4/6/10 - News article by Erik Gavilanes
Misconduct occurring at a January 23rd concert held at Middletown's Old First Church has led to the end of the Stars and Scars LLC concert promotion outfit. Elyse Jankowski, 23, a Middletown native and Ramapo College of New Jersey Alumni, has owned and operated Stars and Scars since May of 2002.At the January 23rd show, the event photographer's camera and equipment was stolen, according to a statement on the company's website. Church property was also defaced and numerous attendees attempted to enter the venue without paying through a back door which was locked and blocked off.
The same night the event took place, Jankowski decided to end the concert promotion and cited a shift in today's teenage culture as part of the reason.
"I cannot begin to tell you how drastically different everything was when I was a teenager going to shows. It truly is a shame that those of you growing up now will probably never experience what I did because of ignorant [people] that know nothing about community."
Jankowski started Stars and Scars at age 16 as a fanzine that was in print for three years and sold in nine states until its shift to a webzine. She received recognition from both SPIN magazine and Rolling Stone and in 2008 started Stars and Scars LLC as a concert promoter. Stars and Scars LLC organized 33 shows in central New Jersey with draws upwards of 150 guests.
When reached for comment, Jankowski pointed to her two main reasons to end Stars and Scars.
"Stars and Scars ended for a number of reasons, but mainly because the caliber of bands in NJ is not what it once was and enormous amounts of apathy on the band's and fan's parts."
Jankowski expressed her initial reasons for starting Stars and Scars and her outlook on the current state of the local music scene.
"My ultimate goals for S&S were to give deserving bands exposure and show kids a good time. It was about being a part of something special. I'm not sure of the exact differences between the younger generation and mine, but I don't get a sense of community nowadays at shows like I always did when I was younger. Not even just community between fans, but between bands and fans as well."
When asked about reactions to her decision to stop organizing concerts, Jankowski stated that she has received "an outstanding amount of support for what we had done and my decision."
Despite the negatives that led to the decision to end the company, Jankowski speaks positively about her experiences with Stars and Scars.
"Running S&S for 8 years was absolutely a positive experience. I met, interviewed and booked amazing musicians that inspire me to follow my dreams. I would like to think that Stars and Scars as a concert promotion company was known in NJ for putting on great shows."
1/23/10 - RIP Stars and Scars 2002-2010
A classic case of somebody(s) ruining it for everybody:At tonight's show, our photographer Steven DeBlat's Nikon D80 camera was stolen. Steven has been a dedicated Stars and Scars staff member for a long time and does not deserve to be without his most important possession, that not only contains all of the photos from the last S&S show ever, but also is his necessary tool for art school.
If you have ANY information about this incident, please contact Steven DeBlat at stevendeblat@gmail.com. Whether you saw it happen, know who did it, or notice someone using a Nikon D80 camera that they mysteriously never had before - PLEASE help us find Steven's camera!
Not only was a camera stolen, a jacket was stolen, church property was defaced, and numerous people continuously tried to sneak through the back door which was locked, had cones blocking it, and a sign to please use the hall door. I do not understand the complete and utter lack of respect in this town and in this scene.
I cannot begin tell you how drastically different everything was when I was a teenager going to shows. It truly is a shame that those of you growing up now will probably never experience what I did because of ignorant assholes that know nothing about community.
I am sorry to say that Stars and Scars is over. I used to have passion - a passion to bring people together, to love and share music, to make memories like the ones I have and cherish. That passion has slowly been fading and after tonight, it is officially ruined.
RIP Stars and Scars 2002-2010.
-Elyse
1/13/10 - $5 show next weekend?!
Is it true?! Click on Shows to find out...-Elyse
12/9/09 - The Future of S&S
It seems that many people are confused as to what our show hiatus means - Is S&S dead? Absolutely not! We are still always looking for webzine contributors, so if you'd like to interview a band or write a review, hit us up! While we do not currently have any shows scheduled, we are still open to organizing more.The Jersey music scene (bands, promoters, fans) should really work together as a team. We can offer great venue space, sound, lights, promotion and more. All we need is a few dedicated people to help us out - Can you scout bands that truly care about creating music & fan bases? Better yet, are you in one of those bands?
S&S has worked with so many ungrateful, apathetic musicians in the past that we are no longer interested in putting on shows just to put on shows. We want our events to be fun and successful for everyone - that has been our goal since day one.
So, if you love and miss what S&S has done, help us do it again! Think we could do better? Tell us how! Let's brainstorm some great shows for 2010.
-Elyse
10/31/09 - New Jersey, we need to talk.
