Serendipity at B’na Keshet. Not too big
2013-02-16 00:00 (America/New_York)
Serendipity at B’na Keshet. Not too big a crowd, but interesting music. Sammy again, and the Holographic Jellyfish. Hannah is working on the Tumblr. Page for Serendipity.

Serendipity Café at First Lutheran Churc
2013-03-23 00:00
Serendipity Café at First Lutheran Church. Decent crowd, good music, smooth operations. Nice open mic. Austin should get a bigger audience, don’t you think?

Funds were raised for Gifts and Werebear
2013-04-26 00:00
Funds were raised for Gifts and Werebears during a good, well reviewed Serendipity Café at First United Methodist Church. The basement was good, we had over 70 in attendance and matched $20 of donations to the kickstarter mentioned above, and then added $60 more at the following meeting. We’re ready for the Gay May Day event, 6 hours long!

Shut down by the police during Gay May D
2013-05-18 00:00
Shut down by the police during Gay May Day. We need to work on how to avoid this. Hard copy of permit is a necessity.

Good Serendipity Café at the Lutherans.
2013-05-31 00:00
Good Serendipity Café at the Lutherans. Had over 65 people pay to attend, good bands, Werebears and Gifts made their Kickstarter goal and played. Hot weather, but well done. Drum kit needs work, tom support came loose again. Critique tonight (6/5/13)

Festival Underground was highlighted by
2013-06-22 00:00
Festival Underground was highlighted by Jon Bell & his son’s band GNGR, and my Sons’ band On the Water. They were all so good, as was Mannon. The audience was small, as usual, and our Senior Staff Award winner, Ben Opatut decided to go, along with most of the staff, to Punk Island, but we had a very enjoyable day anyhow, talking with Jon, jammin’ with the bands, etc. Evan was there, from Pinegrove. The policeman who came to tell us there had been a “noise” complaint was one of the best I’ve interacted with in years! What a great guy. He got what he wanted, and we got to continue, and no one was angry!

The Independence Day Parade was Elvis’ 2
2013-08-01 00:00
The Independence Day Parade was Elvis’ 20th and we went all out. We had 5 costumed paraders, (There are pix on facebook). It went really well, I think we slowed up the parade by an hour. Then on 7/26 we did an Amphitheater show, and the weather was perfect, the hip-hop was unusually good, the audience (Due mainly to Lyrical’s manager Jared) was huge and the raccoons were cuter than a dog. There was some good harmony by Marissa and Chris, Adult Mom was there, and some others that I’m too old to remember. Next month we will have another, I hope just as big.

The 8/23/31 Amphitheater show was a good
2013-08-31 00:00
The 8/23/31 Amphitheater show was a good summer event. Lotta hiphop, or possibly Rap. Mannon, open mic Michael dancing, hardly any mosquitos. Ended by jamming with Alexis & some other staff members. Once again, hardly any mosquitoes, and no raccoons this time.

According to our critique and review of
2013-09-28 00:00
According to our critique and review of the 9/21 Serendipity at the Park House, it was smooth and entertaining. I would have preferred the electric power to be a little more usable and the garbage situation somewhat less smelly, but the music was good, we raised money for the Save Darfur Club, and we got to make a few speeches to the audience. “Big Time Woman” is always a high point in any program, and the cleanup was fast and efficient, in spite of the rain. Thanks to Ken and Mike, and the expert Serendipity Staff

Although the Church people were late in
2013-10-25 00:00
Although the Church people were late in opening up we got the project off the ground and going by 7:07, not too bad. The event had 100 audience members, 35 with costumes, there was good music, and decorations. The pumpkins out front were a nice touch. We forgot the arrow committee, however, and some newbies didn’t know where to go. Cleanup was fast and clean. What more do you want?

We haven’t been to First United Methodis
2013-11-23 00:00
We haven’t been to First United Methodist in a while, but we had a good time there. Attendance was in the 70’s, it didn’t rain much, and we had a large staff at the end so things went quickly putting stuff away. We did blow a couple of light bulbs, but Ed replaced them and we’re set to go. Alexis found us a good set of bands. Sophie, LeadBeater, The Sun Hurts, The Space Monkeys, Manon, all top notch acts. And we got in some open mic with Gifts!

