Back in the winter of 1988, veteran entertainment writer Bob Makin handed in his first assignment to East Coast Rocker. A couple of days later, then Managing Editor Jay Lustig, the dean of today’s NJ music writers, called with the idea of a Jersey Shore club column, “Beachin’ It.” In the third column, about Point Pleasant Beach High School chums in the Sutton Thomas Band, Makin said they were, “Makin Waves,” inspired by the name of his grandfather’s boat. With the fourth column, which printed on April 6, 1988, Lustig changed the name to Makin Waves. A subsequent 30-year love affair with the New Jersey music scene ensued.
Given their history, it is fitting that Lustig now will publish Makin Waves, which moved on March 9 to NJArts.net, as well as to NewJerseyStage.com, published by Makin’s longtime friend Gary Wien, with whom he worked closely throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Both arts and entertainment sites also will co-sponsor and co-present all of the Makin Waves 30th Anniversary Concert Series with each of the venues and some additional sponsors. Here’s a look at the first few shows in the schedule. For more, visit www.facebook.com/makinwavescolumn/events.
April 21, Makin Waves Rock Circus (2, 3, 4, 5 Showcase) with Lowlight, The Paper Jets, Black Flamingos, Yawn Mower, burlesque dancer Vivi Noir and harlequin aerial troupe Vertical Fixation, 8 p.m. Roxy & Dukes, 745 Bound Brook Road, Dunellen. 18-and-up show. Co-presented with MyCentralJersey.com
April 22, Hub City Music Festival to benefit Elijah’s Promise with Lowlight, Comb the Desert, RocknRoll HiFives, The Turnbucklers, and Disposable, 8 p.m. Court Tavern, 124 Church St., New Brunswick. All-ages show with alcohol upstairs only for 21-and-up. Co-presented with Iguana Music and New Brunswick Cultural Center. https://www.facebook.com/hubcitymusicfestival/
April 29, 50th Birthday Tribute to Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and 50th Anniversary Tribute to The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album with The Black Clouds, The Vaughns, Experiment 34, Wicked Hollow, and Yorkshire Tenth, 7:30 p.m. The Saint, 601 Main St., Asbury Park. 18-and-up show. Co-presented with Capacitor Records and Ryan James Agency.
