Shredding Lettuce & Guitars
Underground music emerges, lesser-known holiday markets, pool news and more!
Howdy, Newbies! Big Love, Loyal Readers!
Welcome! Lots of new followers since our theater-in-a-water-tower video has gotten more than 30k views on TikTok and Instagram. Anyway, before the tasty bits, including a big original feature, thought you’d like a peek behind the scenes.
Since our unannounced, unfunded start, the Weehawken Gazette has had more than 50,000 page views.
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The Local Music Seen
One of the hottest new underground clubs is inside a Mediterranean restaurant in Weehawken, NJ. Zatar solos, anyone? It’s a highway to hummus for sure.
In November I stumbled upon photos and videos showing bands playing in Weehawken. It looked super cool, but we don’t have a music club, so when I saw the venue — a small family-run restaurant I walk by all the time — I was surprised, to say the least. I found it wasn’t the first show, and that these bands and more are making a splash in many unexpected venues. How did this happen? Is there really a scene? Read on to find out.
Ximena Garcia, 20, is currently studying music business at Bergen Community College in Paramus, while also working two jobs. She sings, plays guitar, a little bass, and a little piano. But she came across our radar because she’s the brainchild behind the recent live music shows at the Chickpea Grill on Park Avenue in Weehawken. They began in August for her birthday. The most recent happened on Black Friday, and there’s another coming soon, later this month.
When I dug into this story, we found there’s a legit “DIY show” music scene busting out in North Jersey, led by young bands hauling their equipment and putting on shows in any venue that will host them, sometimes with young artist friends, like visual artist Mariana and local zine Cranium, who show up to sell their wares. And since many of these spaces don’t sell alcohol, the shows are billed “all ages” opening up an opportunity for young art-loving audiences and bands to thrive.
Popping Off In North Hudson
Garcia says the Chickpea Grill owner, Elizabeth, is a friend. “She’s got 6 kids — she’s always busy, it’s hard for her to get out. She told me she’s invested in wanting to know more about art and music. So instead of going to any party — we brought the party to her.” And nope, the kitchen doesn’t close while the music plays, and people coming in for takeout have been a little surprised to find a hard-driving music show in progress. But the gyrating and the gyros, the kebabs and the ke-bopping music, and the pita-pattering of the drums — all seem to mix well.
Is the North Jersey Scene Having A Moment?
I’ve lived in Weehawken as long as Garcia has been alive, and it sure feels like something particularly special is happening now with live performance that wasn’t here before. But I’m a middle-aged mom, so to see if there was any truth to my theory I talked to two members of bands that participated in the most recent Weehawken show, plus one veteran music journalist. Hunch confirmed: Chickpea Grill is far from the only non-traditional NJ space to be having a moment as a venue.
Edgar Echeverria, 25, is a guitar player and singer from West New York in a band called Polaroids. Although Echeverria has been out of school less than a decade, he’s noticed that there’s “a lot more for the arts than when I was in high school.” He cited Guttenberg Arts, a local community art hub, which recently hosted a slate of bands, including his, at a show in November.
And Jeremy Mendoza, a bassist and singer from Union City, who says his band Juniper can be described as alt emo punky post-hardcore, said there are many places where people can find live music thriving, including The Meatlocker in Montclair and Cinco De Mayo, a Mexican restaurant in New Brunswick known for punk. He said the shows are not about the money, because even when they collect a cover, it only means they have enough to not lose money.
Mendoza, Echeverria and Garcia all share a passion for meeting new people and wanting to make something happen. Maybe it’s because they are part of a cohort craving in-person connections more than the previous generation, especially important for a group that missed out on many formative in-person experiences.
Echeverria said he felt the North Jersey scene was primed to “pop off” due to the momentum and the location just outside of NYC.
Jim Testa, a long-time music columnist for the Jersey Journal who now runs a Substack called
, knows the scene and told me it wasn’t my imagination. He said, “Yes, this was an excellent year for local music, both in releases and live shows," adding, “It’s been great to see the area’s young bands find places to put on their own all-ages shows, from a frat at Stevens Tech to the Gutenberg Arts Center and even Garbanzo Grill in Weehawken. There’s still a legacy of musicians who coalesced in Hoboken back in the Eighties and Nineties during the heyday of Maxwell’s, but new artists arrive or debut all the time and I’m optimistic about an awesome 2026.”‘Respect the space’
The musicians playing at Chickpea Grill and many of these non-traditional venues are very mindful to tell people to “respect the space.” The bands want to go hard, sometimes the audience does too, but there’a clearly a code for the businesses that are kind enough to host. Mendoza said “don’t break anything” is the main rule.
OK, but how do you find out about future shows?
Although some shows are clearly listed, many of these shows are “DM for address.” Mendoza’s advice for people looking for the next hot venue was to “tap in with the bands. It’s like…if you know you know.”
Chickpea Grill is having another show December 20. Doors at 6:30, show at 7:30. Cover charge TBD. But follow Garcia and all the local bands for more info when it drops. And now, you know.
More about the photographer: Ethan Terzini is a 19-year-old New Jersey lens-based artist, currently studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. He works in a wide variety of mediums; analogue, digital & alt process. He says his intention is “to capture the feeling of the space I am photographing and to allow the viewer to liberate their own personal feelings through the image.” Follow him on Instagram @feadte_and support him by buying prints.
Living Inside A Bubble, Bad; Swimming In One, Good
As noted in the most recent News At 53 Liberty newsletter, the local high school swim team no longer needs to be bussed at 5AM for practice — they now have a home under the Weehawken Waterfront Park’s very own pool bubble. Like other sports, they can now dive in right after school. And they had their first home meet on December 4 (evidence here) and will soon be having many more.
When will the non-varsity public be diving in?
If you haven’t seen the email, which came with 4 supporting (and slightly maddening) PDF files attached, this is a “soft opening” with indoor lap and family swim times, as well as water aerobics under the Weehawken Recreation banner which will be starting December 8 and running until January 4. It’s for Weehawken residents, and it’s free — for now. Registration is required and it’s here.
This is a dream come true for those of us who were campaigning for all-season use back before the first shovel hit the ground, and the idea of a pool bubble seemed way too ambitious.
A Few Holiday Season Recommendations
👙🪄The Rack Shack: A Wicked Good Shop Where Defying Gravity Comes Standard
If you have breasts, or know someone who does, this is a magical store filled with beautiful bras that aren’t available in regular old stores (like the schmancy Polish ones, the burlesque-esque ones) and they fit like a dream—especially when you get a professional fitting right there. Thing is, until this month, the only Rack Shack was in Bushwick, Brooklyn which for people in NoHu meant hauling yourself 1 hour each way to experience the lift that comes from owning their bras. Well good news for your girls: The Rack Shack just opened a store in Hell’s Kitchen on 45th street, which means it’s 20 mins or less to bounce on in. Visit therackshacknyc.com to learn more.
🎄🎁 🎅 Holiday Markets Worth Your Jingle
Everyone knows the Bryant Park and Union Square Holiday markets are fun, but their offerings are a bit basic, as the kids say. Below are four markets we think will rise above — two in NJ and two in Manhattan. Thank you to jewelry designer ardrahanmetals.com for two of these recs, and you’ll find their beautiful wares at the NYC markets below.
Dec 13 & 14: Renegade Craft Manhattan @ Metropolitan Pavilion
renegadecraft.com/event/new-york-winter/
Dec 14 & 21: Hoboken Holiday Market @ 770 Jackson St. Plaza
mainstreetpops.com/?event=hoboken-holiday-market-series-december-15
Dec 14: Tenafly Holiday Market @ Huyler Park
mainstreetpops.com/?event=be-fort-lee-holiday-night-market-2
Dec 17 & 18: Grand Bazaar and Made in NYC @ Grand Central Station
grandbazaarnyc.org/events/2168/
12/14 Cantigas Women’s Choir Concert
Drawing singers from up and down the Gold Coast of NJ, but primarily Hoboken and Jersey City, Cantigas Women’s Choir puts on two main concerts a year. Their winter concert is 12/14 in Hoboken at 5p and features a dynamic and challenging slate of songs. Get tickets here. Yes, I’m in the choir. Watch us wow you as we sing in Tibetan, Ukrainian, Russian and more.
Sad News About A Beloved Teacher
The news and the photo above were shared by Weehawken Schools on December 1, and we wanted to share here as well. Love to her family, and may her memory be a blessing.
Carol Danchise served 45 years as an educator in Weehawken, most of them at Roosevelt School. Last year, she was named the TRS Teacher of the Year.
She is pre-deceased by her beloved husband, Ken.
She’s survived by her 2 children - Brian and Heather.
At the family’s request, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Theodore Roosevelt School PTA in support of student programs and scholarships—a cause close to Mrs. Danchise’s heart throughout her many years teaching at TRS. Link here: roosevelths.givebacks.com/shop/items/08d1d29d162221
See You Soon, Lovely People
Many thanks to Hugo Holland, our unpaid copyeditor, for smacking down typos and making us look good. And he’s soon coming back from Paris for the holidays, yay! One note: in the last issue kebabs was spelled wrong when it first flew on email, an eagle-eyed reader noticed, and that was totally not Hugo’s fault.. we snuck in a typo when he was done.
Anyway, feel free to leave a comment here or email us tips: susie@bignoyes.com
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Tah for now, nice nabes!
Susie
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