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