Sunny Day at Deerfield Beach

As some of you may know, by way of an earlier post, I have been taking an excellent photography class in Hoboken, New Jersey.  For my final project, I snapped these pictures during a 45 minute trip to Deerfield Beach, Florida.

Deerfield Beach is located halfway between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on the Atlantic Ocean, about an hour north of Miami.

I hope you enjoy these photos.

Event Listings April 2013

The Porchistas

April 27th at Maxwell's



Saturday April 6th
Elevator Art
Love Assassin
Joe Mifsud Band
Kaleigh Baker
North of Somewhere
8:00pm
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ

Sunday April 7th
Jersey Acoustic Music Awards
2:00pm
Jersey Shore Arts Center
66 South Main Street
Ocean Grove, NJ

Tuesday April 9th
Reverend Horton Heat
Continental
The Dirty Standouts
7:00pm
Stanhope House
45 Main Street
Stanhope, NJ

Wednesday April 10th
Radical Dads
Little Gold
Todd Killings
Heaven's Jail Band
8:00pm
Death by Audio
49 South 2nd Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Friday April 12th
The Kennedys
Edward Rogers
8:00pm
Outpost in the Burbs
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
67 Church Street
Montclair, NJ

Saturday April 20th
Streetlight Circus
9:00pm
Hub Billiard Club
Island Park, NY

Saturday April 20th
Hello Radio
9:00pm
Northern Soul
557 First Street
Hoboken, NJ

Wednesday April 24th
Bog Iron Bloom
Mothguts
The Extra Inc
Kitten Ruckus
7:30pm
The Saint
601 Main Street
Asbury Park, NJ

Saturday April 27th
New Jersey Folk Festival
Spook Handy (MC and performing)
10:00am - 6:00pm
Woodlawn of Douglass Campus at Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ

Saturday April 27th
The Porchistas
The Micks
The Defending Champions
Paper Maker
Julian Peterson
8:00pm
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ



Event Listings March 2013

Streetlight Circus

March 22nd at Stage 48

Sunday March 3rd
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center
30 North Van Brunt Street
Englewood, NJ

Tuesday March 5th
Boxed Wine
The Kickback
The Micks
Lux Petit
8:00pm
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ

Thursday March 7th
The Ugly Club
Long Faces
Hello Radio
8:30pm
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ

Thursday March 14th
Climax Race
Hero Jr.
Bog Iron Bloom
The Delta Routine
Tom Connelly
7:25pm
Brighton Bar
121 Brighton Avenue
Long Branch, NJ

Friday March 15th
Jill Sobule
7:30pm
Concerts in the Studio
3 Jackson Terrace
Freehold, NJ

Saturday March 16th
Thomas Wesley Stern
Julian Fulton and the Zombie Gospel
9:00pm
City Square Bar & Grill
110 Schanck Road
Freehold, NJ

Friday March 22nd
Ari Hest
Dawn Mitschele
8:00pm
Outpost in the Burbs
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
67 Church Street
Montclair, NJ

Friday March 22nd
Y&T
Streetlight Circus
7:00pm
Stage 48
605 West 48th Street
New York, NY

Wednesday March 27th
Spook Handy
"The Works of Pete Seeger"
7:00pm
Westfield Memorial Library
550 East Broad Street
Westfield, NJ

Friday March 29th
Elevator Art
Bog Iron Bloom
Karmic Juggernaut
South of the Bridge
Lakeside Drive
9:00pm
Court Tavern
124 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ

Saturday March 30th
Radical Dads
Takka Takka
Plates of Cake
Pre War
8:00pm
Cake Shop
152 Ludlow Street
New York, NY

Celebration of Photography

There are many reasons to celebrate photography on any given day.  Currently in Hoboken, NJ there are even more than the usual reasons to celebrate.  Four photographers, who call the Hoboken Monroe Center for the Arts home, will be presenting their photographs in exhibition from 3pm to 6pm on Sunday February 24, 2013.  The presenting photographers are Craig Wallace Dale, Mac Hartshorn, Jason Jaskot and Marie Papp.

In addition to showing his works on Feb 24th, Craig Wallace Dale (of Beyond the Photograph) also teaches an excellent class in Hoboken, NJ geared towards beginners and intermediates who want to learn how to get the most from their DSLR cameras and learn the fundamentals of photography.  One of his students this session (it's a 12 week course) is none other than yours truly, Purple Alpaca.

