Born in Newark, raised in Irvington, with a home in Bradley Beach, Sam Edelston is blazing new trails when it comes to the fretted dulcimer, a string instrument related to the zither that’s played like a lap steel guitar. If you ask him, he’ll tell you his mission is to make the dulcimer as popular as the guitar in rock’n’roll. Joni Mitchell used to play it but Edelston, on his Making Waves debut, is the first artist to use it as a lead ax in a rock setting.

No one does Tom Waits like Eddie Skuller. Skuller, the Jersey City chameleon, has already transcended the Waits essence with his spot-on rendition of “Chocolate Jesus” and turned the Willie Dixon blues classic “Spoonful” into a reggae. Now he plans to sing the ballads of Tom Waits at the 503 Social Club on Third Street in Hoboken on May 16.

The free 2026 Spring Arts and Music Festival will take place on Washington Street between Observer Highway and Seventh Street May 17 (rain date: May 31) in Hoboken from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with over 300 vendors and two stages of live music. Over 30,000 visitors are expected.

The free 2026 Spring Arts and Music Festival will take place on Washington Street between Observer Highway and Seventh Street May 17 (rain date: May 31) in Hoboken from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with over 300 vendors and two stages of live music. Over 30,000 visitors are expected.

The annual family-friendly community event known as Ailey Day returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center downtown Newark for the 18^th time on April 11. The all-day event features free dance classes and performances. The Newark Public Library will host story-time with readings of children’s books including a biography of Alvin Ailey [1931-1989}, the legendary dancer, director, choreographer and activist.

The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music opens its new digs June 7 on the campus of Monmouth University in Long Branch. The massive 32,000 square foot structure includes exhibition galleries, research archives, immersive interactive experiences and a performance theater.

Singer-Songwriter Shane MacGowan [1957-2023] was the lead singer of Great Britain’s Celtic Punk Pogues. He wrote lyrics on the Irish immigrant experience and pulled no punches. Decades of booze and drugs killed him at 65. On November 13, 20^th Century Paddy: The Songs of Shane MacGowan will be released with Pogues interpretations from Tom Waits, Steve Earle, The High Kings, Hozier & Jessie Buckley, Johnny Depp & Imelda May, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Dropkick Murphys, Glen Hansard, The Libertines, David Gray, Primal Scream, Kate Moss, Damien Dempsey, Moya Brennan, Amble, Camille O’Sullivan, Cronin, Garron Noone, Johnny Mac & the Faithful, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Lisa Moorish & Another Day, Lisa O’Neill, LYRA, Madra Salach, Mundy, Picture This, Pinch of Snuff, The Murder Capital, Bruce Springsteen and The Pogues themselves. Half of its royalties will benefit the Dublin Simon Community, an Irish homelessness organization.

The Somerset County trio known as Burn In Tweed has released its stirring “Sunhouse’ song wherein telescopes collapse, vampires flee and lovers tango while bassist Bex pumps out jaw-grinding lines of desperation, drummer Shane J. Dillon cracks those rimshots fit to tear a bloody hole in your neck, and vocalist-guitarist Ronny Day goes nuclear on this production from Andy Janowiak at Highlands Studio in Hunterdon County.   According to their website, it’s “spikey sweet punky pop, steeped in metal and beats with a Turnpike heart.”

Born in Passaic and raised in Garfield, David Brigati rose to prominence singing lead on “Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee & The Starliters. It hit #1 in 1961, knocking “The Twist,” by Chubby Checker, off the top spot. But by ’65, he quit the group, and was replaced by his younger brother Eddie.  When Eddie quit the group to form his own, he took two Starliters with him—lead guitarist Gene Cornish and keyboardist Felix Cavaliere. They called themselves The Young Rascals.

