Guitarist Fran Heidkamp, Drummer Pete Dunphy, and Bassist Gary Karlsrund create a unique and powerful sound, honed from years of playing live together in different bands in NY and NJ.  Fueled by modern beats, new sounds, and technology, they apply their secret formula to reinvent and recharge favorite songs from the 70s, 80s, 90s and today.

In one of his lesser known speeches, Abraham Lincoln once quipped that band promotional bios are often as grandiose and self-congratulatory in style as they are inept in communicating the musical style of the group being promoted. In a similar vein,  Sharif Mekawy Group is a powerhouse collaboration of musicians who blend fresh original content with a wide array of powerful yet oft unexplored covers. The members, Sharif Mekawy (vocals & keyboards), Harry Morris Jr. (guitar), A. Hammond Murray (bass) and Ian 'skins' Carol (drums), are committed to the joint purpose of exploring musical frontiers while remaining anchored to an honest and appealing sound. The band is in the New York/New Jersey area and is looking forward to a fun and musically efficacious 2013. So come see us!

NY based singer/songwriter/pianist presents classic blues/jazz and boogie boogie.  Alligator Recording Artist Gaye Adegbalola (Saffire, The Uppity Blues Women) describes Ms. Storm:  "She embodies the special 'joie de vivre' of a blueswoman...Gail has collected some of the greatest blues chestnuts ever and made them her own-vocally and instrumentally. Her boogie treatments make me want to shake my bootie, but the slow tunes hit me deep in the gut.” Storm tours both nationally and internationally, playing solo or as bandleader. In addition to musical performances, Ms. Storm also presents multi-media lectures/performances on music focused topics, such as "Women In The Blues".  

www.GailStormMusic.com

Performing since 2011, the Peter Lin Septet plays a variety of music that features mostly arrangements of jazz standards and originals that are in the style of Wayne Shorter, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Charlie Parker, and other musicians from the jazz idiom. This septet has been the opening band for Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Barron Duo as well as the Rufus Reid Trio. All of our performances have gathered positive reviews from both the media and the public, reflecting the tightness of the horn section and the classic, swingin' feeling from the rhythm section. All the members of the band are up and coming musicians who consistently play in the tri-state area: 

Peter Lin - trombone

Zach Gillespie - trumpet

Ben Kovacs - saxophone

Dave Zaks - piano

Charlie Sigler - guitar

Chris Brawley - drums

Daseul Kim - bass

Summer: July 8-August 17

Weekly Creative Writing workshops for Children and Adults
REGISTER NOW!

For Adults:

• Adult Writers Circle
• Continuing Your Novel
• The Novel Continuum
• Creative Nonfiction
• Screenwriting
• Short Form
• Short Story Writing
• Where Do I Begin?
• Writing for Teens
• Writing Your Life (Memoir Writing)

For Children:

• Storytellers Circle (K-2nd grade)
• Pop-Up Books (1st-3rd grade)
• Story Magic (3rd-5th grade)
• For Boys Only! (3rd-5th grade)
• Out of this World! (4th-6th grade)
• Stop Motion (4th-6th grade) - NEW!
• BeTWEEN the Lines (5th-6th grade)
• Comic Books & Graphic Novels(middle/high school)
• Teen Writers Circle (teens)
• Writing Through Diversity (teens)

PLUS!
Creative College Essay Writing
NEW for high school juniors & seniors!

and

Summer Creative Writing Intensives
for Teens & Gifted Younger Writers

Two week-long workshops focusing on specific genres, individual projects and the writer's craft:

July 29-August 2, 9AM-3PM
August 5-9, 9AM-3PM

Work with professional authors on Fiction, Writing for Young Adults, Screenwriting, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry and much more. Meet other young creative writers in a supportive, constructive writing community.