I'm loving the class so far, learning about light, composition, depth of field, exposure and other concepts and techniques.  There is also another class, which I've taken with Craig, regarding the photo software Lightroom, which helps photographers organize and properly develop digital pictures with minimal effort. The Lightroom class is a one day 4 hour workshop.  It was great to have someone laying out how to use (and not use) the software and diving into some very thorough photo developing. Other classes presented at Beyond the Photograph include a Part 2 to the class I'm taking now and private lessons for more advanced photographers.

Information regarding Craig's classes can be found at the Beyond the Photograph website below.  More details regarding the Feb 24th event are below and a link I learned about in class, The Boston Globe's Big Picture is also posted.  If you would like to see some amazing photographs, check out the Big Picture.

Last and perhaps least, are some of my photos I've taken in the past few weeks.  I hope you enjoy them and I'm hoping to bring future posts to life with photographs in the months to come.

Links:
The Photographers of Monroe Center (Feb 24th, 2013)

Beyond the Photograph (website)

Beyond the Photograph (facebook)

Boston Globe: The Big Picture

Purple Alpaca's Photos:

 

 

 

 

Event Listings February 2013

The One & Nines

February 9th at Gowanus Ballroom

Friday February 1st
Elevator Art
Justin Lerner
Ardvark Smile
Brandon Glovich
The Ocean Heirs
The Rental
7:00pm (doors)
Stone Pony
913 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ

Saturday February 2nd
4th Annual Concert for Haiti
The James Maddock Band
Earthman Experience with Jephte
Guillaume
7:30pm
Outpost in the Burbs
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
67 Church Street
Montclair, NJ

Sunday February 3rd
Spook Handy
11:00am
Lakeland Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
231 Parish Drive
Wayne, NJ

Saturday February 9th
The One and Nines
10:00pm
Gowanus Ballroom
55 9th Street
Brooklyn, NY

Monday February 11th
Citizen Cope
8:00pm
Musikfest Cafe
101 Founders Way
Bethlehem, PA

Tuesday February 12th
Accidental Seabirds
Milo Greene
Cranston Dean
7:30pm
The Saint
601 Main Street
Asbury Park, NJ

Thursday February 14th
Harper's Fellow
The Gallerist
Lightning Jar
Juliane Suozzo
7:00pm
The Saint
601 Main Street
Asbury Park, NJ

Sunday February 17th
Jill Sobule
Suzie Brown
7:00pm
Tin Angel
20 S 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA

Thursday February 21st
Tamaryn
Azar Swan
9:00pm
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Friday February 22nd
Radical Dads
Dead Stars
The Teenage
9:00pm
La Piazzetta
442 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, NY

Saturday February 23rd
Hello Radio
The Drive Home
Microfossils
Acid
9:20pm
Brighton Bar
121 Brighton Avenue
Long Branch, NJ

Monday February 25th
Fishbone
Thank You Scientist
The Pandemics
Disposable
Mumbling Lucy
7:00pm (doors)
Stanhope House
45 Main Street
Stanhope, NJ

WBGO Jazz 88.3FM

88.3FM ON THE DIAL AND WORLDWIDE AT WBGO.ORG

WBGO Jazz 88 is an amazing Jazz station based in Newark, New Jersey.  I've heard in the past they are one of the best stations dedicated to Jazz in North America.  Many stations which present Jazz may only have a weekend Jazz show or a daily time slot dedicated to Jazz but WBGO is all Jazz, all the time.  Well, to correct that slightly, they do their fair share of news and traffic during the NYC morning and evening commutes and they have a half hour news program at 7:30PM EST, but otherwise, they play Jazz.

My favorite of their DJ's is Gary Walker who is on mornings from 6AM - 10AM EST. If you can tolerate traffic reports and frequent news, Gary Walker plays many top Jazz musicians from past and present in a friendly manner appealing to a casual Jazz listener while at the same time solid music a more avid follower would enjoy as well. Otherwise, whoever is on now (9:00PM EST on Wednesday) is also very good without many musical interruptions.  It's been my experience with Jazz 88 and other stations that the Monday to Friday daytime regulars are geared to a wider audience and the DJ's on during other time slots can be for more discerning ears.

WBGO.org is also an excellent resource.  Besides in depth information about the station, DJ's, programming and events, there are also links to podcasts, playlists and their very own blog.  Oh yeah, and the two most important features of the website include the "Listen Now" button and "Contribute Now" button.  WBGO as a public radio station depends on listener contributions to keep the music playing.

