Yo La Tengo, Marshall Crenshaw, Freedy Johnston and So Many More Unite for the Hoboken Relief Fund Music Festival — THURSDAY, JUNE 25

The “Hoboken Sound” is going virtual Thursday night, as an incredible lineup of acts will perform, entertain and raise money to support Hoboken residents and local Hoboken businesses affected by COVID-19.

The Hoboken Relief Fund Music Festival will bring together an all-star ensemble of musical talent, including Yo La Tengo, Marshall Crenshaw, Freedy Johnston, Jim Babjak (The Smithereens), Julio Fernandez (Spyro Gyra), Graham Maby (Joe Jackson Band), Glenn Mercer (The Feelies), N’Kenge (Motown The Musical), Joe Taino, Maxima Alerta, Frankie Morales (Tito Puente Orchestra), Mary Lee Kortes, Rebecca Turner and more.

Special guest Todd “Todd-o-Phonic Todd” Abramson, WFMU personality and former Maxwell’s music maven, will also be joining the program.

Along the way, members of the Hoboken community will be voicing their support for the Hoboken Relief Fund, organized to support independently-owned Hoboken businesses and Hoboken residents who have suffered adverse economic impact as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. CLICK HERE to donate.

Thursday’s show kicks off at 7:00 p.m. on Facebook Live.

Schedule:
Segment #1 – Starts 7:00pm
Manouche Bag
Joe Taino
Frankie Morales
Maxima Alerta

Segment #2 – Starts approx. 7:25pm
N’Kenge
Isabel Ramos
Erica Butts
Rebecca Turner
Mary Lee Kortes

Segment #3 – Starts approx. 7:50pm
Todd Abramson
Julio Fernandez
Graham Maby (Joe Jackson Band)
Freedy Johnston

Segment #4 – Starts approx. 8:10pm
Jim Babjak (The Smithereens)
Marshall Crenshaw
Glenn Mercer (The Feelies)
Yo La Tengo

Manouche Bag is a French gypsy jazz ensemble with pop sensibilities. They have been the house band at Madame Claude Bis in Jersey City since 2008.

Joe Taino is a veteran Blues guitarist and member of the New York Blues Hall of Fame. His band, The Joe Taino Group, has been part of the NY / NJ music scene for over 30 years,
have released 7 CDs and toured North and South America, Europe and Japan. Joe has been host to many blues and rock jams in the NY / NJ area, including 16 years at Scotland Yard in Hoboken.

Frankie Morales is he a Hoboken resident and an International singer whose vocal styles include Latin jazz, Salsa, Mambo, Merengue & more. As a teen, he got his start singing backup for Latin greats Joe Bataan & Celia Cruz. He traveled the world as lead vocalist for The Tito Puente Orchestra & was featured vocalist on several of Tito Puente’s Grammy award winning albums.

Maxima Alerta – Ray Machado founded the Multi-award winning group Máxima Alerta in Cuba in 1999. They were one of Cuba’s best known & loved fusion bands & helped popularize the “Cubaton” sound — a blend of traditional Latin & Cuban music with hip-hop & rap. Machado sought political asylum in Hudson County in 2011, & the band has been based here since. The band received the Cine & Novelas Award for Best Latin Band in New Jersey in 2016 & Best Latin Band by Premio ARTE in 2017.

N’Kenge is an an international award-winning singer, originated the role of Mary Wells in the Broadway hit, Motown: The Musical. She has also performed for Presidents Obama & Clinton, had solo engagements at Carnegie Hall & Lincoln Center, performed with jazz greats Ornette Coleman & Wynton Marsalis & was a principal artist with the New York City Opera.

Isabel Ramos is a 16 year old senior at High Tech High School. She has performed at various showcases and venues in New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico including a performance at the world famous Players Club in New York City. She has also performed at events for the Hoboken Puerto Rican Cultural Committee.

