On the heels of Bamboozle 2012, comes another authentic Jersey music festival — but you don’t have to navigate the 200,000 or so people who descended upon Asbury Park last weekend to catch this show. The inaugural Montclair Music Jam will be at the First Congregational Church (40 South Fullerton Avenue) on Friday, May 25, starting at 8 p.m.
The brainchild of Montclair native Dylan Richardson (24), the non-profit community venture is tagged as an “independent music showcase,” and promises to feature some of the Garden State’s best (though perhaps unrecognized) bands. The line up includes Montclair-based headliner Bern & the Brights, as well as I.O.U., Melissa & Paul, Neur, and Pinegrove.
“The bands vary considerably,” explained Richardson. “I’m wary of using genre descriptions, but represented we have post rock, math rock, post punk, hip-hop, garage, blues punk, and indie rock.” The venue, he explained, is big, and they plan to “cram a whole lot of loud fun” into it. While the event’s primary target audience is the twenty-something crowd, Richardson and his co-producers Victoria Gonzalez, Ed Carine and Shaun Henklein encourage anyone who enjoys hearing new music to check it out. Continue Reading