Jungle Habitat

Jungle Habitat is not a cover band — it’s a fully immersive 1970s AM Radio experience, built to feel like stepping into a living, breathing slice of American pop culture.

Inspired by the golden era of car radios, variety shows, and jukebox hits, Jungle Habitat recreates the sound, look, and energy of the decade when music united generations. Every performance is a fast-moving, theatrical journey through the songs that dominated radios, dance floors, drive-ins, and living rooms across America.

From soaring harmonies and iconic melodies to period-correct style, visuals, and storytelling, Jungle Habitat delivers more than nostalgia — it delivers memory. The show blends music with visual cues, humor, and cultural references that instantly transport audiences back to a time of bell-bottoms, vinyl, Saturday night TV, and the soundtrack of everyday life.

Designed for theaters, casinos, clubs, festivals, and special events, Jungle Habitat connects with audiences of all ages — from those who lived it, to those discovering why this music never left. It’s upbeat, polished, danceable, and emotionally powerful.

Close your eyes… you’re riding shotgun.
The radio is on.
And the 1970s are alive again.

🌴 The Birth of

The 1970s AM Radio Show by Jungle Habitat

After returning to the stage in 2022, Joe Gills noticed something about his audiences: while they loved the 80s anthems, they lit up when the band played late-70s songs. It hit him — no one was celebrating the real AM radio hits, the music everyone grew up singing in the back seat of a station wagon.

Joe envisioned a show built around that feel-good nostalgia and named it after Jungle Habitat, the legendary defunct New Jersey safari park once infamous for its wild stories — and its escaped baboons near Joe’s own neighborhood.

When Joe pitched the idea to Chris Krempa, his Action Park bass player, Chris joked, “You mean like Zeppelin or The Who?” Joe laughed: “No — like Shaun Cassidy and the Bay City Rollers.”

And that spark became The 1970s AM Radio Show by Jungle Habitat — where every song feels like 1978s summer on the dial.

🎸 Joe Gills

Showman • Guitar • Co-Creator
Joe Gills has been performing since his teens, when his band The Jersey Cruisers played nearly 300 shows across NJ, NY, and CT. Influenced by artists like Springsteen, Bryan Adams, and The Stray Cats, he later formed The Slap 5’s, an original country-punk act that performed at legendary venues including CBGB.
After years away focused on family and business, Joe returned to music with renewed energy and vision. He is the creator and frontman of The Jungle Habitat ’70s Band, delivering theatrical, high-energy performances that bring 1970s AM radio hits vividly back to life.

🎸 Chris Krempa

Bass • Vocals • Band Leader • Co-Creator
A fixture in the New Jersey music scene since the 1980s, Chris Krempa has performed with Backtalk, Group Therapy, That’s What She Said, Bing Bang Boom!, and The Action Park Band. As co-creator of Jungle Habitat, Chris embraces the show’s immersive philosophy — not just playing the music, but becoming it.
“People take photos like it’s a full production — and that’s the goal,” Chris says. “We’re giving people a reason to dance, smile, and remember.”

🎸 Tommy Hart

Lead Guitar • Keyboards • Vocals
Tommy Hart has been playing guitar since age 12 and studied under renowned musicians including Jimmy Bruno, Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, Paul Gilbert, and Greg Howe. His career includes performances with The Nortons, Back Talk, The Wizards of Winter, and Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers.
“I’m thrilled to be part of Jungle Habitat,” Tommy says. “It’s a blast reliving the ’70s music that made me want to play guitar in the first place.”

🥁 John Bonner

Drums • Song Arrangements
With over 30 years of experience, John Bonner has powered bands such as Invader, Backtalk, Slow Children at Play, and Bing Bang Boom. His energetic drumming and creative arrangements give Jungle Habitat its rhythmic drive and authentic ’70s feel.
“I love bringing back these classic hits,” John says. “It’s the music that made people move — and still does.”