Rich Deans and the Rainmakers has become a sought-after act on the Americana/Alt-Country music scene, sharing stages with the likes of The Greencards (out of Austin, Texas) Red Molly, The Whyos, Susan Werner, Bill Staines, Rod MacDonald, Pat Wictor and numerous other local and national touring acts.  Showcasing Rich Deans’ original songs, the band combines bristling musicianship, three-part harmonies, and a warm and engaging stage presence for an energetic show that has been pleasing crowds throughout the tri-state area. The band members are: Rich Deans, lead vocals and guitar, John Polingco, bass guitar and harmony vocals, Noah Brauner, harmonica and harmony vocals and multi-instrumentalist Gary Toro on mandolin, keyboards, tenor guitar, ukulele and harmony vocals.

The tongue in cheek name Lil’ Bastad is synonymous with the winning humor and unique style that instantly connects their music with their audiences. This five piece blues-based band was formed in 1999, through their musicianship and great love for the Blues, R&B and Funk.  Since Lil' Bastad's beginnings, they've held true to their funky rhythm & blues roots. Based in Northern NJ they create unique syncopated compositions that orchestrate a fresh and innovative perspective of listening to Blues, Funk, and R&B. Lil' Bastad combines formal "old school" style and their own contemporary feel to form a winning musical balance.   From Freddy, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix to Robert Cray, Stevie Ray, and George Benson, their musical influences are uniquely styled and this band has something to say!

With their latest CD entitled Afropean Affair, Oscar Perez Nuevo Comienzo employs an instrumental quintet which features some of the most talented musicians on the New York jazz scene today: Greg Glassman on trumpet, Stacy Dillard on saxophones, Anthony Perez on bass and Jerome Jennings on drums The sound draws from Latin and jazz music to explore innovative arrangements. As Dr. Ana Isabel Ordonez of JazzReview.com noted, “Prolific pianist and composer Oscar Perez delivers an amazing bouquet of Latin jazz compositions. Perez blends his rhythmic Cuban roots and American jazz with high skill.”

Grab a surfboard and ride out with Wave Music, one of the most innovative new bands on the scene today. Wave Music's sound is a fusion jazz, funk, and rock, with a modern electronic feel, combining high levels of musicality with showmanship and overall dopeness to create an unforgettable experience. Influenced by artists like Prince, Woody Shaw, David Bowie, James Blake, Kanye West, and Steely Dan, you will arrive at a Wave Music show without unprepared and you will leave blown away.

Open House for Certified Home Health Aides

Hosted by Loving Care Agency Inc.

April 17th, 2013

9:00am to 2:00pm

For Information please contact

Juliana@ 973-659-9119

jgiraldo@lovingcareagency.com

Refreshments will be served!!!!

In memory of Elaine K. Marlowe, who was a beloved librarian in the Children's Room at the South Orange Public Library.  When ALS took her ability to speak in the early 80s, the community pulled together and the children of South Orange held a benefit for Mrs. Marlowe, providing her with one of the first text to speech machines available.

The ALS Association is a 4 star charity. Over 91% of the money you donate goes directly to fund research and patient programs. That's one of the highest percentages out there among charitable organizations.

Please come out, support this very worthy cause, and have a rocking great time. This is the Third Annual ALS Fundraiser at Bunny's.  We are proud and grateful for the support of Leslie Pogany, her family and crew.

If you have any donations for the door prizes, please write to: meg.e.marlowe@gmail.com

A Christian alternative to Yoga, using scripture to describe the various movements. This exercise discipline involves gentle stretching, deep stretching and diaphragmatic breathing combined with proclamation and meditation. Consistency in this practice will help promote weight loss and weight control, stress relief, flexibility and balance, and strengthen your body.

Beyond Pilates: 1 hr. (Beginner / Intermediate levels): Instructed by Sabatino Verlezza, Beyond Pilates utilizes a method that is designed to achieve maximum positive results for each unique student. By blending the appropriate set of movement patterns with correct alignment and reachable goals, the student can realize the extraordinary potential with his or her body.

