Bands bring diverse styles to Met. concert series

Shows held on Thursday evenings in August

BY JACQUELINE DURETT Correspondent

The borough is tuning up for its annual free concert series, Metuchen Rocks!

Performances will run every Thursday night through the end of August. The concert series, presented by the Metuchen Arts Council in conjunction with the Metuchen Recreation Commission, has been going on for about a decade, said organizer Grace Shackney of the MAC. It used to be known as the Metuchen Blues Series.

“Then we started mixing it up a little bit,” Shackney said, adding that the series now covers a spectrum of musical styles.

Metuchen Rocks! kicks off with a dance party on Aug. 4 featuring the Latin rhythms of David Cedeno and his Latin Orchestra.

“I’m looking forward to rocking Metuchen’s people with a little salsa,” Cedeno said. The Spidermonkeys, a Metuchen-based rock band that plays classic rock, R&B and blues, is up next on Aug. 11. Blues band Night Train, which follows on Aug. 18, comes highly recommended by Shackney, who noted that band member Mike Flynn is a “fabulous guitar player.

“They’re a treat. They’re a real treat,” she added.

The series concludes Aug. 25 with the Atmospherics, who will play a few covers but feature mostly original songs with a unique blend of jazz, funk, Latin and blues.

Shackney said a grant that was provided to help fund the series requires that all bands be based in New Jersey. When it comes to actually selecting the bands, she gets a lot of recommendations. She’s also seen many of them play in New York City venues.

“They contact me as well,” she said.

The series attracts residents of all ages, especially seniors, since the shows take place in front of the Senior Center.

“It depends on who’s playing,” Shackney said, adding that she sees the series as an opportunity for all attendees, regardless of age, to see all Metuchen has to offer. “We try to promote the downtown,” she said. “We encourage people to have dinner beforehand.”

Shackney said she is happy to have the support of a variety of sponsors, including the Metuchen Arts Council, the Metuchen Recreation Department and the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, which provides a grant from the state Council on theArts. The concerts also have a corporate sponsor in Metuchen Savings Bank.

It’s with the help of these funds that this series is able to survive, despite a challenging economic environment.

“We have been lucky to be able to sustain this program,” Shackney said.

She pointed out how, through the program, the funding is helping to drive the local economy. The money is used in part to pay the artists for a concert, which draws attendees who will likely spend money in the borough during the course of the evening.

“It’s all regenerative in that way,” Shackney said. “We’re part of that.”

The concerts, which take place on the corner of Center and New streets, start at 7:30 p.m., and in the case of rain, the shows move inside the Senior Center, at Center and Pearl streets. As such, there are no rain dates.