"I'm lucky, I've got a great and fun hobby playing music," says the happy go lucky artist Matt Portella as he talked music, his band mates and more ahead of his upcoming January 25 show at The Vault in Berlin, NJ. ... READ ON

Montclair-based singer-songwriter Olivia Rohlfs is premiering the new video for her debut single, “June 8th,” with Makin Waves at NewJerseyStage.com. Also featured are The Grip Weeds,  Pino's,  The Clydes, Windows of Understanding, Leah Jenea, Bulletproof Belv, The Beagles, Oh Elis, Mikell’s Plot, Connor Bracken & the Mother Leeds Band, Tyler Veit, Cook Thugless, Jackson Pines, Houston & the Dirty Rats, Ezra Caspi, Jon Caspi & the First Gun, Ella Ross, Howl Peak Productions, Dinosaur Eyelids, and Mike Frank & Friends... READ ON

Gypsy jazz pioneer Django Reinhardt is a masterful musician’s musician who has influenced head Deadhead Jerry Garcia and his bluegrass buddy David Grisman, abandoned Allman Brother Dickey Betts, the classical axe of Julian Bream, session everyman Chet Atkins, and fellow jazz greats Wes Montgomery and Charlie Byrd. In May in little ol’ Maplewood, NJ, that influence once again will be celebrated with Django disciple Stephane Wrembel’s annual Django a Go Go, a guitar gathering that brings together players from all over the world. This year, the six-string summit will culminate in an all-star concert on May 9 at New York City’s Town Hall.... READ ON

Irvington-raised sacred steel guitarist Robert Randolph is nominated for his sixth Grammy Awards, which will take place Jan. 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Nominated in the Best Contemporary Blues Album for his “Brighter Days” LP, he is vying for his first win. ... READ ON

"You can't judge a book by its cover" is an old adage and Jesper Lindgren and Jonas Ericksson may be the perfect example of this tried and true saying. Together the duo make up the Swedish act Velvet Insane and even though they have the look of 80's metal musicians they have a sound which begs to differ. ... READ ON

Power-poppin’ super-group The Weeklings will celebrate the release of their third studio LP, “3,” Jan. 17 at the Stone Pony in their home base of Asbury Park, the final date on their Light of Day Winterfest tour that includes stops in Montclair, Philadelphia, New York City and Asbury’s Paramount Theatre. ... READ ON

Art has always been about connecting us to the past.  Hundreds of years after Shakespeare’s death, theatres around the world still perform his plays. People visit museums to see works by artists from the Renaissance era. And music from more than 150 years ago fits nicely into sets by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, a married duo whose song “Ashokan Farewell” was the hallmark of the Ken Burns’ Civil War series. ... READ ON

It’s New Year’s Eve this December 31, 2019 evening and the celebration is already underway at the Etess Arena inside Atlantic City, NJ’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Tonight’s rockin’ event provided by Atlantic City’s premiere entertainment destination is an evening of party music presented by ’70s favorites Kool & the Gang and KC and the Sunshine Band.... READ ON

Keb’ Mo’ is a four-time Grammy Award-winning Delta blues musician who has performed with Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Keith Richards, Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy, Metallica, and many others. He’s appeared on Sesame Street with Kermit the Frog, Grover, and Elmo, and on the series finale of the TV show, The West Wing. On this wintry December 18, 2019 evening, however, Keb’ Mo’ is starring in his live Jingle Bell Jamboree holiday show at Northwestern NJ’s Newton Theatre.... READ ON

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Highwind, a two-piece pop-rock outfit based out of Asbury Park, is premiering the video for "2023" - a stand-alone single that is available on Spotify, iTunes, iHeart Radio, Bandcamp, and pretty much anywhere you can buy or stream music.... READ ON