Also featured this week are Butch Pielka Memorial Concert, Rhyme & Reason Records, Live at the Fillmore, Taylor Tote Band, NJarts.net benefit, Blowup Radio’s “Banding Together,” Pattenburg House Breast Cancer Benefit, RGD, and Mike Herz.
The fall edition of Asbury Park Punk Rock Flea Market will be Oct. 7 in historic Convention Hall. The all-ages event will feature more than 125 distinctively curated vendors of vinyl, music instruments, vintage clothing, handmade jewelry, artwork, housewares and other oddities with a rock n' roll theme. Four bands will perform upstairs from the vending floor in the Overlook, which features a full bar with panoramic views of the beach, boardwalk and Atlantic Ocean. Performing will be 6 to 8 Mathematics, The Vansaders, Downtrotter, and Coward. Each performance will be preceded by a raffle giveaway of tickets to local shows at the Stone Pony and WonderBar.
An all-ages after party in conjunction with Aftermath Collective will follow at Asbury Park Brewery with Sick Shit, Replicant, L.M.I. and Stinger. The local DIY event also takes place during the winter holidays and in the spring.
New York instrumental trio The Royal Arctic Institute will release their sophomore album, “Accidental Achievement,” on Oct. 19 on Jersey City-based Rhyme & Reason Records. Playing what they call “post-everything jazz,” meaning that it’s an eclectic hybrid of various styles, the trio consist of guitarist John Leon, who played in influential garage-rocker Roky Erickson’s band; Phantom Tollbooth bassist Gerard Smith, and Das Damen drummer Lyle Hysen. The first single and video, “The Grubert Effect,” was inspired by French writer Moebius’ “The Airtight Garage” in that, like the structure and setting of the story, it has three parts or dimensions. The trio will play North Jersey Indie Rock Festival on Oct. 6 at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City with label mates Black Wail and Glenn Morrow’s Cry for Help and a slew of bands on four other New Jersey indie labels: Mint 400, Sniffling Indie Kids, Little Dickman and State Champion. The Royal Arctic Institute also will play Oct. 18, Piano’s, New York City; Oct. 19, The Nest, Brooklyn; Oct. 20, The Guitar Bar Jr. Jersey City; Nov. 9, Quinn’s, Beacon, N.Y.; Nov. 11, The Bowery Electric, New York City, and Nov. 13, The Pet Shop, Jersey City.
In other Rhyme & Reason news, Pronoun has released a fun and wonderfully weird new video for a tune entitled “Wrong” about backward glances at second chances. The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter will be on the road the first two weeks of next month throughout the Midwest and Northeast with regional dates Nov. 5, Brighton Music Hall, Boston; Nov. 6, Bowery Ballroom, New York City; Nov. 8, The Fillmore, Philadelphia; Nov. 9, U Street Music Hall, Washington, D.C., and Nov. 11, Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pa.
And Glenn Morrow’s Cry for Help have a new song out called “Yellowed Pages” about the lost art of talking on the phone, as well as the human condition. You can hear it live at the aforementioned Indie Rock Fest, which would be the noble and needed thing to do, or you can stream on Spotify here.
A show honoring the legacy of original Stone Pony co-owner and manager, Robert “Butch” Pielka, will be Oct. 7 at the Pony. Pielka opened the Pony in 1974 with business partner Jack Roig. He passed away June 9 at age 71 following a lengthy illness. “Cats on a Smooth Surface Reunion & Friends – A Tribute to Butch” will benefit Asbury Angels Project, which recognizes Asbury scenesters who have passed with a plaque on the boardwalk, and also raise funds for Light of Day Foundation’s efforts to combat Parkinson’s disease. The show will feature a reunion of 1980s house band Cats on a Smooth Surface with founders Joel Krauss and Harry Filkin, original keyboardist Peter Schulle, and alumni Bobby Bandiera, Glen Burtnik, Vinny Daniele and more. Cats was Bruce Springsteen’s favorite band to sit in with during numerous unannounced appearances throughout the ’80s at the Pony, including nearly every Sunday in the Summer of 1982.
Musical highlights also will include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez and Bobby Campanell teaming up for the first-ever The Shakes reunion, plus Sounds of Asbury Park veteran Lance Larson and longtime Pony DJ Lee Mrowicki, now the host of “Radio Jersey” on AsburyMusic.com.
If you miss the Allman Brothers Band as much as I do, I highly recommend seeing Live at the Fillmore, a spot-on tribute to the original lineup, Oct. 10 at the Theatre at Woodbridge Middle School. The Music on Main Street/Woodbridge Arts event will focus largely on the 1971 breakthrough double live album, “At Fillmore East,” as well as several box sets that capture all six legendary shows the Allmans did at the influential New York City venue in March and June of ’71.
Taylor Tote Band are taking a break from the studio to headline a night celebrating the power of females on Oct. 6 at Asbury Lanes. Opening sets by fellow female-led bands Pepperwine and Nalani & Sarina will kick off the evening. Taylor said she was excited to make her debut at the legendary venue, which reopened under new management in June.
“For months since it’s opened back up, I’ve been dying to get in on a show there, and now I’m headlining!” she said. “So amazing. I can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been up to in the studio. We’ve written some new songs and have been recording some singles which are turning out awesome. And I’m more than excited to play with Nalani & Sarina and Pepperwine.”
