Hoboken’s Music Scene Refuses to Lie Down

February 3, 1959—The Day the Music Died.

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “the Big Bopper” Richardson are all tragically killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa—along with pilot Roger Peterson.

“The phrase ‘the day the music died’ might be associated with oldies radio,” says writer Jack Silbert, “but in Hoboken, many considered it to be July 31, 2013. That’s when Maxwell’s, the legendary rock club at the corner of 11th and Washington, held a farewell block party and concert.”

Based on local media reports, social media reports, and every self-ordained music critic with a keyboard, things looked hopelessly bleak for the Hoboken music scene at the time. But as Silbert details in the upcoming issue of hMAG, a year and a half later “The Beat Goes On.”

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With profiles of a handful of the players who have kept the stage lights on in the face of some serious adversity, hMAG examines the future of live music in a post-yuppie Hoboken. Checking in with local musicians, hard-working promoters and those who plant the seed for the next generation of musical appreciation, Silbert offers insight on how music in our town has regrouped and continues to play on.

Even Maxwell’s, the load-bearing pillar that knocked Hoboken’s musical community out of whack, has reaffirmed its commitment to bringing quality live music to the Mile Square City.

Look for this story and much more in the upcoming issue of hMAG…

Directed by: Chris Capaci and Produced by: ALEO Music and Capacity Images
A trailer for the upcoming documentary about a recreation of The Bands 1976 farewell concert, “The Last Waltz”. Done in Hoboken, NJ, it features 28 of the area’s most talented musicians and was directed and shot by local filmmaker Chris Capaci.