North America’s largest poetry festival returns to Newark October 15, 16 and 17 across seven stages throughout the downtown area, as presented by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).

Never Say Die is the first new music by New Brunswick emo-pop-punk band Tokyo Rose in 20 years. Currently on the road with Pittsburgh alt-rock powerhouse Punchline, their new single, “Better When,” is, according to the band, the “fever dream of a manic depressive.”

Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo is going home to Louisiana to perform—for the first time in 30 years—at his hometown New Orleans Lakefront Arena and he’s bringing nine other bands with him. The two-day event on November 20-21 will also feature Down, Black Label Society, Power Trip, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, Pig Destroyer, Eyehategod, Rade and Herakleion.

Adam Zurbruegg has toiled in Tri-State bars most of his adult life with cover bands and as a sideman. The 41-year old Little Falls resident has now taken the plunge into original material with the release of Then Again by Adam & The Elephants, due this Friday.

Bayonne, besides bring a New Jersey town in Hudson County, is also the stage name for Roger Sellers, an Austin-based electronica mystery man, who has followed up his 2023 Temporary Time with Filters (Nettwerk Music Group). “The title,” he explains, “correlates with the concept of finding ways to get through rough times. It’s like filtering through some of the negative things in life.”

Watch the new trailer for what the Springsteen camp is calling Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour (Philadelphia Freedom Cut). The new concert documentary started streaming yesterday. It captures the Philly finale of the tour at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine guest-stars.

WXPN Radio has set the lineup for its 33^rd Annual XPoNential Music Festival, slated for September 18, 19 & 20 at Wiggins Park on the Camden Waterfront.

Our favorite shore duo is back yet again only this time it’s a “Bummer,” man. Yet listen to “Bummer” and you realize the sound is diametrically opposed to the title.

It’s called Jamtoberfest ’26 and it’s eight solid hours at the Flanders (Morris County) Swim & Sport Club starting at 1:00 p.m. on October 3. The outdoor event—complete with food, booze, merch and a dance floor—will be headlined by a Brothers Revival, with former Allmans bassist Rook Goldflies and keyboardist Mike Kach.

With the passing of country icon Dolly Parton on August 25 at 80 from cancer, the world lost a singular voice of the ages, a blessed humanitarian and the composer of over 3,000 songs that defied categorization. Her songs have been covered by artists across generations and genres, from Tina Turner and Merle Haggard to Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé and Lil Nas X. But, by far, the biggest rendition was when Whitney Houston—born in Newark—did “I Will Always Love You.”

The free Middlesex County Jazz Festival is back September 23, 24, 25 and 26 in four different locations as produced by the Borough of Carteret, Friends of Metuchen Arts with the Metuchen Arts Council, the New Brunswick Jazz Project and Woodbridge Arts.

Dylan songs have always been so ripe for reinvention ever since The Byrds took “Mr. Tambourine Man” electric in 1965. Jem Records, the New Jersey label that had previously put out celebrations of John Lennon, Brian Wilson, Pete Townshend, Ray Davies, Jagger/Richards and David Bowie, now has a Dylan Celebration and it’s a Jersey-centric Dylan doozy.

We’ve been following the exploits of West Orange guitarist-producer-composer Dave Stryker since before he opened for Steely Dan in 2022. But what has he done for us lately? Good question.

As if Montclair bassist-composer-educator-arranger-producer Christian McBride wasn’t busy enough, there’s still time for him to record and release a duo album with pianist Takashi Matsunaga. 

The new season of “Peak Performances” at Montclair State commences September 17 with the dance troupe known as A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham.

19^th Century French and Italian operas are the order of the day when New Jersey Lyric Opera (NJLO) presents its “Summer Opera Festival” with Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre in West Windsor this Friday, Saturday and Sunday August 28, 29 and 30.

Self-Produced, self-released, recorded in Little Falls, mixed and mastered in South Orange, Dishes Ain’t Clean, the fourth album from the duo known as Sounds of April and Randall, contains 13 of their originals that veer from jazz, indie-folk and world-pop to soul-funk.

The “American Voices” series of New York City’s Hunter College continues October 6 and 7 with the addition of “Frank Sinatra: From Band Singer to Icon” at The Kaye Playhouse. Previously, The on-campus Kaye has featured “Women In Jazz” and “Louis Armstrong: A Celebration of the Father of Jazz.”

Back in June, we told you about Princeton Jazz Guitarist Stanley Jordan’s Feather In The Wind album, due this fall. Jordan, who pioneered a style of guitar punctuated with his patented touch-tapping technique, will release the second single from the upcoming album this Friday, August 28, “Flight Of The Eagle,” his first original in 14 years.

Split Level Concerts has announced its third season of 8:00 p.m. Saturday shows at the Jersey Shore Arts Center (JSAC) on South Main Street in Ocean Grove at its Palaia Theater. The eight concerts start on Halloween when Willie Nile will perform a special “Solo Storyteller Show” with Americana singer-songwriter Robinson Treacher opening.