Held in the historic Forest Hill section, the 2023 Newark Porch Fest will take place on Saturday September 23 (with a rain-date the following day) with live music, art, dance, food and kid-stuff. The fun takes place, indeed, on neighborhood front porches, stoops and lawns.

It’s amazing to think that Kool & The Gang started in Jersey City 59 years ago as The Jazziacs. The two co-founding members—bassist Robert “Kool” Bell and drummer/keyboardist George “Funky” Brown—are still at it with some new young lions in the band.

It’s called Little Steven’s Policeman’s Ball Inaugural Charity Golf Outing. It stems from an idea he had in 2014 with Detective Kevin Schroeder that resulted in that year’s Policeman’s Ball. It was in support of the NYPD “With Arms Wide Open” effort to benefit kids with special needs as well as the already-established Detective Endowment Association Widows and Children Fund.

The second North American leg of the Bruce tour started yesterday in Chicago. The European leg of the 2023 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band tour has been boiled down to two minutes and 15 seconds.

The new single from Paramus metal mainstays Patriarchs In Black, “Veneration,” will come out digitally August 25. Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative/Quiet Riot) and Dan Lorenzo (Hades/Non-Fiction) are joined on the track by rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels from historic hip-hop heroes Run DMC, vocalist Mark Sunshine, violinist Emma Smoler and bassist Anthony Vitti.

On the fifth anniversary of the magical night when The Feelies performed an entire show at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City of Velvet Underground material, Bar/None Records will release on October 13 ‘Some Kinda Love,’ the seventh album—and first live album—by the indie-rock pioneers from Haledon in Passaic County.

Jame Minogue has always been asked if he’s related to pop star Kylie Minogue. He doesn’t know but his cover of Kylie’s “Can’t Get You Out Of Head,” in a Cumbia format, is tantalizing, irresistible and could make a dead man dance.

We’ve been documenting the recent jams of The Royal Arctic Institute—from Weehawken in Hudson County—in this space of late. Their combo of fried sizzle gumbo, fusion funk, soundtrack-style weirdness and instrumental alt-pop has tickled our fancy since their inception. But, the question remains, can they do it live?

The 19th annual Hub City jazz Festival is scheduled for September 28 to October 1 in New Brunswick. Gerald Albright, Lindsey Webster with Special Guest Lin Rountree, New Urban Jazz Party, Oli Silk and Ashley Keiko will perform on the main stage.

On August 26, The National R&B Music Society, in conjunction with the town of Atlantic City, will present FOR FREE After 7, Ray Goodman and Brown, Keith Washington, Black Ivory, Dennis Taylor and The Legendary Blue Notes featuring Sugar Bear.

Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary is a partnership between Van Zandt and Wakaya Perfection to achieve what he likes to call Wicked Cool Wellness, a holistic approach to staying healthy. From small farms in Fiji, Australia, Vermont and Nicaragua, these coffees, teas, soy candles and lollipops—grown with natural ingredients minus machines or pesticides—are now sold in Hard Rock Hotels across America.

“Captain Of The Ceiling” and “Crack The Code” are the two new funky singles from Mother Hubbard via Gold’n Retriever Entertainment. The band met while attending William Paterson University in Wayne. The sound? Hard to describe, but suffice it to say that if the Red Hot Chili Peppers impregnated Steely Dan, the baby might sound like this.

Yep Rock Records will release ‘Part Time Job’ by Full Time Men on October 27, the classic 1980s side project from Fleshtones Keith Streng, Gordon Spaeth, Robert Warren and Bill Milhizer. Members of The Lower East Side Rockers (Rich Thomas), The Smithereens (Pat DiNizio), Hoodoo Gurus (Dave Faulkner), Andy York (John Mellencamp), The Dead Boys (Stiv Bators) and Peter Buck (R.E.M.) make guest appearances.

New Brunswick band The Gaslight Anthem hasn’t had an album out since 2014. That’s one reason ‘History Lesson’ has been so hotly anticipated. Although not due until October, frontman Brian Fallon has released the title track, a duet with his buddy Bruce Springsteen.

Soulful Femme is Stevee Wellons and Cheryl Rinovato. Their Attitude was recorded at Fat Rabbit Studios in Montclair and produced by blues great Albert Castiglia. Another blues great, Tommy Castro, contributes to their scintillating cover of James Brown’s “Talkin’ Loud And Sayin’ Nothing.”

Prof. Roddy Bogawa, who has taught at Jersey City University for the last 31 years, has directed a new documentary, ‘Have You Got It Yet? The Story Of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd.’ It is the first film to delve into the tragic story of Pink Floyd’s original leader, Syd Barrett, who became an acid casualty. Did LSD hamper his vision? Or was he always mentally ill?

The 15th class of inductees to the New Jersey Hall of Fame were announced last week. Among the honorees are singer Tony Orlando (Union City) and singer-songwriter-guitarist Patti Scialfa (Deal) of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. The ceremony will take place in Newark at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on October 29.

The new Steve Conte single, “Fourth Of July,” co-written by Andy Partridge of British rock band XTC, might be a little late for Independence Day but it sure rocks.

Here’s another chapter in the story that just won’t die. DiWulf Publishing House/Total Gavone Publishing is re-releasing Danny Marianino’s 2012 book, ‘Don’t Ever Punch A Rock Star: A Collection of Hate Mail and Other Crazy Rumors,’ with 100 new pages.

On July 28 and August 5, Acute Inflections, the jazzy, bluesy, soulful New York City duo, will perform two free outdoor concerts. With a set list that includes Erykah Badu and Billie Holiday, amidst their own compositions, they pepper their performances with comedy and style.