Hoboken Update: Feelies & Speed the Plough Play Hoboken Sunday; Maxwell's Reopens (Sans Music)

Maxwell's, the day after it closed this summer.

We've been on an unintended hiatus for some time, but are picking up pretty much where we left off last time: with news of Hoboken club Maxwell's and the bands it gave rise to.

• As we're noted many times before, Maxwell's closed at the end of July. What we didn't know is that it would reopen a few weeks ago, but as a bar and restaurant only. It's got a new menu, but it seems that at least some of the long-time owners are still involved. Maxwell's is listed with real estate brokers, but we've heard that the owners have re-opened it to make some money until a new party can be found to lease the place.

• While Maxwell's no longer hosts live music, two of the bands who got their start there will be playing in Hoboken on Sunday. That's the day of the Fall version of the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival, and Haledon, NJ's The Feelies are headlining with a set at 4:30 p.m. Preceding them (and taking the stage at 3:15) are Speed the Plough, which features some members of The Feelies.

Other performers at the Festival include The Nerds, 17-year-old Jack Skuller, and regular Gene D. Plumber. Another notable artist appearing the the young singer-songwriter Brody, and if the name sounds familiar to area folks it's because he's the son of Don Brody, the much-loved Hoboken musician who died unexpectedly in 1997 (has it really been that long?).

The Festival runs from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. on Washington St. in Hoboken, and features many arts and craft stands as well as food vendors.

Don was half of the duo The Marys, and was in the band Cryin' Out Loud, but was known to many area musicians for his support and generosity in getting their music heard. (You can read a heartfelt essay about Don Brody here.) The essay says that Don Brody has a son, Perry, who was five when his
father died, so we're assuming that this now early-20s musician is him. For those who knew or remembered Don Brody, it'll be good to see his legacy carried on by a member of his family.

• And one final Maxwell's/Hoboken music note: when The Bongs played the final show at Maxwell's, they broke out some old tunes that were finally going to be issued soon on an album recorded in the 1980s but never released. That album, "Phantom Train,"will finally be released this coming week.

Listen to "My Wildest Dreams" from "Phantom Train" here:

Photos: The dB's, Freedy Johnston, & The Front Bottoms at Hoboken Music Fest

Sunday was a perfect day for live music in Hoboken, with great weather and great performances by a number of acts, old and new, that are (or were) from New Jersey and, in some cases, from Hoboken itself.

The reunion of The dB's ahead of the release of their first album in 25 years was a big draw, and the band delivered with tunes old and new. The songs from their forthcoming album, "Falling Off the Sky" (out June 12th) sounded great, and felt like worthy additions to The dB's catalog. The original lineup of Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, Gene Holder, and Will Rigby was rounded out by young singer-songwriter Brett Harris on keyboards and guitar.

Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple of The dB's.

While The dB's were the big draw for older music fans, the young New Jersey band The Front Bottoms had their own cheering section, and it was enthusiastic. (A mosh pit threatened to break out, the first time I've ever seen that at this festival.) No doubt they'll draw comparisons to another Bergen County indie/pop/punk outfit, Titus Andronicus. Like Patrick Stickles of Titus, Front Bottoms singer Brian Sella throws out rapid-fire streams of smart, funny, and sometimes oddball lyrics (such as "I will remember that summer / as the summer I was taking steroids / because you like a man with muscles / and I like you.”)

The Front Bottoms are a lot of fun to see live, and I'll probably try to catch their show again. I want to check out their self-titled album as well (on Bar-None Records).

I've never been disappointed by a Freedy Johnston show, and yesterday's was no exception. The Kansas native and former Hoboken resident played songs from throughout his career, which has been long and productive (it's hard to believe that his breakthrough album, "Can You Fly," came out way back in 1992). Backed by a band that included his frequent collaborator on guitar, the excellent Dave Schramm, Johnston played a set that included favorites such as "The Lucky One," "Until the Sun Comes Back Again," "This Perfect World," "Bad Reputation," and of course his cover of Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman."

Some photos below (more to be added later)...

Chris Stamey.

Holsapple, Stamey, and bassist Gene Holder.

Gene Holder.

Holsapple and dB's backing musician Brett Harris.

The Front Bottoms.

Brian Sella of The Front Bottoms.

Mathew Uychich of The Front Bottoms (drums); bass player not identified.

Freedy Johnston and band (Dave Schramm, Johnston, and Jared Nickerson. Not pictured: Steve Goulding, drum). The under-construction 1 World Trade Center can be seen rising in the background.

Dave Schramm (left) and Freedy Johnston.

The dB's, Freedy Johnston to Play Hoboken Spring Music Fest Sunday

The dB's and Freedy Johnston, two veteran music acts that have strong connections to the Mile Square City, will be the leading artists at the spring edition of the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival on Sunday, May 6th.


Above:: The dB's performing "Big Brown Eyes" from their debut album, "Stands for Decibels."

The dB's, which formed in the late 1970s, became a favorite in the New York area and beyond with their short, fast, jangly, pop-rock sound, and were one of the first bands to play at Maxwell's in Hoboken. The group that plays at the festival on Sunday will be its original four-man lineup: Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Gene Holder, and Will Rigby. Three of them lived in Hoboken at one time or another, and one still does, according to the band's website.

The dB's broke up in 1988 and at least part of the band has reunited a few times since then. The band will be headlining the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival at 4:45 p.m. on Sunday and have several other gigs planned, including NYC's Le Poisson Rouge on June 15th.

In March the dB's announced that their new album, entitled "Falling Off the Sky,"would be released on June 12th. The album, their first studio release in 25 years or so, will be on Hoboken's Bar/None record label.

