El Caribefunk

On Tap

HOME BASE: Colombia STYLE: Rock, funk and “the sonic brilliance of the Caribbean” elegantly swirled into one moving, growing, pulsing thing with a life of its own. LINEUP: Alfonso “Funk-cho” Salas, guitar; Junior Valencia, bass; Yamil Chagüi, keyboard; Andrés Mordecai, percussion. FEEDBACK: Today, El Caribefunk is an emerging group with a bright and fresh sound, well received by the public […]

Events with Johnny T and Bobby Collins on STAC Slate in Manahawkin

Next week is a big one for the Stafford Township Arts Center, as it hosts two fantastic events music and comedy lovers won’t want to miss. As part of the ongoing Remember When Concert Series, “Voices of Legends,” featuring Johnny Tarangelo, will be Wednesday, Aug. 17, beginning at 7:30 p.m., and this time Frank Dean & Friends, along with a […]

See Documentary ‘Bag It’ at LBI Foundation Aug. 17

Stop by the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences at 6 p.m. on Aug. 17 to contemplate the country’s unhealthy reliance on plastic bags and other single-use disposables via the award-winning film “Bag It.” Long Beach Township sustainability coordinator Angela Andersen and sustainability intern Brielle Piterski will screen and discuss the documentary and the country’s plastic obsession. […]

Our Gang Performing Cole Porter’s ‘Anything Goes‘ This Weekend

Sophisticated Music and Lyrics Team With Madcap Comedy to Make Show ‘the Top'

The Our Gang Players will perform “Anything Goes” this Friday and Saturday, Aug. 12 and 13, at 7 p.m. and this Sunday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. at the Stafford Township Arts Center, located at 1000 McKinley Ave. adjacent to the Stafford Township Intermediate School. Normally when The SandPaper pre-writes a production of a Broadway musical it raves about the […]

Weird Science

On Tap

HOME BASE: New York STYLE: Not just “covers” of ’80s classics, but re-creations of the sounds, sights and feelings of that particularly amazing decade of pop culture, with the help of fun costumes, lighting, contests and crowd participation. LINEUP: Michael J Roxx, lead vocals; Myndi Lauper, lead vocals; C.C. DesKillz, guitar; Willy Idol, keys, key-tar; LL Cool K, drums. WORD […]

County Deadline Nears for Arts and History Grants

The media won’t tire of warning voters this week that there are less than 90 days left before the 2016 presidential election. But members of Ocean County’s non-profit groups, municipalities and institutions of higher learning have even fewer days left to submit their applications for art and history grants to the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission. The OCCHC will […]

Puffer Poisons Overrated; Time to Return Cougars to Our Outback?

The Fish Story

TOXIC MISREAD OF SMOOTH BLOWFISH: I need to begin with a now much-traveled photo passed on by reader J. Terhoon, bearing the message, “Smooth Puffer fish caught in Barnegat Bay. Sushi anyone?” Smooth puffers are the large brothers to our northern puffers/blowfish. I’ve seen and caught a goodly number of smooth puffers, Lagocephalus lagocephalus, but never thought in terms of […]