WBGO Jazz 88 Website

Event Listings January 2013

Mad Feather Group

January 5th at McDonagh's Pub



Friday January 4th
Thomas Wesley Stern
9:00pm
Dauphin Grille at the Berkeley Hotel
1401 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ

Saturday January 5th
Revolution in Just Listening
Habitat for Humanity Benefit
featuring:
Elevator Art
James Arlowe and the Ruffian Circus
The Shady Street Show Band
Julian Fulton and the Zombie Gospel
Midnight Mosaic
Mad Feather Group
Love Assassin
Moon Motel
5:00pm
McDonagh's Pub
2 West Front Street
Keyport, NJ

Saturday January 5th
January First Saturday Arts Show
featuring:
Bog Iron Bloom
7:00pm-11:00pm
Bands on a Budget
630 Mattison Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ

Saturday January 5th
Hello Radio
Crosswick
8:00pm
Brighton Bar
121 Brighton Avenue
Long Branch, NJ

Friday January 11th
Dayna Kurtz
Dan Montgomery
7:30pm
Tin Angel
20 S. 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA

Friday January 18th
Radical Dads
Backwords
Gringo Star
8:30pm
Glasslands Gallery
289 Kent Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Saturday January 19th
Spook Handy
9:00pm
One World Everybody Eats Annual Summit
19 S. 2nd Avenue
Highland Park, NJ

Saturday January 19th
Thomas Wesley Stern
3:00pm
Laurita Winery
85 Archertown Road
New Egypt, NJ

Sunday January 20th
Benefit for Victims of Hurricane Sandy featuring:
No More Pain
Bog Iron Bloom
10 Paces
Relentless Soul
4:00pm (doors)
Brighton Bar
121 Brighton Avenue
Long Branch, NJ

Friday January 25th
Cliff Eberhardt
Zara Phillips
8:00pm
Outpost in the Burbs
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair
67 Church Street
Montclair, NJ

Wednesday January 30th
The Micks
Sea Flower
Special Guests
8:00pm
Tierney's Tavern
136-138 Valley Road
Montclair, NJ

Wednesday January 30th
Kathleen Edwards
Sera Cahoone
8:00pm
City Winery
155 Varick Street
New York, NY

Thursday January 31st
Shovels & Rope
Andrew Combs
9:00pm
Bowery Ballroom
6 Delancey Street
New York, NY

Purple Alpaca's Top 20 Albums of 2012

The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy by Nada Surf
Tramp by Sharon Van Etten
American Pain by Thomas Wesley Stern
The Baby Album by The Porchistas
O Be Joyful by Shovels & Rope
Third Parties by The Static Sea
Martian Diver by Elevator Art
Letters to Texas by Hello Radio
Torrential Zen by Radical Dads
Give You the Ghost by Policia
Tender New Signs by Tamaryn
Departure Songs by Hammock
True by Violens
The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Lonesome Dreams by Lord Huron
Blunderbuss by Jack White
The Lion's Roar by First Aid Kit
Hypnotic Nights by JEFF the Brotherhood
Shields by Grizzly Bear
Lonerism by Tame Impala

Event Listings December 2012

Wild Adriatic

December 14th at Bowery Electric

Friday December 7th
Ocean's Harbor House Benefit Show
featuring:
Elevator Art
The Porchistas
No More Pain
Bog Iron Bloom
Accidental Seabirds
also featuring: 7 Exhibiting Artists
7:00pm
Asbury Lanes
209 4th Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ

Thursday December 13th
Asbury Park Music Awards
6:45pm
The Stone Pony
913 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ

Friday December 14th
Caravan of Thieves
Spuyten Duyvil
8:00pm
Outpost in the Burbs
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation
67 Church Street
Montclair, NJ

Friday December 14th
Wild Adriatic
Dirty Names
8:00pm
The Bowery Electric
327 Bowery at 2nd Street
New York, NY

Saturday December 15th
From Montclair to the Shore
Music to Benefit Rebuild/Recover
Accidental Seabirds
The Amboys
Bern & the Brights
Bog Iron Bloom
The Micks
The One & Nines
The Porchistas
Thomas Wesley Stern
1:00pm - 8:00pm
Van Vleck House & Gardens
21 Van Vleck Street
Montclair, NJ

