Imagine Kanye West and his entourage blowing into Jersey City to check out its club scene. Thatâ€s exactly what happened on Feb. 11^th when West made a surprise visit to The Dopeness on Second Street.
The rapper stopped by The Dopeness to check out the clubâ€s vibe and according to owners Anthony Gude, Steven Schlatmann and Jonathan Scanlon, West sat and listened to the band on stage, shook hands with fans and then blew out the door with his entourage. He connected with The Dopeness and thatâ€s exactly what Gude, Schlatmann and Scanlon want as the take-away for all their customers.

With a pending liquor license, itâ€s BYOB at The Dopeness. They offer a kooky menu of comfort foods – much of it bacon-wrapped – and entertainment thatâ€s anything goes. And, of course, that dopeness vibe.

“Weâ€re like a local arts venue,” Schlatmann says. “Some artists are good at what they do. We host them to build their networks. The Jersey City artist community is a big supporter.”

Last Friday, The Dopeness featured a juried film festival of emerging filmmakers. On Thursdays itâ€s spoken word poetry and on Saturdays, live music. They also present open mic and comedy nights. And whatever they charge at the door is split with the performers.

“Weâ€re food and events,” Gude says.

The menu is an homage to bacon.  There are bacon-wrapped hotdogs like the Viva La Mexico which comes with avocado, sour cream, jalapeno peppers and steak chili; and bacon blue cheese fries, too. Thereâ€s a taco bar and chicken tender variations like the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Chicken Waffle and General Tsoâ€s Chicken Fingers. The guys actually went on a road trip across the U.S. stopping at local eateries to discover tasty dishes they could put on their  menu that would meld with the Dopeness vibe.

“Our food is American Fusion,” Schlatmann says. “Thereâ€s something on the menu from everywhere we stopped.”

The food doesnâ€t seem to be the reason Kanye West stopped by The Dopeness that chilly Wednesday night.

“He just showed up at the door with his entourage,” Scanlon says. “My wife was at the entrance and she looked up and there he was. She ran and got me and I gave him a walk through.”

“He sat at the bar and listened to the music,” Gude says. “He had his car double-parked outside. He shook hands with everybody. He was a nice regular guy.”

“Kanye West, he has the dopeness mindset; he lives a dopeness lifestyle,” Schlatmann adds.

And what does “The Dopeness” stand for? According to Schlatmann, itâ€s a kind of shared coolness.

“Itâ€s like when a super cool community collaborates under one roof,” Schlatmann says. “Itâ€s a cool collective state of mind. Kanye got it when he was here.”

Local clubs in Hudson like The Dopeness seem to be mixing things besides cocktails. Their entertainment menus are including a more diverse array of entertainment and along with live bands, they present stand-up comedy, improv, poetry slams, trivia nights, open mics, even film festivals. Hereâ€s a sampling of some local hotspots that offer live entertainment for their customers and opportunities for local artists to express themselves.

HUDSONâ€S ClubSCENE

 LUCKY 7 TAVERN, 322 – 2^nd St, JC. (201) 418-8585, www.lucky7tavern.com. . “Best Jukebox in Town”. SAT, MAR. 6 at 8 pm: A Handful of Friends w/TV Sound, The Big Easy and Stuyvesant. Singer/Songwriter Showcase on Tuesdays; Punk Funk DJ on Wednesdays; Ladies Night Thursdays; and Industry Sundays. Bands on weekends.

THE BRIGHTSIDE TAVERN, 141 Bright St, JC. (201) 435-1234, www.brightsidetavern.com.

Mon, 8 pm-12 midnight: JAZZ JAM with more than 15 musicians and singers participating; Tues, Wed, 9 pm-12 midnight: KARAOKE; Thurs, Sat & Sun, 9 pm-12 midnight: OPEN MIC.

 THE DOPENESS, 332 – 2^nd St, JC. (201) 963-4277. Feb. 28: NGHTCRWLRS album release show w/ Cicada Radio, Dentist, France. Mar. 14: Flylight, The Black Sox Scandal, Monitor, Scotch Mist. Mar. 28: The Gray Company with three TBA bands. Apr. 11: Morningside Lane, Debt League, Japanda, Dollys.

