling Alley, and Frank was in the band,” Hart says. “As soon as I heard him singing and playing the Johnny Fuller Four standard ‘I Fought the Law,’ I knew I wanted to work with him.”
“A month later, I was at my roommate’s wedding, and we were introduced. The rest is as they say history. Frank’s such a gifted writer and musician. He’s like Paul McCartney in that he can play all these instruments — he’s like a one-man band,” he continues.
“Frank is also putting instrumental music together for the ‘Listen Up’ film, and he did the music for my John Hart documentary. He’s a special guy, and I am lucky to be able to afford him,” Hart says, with a little chuckle.
There are names galore mentioned in “Listen Up,” but Hart and Pinto’s lyrics also recall such venues as Brothers Saloon, City Gardens, and the Satellite where, Hart recalls, Frank “Eye of the Tiger” Stallone performed as front man with the band Valentine.
Perhaps the summary of the song and film project can be found in one of the last stanzas:
Hail to those who keep the flame alive
Ain’t it great the music survives
The memories here will never die
Get up, go out…and listen one more time!
Listen Up: Trenton Makes Music, ACME Screening Room, 25 South Union Street, Lambertville, Screenings plus live music and reception: Saturday, January 31, 7 p.m., and Sunday, February 1, 3 p.m. Screening plus live music: Saturday, February 7, 4 p.m. $23. 609-483-5237 or www.acmescreeningroom.org.
The film will also be shown at the Lambertville Elks Lodge, 66 Wilson Street, Saturday, March 7. 609-397-4210; and at the Starving Artist Café, 18 Bridge Street, Stockton, Saturday, March 15. 609-483-2219.
On the web: www.runningriverfilms.com.