On the Beach enjoys a rating of "A" by the  

Better Business Bureau of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. 

Read the BBB Reliability Report here: 

BBB Review of On the Beach in Toledo, Ohio 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        Bayou Jam Concert Series 

                        Slidell, LA  9/27/09 

 

 

"Mine is a rave review! Jeff and the rest of the band members were extremely professional and accommodating...they arrived and set up in plenty of time to begin playing at the appointed time.  Their music covered the age spectrum of our guests perfectly, and they even came prepared for rain (good thing, because it did sprinkle for awhile).  I had several requests from guests for their contact information and I  would definitely recommend them for any event! Thanks, On the Beach!" 

  Tammera Bollman 

  Strawberry Lake, MI 

  (private event 7/19/09) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We were extremly pleased with On the Beach. From the beginning Jeff, the leader, was very professional and easy to work with. The band exceeded our expectations. The event went very smoothly. Those that attended the event raved about the band. The organizers of the event want the band to play at next year's event. The band made our event even more special!"   Gretchen Tocco  Lial Catholic School  "The Big Event" annual fundraiser  2/28/09  returning 2/27/2010

 

 

 

 

 

The Pavilion On Court 

CONCERT SERIES 

Gaylord, Michigan 

 

 

 

             

 

July 24, 2009  July 29, 2005  June 25, 2004

"This  pop-rock genre band from Toledo will surprise with their knack for crafting pop hooks, funky rhythms, hard-edged modern rock opuses, country gems and a little blues-jazz for good measure!"  

 

Pavilion On Court Concert Series 

 

 

 

 

 

“...everyone thought you were great and really enjoyed your music. And you can count on next year. As soon as I know the dates, I'll let you know."  

Brenda Baker 

Riverbend Timber Framing 

(private event 12/6/08) 

                                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I wanted to let you know everyone loved you guys at our event.  The set list was perfect!  As soon as we know the date for next year's party, you'll be hearing from me!” 

 

Michelle A. Bard 

Director of Development 

U-M Department of Neurosurgery 

(private event 10/26/07) 

returned: 10/30/09 

 

 

 

July 29, 2007 issue 

In advance of Ribs on the River 

 

 

 

 

 

July 29, 2007 issue 

In advance of Centennial Terrace 

 

 

 

January 25, 2007 issue 

In advance of Crystal Mountain Resort 

 

 

 

In concert January 12, 2007

Jeff and band mates:     Thanks so much for performing at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. We thoroughly enjoyed it. You have a great sound and play a wonderful selection of unique music. We're looking forward to listening to the CD.   We'll keep an eye out for when you're going to be in West Michigan again.    Thanks so much for sharing your talent.     Tim & Dona Raymer

 

 

 

 

May 31, 2006 issue 

In advance of Old West End Festival 

 

 

 

 

 

Acorn Theater, February 18, 2006 

 

 

 

 

