Smithereens thankful to rock the Stone Pony in Asbury Park on Thanksgiving weekend

Happy Thanksgiving from the Smithereens.

The Jersey hitmakers, who play Friday, Nov. 24, at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, have known a Thanksgiving or two that maybe was not so happy.

It's hard being a young band on the road away from family.

“Our most dismal Thanksgiving was on our first tour in Nashville, and we were on the road and away from our families,” said Diken, who grew up with fellow band members Jim Babjak and Mike Mesaros in Carteret. “We pulled into the Exit In (the name of the venue) at soundcheck time and there was a buffet Thanksgiving dinner for us and it was all cut up, pecked over and kind of cold. This was our first tour, the 'Especially for You' tour. OK, this is what it's like to be on the road — Thanksgiving with no family and cold turkey.”

Diken sang a line of John Lennon's “Cold Turkey” as he was reminiscing.

Since then, it's been a magical mystery tour for the band — which included Pat DiNizio of Scotch Plains. With instantly recognizable hits like “Blood and Roses, “Behind the Wall of Sleep,” “Only a Memory,” “House We Used to Live In,” “A Girl Like You,” “Yesterday Girl,” “Mikes from Nowhere,” “Now and Then” and “She’s Got a Way,” the Smithereens have a singular rocking legacy.

More: Hard rockers and pop gems: Smithereens to release 'The Lost Album' on Sept. 23

More: Gigantar, the giant guitar, unveiled at the Stone Pony before hitting the road

A dark day was when frontman DiNizio passed away in 2017 at the age of 62. The Smithereens have moved forward with a rotating lineup of lead singers, including Marshall Crenshaw, and Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms.

The band was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2019, and Diken, Babjak with Crenshaw and Graham Maby, performed “Behind the Wall of Sleep” at the recent Class of 2023 induction ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

Diken and Tony Orlando caught up at the ceremony.

“Tony Orlando, he’s the nicest guy,” said Diken, who appeared twice on Jersey Lewis MDA Telethon, hosted by Orlando for the New York City market — once with the Smithereens, once with the Shangri-Las. “He made one of my very favorite records of all time, ‘Bless You.’ It's an early (Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil) song.”

Diken and Babjak also joined in on the big “With a Little Help from My Friends” finale that included Orlando, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Steven Van Zandt and more on stage.

“It was great to be up there with Bruce and Tony, and I was standing right next to David Chase, too, which was a big kick,” Diken said.

Upcoming for the band is a vinyl release for their critically acclaimed “The Lost Album.” The LP was recorded in 1993 with the late DiNizio while the band was between record contracts with Capitol and RCA.

The guys will enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with their families, then it's off to the Pony with Wilson on vocals for one of their last shows of the year. The Smithereens made their debut at the Pony in 1980, opening for Lance Larson and Lord Gunner.

“It gave us a big boost to our confidence,” said Diken, who remains thankful for Larson's role in the booking to this day. “It helped expand our fanbase and it gave us cred. Every time we go back there, it’s not lost on us. We feel like it’s one of our spiritual homes, and we always really dig going there.”

Go: The Smithereens with Robin Wilson on vocals and Dead Aire, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park. $40, stoneponyonline.com.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Smithereens rock the Stone Pony on Thanksgiving weekend