Secaucus Alive, the town’s annual summer concert series, is underway once again with weekly concerts in Buchmuller Park every Thursday. From rock to pop, the free shows offer something for everyone.
“We try to do two things at the same time,” said Recreation Director John Voli. “We try to bring back a few acts that were known to have been popular in previous years, and then we also try to add new acts to the line up to keep it interesting and appeal to more people in the town.”
This year, Voli noted, Secaucus Alive featured popular Elvis impersonator Anthony Liguori, backed by rockabilly group Blue Smoke. Liguori returned for an encore performance, as will Somers Dream.
“We had a smaller budget than we’ve had in the past. So, this year we had to cut back a little,” Voli added. “But we’re still offering a nice lineup of talented acts that will be playing pop, rock, jazz. This year for the first time we have a country and western band performing.”
But local musician Frank Handlowitch isn’t impressed.
“Have you been to one of those shows? The music they have there is blah,” Handlowitch claimed. “If you see the audience, everybody’s sitting down! I tell you, it’s like elevator music. If we played, we’d have people up on their feet.”
For the past four years, Handlowitch has dreamed of little else than playing Buchmuller Park with his wife/musical partner, Dara, and he has waged a one-man crusade to make his dream a reality, but to no avail.
Frank & Dara
“The first time I heard my wife sing, she had the greatest voice I had ever heard,” he recalled last week. “I knew I just had to make music with her, and we ended up falling in love.”
The two now play live shows whenever and wherever they can, with Dara singing classic rock from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, accompanied by Frank on guitar. To round out their sound, Handlowitch has programmed other instruments into a machine that they use to give the effect of having a four-piece band onstage for their concerts.
“If we played, we’d have people up on their feet.” – Frank Handlowitch
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But still no concert dates in Buchmuller Park.
“One year, the town let us perform as part of the local talent concert,” Handlowitch admits. “But we could only do six songs. I don’t want six songs. I want a whole concert. If they gave us a concert, you’d see, I’d be the best guitarist to ever play on that stage.”
Music is in ear of the listener
“Sometimes people contact us about playing,” Voli said, delicately. “But we don’t book the acts. We contract with a company that handles the booking. That way, we’re out of it and no one can say we’re favoring one act over somebody else.”
Voli said that when artists ask to perform, he refers them to Cliff Witmyer CEO of Cliffhanger Productions, the booker.
“I’ll consider any act. If I think they fit what the town is looking for, and they’re professional enough, I’ll book them,” Witmyer said. “It’s in our best interest to work with local talent, so whenever possible I try to add local artists to the line up. The problem is, a lot of people think they’re better than they are.”
Witmyer, who has been a concert promoter for 15 years and has booked well-known national acts, also noted that some local artists may be better suited for small indoor venues rather than a large outdoor concert in a park.
“The music has to fit the venue and the event,” he said. “But just because you own a guitar and can sing on key doesn’t make you a good fit for every show. Nobody wants to go to a concert in the park and see two guys and a drum machine. That’s boring.”
Handlowitch, who said he sent a demo CD to Cliffhanger, respectfully disagrees with Witmyer and remains undeterred.
“I’m not going to stop trying to get on that stage,” he said. “Maybe next year they’ll give us a show.”
Until then, residents can still enjoy the Showstoppers – a show featuring the musical talents of local youth ages 4 to 17 – this Thursday. In the coming weeks the Cameos, Somers Dream, and the David Cedeno Orchestra will round out the rest of the series.
All shows begin at 7 p.m.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.