Tag Archives: Hudson County

General, Sally Deering

WHOSE SONG IS IT ANYWAY?Songwriter Lou Gomez’s BIM SALA BIM surfaces in new Robert DeNiro Flick

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   Film a Big Surprise; Rights & Royalties a Bigger Mystery

Songwriter Lou Gomez
LOU GOMEZ

  

 

 

 

 By Sally Deering  

Photo fo Lou Gomez in Hudson County
HUDSON COUNTY The Band

The story starts with two brothers and a couple of friends from Bayonne who wrote and recorded a song called Bim Sala Bim back in the 1970s. They took the title from “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” when Carson played fortune teller Carnac the Magnificent. He and Ed McMahon would say “Bim Sala Bim” as a greeting to each other.

Lou Gomez wrote the lyrics and his brother Richie Gomez wrote the melody and Ralph Cohen wrote the arrangements to Bim Sala Bim when they were in the 70s band “Hudson County”. The band eventually broke up, but the song lives on. Fast forward to 2016, Gomez finds out from a friend that Bim Sala Bim is on the soundtrack to the new Robert DeNiro movie, HANDS OF STONE.

Disco-Funk “The group became known for its funk sound,” Gomez says, from his home in Sayreville.  “We were signed to RCA records by Warren Schatz and asked to produce some material for a compilation album and a single release. Our single was “Heaven’s Here on Earth” and we were told it would be released at the same time Vickie Sue Robinson was to release Turn the Beat Around. At that time we also recorded Bim Sala Bim. Forty years later I get a call from a friend that Bim Sala Bim is a big underground hit in Europe especially Greece and Italy. It was later found out that the song was bootlegged by some unknown group called Fantastic Soul Inventions who just slapped their name on our recording.” Continue reading WHOSE SONG IS IT ANYWAY?Songwriter Lou Gomez’s BIM SALA BIM surfaces in new Robert DeNiro Flick →

Cover Story, Sally Deering

Fun Hudson-Great Things to Do and See on the Hudson Waterfront

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Yoga, Dance, Music, Film, and so much more 

By Sally Deering

Summer’s just around the corner and after the winter we had, every day should feel like the 4th of July. One of the many benefits of living here on the Hudson is not only our close proximity to all things Manhattan, but the many activities that are offered either on the water or close to it. From kayaking to dance performances to film screenings on a starry night, there are plenty of fun things to do this summer; here’s a sampling…..

SUMMER ENCHANTED EVENINGS

Hoboken Concert Series

Thurs, 7 pm: Jun 25-Aug 20

Sinatra Park Amphitheater

Between 4th & 5th Streets, Sinatra Drive, Hoboken

www.hobokennj.org

Continue reading Fun Hudson-Great Things to Do and See on the Hudson Waterfront →

Art Views, Our Community

Artists’ Advocate-Meredith Lippman, Program Development Specialist for Hudson County’s Office of Cultural Affairs Bridges Artists and Community

 By Sally Deering

Meredith Lippman Artists' Advocate  Artist Meredith Lippman seems the perfect fit for her position as Program Development Specialist for the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development. Lippman empathizes with the artists she advocates for and she works diligently to help them connect with the Hudson community and grow their careers through workshops, newsletters and updates on venues where they can exhibit works.

Hudson’s Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs provides advisory services, technical assistance, grant programs, audience development initiatives, artist round tables and networking events for artists in the community. The Office also hosts tours and lectures on Hudson’s history, promotes historic preservation and presents events that celebrate Hudson’s cultural diversity. Joining Lippman on staff are Eileen Gaughan and Robert Kakolewski, and director William LaRosa. Continue reading Artists’ Advocate-Meredith Lippman, Program Development Specialist for Hudson County’s Office of Cultural Affairs Bridges Artists and Community →

General

Leasing Open at Laguna, Newport, Jersey City’s Newest Waterfront Property

Luxury Building Marks First Development Adjacent to Newport Green Park; Already 40% Leased

 Laguna 1Laguna 2  

 

Jersey City, NJ (July 15, 2013) – Laguna, the newest high-end residential property in the Newport neighborhood of Jersey City, is now available for renting. Already 40 percent leased, the 19-story Hudson River-waterfront building features 158 one, two and three-bedroom residences, ranging in size from 759 square feet to 2,015 square feet. The Laguna marks the first of the master-planned community’s final phase of development, which will surround the neighborhood’s award-winning 4.25-acre park, Newport Green.

