The Jersey City Independent "

In this Tipsheet: A New Venue for Live Music Emerges | Red Bull Looks to Bring its Air Race to Liberty State Park | Indie Retail Comes to Hamilton Square | Snow Ball Set for Jan. 23

A New Venue for Live Music Emerges

Keep your eye on Boca Grande, which is gearing up to be Chilltown’s newest live music venue. The cavernous Washington Boulevard space in the Newport area used to be known as Olé, but owner Andrew Gable went 50/50 with Keith Mannino on the new concept.

With a new stage put up last month and a permanent PA system currently being installed, Boca Grande seems to be aggressively courting those looking for alternatives to the rock-heavy Downtown music scene. Local jazzmaster Bryan Beninghove has been tapped to bring a regular free show to the venue, much like the one he used to organize at the Lamp Post a few years back, with a rotating cast of musicians. That starts tonight, when his Quartet will play; on the 27th, look for the skronky (and excellent) Beninghove’s Hangmen to bring the weirdness.

In addition, the bar manager Isaura “Izzi” Olmos tells us that Tuesday nights will soon feature live son and merengue bands for the salsa crowd, and Fridays are reserved for Goth parties.

“We are starting,” she says. “This is gonna be the place.”

Red Bull Looks to Bring its Air Race to Liberty State Park

Back in 2001, the soft drink company Red Bull came up with one of those ideas you might have heard late one night at your local tavern: let’s create a new sport that merges flying with motor racing!

The difference here is that Red Bull went on to launch the Red Bull Air Race, which is now entering its eighth official year, while those barflies … well, they probably didn’t. Red Bull sent a representative to this week’s City Council caucus to help bring the international small-plane flying competition to Liberty State Park on June 19 and 20. The Jersey City show, on Father’s Day weekend, would be one of nine such shows worldwide in 2010.

Bruce Bedell, an events marketing manager for Red Bull North America, told the council that past shows in San Diego and Detroit attracted tens of millions of dollars to those cities because of the large numbers of out-of-town visitors attending the events. While both of those races brought in more spectators (290,000 in Detroit/Windsor, Ontario and 105,000 in San Diego) than the 60,000 to 70,000 people the company is looking to bring to Jersey City, Bedell argued that the economic benefit of hosting the event would still be palpable. The show’s crew itself represents a revenue boost for the city’s hotels, with approximately 350 workers staying in Jersey City for about three weeks, he pointed out.

“[It's] one of the most efficient events I’ve ever seen run,” Ward B councilman David Donnelly said on Monday. He should know; he and Ward D councilman Bill Gaughan attended the Detroit/Windsor race last June, on what has got to be the most unusual fact-finding mission any council members had all year. Both spoke very highly of the event and its organizers.

Of course, while somewhere deep down everyone loves low-flying planes, racing and spectacle, many of us vividly remember the air collision over the Hudson River that occurred in the summer. Should we be concerned about bringing the show here? Red Bull reps say no, pointing to the fact that there have been 48 incident-free race events in the past five years.

“The Red Bull Air Race New York will be coordinated with precise alignment and cooperation with local authorities on both sides of the Hudson River, as well as with the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Control and the Flight Standards District Office well in advance of the race weekend to ensure a safe and exciting race event for spectators, residents and our highly-skilled pilots,” Red Bull spokesperson Maddy Stephens says.

But Stephens’ comments make us wonder: Can’t Jersey City lobby for a name change here? Outgoing city business administrator Brian O’Reilly pressed the Red Bull rep on this issue at Monday’s caucus. While he promised that all the promotional materials would say Jersey City it looks to us like the formal title will continue to bear the name of our neighbor to the east. Guys, if you want to call it Red Bull Air Race New York, we’ve heard the East River is lovely in mid-June. Just pretend that strung-out hipster on the Greenpoint waterfront is the Statue of Liberty; the resemblance is uncanny.

Indie Retail Comes to Hamilton Square

The new year has brought at least one change in the Hamilton Park retail scene, with Smith & Chang’s General Store opening its doors on Jan. 4.

