In a twist of fate, NJ’s Bleachers to play SNL

There’s been a change to this week’s SNL musical guest and I couldn’t be happier. Roddy Ricch had to drop out due to COVID-19 concerns.

He’s a west coast rapper from Compton, California, who rose to fame in 2018 with the song “Die Young.” The kind of so-called artist he is? Put it this way. Three lines into that song he starts dropping the N-word.

I’m so over guys like this.

So the replacement musical guest? New Jersey’s own Bleachers!

Perhaps best known for the single “I Wanna Get Better,” Jack Antonoff’s band will take over and I hope everyone in New Jersey who loves truly great music is watching.

Antanoff has New Jersey in his genetic code. He was born in Bergenfield, grew up in New Milford and Woodcliff Lake. If you’re older and more familiar with Bruce Springsteen, know that Bruce and Jack have a special admiration for each other and have worked together. Bruce is featured in Antanoff’s “Chinatown.”

He credits Springsteen with fueling his fiery dream of making it in music. In his late teens, Antanoff was in a band called Steel Train. Then came the invitation to join the band Fun. in 2008. Their song “We Are Young” plays like an anthem for his generation.

Antonoff first announced the Bleachers project in 2014, which is really all him with a backing band for live shows. He wrote most of the songs for Bleachers‘ debut album in hotel rooms while on tour with fun..

Look for Bleachers on Saturday Night Live this weekend, January 15. Ariana DeBose will host. She plays Anita in Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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