Groove on Grove inaugurated its junior year on May 5th with a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta theme. I emerged from the PATH to the sounds of Rainbow Fresh, (awesome name) a power trio jam band that laid down several pleasantly trippy grooves. Appropriate that the band that opens up this year’s free weekly outdoor concert series knew their away around a groove. They were groovy in the best sense of the word! I think they played In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, and I forget the name of one of the Santana tunes—although they closed with a rocking Oye Como Va, which hippness mandates I categorize as a Tito tune. They jammed so good I can blame my faulty memory on the possiblity they induced a flash back The standout number was an exhilarating version of What’s Going On that thrilled the crowd, young and old. The cats displayed great chops. They could play and the guitarist solos were satisfying. Jam Bands haven’t quite had a trio since Hot Tuna. I was impressed with the musicianship. I don’t know how much of the Latin flavor that dominated the set was due to the Mexican Independence day theme or not. Either way, a nice addition to the local music scene. Visit their space
The event seemed well attended, evidence of the growing popularity of the series. There were vendors for food and alcoholic beverages – although I didn’t see one for non-alcoholic – another improvement this year. The atmosphere was more festive than 09. The crowd is always nice, a mix of young and old and the moms with their kids. Nobody stands in front of the stage. It’s a little odd. The presence of booths made the space a little more cramped, and folks boogied to the jam band groove. Rocking out Marvin Gaye pleased plenty in the crowd. But they stayed clear of the area in front of the stage. Except for the stray toddler twirling into the space, that area remained empty. The same thing occurred last year. For some reason, audience members steer clear of the space directly in front of the Groove on Grove stage. It is always worth checking out Groove on Grove and hang out some. The weather was beautiful on Wednesday. We can now officially declare that Winter has ended. I usually make a mental not whenever a musician there grabs my attention for a sustained period. Most of the crowd are passing through, to or from (most from) work and very few seem inclined to linger and listen. Add to that the general noise of the traffic – delivery trucks of any size are apparently unbound by any meaningful muffler law – as the speakers in open air, it’s a tough gig for any musician. I’m glad they go through it though. It’s fun.
I was talking to the folks at the Jersey City Independent booth. They have the only copy editor in either print or online who reads Eric Foner. But the small talk was interrupted by what was billed as the North Brunswick Winter Percussion Group even though their t-shirts read: North Brunswick Township High School Drum Line. They were kids, high school teenagers. They took over the garden section of the outdoor plaza with their array of percussion instruments, xylophones, vibraphones, glockenspiels, bass and snare drums, cymbals of every size and an electric bass player. When they started pounding away everybody’s attention went to them. They were great, put me in mind of the Diga Rhythm band and were actually a nice complement to the jam band that opened the show. I’m not sure if H.S. marching bands will be a regular part of the Groove on Grove series, or if this Summer mix of acts will be more eclectic than previous selections, but I’ll tell you one thing: these kids were great and on the basis of showmanship and pleasing a crowd, they could teach a thing or two to some of our "hipper" local musicians.
I was talking to the folks at the Jersey City Independent booth. They have the only copy editor in either print or online who reads Eric Foner. But the small talk was interrupted by what was billed as the North Brunswick Winter Percussion Group even though their t-shirts read: North Brunswick Township High School Drum Line. They were kids, high school teenagers. They took over the garden section of the outdoor plaza with their array of percussion instruments, xylophones, vibraphones, glockenspiels, bass and snare drums, cymbals of every size and an electric bass player. When they started pounding away everybody’s attention went to them. They were great, put me in mind of the Diga Rhythm band and were actually a nice complement to the jam band that opened the show. I’m not sure if H.S. marching bands will be a regular part of the Groove on Grove series, or if this Summer mix of acts will be more eclectic than previous selections, but I’ll tell you one thing: these kids were great and on the basis of showmanship and pleasing a crowd, they could teach a thing or two to some of our "hipper" local musicians.
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