Besides live music, the event featured inexpensive libations, free snacks, commemorative T-shirts and tote bags and DJ Scott (dressed up as Jam Master Jay of Run DMC) spinning classic new-wave tunes between performances.

Organizer (Dancing) Tony Susco, in the same black cape and top hat he wore to last year’s bash, thanked the crowd several times for defying the weather and coming out.

“This is the kind of night that makes me proud to be part of Jersey City,” Susco said. “A lot of people would have looked outside at the weather and said, forget it, I’m staying inside and watching a movie or something. Not you people. You people are here to party!”

And party they did. The crowd came dressed as zombies, vampires, superheroes, bikers and masked freaks. The beer ran out by 8:30, so people switched to hard liquor or mixed drinks. By 10 pm, the capacity crowd made it difficult to move in the gallery’s main room, but that didn’t stop people from dancing.

Local blogger and promoter Zac Clark teamed up with Black Water’s Gerry Griffin to start the night’s festivities as the Presidents of the USA, nailing the group’s hit singles like “Lump” and “Peaches” as well as a few lesser-known album tracks, and finishing with “a cover of a cover” — “Video Killed The Radio Star.”

Jesse Kelly of Pet Virus, in a blond wig and ratty sweater, channeled Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, while bassist Amy Sue Nahhas covered a few songs from Courtney Love’s Hole as well. Anthony Cimmino recreated Dave Grohl’s clobbering drum sound for the trio.

While all the bands performed commendably, the standout performance of the evening had to be the Milwaukees, who dressed up in psychedelic togs and long wigs to portray the Faces. Frontman Dylan Clark perfectly captured the charismatic rasp of the young Rod Stewart on bluesy classics like “Maggie May” and “Ooh La La,” with Readymade Breakup’s Paul Rosevear adding Ian McLagan’s honky tonk piano parts. Then for a Halloween treat, the band had the whole room shouting along to the “who ya gonna call?” hook from the “Ghostbusters” theme.

Not to be outdone, veteran Jersey City psych-rockers the Black Hollies took on U2. With his painted-on mustache and goatee, guitarist Jon Gonnelli looked freakishly like The Edge, while guitarist Herb Wiley handled lead vocals as a picture-perfect Bono in his tinted shades and military cap. The band stormed through several of U2’s biggest hits, including “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride “In The Name Of Love.”

Myke Tarlazzi, Christian Kisala, Gabe Perry, and Max Michaels — members of the local combos Thomas Francis Takes His Chances and Fairmont — dressed up in mandatory black-on-black to portray English goth-rockers the Cure, and had the crowd swaying and bopping to new-wave hits like “Just Like Heaven” and “Boys Don’t Cry.”

After the leather-jacketed and bewigged Neil McAneny and members of W.J. & the Sweet Sacrifice closed out the night as the Ramones — inspiring a frantic mosh pit that kept knocking out the power to the guitar amp — the crowd moved to the Lamp Post Bar & Grill on Second Street, where several of the bands reprised their sets and employees from JC Tattoo (including frontman Dave Feldman of Wyldfire) performed as the Exploding Hearts.

The Halloween party tradition began at Uncle Joe’s, the Jersey City rock club on 1st Street that closed in 2005. Susco reincarnated the event as the Ghost of Uncle Joe’s, first at 58 Gallery and then last year at the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery, where 600 costumed revelers raised more than $4,000 for the restoration and upkeep of the historic grounds. Organizers reported that this year’s event raised about $2,000.

Several of the cover bands who were coming from New Brunswick had to cancel due to adverse driving conditions, but Susco said that they have agreed to appear at a second benefit at the Lamp Post in the near future.

The Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery, which dates back to the Revolutionary War, is entirely self-funded and in recent years has staged benefit concerts, walking tours, and even a Civil War re-enactment to raise funds. The trustees need to raise a total of $50,000 to receive a matching grant, and hope to use those funds to reopen the network of tunnels and catacombs beneath the cemetery, which historians believe may have been used by the Underground Railroad during the Civil War to smuggle slaves to New York City.

