montclair arts
Verona
ART IN THE PARK
Liketoshop for yourfine art and crafts in abeautiful natural setting ? THE FINE ART AND CRAFTS SHOW , with its 140-plus exhibitors of jewelry , glass , wood , leather , fine art and more , returns to Verona Park for its 33rd year . When you ’ re not perusingthe items for sale , you can paddle-boat in the lake , enjoy the park ’ s large playground or eat at the lakeside snack bar . The show goes on rain or shine . • Corner of Pleasant Valley Way and Lakeside Avenue , rosesquared . com
APRIL 27 8P . M .
MAY 19-20 10A . M . -5 P . M .
Montclair
BUDDY GUY AT THE WELLMONT
Bluesman BUDDY GUY , whom Eric Clapton called “ without a doubt the best guitar player alive ,” brings his preeminent skills to the WELLMONT THEATER . The Ben Miller Band opens the show . Doors open at 7 p . m .; tickets $ 20- $ 395 . • 5 Seymour St ., ( 973 ) 783-9500 , wellmonttheater . com
Upper Montclair
ARTS UNBOUND SHOWCASE WELCOMES A NEW BOARD MEMBER
ARTS UNBOUND , the visual arts nonprofit that promotes the careers and creative works of artisans living with disabilities or mental illness , had roots in town even before its ARTS UNBOUND SHOWCASE relocated from Maplewood to Upper Montclair . Executive Director Margaret Mikkelsen is a resident , and several Montclair artists exhibit at the Cornerstone building , its new location , including Kristen Zachares , Anie Knipping , Katinka Neuhof and Daniel Stern . Also , Montclairians Marcelle Gaia and Sally Sheola teach art to other seniors as part of its Elder Arts Ambassadors program . Now resident WILLIAM S . JIGGETTS joins Arts Unbound ’ s board of directors . He is the founder and managing principle of Family Financial Management Practice in Montclair . His commitment to the arts is not new ; he is the chairperson of the African American Cultural Committee of the Montclair Art Museum . • 198 Bellevue Ave ., ( 973 ) 337-2311 , artsunbound . org
Montclair
ELK CITY TAKES THE GLOBAL STAGE
Montclair-based ELK CITY has performed regularly in North Jersey , New York City , and on tour in Europe and the U . S . for more than two decades . But the band hasn ’ t released a new album since 2010 — until last month . Everybody ’ s Insecure , with lyrics by front woman Renée LoBue , includes songs that have been described as personal , confessional and rooted in the singer ’ s past .
Her early life was , in her words , “ not optimal .” But the difficult times shaped her perspective , she says . “ At a very early age , I had to … ask myself , who do you want to be ? And I wanted to be this person … because I needed to escape .” In preparing these songs , she recognized that something had changed . “ I couldn ’ t run anymore ,” she says . “ It wasn ’ t a decision where I said , ‘ I ’ m going to write these songs about my life .’ It was just that they came out this way .”
Drummer / producer Ray Ketchem is well positioned to confirm LoBue ’ s account of the songwriting process . He ’ s been her friend , musical collaborator , and “ filter ” since 1990 , when they started Melting Hopefuls , which morphed into Elk City . ( The name comes from a place in Ketchem ’ s native West Virginia .) “ We definitely went through a lot during this record ,” says Ketchem , who was building his Montclair studio , Magic Door Recording , while the album was taking shape . “ I feel like theband almost broke up acouple of times during the making of it . It was because various feelings maybe were getting a little too close to the bone .”
The first single from Everybody ’ s Insecure , “ 25 Lines ,” was released on March 2 . Elk City brought their evocative stylings to Manhattan ’ s Bowery Ballroom on March 15 . Fans can get updates via the band ’ s website , elkcityband . com .
— STEVEN P . MARSH
ART : COURTESY OFROSE SQUARED PRODUCTION ; ELK CITY : COURTESY OF GEORGE KOPP ; JIGGETTS : COURTESY OF VAUGHN STROTHER ; BUDDY GUY : NICK WASS / INVISION / AP
26 MAY 2018 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE