This Friday evening, January 5, the Outpost in the Burbs will be celebrating two special events. The Essex County coffeehouse is entering their 20th season AND a move to a new location!

Starting this Friday night with a concert featuring The Kennedys and Liz Carlisle, the Outpost will be presenting many of their concerts in the 250 seat sanctuary of the Unitarian Church of Montclair. For concerts that will draw larger crowds, the Outpost will also present shows at in the 700+ seat Sanctuary of the First Congregational Church in Montclair or at the new Outpost venue – the 1,500 seat Montclair High School Auditorium. The Outpost in the Burbs main office and mailing address will remain at the First Congregational church, and the venue will continue to be the base for their community service projects and recreational/social activities such as our Spiritual Drumming series.

Back in the spring of 1987, a group of young adults would gather together on Sunday evenings in the library of the First Congregational Church to foster friendships and social interaction. The church sponsored group decided to put together a coffeehouse to attract more people to their gathering. They chose the name “Outpost in the Burbs” because it suggested hospitality and a welcome for others who were exploring new opportunities in their own lives and in our society.

The coffeehouse was a huge success and began to grow. The Outpost also expanded the boundaries that other coffeehouses seemed to follow. Artists who previously would have classified as “rock” or “jazz” were sharing their music with an appreciative audience. The “folk” world was changing, and the Outpost was there to change with it! Over the years they have given a stage to a diverse group of musicians – Annie Haslam to Rosanne Cash, Garland Jeffreys to John Gorka, the Strawbs to Roger McGuinn. In addition, they have showcased numerous “up and coming” musicians who have become staples on the acoustic music circuit.

In 2001 the Outpost in the Burbs broke their legal ties with the First Congregational Church and became a non profit organization. This has enabled them to expand the scope of their original mission. In addition to the superb concert series, the Outpost offers a variety of community service activities that stress volunteerism and helping others. They also offer a spiritual drumming series, a monthly discussion group, film events, hiking and more. The Outpost has become a model for building a community through music and beyond.

The Outpost in the Burbs continues to offer some of the finest entertainment (at reasonable prices) in the heart of New Jersey. Their success has also helped support an active community and their work has created more “fans” of the music. A healthy folk community helps us all. The success of venues like Sanctuary Concerts, Hillside Cafe and the “old guard” Minstrel Coffeehouse and Hurdy Gurdy enable the music to prosper.

So, this Friday night should be a festive occasion at the “new” Outpost! Complimentary cake will be provided to all attendees to help toast the anniversary and warm the house as they embark in an exciting new location!

What a perfect show to kick off the year and a new site! Outpost favorites The Kennedys will return to the stage, hot on the success of their latest CD “Songs of the Open Road”. Pete and Maura have toured over half a million miles playing to sold out audiences across the nation.
Their tight harmonies and energetic stage show are not to be missed! The Kennedys also host their own weekly radio program “Dharma Cafe” on Sirius Satellite radio.

Opening for the Kennedys will be the amazing Liz Carlisle. A recent Summa cum Laude graduate of Harvard, the 22 year old has been touring in support of her debut CD “Five Star Day”. Liz was one of five nominees for Best Emerging Artist in this year’s Folk Alliance Awards, her song “Montana” was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, and her CD was was nominated for Best Country Album in the Independent Music Awards. Liz is creating a lot of “buzz” in the folk community, and this is a wonderful opportunity to see her in our own backyard.

For more information on the Outpost in the Burbs, please visit their website at www.outpostintheburbs.org . Their spring schedule (previously mentioned in these reports) can be found there – and I promise you will find some great music! Best of luck to the Outpost on their move, and congratulations – and thank you – for 20 years of outstanding music!