These are the top cover bands rocking the Shore this summer
These are the top cover bands rocking the Shore this summer
Chris Jordan, Asbury Park PressTue, May 12, 2026 at 8:45 AM UTC
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It's a good time to be a cover band at the Jersey Shore.
“All the bands have great camaraderie, and it’s great scene,” said Thomas Jannarone, co-owner of Bar Anticipation in Lake Como and a member of the Smoking Jackets cover band. “It's a scene that doesn’t exist anywhere in the country.”
Jenks Club and Martell's Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant Beach, Bird & Betty's in Beach Haven, Joe Pop's Shore Bar + Restaurant in Ship Bottom, Donovan's Reef in Sea Bright and Bar A are just a few clubs in the area whose stages rock with live music from cover bands.
This comes after the cover band scene dried up about eight years ago, Jannarone said. A few things helped bring it back.
“Boomers and Gen X stepped up, and since COVID, everything got earlier and so now they're playing happy hours — and earlier gigs are the place to go,” Jannarone said. “It’s easier on bar staff, it’s easier on entertainers and it's easier on everybody.”
Mushmouth perform at Bar A in Lake Como on April 10, 2026.
As for the music? Classics from the '70 and '80s, with a helping of yacht rock, is the go-to sound on the circuit today.
“All of these bands are geared toward 40 years and up, and that’s who’s going out,” Jannarone said.
Jannarone shared his list of the six biggest and best cover bands playing the Jersey Shore today.
“I'm going to get in trouble for this," Jannarone quipped.
The bands are the Cliffs of Red Bank, Brian Kirk and the Jirks of Rumson, Moroccan Sheepherders of the Lincroft section of Middletown, Mushmouth of Cranford, The Nerds of Freehold and Suit & Mai Tai of Roxbury.
The Cliffs
“Very talented, very diverse and very entertaining,” Jannarone said of the band.
Here are their upcoming shows:
Jenks Club, Point Pleasant Beach: May 22, July 4, Aug. 9
Red Rock Tap + Grill, Red Bank: May 28; June 4, 11 and 25; July 3, 9, 16, 23 and 30; Aug. 6, 20 and 27
Martell's Tiki Bar, Point Pleasant Beach:, May 29, June 28
Spicy Cantina, Seaside Heights: June 26
The Columns, Avon: July 10
Bird and Betty's, Beach Haven: July 24
For more information on the Red Bank-based band, visit thecliffsband.com.
Suit & Mai Tai
“A newcomer to the list,” Jannarone said of the yacht rock band. “People fell in love with the band irrespective of the format, which is kind of interesting. It doesn’t seem they care what the band plays, the band is so talented musically.”
Here are their upcoming shows:
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Bar Anticipation, Lake Como: May 24; June 7 and 27; July 19
Jenks Club, Point Pleasant Beach: June 13, July 11
Brick Township Summerfest: July 23
The Ocean View, Seaside Heights: July 24
Long Beach Township's "Firepit Friday" beach concert: July 31
For more information on the Roxbury-based band, visit suitandmaitai.com.
Moroccan Sheepherders
“Moroccan Sheepherders' strength is in their inner diversity; they play everything,” Jannarone said. “I saw them playing 'War Pigs' by Black Sabbath on Instagram, so that intrigued me and I went and saw them and I was like, 'Oh wow, these guys do everything.' Very talented and very diverse.”
Here are their upcoming shows:
Pat & Lola's Garden Bar, Oceanport: May 22, June 13, July 3, Aug. 15
Reef & Barrel, Manasquan: May 23
Seafarer, Highlands, May 24, June 28
The Sandbox at Seastreak Beach, Highlands: June 6, July 12, Aug. 30
Bar Anticipation, Lake Como: June 12, Aug. 21
The Ocean View, Seaside Heights: June 19 and 20; Aug. 14 and 15
Riley Park, Bradley Beach: July 11
Boathouse Bar & Grill, Belmar: Aug. 28
For more information on the Middletown-based band, visit sheepherders.com.
A large crowd turned out to watch The Nerds perform in July 2023 at Joe Pop's Shore Bar and Restaurant in Ship Bottom.Mushmouth
“Very performance-based, very active lead singer (Bill Gallacher) who knows how to throw a party,” Jannarone said. “He dresses in different costumes and puts a disco ball on his head. It's almost Mick Jagger-ish, the way he’s on stage.”
Here are their upcoming shows:
The Vogel, Red Bank: May 22
Beachcomber, Seaside Heights: May 23 and 30; Aug. 1 and 29
Jenks Club, Point Pleasant Beach: May 24 and 31; June 7, 14 and 28; July 5, 12, 19 and 26; Aug. 16 and 30
B2 Bistro + Bar, Berkeley Township: May 25, June 26, July 10
Proving Ground, Highlands: May 28
The Boatyard, Stafford: May 29
Beachcomber, Seaside Heights: May 30; June 6 and 13; July 4 and 11; Aug. 15 and 22
Martell's Tiki Bar, Point Pleasant Beach: June 4 and 18; July 2, 16 and 30; Aug. 14
Bar Anticipation, Lake Como: June 27
Sandbox at Seastreak, Highlands: July 1, Aug. 19
Reef & Barrel, Manasquan: July 3, Aug. 14
Long Branch Summer Concert: July 9
Point Pleasant Summer Concert: July 14
Monmouth County Fair, Freehold Township: July 24
Mainbrook Tavern, Manalapan: Aug. 20
The Boathouse, Belmar: Aug. 21
Toms River Summer Concert, Shelter Cove Beach: Aug. 25
Water Street Bar & Grille, Toms River: Aug. 27
Ocean County Summer Concert, Toms River: Aug. 28
Stafford Summer Concert, Manahawkin Lake Pavillion, Manahawkin: Aug. 31
For more information on the Cranford-based band, visit mushmouth.net.
Brian Kirk and the Jirks and The Nerds
“People go because they’re playing,” Jannarone said of these bands. “They go because they know it’s a party. Neither band has to prove anything on stage. People just go because it’s the thing to do. It’s almost like a cult. People go to certain events just to be part of the event.”
Here are Brian Kirk and the Jirks' upcoming shows:
Red Rock Tap + Grill, Red Bank: May 23, July 2
Jenks Club, Point Pleasant Beach: May 24; July 4 and 25; Aug. 8, 23 and 29
Marina Grill, Belmar: June 25, July 23
Reef & Barrel, Manasquan: July 5
For more information on the Rumson-based band, visit briankirkandthejirks.com.
Here are The Nerds' upcoming shows:
Wonder Bar, Asbury Park: May 29
Jenk's, Point Pleasant Beach: June 18; July 2 and 16; Aug. 13 and 27
Spicy's Cantina, Seaside Heights: June 19; July 24; Aug. 21
Joe Pop's Shore Bar & Restaurant, Ship Bottom: June 24; July 1, 4, 8, 15, 22 and 29; Aug. 5, 12, 19 and 26
The Ocean View, Seaside Heights: July 10, Aug. 7
B2 Bistro + Bar, Bayville section of Berkeley Township: July 31
Marina Grill, Belmar: Aug. 30
For more information on the Freehold-based band, visit the-nerds.com.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Here are the top cover bands rocking Jersey Shore clubs this summer
Source: “AOL Breaking”
