JERSEY MAGICK Concert to Benefit Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point
Los Angeles-based songwriter reunites with local musicians who shaped his early career.
Somers Point native Josh Bassett will return to his hometown for Jersey Magick Featuring Bassett, a one-night-only fundraising concert at Gateway Playhouse on Thursday, August 20.
The special event will celebrate original music, lifelong friendships, and the enduring spirit of South Jersey while raising funds for the nonprofit theater that helped inspire Bassett's musical journey. Bassett is donating proceeds from the evening to Gateway Playhouse, giving back to the community that shaped his career.
A graduate of Mainland Regional High School, Bassett studied jazz guitar at the University of Miami before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a career in rock music. Along the way, he has performed at legendary venues including the Whisky a Go Go, the Viper Room, House of Blues, and Rockwood Music Hall, shared the stage with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith, and collaborated with musicians including LEON HENDRIX, brother of Jimi Hendrix.
"Rock music gives people permission to go beyond their limits," Bassett said. "When I'm on stage, I want people to feel free to let go, reconnect with themselves and experience something bigger than everyday life. That's what Jersey Magick is all about."
Following the birth of his child and a vocal illness that temporarily threatened his career, Bassett experienced a creative resurgence, embracing new recording technologies and songwriting approaches that shaped a fresh body of original work. That evolution will be showcased during the first half of Jersey Magick, which features Bassett's current solo project blending original rock music with samplers, sequencers, and electronic production.
The second act reunites Bassett with many of the South Jersey musicians who influenced his early career, celebrating the friendships and musical roots formed through local schools, festivals, and bands. Joining him on stage will be bassist Drew Murphy, fellow Mainland Regional High School drumline alumni Joe Mintz and Ken Strazzeri, and members of South Jersey band Revolver, including Jim Kelley and Steve Kyle, with additional special guests expected throughout the evening.
"Having Josh come home to perform on the Gateway stage feels especially meaningful because we've known each other since our high school days," said Gateway Playhouse Board President Katie Calvi. "To see someone who grew up in this community build a career on legendary stages and then choose to give back by supporting the Gateway says so much about the kind of person he is. Jersey Magick is more than a concert—it's a celebration of our hometown's incredible musical talent, the friendships that shaped us, and the importance of keeping the arts thriving for the next generation."
For Bassett, the concert's title reflects a connection that has never faded.
"I've always believed there's a special energy here," he said. "There's something about the ocean, the woods and the people of South Jersey that stays with you wherever you go. Music lets us tap into that feeling. My hope is that everyone who comes experiences that magic together."
Concertgoers will also have access to exclusive event merchandise, including limited-edition shirts created for the performance, as well as newly restored recordings from Bassett's teenage years that were originally captured on four-track cassette, offering fans a rare look at the earliest stages of his songwriting.
Supported by local businesses including Primo Pizza and Charlie's Bar, Jersey Magick Featuring Bassett begins with a pre-show gathering at 7 p.m. before the concert starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 20. Tickets are $27 and are available at GatewayByTheBay.org.
Since reopening in 2017, Gateway Playhouse has served as a nonprofit performing arts venue providing year-round entertainment and educational programming for the South Jersey community.
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