Canadian Sebastian Bach, 57, sang for Ocean County band Skid Row on its first three albums. Now he’ll sing for Bergen County band Twisted Sister. And he’s thrilled. He recently posted the following…

“Me Vs. The Lack Of Context,” by Catch Me If You Can, mixed and mastered by John Baldassano, comes out today. This one-man alternative-acoustic punk-rock troubadour—born Ryan Hanratty—starts out with a Neil Young warble but—BOOM!—then the horns kick in like The Bar-Kays—Otis Redding’s back-up band back in the day--pushing and shoving the mix forward in a frenetic rock’n’roll brand of breakneck crazy.

We first told you about David Osterhout in the summer of ’24 when Blue Grape Music signed him as Bike Routes to release Rush Of Energy. Now comes Prairie with its “Delicate” video and he’ll be taking his act on the road starting this weekend in Philly.

Has it really been a half-century since The Feelies came out of Passaic County? Hatched in 1976, The Feelies kick-started the ‘80s with Crazy Rhythms and solidified their legend with The Good Earth in 1986. In celebration of this achievement, they will be performing both albums in their entirety May 22 and 23 at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City.

Millions of American boys formed bands after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. One of them was Gary Lewis, son of superstar comedian-filmmaker Jerry Lewis, who watched from his Newark home. A year later, with no help whatsoever from his father (but a lot from his mother), his band, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, hit #1 with an Al Kooper song, “This Diamond Ring,” produced by Snuff Garrett [1938-2015]. Now  80, Gary Lewis is still a Playboy. His band is touring as part of the “My Generation” tour with new iterations of Lovin’ Spoonful and The Hollies.

The Pizzarelli family of Paterson—guitarist Bucky [1926-2020], singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer John and bassist Martin—have always loved the legendary New Jersey Hall of Fame vocalist Tony Bennett from Englewood in Bergen County. Bucky—who was inducted into the NJHOF in 2011—played on Tony’s 1960 To My Wonderful One and 1969’s I’ve Gotta Be Me albums. John backed up Tony on guitar during numerous radio broadcasts and Tony returned the favor by drawing a beautiful portrait of him that now serves as the cover of John’s new Dear Mr. Bennett (Green Hill Music).

She showed glimpses of the artist she’s proving to be while at North Hunterdon County High School in Clinton Township. Now Kristin Field, 21, will be honored March 10 by the New Brunswick Jazz Project as an “Emerging Artist” when she performs on alto sax, clarinet and flute while supported by tenor sax, trombone and baritone sax. When she graduates from Rutgers this spring, she says she wants—for her March 29 senior recital—to perform Dave Brubeck’s 1959 “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” John Coltrane’s 1961 “My Favorite Things,” Antonio Carlos Jobim’s 1964 “The Girl From Ipanema” plus two originals, all backed by piano/bass/drums.

Morristown singer-songwriter Christian Diana—who used to be in The Foxfires—is now Mourning Coffee. His acoustic loveliness is offset by an air of mystery in the grooves and, in the video for “Amor Fati,” humor. He sings in a whisper. It makes the listener lean forward to properly digest the sound of his own guitar, keyboards, synthesizer and vocals (with help from drummer Tommy Riley, violinist Julia Akito and mix-master Sam Staufi).

Last year, Blues Traveler celebrated the 30^th anniversary of its Grammy-winning “Run-Around” hit with a huge tour. This year, the band originally from Princeton has added a slew of dates with Gin Blossoms, about which frontman John Popper says, “It’s rare when a package feels so much like home that it carries a spirit which becomes tangible to an audience. That was the case — by all accounts — regarding our summer tour last year with Spin Doctors and Gin Blossoms.”

The Bergen County collective known as Random Acts of Kindness Music has released “I Wish” by Uganda’s African Children’s Choir. Ken Freirich wrote the lyrics and found the singers, musicians and producer in an effort to effectuate his vision of “having a positive impact on the world through meaningful lyrics, kindness and philanthropy,” according to his camp.

Longtime Monmouth County singer-songwriter-guitarist Jack Hoban reached out to us recently to send us “Boardwalking,” a song about one of his favorite pastimes. "Aloha! I live in Sea Girt, but I'm in Hawaii right now recording my next album. There's a lot of beach music in my catalogue. Please listen and I hope it keeps you warm during this cold winter!"—Jack Hoban