February 10, 2006 issue  In advance of Acorn Theater

Young inspires band name   JACK WALTON Tribune Correspondent   Jeff Tucker loves Neil Young so much that he named his band after the Young song and album titled "On the Beach." There were, however, other reasons as well. "My educational background is in communications, radio and TV," Tucker says by telephone from his home in Toledo, Ohio. "In the radio business, it means being out of work, specifically being fired. If you come in and there's a different afternoon DJ and you ask, 'Where's Joe?' they'll say, 'Oh, he's out on the beach.' It's a nice way of saying that ratings were bad and he got canned." The On the Beach name has another level of meaning, too. "I'm also a hack golfer," Tucker says. "And on the beach means being in a sand trap." The name, however, doesn't refer to beach music. "People will want to hire us to play beach music and ask, 'Can you wear Hawaiian shirts?' This is a different thing altogether," he says. "This is more about the apocalypse than it is about beach music."   On the Beach plays in a self-described "middle of the road" style, with political and personal lyrics and a few simple chords. Before he moved to Ohio, Tucker was a Louisiana Tech student and had grown up in the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina. One of his newest songs, "Deeper Than Ponchartrain," addresses the story of the city of New Orleans and its vulnerability to such a disaster. "I got the idea for that song in high school," Tucker says. "In 1978, there was a Labor Day hurricane that came through. Randy Newman's song 'Louisiana 1927' is like the 'Margaritaville' of South Louisiana. You just have to play it, but somebody needs to write an update." With the recent storm looming, Tucker did just that. "I finished it when Katrina was approaching the shores of Florida," he says. "We waited to record it until about a month after it hit because I didn't want to seem opportunistic. But you have to write about what you know." The song still exists only in the form of a demo on the band's Web site, but it will be featured on the next On the Beach album. It marries solemn lyrics about the tragedy to a melody and chord progression reminiscent of Neil Young's "Helpless."   After Sept. 11, Tucker wrote a song called "Freedom (Is Not Free)" and donated all the proceeds to the USO. Unlike U2, who will send only a small portion of the funds raised from its new Red clothing line to AIDS foundations, Tucker sends all monies raised from his record to the USO. "It's not just U2," Tucker says. "Even local acts around Toledo will send 'a certain percentage.' You'll see that line used. I was very vocal in criticizing that. I said, 'The heck with it. We'll do 100 percent.' I print the sleeves myself, dupe the CDs here and donate that part, too."   Another original Tucker composition is "Dear Emily." "It's the only rock song in the history of mankind inspired by Emily Dickinson," Tucker says. The song was also partially inspired by a girl Tucker knew in high school. "Her specialty was Emily Dickinson," Tucker says. "She would do the most sexy Emily Dickinson readings you could imagine. It was over the top."   On the Beach usually includes several cover songs in live sets. Favorites include Indigo Girls, Rolling Stones and several Neil Young tunes. The band often opens sets with "50/50," a track by Young's friend Stephen Stills. "We've been doing that song for a long time," Tucker says. The original was marred by cheesy '80s production, but the quality of the song has always stuck with Tucker, who has given it a new arrangement. "It had electronic drums, but then it had Graham Nash's harmonies," he says. "It's my favorite Stephen Stills tune."   The band has played more than 200 shows a year several times and has seen lineups fluctuate, with Tucker always at the core. "I've never asked anybody in our group to make a lifelong commitment," he says. "Get the gigs, and the players will come."

 

 

 

 

September 15, 2005 issue 

In advance of Harrison Rally Day 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 23, 2005 issue 

In advance of Pavilion On Court Concert 

 

 

 

 

 

June 25, 2004  &  July 29, 2005  

 

"This seven piece pop-rock genre band from Toledo will surprise with their knack for crafting pop hooks, funky rhythms, hard-edged modern rock opuses, country gems and a little blues-jazz for good measure!"     Pavilion On Court Concert Series  Gaylord Downtown Development Authority

 

 

 

June 30, 2005 issue 

In advance of City of Toledo 4th of July Concert 

 

 

 

 

 

October 4, 2004 issue 

MacQueen's Apple Butter Festival 

 

 

 

 

 

July 12, 2003 

910th Air Wing - Youngstown Air Reserve 

Family Day Celebration 

 

 

 

 

September 5, 2002 issue 

ReReview of City of Rossford Concert & Fireworks 

 

 

 

Gaylord Alpenfest 

August 3, 2001 

 

 

 

The Weekly 

January 27, 2000 issue 

On the Beach "Road Warriors" 

 

 

 

Rocky Fork Enterprise, Gahanna, OH 

August 17, 2000 issue 

 Creekside Concert Series Review 

by Gaylon Vickers 

 

...a crowd that listened to and tapped feet and hands to the soft rock sounds of On the Beach at Sunday's Creekside Concert Series.     The setting of Creekside is marvelous for a performance, as On the Beach lead singer and guitarist Jeff Tucker said. Sunday's performance by the Toledo group was professional to the tee, and Tucker's playing was first rate.  The group performed songs by Neil Young, and Crosby, Stills & Nash, but featured original works such as "Gone for Good", "Satellite Pictures", "Blues After All", and the title cut of their album "Global People Now".      Tucker brought his own arrangements to traditional songs and turned in a very credible job on the soft "Romeo and Juliet", a sad song of young love by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame.  The group then turned to an original arrangement called "Blues After All", allowing Rae on drums and Jason Quick on the bass to shine. Tucker then did an impressive job jamming on the Buffalo Springfield hit "For What it's Worth" to close out the evening.

 

 

June 1999 issue 

On the Beach - Summer 1999 

 

 

 

 

Midwest Entertainment News 

May 1998 issue  

Review of "Global People Now" 

 

 

 

 

December 26, 1997 issue 

In advance Toledo Museum of Art Concert 

Jeff Tucker - Interview     by Music and Band   publisher, Paul Heingarten  

(July 2009 - in advance of September 2009 Florida and Louisiana tour dates.) 

 

Q: How did you come up with the name of your band? 