Photos by Jim Testa

Consider it a confluence of cool: Downtown Jersey City’s premier promoter putting together a show with five outstanding bands, at the town’s most inviting venue, with food from the city’s hippest bar, all to benefit one of the area’s most deserving causes. Now that’s the way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Who else but (Dancing) Tony Susco could mastermind that kind of event? The man behind Groove On Grove (and pretty much every big music-related event Downtown these days) put the July 31 shebang together, originally to set up a show for Nashville’s Bad Cop, who were touring and needed a local show. Lucky 7 Tavern got into the act, wanting to showcase the bar’s new barbecue menu, and then Susco found out that “the big cemetery on the hill” (as he called it) was looking to raise funds to qualify for a matching grant. So all the proceeds for the day went to the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery; in all, a tally of about $1,500.

“This is my favorite place in town to do a show,” Susco said, explaining how he approached Barrow Mansion, which not only has a seated concert room with excellent sound but its own antique bowling alley in the basement. Lucky 7’s set up a grill in the backyard, serving brisket, pulled pork and ribs, as well as corn, mac ‘n’ cheese and cornbread.

Eileen Markenstein, president of the cemetery’s board of trustees, brought along brochures and historical artifacts to explain the work being done at the site, which dates back to the Revolutionary War. After the cemetery was abandoned in 2008, Markenstein and her team of volunteers have independently raised the funds and manpower to restore and maintain the grounds. The group is now working to reopen catacombs beneath the cemetery that some believe were used by the Underground Railroad, smuggling slaves to the safety of New York City during the Civil War.

The (quite literally) all-ages show brought together senior citizens, twenty-something hipsters and an abundance of young parents toting small children to the event, which ran from mid-afternoon to early evening. Many of the faces in the crowd were familiar to anyone who was around in the mid-00’s when community activists were fighting to save the 111 1st Street arts center and Jersey City’s music scene centered around Uncle Joe’s (both were ultimately demolished.)

The seats in the concert room stay filled throughout the day, for performances by an eclectic array of mostly local acts. Ladell McLin and his band started off the afternoon with a short set of electric funk, with McLin’s Hendrix-like solos electrifying the crowd. Leaf Pile, also from Jersey City, played a refreshing set of bright, tuneful indie-folk, with intertwined male/female lead vocals, dual acoustic guitars, and a sonorous violin. Their final song featured the bassist deftly whistling a beautiful
melody that made for a lovely finale.

It’s a bit difficult to label tHe AuDiObOdiEs, who blend jazz, funk, metal, reggae, and rock into throbbing grooves of sound. The singer calls himself Wyme!, the talented lead guitarist goes by J!, the very solid drummer is Hank!, and percussion is handled by Vic! The exclamation points are well deserved as the musicianship of this group really stands out, as do the recurrent themes of unity and freedom that run through their songs.

Scene veterans The Milwaukees followed with an impeccable set mostly culled from the band’s new Americans Anthems, Vol. 2, a sturdy collection of rootsy Americana and classic rock. Frontman Dylan Clark made a point of introducing the band by saying “we are The Milwaukees and we are from your town,” and mentioning how proud they were to be part of these Jersey City community-oriented events.

The special guests of the night – Bad Cop, on tour from Nashville – exploded with a thrashy set of psychedelic garage-rock. The raunchy quartet instantly transformed the century-old Barrow Mansion into a sweaty corner tavern, pounding through their set with unbridled energy and enthusiasm. Anyone who’s heard Nashville’s current crop of garage bands – Pujol, Turbo Fruits, and Jeff The Brotherhood, to name three – knows what this stuff sounds like. But it’s impossible to resist the power of such primal rock ‘n’ roll.

Speaking of primal, Jersey City’s art-noise ensemble Thomas Francis Takes His Chances closed out the evening with their usual sonic bedlam. The band just finished a five-song EP, which should see a vinyl release in the near future.

Susco mentioned that he’s already working on a reprise of last year’s very successful “Ghost Of Uncle Joe’s” Halloween concert and fundraiser at the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery for this year; last year’s event raised over $4,000 for the cemetery.

First, a 13-month multi-million dollar renovation was completed, allowing the park to reopen in May, just in time for summer. And now a group of local organizations is hoping to bring thousands of people to the Downtown Jersey City park for the inaugural Hamilton Park BBQ Festival next month.

