For the past seven months, New Jersey Stage has been reporting on the great events taking place across the Garden State. On May 2 at 7:30pm, the magazine will host an event of its own at the Strand Theatre in Lakewood, NJ when three great singer-songwriters: Matt Keating, Arlan Feiles, and George Wirth take the stage.
Known throughout the Jersey Shore for his 106.3 hits “Sanity in the Asylum” and “McHappiness”, Matt Keating is touring in support of his recently released album, This Perfect Crime. It is the 11th album by the New York City artist who is a favorite of NPR radio. The night also features the talented local artists Arlan Feiles (Matawan) and George Wirth (Brick), who are making their return to The Strand.
“Arlan Feiles is coming off the performance of a lifetime during the 50th anniversary of the March from Selma to Montgomery where he was among some of the biggest political names in the country,” said Gary Wien, publisher of New Jersey Stage.
Feiles and Wirth were both featured in Wien’s book, Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists; each placing two albums in the list.
The concert will be one of The Strand’s BackStage Pass shows in which both the performers and the audience are situated on the stage. The setting makes for a unique and intimate gathering in the theatre. To make the night even more unique, New Jersey Stage will broadcast the entire night live on its online radio station, The Penguin Rocks and spin songs from the station in between sets.
“The Strand was chosen because we love their BackStage Pass shows,” explain Wien. “It turns the theater into a living room of sorts in which the performers and the artists are connected. The Strand is also very easy to get to from throughout Central New Jersey with a location just a few miles off of I-195 and Route 9. Plus it has plenty of parking directly across from the venue, which is always nice.”
The Penguin has broadcast live from The Strand on several occasions throughout the years and the goal is to make this a monthly show spotlighting New Jersey artists as well as performers from the New York City and Philadelphia areas.
The Strand is located at 400 Clifton Avenue in Lakewood, NJ. Admission is $15. For more information on The Strand visit www.strand.org.
We hope you can join us for a truly wonderful night of music by three great songwriters.