A: On the Beach is the name of a book and a movie about the apocalypse.  It’s also the name of a song and an album by Neil Young, a term for being caught in a sand trap in golf, and a way of saying someone is out of work in the radio and TV business. 

Q: What genre (if any) would you classify your music in? 

A: That’s a tough one.  We play a little of everything – but the term “variety band” is a term that just doesn’t sound very hip.  “Adult rock” and “Americana” fit fairly well.  A concert promoter in Gaylord, Michigan did a good job describing us in some pre-show publicity.  She wrote, “This pop-rock genre band from Toledo will surprise with their knack for crafting pop hooks, funky rhythms, hard-edged modern rock opuses, country gems and a little blues-jazz for good measure!” 

Q: Do you play only originals, or do you do covers?  In your average gig, what’s the ratio of original songs to covers?  

A: We feature original music, but we do some covers in our sets.  In a two-hour concert, we’ll typically play 16 to 18 original tunes, with 3 or 4 covers mixed in. 

Q: Who are your musical influences? 

A: I grew up in the “golden age” of classic rock.  I listened to a lot of “California country-rock”.  Neil Young, the late Dan Fogelberg, Joe Walsh.  But my influences have been pretty eclectic, too.  Anybody who lived in New Orleans in the seventies and wasn’t influenced by The Meters and Nevilles – simply wasn’t paying attention.  As a guitarist, I find myself copping licks from people like Young and Walsh, and also Mark Knopfler – three guitarists with three completely different approaches to the instrument. 

Q: What are your songs about? 

A: Most of my songs tend to be about socially-relevant topics. “Ritalin Children”, “Deeper than Pontchartrain”, “Oh, Condoleezza”, and “Global People Now”  tend to let you know what they’re about by the title of the song.  I also write “character-study” type songs…songs that were written about a certain person, at a certain time and place.  I don’t do much along the lines of “love songs”…not necessarily on purpose…but because it seems like a subject that’s already been covered from every conceivable angle.  I wouldn’t mind being inspired to write my version of “the perfect love song” before I die, though. 

Q: What are your band’s goals? 

A: First and foremost – pay the bills.  I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been able to make a living playing music for the last fifteen years.  I’d much rather be obscure and play music for a living – than have fifteen minutes of “rock star” glory, and spend the rest of my life talking about “the good old days”.  I’m living my dream, and I try to not ever take that for granted, but there are times when I suppose that I do. 

Q: What are your most and least favorite venues to play, and why? 

A: My favorite places to play are dedicated concert venues.  We play a lot of  small amphitheaters and that type of thing.  There’s really nothing better than a situation where the audience is there for one reason and one reason only. 

Casinos probably rank near the very bottom.  I love the money that casinos apparently have to burn…but it’s the polar-opposite of a band shell with a nice lawn in the middle of July.  Having the sound engineered so that we’re not being a distraction to the gamblers on the floor isn’t exactly gratifying. 

Q: Which songs do you perform most frequently? 

A: During any given show, about three-quarters of the songs from our three CD’s make the set list.  A favorite cover of mine, and the only cover that we actually recorded for a CD, is “Romeo & Juliet”, a Mark Knopfler tune.  Can’t play a show without at least one hardcore love song. 

Q: On a gig, do you play from a set list or do you just pick songs on the spot? 

A: Depends on the gig.  In a concert situation, I make up a set list to ensure a tight program with logical segues and a beginning, a middle, and an end.  In a club or event situation, “play the room” is rule number one, and a lot of times, you don’t know what “the room” is going to be like until you get started, so a set list is often not very practical. 

Q: Who in the band writes your songs? 

A: I’m our only songwriter. 

Q: How has your music evolved since you started playing together? 

A: Well, we sure didn’t start out playing concert venues…we started out playing every dive bar on the planet, like anybody else.  Back then, the music was a lot heavier, and a lot louder.  Being an unsigned, relatively obscure act, we had to find a niche that would provide us access to better-paying and more rewarding venues to play.  We could either go the “five bands on a bill, playing for the door” route, or figure out a better way.  We play original music, but we present it in a family-friendly show that, for lack of a better term, is middle-of-the-road, sonically-speaking. That’s not to say we don’t challenge ourselves, musically.  It just means that, if you’re able to appeal to a wide audience and a variety of musical tastes, you’re going to play better venues for better money. 

Q: Last thoughts? 

A: I’m looking forward to playing New Orleans, Southeast Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast in September.  Who says you can’t go home again?