YDKJ and The Porchistas Celebrate Asbury Park – Photo Gallery

by Alice Magdziak • September 14, 2021 • Arts & Entertainment, Music • Comments (0) • 515

After weeks of thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricane warnings, flooding, and excessive heat we thought trying to put on an outdoor show would be a bit of a gamble. However the prospective line-up was so amazing that there was no way we could refuse when Alan Smith of The Porchistas asked if we would co-sponsor a show of musicians coming up from Asbury Park to their stage in Montclair.

We northerners go down the shore an awful lot in the summer. After Labor Day, they can come up here, right?

Turned out we didn’t need to worry… all the storms cleared out by Saturday night. The evening of September 11 was a beautiful one in every regard.

Renee Maskin opened up the show as the sun set over Montclair. There’s not much to say about Renee and her gorgeous voice and music that hasn’t already been said. She recently parted ways with Lowlight and we cannot wait to see what she comes up with next as her solo act gets going. She’s simply incredible.

Tara Dente was next up and, soon into her set, announced that she was moving to Nashville soon. Say it isn’t so, Tara! We’re so sad to lose her from the local music scene. She’s got an incredible energy.

Host band, The Porchistas, were up next. Their fun lyrics are hard to not sing along to. They have a little different lineup over the last year or so and they bring the band a new spark that is exciting to watch.

The last band of the evening was Little Hag. Every one of this group’s sets is filled with infectious energy and lyrics that somehow manage to entertain while including just enough biting social commentary to keep us on our toes.

On such a powerfully emotional day like the 20th anniversary of September 11th, it was so incredible to be with people enjoying the act of listing to music and enjoying a beautiful evening outdoors with friends.

Here are all the pictures from our evening in Montclair: