Clutch at Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, 5/18/23 (PHOTOS)

I've been in this game for over 20 years now. I've done work in almost every genre of photography. But after all this time nothing compares to shooting a live show. I've always had a deep love for music and getting the chance to photograph my favorite artist performing is a sublime experience…

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311 at Ocean Casino Resort, Atlantic City, NJ, 9/16/22 (PHOTOS)

On September 16th, Nebraska band 311 performed at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. 311 was started by Nick Hexum, Jim Watson, Aaron "P-Nut" Wills, and Chad Sexton in 1988 and is known for its mix of alternative rock, rap rock, reggae rock, funk rock, and alternative metal. Lead singer Nick Hexum was featured on the newest studio album of reggae/hip hop/funk band Tropidelic, which 311 shared the stage with on September 16th. Photographer Greg Ludwig was on the scene to capture the show…

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Tropidelic at Ocean Casino Resort, Atlantic City, NJ, 9/16/22 (PHOTOS)

On September 16th, Ohio band Tropidelic performed at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. Tropidelic was started by Matthew Roads and Kyle "Chevontez" Cheuvront in 2005 and embraces a mix of high-energy reggae, hip hop, and funk. Just last month, the band released their newest studio album, entitled All The Colors, which features vocals by Nick Hexum of the band 311…

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Jazzy Nights Celebrates Appointment of Harlem World Magazine New President CC Minton (Sept. 16, 7-10PM)

Our next Jazzy Nights Event will be at the historic South Orange Blanchard Mansion where we’ll enjoy another swinging night of jazzy live music, fun and fellowship with friends and neighbors. This event is being held to celebrate our buddy CC Minton as the recently appointed president of Harlem World Magazine…

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Return of the South Orange Undercover Festival 2022 — Super Well Attended and Very Enjoyable!

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Even with a rain delay and all that goes into rescheduling a festival of this size, the Under Cover Music Fest (UCMF) roared back into town on Sunday, May 15, 2022 with a huge impact. This event was produced by South Orange Downtown (SODT) and presented by Mark Murphy’s Music and Pollock Properties Group of Keller Williams. The expected 1,000 music lovers of all ages came out to the Sloan St. parking lot throughout the day and enjoyed an afternoon of FREE live music, a very lively and bustling beer garden, along with selected food vendors. But first, the music.

Talking to Mark Murphy, the presenting sponsor and owner of Mark Murphy’s Music, it was obvious he was very excited for the return of the Under Cover Festival and mentioned, “We all need this opportunity to get together, celebrate and listen to some great music in the heart of South Orange.”  Well, the music was fantastic.

 

The Deadful Greats opened up strong, covering everything about the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead remained among the highest-grossing American touring acts for multiple decades and gained a committed fanbase by word-of-mouth and the exchange of live recordings due to the band's permissive stance on taping. Today, they played the best of the 70’s Grateful Dead. This group, the Deadful Greats, are a local group that has been pleasing audiences all around Northern New Jersey with their talent for years now, and they did not disappoint us. These are talented performers helping to keep the band's legacy and music alive, well, and vibrant. They did a wonderful job and brought their own unique style to this performance by bringing to life the words and melodies we all remember oh so well. 

 

Next up was the Karl Latham Big Fun(k) Group covering Herbie Hancock, the 14-time GRAMMY Award-winner and Academy Award-winner, and internationally renowned pianist and composer. Talking about covering Herbie Hancock, I found out the day before in my conversation with Don Braden that he was on tour in Amman, Jordan with the great Herbie Hancock. Well, closer to home, Karl Latham and his band of awesome professionals — Bob Magnus on sax, Oscar Perez on keys, and Gary Foote on bass — were simply funkified and masterful. As audience member and music events producer Norman Mann stated: “These cats were excellent and off the chain. Just fabulous.”

 

Continuing the live music was Vivienne Frederick & Mark Murphy’s Music Faculty Band, and the audience loved their renditions of some of Stevie Wonder's most popular songs. Stevie Wonder is the singer-songwriter and musician who is credited as a pioneer and was influenced by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz.

Vivienne Frederick, a senior at Columbia High School, is headed this fall to the University of Miami (FL) to study music and has been with Mark Murphy's Music since she was young. This was a special farewell performance for Viv with the MMM Faculty Band as they played the electrifying music of Stevie Wonder. She has a beautiful melodic voice, and along with the Mark Murphy's Music Facility Band they did a superlative job in covering her childhood singing influence, Stevie Wonder.  

 

Continuing the live music explosion was the rising star and always-on-point Autumn Jones and her band covering Lauryn Hill. Covering Lauren Hill was perfect for her because as she says the soulful R&B she creates is an expression of her life experiences as told through her stories, expressed in each of her songs. In covering Lauren Hill, this singer-songwriter with a strong vocal technique and songwriting capabilities did justice big time for the Lauren Hill fans. In addition, she brought along a band that performed some exquisite solos that were magical to listen to, and the overall performance was loudly applauded by all. 

On stage next was the Dustin Kaufman band covering Phil Collins, who is an English drummer, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for his tenure as the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis.

Dustin Kaufman and his band were a great choice to perform our favorite Phil Collins tunes. The band was definitely on point with the music, and combined with a swinging vocalist who came in from California they had many in the audience singing along.  Together, they provided some wonderful memories of Phil Collins tunes that will last for a long time to come. 

 

Last but not least, it was time to hear some of the best music from one of the most legendary bands of all time. Charlie Pollock and Friends covered Led Zeppelin, an English rock band formed in London in 1968 that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the best-selling music artists of all time. At the Under Cover Music Fest, it was time to relive the glory days of Led Zeppelin with Charlie Pollock and Friends. Charlie stated previously about covering Zepplin, “The greatest mountain to climb for a supergroup is the legendary Led Zeppelin! The best players, the hardest riffs, the weirdest lyrics and the most awesome fashion. Zeppelin has it all.”

Well, Charlie Pollock (seen on Broadway shows 9 to 5, David Bowie’s Lazarus, and Pretty Woman) and Friends performed beautifully as they sang a number of entertaining tunes that took the huge crowd back to many days gone by.  The band provided a very lively and wonderful close to an enjoyable day of live music.  

 

The beer garden was laid out nicely along one side of the Sloan Street parking lot ending at Fox & Falcon, which served as a food source on-site alongside Miti Miti, and both served the food in a very timely manner. One thing I was asked a lot was: “Where are all the other food vendors?” Seems folks once sitting or laid out on the ground did not want to venture afar. Other than that, people enjoyed themselves as they filled up from the available fare for purchase or negotiated a trip to an outside location.  

There were even kids activities provided by select participants to keep children entertained while parents enjoyed the music. Security was visible at every entrance point so everyone could enjoy themselves safely.

As mentioned previously, the festival was previously held on Sloan Street, and moving it into the Sloan Street parking lot was a wonderful, widely successful move. People came out in droves with lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy themselves as they watched these wonderful artists perform music from our early days. 

 

About the Author Gregory Burrus 

Gregory Burrus with the fabulous Autumn Jones.

Gregory Burrus is a local live music ambassador, producer, promoter, event planner, and community partner. He combines his extensive corporate business and technology expertise with his love of live music and being a strong community advocate.

I love writing about it all. My mission is to help community groups, live music bands, and local nonprofits, reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day-to-day process of life.

https://gregoryburrusproductions.com/events   
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https://patch.com/users/gregburrus