New Jersey punk/indie-pop duo The Front Bottoms plays before the dB's at 3:15. They've gotten acclaim from everyone from the L.A. Times to AbsolutePunk, with their debut self-titled album named to a number of best-of-2011 lists. You can hear two songs from the album at Bandcamp.


Above: Freedy Johnston's video for "Bad Reputation," from the album "Can You Fly."

Singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston, a former Hoboken resident, can still be seen performing in the Mile Square City from time to time, and Sunday won't be his first appearance at this festival. He's put out more than 10 albums full of well-crafted folk-pop tunes, including "Can You Fly," "This Perfect World," and "Right Between the Promises," and is perhaps best known for his chart hit "Bad Reputation" (video above).

Freedy Johnston takes the stage at 2 p.m.

Also playing on Sunday: the Jersey City rock band Wyldlife, local favorites the Demolition String Band, the rock trio Stephie Coplan & the Pedestrians, and standards-singing Emily Turonis (who impressed me with her performance at this festival in 2010).

The Hoboken Arts & Music Festival takes place on three stages on Washington Street (I've left off the schedule for the children's stage). Here are the schedules for the two main stages:

Observer Highway Stage (on Washington St. bet. Newark & Observer Highwy)
11:45 a.m. – Wyldlife
12:30 p.m. – The One & Nines
1:15 – Demolition String Band
2:00 – Freedy Johnston
3:15 – The Front Bottoms
4:45 – The dB's

Sixth Street Stage
12:30 p.m. – Bandwidth
1:10 – Hannah & The M&Ms
1:30 – Outside the Box
2:25 – Stephie Coplan & the Pedestrians
3:15 – Funkaphonic with Rob Harari
4:00 – Emily Turonis
4:40 – Alexandria Potosnak
5:00 – Orchestra C2

Hoboken Festival: Good Tunes, & Good Weather (for a Change)

From reports I've heard, the music was great at yesterday's Fall edition of the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival. And the weather was beautiful too, aside from occasional wind gusts that blew over exhibitors' stuff. No rain, at least.

Above: Hoboken's own The Fave gets the crowd moving with their guitar-driven rock.

I only managed to watch a couple of sets (and hear parts of others in passing), but liked what I heard. Hoboken's own The Fave had the crowd rocking, and I came across an unexpected pleasure on the second stage: a sultry young singer named Emily Turonis, who was accompanied by a standup bass player and a guitarist. Though she was singing in the afternoon at a street festival, her voice made me feel as if I was in a smoky nightclub.

(The Cliffview Pilot has a recap of a number of the Festival's performances, including Richard Barone, and photos.)

Above: Emily Turonis singing standards at the Sixth Street stage.

I missed the 12 Noon set by Care Bears on Fire, but the band told me they've got some upcoming dates in New York, including one at the CMJ Music Festival.

Above: Care Bears on Fire sign posters and CDs after their set, accompanied by a rather large bag of popcorn.

Richard Barone, Care Bears on Fire, Losers Lounge to Play Hoboken Arts & Music Festival

Above: Richard Barone (right) and James Mastro playing at the reunion show of The Bongos at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival in October 2007. 

The two annual editions of the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival usually attract good musical talent, and this year's Fall festival (Sunday, Oct. 3rd) is no exception. Richard Barone, best known as the leader of the much-loved 1980s Hoboken band The Bongos, will be playing the event, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a former Bongo or two getting on stage to join him. (Bongos guitarist James Mastro, who was later in The Health and Happiness Show, owns the Hoboken music shop Guitar Bar, and the the Guitar Bar All-Stars will be playing the festival.)

The Bongos reunited at the Festival three years ago and sounded as good as ever.

The Hoboken Arts & Music Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday on Washington Street, from near City Hall up to 7th Street.

Also at the Fall edition of the festival: the Losers Lounge Disco Tribute (the headliners, playing at 4:30 p.m.), all-female teen pop/punk outfit Care Bears on Fire, the Guitar Bar All-Stars, and Hoboken band The Fave. There are also a variety of local acts and family entertainers. Find out the entertainment schedule at the Hoboken festival's web page.

In NJ This Weekend: Weezer, Ke$ha, and More at The Bamboozle; Fountains of Wayne in Hoboken

There's some great live music in North Jersey this weekend, and some of it's even free. First off is the not-free event, the annual NJ edition of The Bamboozle festival in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford.

The Bamboozle takes place Saturday and Sunday, May 1st and 2nd, and they've got a great lineup of acts on both days. The May 1st show features Paramore, Drake, Something Corporate, Ke$ha, Angels & Airwaves, The Maine, and more. The May 2nd lineup has Weezer, MGMT, Ke$ha, OK Go, Matt & Kim, and Girl Talk, among many others. You can buy NJ Bamboozle tickets here.

You can get a FREE Spin 2010 Bamboozle mixtape download, with 13 songs by Bamboozle artists including Saves the Day, Say Anything, and Wale.

Set times and a map for The Bamboozle in NJ are posted here. 

A few miles away, the May edition of the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival takes place on Sunday with a strong headliner in Fountains of Wayne (which features at least two NJ natives, as far as I know). Also on the bill is a favorite singer-songwriter of mine, Freedy Johnston, who is originally from Kansas but lived in Hoboken for a time and has played at Maxwell's in town many times.

Freedy Johnston goes on at 3 p.m.; the Fountains of Wayne set is scheduled for 4:30. There are local acts performing as well. (Schedules and links to artists for the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival.)