Music on Main Street

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Working outside the confines of the traditional music industry, Adam Ezra and his bandmates – Corinna Smith (fiddle), Alex Martin (drums), Poche Ponce (bass) - built a community of fans through sheer grit and determination, regularly performing hundreds of shows a year for the past two decades without any major label or mainstream radio support. Fusing folk intimacy and rock energy with soul power and pop charm, the band first emerged from Boston in the early 2000s and quickly garnered widespread acclaim for their bold, insightful songwriting and interactive, euphoric performances. From hole in the wall bars and house concerts to sold-out headline shows and dates with the likes of Little Big Town, The Wallflowers, Gavin DeGraw, Train, and The Wailers, Ezra and his bandmates treated every single gig like their last, attracting a die-hard following that believed not just in the music, but in their commitment to activism and social change, as well. 


After their tour was cancelled at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ezra brought the show online to continue this commitment and created The Gathering Series which to-date has reached a cumulative audience of 15 million viewers. The bands ongoing daily livestreams since March of 2020 stands as a testament not only to Ezra’s artistic endurance, but also his ability to connect with viewers and provide an accepting and supportive space for newcomers to join his tight-knit community of fans. Through his own experience with COVID, his move across the country, and even his wedding day, Ezra has broadcasted without fail from wherever he found himself each night at 7pm Eastern. In addition to bringing The Gathering Series to the real world as they performed nearly 50 safe, socially distanced shows in parks and backyards around the United States to bring light to fans through music, the band didn’t stop there. Their homegrown festival, The Ramble, hosted by RallySound, raises money and marshals resources to help homeless veterans find safe and dignified housing for the last ten years. While the band was unable to bring the festival to fans live in the year of COVID, they instead incorporated it into The Gathering Series and hosted a 24-hour, nonstop livestream where they raised enough money to help house 64 veterans. 

NJ Troubadour, Pat Guadagno, and some very special guests celebrate the Head-Scratching, Mind-Bending, brilliance of Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer Tom Waits. Shady Street Showman Ryan Gregg, Hip Hop, Jazz & Blues Powerhouse Deseree Spinks, and Alternative Folk Award winner Emily Grove join Guadagno to deliver the Blood and Whiskey-Stained music of one of the most deviant and provocative artists of our time.

 

Grammy Award winner Tom Waits recorded over 30 groundbreaking albums, replete with theatrical tales of bungled romance, late-night diners, and early-morning cold fronts.

 

Anyone who has been to one of Guadagno’s musical celebrations, BobFest (Bob Dylan), A Marvelous Night (Van Morrison), 100 Years of Hank (Hank Williams) or Souvenirs (John Prine), knows to expect a selective harvest of the musical gems from the artists prolific catalog, delivered with passion and reverence that has become Guadagno’s trademark.


Opener Danni Nicholls- Hailing from Bedfordshire, England, growing up on the American roots music of her Anglo-Indian grandmother’s record collection, singer/songwriter Danni Nicholls has been paving her way in UK Americana for over a decade, building a loyal fan base and much critical praise.

Robby Hecht has been captivating audiences as a touring singer-songwriter for over two decades, combining quietly impactful songwriting reminiscent of Tom Waits or Jim Croce with the graceful vocal resonance of James Taylor. With a remarkable blend of insightful lyricism, memorable melodies, and a voice that carries both strength and tenderness, his music resonates with audiences from all walks of life 


He garnered recognition as a songwriter’s songwriter early in his career, winning a number of revered performing songwriter contests and touring across the US and Europe. He's had more than 60 songs recorded by other artists including Nora Jane Struthers, The Steel Wheels, Kyshona and Amy Speace among others 


Grace Pettis epitomizes the term singer/songwriter. As a singer, her voice is both powerful and beautiful, and she uses it like a fine arts painter to color and craft her songs. American Songwriter Magazine wrote “As a decorated songwriter, Pettis blurs the lines between country, Americana and folk. Her soulful delivery of calculated lyric lines helps her tell stories for all generations.” Her songs have been recorded by many esteemed artists, including Sara Hickman and Ruthie Foster.


Joe Crookson is a force of nature on stage. From touring with Gordon Lightfoot, headlining major US festivals, receiving Folk Alliance International “Album of the Year,” releasing NINE BECOMES ONE (2023) to being named Folk Alliance International Artist-in- Resident, Joe is on fire.

 

 He’s played with Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, David Francey, John McCutcheon, John Gorka, Judy Collins and 100’s more. His songs are are being made into award winning films. His rhythm is infectious. In concert, he is funny as hell one moment and transcendent the next.

“I was in a long-distance relationship with music for many years,” jokes songwriter Vienna Teng. “Now we’re finally moving back in together.”


Long-distance, perhaps, but long-running. In 2002, Vienna released her debut album Waking Hour, landing her on NPR’s Weekend Edition, The Late Show with David Letterman, and the top of Amazon’s music charts. Four more albums followed, most recently Aims in 2013, which became the first album to win four Independent Music Awards. She also composed the music for The Fourth Messenger by playwright Tanya Shaffer, which premiered in 2013 and was a featured production in the 2017 New York Musical Theater Festival. Together with Vienna’s captivating live performances and thoughtful online presence, her work has built a devoted following across generations and continents.


Still, other pursuits have always beckoned. A computer science major before she was a recording artist, Vienna is a nerd at heart, as comfortable in spreadsheets as the spotlight. She returned to academia in 2010 to study environmental sustainability, which led to a new career working on climate change, energy and waste issues. She also became a bonus parent to her partner’s two kids, and in early 2020 welcomed a newborn addition to the family - just in time for pandemic lockdown.


 Opener Jean Rohe writes one-of-a-kind narrative songs, concerned as much with the interior lives of her narrators as with the wider world outside them. Jean recently won the 2022 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk songwriting contest with her deeply personal and timely song “Animal”. Her latest full-length record as a bandleader, Sisterly, produced by longtime collaborator Liam Robinson, won best Adult Contemporary Album at the Independent Music Awards in 2019. 

Jake Thistle (born March 19, 2004) is an American singer-songwriter and performing musician. Originally from Paramus, New Jersey. 


His first album, Down The Line, debuted 2020. Thistle self-produced the album as a result of the pandemic delaying a studio deal he initially had in place for the album. Down The Line was well-received, and American Songwriter| magazine proclaimed that "At 16, Jake Thistle Could Be The Next Generation’s Classic Singer/Songwriter," and that "Thistle’s music oozes an authenticity and depth that should make modern folk legends like Jason Isbell and Jeff Tweedy smile. His vocals, delivered with sincerity and just the right amount of rasp, recall early Jackson Browne, John Hiatt, Steve Forbert and Tom Petty."


 Thistle's first song released under the Gold'n Retreiver label, Ghosted Road, earned highly positive reviews from industry publications, and garnered the 2022 Best Americana Song Of The Year honors from Indie Boulevard Magazine. The follow-up single, The Dreamer, was similarly well-reviewed. Alchemical Records noted that "Few singer songwriters have the breadth and depth of Jackson Browne...It is highly possible that we are witnessing the rise of his modern day counterpart through the music of New Jersey-based recording artist Jake Thistle."

Music  on Main Street at APAC brings the legendary blend of eclectic music it’s know for to the intimate Avenel Performing Arts Center (APAC). The center offers superb sound and sightlines in an attractive, comfortable setting. Curtains Restaurant & Bar is located within APAC and is the perfect place for pre or post show dinner and drinks.

© Woodbridge Arts, Woodbridge, NJ

Mayor John E. McCormac