Pete Tonti is a musician. Growing up in the family restaurant business, he also supplies the soundtrack to the eatery on many nights. He is an old soul playing music from before his time with a modern touch and feel.
Please share how you began playing music in public.
When I was about 4 years old, my parents signed me up for piano lessons, mainly classical. I fell in love with the sound of the electric guitar after playing my dad’s rock records and CDs. It seemed to me as a kid like such a “cool” thing to do, and I wanted to learn how to play. So, when I was about 9 years old, I began taking guitar lessons, first from a private instructor but then, shortly afterward, at the now internationally renowned adolescent music program School of Rock. The Princeton location, which at the time was actually located in Hopewell, later moved to Hamilton.
After playing my first show at School of Rock, featuring the music of AC/DC, at 10 years old, I was instantly hooked and knew I wanted to pursue music and performing as a career. I remained at School of Rock right up until I graduated from high school and made quite a few friends along the way. I learned not only a lot of music and a lot about music, but also the dos and don’ts of live performance.
Separately, during my time at School of Rock, I formed my first band with some friends from middle school. It was called Crosswick, named after the village of Crosswicks in neighboring Chesterfield, New Jersey. Being the son of the owner of a local bar and restaurant, we had the blessing of using it as a home base for our first shows and would continue to sporadically play gigs there until we were in our early 20s.
We also played Six Flags Great Adventure; Rho Waterfront, formerly KatManDu and now Cooper’s Riverview, in Trenton; the Brighton Bar in Long Branch; and a number of other places. We also recorded a couple of EPs, a mix of original songs and covers, at Squirrel Ranch Studios in Hamilton, owned by one of my biggest musical mentors growing up, Tom Reock.
Those were the best of times, playing in your first band with your friends, going out and playing your first gigs, making your first recordings in a studio and chasing that “rock star dream.” Something about it really did feel magical. I still look back on those days fondly.
Which types of music do you like best to perform?
I really like to perform almost any kind of music. If something gets my heart, it gets my heart. I like to perform upbeat dance music that keeps people moving and singing along, but I also like to perform intimate and softer music sometimes as well. It is really all about finding a balance for me during a performance. It is like peaks and valleys: It starts off with a bang, keeps everyone moving, brings it down for a song or two, then brings it back up and ends on a high note.
Really, I like playing my original music, and it has been a few years since I have actively performed it with a band. I do miss it. The good news is that I am working on an outlet to bring some of that music back to the stage.
In early 2024, I released my debut solo album, titled “The Finest Freak,” on all streaming platforms and on CD. The album contains 10 of my original songs and features a couple of my old bandmates on drums and bass. It was produced by Tom Reock and me at Squirrel Ranch Studios in Hamilton, New Jersey.
Having played Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia music extensively in several bands over the past decade, their music has certainly become some of my favorite music to perform as well. When the focus on my own music began to shift away, the joy of playing the Dead’s music kept me occupied.
Please tell us about the family business and what your roles are there.
My family owns and operates Pete’s Steakhouse Tavern, located in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. The restaurant has been in my father Richard’s family for 80 years now. It was founded in 1946 by my grandfather and namesake, Peter Tonti Sr.
The original location was in the then-Italian neighborhood of Chambersburg in Trenton. After a successful run in the 1950s, Grandpop closed Pete’s Steakhouse and opened a fancier restaurant and nightclub that carried on into the 1970s in historic downtown Trenton. It was also operated with help from my father and uncle.
When that closed, Grandpop reopened Pete’s Steakhouse, and my father helped run things until Grandpop fell ill with brain cancer and died in 1982. From there, my father took over and subsequently opened several more locations in Ewing and Hamilton townships. He eventually purchased the former Monti’s Tavern in the White Horse neighborhood in 2008, which is our current location.
My first job in the restaurant was as a dishwasher at 6 or 7 years old during summer vacation. My father had a shirt printed for me that read “manager.” I recall scrubbing some grits off a plate one day and saying, discouraged, “I don’t feel like a manager.” LOL.
Later, I would help set up in the mornings, help out in the office with paperwork and handle delivery unloading and stocking. In recent years, I have been doing a bit of cooking, although I am far from a grill master. Thankfully, the guys in my kitchen are excellent cooks and are great teachers.
We are a restaurant with a bar and a liquor store and feature live music every Friday night. Of course, because of that, every once in a while, I get to step out from the kitchen and play a show right here at home.
Over the years, my first band, Crosswick, has played numerous shows, but I have also sat in with many different bands and hosted open-mic nights, put-together groups and solo acoustic performances, as well as performed as a member of other bands. I cannot even begin to think of counting how many times I have played at our steakhouse.
How many different bands or projects are you currently working with? Is it hard to keep things separate working like this?
Currently, I am a member of three bands:
One-Eyed Jack, an original psychedelic jam-rock band from northern New Jersey, has been active since the 1990s.