The Pilates method that Sabatino embraces is derived from his decades of work in general wellness and professional dance. His work with diverse body types has allowed people to successfully return to work, the stage, the athletic field and the physical demands of everyday life

Beyond Pilates embraces a philosophy to proactively achieve a balanced body by offering the tools to aid in injury prevention.

Learn how removing toxins and excess matter from the colon and intestinal tract can be effective in maintaining good colon health and balance in your digestive system and overall well-being.

Explore dance in depth this summer with professional dancers from New York!Lydia Johnson Dance (LJD) is now accepting registrations for Lydia Johnson Dance Camp on July 8-July 26, where professional dancers from LJD will lead a creative exploration of dance and the art of choreography. (Learn more @ Dance Camp). The camp will run from 9 a.m-1 p.m. Monday through Friday at The Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood for students entering Grades 2 through 11 at all skill levels.  An extended day is now offered in partnership with Geralyn’s Art Studio so campers can dance in the morning and create visual art work in the afternoons for a full day of the arts. (Scholarships and one and two-week sessions are available.) The program includes Pizza Fridays, dance games, snack on the patio, and special events.
Under the direction of choreographer Lydia Johnson, LJD company members and teaching artists will lead small groups through a varied day of creative dance including Dance Technique, Choreography, and Survey of Contemporary Dance, with guest artists teaching jazz and hip hop. The day includes a Choreography Workshop in which the campers create their own dances to show friends and families.

South Orange, NJ (For Release 3/20/13) --- The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) unveils the latest in its rotating series of visual art exhibitions in the Herb & Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC.  On view from April 12 – July 31, 2013, is PRIMAL CONVERGENCE, an exhibit featuring paintings, drawings and constructs by three NJ-based artists – the collaborative team of Gerard Amsellem & Mikel Frank, and Dan Fenelon, and is curated by Micha Hamilton of GAS Gallery And Studio.

Kicking off the exhibit is a free reception from 6:00pm – 8:00pm on Saturday, April 20^th, featuring a meet-and-greet with the artists.  The artwork on exhibit is for sale with partial proceeds supporting SOPAC.

Invoking the tribal, the transcendental and the mythic, PRIMAL CONVERGENCE is a collection of paintings, drawings, collages, constructs and sculptures.   Simultaneously ancient and futuristic, tethered by their bold, explosive use of colors and immersive scale, the works of these artists exude a sense of the sacred and supernatural, eliciting an instinctual, visceral reaction and engaging the viewer in a transformative meditation of mind, body and spirit. The large expressionist collage/paintings of Amsellem & Frank manifest as multi-paneled works combining the power of action painting with a nod to Japanese Shoji screens and Renaissance altarpieces. Important to these works is the spontaneous working process these two artists have established, allowing their individual creative sensibilities for art and life to translate into a symbiotic vision through process and palette, creating a third artist.

At the same time, the seemingly stream-of-conscious, figurative paintings, constructs and sculptures of Dan Fenelon are iconographic and totemic, and are evocative of talismanic and fetishistic art often associated with shamanic practices of archaic and indigenous cultures. With a range of work alternately playful and profound, deliberate and serendipitous, one should be careful not to dismiss the primal as primitive, as it would negate the highly developed artistic knowledge and skill these artists have acquired through lifelong passion and practice. PRIMAL CONVERGENCE is a celebration of the connective, timeless expressions of the human spirit.

About Gerard Amsellem & Mikel Frank (Artists)

Gerard Amsellem and Mikel Frank are known for their collaborative project titled VISUAL PASSION, featuring large-scale, multi-panel non-objective expressionist paintings and collages applied to canvas and wooden door panels.  Their collaboration evolved from a shared experience; the passing of loved ones.  During the course of their collaboration they have created many works, most notably THE PASSING.  THE PASSING was created in 2011 at GAS Gallery And Studio (Maplewood, NJ), and was presented as a live, one-day painting event open to the public. The event was documented with photos and video recordings showcasing their collaborative process and shared opinions on art, love, life and death. For more information, visit www.visualpassion.net .

