Upcoming Events

All you can eat salad and pizza buffet is $16 for adults, $8 for kids and FREE for kids four and under.

Local hero Mike McGuire will perform covers including some Ween songs!

Todd Sheaffer, former frontman for New Jersey roots rockers From Good Homes, proved himself a full-throated tenor fit for an interesting acoustic folk solo career beginning in 2000. After From Good Homes played its farewell concert at Waterloo Village in Stanhope, NJ, in August 1999, Sheaffer embarked on a solo career. First he performed locally in New Jersey at small venues to test the waters. By November of 1999, he felt confident enough about his abilities as a performer and songwriter to perform with keyboardist John Ginty (Jewel, Lou Reed) and percussionist Ed Nowicky (From Good Homes) at Centenary College in Hackettstown. The performance, broadcast and recorded at the Whitney Chapel on November 20, 1999 as part of WNTI’s concert series, featured Sheaffer’s versions of From Good Homes favorites such as “Scudders Lane,” “Radio On,” and “Black Elk Speaks,” as well as Sheaffer’s own new songs such as “Where the Song Begins” and “Dream of Love.” Dream of Love: Live from Whitney Chapel, Sheaffer’s solo debut CD, was released on Bag O’ Seed Music on May 20, 2000. MTV licensed the music for use on its show Real World. During his days with From Good Homes, Sheaffer also played solo and found it was a good way to keep in touch with the heart of his songwriting. Solo performance also afforded him the opportunity to expand his technical skills on guitar. In From Good Homes, Sheaffer sang lead vocals, wrote songs, and accompanied instrumentally in a flat-picking, rhythmic style on rhythm guitar. Solo work created another lead voice for him on guitar. Songwriting became a matter of personal growth and expression of human emotions for Sheaffer, who first started playing guitar during high school in 1977.

The HunterSheaffer performed in duo with multi-instrumentalist Tom Duval during his college years at clubs in Greenwich Village in New York City. After receiving a B.A. in English literature from Columbia University in New York City in 1986, Sheaffer began performing with the Jack Hardy Band in the U.S. and in Europe from 1986-1989. Hardy was a folksinger and founder of Fast Folk magazine. Sheaffer recorded with the Jack Hardy Band on The Hunter (Entente) and Through (Great Divide). Tom Duval and Brady Rhymer were the trio’s bassists. Sheaffer joined From Good Homes in 1989 and spent a decade with the group, which was originally formed from members of Sheaffer’s high school band called Old Crow Band. From Good Homes disbanded in August, 1999.

The Black Bear SessionsShortly after starting his solo career in September 1999, Sheaffer joined the bluegrass-rock group Railroad Earth, which started informally in the fall of 2000 during bluegrass jam sessions at the Long Valley, NJ, home of multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling. The group featured former members of From Good Homes and of the New Jersey swing band Blue Sparks from Hell, including Sheaffer (vocals, acoustic guitar), Goessling (acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, pennywhistle, saxophone), Tim Carbone (violin, acoustic guitar), and session player John Skehan (mandolin, guitar, piano), as well as drummer/percussionist Carey Harmon and upright and electric bassist Dave Von Dollen. Railroad Earth recorded its debut CD, The Black Bear Sessions, in 2001.

Prezident Brown, born Fitz Albert Cotterell, has been called, “one of the most interesting cultural dee-jays since U Roy”. Emphasizing positive messages, Prezident Brown has continued to pioneer his own direction, developing his own approach to dee-jaying that he calls, “The chanting stylee”. Born to a Seventh Day Adventist family in Colonel Ridge, Clarendon, Prezident Brown grew up in the small town of Oracabessa in the Parish of St. Mary, Jamaica. He was forced to leave school at a young age when his father died leaving him with his mother and three sisters.

Prezident Brown launched his musical career at the age of fourteen, when he began dee-jaying for the Sound King Stereo Mix at the Bamboo Lounge. Initially known as Junior Ranking, Prezident Brown was dubbed, “Slim Brown”, by dee-jay Nicodemus. When he recorded his debut single in 1988 Prezident Brown was named, “Dancehall Doctor”. The late Jack Ruby, producer of Burning Spear’s albums, “Marcus Garvey”, and, “Man In The Hills”, bestowed the title, “Prezident”, upon him. In 1989, he joined Courtney Cole’s label, Roof International, and began performing and dee-jaying at the Rooftop Club in Ocho Rios. In 1990, Prezident Brown became involved with producers Barry O’Hare and Steven Stewart at Grove Music in Ocho Rios. It was Barry O’Hare’s X-Rated Record label that became Prezident Brown’s home base and it was X-Rated Records with Runn Records that launched his career in Europe. In Jamaica the X-Rated label took off as a massive roots revival swept across the country paving the way for Prezident Brown’s conscious style of reggae dee-jaying. In 1999 the Jamaican record label Kariang released the timeless, “To Jah Only” album.

In 2002, Jahmani Productions released a 2 CD disc called, “Showcase Volume 1”. The 46 show tour that followed that release took Prezident Brown across the United States and included performances at The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, and on Reggae on the River. Jahmani Productions then released “Showcase Volume 2”, and “Showcase Volume 3” which includes a live performance from the 2002 Mt. Shasta Renegade Music Festival. In 2004 the German based label Chet Records with Sony Records released the album, “Generation Next”.

Prezident Brown currently lives in Jamaica. He continues to record and tour. He has developed a strong following in the United States and Europe, and continues to grow musically and in notoriety, as a champion of the new roots and reality consciousness reggae movement. Prezident Brown entertains, informs and inspires. Common Prosperity, was released in July 2009. October 2012 Tads Records released I Sound is From Creation. Influenced by the spirit of Rastafari and the original Jamaican dancehall rub-a-dub sound system he is currently releasing The Journeyman Pilgrimage – his 10th studio album. This project is close to his heart because it brings forth the best of his love in fourteen strong, fun, conscious, positive and spiritual tracks. These musical vibrations display the full maturity of his art, showcasing where he’s come from as well as where he currently is. “My career is a journey with different phases unfolding as I go, it’s a reggae journey and I believe music is of divine origin and should be invoked with the highest praise, so I’m inviting you all to join me. I call it The Journeyman Pilgrimage because I always go the extra mile with and for the purpose of delivering my music.”

The Journeyman Pilgrimage is scheduled to be released on the Tad’s Record label. Prez worked closely with producer/engineer Barry O’Hare, who has also worked with Burning Spear, Shaggy, Sean Paul, and many others. Bassist Devon Bradshaw from Axx of Jahpostles, who has worked with Burning Spear and the late Garnet Silk, and has been instrumental in the sound as the bass player and producer. Ian (Beezy) Coleman, the guitarist for Ziggy Marley, is also featured on this project as well as many of his existing works. Young artist/producer/beatmaker Rivah Jordan of Soundkillaz Music has also been heavily involved. Rivah Jordan has been working making music with Prez since 2011. The first single/Video from this project entitled Boy Baby was released on September 30th 2014. Three more singles should be released in preparation for the full CD in spring 2015 at which time he is scheduled to be touring with The Journeyman Pilgrimage.

Mestizo Beat returns to the Loop for another night of mind blowing musicmanship!

All you can eat salad and pizza buffet is $16 for adults, $8 for kids and FREE for kids four and under.