Rejuvenating with Peter Wolf @ City Winery

Ain't Nothing But A House Party, every time I see Peter Wolf kick ass with his terrific band, The Midnight Travelers. Been doing it to it since 1973 at The Academy of Music on 14th Street. Making it better is seeing the Wolfman at City Winery last night with my pals, Kyle, Joe & Adam.

Here's a link to lots more photos from the Wolfman show.

Peter Wolf @ Bowery Ballroom ~ 5.6.16

Peter Wolf​ kicked ass at The Bowery Ballroom​ Friday night, introducing his fine new album, "A Cure For Loneliness." As he always does, Peter performed with relentless heart and soul. He leaves his blood on the stage. Before he was a musician, Peter was a younger brother in the Bronx who dug his sister's 45 singles and the way she and her girlfriends danced. Later while studying art in the Boston area, he was a DJ and his first love, the music, the people who made it, haunt his live show. Peter is cut from the same cloth as the legends he reveres. He channels them and their spirits wrap themselves around him. Peter always sends me home with a shit ass grin. If you love R&B, if you love the Blues, if you love J Geils, Rock & Roll, see Wolf, he's the real thing. My life is better with Peter in it.

In “Over Her Dead Body,” my published short story included in (“Have A NYC 2” New York Stories anthology; Three Rooms Press, 2013) The J Geils Band plays a prominent role.

A memory of mine: In 1979, my friends and I struck gold in Central Park. A group of us who played rugby together for St. John’s were good friends with a bouncer at the summer Doctor Pepper concerts in the Woolman skating rink. Tony rucked for the Long Island Rugby Club. The deal: we met Tony at the VIP gate shook his hand and he palmed the five-dollar bill we each gave him. This gave us access to the third row in the orchestra right behind the press and special guests.

J Geils was our band. We started that night with a cocktail hour inside Ekis’s apartment before the Mom came home. “Looking For A Love,” was our go out song from the Lp “The Morning After.” Important element for beginning a solid evening. Light rain fell before the show. Since it was a sprinkle they let us in at the normal time. In the third row, we used our shirts to dry the rain off the seats. As I turned to sit down I looked up over the Plaza Hotel and saw a breath-taking cloud racing towards us. A minute later it dumped buckets of rain. So intense, I laughed and welcomed it. A stream raced from my head to my chest to my lap to my feet. My sneakers were squeaking, my tee-shirt and shorts attached to me like suction cups. After a “It’s never going to stop,” ten minutes, the sun pushed through and edged the cloud away. It was over, but there was three inches of water under our seats. “Canceled,” I thought. We sat glum waiting for them to tell us to leave.

Two minutes later, Peter Wolf came out on stage looked over the less than half filled space and started laughing. Then the band joined him. He looked directly down at us, six wet rats alone in the row. He instructed us to do a new dance, “The Canoe.” Wolf’s arms went back and forth like he was traveling upstream without a paddle but thought he had one. We did the same thing, Stephen Jo Bladd banged the drums and the band began “It Ain’t Nothing But A House Party.” They played for two hours and forty minutes. We did “The Canoe.” Life was good.

Here's a link to more photos.

If you enjoy my work, check out my memoir, "I Hate the Dallas Cowboys - tales of a scrappy New York boyhood." It's available at Logos Bookstore, 1575 York Avenue, or buy it online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or other booksellers. The book has 116 five star reviews out of 116 total reviews on Amazon. If you do read it, please leave a few honest words about the book on Amazon and B&N. Thank you!

Ain't Nothing But a Party ~ The J Geils Band

Peter Wolf and Richard Belzer may share genealogies. Saw The J. Geils Band last night at Westbury. They gave an advanced class in the College of Musical Knowledge. The year my memoir ends, I copped a ticket for J Geils at The Academy of Music. It was an 11:30pm show. Opening acts were Jo Jo Gunne & Frampton's Camel. J Geils came on at 1:45am and played for near four hours. When we left the place dawn was breaking on 14 Street.

Here's a link to a photo album from the concert.

 "I Hate the Dallas Cowboys - tales of a scrappy New York boyhood," 

is the perfect stocking stuffer for the big kid in your life.

Praise for the book ~ ( if you read it, please say a few honest words online in booksellers reviews section)

“Thomas R. Pryor has written a sweet, funny, loving memoir of growing up old-school in a colorful New York neighborhood. A story of sports, family, and boyhood, you’ll be able to all but taste, smell, and feel this vanished world.”
—Kevin Baker, author of the novels Dreamland, Paradise Alley, and Strivers Row


“Tommy Pryor’s New York boyhood…was the mid-century coming of age of all of us. A rousing read.”
—Robert Lipsyte, author and former city and sports columnist, The New York Times


“Pryor could take a felt hat and make it funny.”
—Barbara Turner-Vesselago, author of Writing Without A Parachute: The Art of Freefall


“Pryor burrows into the terrain of his childhood with a longing and obsessiveness so powerful it feels like you are reading a memoir about his first great love.”
—Thomas Beller, author of J.D. Salinger: The Escape Artist


“I wasn’t alive for the New York Thomas Pryor writes about, but thanks to his brilliant, honest, and hilarious book, I feel like I was there.”
—Dave Hill, comedian and author of Tasteful Nudes

Snowy West Village at Midnight

Jefferson Market 10 St & 6 Ave

After the Peter Wolf show Thursday night, I mushed around the snowy West Village until my body gave in.

Here are a few photos.

