While Fun is taking some downtime, guitarist Jack Antonoff has been busy. Not only has his newest project, Bleachers, been on their debut tour since March of this year, but Antonoff has also officially started his own music festival. Located in New Jersey, at the Stone Pony SummerStage in Asbury Park, the festival will include acts such as Vic Mensa, Robert Delong, The Front Bottoms, Charli XCX, How to Dress Well, Bleachers, MisterWives, and Cults. Aside from the musical acts, the festival will also include carnival and arcade games, food trucks, and “much more of the best NJ has to offer.”
In explaining how he came up with the festival’s name, Shadow of the City, Antonoff revealed, “New Jersey is such a unique place because it is literally in the shadow of the greatest city in the entire world,” has a special place in Antonoff’s heart; not only because he created the festival, but because he grew up in New Jersey. “Thinking about when I was growing up, New York City music — the Strokes, the Velvet Underground — is the kind of “we don’t give a shit,” shoegaze type thing. But in New Jersey music — from when my parents played me Springsteen to growing up in the New Jersey punk and hardcore scene — it was all larger than life. There was so much hope and excitement there. That comes from this underdog feeling of living in the shadow of the city. I always thought that when I did a festival, I’d want to bring that feeling to life.” Antonoff continues to say that due to New Jersey’s lack of shows compared to New York City, that he knew the festival was always “going to be a Jersey thing.”
Tickets for the festival go on sale this Friday, and caps off at five thousand people. With only one stage, acts don’t need to compete for set times, which allows for what Antonoff hopes will be a more unique atmosphere. In addition to the artists, which Antonoff handpicked, the magazine Weird NJ will have a presence at the festival as will designer Rachel Antonoff and the Ally Coalition, with whom Antonoff works with. The festival will also have a flea market/vendor area where concertgoers can buy records and food. “So it’s going to be just like a whole village of incredibly cool things all centered around New Jersey. It’s going to be wild.”
FDRMX Eyes: Tropical jazz collective Tony Baboon’s video for “Pinecones River” is simple and sweet. Check it out here:
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