Local News
Monkees Star and Partner to Appear in Port Jervis
By Sharon E. Siegel
Jan 17, 2004, 12:10am

Two Man Band is the name of duo performers Peter Tork and James Lee Stanley who are scheduled for a January 24th stop East Coast tour stop in Port Jervis. The two will perform in a dinner show at the Erie Trackside Manor.

PORT JERVIS, NY - On January 24, the Erie Trackside Manor will host a performance by world-famous Monkees star Peter Tork and his Two Man Band partner, James Lee Stanley.

Trackside co-owner Dick McKeeby said this and many other events are being planned for the downtown banquet hall as a way to bring good, affordable entertainment to the Tri-States region.

“Theatre, comedy shows, interactive Murder Mysteries and many other dinner theme shows are in the works, including a February 7th dinner/mystery show that will feature comedy characters from the old-time “I Love Lucy” show,” said McKeeby.

Peter Tork & James Lee Stanley will perform at The Erie Trackside Manor on Jersey Avenue in Port Jervis on January 24th.

In a three-way telephone conversation with Tork and Stanley this week, discussion centered around a 40-year musical journey that will lead the duo to Port Jervis this month. Tork recalled his earliest performing days, including auditing for one of four zany television rock star spots.

“I was an amateur folk musician in Greenwich Village when my friend, Steven Stills, suggested I audition for a new television show being planned. I tried out and was cast as a member of The Monkees,” he explained. “That’s how The Monkees began.”

Tork says that while he plays a variety of music today, he remembers his history by always including hit songs from The Monkees show in his performances.

“It is sort of a ‘tip of my hat’ to my history,” he said.

His partner, while maybe not as well-known, is an accomplished musician on his own. He says he met Tork more than thirty years ago, while his partner was performing in Virginia Beach. One of his fondest memories is Tork’s suggestion that he purchase a $50 guitar that they spotted in a Virginia pawn shop.

“Weeks later, I carried that same guitar—which I still have—to President Kennedy’s funeral,” he explained.

The duo is performing in a variety of east coast locations, including their Port Jervis stop. They say that their love of performing and their interaction with audiences is what keeps them in the music field year-after-year.

“That joy is directly connected in both an intimate and physical way,” said Stanley. “It is dependent on sharing with our audience and giving the abundance of joy away.”

Tork had some words of advice for beginning entertainers.

“If you really want to be an entertainer, play, play, play. Don’t take a day job. Be patient and don’t give up. I have learned that if you wait, that’s when miracles happen,” he said.

The Two Man Band will perform individually and together during their two-and-a-half hour Erie Trackside dinner show. Songs will include the hit Monkees theme song “Hey, Hey We’re the Monkees” as well as “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Stepping Stone,” “Papa Gene’s Blues,” and many other well-known and original tunes.

Doors open at 6:30 P.M. on January 24. Tickets are $50 each, with taxes and gratuities included. They may be purchased at the Erie Hotel or by calling 858-4100.