The festival was the brainchild of Sawyer Smith, a co-owner of the local retail spot Smith & Chang General Goods, located in the Hamilton Square development next to the park. Both of those companies, along with Fizzy Lizzy and the Jersey City Independent (hey, that’s us!), are sponsors of the festival.

Smith says he wanted to emulate the famed Big Apple BBQ Festival in New York City, but on a smaller, neighborhood scale. At the same time, he thought the event could be a new way to raise money for ongoing upkeep of the revamped park; to that end proceeds from the festival will go to a new Hamilton Park Conservancy group dedicated to park improvements.

The festival, which is slated for September 25, will feature a number of vendors offering special dishes. So far Jersey City’s Legal Beans, as well as Pennsylvania-based Jimmys BBQ and the Tamworth Supper Club have been confirmed; more restaurants are expected to sign on soon. For drinks, there will be beer on tap as well as Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka and natural sodas from Fizzy Lizzy.

In addition to the grub, which is the main draw, there will be live music all day, with organizers hoping to host at least five bands. As of this writing, local band bands The Milwaukees and Ace Case and the Crosstown Country Allstars have been confirmed; other bands are slated to be confirmed soon.

THE DETAILS
Hamilton Park BBQ Festival; Saturday, September 25 from noon to 8 pm (rain or shine); Hamilton Park

Overlord took the stage, and this uppity crew quickly had the crowd rockin’ along. They revved up with “Mechanical Heart,” a fitting song title for a band called Overlord. Sarah Brockett’s bass and Tris McCall’s keys really stood out for me here, but Kerry Kennedy’s guitar, George Pasles’ guitar and vocals and Matt Houser’s drums were not chump change either. The thematic lyrics and song titles were also a catch, and they further made the basslines sound like a chase scene out of a spy novel. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Overlord.

Jody Porter and the Men’s Magazines set up and started to play after Overlord. I knew the lead singer’s face from somewhere, but I couldn’t place him. Finally someone pointed out that it was the cat from Fountains Of Wayne. The band started with a sort of Verve style jam out, then moved into a more rock style as the set progressed. I’m not sure if he was trying to lighten the mood or he was taking serious jabs at the crowd, but his jokes about “Welcome Commuters” and “Where are we, New Jersey?” were brave and brilliant commentary of a state that rarely receives any sort negative comedic attention.

How can I explain Jersey City’s the Milwaukees? Well first thing, give drummer Patrick Fusco a spirit award — this dude is the most enthusiastic person in the music industry. Dylan St. Clark’s vocals are pleading, his and Jeff Nordstedt’s guitar is pure rock and the rhythm section of Fusco and Donovon Cain on the bass is undeniably the glue that holds this thing together. It’s like George Throrogood meets the Red Hot Chili Peppers circa Uplift Mofo Party Plan. Quite simply, the Milwaukees are a must see live act in town, they are super fun solidly rock and a swell bunch of characters besides.

After Groove on Grove closed up shop for the night, I bolted across town to 58 Gallery to see the Frozen Gentlemen. Fans of these funk/rock fusers have a saying when they hit the scene: The streets are safe! I’m not entirely sure why the streets are safe, but I know that when the Gents are rocking out there’s no need to fear for your safety. Mido Santantos (vocals, keys), Quan James (vocals, guitar) Jackie Meyer (vocals, bass) and Linden Charter (drums) have mastered a truly unique sound, like a funk version of a mini-boss fight on Double Dragon. You can’t help but feel like it’s time to shake it down during their live performances. At 58, they played most of the songs off of their eponymous album and then threw in a new song, “The Streets are Safe.” I was tickled pink — of course, I got it on video. After the set, the Gents and some new fans headed to Lucky 7 and drank their fill.

It was a pretty active night despite the rain. I think the city thrives under these kind of circumstances. Everyone tries to get out there to support the scene. It’s hard not to love this place.

VIDEOS:

Overlord

Jody Porter and the Men’s Magazines

The Milwaukees

The Frozen Gentlemen

I’m quite sold on the fact that the only reason weather exists is to screw up festival events and picnics. It’s definitely peak monsoon season here in Jersey City, and last Friday was no exception.

