Tune In, Turn On
By Doug Deutsch
Jordan’s Cancer Journey: Family is everything and so is our health. Any parent of a child in ill health will do everything they can to help their child get better. No task is too great; nothing is out of their way if it will help their loved one fully recover.
To that end, the Atlantic City music community will come together Saturday, Jan. 20, for Jordan’s Cancer Journey Fundraiser to help pay for the vast medical costs incurred by young Jordan Thompson from ongoing treatments.
The benefit features regional and local indie rock groups including Painkiller, Full Blown Cherry, Chuck Thomas and the Bad MFers, The Atomic Bats, vocalist Camille K (pictured above), among others. It happens 6-11 p.m. at Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall (music begins at 5 p.m. there), and 6 p.m. at Rhythm & Spirits, both located in Tennessee Avenue’s Orange Loop section. Your $10 donation gets you a pass to both venues featuring 12 bands.
Jordan is the daughter of Stephen Weiss and Noranne Thompson, who together form Norstep Productions. They have presented many great events in the AC area, including the recent 420/Music events in the Orange Loop. Jordan has spent the last eight months battling cancer, which she was diagnosed with four days before her 17th birthday.
“She starts the new year with clear scans and a hopeful future,” Weiss told us recently. “(This event is) hosted by the world’s funniest person, Michelle Tomko. The Thompson Family would also like to give a very special thank you to Terri Paynter for putting this fundraiser together,” adds Weiss.
Speaking of Rhythm & Spirits, it has emerged as a destination place to not only hear quality live jazz (local artists Angela Burton and Eddie T. Morgan Jr. are regular performers here), but recently, rock and singer-songwriters as well.
Last weekend we caught sets by always-busy Amy Elizabeth and Cigar Box Stompers, among others, in a show presented by the aforementioned Norstep Productions.
The room is small but cozy and is definitely a welcome addition to the area for musicians looking to play out live.
Elsewhere This Weekend: Deadheads rejoice! Jawn of the Dead plays Anchor Rock Club on New York Avenue in AC this Friday, Jan. 19, presenting their ‘Grateful Dead and Other Jawns’ show starting 8 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 20 at 8:30 p.m., nationally known comedian Tina Friml performs at the Anchor. Friml is a New York-based performer who went into standup comedy following an upbringing in local theater and a decade as a songwriter. She was named a 2019 Just For Laughs New Face and has appeared on, among others, “The Drew Barrymore Show” ‘Bananamores,’ 2019’s New York Comedy Festival, and the NBC Comedy Spotlight Series as part of their “Women In Comedy Special.”
“I get that I’m unconventional. I’m disabled, but I’m not totally committed to the lifestyle. A lot of people when they see me, they think I suffer from cerebral palsy, which I don’t. I have cerebral palsy,” Friml said when she appeared on “The Tonight Show.”
Finally: Shout out to one of our own, the ubiquitous Marc Berman who not only successfully transitioned to Old Town Bay St. Louis, Miss., with wife Susan, but has firmly ensconced himself in the town’s music and cultural scene with regular updates on his podcast. Berman served as the digital media director here at Shore Local Newsmagazine until last September and helped me a lot when I moved back to AC and started writing for Shore Local.
Doug is the owner/operator of Doug Deutsch Publicity Services, which since 1995 has been servicing nationally touring acts, and working record release campaigns for clients. Doug also hàs experience writing for the one time shore-based weekly publication, Whoot! He also was a team member with Chip Braymes Advertising. Doug loves bicycling and aspires to bring the Blues to Atlantic City. He can be reached at ShoreLocalDoug@gmail.com and www.facebook.com/dougdeutschpublicity.