 MAXWELL’S TAVERN, 1039 Washington St, Hoboken. www.maxwellsnj.com. Sun, Mar. 1, 4-6 pm: HOBOKEN: CASK & CARRY: AN IRISH WHISKEY TASTING. Tix: $45-$55; (201) 798-0406. “Sample one half-dozen authentic, imported Irish Whiskeys, whiskey cocktails and a small-plates dinner sponsored by Jameson Irish Whiskey to benefit Liberty Humane Society. Each curated taste will be guided by a whiskey expert and served with delicious, hot, tapas-style plates. Held in Hoboken’s storied Maxwellâ€s back room, this private evening event will educate new whiskey drinkers and thrill whiskey aficionados.” MON, MAR. 2:  FRIENDS TRIVIA. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place. Reservations at rsvp@triviaad.com.  MAR 5 AT 8 PM: HOBOKEN COMEDY AT MAXWELL’S TAVERN. Myq Kaplan (Late Night w/ Seth Myers), Dan Frigolette (Boardwalk Empire), Matt Richards (BET), Stone and Stone (TruTV).

 NORTHERN SOUL, 577 First St. Hoboken. (201) 963-9122, www.northernsoulbar.com.

Wed, 8-11 pm: The Peopleâ€s Open Mic. Arrive early to secure a spot. Thurs, 8-11pm: LIVE MUSIC. Fri & Sat, 10 pm – 3 am Special Guest DJs. “With weekly live music, art shows, awesome bartenders, great craft beers, billiards, darts, dancing, and lots of laughs, Northern Soul is a bar for the people who enjoy good things without any attitude.”

 THE KOLO KLUB, UPSTAIRS AT PILSENER HAUS & BIERGARTEN, 1422 Grand St, Hoboken. (201) 683-5465. www.koloklub.com. Kolo Klub, located upstairs of the Pilsener Haus & Biergarten presents live jazz, blues, and rock, and DJs, comedy acts, and theatrical performances. Fri, Mar. 20 at 8 pm:  Off the Record performs.

WILLIE MCBRIDES, 616 Grand St, Hoboken, (201) 610-1522. www.williemcbrides.com.  Irish Pub & Restaurant. Live bands perform. Fri, Feb. 27: Battle of the Bands. Sat, Feb. 28:  The Amish Outlaws.

ClubSCENE is a new section in River View Observer. Send your weekly events to riverviewobserver@gmail.com or call 201-776-9222 to have your events included in ClubSCENE. All listings are FREE.

The post CLUB COOL The Dopeness is Back! Jersey City Club connects Artists and Community with a Cool Vibe first appeared on River View Observer.

Actors, playwrights, choreographers, musicians – artists who have longed for a new performance venue in Jersey City will be happy to learn two new spaces are opening up on Newark Ave: Merseles Studios on the second floor of the Monaco Lock building, and White Eagle Hall which is being renovated from a Turn-of-The 20^th Century meeting hall to a space for rock ‘n†roll just like Hobokenâ€s former icon Maxwellâ€s.

Together, Merseles Studios and White Eagle Hall stand under the umbrella of the newly-formed Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC), which is under the leadership of Artistic Director Olga Levina and Executive Director Ben LoPiccolo – both married to the project and each other. The coupleâ€s dream of offering Jersey City artists new performance venues to express their art is a personal as well as professional achievement and the beginning of a journey that will likely be as interesting as the artists performing there.

“We want to build a performing and visual arts center to produce strong progressive works that tackle the issues of our times,” Levina says. “We are preserving historical identity and uniting community and together that improves the quality of life here in Jersey City. I wanted to help Jersey City artists express themselves and tell their stories.”

On Sat, April 26 Merseles Studios debuts as a community performance space with a gala and showcase of four theater, music and dance pieces in PERSONAL & UNIVERSAL.  The show features local artists like blues musician Ladell Mclin and dancer/movement artist Myssi Robinson in EUGENE, a multi-disciplinary exploration of spirit, music and movement. The duo recently debuted the piece at the Hudson County Womenâ€s History Month program in the Brennan Court House in Jersey City.

EUGENE, written by Mclin is based on his great-grandmother who raised him in Chicago. The blues virtuoso hails from a musical family, his father and brother are drummers and his great-grandfather played trumpet with Billie Holliday.

“I perform in theaters, concert halls, festivals — Jersey doesnâ€t produce that for us,” Mclin says. “We donâ€t even have a performance hall or a music venue– thatâ€s very sad.”

Thatâ€s why a new performance venue for artists is an exciting event, Maclin says, and he credits Levina for offering artists a comfortable place to create.

