Goldhawk 936 Park Ave. Hoboken NJ
Some things seem to come ’round full circle. There was a time several years ago that saw a burgeoning acoustic music scene in Hoboken. It took off at a place called the Liquid Lounge. A place that allowed some of NJ’s louder bands to chill and hone their songwriting skills. I’ll never forget the night that the power went out and we had to play by candlelight.
One day Joe the owner announced that he was selling the business. Shortly after, we moved our new found acoustic scene to the Rodeo Ristra Lounge and life went on in all its fun glory until the needs of greed turned that place into another expensive eatery.
Thankfully, during this time, the owners of the former Liquid Lounge—now dubbed The Goldhawk—had been cultivating a scene of their own. They improved upon their predecessors concept by moving the music to the larger back room. A room that was used almost exclusively as an art gallery during the Liquid Lounge days.
Tonight the hip, retro and quirky Goldhawk debuted as the new home of ‘Folk You’. Formerly a monthly series at the Rodeo Ristra and spearheaded by BlowUpRadio.com skipper Lazlo, ‘Folk You’ continued with the tradition of giving local bands a new outlet. Though absent due to impending marital commitments (i.e. his honeymoon) the spirit of independence that Lazlo has brought to past events was in full effect.
Performing tonight were James Wells from Hello Lovely who delighted us with his songs, humorous banter and dismay as we tried to clap along. Next up was Jersey Beat publisher and legendary NJ scene supporter Jim Testa. He paired off with John Raido of Boxcar Nancy swapping roles as lead and support as they each showcased their own songs as well as a couple of covers.
 [James] |
 [Jim & John] |
Closing the night was a guy I had not seen in over two years since bumping into him outside a recording studio in Clifton, NJ. Formerly of Cropduster (one of my faves) Marc Maurizi, joined briefly by his friend Jake on piano, treated us to his unique country-tinged tunes.
 [Marc & Jake] |
 [Goldhawk Backroom] |
I am always filled with a sort of restless optimism when I see performers, clubs and promoters keeping the flame of original, indie music alive. As long as we have guys like Lazlo and places like The Goldhawk, there is still hope for indie music in Hoboken.
See Also:
The Goldhawk
BlowUpRadio.com
Jersey Beat