It was a smooth Serendipity on B’nai Kes
2013-12-21 00:00
It was a smooth Serendipity on B’nai Keshet. As far as I can tell we remembered everything (I thought I had forgotten my clipboard, but it was in the car). 74 people paid to attend, The bands were good. We hosted Sunflower’s first Serendipity gig, which might have been their first gig ever, and the open mic was fun with Peter Guiffra and I doing “Blue Suede Shoes” and Alexis coming up for (what else) Big Time Woman. Sammy Mellman was there, Thatcher Snyder, and some other Alumni, not so rare.

Last Friday’s extra cool (< 10F) Serendi
2014-01-29 00:00
Last Friday’s extra cool (< 10F) Serendipity Café at the Lutherans had good music. I should get the names of the band from Bard, I think, that was instrumental in making the sound good. The floor was hard to clean though. And it appears as though we made a profit of over $7! I’ll put up more after the critique.

Although no couples took advantage of th
2014-02-22 00:00
Although no couples took advantage of the tremendous $1.00 discount, we had a good time at Fletcher Hall, of the UUC on Church St. We blew no breakers, sound & lights ran smoothly and the coffee was good, considering. The music was good, Small Victories and Ana Bonesteels band were new to me, and they sounded great. I wish we could have heard her voice more clearly. And late word is in that the foot switch for the Blue Voodoo amp has been found. Well!

Been a while since we did those stairs,
2014-03-21 00:00
Been a while since we did those stairs, but we had a large crew and it went quickly. Music was good, I liked the electronic stuff that was not a gameboy. Not too big a crowd, 50 people, and we broke a mic stand boom thing, and left the coffee pots behind. All will be corrected before the next event though, you can be sure of that.

So I screwed up the date for the 4/26 sh
2014-05-03 00:00
So I screwed up the date for the 4/26 show which the Church thought was 4/25, and they were right. So we changed it to 5/2, last Friday. So even though the intended large group of cover bands didn’t make it, bands from the Meatlocker and a House show that were suddenly cancelled showed up at Serendipity so we had very interesting music, too band the audience was so small, ‘cause it was one of the best, musically. Staff was great, too. Good to see founder Ranira Morris who made a substantial donation, and Greg Pason was there so we could jabber about Make Music Day..

We keep the whole town supplied with mus
2014-06-21 00:00
We keep the whole town supplied with music, by cooperating with the famous Make Music Day celebrations all around the world. Festival Underground was super. Gillian Morello won the scholarship award, and the staff gave Ed a BIG gift card to Fleet Feet and wrote the nicest things in a card. Julia and Anna took Mike’s place and drove the truck & carried stuff. The weather was perfect.

The parade took place in spite of Hurric
2014-07-04 00:00
The parade took place in spite of Hurricane Arthur, which sorta rained a bit on the after-parade party. The Montclair Arts Council rented the Serendipity PA for the Edgemont picnic, which was shorter than it would have been with rain getting worse towards the end. But it cleared up for the fireworks and so it turned out to be a great 4th. Gillian as Wonder Woman, Hanna, Chris as Spiderman and Beryl (as Little Red Riding Hood} wore costumes while Jason, Bonnie, and Max Moore marched with the banner. Alexis drove her Miata with the top down, and a wig and Hannah on the back as Ariel the Mermaid. Peter was Grand Marshal and had to lead the parade in a suit and tie, and then change to Elvis and get to the tail. What excitement. Ed ran sound at Edgemont park for the picnic and left the parade early to set up the system. As it turned out, I could have done a lot more parade, since they didn’t want the music to start until the parade ended. Oh well. Next time.

Serendipity at the Lutheran Church, extr
2014-07-25 00:00
Serendipity at the Lutheran Church, extremely well attended for a July Serendipity, with interesting music. There was a vibraphone and a melodica, which are unusual, and an electric ukulele, (right, Marzipan?). The weather cooperated and the staff enjoyed Pinegrove, Addie Pray, Austin Tannenbaum, Sunflower, and others, I’ll fix this later.

