Showcase Stage at the Grand Arcade Set For Next Month

 More than a dozen much-loved Asbury Park artists will step into the spotlight on the Showcase Stage at the Grand Arcade, a new feature of the Prudential presents North to Shore Festival in Asbury Park.
 
From 3:30 to 11 PM on Friday, June 14, the stage in the Grand Arcade, located within the historic Asbury Park Convention Hall, will offer a continuous series of FREE performances by some of the city’s most-loved singer-songwriters, spoken word poets, hip hop artists and others, interspersed with sets by local DJ Adam Jay.
 
This presentation, featuring a cohort of local artists on one stage adjacent to major festival venues like the Stone Pony Summer Stage, is a new feature of Prudential presents North to Shore, the three-week, three-city summer festival of arts and ideas produced by NJPAC, now in its second season.
 
“The Showcase Stage is our way of highlighting the talent of Asbury Park’s incredible artists, but also of ensuring that all the folks who come out for a festival event not only have a great way to extend their visit, but get a real introduction to Asbury Park’s authentic sound and spirit,” says John Schreiber, President and CEO of NJPAC.
 
The majority of the local artists and groups appearing on the Showcase Stage are Prudential presents North to Shore Official Selections — performers chosen to take part in the event by the festival’s committee of city arts professionals and community leaders. Each was given a grant to enable them to appear at the festival.
 
Overall, this season the Prudential presents North to Shore Festival granted $355,600 to local artists and organizations in its three host cities: Asbury Park, Atlantic City and Newark.
 
“From singer-songwriters to R&B, funk, soul, global sounds, world music, rock, pop, punk to funk, this lineup checks all the boxes of Asbury’s eclectic global music sound,” says Jennifer Stine, President of Fortune Creative Collective, an Asbury-based marketing company, who is producing the Showcase Stage presentation.
 
Stine is also Vice President of the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Historical Society and, as the daughter of local historian Don Stine, a second-generation Asbury Park booster.
 
“To have the Grand Arcade activated with such talented local artists is very exciting. We cannot wait for everyone coming into town that Friday and see, in this historic setting, everything that Asbury Park has to offer,” Stine says.
 
Artists who will be featured at the Showcase Stage include:
 

• Vintage-flavored punk/blues band Johnny Nameless
• Hip hop spoken word poet and teaching artist Myster-E (aka Eric Shandroff)
• Singer-songwriters Joe Miller, Mike Montrey and Dave Vargo
• Funky R&B singer Space and The Goodstock Jamband
• Asbury Park indie rock sensation, The Mercury Brothers
• Local R&B, soul, rock, funk and pop band Des and the Swagmatics

 
These Official Selection performers will be joined by spoken word and hip-hop powerhouse and one-time Poet Laureate of Asbury Park Chris Rockwell, rising singer-songwriter Jake Thistle and DJ Adam Jay, a staple of Asbury Park’s night life.
 
Festival-goers can stop by RWJBarnabas Health’s information table in the Grand Arcade to learn about the expansive community health programs offered for free each month at Monmouth Medical Center’ LiveWell Center at the Monmouth Mall. They can also be wowed by New Jersey’s immersive WOW Experience mobile activation on the Ocean Avenue side of the Grand Arcade.
 
The Grand Arcade houses an array of retail establishments including restaurants The Beach Bar, Asbury Oyster Bar and Seahorse, as well as ice cream bar Betty’s Icebox, coffee shop Asbury Park Roastery, Paws Pet Boutique, apparel store Wanderlust, home decor shop Carla Gizzi and high-concept souvenir shop Fun House.
 
The Prudential presents North to Shore Festival will present events in Asbury ParkJune 10 through June 16, including performances by headlining artists Bleachers, Lake Street Dive, Band of Horses and Gary Clark Jr. The festival’s full lineup can be found at NorthtoShore.com.
 
Tickets for the Prudential presents North to Shore Festival are available at NorthtoShore.com. Get Festival updates most quickly on social media.  Follow North to Shore on Instagram, X , Facebook and TikTok.

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