2011 was Mojo’s busiest year since the band formed in 2003, playing more gigs than ever before throughout the Wash DC-Northern VA area!  We also expanded the musical styles we cover in our playlist, adding some familiar Motown tunes in addition to classic rock songs from Journey, Chicago, Jimmy Eat World, Thin Lizzy, Billy Squier, Stray Cats, and even a bit of country!   Highlights of 2011 included four shows at Tim’s Rivershore (including the annual Waterstock Festival), the Dale City Moose Lodge, Knights of Columbus dinner dances, church festivals, the Four Winds Golf Club in Fredericksburg, a really rocking wedding reception at Vienna’s Jammin’ Java, a slew of private parties, and of course several appearances at Brothers Encore in Montclair, (especially our annual St. Patrick’s Day bash).  We closed out the year with a great New Year’s Eve celebration with the Capital Yacht Club in Wash DC.   Mojo also had to bid farewell to Denis Catalano, our drummer of 8 years and one of the founding members of the band, who moved to his retirement home in Florida.  But Mojo didn’t miss a beat, because we welcomed our new drummer Paul Norris, a former snare drummer with the “Commandant’s Own” US Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, and an award-winning music teacher and band director for Arlington Public Schools.

Highlights of 2010

  2010 started out like a whirl-wind.  A great wedding gig, followed by a three gig run in one week - The Capital Hospice fund raiser ($5000 raised), our annual St Pat’s gig at the Encore, and back at the Moose for a rock’n time.  We clean up pretty nice for the more formal events.   Let’s not forget  we played another wedding, but not just any old wedding, it was our bass player Greg that got hitched.  A great event held at the beautiful Belle Haven Country Club in Maryland.   The “father” of MOJO, Mike T sat in on bass, so Greg could enjoy his special day...  he couldn’t resist playing a couple of songs with us though   The summer run of 2010 included 8 weekend gigs -  A high school graduation party on a farm – the stage was a trailer and the power was from a generator in the middle of a field (Woodstock II?)   Our annual Sacred Heart Festival – a great crowd and no rain for once.  Back to the Encore – to cool down.    Our début performance at the Electric Palm where we introduced a few new songs including “Signed, Sealed, Delievered”, and “Road House Blues” to a packed house.  Oh, almost forgot to mention our first ever gig at a goat farm – 102 degrees, no sweat.  We then rocked the Moose which is always a highlight – everything from Patsy Cline to Led Zeppelin.   We started the last leg of our summer tour playing at the O’Mara’s annual Pig roast/ pool party – always a blast, followed by the highlight of the summer – TIM’S RIVERSHORE.  MOJO rocked a packed house for 4 hours.  Crab, beer, and rock music.   Next, a great block party in Haymarket, fireworks and all.  This was followed by TWO great weddings on the same weekend!! and a classic High School Reunion for Osbourn High in Manassas.  The year came to a close with our annual Brother’s Encore annual Holiday show, and a New Year’s Eve blast to ring in 2011 at the Capital Yacht Club in Washington, D.C.  

Mojo opened up 2009 with several dinner dances, and added several slow dance numbers including “Crazy”, “Love Will Keep Us Alive”, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”, and “Can’t Help Falling In Love”.  The band cleans up real well. Of course, Martha always looks fab. The February 21st Mardi Gras dinner dance was well attended with over 80 guests, including many Mojoheads dressed in fine Mardi Gras fashion. Fun was had by all – an open bar seemed to play a roll.  Check out both the Photos and Fans tabs for some really nice pix.  Mojo continued the 2009 season with a great gig at the Moose Lodge.  Everything from the country favorite “I Love This Bar” to the original hard rock  ”Misty Mountain Hop” by Zeppelin, and everything in between.  Fun (and Steaks) were had by all.  To top off a spectacular evening, during the Eagles cover “Love Will Keep Us Alive”  right there are the dance floor a wedding proposal took place - and the bride-to-be accepted!  You had to be there.  That was followed by a standing room only show at Brother’s Encore on May 2nd where we performed the new Jason Mraz tune “I’m Yours”.   The duo ”Corn Dogs at The Carnival” played between sets, and the place was hopping all night with non-stop music.   The following week MOJO performed at Fr. Mike’s 25th jubilee dinner dance party (Sacred Heart Parish in Manassas) where we dusted off a  string of classic tunes including “Love Shack”.   Mojo returned on June 6th to play at the Sacred Heart Festival.  Everyone had a blast.  