What an amazing lineup veteran arts and entertainment writer Jay Lustig has put together to benefit NJArts.net. On Oct. 6, Richard Barone and James Mastro — bandmates in the influential Hoboken-based alt-rock band The Bongos -- who also released the Mitch Easter-produced album together, “Nuts and Bolts,” in 1983 — will perform a rare set as a duo at Tierney’s Tavern in Montclair. They’ll perform both on their own and with backing from Montclair-based Bar/None recording act Elk City, who will also open the show. Glenn Mercer of the legendary New Jersey band The Feelies also will perform with his own Glenn Mercer Band.
Speaking of Banding Together, BlowUpRadio.com returns once again to do just that with its annual benefit for the Spondylitis Association of America. The charitable extravaganza to battle a rare but very debilitating disease suffered by the wife of BlowUp mastermind Lazlo will include a concert series, live webathon and charity compilation album featuring dozens of indie New Jersey acts. The Banding Together concerts are Oct. 12, Clash Bar, Clifton, with Evil Annie & The Ants, Jenny & The Felines, Lion-Hearted, Match Party; Oct.13, Espresso Joe’s, Keyport, with Deirdre Forrest, Drive Kid, Frank Patrouch, Hal Guitarist, Jersey Drive, Joe Schroeck, John Van Ness & Tauree, Joshua Bicknell, Rhonette Smith, and Tony Tedesco; Nov. 9, Brighton Bar, Long Branch, with Jon Caspi & The First Gun feat. Dez Cadena, Pubbyboy, a reunion of Maze Effect, and more to be announced soon.
The Benefit Webathon from Oct 19 to 21 will feature performances by Brian Rothenbeck, Dave Vargo, Diego Allessandro, Ernston, Jenny Cat, Jerry Lardieri of The Brixton Riot, Laree Cisco, Happy Joe Canzano, Joshua Van Ness, Keith Beck's Zigman Bird, Keith Monacchio, Kim Boyko, Mick Chorba of the Successful Failures, Amanda Rose Riley, Deena Shoskes & Jon Fried of The Cucumbers, Jeff Devito of Particle Zoo, Jim Testa, Ruby Bones, Sonofdov, The Mighty Alrighty, The Williamsboy, Ziggy Grover and much more. And the Banding Together digital compilation, available at http://spondy.bandcamp.com on Oct. 12, will feature unreleased tracks by several of the aforementioned artists, plus A Halo Called Fred, Beth Wimmer, Catherine Wacha, Christian Beach, Colie Brice III, Dw. Dunphy, erase:rewind, Fuhgawee Hunting Club, Jersey Drive, Rabbit Velvet, Shotgun Bill, The Fisherman & The Sea, The Subteraneans, The Wag, Tura Lura, Wiser Time, Ziggy Grover and much more.
Also on the charitable tip, the Pattenburg House will host a Breast Cancer Awareness Benefit headlined by two frequent vocalists there who are survivors: Tracy Sousa of What the Funk? and Venture to Zen and Carol Struble. The lineup also will feature Jim Weider of The Band, Geerbox, Love Committee, Black Cross Band, Honey Badgers and a special appearance by former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes. The champ will sign pink boxing gloves to help raise additional funds for beneficiary, American Cancer Society.
Veteran indie rockers RGD, featuring members of The Fletchers, Roadside Graves, Dandelion Fire, Rotator Cuff, and The Court Jesters, are Makin Waves with a couple of high-profile shows and other doings. Having recently opened for the New Brunswick-inspired off-Broadway sci-fi musical, “The Eleventh Hour,” the group will play Oct. 7 at Old Franklin Schoolhouse, Metuchen, with Roadside Graves, Lowlight and Community Center, and Nov. 10 at Pino’s in their hometown of Highland Park with Brother JT and Naughty Clouds. Recently featured on WFMU 91.1-FM and WTSR 91.3, the band have started recording their sophomore album and contributed “Hey Louise” from the 2017 “Northern Late Nights” debut to Bongo Boy Records’ latest “Out of the Garage” compilation.
By the way, The Fletchers also have a gig this weekend on Oct. 6 at John and Peter’s in New Hope with the Foxfires.
Newton-based singer-songwriter Mike Herz has been gigging steady in support of his latest release, “Live in NYC,” including two of the most prestigious folk festivals in the country, Falcon Ridge and Rocky Mountain. The live album follows three studio releases. Three of his songs are featured in the web series, “All Talk.” Herz plans to head back into the studio in the spring to record his next LP. In the meantime, he will play Oct. 6, Twelve Moons Coffeehouse, Salisbury, Conn.; Oct. 9, The Pierce Sessions, Farmingdale, with internationally renowned songwriter John Elliot, whose music has been heard on TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” “One Tree Hill,” and “Californication”; Nov. 9, Stanhope House, with fellow singer-songwriters SonofDov and Rob Williams and Pushchart Prize-winning poet BJ Ward, and Nov. 10, The Way Station, Brooklyn.
Bob Makin is the reporter for www.MyCentralJersey.com/entertainment and a former managing editor of The Aquarian Weekly, which launched this column in 1988. Contact him at makinwaves64@yahoo.com. And like Makin Waves at www.facebook.com/makinwavescolumn.
