New Jersey Stage spoke with
Makin about New Brunswick’s
music history, why it is so difficult
for artists to find places to play
today, and what he would like to
see happen in the city.
Why is it important to celebrate
the music and music history of
New Brunswick?
No other city in the state has
produced more national acts
than New Brunswick, includ-
ing Asbury Park and Hoboken
combined. While none are as
ginourmous or iconic as Bruce
Springsteen or Frank Sinatra, the
number of acts, especially those
who are still active, is impres-
sive. They include Glen Burtnik,
The Smithereens, Bouncing
Souls, Lifetime, Inspecter 7, En-
sign, Thursday, Streetlight Mani-
festo, Hub City Stompers, The
Ergs, Screaming Females, Night
Birds, Mikey Erg, and Modern
Chemistry.
NJ STAGE 2017 - Issue 41
And then there’s Crossfire
Choir, Chicken Scratch, Buzzkill,
Nudeswirl, Deadguy, Catch 22,
God Forbid, Midtown, One Track
Mike & Little T, New Blood Re-
vival, Hunchback, Gaslight An-
them, Roadside Graves and so
many more who got started in
New Brunswick and went on to
tour and sell records nationally
and even internationally. And
top of all that, there’s celebrity
DJ Matt Pinfield, who founded
Rutgers University radio station
WRSU’s “Overnight Sensations”
local music program back in the
early 1980s, became a local leg-
end spinning at the Melody Bar
before it was demolished, and
went on to national acclaim at
WHTG 106.3, MTV’s “120 Min-
utes,” Sirius-XM Radio, and now
two nationally syndicated pro-
grams. It’s a really impressive ar-
ray of talent that those within the
New Jersey music scene greatly
respect and appreciate.
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