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Last Wednesday’s Groove on Grove Cinco de Mayo Fiesta started off strong, with the vendors serving up cheap eats and drinks. (Dancing) Tony Susco hosted the kickoff event, which is produced by the Jersey City Downtown Historic Special Improvement District (HDSID) and sponsored by a number of local businesses, including JCI. The crowd was in a festive mood and the turnout was one of the stronger I’ve seen for Groove on Grove.

The first band was Rainbow Fresh, Union City’s jazzy rock trio. With a special set list prepared for the Cinco de Mayo, they certainly put the groove in the Groove on Grove. They were like Santana meets the Contra soundtrack for old-school Nintendo. Rich Seiner (guitar) wailed out on the high notes. Chip Moore (bass) and Kenny Soule (drums) jammed out. They set up a great vibe for the evening as the drinks flowed and food was enjoyed.

Next up was an exhibition from the North Brunswick High School Winter Percussion Group, some seriously talented youngsters who played several exercises and got the crowd dancing a little. I hadn’t seen anything like this at Groove on Grove yet; it seems like the HDSID is really pulling out all the stops this year.

With the exhibition over, DJ Lucha (aka Pat Byrne, the drummer of Any Day Parade) took over for a bit with some rock ‘n’ roll records he put together for the occasion. I took this time to mingle with the rest of the local rock scene that came out to show their support. Vera, Jeff and Will of The One & Nines, Matt & Sam of the McMickle Brothers, Alan of the Porchistas, The Milwaukees, Any Day Parade and the list just goes on. There’s one thing that unifies the local music scene here, and it’s support. Bands of all different styles and towns come together for these events.

After the DJ set Los Chispatores took over the stage. Deivis Garcia (guitar), Lou Norte (guitar), Sam McMickle (cajon), Rich Seiner (guitar) and Matt Kloss (bass) are the parts that form together this Spanish-style Flamencobilly rock outfit. They’re super-charged and guitar-driven, but with a traditional folk style. If that makes no sense to you, remember this: they pick and grin their way through some very fun and very uplifting songs. You can’t help but yell out or sing along when these guys get going.

I’d say the the first Groove on Grove was a complete success. Beverages, food, rock and a little bit of dancing — you can’t beat that. Commuters were happy to stop by as they were coming home from work. Each Wednesday there will be a new host of bands up until September. At this price (ie, free) and with the amount of talent here in town I can’t imagine a reason why you wouldn’t come out and relax with your neighbors for a few hours.

RAINBOW FRESH

LOS CHISPATORES