During freshmen year of high school, I went to my first local show at a small, dingy, sweaty hall in the middle of nowhere, New Jersey. Despite the less-than-glamorous location, what I found there was truly beautiful - a community of young people, coming together to play music, share stories, make friends and for a moment in time, forget about their troubles and just have fun.As I stood in that packed room, surrounded by smiling faces screaming the words to every song, I felt welcomed. I had discovered a magical place where we were all equal - as bands and fans, as lovers of music and kids just wanting to belong. We all belonged in that moment and never wanted to let it go.
In the early 2000s, the local music scene was alive and well. We went to shows every weekend, not just to see bands we knew but to uncover new artists. Venues became more than just places to see shows - they were our hangouts, our homes. We had "our" couch, "our" corner, "our" parking spot. It wasn't routine. It was life, and it was exciting.
Things haven't quite been the same since then.
I cite Skate and Surf 2004 as the plateau of the NJ show-going subculture. None of the bands on the 3-day fest were really "big," at that time in regard to mainstream success, but they were big to us, and we knew they'd move on to greater things (whether we wanted them to or not). Local bands like No Hollywood Ending shared the bill with Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday and My Chemical Romance - prior to the peak of their careers.
Just like the tiny show at M&M Hall four years earlier, the thousands of kids that flocked to Skate and Surf were tantamount to the bands they loved. Clever fans weaved in and out of backstage areas and those too nervous to do so could still hang out with The Starting Line near the buses or stroll the boardwalk with Midtown. Bands were accessible, and they cared about their fans.
To younger people, this description may sound a bit like Bamboozle, but I assure you, the two are complete opposites. Anyone who attended any of the Skate and Surf Fests knows this. Bamboozle feels big, corporate, trendy...Skate and Surf felt diy, unique and punk rock. Maybe it was Asbury Park. Maybe it was that five years ago, things were just...different.
I started to feel a change in Fall 2004 when I began attending college. The tectonic plates of New Jersey were shifting away from each other, dispersing fans, dissolving bands and crumbling venues in the cracks. All that remained was apathy.
I was thrilled to discover that my college had a concert-organizing club and flabbergasted to find that they were essentially doing nothing. Were they crazy? Hundreds of dollars to play with, multiple venues to use, the chance to rebuild a community, and they weren't taking the bait? Over the next three years, I learned that they weren't crazy.
Sure, we had a few great shows at Ramapo, but most of them fell into the category of so-so. I tried everything. Themes, genre-specific shows, mixed-genre shows, local bands, out of state bands, signed bands, $5 admission, $3 admission, FREE admission...Why the hell didn't anybody care?!
Before I could blink, it was 2008 and time to go back to the drawing board. I had graduated, quality shows were few and far between, but I still had passion brewing inside of me. If I couldn't do it in north Jersey, maybe I could do it in central.
Nowadays, there are a select few shining stars in the local scene. Bands that promote the crap out of themselves and truly care about creating art. Not just music - good music. These are the artists that make you feel infinite - time and space aren't even on your radar; there's something bigger out there waiting for you. Unfortunately, these bands are a dying breed of supernovas.
The majority of the current music-makers in this state have either never experienced what a show can and should be, or they have and for whatever reason, they don't possess the drive to recreate it. This detachment carries over to the show-goers, who then lose motivation to even come out.
I'm wondering what will break the cycle. Will it be the return of Skate and Surf in 2010? Or has music in New Jersey just rolled so far downhill that we can't possibly hike back up? What do we need to elevate us again? The only idea I have is creating the next great local venue, which, if I ever hit the lottery, I promise you I will.
To all the kids who never experienced Birch Hill or Hamilton St., I want more than anything to give you what those places gave me. If you never attended Skate and Surf, I hope that next year, you get to feel one ounce of what I felt in 2004.
In the meantime, I leave my vision and company up to you. There are no scheduled shows for Stars and Scars after Halloscream. If you have an idea, pitch it to me. If you've found the next crop of outstanding local bands, let me know. If there's something we haven't tried that you think we should, I'm open to hearing it. After nearly a decade of seeing what this state can do and how quickly we lost our radiance, I am taking not a step down, but a step back. I urge you to rebuild your scene in whatever way works. I'll be here to help.
-Elyse
9/29/09 - Halloscream 2 + A Love Like Pi's Welcome Home Show!
Our first show at Abundant Grace in Toms River was a BLAST! Such an amazing venue! Can't wait until we're back there again. Our next show at Old First Church is Halloscream 2! It's also A Love Like Pi's Welcome Home Show, so be sure to come out & support our hometown boys. Be there or be scared! See Shows section for details!-Elyse
9/22/09 - First show at our new Toms River venue this Sat Sept 26!
Thank you to everyone who came out to the ORB Benefit show - we raised over $400 and collected 2 huge boxes of food donations for Mercy Center! Great job! Be sure to come out to our show this Sat at our *new* venue in Toms River - Abundant Grace Church! See Shows page for more info!-Elyse
8/21/09 - ORB Care Benefit: Sat Sept 19!
