Billionaire New York Knicks/Rangers owner would rather be rocking.

Jim Dolan has always been apprehensive about performing at Madison Square Garden with his band JD and the Straight Shot.

“I always thought people would be like, ‘We know how you got this gig,’” says Dolan, who owns the iconic New York City venue, along with the professional basketball and hockey teams that play there.

“On top of that, people aren’t happy about the way the teams are playing and could say, ‘Why are you up there playing instead of doing something about your lousy teams?’” Dolan adds.

Dolan’s the president and chief executive of Cablevision, but he wants something that even a billionaire can’t buy: a willing audience. His recent fifth release, Where I’ve Been, deserves one.

“Where I’ve Been is the best thing we’ve done so far,” he says.

Its strong songs range from the Americana honky-tonk “Under the Hood” – inspired by the Trayvon Martin shooting – to the tongue-and-cheek Dixieland ditty “Governor’s Song.”

Politics and and social justice aren’t the only areas that Dolan delves into. The Straight Shot’s “Violet Song,” which appeared in the acclaimed 2013 film adaptation of the play August: Osage County, comes from the perspective of the family matriarch: “Born and raised to stand my ground/ To this house I am bound forever, forever/ I will not break, I will not bend/ Always ready to defend forever, forever.”

Another one of the tunes from Where I’ve Been, the breezy country number, “Hard to Find,” is set to appear in St. Vincent, starring Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy.

When JD and the Straight Shot ultimately played MSG, they did it as the opening act for The Eagles, one of five shows they played with the group this September.

At the MSG show Dolan challenged Eagles fans to come out early and play kazoo to break the record for most people playing kazoo at once; 7,800 people participated, and the Guinness world record was broken. As a result, Dolan donated $100,000 to ALS.

“I already dumped ice over my head, but I wasn’t going to ask anyone else to do that,” he says.

Following the acquisition of Phil Jackson in the off-season as the new president of the Knicks, Dolan vowed that he’d be less involved with the basketball team and more involved with the music.

“It’s like being an amateur magician and bringing in Houdini,” Dolan says. “Phil’s the smartest guy in basketball.”

JD AND THE STRAIGHT SHOT 8:30pm Thursday, Oct. 9. Sly Mcfly’s, 700 Cannery Row, Monterey. Free. 649-8050