Punk rockers, folk singers and mambo kings will take over the stages at the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival on May 5. A dozen musical acts and more than 300 vendors will showcase their talents on Washington Street between Newark and Seventh streets.
The event will include two performance stages set up at each end with music ranging from bluegrass, country, swing, jazz, and salsa to rock. Headlining the event will be legendary American musician Roger McGuinn of the Byrds (see cover story).
Also performing will be singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw, Skanatra, The Demolition String Band, Eugene, Lenehan, Bill McGarvey, Jose Conde, Shirley Temple of Doom, Gene D. Plumbers, Shirley Temple of Doom, and Orchestra C-2.
For the kids, there will be games, clowns and musicians. For art and food lovers, there will be crafts and ethnic edibles sold at booths up and down the street.
Leading off
Hoboken band Eugene will hit the First Street Stage at 12 p.m. This will be the fourth time they play the festival. The young and exciting quasi-alternative rock group will perform a full set of original tunes. They are currently working on a new album and performing in New York City and at venues in the Garden State.
"We are a good, solid band. You don’t have to like us, but you have to respect us," said Dominick Della Fave, one of Eugene’s founders, in a recent interview.
After Eugene, the country music sounds of The Demolition String Band will capture audiences and take them on a melodic adventure, according to the band’s singer Elena Skye. This will be the second time Skye performs her alternative popular country rock set at the festival. The Demolition String Band will tour Europe on May 9, then continue to tour throughout the country.
"This festival is a great venue for local artists to perform in the community," said Skye.
Further up, on the Sixth Street Stage, the Actors Shakespeare Company will provide some of the bard’s best moments at 11:45 a.m. Following them, Shirley Temple of Doom (STD) will appear at 12:30 p.m. They will perform an acoustic set, as opposed to their popular plugged hard rock renditions. The local band will be playing at the festival for the first time and they are excited to be taking part in the event.
Vocalist and lead guitarist J. Perez said the band will play a five song set, which will include a cover of The Who’s "Behind Blue Eyes."
"We are focusing on giving audiences what they want. We’re making a name for ourselves, winning audiences with every performance," Perez said during an interview last week. After the festival, STD will play an evening show at Love Sexy on Hudson Street.
For the kids
On the Third Street stage, children can be entertained by juggler-extraordinaire Mark Nizer, along with Magic with Marc, performers Manny and Joy Medina, and the Hoboken High School Theatre Group. Nizer will take the stage at 12 p.m. and he will be followed by Marc the Magician.
"This year’s event is better than ever," said event organizer Geri Fallo, director of the city’s office of Cultural Affairs.
The festival has expanded this year, adding another stage. The idea for the event is to highlight local talent and provides residents and people from out of town with top-notch entertainment. According to Fallo, the festival usually averages 75,000 to 80,000 visitors.
The festival is sponsored by The Hudson Reporter Newspaper Group, WNEW 102.7 FM, NJ Online, Cablevision, New Jersey Lottery, PATH, Viacom Outdoor, The Systems Group, Applied Companies and the Trust Company of New Jersey.
As the locals know, the event is near public transportation including the PATH trains, NJ Transit trains and buses, and the NY Waterway ferries. But a free shuttle bus service also will be available to people parked at the lots located at Fifteenth Street and Park Avenue and Fourteenth and Washington streets.
For more information on the festival, call (201) 420-2207. q
Hoboken Arts and Music Festival schedule of performances:
First Street stage
Eugene, 12 p.m.; Bill McGarvey, 12:45 p.m.; The Demolition String Band, 1:30 p.m.; Roger McGuinn, 2:30 p.m.; Skanatra, 3:45; Marshall Crenshaw, 5 p.m.
Sixth Street stage
Actors Shakespeare Company, 11:45 a.m.; Shirley Temple of Doom, 12:30 p.m.; Mary Ann Farley, 1:15 p.m.; Gene D. Plumbers, 2 p.m.; Lenehan, 3 p.m.; Jose Conde, 4 p.m.; Orchestra C-2, 5 p.m.
Third Street stage
Juggler-extraordinaire Mark Nizer, 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.; Magic with Marc, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; Hoboken High School Theatre Group singing songs from West Side Story, 4 p.m.; Manny and Joy Medina, 5 p.m.