Middletown, Lincroft

Apr 10, 2018

Monmouth County Band Opens for Jon Bon Jovi

By Deirdre Flanagan Ward

Little did Bobby Mahoney dream his fifth grade talent show performance, “Wanted Dead or Alive” would come full circle when he and bandmates recently opened for Jon Bon Jovi at the Prudential Center in front of 19,000 people.

Formed in December 2010, under the name Seventh Son, Mahoney and members John Alba and Drew Agey created a Hard Rock/Punk band utilizing “killer guitar riffs, catchy choruses, and insightful lyrics” which transitioned into an explosive performance in their live shows. The band quickly caught on locally and began to play the New Jersey rock circuit.

In 2012, the Seventh Son released its first EP, Only Ashes Remain, which featured both studio and live tracks. The group continued to trudge forward and was nominated for “Top Young Band” at the 2013 and 2014 Asbury Park Music Awards.

The band rebranded in 2014 as “Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son” while simultaneously undergoing some lineup changes. The new endeavor combined favorite tracks from their previous run with some new ideas while maintaining the same fun rock feel fans grew to enjoy. They released their first full-studio album, Friends in Low Places to rave reviews and were nominated again for “Top Young Band” in the Asbury Music Awards.

The following year the band released The Outskirts which featured 10 new songs composed by Mahoney and Alba, which lead to a nomination for “Top Rock Band” in the 2015 Asbury Music Awards.

The Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son has shared bills with the likes of The Gaslight Anthem, Pianos Become the Teeth, Pity Sex, John Eddie, The Hold Steady, John Herington, and several other national acts while headlining shows of their own, and sharing the stage with several local bands in Asbury Park and New Brunswick.

Their single “Don’t Ever Love Me” was chosen by DJ Rich Russo (WRAT, WDHA, Sirus XM) as #4 on his “New Jersey Top 15” and #11 on his “Everywhere Top 25” of 2015 lists.

In 2016, the band released Shot in the Dark, their third studio album, and hit the road playing as far as Nashville and Indiana. In 2017 they continued to tour traveling from New Orleans to Toronto and recorded their self-titled EP which was released in March 2018.

In addition to opening for Bon Jovi and sharing a stage with Gaten Matarazzo (Work in Progress/ Stranger Things) at a sold-out Stone Pony show, Mahoney has shared the stage with Bruce Springsteen, Darryl McDaniels (Run-D.M.C.), Willie Nile, Jesse Malin, Joe D’Urso, Joe Grushecky and the House Rockers and Jake Clemons. He was also a finalist in the 2011 “Break” contest, earning himself a sport at the Bamboozle Festival in East Rutherford

While away from the limelight he and band members maintain a quieter,  mainstream life by day. Mahoney (guitar/vocals) is a high school music teacher at Fusion Academy in Princeton. James McIntosh (drums) who joined in 2014, is a Ford mechanic. Andrew Saul (guitar/backup vocals) who joined in 2015, works in IT at AIG. And Jon Chang-Soon (bass/backing vocals) the most recent member who joined this year is a graphic designer.

As far as landing the gig with Bon Jovi, Mahoney says, “They were looking for a local NJ band to open the show, we were recommended to the band’s management and someone liked us.  I’m blown away by the amount of support we have received.  From singing in the fifth grade talent show to opening up the Prudential Center is a dream come true. We are going to keep playing our shows, and see what comes our way.”

Upcoming shows include:

May 2 – Debonair Hall, Teaneck (WPU)

May 6 – Scarlet Pub New Brunswick

June 14 – House of Independents, Asbury Park