“We broke the mold with the Laguna to create a product unique to existing offerings in Newport,” said Jamie LeFrak, principal at LeFrak. “We engaged a nationally-known design firm to add upscale finishes to every home and luxurious building amenities like a screening room and rooftop lounge. Paired with Laguna’s location next to the park, the building represents the 27-year evolution of our vision to transform the Jersey City waterfront into a thriving neighborhood with open green spaces and sidewalks full of residents and visitors.” Continue reading Leasing Open at Laguna, Newport, Jersey City’s Newest Waterfront Property →

General

Earth Day 2013, Jersey City April 20th Liberty State Park

EARTH DAY 2013, Jersey City April 20th from River View Observer on Vimeo.

Sponsored by the Hudson County Improvement Authority, Norman Guerra, Executive Director and in collaboration with Liberty State Park and the Friends of Liberty State Park, Earth Day has become a huge event in Jersey City with many earth friendly activities, enviornmental exhibits, health screeings, safety workshops, free rides, arts and crafts, kids contests and strolling and stage entertainment. And a 5K Run/ Walk.
A wonderful way to celebrate the earth and have a great time in Jersey City on April 20th.
A River View Observer Video

Cover Story, Education

HUDSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACTS UP!

 

 hccc-logo300dpi Playwright and Professor Joseph Gallo Initiates New Theater Arts Program at Hudson County Community College

 

By Sally Deering

 originalsizeJosephGall,HCCCsnewTheaterArtsCoordinatorIn September 2012, Hudson got a little more artsy when professional playwright Joe Gallo brought Hudson County Community College to a new stage – or rather, brought the stage to HCCC.

 Gallo, whose plays have been performed in Hoboken, New York and other cities throughout the country, is a theater arts professor at HCCC who helped institute a new theater arts degree program. The new curriculum – which began in the 2012-2013 school year – is designed to provide students with a broad-based liberal arts education with core curriculum classes in theater that include Acting, Playwriting and Drama. Students who successfully complete the two-year program earn an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts – Theater, that prepares them to transfer to four-year colleges and universities where they can earn Bachelor of Arts degrees in theater and related programs.

 A theater professional – he’s a producer and Associate Artist at Mile Square Theater in Hoboken – Gallo earned an MFA in playwriting from Ohio University and his plays have been produced Off-Broadway, at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and at other theaters throughout the country. Gallo has taught Playwriting, Acting and other theater-related courses at the School of Visual Arts, Drew University and Kean University.

 Recently, Gallo spoke with Riverview Observer about how he initiated the new Theater Arts program and what prospective students can look forward to if they decide to enroll.

 RVO: Joe, can you share with our readers how the new theater arts program began?

JG: In 2007 HCCC hired to teach creative writing and because I have an MFA in playwriting, I was asked to revamp its Introduction to Acting class. I did that for the college and when I asked why the college doesn’t offer more theater classes, I was told, ‘because we don’t have a theater.’

  Continue reading HUDSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACTS UP! →

Our Community

H & M Powerhouse Loses Smokestacks Gains Momentum in Jersey City

  Stabilization of  Jersey City  Powerhouse Moves Forward

 

By Sally Deering

 

POWERHOUSE IN JC FILTEREDThe Hudson & Manhattan RR Powerhouse in the downtown section of Jersey City stands amidst the million-dollar high-rises like a drab Cinderella before her Fairy Godmother turns her into a Princess. An icon of the golden age of Jersey City, the H&M Powerhouse that once harnessed electrical power to the Hudson Trains and Tunnel that connected New Jersey and New York before the PATH is now a deconstructed shell of her former self and – just like Cinderella – about to receive a makeover.

 

Located on Washington Boulevard between First and Bay Streets in downtown Jersey City, the H & M Powerhouse is in the city’s Warehouse Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.  Designed by architect John Oakman and his partner W. Powell Robins, the H & M Powerhouse began powering up H & M Railroad’s Hudson Tunnels subway line that connected New Jersey and New York on February 25, 1908. It provided power 24/7 to the cars, lines, stations and terminals here and in New York.  In 1929 the H & M Powerhouse closed and in December 2001, the National Register of Historic Places certified it as a national landmark.  Continue reading H & M Powerhouse Loses Smokestacks Gains Momentum in Jersey City →

Video Views-events and more

STAGEfest 2013 Opening Reception March 22nd, 2013-Loew’s Jersey Theatre, Jersey City

Friends of Loew’s present a weekend of outstanding performance
STAGEfest 2013

Presented by the Friends of the Loew’s.
3 days running from March 22nd to March 24th featuring 20 hours of live performances within the landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Jersey City.
A vibrant and diverse weekend of theatrical and musical performances, celebrating the arts in this reqion and performed throughout the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre.