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BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable NJ Music 5/4/26

by Lazlo

Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians each week with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Teen Idle, Rich Lancia, Somebody Club, Suede Aces, and Exit Eleven. Plus a look back at "Songs for the Moon" by The Porchistas.



 

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Middlesex County's FolkLIVE Event Series Returns for Summer 2026

(MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ) -- Middlesex County's FolkLIVE event series, led by the Arts Institute of Middlesex County, returns this summer for a third year, inviting residents and visitors to celebrate the arts, cultural traditions, and local talent. Running from June through September, the series features an exciting lineup of four outdoor events highlighting diverse cultures through artistic expression including music, dance, and storytelling.



New Jersey State Button Society Spring 2026 Button Show: Artisan Buttons of the Garden State

(TITUSVILLE, NJ) -- On Saturday, May 9th the New Jersey State Button Society (NJSBS) will host its Spring 2026 Button Show and Competition, "Artisan Buttons of the Garden State." The event takes place at the Union Fire Company Hall (1396 River Road) in Titusville from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Admission is free and open to the public.



Westminster Conservatory celebrates AAPI Heritage Month with a recital on May 9th

(LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ) -- On Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 7:00pm, Westminster Conservatory of Music of Rider University will present a faculty recital in celebration of National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month. The concert will take place in the Gill Chapel and is open to the public free of charge.



Gateway Playhouse presents "Guys And Dolls"

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Broadway's classic musical Guys and Dolls is primed to be a sure bet at Gateway Playhouse from May 28 to June 7, 2026. Filled with colorful characters, phenomenal dance numbers and cherished songs by Frank Loesser, the high-energy show follows the paths of smooth-talking gamblers, sassy showgirls and a very determined missionary as love and luck collide in the streets of New York City.



Hopewell Theater to Reopen in New Location

(HOPEWELL, NJ) -- Hopewell Theater is taking steps to reopen on 7 West Broad Street in Hopewell. The theater closed in 2024 due to rising costs and the inability to obtain a liquor license – a key income source for live venues. Hopewell Theater now has an opportunity to apply for a liquor license given the State of New Jersey's 2025 passing of a law allowing theaters to obtain a liquor license, and Hopewell Borough's subsequent passing of an ordinance allowing Borough theaters to apply for this new theater license.



Artyard presents Aqualumina Festival on May 9th

(FRENCHTOWN, NJ) -- A free nighttime festival featuring music, art, performance, and a sea of illuminated aquatic creatures, ArtYard's Aqualumina returns to Frenchtown for the third time at dusk on Saturday, May 9, 2026.



Montclair Art Museum Announces Retirement of Longtime Chief Curator Dr. Gail Stavitsky

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) has announced that Dr. Gail Stavitsky, the Museum's Chief Curator, will retire on July 1, 2026, after an extraordinary tenure spanning more than 30 years.



Daily Edition 05-04-26

Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!










EVENT PREVIEWS

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Art House Productions presents the 8th Annual INKubator New Play Festival

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Art House Productions presents the 2026 INKubator New Play Festival from May 4-6 & May 11-13, 2026. This year's playwrights are Oded Gross, Erin Mallon, Kyle Mazer, Ferdinand Moscat, Allyson Dwyer, and Cristina Luzárraga. Audiences who attend the festival will have the opportunity to participate in conversations with the writers, directors, and actors following each performance. All readings are free to attend, but advanced registration is required at www.arthouseproductions.org.


NJPAC presents a Spring Season of Jazz

(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents a Spring Season of Jazz with free monthly jazz jams at Clement's Place and two special concert events inside the Victoria Theater. This series, running from September through June, is co-presented by NJPAC's Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers University–Newark's Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS). Immerse yourself in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the players’ and listeners' minds.


Megan Thee Stallion to make her Broadway debut in "Moulin Rouge! The Musical"

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Producers of the Tony Award®-winning, record-breaking Broadway hit Moulin Rouge! The Musical have announced that three-time Grammy Award-winning superstar and actress Megan Thee Stallion will make her Broadway debut in the production as "Zidler", impresario of the titular nightclub. Taking the stage for a strictly limited 8-week engagement, Megan will light up the Al Hirshfeld Theatre from Tuesday, March 24th to Sunday, May 17, 2026, promising an unmissable, moment in the show's legendary run.


Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents "Some Enchanted Evening"

(HAMPTON, NJ) -- Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents Some Enchanted Evening from April 7 through May 16, 2026. This is a celebration of songs that have become a part of our lives. We sing them in the shower and we sing them to entertain and amuse.


