originally published: 03/08/2026
Craig Whitaker is asking New Jersey to be in his music video. Not as extras. Not as a backdrop. As the whole point.
Whitaker is calling on residents across the state to submit their own footage — home video clips, phone recordings, anything that captures the places and people that feel like home — to be woven into the official video for his new EP, Where We Grew Up. Submissions are open now here. The deadline is April 6, four days before the EP drops.
It’s an unusual ask. It’s also exactly the kind of thing Blue Claw Country was built to do.
Where We Grew Up arrives April 10, 2026 on all major streaming platforms. Produced by Jim Riley — the drummer of Rascal Flatts — it is the third project Riley and Whitaker have made together, and the fullest expression yet of what Blue Claw Country is: Salt & Pine country music rooted in South Jersey, and the communities that hold both together.
The EP features performances by some of Nashville’s most respected session musicians, including Jenee Fleenor, a multiple CMA Musician of the Year, and Travis Toy, a 16-year Rascal Flatts veteran now touring with Luke Bryan.
On June 20, Whitaker will take the stage at the Barefoot Country Music Festival in Wildwood, New Jersey — the Northeast’s largest outdoor country music festival, drawing more than 100,000 attendees each year. For Whitaker, the show carries more weight than most.
His great-grandfather immigrated from Italy in 1922 and settled in Wildwood. It’s where his family put down roots. Standing on that stage in June will be, in his words, a homecoming in ways that are hard to put into words.
Between now and then, he’s asking New Jersey to come along for the ride.
The community video campaign runs through April 6 at craigwhitakermusic.com/where-we- grew-up. Where We Grew Up is available to pre-save now online and releases everywhere April 10, 2026.
He made the thing he needed. Then he opened the doors.
Craig Whitaker grew up in Salt & Pine — the Atlantic Ocean on one side, the Pine Barrens on the other, and a whole life lived in both. His grandfather's kitchen in Wildwood smelled like basil and tomato sauce. Seagulls through the open windows. Cedar water at Lake Stockwell that stuck to your skin. Campfire smoke and skies so dark, the stars had nowhere to hide. It was home — the texture of ordinary life. And it made him who he is.
Music was there before everything else. Before language, before ambition, before any sense of what it could become.
He played. He wrote. He became a father.
When his kids needed him most, he put the guitar down. Didn't think twice. Being a dad was always the point.
But music sits on your shoulder. It's an itch you can't scratch.
In 2016, Craig went to see Rascal Flatts at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey. He was so moved that he turned to his friends mid-show and said: I'm going to make music again, and I'm going to do it with these guys. He pointed at the stage. His friends told him he was crazy. Three years later he was in Jim Riley's studio in Nashville, cutting his EP.
Where We Grew Up is an unapologetic love letter to New Jersey — the people, the places, the culture that made him who he is. A flag planted in ground he's always believed was worth singing about.
He made the thing he needed. Then he opened the doors.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Award-Winning Rockland Jazz Composer Takes New Live Album to Paramus
(PARAMUS, NJ) -- Popular local jazz act The Peter Furlan Project host their New Jersey album release party for their freshly revealed Live At Maureen's Jazz Cellar at Bergen Community College's Ciccone Theater on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Showtime is 7:30pm.
Vivid Stage presents Old Friends: A Cabaret with Charles Thomas
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center in Summit, will present Old Friends, a cabaret featuring vocalist Charles Thomas and pianist Rick Knutsen on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:00pm.
The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Jonatha Brooke
(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Jonatha Brooke on Friday April 24, 2026 at 7:30pm. The singer-songwriter merges evocative folk, melodic pop, with an edgier roots rock sensibility.
MPAC presents The String Queens on April 24th
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens (TSQ) is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine! The String Queens come to Mayo Performing Arts Center, Friday, April 24, 2026 at 8:00pm.
Sweet Honey in the Rock Brings 50+ Years of Music and Message to McCarter Theatre Center
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Sweet Honey in the Rock, the GRAMMY-nominated vocal ensemble celebrating more than 50 years of artistry, returns to McCarter Theatre Center on Friday, April 24, 2026 with its signature blend of socially conscious and spiritually uplifting music. Showtime is 7:30pm.
Outpost in the Burbs presents Rhett Miller of Old 97's
(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs presents Rhett Miller on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 8:00pm. Rhett is a revered singer-songwriter known for his more than three decades fronting the popular rock band Old 97's who were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2025 Americana Awards at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.
Clint Black Brings His Back On The Blacktop Tour with Special Guest Gareth to CarteretPAC on April 25th
(CARTERET, NJ) -- Clint Black Brings His Back On The Blacktop Tour with Special Guest Gareth to the URSB Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 8:00pm.
Get the Led Out to Perform Three Nights at Scottish Rite Auditorium
(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- The Scottish Rite Auditorium presents three nights of Get the Led Out from April 23-25, 2026. From the bombastic and epic, to the folky and mystical, the band has captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin and brought it to the concert stage.
The Chapin Family presents: Harry Chapin’s Greatest Stories LIVE
(WAYNE, NJ) -- The Chapin Family presents: Harry Chapin’s Greatest Stories LIVE on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at the Shea Center for Performing Arts. In the long rich history of Family Groups in American Roots Music, this family has a special place. When these singers, songwriters and extraordinary live performers come together, magic happens. Showtime is 8:00pm.
Sold-Out Cabaret Returns: The Light Between – A Modern Cabaret Comes to Lincroft on April 25th
(LINCROFT, NJ) -- After selling out 200 seats in just days, The Light Between – A Modern Cabaret returns for a special encore performance Saturday, April 25, 2026 at The Earth Room at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County. Created and performed by PJ Casbar and Tom McCormack, the show blends original music, musical-theater favorites, and modern pop into a character-driven cabaret evening that moves between humor, storytelling, and moments of theatrical surprise. Showtime is 7:30pm.
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