Quimby Mountain Band

Jesse Bardwell, the 21-year-old front man of the Hackettstown-based Quimby Mountain Band, means no disrespect when he refers to the organizers of the Skylands Music and Arts Festival as “old cats.”“I’ve been coming to this since I was a little kid,” Mr. Bardwell said. (Until this year, it was called the Knowlton Riverfest.) “It’s not prestigious but it’s really well known around our area. It doesn’t get as much recognition as it should.”

Mr. Bardwell said he was “pumped” to be playing the opening slot Friday evening with his five-piece “rock-punk-blues-soul” band. Knowlton Township is the official host of the event, which takes place Aug. 14 to 16 at Hunter’s Lodge Field in Delaware, located in Knowlton Township, Warren County, in northwestern New Jersey.

Dan Hirshberg, 53, an organizer, explained that the name change was part of an effort to give the festival “a little bigger picture, to make it more of a larger regional show.”

The festival will draw more than 40 acts in genres as diverse as bluegrass, dance, rock and jazz — headliners include the guitar great Robben Ford and the eclectic Grammy-winning act Brave Combo. Another new element will be a battle of the bands on Aug. 14, when seven young acts from New Jersey and Pennsylvania will compete for a chance to play on the main stage on Aug. 15.

“This is something we wanted to do mainly for younger bands, to maybe attract a younger crowd,” Mr. Hirshberg said.

That may offset an image held by Mr. Bardwell. In its 13-year history, the Knowlton Riverfest attracted mainly “older, laid-back hippie-type folks,” he said. “They’re awesome. But it’s great they’re thinking about the younger crowd.” - The New York Times

The long-awaited debut of the freshly minted first CD of the Quimby Mountain Band, “Up From The Dust,” is here just in time for the new year.
Quimby Mountain Band, with its roots in the Hackettstown area, has scheduled the first of several special CD Release Parties on Friday Dec. 18 at Bernie’s Hillside Lounge in Chester. Bernie’s is located just off of Route 206. The 21 and older show starts at 9:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Featuring tunes such as “Call Me Crazy,” “Epoch,” “Burn to Stone,” “Dirty, Dyin’ Easy,” “Broken,” “All My Days,” and “Let me Down,” the new CD has the feel of a live Quimby show — excitement, riveting riffs, and solid vocals.
The CD comes on the heels of a busy summer and fall for the band, which included a spotlight in the New York Times (and other publications) in advance of their performance at the Skylands Festival, as well as appearances at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, the Festival in the Borough in Washington, Oxford Summer Festival, Evolvefest, and other festivals and gigs in the Northeast.
Quimby Mountain Band is known for its multi-genre sound, with pieces of funk, blues, rock, reggae, and soul mixed in, or as members like to say, “We are all over the place.”
The band includes Bob Noble, bass, who now lives in Easton, Pa., and works for the Warren County Arc; Harry Noble of Vienna, guitar, a therapist at Greystone in Parsippany; Matt Schmidt of Hackettstown on guitar; Jesse Bardwell, a Hackettstown native who now lives in Wharton on vocals; and Liberty Township’s Matt Di Paolo on drums. The Quimby Mountain Band composes and arranges all of its music collectively.
The band has opened up for a host of major acts, including New Riders of the Purple Sage, Keller Williams, and The Radiators and have played at Sullivan Hall in New York City and The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, among other top venues. They have also become a staple on college campuses, playing at Rutgers University, West Virginia University, and Wagner College in New York, to name a few. For more about the Quimby Mountain Band, visit myspace.com/quimbymtband. - The Warren Reporter and Fuse TV

The Quimby Mountain Band won a "Battle of the Bands" at the New Jersey State Fair. This five-man combo placed first in the music contest held Aug. 9 as part of the State Fair, held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta. They received $500 cash plus a $250 gift certificate for a music store. The band formed two years ago by students who attended Hackettstown High School. They are Lead Singer Jesse Bardwell of Hackettstown; Guitarists Harry Noble of Vienna and Matt Schmidt of Hackettstown; Bassist Bob Noble of Vienna; and Drumer Matt DiPaolo of Great Meadows. - The Warren Reporter

Fresh off a summer festival-filled schedule, Quimby Mountain Band brings its special brand of rock and roll to another level on Friday night Oct. 30 when they headline a 3-band show at Mexicali Live in Teaneck.

Opening up for Quimby Mountain Band are Only Living Boy and Unexplained Bacon. The show starts at 8 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.).

Playing predominately originals, Quimby Mountain Band’s sound is multi-genre, with pieces of funk, blues, rock, reggae, and soul mixed in, or as members like to say, "We are all over the place." Their music played live can always vary from studio takes, but never strays too far away from the song, which makes them unique in their approach and popularity.

They are currently working on their first CD, due out later this year. Among the original songs expected on the CD are "All My Days", "Save Me", "Burn to Stone", "Epoch", and "Dirty, Dyin’ Easy".

The Warren County based band features Bob Noble, bass, Harry Noble, guitar, Matt Schmidt, guitar, Jesse Bardwell, vocals, and Matt Di Paolo, drums. The Quimby Mountain Band composes and arranges all of its music collectively.

The band has opened up for a host of major acts, including New Riders of the Purple Sage, Keller Williams and The Radiators and have played at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park and Sullivan Hall in New York City.

Tickets for the show are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. To order tickets in advance, visit www.mexicalilive.com.

For more about Quimby Mountain Band, visit www.myspace.com/quimbymtband. - Teaneck Suburbanite