Highlights of 2008

MOJO opened it’s 2008 tour at Brothers Encore Feb 23rd, 2008 and introduced some newer material – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen, “The Ocean” and “Misty Mountain Hop” by Zeppelin, “Highway To Hell” by AC/DC and “I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones. The Encore was packed from the start. We can not thank the loyal Mojo-Heads enough for their support.    MOJO made it’s debut at the Oasis Marina Club April 4th 2008, and it was truly something special. Mojoheads packed the house at a much larger venue than usual, and danced up a storm. What a great crowd. On May 3rd 2008, MOJO rocked “the barn”  – our first time playing at the Barn(s)  :<).   Several tunes were added including the popular “Cheeseburger In Paradise” and the Porgy & Bess tune “Summertime” featuring Martha on vocals.    On April 12th, MOJO played for the grand re-opening of the John Paul I Knights of Columbus hall on Hoadley Road. Many dignitaries were on hand for this event including several County Supervisors.  The band was even blessed–yikes!–but it didn’t seem to hurt too much.    MOJO’s Summer tour 2008 continued with shows at Brother’s Encore on June 28th and OASIS on the 4th of July.  Beer, crabs, and rock & roll – It doesn’t get any better than that.  The band added a current Pink favorite, “Who Knew”, and an older Billy Idol tune “Dancing With Myself”. We finished Summer tour by playing several pool parties – very cool; And “drum roll please”, playing on the main stage at Tim’s Rivershore WATERSTOCK – what a blast.  Check out Pix above and at the Photos tab.   We finished up the year with several more gigs at the local watering holes, plus a big birthday bash at the Knights of Columbus, and our debut performance at the the Dale City Moose lodge – very cool.  We also introduced several more songs including the Eagle’s “Love Will Keep Us Alive”.   We closed our year with a very special recording session in Greg’s Woodbridge studio, producing audio tracks for publicity.  

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Highlights of 2007

A quick thanks to all who came out to see MOJO at Down Under on February 24th 2007. It is always a blast playing there. Mario the bartender totally rocks. The group introduced five new tunes. “Losing My Religion” sounded particularly good with Mike playing acoustic guitar and singing.   Denis and Greg laid down their typical solid foundations on “Hard to Handle”, Martha was in fine form belting out “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” which is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Brian got a chance to break out his Charvel guitar and rocked the crowd with his Eddie Van Halen-esque version of “You Really Got Me”.    On April 5th 2007, Mojo and Brother’s Encore sponsored a benefit show with all the proceeds going to the Jim Claffey Memorial Scholarship fund for Prince William Soccer. Over $900 was raised for Prince William Soccer on the artificial turf field named for our lead guitarist’s father – James Claffey.  What a great tribute – under the lights for over 1,000 soccer players and fans.   MOJO started it’s “2007 Summer Tour” at the Down Under on May 25th, and what a start it was – you had to be there. This was followed by several outdoor shows & back to the Encore on June 30th. August & September was a worldwind with several outdoor graduation and birthday parties from Ashburn to Woodbridge.    MOJO’s 2007 Halloween Party bash on Oct 27th at Brother’s Encore saw 23 contestants in costume.   The band worked up several Halloween tunes including “Monster Mash”, “Spooky”, “Werewolves of London”, “Bad Moon Arising” and other spooky sounds.  

Highlights of 2006

2006 was a momentous year for MOJO as Martha Wallace joined the band full-time as our lead female vocalist.   Martha immediately made an impact as we added classic rock songs by Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Fleetwood Mac and the ever-popular “Love Shack” by the B-52s.   We also bid farewell to Mike Trowbridge, MOJO’s founding lead guitarist and a great musician, as Mike assumed a “part-time” role sitting in on guitar and bass as needed.   Taking Mike’s place, we welcomed Brian Claffey (Chesapeake, VA), another Gar-Field HS grad and an outstanding and experienced guitarist/mandolin player who grew up in the Woodbridge area (GFHS).  Brian joined us for his first gig with the band in September.  October 28th was our 2006 Halloween celebration at the Encore. Martha was a cat,  Brian was wearing a grass skirt, you had to be there.  Even Elvis showed up and sang Jail House Rock with the band…On December 2nd 2006 MOJO played for the first time at the Down Under in Occoquan, and what a night it was. The music never sounded better, and they place was packed. The band added a few new songs including the Pretender’s hit “Brass in Pocket”.  A good time was had by all, maybe a too good a time

