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Monthly MAC Music Café to Take Place on Sunday

Published by New Jersey Stage
02/08/2024

(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- The Middletown Arts Center presents the monthly MAC Music Café showcase, an afternoon of live music performed by top-notch musicians, on Sunday, February 11, 2024 from 4:00pm-6:00pm. This month's singer-songwriter showcase features local talent Dan Toye, Kevin Liebkemann, Steve Kunzman and John Siehl. The concert will take place in the MAC theater. The event is free with a suggested donation of $5.

The Middletown Arts Center is located at 36 Church Street in Middletown, NJ (next to the Middletown train station). Free parking is available onsite with additional free parking available in the station-metered lot on weekday evenings after 6:00pm and on weekends.

Dan Toye has been playing and singing for many years. He recently retired after 37 years working in a paper mill, which accounts for the grit in his voice and the muscle in his original songs. He began appearing again 15 years ago when Espresso Joe’s in Keyport, N.J. opened its doors. Dan was the first artist to perform there and he's been playing many area venues since then, while making a lot of friends in local live music. His CD, “Goin Home” has garnered much praise among fans and peers alike, and is available on Apple Music, iTunes, CD Baby and other streaming media as well as at his shows. Dan loves a live audience and they love him!

Kevin Liebkemann writes songs telling stories about love gone right, love gone wrong, all the little bumps in the road of life, and his primary vice (good food). He hosts the Seaside Ramblers, a jam group known for its lively sessions on the Seaside Boardwalk and its delicious potluck dinners. Kevin serves up his home-cooked songs at local shows, open mics and jams and you can keep up with him at ReverbNation.

Steve Kunzman is a musician and singer/songwriter from New Jersey. Steve has released two CDs of original songs, Find the Moon and Back Home. Both collections are available on iTunes, Spotify, and other streaming services. Steve has performed throughout the Northeast as a solo artist and with various bands, including the roots rock group, Rodeo Gyspies, in which Steve played guitars, mandolin, and sang. Steve has, also, played guitar, dobro, mandolin and banjo as a sideman with various other songwriters. Information on upcoming performances and other information are available at his website.





 

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The Middletown Arts Center is an award-winning, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to bringing quality arts programming and events to New Jersey. Although the building is owned by Middletown Township, it is operated by the Middletown Township Cultural & Arts Council, Inc. (MCTAC), a 501c3 organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of life of local residents by supporting and promoting the arts. The needs of our community drive our arts program planning.


 



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Don

Don McLean & Lee Greenwood

Sunday, November 15, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center
Morristown, NJ

Two iconic singers perform their hits and celebrate America’s 250 birthday! Singer/songwriter Don McLean is best known for the classic hit “American Pie,” as well as “Vincent” and “Castles in the Air.” Country superstar Lee Greenwood has seven top charting singles, including “I.O.U,” “It Turns Me Inside Out,” and the patriotic favorite, “God Bless the U.S.A.”

 

Song

Song of the Meadowlark

Sunday, November 15, 2026 @ 2:30pm
Highland Design Farm
Hopewell, NJ

A meditative rock odyssey weaving reimagined contemporary songs, stream-of-consciousness poetry and live painting.

 

The

The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
Tuckerton, NJ

Blues guitar virtuoso Nick Moss and harmonica wizard Dennis Gruenling have been on a winning streak since they first joined forces in 2016. With relentless nonstop touring and the release of their Alligator Records debut, The High Cost Of Low Living, in 2018, The Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling has been playing for wildly enthusiastic fans and winning over critics and radio programmers worldwide. 

 

Michael

Michael McDermott

Thursday, November 19, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
Tuckerton, NJ

Michael McDermott’s brand of rock n’ roll brims with the kind of well-honed style and wisdom that can only come from a career on the road and a pedigree in the studio. Effortlessly blending natural folk sensibility, pop hooks, and honest rock, McDermott’s music is as much for the outcast as the congregation. It’s an exploration of the dark corners of life’s journey and it resonates middle class truths through the passionate filter of a kid that grew up on Chicago’s Irish South Side.

 

10,000

10,000 Maniacs

Thursday, November 19, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center
Morristown, NJ

10,000 Maniacs – 45 Years of Timeless Music

 

ADVANCED EVENTS

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EVENT PREVIEWS

(PARAMUS, NJ) -- The Forte Piano Music Company presents a Piano Trio Concert - "Exquisite Contrasts" - Haydn & Schubert on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 2:30pm. This program brings together two landmarks of the piano trio repertoire, revealing the evolution of the genre from the Classical era to early Romanticism.



Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki

Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki

(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Come to the Mahwah Museum on Sunday, November 15, 2026 for a discussion of a 29-year friendship, rare memorabilia, and the story behind Les Paul's home with Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki from his nearly three-decade friendship with legendary musician and inventor Les Paul. The event begins at 2:00pm.



Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition to take place on Sunday

Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition to take place on Sunday

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- You can get your holiday shopping done on Sunday, November 15, 2026 when Anchor Rock Club hosts the Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition.  The event runs from noon to 6:00pm.



Song of the Meadowlark takes place on Sunday in Hopewell

Song of the Meadowlark takes place on Sunday in Hopewell

(HOPEWELL, NJ) -- Song of the Meadowlark takes place Sunday, November 15, 2026 at Highland Design Farm. This is a meditative rock odyssey weaving reimagined contemporary songs, stream-of-consciousness poetry, and live painting. Doors are at 2:00pm, showtime is 2:30pm.



Avenel Performing Arts Center presents Chris Smither

Avenel Performing Arts Center presents Chris Smither

(AVENEL, NJ) -- Chris Smither will perform at the Avenel Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 7:30pm. Born in Miami, during World War II, Chris Smither grew up in New Orleans where he first started playing music as a child. The son of a Tulane University professor, he was taught the rudiments of instrumentation by his uncle on his mother's ukulele.



Rufus Wainwright to Perform with Princeton "Super-Orchestra" at McCarter Theatre

Rufus Wainwright to Perform with Princeton "Super-Orchestra" at McCarter Theatre

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- On Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 7:30pm, GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright takes the McCarter stage for one night only with the Princeton Playhouse Sinfonia, a dynamic new collaborative ensemble created specifically for this concert.



Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor

Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor

(PRINCETON, NJ) — The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor on Friday, November 20, 2026 in an evening of upbeat and bubbling song filled with enthusiasm and love. The concert takes place at Christ Congregation Church in Princeton. Showtime is 8:00pm. A livestream option is available as well.



Private Eyes Brings the Greatest Hits of Hall & Oates to the Strand Center for the Arts

Private Eyes Brings the Greatest Hits of Hall & Oates to the Strand Center for the Arts

(LAKEWOOD, NJ) -- Few musical acts defined the sound of the late 1970s and 1980s quite like Daryl Hall and John Oates. On Friday, November 20, 2026, the Strand Center for the Arts will celebrate their extraordinary catalog when Private Eyes – The Premier Tribute To Daryl Hall & John Oates takes the stage for an evening of classic pop, rock, and blue-eyed soul. Showtime is 8:00pm.



NJPAC to Celebrate Ben Vereen

NJPAC to Celebrate Ben Vereen's 80th Birthday with All-Star Concert on November 21st

(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Ben Vereen's 80th Birthday Concert on Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 8:00pm. This special one-night only celebration is part of NJPAC’s 2026 TD James Moody Jazz Festival (November 6-22). Several of today's leading Broadway stars and vocalists unite for a spectacular birthday bash performance toasting the legendary actor/dancer/singer Ben Vereen who turns 80 on October 10, 2026.



Musicians on a Mission to Celebrate 16th Anniversary with Gala Concert at Jersey Shore Arts Center

Musicians on a Mission to Celebrate 16th Anniversary with Gala Concert at Jersey Shore Arts Center

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Musicians on a Mission (MOAM) will celebrate sixteen years of friends helping friends through music with a special anniversary gala and concert on Sunday, November 22, 2026, at the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove.


 

 


 

COLUMNS


Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Gates" by The Carousers

More than 70 acts have banded together to support the Eden Autism school in Princeton. Carousers vocalist-guitarist Joey Affatato organized and curated "Play for Purpose, Vol. 2," a music compilation to give back to the organization that holds a very special place in his heart. His brother, Alex, attends the Adult Services Day Program. 




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites... 11/13/2026




This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from November 10-16, 2026




Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Josephine" by Emily Grove





 
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MORE NEWS

Brazilian-born, New Jersey-based singer-songwriter Gabriela Glynn, who records as The Red Betty, will release Bourbon Years & Holler Tears, on November 20, 2026. Introduced by lead single "Drink You Gone," out now, the album blends vintage country, Americana, folk and blues in stories of heartbreak, resilience and the search for belonging.


Jake Tavill releases "Walk With Me"




Alex Warren to perform at UBS Arena




Makin Waves with Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of TSO




Stangl Stage presents John Gorka






 

UPCOMING SHOWS


Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki

(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Come to the Mahwah Museum on Sunday, November 15, 2026 for a discussion of a 29-year friendship, rare memorabilia, and the story behind Les Paul's home with Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki from his nearly three-decade friendship with legendary musician and inventor Les Paul. The event begins at 2:00pm.


Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition to take place on Sunday




Song of the Meadowlark takes place on Sunday in Hopewell




Avenel Performing Arts Center presents Chris Smither






Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, click here for info




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