The Garden State Social Club band logo.
Okay, it isn’t very likely that the New Jersey Turnpike makes you want to get up to dance. And mind-number traffic and exhaust fumes are not exactly what you want in people’s minds when promoting a new dance craze.
But what if they were?
Well, then “Turnpike Twist,” by Garden State Social Club, would be right up there with Taylor Swift and Iggy Azalea on the pop charts.
The garage-rock band, who you’ve got to love just on the basis of their Facebook genre description (“James Brown, Nancy Sinatra, Big Mama Thornton and Louis Prima in an orgiastic throwdown!”), features former members of bands such as the Raunch Hands, the Swingin Neckbreakers and Devil Dogs.
Check out “Turnpike Twist,” below, in a live clip shot last year.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday in 2014. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we marked the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, from September 2014 to September 2015 — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. To see the entire list, click here.