Arden Children's Theatre presents "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales"

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- This spring, Arden Children's Theatre invites families into a hilariously twisted world where classic fairy tales don't go quite as expected in its next production of the 2025/26 season, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (The Stinky Cheese Man). Based on the beloved book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, adapted by John Glore, the production brings the book's fractured fairy tales to life for kids and adults alike. Directed by Steve Pacek, the production runs on the Arden’s Arcadia stage with previews starting April 8, opening night on April 18, with performances running through May 31.


Luna Stage to Present the World Premiere of "& Sons"

(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage will present the World Premiere of & Sons written by Jack Angelo Cummings and directed by Matt Monaco, running April 16 through May 10, 2026. Winner of the Kirk Prize for Best New Play, this is a sharply funny, emotionally hard-hitting portrait of brotherhood, labor, and the ways men learn—often badly—to love one another.







LATEST FEATURES

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY | KIDS

Sentimental Journey Big Band Takes the Stage at OCC's Grunin Center on May 17th
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Enjoy the music of the Greatest Generation when the Sentimental Journey Big Band presents "It Might as Well Be Swing" at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Showtime is 3:00pm.



Sweet Honey in the Rock LIVE! at McCarter Theatre

Spotlight Central and Love Imagery have photos and a recap of Sweet Honey in the Rock at McCarter Theatre on April 24, 2026.




Middletown Arts Center and Dunbar Repertory Company presents "Seven Guitars" by August Wilson

(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- The Middletown Arts Center, in conjunction with Dunbar Repertory Company, presents a special production of Seven Guitars, directed by Mark Antonio Henderson, across two weekends from May 23–31, 2026. The play by August Wilson follows a blues musician chasing redemption and a second chance as love, ambition, and fate collide in powerful portrait of dreams deferred.




McCarter Theatre presents Madeleine Peyroux's "WE ARE AMERICA: American Songs That Give Us Hope" on May 14th

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Madeleine Peyroux brings her WE ARE AMERICA: American Songs That Give Us Hope tour to McCarter Theatre Center on Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 7:30pm.




New Release Review - "Mother Mary"

Following Brady Corbet's Vox Lux and the recent horror sequel Smile 2, David Lowery's Mother Mary is another dark drama centred on a troubled female pop star. It also joins Peter Strickland's In Fabric and the "Weird Tailor" segment of Amicus anthology Asylum to form a sub-genre of horror movies featuring supernatural fabric.




PHOTOS from "SpongeBob SquarePants Jr " at Roman Productions

(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Roman Productions presented The SpongeBob Musical Jr. at Saint John Vianney High School April 25-26, 2026. Under the direction of Wendy Roman, this production showcased the strength of a youth theater program rooted in confidence, collaboration, and individuality. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.




Trumpeter Brandon Lee is Drawn to the 'Lasting Community Feel' of Big Bands

The big band format is, of course, one that is jazz's most timeless, enduring, and malleable. A big band could take a classic standard and update it for a modern audience, or transport that audience back to a Jazz Age ballroom. It's no wonder, then, that so many modern jazz practitioners view the big band format not as an anachronism to be scoffed at, but rather a sanctuary to be revered.




New Release Review - "The Mummy"

Hitchcock's Psycho is often cited as the first slasher movie but the tropes of that sub-genre go right back to the 1930s. The likes of Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees are essentially descendants of Kharis, the shambling antagonist of Universal's Mummy series of the '30s and '40s. In recent decades Universal has taken their Mummy property out of the horror genre and into the realm of blockbuster action, in a series of hit films starring Brendan Fraser and a flop headlined by the usually reliable Tom Cruise.










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LATEST COLUMNS
Due to a death in the family, the "Sound Bites" weekly column has ben postponed for this week. However, the listings of live music and entertainment are enclosed; we shall return on Thursday May 7 which happens to be the same day as the monthly "Rock On Radio" Happy Hour at the Nottingham Tavern located at 9 Mercer Street in Hamilton Square, NJ with music by Carmen Marranco.



Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Make It Happen" by Mike Chick

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Make It Happen" by Asbury Park Yawn Mower legend Mike Chick from "Congarts," his third solo album and second for Mint 400 Records.



Lighty's Corner: April 30, 2026

The second episode of Lighty’s Corner is live! This is a bi-weekly recorded radio show presenting new rock music from around the globe. Each of the 15 new tracks played were received via email within the last two weeks - a practice I hope to continue each time.


* Events This Week in New Jersey

* This Week in Music

* This Week in Theatre

* Top 15 Most Read Stories
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DAILY EDITION

Here is a look at the articles published over the weekend. The Daily Edition comes out Monday through Friday.


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