The final show of a fantastic monthly acoustic showcase
Tonight was part celebration, part wake. As we cheered in the holiday season, we also bid a fond farewell to this monthly acoustic showcase called Folk You. For several years, BlowUpRadio.com and Jersey Beat Magazine have presented some terrific talent at The Goldhawk (936 Park Ave, Hoboken). It was another in many ways they champion New Jersey music. However, over the past few months, the logistics of running such an event had proven to be too much.
This was quite a send off with three solid performances and a nice-sized crowd. First up was Jim Testa of Jersey Beat Magazine. Tonight he worked double duty as emcee and performer. He opened with his homage to Festivus; the perfect non-holiday for those of us who are sick of Christmas commercialism. Thank you George Costanza. Another treat was his humorously bitter ode to shitty nights in bars crammed with shitty bands called ‘Another Bad New York Band’.
The Milwaukees are a band that I’ve been trying to see again for many years. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I saw them , it’s been so long. It seems every time they come around, circumstances cause me to miss them. Even when they play at Maxwell’s which is just a block away from my apartment. Tonight, band members Jeff and Dylan delivered a stripped-down, acoustic set. It consisted mostly of wonderfully penned tunes from their new CD ‘American Anthem’.
Rounding out the night, Marc Maurizi and Tom Gerkes (formerly of Cropduster) treated us to their of the alt.country, alt.rock gems. Despite being from NJ like me, I met them back in 1998 at WE Fest in North Carolina. Hearing Marc’s voice and those songs—like the tribute to snarky music writer Lester Bangs—always transports me back to that time. Strangely, just as I confessed this to Mr. Testa, I went to use the bathroom and the front bar was playing The Majestic Twelve whose singer is the founder and organizer of WE Fest.
While this is the end of Folk You as a monthly event, Jim tells me that The Goldhawk has shown an interest in perhaps quarterly or seasonal events. Owner Fran Azzarto and the staff of the bar have been fantastic supporters of all sorts of indie music, and Folk You was no different. BlowUpRadio.com’s Lazlo has expressed his gratitude for their support and wishes there were more clubs like this around. Don’t we all.
See Also:
Jim Testa
The Milwaukees
Marc Maurizi/Tom Gerkes (Cropduster)
BlowUpRadio.com
JerseyBeat.com
The Goldhawk