The store, located in the Hamilton Square buiding on the corner of Erie and Pavonia, takes its name from its founders, Sawyer Smith and Alex Chang, who on a recent sunny morning welcomed this reporter into the store to explain what they described as a dream that’s been a long time coming. If those names sound familiar, they should: this couple has been involved in the successful stewardship of two Downtown Jersey City staples — Basic on 8th Street and Beechwood on Grove.

Smith and Chang had already outfitted the store with all sorts of housewares, peculiarities and knick-knacks — both vintage and new — all beautifully presented and clearly well-crafted. Each item has been hand-selected, and, frankly, it shows. (The particular kitchen brushes we were sitting in front of, they pointed out, had been handcrafted by students at a German school for the blind.)

Both Smith and Chang explained that the store was part of their “commitment to sustainable living” and an attempt to have Jersey City residents shop locally, and to perhaps avoid the many big box stores that are in — but not of — our community. Reached later by email, Smith expounded on that point.

“It cannot be overstated how important we think it is to shop from your local merchants,” he says. “The trend toward huge box stores to supply everything from furniture to food has fed our throwaway society. The easiest and best thing you can do for the environment is to purchase thoughtfully designed, well-crafted goods that will last from your neighborhood stores.”

And a neighborhood store this is. The two said they hoped to be part of the renaissance of Hamilton Park; the renovated park will re-open soon and the Hamilton Square development will soon bring other stores — a restaurant, wine shop, pet supply store, health club and health food market — to a now mostly residential, but well-populated, neighborhood.

Smith and Chang say they’ll host plenty of events at the store as well, from informational seminars on everything from how to sharpen your knives to how to clean using natural products; and of course, local artists and artisans — from potters to weavers to craftspeople — will have the opportunity to showcase their wares too.

Some of the most impressive pieces in the store, in this reporter’s opinion, were the large furniture items, all wood with the homey decorative details you just can’t get from IKEA. The store is currently open Tuesday through Sunday.

Snow Ball Set for Jan. 23

It’s time to roust those vintage suits and dresses out of your closets. That’s right, Art House Productions’ fourth annual Snow Ball is set for Saturday, Jan. 23.

The annual “black tie creative” champagne gala that draws about 150 people is the nonprofit arts group’s biggest fundraiser of the year, bringing in between 15 and 20 percent of Art House’s annual operating budget, according to executive director Christine Goodman. She says that “times are tough” for the organization, given the global economic circumstances, but adds that she’s been impressed by the community’s support of — and dedication to — her groundbreaking arts organization.

Art House Productions is perhaps best known for its namesake event, the Art House, a wide-ranging coffeehouse series that can encompass everything from live music to spoken word to standup comedy. But Goodman says the group has a lot more in store for 2010, including a cabaret series, a multimedia play, video production classes, a new music series and a show by the Eldad Tarmu Jazz Ensemble. In addition, she says in March they will present inventionREinvention, a multimedia group art exhibit that they were unable to present — as planned — at this fall’s Artists Studio Tour due to some code violations.

Speaking of, were they able to get everything in order?

Absolutely, says Goodman.

“We have been working with the fire department since the fall to make sure our programs are able to continue and our space stays safe,” she says. “We thank them for their support.”

This year’s Snow Ball will feature a performance from the aforementioned acoustic world jazz combo the Eldad Tarmu Jazz Ensemble, and honor the city’s Division of Cultural Affairs.

“For more than eight years, Cultural Affairs has given Art House an immense amount of support, information, and encouragement,” Goodman says. “We look forward to honoring them at this year’s Snow Ball for all their hard work and years of service to our community.”

The silent auction will feature a number of items, including a signed print from photographer Spencer Tunick, a makeover session with Food Network makeup artist (and Jersey City resident) Kathleen Brown, and autographed memorabilia from the cast of the the NBC drama Mercy.

You’ve got just a few days to save five bucks on your ticket. Tickets for the ball are $65 until Saturday, Jan. 16, when they’ll jump to $70. For that, you can expect plenty of good food from Skinner’s Loft, The Embankment, Made with Love and Madame Claude Cafe; champagne and wine from Barefoot Wine and Bubbly; and beer from New Jersey’s own River Horse Brewing Company. For more info or to purchase tickets, visit www.arthouseproductions.org.

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