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A New Stage so Local NJ Bands Can Play On

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NO more than 20 minutes into the first of three sets, all 25 round tables in the makeshift coffeehouse were taken, and customers were still streaming through the front door. Children mingled with grown-ups, and happy chatter blended with rock ’n’ roll.

Dozens of musicians are in South Orange and Maplewood, most of whom play for fun when they get home from their day jobs. But these are tough times, and three sites in the area that provided steady weekend gigs for these grass-roots groups all closed recently.

So Alex Silberman of Millburn, who plays in a band when he is not running a consulting firm, and some friends in South Orange and Maplewood decided to rent the main room at the Baird Center and put on their own concert. They put out notices, and Mr. Silberman and volunteers created a stage, set up tables, hung tapestry on the walls, punched up the sound system and dimmed the overhead lights. Then they crossed their fingers.

Before the mid-January event, Mr. Silberman said he would have jumped up and down for joy if 100 people showed up for Rock the House NJ, as they called the concert. The event, featuring three local groups, drew nearly twice that number. So another one is planned for March 20.

“There’s a real interest, which is really gratifying,” Mr. Silberman, 49, said as he worked his way through the crowd.

After the costs of the room rental and concert posters were covered, he divided the modest proceeds from the $5 cover charge among the three bands that played at the Baird: Felt, MoodRing and 3rd Gear. Three other local bands will play the next concert.

Posters in fluorescent colors included text that read: “Rock the House NJ is a collective of musicians and music lovers who provide a structure to an otherwise homeless music community — bringing the music to your backyard.”

Given the growing popularity of Maplewoodstock, the summer weekend concert held for the last five years near the Maplewood train station, no one seemed surprised that the first Rock the House NJ event drew a sizable crowd.

“It’s very clear that people want music — I don’t know why those venues couldn’t survive here,” said David Gomberg, a Maplewood psychologist who plays in MoodRing and was the sound man at the Rock the House NJ concert.

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