A South Orange resident by way of Paris, France, Gerard Amsellem earned his Masters Degree in French Literature and Art History from the University of Paris. In addition to painting, he is also a filmmaker and educator, teaching French and World Film at Livingston High School in Livingston, NJ. Gerard’s work has been exhibited in Paris, locally at GAS Gallery And Studio in Maplewood, NJ, and other notable galleries. In 2011, he produced and directed a short film titled “BARTLEBY”, and he has established a successful film club called La Cinemateque.

Mikel Frank is a New Jersey native and holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in painting from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. He has exhibited in shows and competitions throughout the country and his work appears in many private collections. Mikel is the creator and leader of an artist critique group called The Contemporary Artists Forum, and has been curator of the annual Contemporary Artists Forum Exhibition since its inception in 2002. He is a volunteer and executive board member of the 1978 Maplewood Arts Center in Maplewood, NJ, and has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y., N.Y. since 1985.

About Dan Fenelon (Artist)

Influenced by modern art giants such as Basquiat, Haring, Picasso and Warhol, Dan Fenelon’s art is an infusion of cartooning, graffiti, modernism, pop, tribalism and street art styles, marked by an explosion of colors and representational imagery. Utilizing traditional materials like canvas and wood, while also employing materials such as metals, plastics and found objects, Fenelon’s works manifest as multi-layered, polyglyphic paintings and totemic constructs invoking the voices of civilizations past, as if they were glorious artifacts uncovered in an archaeological dig. He is known for his large, exuberant murals and paintings, as well as his collection of colorfully and ornamentally embellished vinyl dolls reminiscent of the Kachina Dolls found in the fetish art of the Native American cultures.

Dan Fenelon trained at The Art Students League of New York and the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston. He has exhibited in more than twenty solo gallery exhibitions from Chelsea (NYC) to Los Angeles (CA), had a featured mural exhibit at the Montclair Art Museum and has produced giant murals nationwide. In 2010, Dan was commissioned by the Barat Foundation to create a large-scale mural to welcome the Dalai Lama to the Newark Peace Summit. He has produced work for professional sports organizations such as the National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), and has recently partnered with the Critical MassBrand to feature his designs on the company’s surf and snowboard apparel available this spring. He lives and works in Madison, NJ. For more information, visit www.wavedog.com .

About Micha Hamilton (Curator)

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Micha Hamilton is a published photographer, filmmaker, writer and graphic designer.  He studied film and television broadcasting at the Arts Center College of Design, Pasadena and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) respectively, and earned his Associate Arts Degree in Computer Graphics and Graphic Design from Platt College, Los Angeles. Micha is Owner and Art Director of MHP+D/Micha Hamilton Photography + Design, a boutique creative company providing clients with stunning visual imagery for commercial, non-commercial and private needs. In January 2010, having discovered the rich and vast creative talent of the region, he co-founded the visual arts exhibition and production space GAS Gallery And Studio in Maplewood, NJ, where he currently resides. For more information, visit www.itisagas.com and www.michahamiltonphotography.com.            

About the Herb & Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC

The Herb & Milly Iris Gallery brings contemporary art to the community, providing artists opportunities to reach new audiences. The Gallery is designed for moviegoers, theater enthusiasts, art lovers, and all citizens of South Orange alike to have an opportunity to further enrich their cultural lives. The Gallery is the impetus of SOPAC Board Member Milly Iris, a South Orange resident and arts advocate. Mrs. Iris has an extensive art collection, is an art teacher, and is the former owner/director of South Orange’s Whichcraft Gallery. Along with her late husband, Herb, Milly has been a longtime supporter of SOPAC.

