Hobokenite Abbe Rivers will delight audiences with her folk/pop genre music on Aug. 8 at Sinatra Park as part of the city’s "Summer Enchanted Evenings" concert series.
Rivers is a down to earth singer/songwriter who performs routinely in Hudson County. She has collaborated with a variety of artists ranging from members of Patti Smith’s band to Spyro Gyra’s band.
Currently, Rivers owns and manages the Empire Coffee & Tea Company at 231 Washington St. in Hoboken. Her shop has been described as "an artist-friendly environment" by local media newspapers.
According to Rivers, Jim Rado, writer of the musical Hair, began to notice her as she played around town. She is currently working with Rado in the studio on a few of his upcoming projects to be released later this year. She has also performed with singer Brenda Bergman as one of her "Bodacious Ta-Tas" in a show in New York City and has taken part in several tribute concerts including "Glam – The songs of David Bowie" and "A Chest Full of Dolly."
"I’m excited about the show. It will be a great event," Rivers said.
Rivers’ performance at Sinatra Park will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is sponsored by the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce and The Tux Shop. Admission is free and concertgoers are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair. For more information on the show call (201) 420-2207.
Grip Weeds
New Brunswick-based band the Grip Weeds performed for a sold out audience at Maxwell’s on 1039 Washington St. in Hoboken on July 19. At the show, the band played songs from their new album "Summer of a Thousand Years," released this year on Rainbow Quartz records and produced by the band.
They rocked the house with their funk/experimental rock sound. The band has been together for more than 10 years. According to lead singer Kurt Reil, they came up with the name for their band after a film character played by John Lennon called "Private Gripweed" in the cult-indie classic "How I won the Wara."
The band started in New Brunswick and for a time some of the members lived in Hoboken. The new album is a compilation of songs they have been working on for several years.
The first track, "Save My Life," is a fast ballad about the worries people have. It has heavy guitar sounds and a fast beat.
"We gravitate mostly to the melodic pop rock stuff, but are also influenced by blues, folk and Indian music," Reil said. "The songs for the new album were not written with any unifying concept in mind, but put together, they cover a lot of sonic territory and different musical styles."
The Grip Weeds perform regularly at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick. They are also touring the area with shows in New York City. For more information on the band visit www.gripweeds.com. – E. Mulero