11 St

Jefferson Market

Jefferson Market

Casey and her Human

11 St

Bank St

11 St

Greenwich St

looking east down 10 St towards 6th Ave

Jefferson Market

Peter Wolf "Don't Want to Know"

Peter Wolf

I saw Peter Wolf one of my musical heroes Thursday night at the City Winery. He leaves his blood on the stage. Before he was a musician, Peter was a younger brother in the Bronx who dug his sister's 45 singles and the way she and her girlfriends danced. Later while studying art in the Boston area, he was a DJ and his first love, the music, the people who made it, haunt his live show. Peter is cut from the same cloth as the legends he reveres. He channels them and their spirits wrap themselves around him. Peter always sends me home with a shit ass grin. If you love R&B, if you love the Blues, if you love J Geils, Rock & Roll, see Wolf, he's the real thing. My life is better with Peter in it.

Here's Peter doing "I Don't Want to Know."

Peter Wolf

Peter Wolf

Jefferson Market looking east down 10th Street

11th Street off Bleecker

It Ain't Nothing But A House Party!

I saw Peter Wolf one of my rock & roll heroes Wednesday night at the Bowery Ballroom. Peter leaves his blood all over the stage. Before Peter was a musician he was a younger brother who dug all his sister's 45 records and the way her and her girlfriends danced.  Then he was a top DJ in the Boston area and his first love, the music and the people who made it, haunt his live show.

Peter is cut from the same cloth as the legends he reveres.  He channels them and their spirits wrap themselves around Peter. If you love R&B, if you love the Blues, if you love J Geils, Rock & Roll, see Peter, it ain't no old timer show, it's the real thing.  My life is better because Peter is in it. "It Ain't Nothing but a House Party."  

ps Peter's new album, Midnight Souvenirs, is excellent.

Peter & The J Geils Band Looking For a Love in 1973.

Here are some pictures and an old J Geils story I told on my blog.   

Ain't Nothing But a House Party: Central Park 1979

Peter Wolf is sensational. The J Geils Band is one of the top live acts ever & Peter solo blows me away. Bruce Springsteen, Garland Jeffreys, John Hiatt & Peter send me home with a shit-ass grin every time I see them perform. Each one, inspiring in countless ways.

My favorite J Geils memory: In 1979, my friends and I struck gold in Central Park. A group of us played rugby for St. John’s, we were good friends with one of John Scher’s bouncers at the summer Doctor Pepper concerts in Central Park’ skating rink space. Tony rucked for the Long Island Rugby Club. The deal: we met Tony at the VIP gate and as each of us shook his hand; he palmed the five dollar bill we each gave him. This was simultaneous with the entrance of the general admission crowd giving us access to the third row in the orchestra right behind the press and special guests. Unfortunately, this routine was cut short when Tony relocated in fall 1980. But for two years we had boss seats for all concerts.

J Geils was our band. They played Central Park the summer of 79. When we vamooshed a cocktail hour inside an apartment before the parents came home, “I’m Looking For A Love,” was our go out song from the Lp “The Morning After.” Important element for beginning a solid evening.


It rained weakly for an hour before the J Geils show. Since it was a sprinkle they let us in at the normal time. In the third row, we used our shirts to dry the rain off the seats. As I turned to sit down over the Plaza Hotel I saw a breath taking cloud racing towards us and a minute later it dumped buckets of rain. So intense, I laughed and let it run over me. A stream from my head to my chest to my lap to my feet. My Converse sneakers were squeaking, my tee-shirt and shorts were attached to me like suction cups. After a “It’s never going to stop,” ten minutes suddenly the sun burst through and pushed the cloud away. It was over but there was three inches of water under our seats.Canceled I thought.” We sat there waiting for them to tell us to leave.


Two minutes later, Peter Wolf came out on stage looked us over and the less than half filled place and started laughing then the band joined him. He looked down at us then out at the audience and directed us to do the canoe, and his arms went back and forth like he was traveling upstream without a paddle but thought he had one. So we did the same thing and Stephen Jo Bladd banged the drums and the band went into “Ain’t Nothing But A House Party.” They played for two hours and forty minutes. We did The Canoe. Life is good.


I have no J Geils button from that year but I do have The Cars & Southside Johnny buttons below. Here's Evelyn Champagne King for nothing. 1978 was pretty good too.

Carl Schurz in Black & White

Carl Schurz Park in black & white ~ first two, Rory in 1961; next two, me outside park on East End Ave & in the baby pool in 1956. Pete Salerno and my dad, Bob Pryor, at 86th Street entrance in front of Henderson Place. Me talking to the pigeons 1956. Communion picture 1962. Three football pictures on lawn south of Gracie Mansion. Park in 1900. Park looking towards Gracie Square in 1945. My aunt, Barbie Pins on lawn near 86th Street winding stairs, 8th grade graduation from St. Joseph's in 1951 (with my other aunt, Joannie Baloney).

Black is Black by Los Bravos ~ 1966

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqgwnv0HCk8

Tomorrow night, Tues @ Jan 4th @ 9pm is my last "Yorkville: Stoops to Nuts," radio show.

http://www.centannibroadcasting.com/id56.html

My guests are: John Lewis, author of a terrific new book "Radio Master ~ the Life and Times of Sports Broadcasting Great Ted Husing," http://web.mac.com/jtlprod/Ted_Husing/Home_.html

and Mary Crowley & Matt Knapp, wonderful songwriters and musicians. Come down to the show at Giovanna's @ 1567 Lexington Avenue for an old fashion house party. Take the #6 train to 96th street or 103rd Street stop and walk to the restaurant located between 100nd & 100st Street.

Stop by, have a pop, Peter Wolf approves. Lights Out!

Dancing in the dark, to the radio of love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmomLCYfIhU