'Java Jitters' served up at East Brunswick café
Performer DaVido defies rejection; comes to Via Dolce Friday
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - Though DaVido has reportedly been kicked out of more than 200 Starbucks stores, Via Dolce Café and Gelateria is accepting him with open arms.

"He's pretty funny," Jenn Plumser, an owner of Via Dolce, said. "He's interesting. His goal was to find a coffee shop that would accept him."

The pepped-up performer will bring his song "Java Jitter" to the coffee shop tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. He said the audience can expect to see him dancing on tables in his signature style.

Via Dolce owners Plumser and Kim LoSacco, sisters, will give complimentary Java Jitter beverages to customers. The drink lives up to its name.

"It's actually his trademark drink," Plumser said. "It's a triple espresso."

Inspired by Starbucks and perhaps fueled by caffeine, the song triggered DaVido's "Starbucks Rejection Tour," which had "baristas" all over New Jersey and New York cajoling, threatening, and sometimes calling the police on him and his entourage of up to 40 cohorts as they staged guerrilla gigs in the company's franchises. The tour, DaVido said, was a response to the company's rejection of his song for their musical collections sold in the stores.

"I don't believe they have the nerve not to put me next to Paul McCartney," DaVido joked. "How can Starbucks compare me to the Beatles catalog? All of their songs together don't equal the 'Java Jitter.' "

The singer said he is holding no grudges against the coffee chain.

"I have no bad feelings," Davido said. "Actually, I love Starbucks."

Though employees kicked him out of every store he visited, some could not resist cracking a smile or even moving to the music a bit before doing so, he said.

"We weren't really hurting anybody," DaVido said. "People loved it. We had a ball - probably the greatest year of a lot of our lives."

DaVido noted he runs the risk of being sued by the multibillion-dollar, worldwide company for using footage from inside its stores, as well as the company logo, in his video.

"We were actually warned by pretty top attorneys that we could definitely get sued," DaVido said. "I guess they didn't want the publicity of suing us."

While his tour's namesake speaks of a negative response, DaVido has garnered attention for himself. A YouTube video of the song, highlighting his tour and the reactions it got, has received nearly 100,000 hits on the site.

DaVido's look in the video portrays his trade as a nightclub singer. Clad in a snappy suit and bow tie with a pompadour topping him off, the wacky singer dances around like a modern-day Elvis, crooning what he classifies as "swock," a combination of swing and rock.

DaVido, however, said his music cannot be pigeonholed by the be-bopping style of "Java Jitter." His other songs span a wide range of genres, he said.

"I am much more than the Starbucks Rejection Tour," DaVido said. "This is not [American Idol contestant] William Hung, who did something for 15 minutes of fame. I did Starbucks because I believe in my talent, and I wanted the world to know me. Starbucks will be a grain of sand on the beach of my success."

As proof, DaVido said he will soon release an album produced by Grammy-winner Tony Camillo, who produced Gladys Knight and the Pips. The "Java Jitter" video is soon to be released in Japan, where a fan base for the singer has developed, DaVido said. The song itself is for sale on iTunes.

DaVido's unique style has him performing at a variety of venues, with the "Java Jitter" now grabbing the attention of coffee shop owners like Plumser and LoSacco.

"Their motto is 'We accept everyone,' " DaVido said.

Via Dolce hosts open mic every Tuesday, then chooses a performer from that evening to play a Saturday night gig. Other events attest to an eclectic spirit, such as a murder-mystery this Sunday, a poetry reading Dec. 13, a Dec. 16 tea party and luncheon centering on the American Girl doll, and a psychic event slated for January.

"We're trying to do something different every month," Plumser said.

The sisters are also working to help soldiers in Iraq. Their brother, Matthew Plumser, a silent partner in the business, is stationed there with the U.S. Marine Corps. In a show of support, Plumser and LoSacco are holding a stocking drive for the holidays, collecting items like bagged candy, hot cups, pens and pencils, sugar packets, card games and Nerf footballs, among other things, to help make life easier for over 400 soldiers.

"Our goal is to remind our community that many of our family and friends are separated from their loved ones at the holidays," Plumser said. "Although we are always willing to ship any items overseas, our particular goal, as requested by family members of the soldiers, is to make sure that each member of the 2nd Recon Battalion receives a holiday stocking, filled with a few items to keep up their spirits."

For more information on Via Dolce, or to view DaVido's video, visit the shop's Web site, viadolce.com. The shop is located at 1020 Route 18.-