“Olga is so connected to the arts; she makes us feel comfortable to present our art there,” Mclin says. “She recognizes good, fine art because sheâ€s a fine artist herself.”

Also on the program for Merseles Studios†premiere on April 26th are SO WHAT IF I LOVED YOU, a series of monologues about a woman haunted by memories of a previous lover written by and starring Summer Dawn; NEW MUSIC by Jersey City-based singer/songwriter Kelly Saint Patrick; and REQUIEM FOR THE MAIDEN by Natalia Vorozhbit, adapted for the stage and directed by Sergei Grabbe. This theater-piece explores the political conflict in Ukraine and is based on actual interviews with protestors and citizens affected by and involved with the ongoing social unrest.

“This material is timely and universal,” Grabbe says after a morning of auditions in the theater space.

A teacher and actor originally from the Ukraine and now residing in Bergen County, Grabbe reached out to Levina when he learned she and LoPiccolo were creating a new theater center. After the gala, all the performers will have their own run of shows at Merseles Studios as JCTC plans the new season.

“We selected Personal & Universal as the theme of our first official event because it describes how artists give voice to a community,” Levina says. “We have talented artists from all disciplines living in Jersey City and a community that enthusiastically supports the arts. Merseles Studios is a place where community and artists come together for a dialogue.”

ARTISTS†STUDIOS AND GALLERY

Personal & Universal is also the debut of the Merseles Studio Gallery – a permanent art gallery showcasing regional and Jersey City artists. The opening exhibition is part of the event and is curated by Thomas John Carlson, Visual Arts Director of JCTC and founder of the Jersey City Arts School, which offers classes in drawing, painting, photography – even glass-blowing.

“This is an opportunity to give exposure to local artists and their work,” Carlson says. “The gallery will set the tone of quality and thought-provoking work that JCTC will bring to its multi-faceted art programming and future gallery events.”

 Artists interested in contacting Carlson regarding gallery submission guidelines can reach him at merselesstudios@gmail.com.

PERFORMANCES FOR CHILDREN, TOO!

Plays for children are also on JCTCs schedule and on May 11^th, JCTC-KIDS presents Puppetworks, a company of marionettes from Brooklyn in a production of CINDERELLA playing at Merseles Studios every other Sunday through July. Shows will be at 12:30 and 2:30 pm.

WHITE EAGLE, POLISH MEETING HALL TO ROCK N ROLL

The larger JCTC project which is currently under construction is White Eagle Hall, a 400-seat theater/music hall which will present plays, concerts, dance, films and educational programs. It will also house two restaurants: Madame Claude owners Alice Troletto and Mattias Gustafsson will open Madame Claude Bis that will seat about 80 and Todd Abramson, formerly of Maxwellâ€s and now JCTCs music coordinator will wear the hat of restaurateur when he and his partners open the tentatively-named Bingo, a 200-seater that will serve American cuisine.

Fallow since 2004 and built originally in the early 1900s as a place for local Polish immigrants to celebrate their heritage by a Polish priest of St. Anthonyâ€s parish. It boasts two beautiful stained-glass windows in the ceiling, one depicting the likeness of Chopin, the other a portrait of opera singer Marcella Sembrich. After it stopped being a meeting hall, St. Maryâ€s basketball coach Bobby Hurley used it for his star-teamâ€s practice sessions and throughout the years all the historic details became covered up in wood panels and dropped ceilings, LoPiccolo says. In the planning for the past three years to become a theater and performance space, White Eagle Hall is now in bare form, void of artifice and naked in its natural beauty: red-bricked walls, staircases and original iron balustrades screening a planned lounge upstairs. The floors are yet to be done but itâ€s easy to see LoPiccolo is paying close attention to every detail as he transforms the building into a thriving performance space.

“BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) and LaMama – thatâ€s where weâ€re coming from,” Lo Piccolo says.

 If you go:

Sat, April 26; Doors open 6 pm; Reception precedes performance at 7 pm

JCTC presents at Merseles Studios

PERSONAL & UNIVERSAL

339 Newark Ave

(2^nd floor of Monaco Lock building)

Jersey City

www.jctcenter.org

Tix: $15; $20 at the door

For tix go to: www. brownpapertickets.com

 

The post ARTS EXPRESS- Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) Opens Merseles Studios with Dance, Music, Drama and There’s More to Come! first appeared on River View Observer.