Our next show on Sat Sept 19 will be a benefit for Mercy Center in Asbury Park! Come see 6 amazing bands, all featuring members or former members of ORB! Save a few bucks off admission by bringing a canned good! See Shows page for more info!-Elyse
8/2/09 - New review + Beats & Breaks 2!
Tyler Clark reviewed A Love Like Pi's Tour Kickoff Show - check out what he had to say! Don't forget, Beats & Breaks 2 is right around the corner :)-Elyse
7/26/09 - Two great shows in August!
Believe me when I say you do not want to miss our next show on Sat Aug 1. Not only will there be 9 bands, yummy food, fun water slide, tons of games & an ice cream truck (yes, a legit ice cream truck), it's FREE! And in my Dad's backyard in Wall. So, come hang out, bring some $ for the many raffles as all donations and raffle proceeds will go to Shore Vineyard Youth! I am also very excited to announce that Beats & Breaks 2 is on Sat Aug 15! We have 8 performers this time, plus DJ Deezl spiining & an open mic between sets! August is going to be amazing!-Elyse
7/6/09 - Fri July 24! A Love Like Pi's Tour Kickoff Show!
Come see A Love Like Pi before they head out on tour! Fri July 24 at Old First Church with my band, Fredrick Dedrick! Also playing: Dunfor, Thinking Patterns & The Hook Club! Check the Shows section for flyer & Facebook event link!-Elyse
6/7/09 - The Call Out's CD Release Show + 2 new reviews!
We are so happy to be hosting The Call Out's CD Release Show at Old First Church on Friday, June 26! Check the Show section for more info! Also, I just posted 2 new reviews: Justin's review of Conor Oberst's "Outer South" and Tyler Clark's take on Beats & Breaks. Check em out!-Elyse
5/26/09 - Best of the Beasts this Friday, May 29!
Beats & Breaks was AMAZING - our biggest show to date! Thanks to all 180+ that came out! Just posted the pictures on our Myspace :) Come out to our next show this Friday, May 29! Our first hardcore show ever!-Elyse
5/19/09 - Camera Obscura review!
Justin wrote an excellent review of Camera Obscura's "My Maudlin Career" - check it out in the Music Reviews section! Get psyched for Beats & Break this Saturday!-Elyse
5/9/09 - Beats & Breaks - Sat May 23!
Our next show is going to be RIDICULOUS! Beats & Breaks is our first hip hop show, and we couldn't be more excited! Check out the flyer in the Shows section! Don't forget, photos from all of our shows are posted on Myspace!-Elyse
4/26/09 - Next show Sat May 9!
Come see some of NJ's finest play at Old First Church on Saturday, May 9 - Bears & Bright Lights, Goodnight Bravado, Throw The Heat, Last Days of Empire and Almost There! Flyer & Facebook event link in the Shows section-Elyse
4/23/09 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs "It's Blitz" review!
Thanks to Jenna Murphy, I just posted her review of the new YYY album. You can see Jenna perform with Caisy in Free For A Small Fee this Saturday! Get to the church on time - the ladies play first!-Elyse
4/11/09 - Five new reviews!
I just posted 3 new album reviews (two of them for older albums) and 2 new concert reviews! Thanks to Simon Caine (Houston Calls - "The End of An Error), Justin Carretta (The Decemberists - "The Hazards of Love"), Chris Varacchi (The Darkness - "Permission To Land"), Tyler Clark (S&S Show - April 4, 2009), and Alicia Applecore (Taste of Chaos 2009)! If you would like to write for Stars and Scars, shoot me an e-mail with a sample of your work - starsxscars@yahoo.com-Elyse
4/6/09 - Thank yous & next show Sat April 25!
My birthday show/debut of my band was in a word, amazing! Thanks to all 167 of you that came out and made it the biggest S&S show yet! And thank you to all the wonderful bands who played - I love you! Check out the show photos on our Myspace. Our next show features 6 amazing bands and will be held on Sat April 25. Check the Shows section for more info! Join our Facebook group for a chance to win FREE ADMISSION! Thanks to all the S&S contributors that have been patiently waiting...it's been a busy week! I promise I will post your stuff soon :)-Elyse
3/28/09 - New show review!
Tyler Clark is at it again! Our favorite writer just contributed a review of the March 21 S&S show. Go check it out in the Reviews section, or click on the link under New Stuff on the left :) Thank you Tyler!-Elyse
3/16/09 - New CD review!
Tyler Clark wrote an excellent review of "Rearrange Beds" by An Horse. Check it out in the Reviews section!-Elyse
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