Somers Point has kicked off one of its most ambitious summer stretches yet, anchored by a genuine New Orleans invasion of music and food that has already crowned new local royalty and shows no sign of slowing down through the rest of July. The season opened with the Jersey Gumbo Cook Off and Louisiana Music Festival at The Point Tiki Bar and Tropical Restaurant and Nightclub, produced jointly by The Point Nightclub and Tony Mart Presents, where a regal second line parade wound its way down Bay Avenue to crown this year’s Chef King Gumbo.
That title now belongs to Executive Chef Phil Gormley of Smithville, whose subtle yet genuinely sophisticated seafood gumbo, loaded with lobster, scallops, and a full range of savory seafood flavor, took first prize over the competition’s other entries. The win carried extra weight given who was judging. Grammy Award winning bassist Wanda Joseph, who plays with both Soul Project NOLA and the Jon Batiste Band, served as this year’s honorary guest judge, and she made clear that while Gormley’s gumbo didn’t taste like a neighborhood recipe passed down through generations, it was good enough on its own merits to earn her vote regardless.
That connection to Soul Project NOLA points directly to the next major stop on this summer’s calendar. Tomorrow night, Wednesday, July 15, the free Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk concert takes over Kennedy Plaza, opening at 7 p.m. sharp with a full headlining set from five time Grammy nominated Chicago blues royalty Shemekia Copeland, often celebrated as the reigning Queen of the Blues. Once Copeland’s set wraps, the evening shifts directly into an uptown New Orleans funk party running from 8:30 to 10 p.m., led by Soul Project NOLA itself, an all star uptown New Orleans funk and R&B outfit built from members of the Marcia Ball Band, the Jon Batiste Band, and original members of the legendary Walter Wolfman Washington Band. The pedigree behind that lineup shows in every set, tight, genuinely entertaining, and distinctly unlike anything else touring the Shore this summer. A full beverage garden will be open throughout the night for anyone looking to let the good times roll alongside the music.
The celebration continues just two days later. Friday, July 17 brings the Legacy Concerts on the Beach series back to Somers Point, opening at 7 p.m. sharp with Dead Reckoning performing their Bearly Stoned tribute to the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead, a set that also made an appearance at the earlier Jersey Gumbo festival at The Point. Dead Reckoning’s set serves as the opening act for one of the true legends of East Coast rock and roll, John Cafferty, who brings his Beaver Brown Band to the beach along with the original triple platinum soundtrack from Eddie and the Cruisers, the film that remains a genuine point of local pride for Somers Point. Cafferty will also debut material from his latest release, Sound Waves, an album inspired in part by encouragement from Bruce Springsteen and other admirers who pushed him to capture his sound in the studio once again. This particular Friday night carries extra significance for the area as well, marking 44 years since Eddie and the Cruisers was filmed just a few blocks away on Bay Avenue, giving Cafferty’s performance a genuinely full circle quality as he helps celebrate the legacy of Tony Mart’s in the very neighborhood where his own film history began.
Saturday, July 18 offers a lighter, family friendly change of pace with the Italian Ice Festival at the Ocean Casino, giving beachgoers a sweet, refreshing way to spend a summer afternoon between the week’s bigger musical events.
The following week brings the summer’s New Orleans theme back into full focus with Tony Mart’s New Orleans Funk Celebration, featuring George Porter, known widely to fans as King George, one of the most celebrated living legends in New Orleans music, leading his band Runnin’ Pardners in a genuine double bill alongside John Papa Gros. Together, the two will perform a tribute spanning the Meters, Dr. John, Billy Preston, the Beatles, and Allen Toussaint, a lineup of influences substantial enough that a festival built around this caliber of talent would easily command ticket prices of $100 or more at a venue like Red Rocks in Colorado or a comparable stage in Los Angeles. Here at the Jersey Shore, that same celebration unfolds entirely free, split across two separate nights. The celebration first takes the stage Wednesday, July 22 at Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk, before returning Friday, July 24 at Legacy Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point, a venue that has ranked among the very best outdoor concert destinations in the entire country for four consecutive years running.
Sandwiched right between those two New Orleans funk celebration dates, Thursday, July 23 brings a genuinely personal touch to the summer calendar, as Josie Kelly’s Public House hosts a free party celebrating Nancy and Carmen Marotta’s 70th birthday. Everyone is invited to relax, celebrate, and spend the evening alongside a genuinely strong lineup of local performers, including Billy Walton, Danny Eyer, Old School Jimmy Glenn, and Tony Teschner, with complimentary refreshments on hand to help mark the occasion.
For anyone hoping to get a deeper look behind this summer’s biggest musical moments, local radio will feature interviews this week with newly crowned Chef King Gumbo Phillip Gormley of Smithville, alongside a separate conversation with John Papa Gros himself, discussing the deep legacy of New Orleans musical history and funk ahead of Tony Mart’s upcoming celebration.
Looking two weeks further down the calendar, one of rock and roll’s true legends arrives in Somers Point, as Mitch Ryder brings a full set of 17 hit songs and three gold records to the Shore, including his iconic Devil With a Blue Dress On, a track frequently ranked among the hundred greatest songs in the history of rock and roll.
None of this summer’s programming would be possible without the continued support of the season’s sponsors, including The Point Tiki Bar and Nightclub in Somers Point, Circle Liquor Store, widely regarded as one of the finest independent liquor stores anywhere and open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Richard T. Gerber Insurance. With gorgeous weather forecast across the region and genuinely immense good energy carrying the season forward, Somers Point is rolling directly into the peak of summer with one of its most ambitious lineups yet, a stretch that blends award winning gumbo, genuine New Orleans musical royalty, and East Coast rock and roll history into a single, unforgettable few weeks at the Jersey Shore.
