Going back

Classic rockers to play classic rock in Hoboken

For a number of years, most people in Hoboken knew Nancy Truppner as the knockout blond lady selling hotdogs from a cart near 14th and Washington streets.
But Truppner – a lifelong resident of Hoboken – had another, even more significant life as a classic rock singer, something that she will show off again on March 14 at the Elks Club for a gathering of classic Hoboken bands.
Truppner says she started singing when she was 5 years old. Her voice has that deep, husky sound of a seasoned singer, the kind of voice people say Janis Joplin had, bluesy and powerful.
While many people have come to see her because they knew her from around Hoboken or because she was so beautiful to look at, she has bowled them over once she started to sing.
Her heroes are Cher and Bon Jovi, and she expects to sing a Bon Jovi song at the Elks Club event, she said.

Reunion

The music extravaganza is a trip back in time to when Hoboken was one of the musical meccas of the nation on the level of Seattle, Wash. or Austin, Tex.
“This town has been a music town for more than 50 years,” said Michael Taglieri, event organizer. “This is where Frank Sinatra started.”
The idea of a reunion came to Taglieri one day when he was waxing nostalgic for “the good old days” of Hoboken music. He thought, what if he could get some of the old bands back together for a fundraiser?
The idea took on a life of its own. When he talked to Janet Olsen, another long time musical supporter, she “lit a fire under the idea.”
“I wanted to do something to help handicapped kids,” he said. “This is the cause the Elks raises funds for, and I’m an Elk.”
The event brings together some of Hoboken’s legendary bands.
This event will exclusively include Hoboken-bred musicians and bands from the ’70s and ’80s who made their mark on the local scene playing festivals, clubs, and bars in one of the trendiest, most influential, recognizable cities in the country, he said.

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“This is classic rock” he said, “although the bands covered are unusual.” – Michael Taglieri
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Taglieri, who might be seen as Hoboken’s answer to Ringo Star of The Beatles, envisioned the idea for this event and reached out via social media’s Facebook and it spread like wildfire. Taglieri serves as the chairman of the event which has been officially labeled as the “Hoboken All Star Music Jam 2015.”
“The idea is to keep this tradition going annually and grow each year inviting more local talent,” he said.
Reaching out meant looking for people who have wandered far and wide over the intervening years, not just throughout towns in Hudson County – Taglieri lives in Bayonne these days – but across the state and even the nation.
One had moved to Buffalo, N.Y., another to Eire, Pa. While Trauppner hasn’t moved out of Hoboken, she hasn’t performed live in about five years. But if there was any doubt about her still being as hot an act, she dispelled it during rehearsals.
As hot an act to watch as to listen to, Trauppner made it clear from the start that she hadn’t slowed down from the heyday of performance. One photo from her performance five years ago has her posed hugging a large bass guitar.
“Someone asked me if I played guitar,” she said. “I told him sure, but I also like having the guitar between my legs.”
Taglieri said the bands will play cover tunes from the era when such bands played local bars, some as house bands, and others as frequent performers.
“This is classic rock” he said, “although the bands covered are unusual.”
Taglieri said his band tended to play tunes by bands like King Crimson, hardly typical cover band material. Performers will also hook up with each other for special performances at the event.
Scheduled to hit the stage are Krystal (from its original members to their current line-up), Pegasus, Attacker, Mad Dog Mary, members of Calimax, Rachel, Pops Mamin, Dorian Grey, Centerfold, and others, as well as combined line-ups jamming the night away.
Covering the “Classic Rock” influences from the ’60’s, ’70s, through today. The event is destined to be a historic gathering of Hoboken musicians.
Krystal members John Vincent Olsen, David Florio, and Dominick Menge are the event’s musical directors, Nancy Marnell will serve as the treasurer/administrator, Joseph Hand as sound engineer, and Michael Korres as stage manager, alongside other committee members, Michael Cricco, Trauppner, Michael Korman, and Michael Sabatini. The show will go approximately 6 hours.
Hoboken Elks Lodge #74 is located 1005 Washington St. All money raised will be donated to the Hoboken Elks Lodge #74 Handicapped Children’s Fund. The show runs from 3:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets: $20. Go to: www.facebook.com/hobokenjam for ticketing information

Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.

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