Hoboken Rock City - The Official Blog Of DJ Mike C.

As I wrote some years back, "If you grew up in New Jersey in the '80s, you listened to The Smithereens."

Though they only barely cracked the national Top 40 in the early '90s with "A Girl Like You" and "Too Much Passion," WNEW played the unholy hell out of Smithereens albums like Especially For You, Green Thoughts, and Smithereens 11 (that last title a nod to the original Oceans Eleven far before it had any nostalgia value among the mainstream) to the point where those of us from Jersey and York could be forgiven for thinking the 'reens were as big as R.E.M.

So even if it amounts to mostly a nostalgia show, there's every reason to be excited that the band's frontman Pat DiNizio is performing an intimate set in the living-room-like environs of the Goldhawk's back room Friday night. It's $10 at the door, and the bill begins at 8 p.m. with Matt Azzarto (ex-Gefkens and Fundamentals) and Jim Higgins (ex-Whatnots), the music of both of whom has been on my show recently.

And following right behind Mr. DiNizio is Mr. Freedy Johnston, who plays the aforementioned Goldhawk next Wednesday, April 20, also for $10 at the door, that show I believe at 9 p.m. Nice.

And I'll be there Saturday night from 10 p.m. onward to spin the tunes for all y'all.