Still Hip after all these Years 

By Sally Deering

 Cutting edge rock ‘n roll and comfort food that won’t bust your wallet are just two great reasons why Maxwell’s in Hoboken still grooves as a club and restaurant. Ever since the 1980s, Maxwell’s has been the Hoboken venue for up-and-coming bands and some famous ones, too, like Bruce Springsteen who filmed his “Glory Days” video at Maxwell’s, directed by filmmaker John Sayles who lived down the block.

The bar changed hands in the early 1990’s from original owner Steve Fallon, to an interim owner and in 1998 Dave Post, Todd Abramson and Steve Shelley (of the band Sonic Youth) took over.  On a recent Wednesday afternoon visit, it was evident the partners have kept Maxwell’s cool reputation in tact — the ambience is still warm and friendly and the menu, a hearty selection of comfort foods that are tasty, priced low and piled high on the plate.

 “Todd handles all the music, the booking of the bands, and I’m the general manager,” Post says. “We also have Chef Paco. We serve good drinking food and it suits the patrons. The richer folks might prefer spending more, but here, the fans and the kids come to get a bargain.”

From 20-somethings to Baby Boomers, Maxwell’s clientele is “ageless” and so is the menu. Appetizers include Fried Brie Cheese with sliced apples and mango sauce; Sautéed Artichoke Hearts with brown lemon butter and chardonnay sauce; Shrimp Corona, beer-battered Tiger shrimp with chili-lime dip; Twin Crabcakes with mango chutney and tartar sauce; Maxwell’s Very Thin Crust Pizza with homemade sauce and fresh mozzarella; Polish Potato Pierogies with sautéed onion and sour cream; and Hummus and Grilled Pita with black olives, carrots and celery ($5.95-$9.95).  A big fan of Hummus, I was delighted by its light texture and spicy flavors. It was served with a heaping portion of warm pita, sliced cucumbers, celery and carrots for dipping.

 

Soups and Chili dishes are on the menu like Classic French Onion Soup ($4.95); Vegetarian Chili with red beans and  diced veggies in a spicy tomato roux (cup $3.95, bowl $4.95; cheddar cheese add $1.00);  and Blazin’ Beef Chili, a crock of spicy beef chili and  red pinto beans with cheddar cheese ($4.95).

Big Plate Entrees include Coconut Chicken in a rum sauce with yellow rice and fried plantains ($14.95); Blackened or Grilled Tuna Steak with sweet potato fries and sliced avocado ($15.95); Baked Macaroni & Cheese with tossed greens ($10.95); Maxwell’s Mighty Fine Meat Loaf with
mash & gravy and sautéed spinach ($13.95); Guinness Battered Fish & Chips with malt vinegar and  tartar sauce ($12.95); Grilled NY Strip Steak with garlic mash or fries & sautéed spinach ($19.95); and Chicken Pot Pie, white meat chicken and  veggies in cream gravy, baked under a pastry crust with mashed potatoes on the side ($12.95, Petite Pot Pie ala carte $7.95). I tried the Petite Pot Pie and it was absolutely delicious. You can’t find too many restaurants offering a home-made pot pie and this one had tasty fresh peas, carrots and celery in a cream sauce with huge pieces of chicken. The crust on the pie was light and flaky and baked to perfection.

Burgers and sandwiches are Maxwell’s Half Pound Char-Grilled Burger with fries ($7.95, choice of cheeses and toppings, $1.00 each); Grilled Chicken sandwich with herb mayo and fries ($7.95); Char-Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna Steak sandwich, sundried tomato temenade, tartar sauce and fries ($9.95); Maryland-Style Crab Cake sandwich with tartar sauce, Cole slaw and fries ($9.95); Grilled Portobello sandwich with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella and onion rings ($9.95); California Veggie Burger with sundried tomato and Calamata olive spread and fries ($6.95); Hoboken’s Best Quesadilla, grilled tortillas with green tomatillo sauce, jalapenos, homemade salsa and sour cream ($6.95); and the Extended Play Burrito filled with cheese, rice, beans, salsa, lettuce and tomato ($8.95; chicken $10.95).

There are daily specials, too, like the Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Tortilla bowl with black bean hummus and grilled pita; Philly Cheesesteak Quesadilla; BBQ Blue Burger, char-grilled with hickory-smoked barbeque sauce, blue cheese, bacon and cayenne fries; Tiger Shrimp Scampi over garlic toast; the “Naughty” Veggie Burger with bacon, fresh mozzarella, basil pesto and onion rings; Southern Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy and Cole slaw: Louisiana Pecan Chicken with mustard cream gravy, whipped sweet potatoes and sautéed spinach; and Blackened Pan-Fried Catfish with sweet potato fries and mixed greens ($7.95-$14.95)..

