Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

GONNA UKE THIS TOWN

fiona-crawford-2What is it about a ukulele that tickles us so?

“It’s the sound,” says Fiona Crawford (right; click to enlarge), a singer and uke player.”Even when you’re doing slow songs or sad songs, it’s kind of bright and cheery. It’s got a brightness to it.”

A Red Bank gal of sorts — she lives in Manhattan, but her parents reside on Leroy Place — Fiona is the first part of a double bill of live music at the Red Bank Public Library tomorrow afternoon, wrapping up its Acoustic Saturdays spring series.


A 28-year-old musician who never quite took to the guitar like her dad, the locally well-known player Jim Crawford, Fiona said was studying singing and kept noticing, on sheet music for tunes by Gershwin and other greats, tabulature or chords notations for the ukulele, and thought it might be interesting to hear them played on it. Then a friend gave her a uke, she tried it, and was bitten.

Her first gig, while living in Scotland, “was almost a joke,” but “it turned into this thing that people enjoyed.”

Her repertoire includes songs by New Order and Weezer, and some folk tunes “kind of sneak in there,” but mostly it’s jazzy standards, Tin Pan Alley tunes, she says.

Also performing Saturday is 15-year-old violinist Taylor Hope. A classically trained musician, she’s been at her instrument for 11 years, but whether playing solo, with a symphony orchestra, or in a country or rock band, she always delivers an enthusiastic and captivating performance, says guitarist Anton Daub, who hosts the series, which is partly funded by the New Jersey State Library.

The two one-hour performances begin at 2p at the library, which is at 84 West Front Street. For additional information, visit the library website or call 732.842.0690.

BTW, the library is nearing its summer schedule. Through June 12, hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10a to 9p, and Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10a to 5p. From June 18 through September 11, Friday hours will be 1 to 5p and Saturday hours will be 10a to 2p.

The Acoustic Saturdays resumes on Saturday, September 25, 2010.

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
NOT SO SCARY
Twenty times? Fifty times? How many times did we drive by this home on the corner of River Street and Shrewsbury and do a double take before ...
LOCAL 9 TAKE TROPHY
After a long hot two days of baseball, the Red Bank area-based Jersey Shore Raiders emerged as champions of the United States Amateur Baseba ...
RHAPSODY ON ICE
RED BANK: On a cool-ish summer evening, keyboardist NGXB entertained customers of Strollo's Italian Ice with renderings of 'Bohemian Rhapsod ...
PUDDLE BE GONE
A work crew was out this week attacking the site of the notoriously persistent puddle at the corner of Broad and Mechanic Streets. This phot ...
SMALLS FOR MAYOR?
We at redbankgreen remain neutral in political affairs and never make endorsements. But we have to say Borough Clerk Laura Reinertsen’ ...
CRASH ON LEIGHTON
The driver of this car was headed north on Leighton Avenue when they it hit an SUV pulling a work trailer headed in south in the opposing la ...
CAR VS STREET SIGN
The driver of this Mercedes hopped the curb and toppled the street sign at the corner of South Pearl and Drs. James Parker Boulevard Wednesd ...
SKETCHES OF RED BANK BY LOCAL ARTIST MICHAEL WHITE
Sketches of Red Bank scenes have been floating around on social media and we thought they deserved some spotlight. First appearing in our fe ...
POLE DOWN
Utility pole falls on English Plaza shop Forge after being struck by SUV shortly before noon. No injuries reported, though 86-year-old drive ...
YO, ADRIAN!
It’s a tough turn for our hero as Rocky Balboa is relegated to the curb for trash pickup on Locust Avenue. We’ll have to go back ...
“EL PALOMO” IS IN THE HOUSE
Jesus Rios, a mariachi singer who performs under the stage name “El Palomo” (The dove) pauses for a moment before entering a bac ...
CROC SPOTTED IN RIVER
Frighteningly hideous and green, a solitary Croc lurked ominously amid the flotsam and foam in the Navesink River alongside the Red Bank Fir ...
KISS ICON REFLECTS ON BROADWALK
A Swarovski crystal-bedazzled self-portrait painting of Paul Stanley, longtime singer and guitarist for the rock band Kiss peers out from a ...
CHISELIN’ AWAY
Marcelo Garcia Lopez works with hammer and chisel on a new feature for his flower garden on Shrewsbury Avenue: a hollow in a carved log in w ...
STORM CLEANUP CONTINUES
  Saturday’s storm sent a tree toppling on this house on Bank Street, damaging the roof. Workers Wednesday could be seen removing ...
SNAPPING IN THE BREEZE
RED BANK: Blustery winds had the flags in Riverside Gardens Park snapping Monday evening.
POWER LINE DOWN
Red Bank firefighters were on scene at Manor Drive dealing with a live power line Monday afternoon. There was no immediate report of fire. T ...
TAR BEACH SOLSTICE
Aldo Quiroz of Ocean Township came ready with his beach chair and found a shady spot to spend his lunch hour in a parking lot off Broad Stre ...
GOING GREY
Workers painting the stone facade of the PNC Bank at the corner of Broad and Harding Thursday morning. An upgrade? Maybe it’s just pri ...
COFFEE & WILDLIFE
RED BANK: The best wildlife show in town can be taken in from a waterfront bench outside the public library, and it's totally free.