reviews
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Jarod Clemons brings friends, family, and fun to Sea.Hear.Now Festival 2026
Asbury Park’s Sea.Hear.Now Festival is no stranger to promoting underground acts, especially those from its own backyard. Asbury Park native Jarod Clemons opened the Park Stage on Saturday, September 19, welcoming festivalgoers with an energetic performance and a fitting greeting to his hometown. Arriving onstage in golden cheetah-print pants and his signature sunglasses, Clemons immediately…
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REVIEW — ‘Saturn Returning’ by Kim Narby
“Jordan felt a similar desperation to be Silvia’s friend that she’d once felt with Trace. It was something she wanted to tamp down inside herself. It seemed so embracing to pine for friendship, but something about Silvia was addictive.” If the Fleetwood Mac album Rumours were a book, it would be Saturn Returning. Messy relationships,…
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In conversation with No Soap Radio: from adolescence to adulthood
No Soap Radio’s namesake is rooted in absurdity: a punchline that refuses to arrive, a story that deliberately goes nowhere. The band themselves, though, seem intent on making a habit of going somewhere entirely their own. “[That band name] was the second or third thing that came to mind when we were kids, and it…
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REVIEW — ‘Midheaven’ by Cory Blair
As an avid music listener, I’ve had no shortage of music to soak up in August. New releases at the tail end of summer capture a particularly warm feeling that, with luck, will stick with listeners as the weather slowly, or not so slowly, cools. Regardless, this month a variety of artists are gracing music…
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In conversation with Cole Hallman: riding the sound wave
In the words of folk musician Jack Johnson, “time is just a melody.” And for singer-songwriter Cole Hallman, the time is now. Growing up in Manasquan, New Jersey, Hallman was surrounded by an endless coastline and a rich, local music scene. “There is a lot of music in my area, a lot of music in…
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In conversation with Sandi Joy: beauty from the ashes
“I don’t think I had a choice,” Sandi Joy says about her love of music. “And that’s not a complaint whatsoever. I was literally born into music.” With a pianist, vocalist, and professional dancer mother and a touring guitarist father, Joy grew up in an aspiring musician’s dream household. Her musicianship, though, blossomed not at…
