Flanders musician strikes again with NJ video

A Mount Olive musician is trending again on You Tube with the latest in his series of music videos paying tribute to well-known destinations in New Jersey.

With the December premiere of the original song and video of "That Old New Jersey," Paul Czekaj of Flanders can boast of more than 1 million total hits for his music videos on You Tube.

The new release follows a pair of video triumphs — "My Home New Jersey" and "My Home New Jersey, Part II" — that paired songs written and recorded by Czekaj with a series of images of popular New Jersey landmarks, destinations and signs. The first video has generated more than half a million hits alone since 2011, while "Part II," produced by "popular demand," according to Czekaj, added more than 264,000 hits to his ledger.

"People were so upset I didn't get all their favorite spots in the first one, so I ended doing a whole other video," he said.

"That Old New Jersey" takes the same approach, but spotlights Garden State landmarks that no longer exist, including once-popular Morris County locations such as Bertrand's Island Amusement Park in Lake Hopatcong and Kiddieland in Pine Brook.

Other images from New Jersey's past in the new video include the Flagship on Route 22 in Union, the Playboy Club in Vernon and retailers such as Crazy Eddie's, the Wiz, E.J. Korvette's and Service Merchandise.

Featuring guitar and vocals from his longtime friend, Jersey Shore music legend Bobby Bandiera, "That Old New Jersey" has generated more than 213,000 hits since posting on Dec. 9.

"After the initial Jersey songs I did, I said if I ever do another song about New Jersey, all I could think about is all the places that are gone," Czekaj. "There were so many that I had about 100 that I had to leave out."

A longtime musician on the local scene, Czekaj, 65, also name-checks many long-gone nightclubs such as the Joint in the Woods in Parsippany, along with iconic New Jersey music venues such as the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, Mother's in Wayne and Art Stock's Royal Manor in Sayreville.

The song will be included on a new album Czekaj hopes to release in a few months. Bandiera sings and plays guitar on several of the tracks, recording with Czekaj in between tours with Bon Jovi, one-nighters at the Shore with Bruce Springsteen and club dates with his own bands. But 40 years ago, he was playing as a duo with Czekaj out of West Orange.

"I knew him back in our high school days when he was in a band called Holme," Czekaj said. "We did a duo for a couple of years in the early '70s. And he recorded a bunch of stuff for my first album. He's been so busy this past year, with Southside Johnny and Bon Jovi, but we were having lunch down at Kelly's in Neptune last year and I said 'If you got some time, I've got some new songs to record,' and he said he would come up."

"We go back a long time, Paul and I," Bandiera said. "I told him anything I can do to make that happen, I would do. I don't see him that often, so it's great seeing him, whether it's playing music, having dinner or having a beer. Whether you see each other every day or every 20 years, music is that universal tie that brings you together."

They gathered at a friend's makeshift recording studio in a house on Lake Hopatcong about five months ago to record the initial tracks.

"One is called 'Up in the Sky,' about people abusing drugs and alcohol, and trying to get off them," Czekaj said. "Another one Bobby plays on is called 'A Place Called Home,' reminiscing about being a kid and how yow great it was, and you didn't have any worries. Bobby plays some great parts. He's just so talented. and a real pro."

"God bless him that he still feels passionate about his writing," Bandiera said. "Writing a song about the place we live in is a good idea. And the video is pretty informative to people our age. I want to wish him all the luck in the world."

Chekaj still plays in the area, mostly solo and most often at Bell's Mansion in Stanhope, where he is featured on the third Friday of every month. For updates on his pending album release, search for him on Faceook or visit http://www.essexmorris.com/music/bio.html.

Bandiera, who reunited his old club band Cats on A Smooth Surface for the recent Light of Day benefit music festival, has several more projects in the works, possibly including another tour with Bon Jovi, who he has played with on and off since 2005. He also plans a 30-year career retrospective concert in March at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, and will revive his Roy Orbison tribute show in April at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.

"I'm always at the Jersey Shore, doing this and that," Bandiera said. "As long as I'm standing up, I'll be there."

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.