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Every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, Asbury Park’s Langosta Lounge and its Food for Thought nonprofit host a holiday dinner for the homeless and the hungry. Given how much Langosta and adjacent Asbury Park Yacht Club do for the local music scene, four FREE shows will help offset the costs of those dinners with artist support, a silent auction for valuable sponsor prizes, a 50/50 raffle, individual donations and a canned food drive.
This year’s Makin Waves Hunger Benefit for Food for Thought takes place this weekend at Langosta and APYC.
The series of mix bills will blend the hip-hop of Bulletproof Belv, Black Surburbia Music Group, Cook Thugless, Drew the Recluse, Chris Rockwell and Chill Smith, the rock of Sonic Blume and Experiment 34, the funky pop of Des and the Swagmatics, Nalani & Sarina and Evangelia, and the roots rock of Pamela Flores and Tara Dente. A YouTube playlist of all participating music artists can be found on Makin Waves’ new channel. All artists are donating their time, talent and pay to help feed the needy during the holidays.
“I think it’s wonderful that Asbury Park has become such a great place to hear and see live rap music and that the rap and rock scenes have unified to present mixed bills and features, such as Matty Carlock on Bulletproof Belv’s local hit, ‘Dark City Nights,’ and their new song, ‘F Being Friends,’ Black Suburbia Music’s Drew the Recluse on The Cold Seas’ new ‘Bloodstain,’ and Chris Rockwell and Chill Smith’s collaborations with Pamela Flores and Tara Dente,” said event organizer Bob Makin, producer of the Makin Waves music column and radio segment. “Their work together and with the very hip hop-friendly Asbury Park Music Foundation inspired this fantastic lineup.”
The schedule is:
Friday, Nov. 16, Langosta Lounge: Black Suburbia Music Group, Cook Thugless, and Evangelia
Friday, Nov. 16, Asbury Park Yacht Club: Alone-and-together sets by Bulletproof Belv & Matty Carlock, plus Sonic Blume.
Saturday, Nov. 17, Langosta Lounge” Des and the Swagmatics, Pamela Flores, and Tara Dente.
Saturday, Nov. 17, Asbury Park Yacht Club: Chris Rockwell feat. Chill Smith, plus Experiment 34 and Nalani & Sarina.
Interviews, record reviews of and/or streaming briefs featuring all the acts will be featured in Makin Waves at www.njartsmag.com in New Jersey Stage digital magazine; its website, NewJerseyStage.com; in print in The Aquarian Weekly, where Makin Waves got its start in 1988; on its www.theaquarian.com site, and in radio form at AsburyMusic.com. Generous and supportive media sponsors also include: Brookdale Public Radio, 90.5 The NIGHT, Danny Coleman’s ROCK on RADIO, 1450 WCTC, Jersey Rock, Radio Jersey, and WRAT 95.9FM.
With the event, Makin said he hopes to recreate some of the magic of Asbury Park, especially its boardwalk.
“While it’s much different than the carnival with which I and so many others grew up, the Asbury Park Boardwalk once again is magical,” Makin said. “I believe that is because of the presence and pride of the many souls that the boardwalk has made happy throughout its long history. No place is more magical to me on today’s boardwalk than the deck of Asbury Park Yacht Club. When a great band is playing up front – like the ones playing the Hunger Benefit — and you’re surrounded by your friends talking, laughing and having a drink, you’re right on the boardwalk! When I’m there, I look up and down the boardwalk, remember all the magical times I had there as a child in the 1960s and as a teen in the 1980s, and think to myself, ‘I’ve been having fun on this boardwalk for 50 years. God bless it!’
“On top of that, Langosta Lounge is my favorite restaurant,” the veteran music writer continued. “I love the imaginative cuisine of owner Marilyn Schlossbach, the founder of Food for Thought, and the funky, comfortable way she has decorated the place. I also love that both Langosta and APYC are so incredibly supportive of the local music scene and so many charitable endeavors, so I’m happy to raise a little extra money to offset the cost of their wonderful effort to make the holidays a little better for the less fortunate.”
Silent auction items throughout the weekend will include artwork by Arroyo Art Studio and Eve’s Artistry, gift baskets from Bond Street Complex, The Brew TEA Spot, Russo Music, and participating music artists; gift certificates and T-shirts from Langosta Lounge, Pop’s Garage, MOGO Korean Fusion Tacos, and Silverball Museum Arcade, and a signed book and T-shirt from Danny Clinch Transparent Gallery. Arroyo’s artwork is valued at $300, and the other prizes are $50 to $100. A table will be set up each night in Langosta, where prizes will be displayed with auction sheets on which patrons can place bids.
The Hunger Benefit kicks off collaboration with Asbury Park-based Patricia Arroyo as Makin Waves’ new resident artist. Arroyo has donated images to the promotional posters for the Hunger Benefit and other soon-to-be-announced Makin Waves events. The Hunger Benefit will auction her “Cool Waves” painting, a companion piece to the image used in promotion of the event.
“I am pleased to help Food for Thought with my artwork and honored to be Makin Waves’ resident artist,” Arroyo said. “I look forward to doing many wonderful things with Makin Waves in the months to come.”
Also, Toms River-based artist Kristen Woolley of Eve’s Artistry will paint Sonic Blume and Experiment 34 live. The Sonic Blume piece will be auctioned immediately after their Nov. 16 set, and the E34 work will be auctioned for charity at their album release party early next year.
Boxes will be placed in front of each stage each night for individual monetary donations to Food for Thought, as well as canned goods and other non-perishable food items. Each item donated to the food drive will be redeemed with one raffle ticket for the 50/50.
Last year, a one-night Makin Waves event raised $600 for Food for Thought with a tricky tray, 50/50 and individual donations. About $3,000 is expected to be raised this year.
Volunteers also are needed to help prepare and serve Food for Thought’s Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the homeless and hungry. For more about info, click foodforthoughtap.com.
For more information about the Hunger Benefit. For more about Makin Waves, click here.
