8th Annual Garden State Beard & 'Stache Competition w/ Lowlight, Coach N' Commando, Old Lady at The Whitechapel Projects on 4/27

Stay Weird. Keep Growing.

For the second year, CoolDad Music will be an official presenter of the Garden State Beard & 'Stache competition. Like our last go-round, we'll be joining forces with The Garden State Beard and Mustache Society and Little Dickman Records to bring you an evening of weirdness, beardness, and great music.

This year's event takes place at the new Whitechapel Projects in Long Branch, NJ on Saturday, April 27th. Attendees will be able to partake of Whitechapel Projects' nano-brews and eclectic menu while enjoying all of the festivities. As usual, there will be competitions in several beard and 'stache-related categories, celebrity judges, and great bands. Once again, the event will be in support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

More details will follow in the coming days, but here's what we can tell you now:

Al "Verbal Tease" Verbenko will be our master of ceremonies.



The Pinups for Mental Health Awareness will be on-site to assist with the proceedings and to provide information on making your community safer from suicide and raising awareness for mental health issues.



And, the bands...

We've got three of our favorites on tap for the show!

Coach N' Commando!



Lowlight!



Old Lady! (This one is from our recent "Rock or Die VI" Day Party down in Austin.)



You can RSVP for the event and watch this space for more details as they roll in. Come on out. Bring your friends. It's gonna be a time.

And remember. If you are ever in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Lowlight, The RockNRoll HiFives, and Coach N' Commando Played Old Franklin Schoolhouse and It Was Beautiful, 1/27/18

The RockNRoll HiFives

Back to School

On Saturday night, CoolMom and I drove to Metuchen to see Lowlight, The RockNRoll HiFives, and Coach N' Commando play a show at the borough's historic Old Franklin Schoolhouse. The building is a one-room schoolhouse constructed around 1807 as Metuchen's first school. It's maintained by the Metuchen Borough Improvement League and hosts events throughout the year.

This was my second time attending a show at the spot; and, once again, the vibe was family-friendly, neighborly, and really just all-around beautiful. There were tables set up around the room, and a stew was cooking in the kitchen.

CoolMom and I walked in as Coach N' Commando were beginning their set; and we, along with the rest of the room, were absolutely floored. The duo of M. Witte (guitar / vocals) and Swayne (drums) delivered a mind-blowing set of finger-picked, rootsy, bluesy rock that had people hooting after every song. After their set, the guys packed up and headed down to Asbury for another show that evening at Asbury Park Yacht Club.

Coach N' Commando

 [Note: Guitarist M. Witte released a solo album, Ol' Boy, earlier this year that is a must-listen. It's dark and real and worth every minute of your time. I've had Ol' Boy for a while, and it was our primary reason for arriving at the schoolhouse so early.]

Our friends Lowlight and The RockNRoll HiFives both have big things happening. Lowlight are gearing up to head out on the road with Pretenders, and The RockNRoll HiFives are packing up to tour Japan. On Saturday, though, we had them to ourselves. Lowlight's set felt extra-special in front of the hometown crowd, and The RockNRoll HiFives sent everyone home sweat- and confetti-covered.

Lowlight

Lowlight

Kids danced.

Grown-ups sang along.

The RockNRoll HiFives

The whole evening had a community feel that's missing from a lot of shows.

We would've stayed all night, but we had to get home to the cooldaughters. We'll be back to the schoolhouse again, though. I hope we see you next time.

Make sure you check out M. Witte's Ol' Boy. Grab your tickets for Pretenders and Lowlight at Count Basie Theatre on March 30th. Look for updates from The RockNRoll HiFives as they get closer to their April tour of Japan.

Pics from Saturday are all in the Flickr galleries and on the Facebook page.