Smarts and Arts at Jersey Shore

October 12, 2010 By Marilyn Leave a Comment

MTV programming notwithstanding, more signs of intelligent life at the ‘real’ Jersey Shore: Talented Ocean Grove neighbor David Spelman, who splits his time between OG and NYC. David and I met to discuss art and business at lunch at Asbury favorite The Boards, where we met his wife graphic designer Mary Wagner, then biked around a bit.

David has an expansive palette of talents, is a cosmopolitan friend and a great socializer. In fact, just last night he introduced  me to visionary (and dapper) producer Charles Cermele at Mavis Staples’ sold out City Winery gig (we love Mavis). Charles’ stewardship of Lincoln Center’s American
Songbook series has been so brilliant and well received, no wonder we were honored to hear from Mr. Cermele that he is a fan of our “curating” of Shore Fire’s roster! And guess what we discovered — Charles Cermele is another neighbor at the Jersey Shore, a long-time homeowner in Asbury Park.

In these photos: Marilyn Laverty with music supervisor/producer/Ellnora Festival curator David Spelman returning from an Asbury Park bicycle safari.

Below: Marilyn Laverty, Mango, and David Spelman outside Shore Fire South. Mango needs an agent, btw, he’s a natural star…..and he’s hungry.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Jersey Shore, new jersey

Down at the record store.

September 28, 2010 By Josh 1 Comment

As some of my Shore Fire colleagues are already aware of, I have not yet made the big move into NYC. Born & raised a Jersey boy, my residence is still in the Garden State, right outside of Princeton. While some folks might think I’m crazy for not packing up and moving to the city as soon as possible, NJ is near and dear to my heart. And one of the reasons I love it oh so much is because of my close proximity to the Princeton Record Exchange!

What beauty & wonder lies within?

Located in the heart of Princeton, PREX (as all the cool locals call it) is a staple for anyone passing through town. You enter the store and are smacked with wall-to-wall shelving crammed full of CDs featuring an eclectic array of genres, eras and tastes. Their extensive record collection is also something to be admired.

I try to hit up PREX every few months, just to add some spice to my collection. On this trip I picked up some Modest Mouse & Sunny Day Real Estate. And while waiting in line to purchase, I found myself behind a fellow shopper who had an impeccable taste in music (who is definitly NOT my sister forced to pose for a photo):

Wise choices, random stranger!

So if you’re ever in the area, give me a call and I’ll take you to truly one of the happiest places on Earth (or at least in NJ).

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Josh Page, new jersey, PREX, Princeton, Princeton Record Exchange, Record Store

Another Side of the Jersey Shore

September 8, 2010 By Marilyn 1 Comment

Shore Fire South’s location in Ocean Grove, NJ, keeps us up on the thriving NJ music scene and exposes us to many delightful artistic and spiritual neighbors who view OG as a mecca. Such was the gathering at the home of journalist and author Mary Walton, whose “A Woman’s Crusade: Alice Paul and the Battle for the Ballot” has been hailed by Ms. Magazine as “richly endowed…detailed, absorbing”. A former reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mary dedicated her groundbreaking work on the NJ suffragette to legendary Inquirer editor Gene Roberts. Pictured: author Mary Walton accepts kudos from her friend Connie Ogden; both women are generous contributors to the Ocean Grove community.

We also met Paul Goldfinger (aka blogger Blogfinger) at the party…Paul has all the real inside skinny around Ocean Grove and Asbury Park, and describes his eclectic blog as a ‘digital breeze from the Jersey shore’…later I stopped by the Tumblety Howell Gallery, where artists such as Don Bernhardt, Sue Tumblety, and Joan Laufer toasted photographer Esta Singer on her first show at the gallery. I’m especially drawn to Esta’s cellphone shots of OG and Asbury in winter; they capture the solitude that I love about the beach at that time of year. Here, artist and gallery owner Peter Tumblety hangs with Esta and Marilyn Laverty while master framer Terry Howell greets a collector.

Last week, Shore Fire staffers Mark Satlof, Lauretta Charlton and Chris Brudzinski visited Shore Fire South for the day…here we gather for lunch at the legendary Windmill, home of the world’s best hot dog.

We worked hard all day but got a chance to sample the surf before Earl moved in…

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: blogfinger, Esta Singer, Jersey Shore, Mary Walton, new jersey, Shore Fire Media, World's Best Hot Dog

Stand like a statue. Become part of the machine.

July 2, 2010 By Chris Thieke 2 Comments

Brendan and I were lucky enough to get an invite from Marilyn to visit our sister office Shore Fire South. Once out of Brooklyn we sojourned down the Jersey Turnpike and before you could say “GPS” we were there. After spending the morning getting some off site work done. We took in the sights of the beautiful little town of Ocean Grove and were treated to a Zagat approved lunch at The Windmill. There I had a hot dog that would have given Nathans’ Famous a run for its nitrate soaked money. After a walk around the beach, Brendan and I took off on our own. The Asbury Park boardwalk was within minutes of the Ocean Grove border and serious business was afoot.

Just past the iconic Stone Pony and smack dab in the middle of the Asbury Park Boardwalk is a place unlike any other that I had ever seen before. A place full of sounds and blinking lights. A place full of silver plated balls and nostalgia. A place where fun can be had one quarter at a time. Of course, I’m talking about the Silverball Pinball Museum and Hall of Fame.

For a measly $10 flat fee that you pay at the door you get 2 hours of all the pinball you can stand. That’s better than going to the movies in my book. Cheaper these days too. Plus this place had over 100 different pinball machines. Games dating back to 1910 all the way up to a rad brand new The Simpsons game. The layout of the place is pretty bare bones and simple. Just rows and rows and rows of games waiting to be tilted.

There were games that revolved around such past times as fishing, casinos, sports, and big game hunting. Games where you fought aliens, or took a spin through the Wild West. Quarter eaters that were dedicated to such luminaries as Hugh Hefner, The Terminator, The Devil, and my personal hero Evil Kinevil. However, I think the game I played the most was the Charlie’s Angels game. Mainly for nostalgia reasons because the pizza parlor around the corner from my house growing up had that very game in it’s lobby.

There were also a bunch of music themed games. here are some pics Brendan took ….

All in all though, almost every game was unique and fun and Silverball is definitely a great place to kill an hour or two. Here’s a link to see more.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: new jersey, pinball