We had some very good music Friday night
2014-08-29 00:00
We had some very good music Friday night, a surprising 29 member audience, and decent snack bar sales. Peter Guiffra attended and said a few words, and Greg Pason was there helping and being a good friend. O Face, Use Big Words, Daisy Chainz and No Noise were all great, and we raised over $40 for gas money for O Face to get back to Bard, which I think was quite good. I can tell we will soon be missing our seniors, Gillian, Alexis, Jason, Chris, Bonnie, Beryl, and Hannah.

Edegmont Park Shelter House. Good turnou
2014-09-26 00:00
Edegmont Park Shelter House. Good turnout, and we heard some great music. The new staff was aided by Gillian and Alexis who managed to make it back home for yet another Serendipity Café. I forgot quite a few things this time, making it worthwhile to return for them. The kids from Stephen St were great, even without Ilah S. We hope they can join us again.

Scarendipity was held on 11/1, Saturday
2014-11-02 00:00
Scarendipity was held on 11/1, Saturday Night, at the Lutherans. The new staff is learning quickly how to set up, and Ben was entertainment head for the first time. Things went well, we made some money. I really liked Vinnie’s new version of Los Huevos, and Leadbeater hit the loudness record at 129.9 dB. Good open mic, including a poetry reading. Alexis was back helping out a lot with driving and screaming. Sunflower was musical, electric ukulele style, and Matt was there again at open mic with a leadbelly song.

“Rap’n’dipity was a complete success. 13
2014-11-22 00:00
“Rap’n’dipity was a complete success. 136 paid audience and we let people in free during the last band. Forgot 2 of the stands, but that was quickly remedied. Audience was respectful, staff filled in for Mike (who took his wife to dinner and then came back to help us clean up) . Have to warn the staffers who sched pickup too early, though. Great to have Greg P. with us. Always makes the show go better to have his experience and strength on the team.

Last Serendipity Café of the year, at th
2014-12-26 00:00
Last Serendipity Café of the year, at the Lutherans. A surprisingly large attendance (115) and staff-aided-by-alumni made this a fun Serendipity. “Big Time Woman” (open mic) with Beryl on drums and Matt Arons(sp) on lead guitar. We did extra verses. Finished on time (ish) with plenty of staff for the last mile. Thanks!

Another record attendance, great bands,
2015-01-31 00:00
Another record attendance, great bands, fun open mic, and a whole bazaar of artists, photographers, Zine producers joined the usual band merch sellers. This caused some discussion at the critique meeting about the extra conversations generated by the artists as a second focus of attention, away from the musicians. However we did manage to put on the whole show, deal with most of the lost-and-found items, and reinforce the RESPECT culture.

“The Carendipity” fund raiser for SOFIA
2015-02-27 00:00
“The Carendipity” fund raiser for SOFIA in cooperation with the NOW club was a great success, we all took pledges, donated money, wore wristbands and helped out a good cause.

Great attendance, great new music, a hug
2015-03-27 00:00
Great attendance, great new music, a huge Open Mic, and serveral comments on the quality (good) of our sound expertise made this a successful Serendipity Event.

- This was the Big Rapendipity, with all
2015-04-17 00:00
– This was the Big Rapendipity, with all rap music at the Lutheran Church on Park St.. We SOLD OUT before 9 pm. We felt that this was much more of a party audience than we had planned for, but I think we now know a lot more about setting up and running this kind of event. Mike was great (with several staff helpers) in getting the audience duly stamped and entered. The kids we turned away seemed to understand that the event was sold out and responded to requests not to hang out in the parking lot.

– With six bands plus open mic, this eve
2015-05-30 00:00
– With six bands plus open mic, this event was quite lengthy. However the crew at the end was sufficiently numerous that we made light work of it, even with Michael’s bad back. We were sad but proud to host the final performance of “No Noise”, but we hope there may be others. Attendance was good but not staggering, so, we did not stagger and we did not fight. Like the Midnight Special.

A persistent drizzle attempted to stop u
2015-06-20 00:00
A persistent drizzle attempted to stop us from doing the Festival but we were even more persistent. Great work by all the staff, bands, founders, audience members. Too wet for sidewalk chalk and bubble blowing, but we sang RESPECT, gave out our staff award [Congratulations, Alana!], and got our blackboard erased. And the following day was Make Music Day in which the staff were ever present and hard working. They all deserve many thanks. Especially Greg, with lost phones, bent tents, bicycles and minivans.
