If you’re not familiar with The Latest Noise, let me introduce you to the organization in its own words: “A music collective led by Mike “Kuz” Kuzan that powers events & projects to connect musicians and amplify their sound.” That doesn’t mean making them louder, but enabling them to be heard and seen and noticed. No small thing today.
On Wednesday, June 18, at 8 p.m., Mike Kuz presents The Latest Noise: Unplugged at Art House Productions’ beautiful theater in the Powerhouse Arts District, presenting four acts who hail from outside Jersey City. The lineup stands out for its empowerment of female and LGBTQ+ voices, as well as the quality of performance:
Emerson Woolf & the Wishbones toe the line between Americana and indie-rock, with Ms. Woolf’s autobiographical songwriting, drawing listeners into the complexity of relationships, life’s many transitions, and other aspects of her unique worldview.
Also from Asbury Park and fairly new, Great Oblivion create soundscapes from acoustic rock and folk with a lo-fi vibe, the project of Ken Lubas, Joe Lucarelli, and Danny Barker
.Monte Maybe is a singer/songwriter from Red Bank, NJ. Her sound is eclectic and pop-driven, with elements of folk and country storytelling that draw from her experiences as a woman in the music industry and a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Bear Bosco is a New York-based rock ‘n’ roller in the classic style, delivering songs and shows full of pop hooks and out-on-the-floor energy.
It’s been a while since I’ve chatted with Mike Kuzan, who makes all this happen, so I shared some questions about the Latest Noise and - as an industry professional working with local musicians - his advice for pursuing a career in music.
Q: The Art House auditorium is such a beautiful venue, I’m glad to see it’s being used for live music as well as theater and other media. How did your partnership with Art House Productions come about? Do you think it’s location in the Powerhouse Arts District (as opposed to Downtown JC) hurts in attracting audiences?
Mike Kuzan: Art House Productions contacted me early in 2024 to see if I was interested in bringing music events to their venue. At the time, I was focused on my own music project, Philosopher Pirate, so I really wanted to make sure our visions were aligned before jumping into anything. The team with Meredith Burns, Mike Griffiths, Sunjay Venkatraman and now, Josh Feder, were onboard with my approach to producing and curating events. We set up the Unplugged series as our showcase event that takes place throughout the year,. Along with that we have one-off events, like album release shows and other special events depending on the time of year.
The Powerhouse Arts District is a cool area of JC that also includes Departed Soles Brewery. Departed Soles has been very supportive of the music and arts scene in Jersey City with events for a handful of years now. Art House is only a couple blocks from the Groove Street Path station. The challenge is getting it on people’s radar, getting them to realize this amazing venue exists and has events happening each week in a variety of art forms. If you want an eclectic mix of shows, look no further than Art House.
Our goal in 2024 was to raise awareness among the music community, to have people attend shows to see what the space is all about. I believe we accomplished that goal. In 2025 we are looking to build on that and get the public to become aware of our series, our other music events and Art House Productions calendar of events.
Q: You’ve been doing the Latest Noise showcases for a while, but explain exactly what a Latest Noise: Unplugged show is, and how you go about setting up the lineups?
My goal with every show is to curate a lineup of talent that flows throughout the night. I try not to have any kind of formula, but work with the time of year, day of the week, the venue, the type of audience and artists that are performing with the right intentions while growing as a musician or band. I’m looking for heart and soul in the music. We then connect artists from different perspectives, styles and their history. That’s the magic of a TLN show, you’ll see something you won’t probably ever see again in one night of music.
Q: You are a working musician yourself and you work with many local bands, so you have a unique insight. What do you think are the hardest obstacles to deal with in both our area and the music industry today, and how have you worked to overcome them?
My biggest challenge when working on shows with The Latest Noise while staying focused on my own creative projects. To put on a show at a high level and still make time for Philosopher Pirate. I believe the biggest challenge for bands, in general, is how to stay focused on something you love, while having to take ownership of all the other things you’ll have to learn, test out, take action on, fail at and so on.
If you want to maintain your artistic vision, and perhaps your soul, you’ll have to be somewhat independent to make this work. The most important thing you can do is have a vision for yourself.
Creating a life in music has always been my vision. It takes the pressure off if your latest song or show was a hit or sold out. With that approach I have been able to touch pretty much all the aspects of music from performing, writing, running a band, being part of a band, hosting shows, promoting shows, assisting other bands, helping artists release their music, hosting open mics, recording bands, mixing bands and creating video content. I love all of it!
Q: I hope a lot of musicians will be reading this and I’d like to ask you for an honest answer: What’s the #1 thing you see local bands doing wrong? What should be they doing that they’re not? And what’s your #1 piece of advice to a new musician or a new band who wants to get started performing in public?
What is your vision, what are your goals? There’s nothing better then getting together with a group of people to work on and perform your own music and if that’s what a local bands wants to do. Do it! But, at the same time, you have to be realistic that isn’t enough if you want to attract a larger audience. I think bands put a good effort in performing and releasing music, but sometimes, they forget to make sure they are creating a special night of music. After you have being doing this for a minute, it’s easy to become complacent, knowing what you are doing will work. Are you going to give something more? Try something new? Get out of your comfort zone? I’d suggest you give that a try.
If you are just starting out there is a way to do it. Become part of a scene by attending shows, going to open mics and hangs, being kind, talking to people and seeing what’s up. Honestly, it’s that simple. You do that, you’ll get a show. But that’s not all you do. Don’t just do it to do it. We all know those people and that game and it gets old. Just be curious and interested in what speaks to you and then show up.
Q: Tell everyone about tickets and anything else you have coming up.
We have our next Unplugged show on Wednesday June 18, with a line-up of talent from outside of Jersey City it’s gonna be a great mix of artists and I’d encourage you to grab a ticket to see what this is all about! For our July 30 show, we are highlighting some artists you may be familiar with: The Maybes (Jaime and Dom Della Fave, Dave Calamoneri, Jonathan Andrew and John Roccesano), Maidin, and Lauren Rosato.
Tickets are on-sale for both shows now and as always $5 less for pre-sale online. You also get half off your first drink with each ticket bought online.
Starting with our next show will be adding a vinyl section of locals bands’ and artists’ albums for sale, with 100% going back to the artists.
Look for shows outside the Unplugged banner starting in September with Justin Garcia’s album release show, a very special Halloween show, and a couple other tricks up our sleeve.