Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk
When you talk about legendary music journalists in the Garden State, the list has to include Jim Testa. He founded a popular zine called Jersey Beat back in 1982 and has written for numerous publications over the years, His main job for the last few decades was at the Jersey Journal until it ceased publication in February.
His next move was to enter the world of Substack where his column, Constant Listener, can now be found.
I was glad to see him continuing on and wanted to learn more about the move to being his own boss - how it was working out, what readers can expect, and what sort of goals he had in mind. We also get into his own music a bit.
You were a writer with the Jersey Journal for over three decades. Even though the signs were moving towards a digital only world for quite some time, did the end come as a surprise to you? Or were you ready for it?
I had two runs with the paper: 1989 – 2002, when it was strictly a print newspaper, and then from 2010-2025, when the column was also on NJ.com. To be honest, I was amazed the paper was able to keep printing for as long as it did. The general public wouldn’t believe how small a staff put that thing out. There wasn’t even an office the last few years, after COVID had all the editors working from home. A handful of very hard working and severely underpaid people kept that paper alive and they have my undying respect and gratitude. So… was I expecting it? Yes. Did it still hurt and was I still a bit surprised when the news came? Also yes.
When the paper ended, you started writing for your own Substack page. How has it been going for you?
Mostly it’s been a very positive experience. I had this crazy idea that I could parlay my reputation into a national readership and actually make some kind of meaningful income from SubStack subscriptions (like, say, Robert Christgau and Greil Marcus.) It turned out that my SubStack column has mostly attracted my Jersey Journal readership; probably increased it, really, since almost no one bought the print paper anymore and once NJ.com introduced a paywall, a lot of musicians couldn’t reading it.
The SubStack got off to a great start, but growth has stalled and it’s been mostly free subscriptions (which I expected; my readers are struggling musicians, not bond traders.) I am considering some alternate strategies but I’m enjoying it and intend to keep going.
I’m sure you miss having the steady gig at the Jersey Journal, but do you feel a sense of artistic freedom with your Substack page? You can now write about whatever you wish - whether it’s a local band or something complete outside of music.
Yes, very much so, and it happened almost immediately. Having that weekly deadline hanging over my head like the Sword of Damocles was inhibiting me. I found that once I wasn’t thinking only in terms of what 800 words I’d turn in on Tuesday, I started writing a lot more – reviews, interviews, show previews, anything that interested me.
What can people expect from you with your Substack? News, interviews, previews? I know you’ve covered theater and other genres of art as well. Have you already ventured outside music with your page?
So far, it’s pretty much paralleled what I was doing at the newspaper – reviews, interviews, upcoming shows. I don’t want to start writing about politics – too many SubStackers do that already – but I hope as I get comfortable with the format, I’ll branch out and do some writing on things other than music. I watch a lot of TV so when the new season starts in September, expect some TV reviews. Maybe movies too.
Are you still teaching? If you are, what do you teach and what you do like best about it?
My second career turned out to be Substitute Teacher. For the past few years, I’ve been working in West New York and primarily (but not entirely) in Special-Ed classes. I really like it. The kids can be a challenge, but they keep me on my toes and, especially with the younger ones, the day can be both rewarding and fun. Coming up with strategies to be more than a glorified babysitter to 25 restless kids is something everyone should have to do at least once! And it does feel like I’m giving back to the community (especially given how little we’re paid!)
Once people sign up for a Substack account they are notified each time there is a story, but what are you doing to get people interested in the account? Or to know about it?
I have personal FB and IG accounts that I use to promote new postings to SubStack as well as items from my other outlets. Also there’s a SubStack network I post on (although I haven’t seen much in the way engagement there yet.) I don’t think a Facebook Page for my SubStack would be especially useful; I already have nearly 5000 “friends” on FB as Jim Testa (or JimJBeat.) That’ll be where you find me yakking about whatever I’m up to.
How often do you post a new piece on Substack?
Before I started, I talked to a few friends who were already on Substack and their advice was: post, post, post! I don’t have a set schedule but I have been posting at least three or four times a week, generally when anything catches my interest.
Do you still freelance elsewhere as well? If so, which outlets can people find you at?
I write a monthly column about Punk Rock for a site called Offshelf.net that covers a lot of different music with an indie bent. You can find my latest column here.
I also write for NJArts.net, Jay Lustig’s site. That’s been fun because I’ve been his go-to guy for theater in Hudson County, reviewing plays in Hoboken and Jersey City. That’s how I started, both in college and then at the Aquarian, doing movies and theater. The zine and music came later.
I do music pieces for NJ Arts as well. For instance, I got to write a profile about up and coming Asbury artist Bobby Mahoney, and I just wrote something about Speed The Plough’s new EP (a collaboration with an Italian classical harpsichordist) which will run on NJArts.net soon.
Tell me about your Substack’s Event Calendar. I’m assuming you compile it yourself. Does it come out once a month? What areas does it cover? How can artists or venues contact you to get on your radar?