So as I crossed Grove Street in the rain to start my evening of rocking through JC Fridays, I made sure to submerse my right Chuck Taylor All-Stars (not known for their ability to shrug off water) completely to the ankle. I’m not one to worry about having a wet foot if I’m on my way home from work or in transit, but when you come out for an event that promises to last 6 or 7 hours it’s not exactly ideal. But, hey, I’m a professional — so I tried to make the best of it.

I reached the stage at Grove Street PATH plaza as optimal sock wetness kicked in. Normally, I wouldn’t be at Groove on Grove on a Friday, but the masterminds behind the free weekly music series moved this week’s show from Wednesday to Friday to coincide with the quarterly arts extravaganza known as JC Fridays.

The Black Hollies were sound testing as I settled in under a tent erected just for the show. These Jersey City cats have a throwback sound and style that’s comparable to the late ’60s mod wave, back when record players reigned supreme and computers took up the size of buildings. There’s something about well executed rock ‘n’ roll with an anachronistic feel that really grips at my heart. They finished their set with a seriously kick-ass closer, (see the video) after which I took a minute to congratulate the band and received their new 7 inch — I’ll be sure to let you know what I think soon.

The rain lightened to a sprinkle as the One & Nines began playing. I’ve seen them now something like 6 or 7 times, and I get a little excited each time. Vera’s peerless voice coupled with the rest of the band’s one-of-a-kind style proves that Jersey City’s local music scene is much more than a one trick pony. Will Hansen’s keyboard tactics (yes, the man is a keyboard tactician) betrayed this showman’s calm demeanor. Jeff Marino rocks the guitar and acts as a foil to Vera’s lyrical musings. Alex Tyshkov brings a taste of funk with his bass to this Motown-inspired band. Barami Waspe tones in with some solid sax action, while Ken Walz reigns down a little fire and brimstone on the drums in conjunction with both the band and the storm. Giving the crowd a quick glance, it seems that the music beat out the rain as the area underneath the tent soon reached capacity.

Looking back, I don’t think I would have had the weather turn out any other way. There was a sense of community underneath that tent — not to mention the fact that a huge white tent acts as a softbox for picture-taking.

The Milwaukees crashed the party after the One & Nines were through. They had a classic adventuring party rock setup. Jeff Nordstedt the rogue on guitar, Donovan Cain, the wizard, on bass, Patrick Fusco, warpath barbarian of the drums, and leading the way on vocals and guitar, a veritable multiclassing paladin, Dylan St. Clark. Geek references aside, these fellas bring the rock. They bring it solidly and simply. Most importantly its good, clean and fun (not just two of those three, like burritos or church). You can tell by the brimming smiles and the energy they project on stage that the Milwaukees are having a really good time making music together. Note to self: I have to get an album.

After their set I headed over to Grand Banks over on Montgomery Street to see what all the For the Love of Music hubbub was about. First impression: Good-sized place with a huge stage … huge for Jersey City, anyway. Drinks are just above reasonable at $4 for a bottle of Bud. There’s a full bar just left of the stage, a sizable dance floor right in front of the stage as well as plenty of standing room all over the place. Bathrooms fit like four or five people, so there weren’t lines. The $10 cover was a bit pricey, but  I support charging a cover to pay the bands, and there were three very good bands playing that night.

The Fringe Dwellers were just breaking down as I walked in, and Any Day Parade was just setting up. The Jersey City quintet played a no holds barred set, winning the crowd over easily with their on-stage antics and country-rock style.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t stick around Grand Banks to see the Black Hollies play again — I had to see what else was going on around town. Any Day Parade was still rocking out as I stepped down the block to IM Automata Chino to see how they were celebrating JC Fridays.

At IMAC, the Jeff Humphrey Trio was finishing up as I entered, so I took a few shots of the band. But that was around the time the wet socks — and the constant drinking — started to catch up with me. I’d have to miss The Flaming Fire at 58, and the rest of the IMAC bands, and whoever was left playing at Grand Banks. It was time to turn it in.

All in all, though, not a bad day. I got out for some great bands, took some pics and even some video, and a good amount of booze was imbibed. I could consider this JC Fridays a complete success … minus the soggy feet.

VIDEOS:

The Black Hollies:

The One & Nines:

The Milwaukees: