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bergenPAC presents Darlene Love on Sunday



(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) presents Darlene Love, hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine as "one of the greatest singers of all time." She will bring her annual holiday show, Love For The Holidays, to Englewood on Sunday, December 21, 2025 at 7:00pm. Limited tickets remain.


Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center presents Country Icon Trace Adkins in September



(CARTERET, NJ) -- Multi-PLATINUM entertainer Trace Adkins will bring his 30th Anniversary Tour to the URSB Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center on Friday, September 18, 2026, for one night only. The show is part of Adkins' nationwide headline tour celebrating 30 years of chart-topping hits and powerhouse live performances. Showtime is 8:00pm.



Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Psychic" by Surfing for Daisy



by Bob Makin - published 2025-12-19

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Psychic," a local hit by the nationally buzzing Asbury Park band Surfing for Daisy.



Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...12/18/25



by Danny Coleman - published 2025-12-18

"Lord have mercy; the short of it is, I originally come from Wichita, Kansas of all places," laughed Glenn Alexander. "I've been back here in the New York City/New Jersey area for a long time. I have a lot of albums out from my early life, then I took some years off and now I'm back at it; I've spent the last 17 years of my life touring with Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and prior to that, just playing with a long list of folks who are all listed on my website and then, I have this band. They are the horn players from the Asbury Jukes, we've been together nine or ten years. Wow, I've thought about that, we've been together nine or ten years and in '26 I think it will be 10 years because our first album came out in 2016 or somewhere around there. So, yeah, I love that band, it's a great band and those horn players are world class, they've toured and worked with everybody. I'm just excited as heck because JB and I are good friends and I love what he does and his album is killin'. I love that he and I got our heads together on this, it's gonna be a fantastic night of music, I can tell you that."  



Start the New Year with Rikki Lee Wilson's Taylor Swift Tribute at The Broadway Theatre of Pitman



(PITMAN, NJ) -- The Broadway Theatre of Pitman presents Love Story – A Tribute to Taylor Swift from January 2-4, 2026. The show starring Rikki Lee Wilson brings the ultimate Taylor Swift concert experience and has wowed audiences nationwide.






Soul Asylum to bring Acoustic Tour to the area in April



(NEWTON, NJ) -- Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum selling rock band Soul Asylum are heading out on a special acoustic tour in 2026.  Locally, the band will perform at City Winery in Philadelphia (April 14), The Vogel in Red Bank (April 16) and The Newton Theatre in Newton (April 18).



Makin Waves Dirty Jersey Dozen 2025



by Bob Makin - published 2025-12-17

Each year, Makin Waves picks the 12 independent New Jersey-based music acts who made the most waves. That means residing at least half the year in and paying income tax to New Jersey (and not just from here), extensive touring in support of a new original LP or EP, preferably internationally; professional quality narrative videos; singles that garnered broadcast and online radio play and significant streams; national press, and other awards. Note that the Dirty Jersey Dozen are presented in alphabetical order. To get a sense of pecking order, please check out the 27th Annual Makin Waves Awards



People Get Ready: A "Blues & Rock 'N' Roll Summit" is coming to Lizzie Rose Music Room featuring Glenn Alexander & Shadowland plus James JB Barnes & The JB Blues Band



(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- People Get Ready: A Blues and Rock 'N' Roll Summit is coming to Lizzie Rose Music Room, featuring a potent double-bill of New Jersey-based talent: rocker Glenn Alexander & Shadowland featuring Oria and the Asbury Jukes Horns; and some tasty original blues by James 'JB' Barnes and the JB Blues Band. The event takes place Friday, January 30, 2025 at 7:30pm.



27th Annual Makin Waves Awards



by Bob Makin - published 2025-12-16

Makin Waves' annual holiday gift to the New Jersey music scene turns 27 this year with a bevy of goodness, particularly for top winner Ocean Avenue Stompers with three. The awards go to Jersey-based independent bands. And here we go ...



Stone Pony presents The Ocean Avenue Ramble with Jackson Pines and Ocean Avenue Stompers



(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- The Stone Pony will celebrate the club's 52nd anniversary weekend with The Ocean Avenue Ramble - an evening of non-stop co-headline sets by Jackson Pines and Ocean Avenue Stompers culminating in the Pine Barrens Stomp on Friday, February 6, 2026.






 

COLUMNS


Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Psychic" by Surfing for Daisy

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Psychic," a local hit by the nationally buzzing Asbury Park band Surfing for Daisy.




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...12/18/25




This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from December 16-22, 2025




Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Body Cast" by Tiny Cities








 

MORE NEWS

Here are the top 10 albums by New Jersey-based indie artists for 2025, according to Makin Waves.


bergenPAC presents Darlene Love on Sunday




Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center presents Country Icon Trace Adkins in September




Start the New Year with Rikki Lee Wilson's Taylor Swift Tribute at The Broadway Theatre of Pitman




Soul Asylum to bring Acoustic Tour to the area in April








 

UPCOMING SHOWS


Country Artist Jessica Lynn brings her "A Very Merry Classic Christmas" to New Jersey

(WAYNE, NJ) -- Acclaimed Brooklyn-born country artist, Jessica Lynn, is bringing her annual Christmas spectacular: "A Very Merry Classic Christmas" to three venues in New Jersey from December 17-21, 2025. She will be performing shows in Wayne, West Long Branch, and Newton during the ninth run of her holiday show.


The Newton Theatre presents From Good Homes




Lizzie Rose Music Room presents two shows by Steve Forbert




Sixpence None The Richer presents O'Night Divine: A Sixpence Christmas at SOPAC









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