A J Stone

I am Andrew J Grogan, also known to some people as AJ Stone. People call me Andy or AJ. I was born & raised in Jersey City, NJ, but spent my summers at the "Jersey Shore" in Forked River. Since 1994 I have been primarily located in Monmouth County, NJ, at the northern end of the Jersey Shore area. I always enjoyed singing, and in 1980, at the age of 15, I learned to play the guitar, mainly to accompany myself singing. After playing in countless "garage bands" that never made it out of the garage, in 1992 I finally began performing in public and getting paid for it. That is also the year I adopted the stage alias of AJ Stone. Why AJ Stone? Probably not what you think. In 1991, while I was recording my debut demo album, "Hide Your Mother", it was said to me that I would never be successful in the music business because I was not "eccentric enough". Now, I always thought I was plenty eccentric. But, maybe there was something to that. So, I decided I needed a good "rock" name. Rock, Stone. Get it? OK, so I'm not that clever. Anyway, since 1992 "AJ Stone" has played throughout the NY/NJ/PA tri-state area in bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes, with bands, duos, trios and as a solo artist. I have appeared on television and radio. Am I successful? That's all relative. When I was 17 I thought I was going to tour America and make a million dollars. Now that I'm 42 and married with 2 kids, I'm happy playing bars, coffee houses, backyard barbeques, having fun and making some extra cash. My solo acoustic live shows consist mainly of classic rock covers by many of the artists I list under influences. Occasionally I mix in a few originals. MYSPACE DOES NOT ALLOW THE POSTING OF COPYWRITED MATERIAL, AKA "COVER TUNES". About the admittedly "low-fi" original recordings on this page: 1) they were recorded in the early 1990's and have been circulated among my family and friends for years; 2) they were done with a really bad drum machine (except "Give Me A Choice"); and 3) thanks to MySpace my music is now available for enjoyment worldwide! In May of 2006 I founded a start-up Open Mic Night on Thursdays at Connie's Bar, Grill & Night Club in Sayreville, NJ, which I still host. I have also appeared recently, and regularly, at such fine New Jersey establishments as The Olde Village Pub in Middletown, Tumulty's Pub in New Brunswick, The Cambridge Inn in Spotswood, Molly Maguire's in Clark, The Beacon Street Grille in Neptune, Espresso Joe's in Keyport, & The Twisted Tree Cafe in Asbury Park. In October of 2007 I became an international entertainer when I performed for the first time in Costa Rica. I AM CURRENTLY BOOKING PERFORMANCE DATES FOR FALL/WINTER 2007-8 AND SPRING/SUMMER 2008. I AM AVAILABLE FOR WEDDINGS, PRIVATE PARTIES AND CORPORATE EVENTS. FOR BOOKING INFORMATION CALL 732 778-2914 OR EMAIL [email protected]. PLEASE JOIN MySpace AND VIEW MY GALLERY OF PHOTOS FROM THROUGHOUT MY MUSICAL CAREER. THANKS!