About SOPAC

Since 2006, SOPAC has been serving as a premier performing arts center in the region. SOPAC offers innovative artistic and cultural experiences for diverse audiences in an intimate, inviting environment. The multidisciplinary arts center hosts a variety of live performances, community events and education programs for all ages. To further expand its offerings, SOPAC has a partnership with the Juilliard School of Music to present Juilliard @ SOPAC – a series featuring upcoming musicians from the acclaimed conservatory. SOPAC is also a home for Seton Hall University Arts Council’s performances, including Classical Concert Series, Jazz N’ the Hall performances and Seton Hall Theatre productions. SOPAC also presents performances by its theater company in residence, Midtown Direct Rep, and its dance company in residence, Lydia Johnson Dance. For more information, visit www.SOPACnow.org

South Orange, NJ (For Release 3/20/13) --- The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) unveils the latest in its rotating series of visual art exhibitions in the Herb & Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC.  On view from April 12 – July 31, 2013, is PRIMAL CONVERGENCE, an exhibit featuring paintings, drawings and constructs by three NJ-based artists – the collaborative team of Gerard Amsellem & Mikel Frank, and Dan Fenelon, and is curated by Micha Hamilton of GAS Gallery And Studio.

Kicking off the exhibit is a free reception from 6:00pm – 8:00pm on Saturday, April 20^th, featuring a meet-and-greet with the artists.  The artwork on exhibit is for sale with partial proceeds supporting SOPAC.

South Orange, NJ (For Release 3/20/13) --- The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) unveils the latest in its rotating series of visual art exhibitions in the Herb & Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC.  On view from April 12 – July 31, 2013, is PRIMAL CONVERGENCE, an exhibit featuring paintings, drawings and constructs by three NJ-based artists – the collaborative team of Gerard Amsellem & Mikel Frank, and Dan Fenelon, and is curated by Micha Hamilton of GAS Gallery And Studio.

CLOSING reception from 6:00pm – 8:00pm on Saturday, June 29^th, featuring a meet-and-greet with the artists.  The artwork on exhibit is for sale with partial proceeds supporting SOPAC.

Kids and parents alike – get ready to ROCK! On April 21, St. George's is once again hosting a kid-friendly concert featuring StarFish.

StarFish, a 5-piece band, electrifies kids' music and gives parents the opportunity to share a real rock concert experience with their children. With lively songs such as Stop, Drop and Rock and Roll, Air Guitar, and The StarFish Stomp, StarFish gives kids' music a classic rock makeover, and makes the young – and young at heart – sing, dance, and play air guitar.

This crowd-pleasing event is back for the sixth year at St. George's. The concert will be held at 2 PM on Sunday, April 21, in the Parish Hall. Tickets cost $5.00 per person, or $15.00 per family. For more information, contact Amy Cox-Martins or Leigh Ann Narum-Miller.

Northern NJ Professionals in Transition will meet at the Maplewood Library, 51 Baker Street in Maplewood, twice in April. 

Our presenter, for both sessions this month, will be Meg Dennison, a South Orange native and a certified Conscious Living and Loving Coach with the Hendricks Institute.

On April 8^th, from 10 A.M. to 12 noon, Ms. Dennison will be presenting “The Drama Triangle and Presence.”  This session will be perfect for job-searchers and all others who are looking to move from conflict in their life to presence.  Meg's workshop will help you to recognize when you are stuck in the Drama Triangle and how to shift and become clearer in what you want in your personal and professional life.

On April 22^nd, Meg returns to present “From Excellence to Genius.”  This program, which uses a “body-centered approach,” will be great at helping you (not just figure out what you are good at, but) what you do better than almost anyone else.  You will learn how to figure out and appreciate that for yourself.  Again, this session is great for both job-searchers and non-job-searchers alike.

Please join us at the library on April 8th and again on April 22nd for these two uplifting and informative presentations!

Northern NJ Professionals in Transition will meet, on a generally alternating-Monday basis, throughout 2013.

Map here: http://goo.gl/maps/takz

All are welcome—pass it on—tell your friends/neighbors/colleagues/associates…  
We always allow time for open networking, both before and after the session.

This in-person group is part of the online forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NNJ_PIT

Join us there, for discussions & and an information archive, too!