(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs has announced four in-person concerts for the 2021-2022 season including the season opener featuring The Bongos at the Van Vleck House and Gardens on September 19th. This will be the first in-person show presented by the Outpost since the coronavirus pandemic forced its doors to shut last year.
“We are looking forward to reopening and having in-person concerts again, as we have missed the live interaction between the artists and the audience,” said Board of Trustees member Al Mercuro. He added, “We have been reviewing various state and industry safety guidelines including the ones from the Event Safety Alliance. Our ultimate goal is to provide a safe environment for our audience and artists when we reopen. Specific information is forthcoming.”
The Bongos were founding fathers of the Hoboken pop scene of the 1980s and, with a handful of others, were progenitors of the Indie Rock movement that followed. Led by Richard Barone, the group recorded its debut album Drums Along the Hudson (1982, PVC Records) primarily in England. With its unique mix of Beatlesque melodies, experimental outbursts, sensual rhythms, power pop and punk sensibilities, the album was a critical smash on both sides of the Atlantic and a college radio staple in the U.S., spawning their Billboard-charting cover of the T.Rex classic “Mambo Sun”.
Relentless touring led to signing with RCA Records, the addition of guitarist James Mastro, and the release of the group's sweeping signature song “Numbers with Wings” (1983, RCA). Its accompanying video became an instant MTV favorite, earning a nomination at the first Video Music Awards. Tracks like “Barbarella” and “Tiger Nights” fared well on the fledgling alternative radio format and further raised the group’s profile. They released Beat Hotel (RCA) in 1985, a year that saw them perform over 300 concerts. At the end of that year, they retreated to the Bahamas with music legend Chris Blackwell and co-producer Eric “E.T.”
Thorngren to record what was to become their long-lost Phantom Train album, which finally saw the light of day in 2013. By 1987, each member of the group, Barone, Mastro, bassist Rob Norris, and drummer Frank Giannini began to pursue solo projects and other collaborations, and performances by The Bongos became increasingly rare. In 2013 they reunited to perform on the final night of their beloved home club Maxwell’s in Hoboken, the venue where they were also the first act to perform. Since then they have reunited for special events, minitours, and select concert appearances celebrating four decades of Hoboken pop.
The lineup is as follows: (more concerts might be added)
* 9/19/21: The Bongos at the Van Vleck House and Gardens (Note: This is an outdoor venue. In case of rain, the show will be held indoors at the First Congregational church).
* 10/8/21: Robyn Hitchcock
* 3/18/22 Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche
* 4/28/22 Shawn Colvin - Steady On 30th Anniversary Tour
Ticket Information: Tickets for these shows are on sale now and can be purchased via TicketLeap at www.outpostintheburbs.org
Outpost in the Burbs is an all-volunteer nonprofit outreach organization in Montclair dedicated to building community through music, service, and cultural events. For over 30 years, the Outpost has presented more than 450 concerts by internationally known artists such as Judy Collins, Roger McGuinn,, Jorma Kaukonen, Jimmy Webb, Richie Havens, The Jayhawks, Nick Lowe, and Dar Williams. In addition to presenting concerts, Outpost volunteers have donated many hours of their time through programs affiliated with Toys for Tots, the Human Needs Food Pantry of Montclair, the Community Food Bank of N.J., Dress for Success, MESH (Montclair Emergency Services for the Homeless), and a soup kitchen run by Outpost volunteers in Orange, NJ.