New Gypsy Cowboys is a sort of jam “supergroup” ensemble featuring members of RatDog, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Dark Star Orchestra in the lineup, among other musicians. Formed in 2024, we play only sporadically, but it is a fun and eclectic group.
Karl’s Garcia Band, or KGB, is a heartfelt tribute to the Jerry Garcia Band, performing eclectic set lists from all eras, as well as recreating specific Garcia Band shows. It is currently performing at venues throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and beyond. Formed in 2024, the band added me in 2025 as lead guitarist and vocalist, and it is the project with which I am currently most active.
How did you come to enjoy and perform the music and vibes of classic rock bands?
Mom and Dad. Mainly, I mean, if it were not for them always playing music in the car on the way to and from school or on the way down the Shore, I do not know how, when or where I would have fallen in love with it.
More importantly, I am forever grateful for their support and for encouraging me to learn and to perform when they realized my passion for music. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
What were some of the bands that influenced you when you were younger? Did you get to see them play live?
First it was Lynyrd Skynyrd, then it was AC/DC, then it was the Beatles. The Beatles really started it all for me. Having been born in 1997, I obviously did not get to see them live, although I have seen both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr live.
Two other bands that had almost as big an influence on me as a preteen and teenager were the Who and Pink Floyd. I saw Roger Waters’ “The Wall” live at Yankee Stadium as a teenager, which is, to this day, one of my favorite concerts I have ever attended. I also got to see both the Who and AC/DC in 2008 in Philadelphia at the former Wachovia Center.
Pete Townshend is one of my heroes, not least because our names are so similar, and not so much because of his guitar playing but more so because of his songwriting.
Some other musical heroes of mine, in no particular order, are Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys; David Bowie; Pat Metheny; Steve Kimock; King Crimson; and Genesis.
What fights or struggles do you have regarding playing live music and being in multiple bands?
Just finding out what exactly I want my sound to be, really. On one hand, I love being active across several different ensembles. They are all slightly different from each other. On the other hand, there are times when I am not sure exactly which path I want to take or what exactly I want to focus on.
I usually combat that by just trying to pour some of myself into my performances. Another struggle is scheduling conflicts and trying not to double-book myself whenever possible. With that also comes the inevitable tough choice that befalls me from time to time: Which gig should I take, and which gig should I not take?
What are the most difficult and the most fun things about playing in live bands?
The most difficult thing is getting everyone on the same page. That means not just being committed to a project but also being on the same page musically, in the performance setting and in a professional sense. It is always refreshing and rewarding when everyone in the group has done their homework, worked out their parts and comes to the rehearsal or the gig prepared and ready to do the job.
To me, the most fun thing about playing in live bands is getting to hang out and make music with the people you love. Being able to just kick back and enjoy some laughs and a meal together when all is said and done is something special.
Why do you feel young people today are listening to and enjoying music that their parents grew up with instead of rebelling against it?
I think social media has a lot to do with it. It provides easy and instant access to old recordings and memorabilia from previous generations that otherwise may not have surfaced so easily for some.
Furthermore, pop stars of today, such as John Mayer, teaming up with members of the Grateful Dead to form Dead & Company have probably had a lot to do with garnering this generation’s interest in the music of their parents. In the previous couple of decades, video games such as “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” have become revolutionary in introducing music from the 1960s through the 1990s.
How do you feel about the live music scene in Mercer County and New Jersey? Is live music appreciated enough? Are there enough venues and patrons?
I do feel like live music is appreciated in Mercer County and throughout New Jersey. The German American Society of Trenton, Mercer County Park and Cooper’s Riverview are a few examples, as is Snipes Farm in nearby Morrisville, Pennsylvania.
I will say that I do think the challenge for original bands to be heard is ever-persisting, as tribute bands seem to be crowd-pleasers and moneymakers. Luckily, there are many people out there who want to hear original music as well.
I believe original artists should aim to put their product out there for the love of doing it and not for competitive reasons. The music industry in general is extremely competitive, and I think that can sometimes hinder the artistic process.
What is on the horizon? What are you looking forward to?
Recently, I have been steadily getting back into songwriting. It has been some time since I have actively worked on new material, but I am starting to feel more creative again after spending a lot of time and energy on tribute bands.
I am hoping to go back into the studio sometime in 2027 and record another full-length album or perhaps an acoustic EP. The plan is to eventually build up enough new original material that I am comfortable with and then bring in some other musicians to perform with.
I am also looking forward to exploring some other artistic avenues on the side, including painting and learning to cook better.
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Tonti regularly performs throughout the area. Check the following sites for information about his upcoming schedule: Facebook: facebook.com/pete.tonti. Instagram: instagram.com/petetontimusic. Also search for “The Finest Freak” by Pete Tonti on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and more.