A true local, Erica Butts, who records and performs as Rest Ashore, was born and raised here and got her first guitar and lesson at Guitar Bar. Her band’s albums have been recorded at Xanthi Studio in Hoboken. And she’s incredibly talented.

Rebecca Turner – is a Country-folk-rock singer/songwriter & has released three well-received albums, including the recent The New Wrong Way. She often performs with a band or acoustic trio which includes her husband, bassist, Scott Anthony. She’s also co-host of the long-running live series Saturday Afternoon Song Swap, with her pal and fellow musician / songwriter, Deena Shoshkes of the Cucumbers — also Hoboken favorites.

Mary Lee Kortes is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, & author. She recorded two albums for Hoboken’s Bar None Records & performed at Maxwells. Her band’s song-for-song cover of Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks album — released on Bar None Records — earned Kortes a 4-star review in Rolling Stone. Her first book, Dreaming of Dylan: 115 Dreams about Bob, a collection of Dylan dreams from people all around the world had a book launch at Little City Books in Hoboken in Nov. 2019.

Guitarist Julio Fernandez, was born in Cuba & raised in Hoboken. He’s been a member of the Grammy nominated jazz group Spyro Gyra for the past 36 years. When not on tour, he is very involved in the Hoboken community & local music scene.

Graham Maby – has been a member of the Joe Jackson Band since 1978, when the bass-driven tracks on Joe’s debut album, Look Sharp, changed the way many bassists approached rock. Graham has also toured & recorded with Joan Baez, Jon Bon Jovi, Marshall Crenshaw, Ian Hunter, Garland Jeffreys, Freedy Johnston, Natalie Merchant, Graham Parker, Jukes Shear, Shivaree, The Smithereens, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Stamey, They Might Be Giants, Shania Twain, and many others.

Freedy Johnston is a Kansas singer-songwriter who got his musical start in Hoboken. His 2nd album Can You Fly, released in 1992, was selected by The NY Times as one of the best albums of the year. Johnston followed up with his 1994 major label debut, This Perfect World, receiving positive reviews from The NY Times, Spin, & Musician Magazine. Rolling Stone named him “songwriter of the year.” It featured the hit single “Bad Reputation”. Johnston’s songs appear on soundtracks for Kingpin (1996), Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (1995), & Kicking and Screaming (1995). He currently lives in California, and is working on a new album “Somewhere, Love”.

Marshall Crenshaw is a singer, songwriter & guitarist. His career has spanned over 3 decades & has included 13 albums, Grammy & Golden Globe nominations, TV & film appearances (He played Buddy Holly in the 1987 film “La Bamba”.) Marshall also hosted his own radio show, “The Bottomless Pit” (from 2011 until a hiatus in 2018) on New York’s WFUV. In 1992 he compiled / co-authored the irreverent guide “Hollywood Rock: A Guide to Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Movies”. In April 8, 2014, he was voted into the Michigan Rock & Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Other current projects include a documentary film-in progress about legendary record producer Tom Wilson.

Jim Babjak is a founding member, songwriter, singer, & lead guitarist for the internationally-acclaimed rock band The Smithereens, as well as his own Buzzed Meg. He was recently inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame and 2020 marks The Smithereens 40th continuous year as a band!

The Feelies – NJ-based avant-pop pioneers, formed in Haledon NJ in 1976, have released six albums- including their critically acclaimed and influential debut Crazy Rhythms, which was chosen by Spin Magazine as one of the best alternative records of all time. They have influenced bands like REM, Yo La Tengo, Real Estate & WEEZER, and toured with Lou Reed. Their music has been featured in the films Married to the Mob, Something Wild, Prelude to a Kiss, The Truth About Charlie, The Squid & the Whale and Ricki and the Flash.

Yo La Tengo is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken in 1984. Since 1992 the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew (bass, vocals). In 2015, original guitarist Dave Schramm rejoined the band and appears on their fourteenth album, Stuff Like That There.

***