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COMIC, MUSICIAN, AUTHOR & WFMU RADIO HOST DAVE HILL TALKS JERSEY CITY, THE FUTURE & MORE

By Darren Paltrowitz

DaveHill2Successful as a stand-up comic, musician, author and host, Dave Hill is a proven quadruple threat. As a comic, he regularly hosts The Dave Hill Explosion at Upright Citizens Brigade beyond regular appearances on TV. As a musician, he is the voice and lead guitar behind Valley Lodge, whose song “Go” is the theme to HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, beyond playing with a wide array of folks that include Moby, Lucy Wainwright Roche, and Rival Schools’ Walter Schreifels. As an author, he had a collection of essays titled Tasteful Nudes published by St. Martin’s Press in 2012, with a new title for Blue Rider Press slated for release in 2016. As a host, beyond the acclaimed Dave Hill Podcasting Incident podcast, Dave is the voice behind WFMU’s The Goddamn Dave Hill Show. And weirdly enough, those are not all of his credits or projects.

Mr. Hill was very funny in his Q&A for the RIVER VIEW OBSERVER, also proving to be knowledgeable about the Jersey City area. Both original and driven, one cannot help but be in awe of all the work that the guy manages to get done. For more information on Dave Hill in the meantime, click on over to www.davehillonline.com. 

RVO: You’re a comic, a musician, a host on radio and TV, a podcaster and an author. How do you usually identify when someone asks what you do for a living?

Continue reading COMIC, MUSICIAN, AUTHOR & WFMU RADIO HOST DAVE HILL TALKS JERSEY CITY, THE FUTURE & MORE

NEW PERSONA- With a New Liquor License and Broader Range of Entertainment – The Dopeness becomes The Citizen

By Sally Deering

Logo for the Citizen in Jersey CIty
The Dopeness becomes The Citizen 

 

 

 

 

 

 No Jersey City club had a better name than The Dopeness, a little restaurant and performance venue on Second Street off Newark Ave that served kitschy food and entertainment that ran the gamut from stand-up comedy to jams and slams. Then, suddenly The Dopeness sign came down and a new sign went up for The Citizen. Run by the same team – Anthony Gude and Stephen Schlat – (minus one original partner) The Citizen has what The Dopeness never had:  a liquor license.

Now, visitors who stop by The Citizen can order a Colt 45 and a shot of “Jaimo”, 16-year old Single Malt Scotch, or The Grateful Dead and Moscow Mule – drinks that get squirted into the glass by way of nitro fusion. After one of those you may forget all about The Dopeness and welcome The Citizen with open arms.

“The liquor license was officially granted on Oct. 22nd and now we have a full bar,” co-owner Gude says, “We have a nice selection of top-shelf drinks and late-night deals that are synonymous with the dive bars in the Village. We’re classy but we serve it all in plastic cups for safety.” Continue reading NEW PERSONA- With a New Liquor License and Broader Range of Entertainment – The Dopeness becomes The Citizen

BRIDGES GYMNASTICS CENTER OF BAYONNE PUMPKIN CUP MEET

Bayonne’s Bridges Gymnastics Center team girls shined at their first meet of the season. The Pumpkin Cup meet was held at Bishop Ahern high school in Edison N.J.   . A very special congratulations goes out to 9 year old Emilie Mandaro and 9 year old Marie Little for qualifying into Bridges USAG optional level 6 team program.

Other team girls shining at the meet are their level 4 gymnasts Alexandria Rivera, Natalie Wondolowski, and Elizabeth Keller, along with their level 3 teammates Maya Sekulski, Isabella Vera , Alexsandra Hrynkiewicz and Snehi Vijaywargiya.

Bridges Gymnastics Photo is left to right. Marie Little, coach Jaclyn Poznansky and Emilie Mandaro For more information on the Bridges Gymnastics Center at 91 west 23rd street, call 201-339-0202.

PRODUCER, SONGWRITER STERLING FOX TALKS JC LIVING, CREATIVITY AND WHAT’S AHEAD

 

By Darren Paltrowitz

songwriter Sterling Fox
Sterling Fox

A Jersey City resident since 2007, Sterling Fox has worked on a lot of hit songs in his Jersey City home. Initially, Fox moved to JC out of financial necessity, backing up local musicians after a stint as a pianist on a cruise ship. Less than a decade since his move to Jersey City, Fox remains a highly-demanded co-writer with songs written and/or produced for artists including Gym Class Heroes, Adam Lambert, Tiesto, Lindsey Stirling and Boyz II Men.

