Eddie Testa, top center, with some of the other musicians in his “That’s How It’s Done” video.
On April 27, Eddie Testa, whose Eddie Testa Band is a longtime mainstay of the Jersey Shore rock scene, posted a video to Facebook with the music of his song “That’s How It’s Done” and the lyrics written out, line by line. It’s an uplifting anthem whose chorus goes: “We run, run towards any trouble/We come, sisters and brothers/We’re there for one another/And that’s how it’s done.”
Eddie asked for 30-second clips of people singing along with the song, playing an instrument, clapping or just having fun listening to it. He asked for not just musicians but also nurses, doctors, police and first responders to send clips, requesting ” ‘that’s how it’s done’ attitude” and reminding everyone, “don’t forget to have fun with it.”
More than 50 clips came in, some with groups of people, and Tom Cadawas put them together in the video you can watch below. Among the musicians in the video are original E Street Band member Vini Lopez, Joe Bellia of The Weeklings, Johnny Pisano of Willie Nile’s band, Layonne Holmes, Lisa Sherman and JoBonnano, in addition to Testa, Cadawas and many others.
Screamin’ Steve Barlotta of the band Sensational Soul Cruisers is also in the video. A former bandmate of Testa’s in Eddie Testa & the Cruisers, Barlotta has had a life-threatening bout with COVID-19 and is shown in photos and in a clip (which starts around the 3:40 mark) of him being released from CentraState Medical Center in Freehold after a 36-day stay. (A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help him with his ongoing recovery; visit gofundme.com/f/HELP-Screamin-Steve-as-he-recovers-from-COVID-19).
A message at the end of the video states: “Much love to all the frontline workers and first responders all over the world.”
For more on Testa, visit eddietestaband.com.
NJArts.net’s Songs to See Us Through series is designed to spotlight songs relevant to the coronavirus crisis and encourage readers to support the artists who made them (and won’t be able to generate income via concerts at this time). Click here for links to all songs in the series.
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