 There’s a huge selection of beers, wines and cocktails and coffee and desserts, too and sipping a mug of java at the end of this tasty meal was a relaxing finale to a delish meal. 

Maxwell’s is still a great hip place for a hearty dining experience and live music. There’s something for everyone at Maxwell’s. And if it’s been a while since you’ve stopped in, plan a visit. It’ll feel like you’re hanging with an old friend.

 

Maxwell’s

1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5201
(201) 653-1703

www.maxwellsnj.com

Hours: Mon.-Fri, 5 p.m.-2 a.m; Sat, 5 p.m. – 3 a.m.

The post The Beat goes on at Maxwell’s, Hoboken’s Landmark Rock ‘n Roll Club and Restaurant first appeared on River View Observer.

LETTING GO

FIRST ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS

Singer songwriter Jennifer Knapp returned from a seven-year hiatus with her new album Letting Go (Gravlin/RED), released on May 11th 2010. The Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning artist is currently on a cross-country tour, which included performances at SXSW and the re-vamped Lilith Fair.

Recorded in Nashville, Letting Go was produced by Paul Moak (Mat Kearney, Martha Wainwright, and Amy Grant) and features ten intimate folk, country-tinged rock songs showcasing her astonishing straightforwardness and spirituality. 

 
In what many would consider a controversial but brave decision, a month before the release of Letting Go, the acclaimed musician publicly came out as a lesbian. And as always, Jennifer Knapp continues to speak openly and honestly. She told Reuters “If there’s any frustration, it’s trying to politely break the yoke of being asked to be something that I just can’t be, and with all humility go: ‘Just please be kind when you discover the truth.’ It’s kinda all you can do.”

 Knapp’s impressive history includes selling over one million albums with her previous releases Kansas (her debut1998), Lay It Down (2000), and The Way I Am (2001).  The Kansas-born musician toured the globe with artists such as Jars of Clay and was featured on 1999’s Lilith Fair tour.  She received critical acclaim with The Los Angeles Times calling her “a rising star” and People Magazine describing her as “an uncommonly literate songwriter.”

Jennifer went on to win her first Dove Award in 1999 for Best New Artist, scored a Grammy nod in 2002 and another Dove nomination in 2003.  With a considerable fan base, critical and commercial successes, Knapp walked away from it all at the height of her career. She explains her choice wasn’t easy but definitely necessary, “I completely had to divorce myself from the whole thing because I never really took ownership of what music meant for me as an individual. I needed to figure that out, so I really left the music business with the idea that I may not ever do it again.” She continues to explain her decision to return, “It was hard, and the whole time I was gone, it was like I had a shadow following me. I began to return to it in my own private time, getting out my guitar, starting to play and falling in love with music again without any expectations. I just wanted to play because it meant something to me.”

 After seven years of soul searching and time spent in Australia, Knapp comes full circle with Letting Go, an album of songs about inner-conflicts, spirituality, and life lessons.

Tour Dates:

August 28: Northampton, MA: Iron Horse Music Hall
August 30: Hoboken, NJ: Maxwell’s

August 31: New York, NY: Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre
September 1: Norfolk, CT: Infinity Hall
September 2: Boston, MA: Café 939

September 5: South Boston, VA: Bistro 1888September 15: Redondo Beach, CA: Brixton

September 16: Los Angeles, CA: The Mint
September 17: San Diego, CA: Anthology

September 19: San Juan Capistrano, CA: The Coach House
September 21: Sacramento, CA: Harlow’s Night Club
September 22: San Francisco, CA: Red Devil Lounge
September 23: Portland, OR: Peter’s Room at Roseland
September 25: Boise, ID: Knitting Factory
September 26: Seattle, WA: Hard Rock Café
October 9: Baltimore, MD: Station North Arts District
October 12: Chicago, IL: Lincoln Hall
October 26: Denver, CO: Bluebird Theatre
 
Official Bio Available Here
www.jenniferknapp.com

www.myspace.com/jenniferknapp

www.twitter.com/jennifer_knapp

www.youtube.com/user/JenniferKnappMusic

The post ACCLAIMED SINGER SONGWRITER JENNIFER KNAPP CONTINUES TOUR ACROSS THE COUNTRY -Will Play Maxwells In Hoboken first appeared on River View Observer.