 Highlights of 2005

2005 was a significant year for Mojo.  We started the year at Brother’s Encore Restaurant & Pub with lots of classic rock tunes and even played several Irish pub songs to celebrate St. Patti’s day a bit early.   On April 23rd 2005, patrons at Brother’s Encore had a real musical treat – we had not one, but two guest sax players sit in with the band.   Also we had a very talented acoustic guitarist play between sets. The whole evening was awesome.   On July 30th 2005, Mojo rocked the “With Pride & Prophecy” Motorcycle/Car Show at Woodbridge High.   Again, vocalist Lynn Keene sang with the band, with guest guitarist Mike and sax player Stephanie Randall.  On September 17th, 2005, MOJO played another  benefit gig, and together with the Brothers Encore owners and fans, raised $848 for Hurricane Katrina relief.   On November 19th, 2005 Mojo & Friends entertained a full house at Brother’s Encore Pub.   This time, Lynn Keene was joined by Martha Wallace as a guest vocalist.   Martha had previously sung with rock groups in the area,  is a member (with Lynn) of the “Tre Voche” Andrews Sisters tribute group, and also sings in classical choral ensembles.    

Highlights of 2004

Rehearsals occupied the band the first few months, and MOJO opened 2004 on March 20th with a sell-out performance (300+) at the Holy Family Church Italian Night fund raiser.   For the first time, we experimented with adding a ke board to the band (with Mike Trowbridge playing keys), and played several new covers of the Beatles, Elvis, Robert Palmer, and Jimmy Buffett.  On May 2nd 2004, MOJO made their first appearance ever at Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfries, rockin’ on the dock for Tim’s 10th Anniversary for 3 hours.   On May 29th 2004, MOJO returned to Brothers Encore Restaurant & Pub with some new “trop-rock” tunes.   On July 31st Mojo played for the first time at the “famous” O’Meara Pool Party and Pig Roast, a venue that we repeated several times over the years.   On August 6th 2004, Mojo returned to the Encore Restaurant & Pub and began a tradition of including guest performers, with James Catalano on the djembe and congas for a few Latin tunes.  On September 11 2004, Mojo played at the Holy Family Fun Festival entertaining hundreds of festival goers with summertime favorites like “Margaritaville”, “Summertime Blues”, and “Brown Eyed Girl”.  On November 6th 2004,  MOJO rocked Brother’s Encore with new songs and the first appearance of Lynn Keene as a guest vocalist.  Between sets, the audience was treated to acoustic sets by a young guitarist/vocalist Paul Bonacelli.   Mojo closed out 2004 with a benefit gig at Brother’s Encore on December 4th , and with the help of Tara, the owner, MOJO raised over $700 for 4-year old Madison Rice and her medical treatment for a rare birth defect.    The thank you note posted says it all.

2003–Formation of Mojo

It all started in March 2003 when several musician friends gathered together at Godwin Middle School in Prince William County to jam onstage with some classic rock tunes for a charity fundraiser.  This jam-session group included (among others) Mike Trowbridge (guitarist and orchestra director at Gar-field HS), Mike Ahern (guitarist and chemistry teacher, Gar-Field HS), Greg Ondo (bassist and Gar-Field HS graduate) and Denis Catalano (drums).   This pick-up group was well-received, and had so much fun that they met again during the summer to jam again, this time with Joe Graham from Woodbridge VA singing as lead vocalist.   The group performed at a few back-yard pool parties for the Gar-Field HS faculty during the summer, and the idea of forming a performing classic rock band took hold.   After several rehearsals, this group performed on an outdoor stage for the Holy Family Parish Festival on September 6th, 2003, and was the star entertainment attraction (until shut down by Prince William County’s finest for the decibel level).    So on October 3rd 2003, the same group, now under the name “Mojo” (we still can’t remember where that name came from) played its first real gig at Brother’s Encore Restaurant & Pub in Montclair, Virginia, playing three full sets to a rowdy crowd that was dancing in the aisles. It was a blast for everyone, and thanks to our fans and Tara Genovese (owner of Brothers Encore), the band was invited back!    The original Mojo line-up was Mike Trowbridge, Greg Ondo, Mike Ahern, Denis Catalano, and Joe Graham.   The band followed up with an appearance on December 20th at the JP I Knight’s Of Columbus Hall.  They introduced some new songs along with a few Christmas songs, and also had Karaoke between sets.  The band was launched!

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Check out Mojo covering the Jason Mraz hit ”I’m Yours”

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MOJO T-SHIRT

Hey “MOJO” T-SHIRTS are still available !!! Just a few left – stop by any gig to purchase them at cost.