Saturday December 15th
Buried Beds
Little Big League
Strand of Oaks
9:15pm
Johnny Brenda's
1201 N. Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia, PA

Sunday December 16th
Hello Radio
8:00pm
Spike Hill
184 & 186 Bedford Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Wednesday December 19th
3rd Annual Winter Solace Party
6:00pm
The Saint
601 Main Street
Asbury Park, NJ

 

Thursday December 20th

Speak Into My Good Eye's Holiday Party
featuring:
The Amboys
No Wine For Kittens
Cold Fronts
Taylor Allen
7:00pm
The Saint

601 Main Street
Asbury Park, NJ

 

Friday December 21st

The Porchistas

Accidental Seabirds

Thomas Wesley Stern

9:00pm

Tierney's Tavern

136-138 Valley Road

Montclair, NJ

 

Thursday December 27th

Spook Handy

2:00pm - 4:00pm

Highland Park Public Library

31 N 5th Avenue

Highland Park, NJ

 

Friday December 28th
The Flemtones
10:00pm

Tierney's Tavern

136-138 Valley Road

Montclair, NJ

KEXP Top Albums of 2012

One of my favorite end of the year music reviews is the KEXP Top Albums list.  The list is put together based solely on listener votes.  The DJ's do get to sway voters by releasing their list of Top 10 albums before the voting closes which influences the tally, but with their incredible DJ's, this is a very good thing.  I will be looking for John Richards, DJ Shannon, Troy Nelson and Cheryl Waters lists in particular. KEXP will be releasing a different DJ's Top 10 albums daily here:

KEXP DJ's Top 10 Albums. 

Based on my unofficial count, the ballot lists 1000 albums from 2012.  As if that is not enough, you can also write in your own favorites.  This reminds me to let all Purple Alpaca readers know about the excellent albums released by some of the great bands followed here in 2012. I know I will be including some of these albums in my submission and I recommend everyone else to consider these as well.

American Pain by Thomas Wesley Stern
The Baby Album by The Porchistas
Letters to Texas by Hello Radio
Martian Diver by Elevator Art
Third Parties by The Static Sea
Torrential Zen by Radical Dads

Almost forgot, in case you don't know, KEXP is a publicly funded radio station based in Seattle. If you're reading this in Seattle, you are able to tune to 90.3 FM and hear the sweet sounds of KEXP. For the rest of us, go to www.KEXP.org. 

Event Listings November 2012

Spook Handy & Pete Seeger

November 30th at William Carlos Williams Center for the Arts

Friday November 9th
Buskin & Batteau
Maggy & Suzzy Roche
8:00pm
Outpost in the Burbs
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation
67 Church Street
Montclair, NJ

Saturday November 10th
Jazz & Colors Festival
30 Bands. 30 Locations. 1 Setlist.
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Central Park
New York, NY

Saturday November 10th
Angel Olsen
Thomas Wesley Stern
7:30pm (Early Show)
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ

Saturday November 10th
One & Nines
Cropduster
Fairmont
Les Trois Chaud
9:30pm (Late Show)
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ

Wednesday November 14th
The Amboys
Ghost Light
Jason Anderson
8:00pm
Kung Fu Necktie
1248 North Front Street
Philadelphia, PA

Thursday November 15th
Sharon Van Etten
8:00pm
The Town Hall
123 West 43rd Street
New York, NY

Friday November 16th
Radical Dads - Torrential Zen CD Release Party
Also appearing:
Dinosaur Feathers
Laser Background
Dead Stars
9:00pm
Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
89 Varet Street
East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Saturday November 17th
Hoboken Music Awards Hurricane Relief Fundraiser
Performances by:
Skanatra
Davey & The Trainwreck
The Nico Blues
The Aster Pheonyx Project
The Fave
Hello Radio
Julian Peterson
Chris Batten
Gold & Brown
7:00pm
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ

Tuesday November 27th
Streetlight Circus
Supersuckers
8:00pm
The Studio at Webster Hall
125 East 11th Street (Downstairs)
New York, NY

Tuesday November 27th
Jeff the Brotherhood
Fidlar
Delta Spirit
8:00pm
Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY

Friday November 30th
Pete Seeger and Friends
featuring:
Spook Handy
Tony Trischka
RJ Storm and Old School
Loretta Hagen
The Dull Music Band
7:50pm
William Carlos Williams Center for the Arts
1 Williams Plaza
Rutherford, NJ