There used to be a young woman named Jackie Smith who had a project called JC Music Scene online, where she reposted every show flyer she could find for Hudson County and environs. It was a wonderful resource and she had a lot of followers, but she suffered from burn out and stopped. When I started SubStack, I thought I’d try to do something similar, a page to find out what’s going on with live music, whether it's a city-run concert in the park, Thursday night at a local club, or even bands playing in NYC. One thing I’ve noticed is that bands are only posting Reels to Instagram now; you see it once for 30 seconds and then you can’t find it again. I hope offering a page where things sit for a month will bring in some readers.
A lot of the calendar comes from me taking screenshots of Instagram flyers, although some bands, labels, and promoters do email me with details, which is greatly appreciated. Bands are always welcome to reach out to me at jim@jerseybeat.com, or with a DM to my Jimjbeat FB and IG accounts. This goes for upcoming shows as well as music they’re releasing. Here’s the June calendar.
What has been the best and worst things about Substack?
I like the freedom to post whenever I want from wherever I want. That’s been inviting and inspiring. But, of course, this is the real world: you can’t make people subscribe and if they do subscribe, they mostly subscribe for free, and even then you can’t make them read what you post. So sometimes the engagement is encouraging and sometimes it’s not. (The site does offer excellent metrics.) With the Jersey Journal, I think the only people reading the column towards the end were the bands that I sent clipsheets to. I just didn’t think about it. Now I do.
So, yes, I’m trying to find an audience for what I’m writing about, and of course that’s not easy. But I do get jealous of the 18 year olds on IG with nice smiles and six-packs who seem to instantly get 2 million followers.
Do you have goals for your first year with Substack?
Like anything else I’ve done since I decided to start publishing my own fanzine in 1982, my biggest goal is to have fun being creative. But yes, I would like to grow the readership and maybe even the paid subscription base. I don’t have a Master Plan though. I probably should. One day at a time.
Photo by Dan Bracaglia
Your zine, Jersey Beat, was one of the first ones I ever saw in New Jersey. I know the print publication stopped many years ago, is the website still updated on a regular basis?
Yes. I registered the domain JerseyBeat.com very early on, 1997, and we still update it regularly with reviews and occasional interviews. I don’t devote as much attention to it as I once did, but I have several other writers who really enjoy doing it, so they’re sending in new copy all the time.
The thing that helps the most – and I hope musicians read and understand this – is that when they get a good review, they need to share it with their online audience with the link. That goes for JB, SubStack, or any other outlet. That’s how we all grow. I’ve given some bands with very substantial followings a great review and they don’t bother posting anything, and that’s a bummer.
When you heard the Jersey Journal was closing, did you have any thoughts about trying to make JerseyBeat.com into a business?
Easy one: No. Jersey Beat sold advertising and had a tiny amount of circulation income, but every dime went back into the zine, which is how we grew from 12 to 108 pages with glossy covers. But I never wanted it to be my job. I have huge respect for Jack Rabid, who does The Big Takeover, but I always felt that once it was my job and not just a cool hobby, I’d flame out pretty quickly.
Just a couple quick ones to finish out: Who’s the latest artist to get on your radar that you’re loving?
New Bands: Check out Minot, a young trio from Missoula Montana. Mike from Screaming Females has a new band called Dauber who are great. Locally, there’s a teenage band in Hoboken called 3 Dollars who keep surprising me; they just keep getting better. Finding new bands to get excited about has never been a problem; when anyone says “rock is dead,” I just tell them that they aren’t paying attention.
How often do you go out to see shows these days?
I don’t get out to shows as often as I used to or as often as I’d like. Now that school’s out for the summer and I don’t have to get up at dawn, I hope to get out a little more often. That said, I’m sure I see live music a good deal more than most folks my age, or even half my age; at least several times a month.
How often do you perform on stage?
I enjoy doing my folksinger thing but I’ve put it on the back burner. You really need to work at being a musician to be any good, and I just didn’t have the time, energy, or passion. (You can still find the songs I’ve written and recorded at jimtesta.bandcamp.com)
I will still get up to play if someone asks me. Most recently I was part of a Bob Dylan Tribute Night at Little City Books in Hoboken, and Lazlo just asked me to do something for his next BlowUpRadio.com webathon, so I am going to work on that.
Who is the one Jersey artist you’d most love to see make it on a national level?
Bands I’d Like to See “Make It:” Phoneboy and The Happy Fits are two bands who formed in NJ and have been touring to big crowds all across the country. They already have sizable followings, they’re just not on the radio or the festival circuit yet. But if I were a betting man, that’s who I’d bet on. They’re talented, they work really hard, they have amazing rapport with their fans, and they’re the kind of people you’d like to see get a break.
It's crazy seeing the Front Bottoms are playing three shows at Met Life Stadium, opening for Kings of Leon and Zach Bryan. The first time I saw them was at the all-ages Meat Locker in Montclair. And who knows, maybe they’ll win over some Zach Bryan fans. It hasn’t happened often but it’s crazy when bands you wrote about when they were unknown start playing gigs you can’t afford tickets to.
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