MUSIC IS BACK AT THE BAC!

 Gaia Raga: Live in the Dark Room.
Saturday 3/18 
7:30 pm

Gaia Raga is an Experimental Folk ensemble  out of Asbury park.  Led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Niki Arrowsmith, the band uses unique instrumentation and very delicate playing style to turn songs into their own mediative world.  Playing tunes from Cat Stevens, the Mama and the Poppas, Coldplay, and Radiohead.    They specialize in Kirtans, which are like Indian ragas, that take a chant and or a phrase and meditate on it with the goal of transcendence.   Niki herself sings and plays mostly harmonium.  She is joined by Karsyn Wagner on vocals , Andy Demos on sitar, percussion, and saxophones, and Matthew Trice on Bass, and alto saxophone.  This show will be illuminated only by candle light to further help us transcend. There will also be an option to lay down on your own blanket.  
Free w/ 13 dollar Suggested Donation
 Glass Garden Live at the BAC
Saturday 3/25 
7:30 pm
Belmar Arts is proud to have Hip Hop band Glass Garden playing two sets in the gallery.  A fairly new band out of Central Jersey, and the greater Philadelphia region.  It is composed of Faye Fadem on drums, and Cody McCorry on bass from Thank You Scientist and We Used to Cut the Grass.  Alden Slack on horn and wind instruments.  Maeve Schallert on lap steel guitar and electronics.  Idris, aka Bob the Botanist is known as a prolific rapper and is  the lead vocalist of the group.  The band was founded and is led by John Kadianon on Keyboards and vocals.  He composed and produced their first album which you can hear on streaming platforms.
They're writing and recording new music and we are thrilled for them to share some with us here in Belmar.  Dig it and hope to see you there.  
7:30 pm
There is a minimum cover of $10
Free food and beverage will be provided
The Monthly Open Mic Jam Vol 10.
FRIDAY 3/24
This month's Open Mic and Jam will be on a Friday.  Yes, it is usually on a Saturday. but this month we needed to change it up.  This night is both an Open Mic and a Jam.   You can sign up and have the option of other musicians playing with you or not.  The house band will play a short set to start and will call some tunes for participants to join in.  This is an opportunity for performers to play together with other people, practice, listen, jam, and hone their craft.  All styles and instruments welcome 
7:30pm
Free
Mark LaRochelle Youth Open Mic
The Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation's Mark LaRochelle Youth Open Mic is hitting the road in 2023.
Coordinated by JSJBF board of trustees member and local musician Joseph Vincent Riggio and volunteers, open mic has been running for the last eight years.
The open mic is scheduled to hit Ocean County Music in Point Pleasant Beach on March 10, June 9 and Sept. 8; Musicians' Workshop in Manalapan on April 14, July 14 and Oct. 13; and the Belmar Arts Council on May 12, Aug. 11 and Nov. 10. A December location has yet to be determined.
Doors open and the sign-up sheet is available at 6:30 p.m., with music from 7 to 10 p.m. There's a $5 donation for attendees, including performers 21 and younger. All ages are invited to come and listen. Musicians are asked to bring their own instruments and pedals, and a full backline is provided. The music is not limited to strictly jazz and blues.
Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation
The Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation (JSJBF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization open to anyone interested in supporting jazz and blues. The foundation’s mission is to preserve, promote, and perpetuate jazz, blues, and other indigenous music forms in New Jersey.
In 1985 a group of musicians, writers, and educators, along with many jazz & blues music fans, produced a music festival at Sandy Hook National Park. Building on the success of that first and several subsequent festivals, while garnering the support of many NJ music fans, the grass-roots group officially became the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation a few years later. The founders of the JSJBF recognized not only an opportunity to provide quality festivals but also the chance to contribute to the NJ community in a larger sense, sharing its passion, knowledge, and organizational skills, as well as the considerable musical talents of its growing membership population. Thirty-five years later, one would be hard-pressed to spend a week in Monmouth and Ocean County without encountering some sort of JSJBF-sponsored musical programming.  They continue to produce top-notch festivals annually, present at least three weekly summer concerts, and host a monthly music series at a landmark historic Red Bank building. The Foundation’s efforts are rounded out by fundraisers, holiday parties, veteran programming, jam sessions and more.