When not occupied with making music for other artists, Fox runs Silver Scream Records, a record label and online apparel store. Fox recently released on the Silver Scream label, a single by renowned DJ Samantha Ronson, and Silver Scream will also be the home of an up-coming full-length album by Fox. In the meantime, Fox talked with River View Observer about life behind-the-scenes in music, in addition to everyday life as a Jersey City local. Continue reading PRODUCER, SONGWRITER STERLING FOX TALKS JC LIVING, CREATIVITY AND WHAT’S AHEAD

STAN KRAUSE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN MUSIC

Owner of Stan’s Square Records in Jersey City and Catamouont Records   Celebrates Expansive Music Career

Stan Krause
Stan Krause received a citation in 2014 from the City of Jersey City for his 50 year contribution to music in Jersey City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sat, Nov. 21, Stan Krause, owner of Stan’s Square Records on Bergen Avenue in Jersey City  celebrated 50 years in the music business as both a record store owner and the owner of Catamount Records, his own record label.

Krause who has been in the music business since 1965 has some impressive credits. In the 1960s he was at the forefront of a cappella music and recorded local boy-and-girl groups from the Metropolitan area – groups that are considered premiere a cappella singing groups. Continue reading STAN KRAUSE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN MUSIC

WE ARE FAMILY-Lincoln Center’s DADA WOOF PAPA HOT explores Gay (and Straight) Parent Issues

Hudson’s Tammy Blanchard Plays a Mom with a Secret  

Hudson's Tammy Blanchard
Tammy Blanchard and John Pankow star in DADA WOOF PAPA HOT at Lincoln Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Sally Deering

Dada Woof Papa Hot Poster The title of Peter Parnell’s new play at Lincoln Center DADA WOOF PAPA HOT sounds like the playwright went bonkers at his computer one night. It actually stands for the first words a little girl speaks to her dad – silly, yet endearing, baby talk.

Baby talk runs throughout DADA WOOF PAPA HOT, Parnell’s new play at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center through Jan. 3.  Directed by Scott Ellis, DADA WOOF PAPA HOT focuses on the relationships between two pairs of gay dads raising young children; and, it features Hudson’s Tammy Blanchard in the supporting role of a mom with a secret. All the characters in Parnell’s new play are parents, both gay and straight, grappling with childrearing and its effects on marriage and adult relationships.

Dada Woof Papa Hot Stars
Alex Hurt, John Benjamin Hickey, Stephen Plunkett and Patrick Breen in Dada Woof Papa Hot directed by Scott Ellis at Lincoln Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan and Rob, played by John Benjamin Hickey and Patrick Breen, are gay and married with a three-year-old daughter.  During the course of one school year, Alan, Rob and their friends must deal with issues couples with children struggle with, like sharing child-rearing responsibilities and maintaining commitment in their relationships. Funny and poignant, DADA WOOF PAPA HOT is a mid-life coming-of-age story that explores some of the challenges gay parents face and are they different than the challenges of straight parents? Continue reading WE ARE FAMILY-Lincoln Center’s DADA WOOF PAPA HOT explores Gay (and Straight) Parent Issues

The Big Small Show-Gala Fundraiser for Victory Hall Inc

 

GALA FUNDRAISER FOR VICTORY HALL INC

An evening of art, music, dance, wine & food

*Saturday December 12th, 2015* 6-9pm

Deirdre Kennedy painting

DeirdreKennedy_AtSea_2013_10.75×22.75

THE BIG SMALL SHOW, featuring almost 80 artists showing small painting, drawing and 3Dimensional works, will open at Drawing Rooms, along with a GALA Fundraiser at Victory Hall on Saturday, December 12th from 6 to 9pm. It’s an evening of art, music, dance, wine, food and a silent auction and a few hundred people are expected to attend the event. Musicians for the evening include Jueriga Americana, featuring Marc Sloan on guitar-vocals with Carmen Arrojo on percussion and Flamenco Performance and dance with Klaus Jekeli and Natalia Brava dance Jared Neuman on guitar.

This Gala Fundraiser event marks a return for the arts non-profit organization to their original Victory Hall location at 180 Grand for the occasion, in conjunction with the new exhibit at their DRAWING ROOMS Arts Center location next door. Admission to the Big Small Show exhibit is free of charge.Tickets to the Gala are $25 each or two for $45 and are available at www.drawingrooms.org. Continue reading The Big Small Show-Gala Fundraiser for Victory Hall Inc

The 27 Politicians Who Raised the Most Money — And Still Lost

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Palmer Gibbs

Charles Dharapak/AP Images

As InsideGov, and just about every other politics news site, has pointed out, running for office is an expensive endeavor. There are TV ads to buy, a campaign staff to feed and lots of candidate-branded T-shirts and hats to make.

Provided all of that translates into a win come Election Day, it’d be easy not to dwell on all the work in favor of another round of celebratory champagne. But what about when a candidate raises loads of cash yet can’t convert all of that effort and money into a win at the polls?

Continue reading