You already knew Jon Stewart could skewer bloviating politicians with effortless, cutting wit. But did you know he can also rock the house? The 63-year-old Daily Show legend proved it’s never too late to learn a new trick on Friday (Nov. 28) when his indie rock band, Church and State™️ made their debut at the legendary New Jersey rock club The Stone Pony.
Jersey native Stewart, who took up the drums after retiring from the Daily Show in 2015, has been playing shows here and there over the past year with the group that also features Rick Barry on vocals/guitar, Justin Bornemann on bass and Stewart’s drum teacher, And Bova on guitar. The band’s big coming out party at the Stone Pony featured them on the bill with fellow alt rock band Yawn Mower and main attraction Status Green, who were celebrating their 20th anniversary.
Stewart has been holding down just Monday nights on the Daily Show since his 2024 return, gleefully skewering politicians and bad actors in his signature style while taking particular, gleeful aim at one of his favorite targets: Donald Trump. But for all the heat and outrage Stewart shares with viewers on a weekly basis — and on his The Weekly Show podcast — videos from Friday’s show suggest that his role in the band with a dreamy, heartland shoegaze style is much more sedate. Keeping time on the group’s moody ballads, Stewart is a steadying force, capably anchoring the sound led by Barry’s laconic vocals and drum teacher Bova’s spiky guitar leads.
The no-frills bar band’s Instagram bio says it all: Church and State™️ is a music band. We make music.
Check out the poster for Church and State™️‘s Stone Pony show.
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