Arts & Entertainment

Croft Farm Rockfest Features 8 Bands Saturday

The inaugural show will bring up-and-comers and established acts to Cherry Hill.

Four up-and-coming bands and several established performers will take the stage in the inaugural Croft Farm Rockfest Saturday, a free outdoor music festival hosted by Cherry Hill and Room Two Productions.

The brainchild of Inside Music Today (IMT) producer Bill O’Brien, the festival showcases groups that have made a splash on the weekly music show, with the hopes of increasing the reach for all the acts.

“These four young bands have all got what it takes to make it in the music business,” O’Brien said. “What they need now is exposure to the largest audience possible, and we hope this festival and the IMT broadcast will help them get that exposure.”

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Among the featured groups is Cherry Hill-based No Commitment, which was nominated this year by the Jersey JAM Awards as the Best Under 21 Band in New Jersey; their debut album Hiding What is Underneath was nominated as the Best Under 18 Album by a New Jersey artist.

Made up of students from Cherry Hill East and West—including lead singer and American Idol Hollywood round qualifier Zach Birnbaum—it’ll be the band’s first of a series of summer performances, including gigs at Cherry Hill’s July Fourth celebration, Great Adventure and Hershey Park.

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Getting to share the stage with their peers at Croft Farm makes this one special, band members said.

“We love getting together and jamming with other bands our age and rocking out,” Birnbaum said. “We are especially psyched to have everybody in our hometown, where we can share our music with people local and from all over New Jersey.”

Along with No Commitment, up-and-comers If All Else Fails, Volt and Half Daze are scheduled to appear. They’ll be joined by established acts Dr. Lou and the Privileged Few, The Count Josephine Band, and The Defused, as well as solo artist Lore Constantine.

“Knowing these bands the way I do, I know it is going to be a great show,” O’Brien said, “and the best part of all is that it is going to be free of charge so everyone can come out and enjoy. My hope for these young bands is that we can springboard what we are doing here to help them reach their musical goals. I think these bands have what it takes and now everyone can come out to the Croft Farm Rockfest and see for themselves.”

Bringing the show to Croft Farm is yet another way to highlight the arts in the townshp, Mayor Chuck Cahn said, and adds another program to the summer lineup, which also includes Music Under the Stars at Barclay Farmstead.

“We are always looking for ways to provide quality programs for Cherry Hill residents, and this festival is a great way for us to expand the scope of what we provide,” said Mayor Chuck Cahn. “Historic Croft Farm is the perfect setting for a television concert and will showcase one of the great public spaces we have here in Cherry Hill.”

The daylong festival, which starts at 2 p.m., will be filmed for a broadcast celebrating the 19th anniversary of Inside Music Today, which runs every Saturday at midnight on WMCN, which serves Phladelphia and Atlantic City.


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