Billy Joel’s The Stranger
2023-09-05 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | The Great Hall Auditorium/Virtual, 400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch, NJ, 07720, United States
It’s just like book club but with albums! With new advances in technology, the way we consume music through our devices, apps and on demand streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes is making the idea of the “album” as an art form extinct. Get together with other music enthusiasts on Tuesday nights to discuss some of the greatest records of all-time! Listen to the album beforehand and then come prepared to discuss. This event will feature Billy Joel’s The Stranger.
This event is offered BOTH in person and via Zoom. Join us in person at the Great Hall Auditorium on the Campus of Monmouth University or join us via zoom. When you register you will be provided the ZOOM meeting link to join the conversation.
Free and open to the public, but registration is required.

J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye
2023-09-12 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack. This month’s novel is J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. One of the greatest American novels of all time, The Catcher in the Rye is a classic coming-of-age story: an elegy to teenage alienation, capturing the deeply human need for connection and the bewildering sense of loss as we leave childhood behind.
When you register you will be provided the meeting link to join the conversation.

British Invasion Part 1: Beginnings and Influences
2023-09-19 19:30 - 21:00, 2023-09-26 19:30 - 21:00 | Virtual
Class Schedule: Tuesdays – September 19 & 26 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Before the Beatles kicked off the British Invasion of the US, a musical revolution was underway in the UK. Teens reveled in listening to a specific type of American music: rock and roll from Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Little Richard, and more. Early Motown reached the Merseyside, along with records by little-known (in America) R&B artists. At the same time, James Brown and Ray Charles scored hits both in the US and the UK. However, folk also attracted teens’ attention through a genre called skiffle, a style that would greatly influence budding musicians such as John Lennon and Jimmy Page.
This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole examines the influences of these genres on what would become the British Invasion, which would ultimately transform music worldwide. The class will survey the artists that would predate the Beatles: Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, the Shadows, Tommy Steele, The Vipers Skiffle Group, and much more. It will reveal just how different the UK and US charts looked prior to the British Invasion, and how these artists and numerous genres contributed to the transformation from 1950s to 1960s sounds.
Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.
