Split Level Concerts at JSAC's New Season's Lineup of Opening Acts Includes Four Local Shore Area Favorites!

Split Level Concerts at the Jersey Shore Arts Center (JSAC) in Ocean Grove has announced the artists opening for its third season’s headlining acts. Four of the opening acts hail from the local Jersey Shore music scene.

A New Jersey native, Redbird (aka Danielle Marrone) will open the show for Dan Bern next January. She is an acoustic performer covering all genres of music throughout the decades, while coloring each song with her signature sound. She released Breaking Through, her debut album of original music, in 2025.

Opening for Catie Curtis and her Band in February will be Mike Montrey, an acclaimed singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader whose music blends Americana, folk, rock, and soul. A compelling storyteller with a powerful voice and dynamic guitar style, Montrey has spent more than two decades captivating audiences on stages throughout the country. Band member Jen Augustine will join Mike on vocals during his set.

In May, local duo Tiny Cities will open for Heather Maloney and her Band. Singer-songwriters Melissa Anthony and Dennis King teamed up to form Tiny Cities in the winter of 2025. Both accomplished songwriters in their own right, the duo find beauty in the quiet corners of everyday life. What began as a phone memo recording, quickly blossomed into their debut EP, The Wind Can Be So Cruel, an evocative recording with introspective songwriting, landing songs on WFUV radio and awarded “Best New Artist” of 2025 by Making Waves-Jersey Stage. Having spent the last year playing up and down the state from Asbury Park to local coffee shops, Tiny Cities signed with Hidden Tracks Records, releasing Beginning of the End in January, 2026.

Sharon Lasher will open the show for Kim Richey next June. Sharon brings a sultry sizzle to the stage with rich vocals that are both powerful and passionate. She can be heard belting out gritty done-me-wrong rockin’ blues, blending sweet harmonies to make a melody come alive, or melting hearts with a love song.

In what promises to be a memorable opening night, the great Willie Nile will perform a special Storytellers show at JSAC’s Palaia Theater. Robinson Treacher, an award-winning singer-songwriter who has performed extensively throughout New Jersey, will open the evening. The first two seasons of Split Level Concerts at JSAC launched with sold-out performances, with last season’s opening show selling out weeks in advance. The pairing of Willie Nile and Robinson Treacher is sure to make this year’s opening night another highly sought-after ticket.

Opening the show for Abbie Gardner in May will be Sean Kiely, a Jersey City-based singer/songwriter. The opening act for Stephen Kellogg in March will be announced at a later date.

All shows in the series will take place beginning at 8:00 PM in JSAC’s Palaia Theater. Although season subscription packages have sold out, general admission tickets for all of the shows are on sale now. Tickets are available at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/jerseyshoreartscenter/.

The lineup of headlining artists and their opening acts, including links to their websites, is as follows:

Saturday, October 31^st – Willie Nile (Solo/Storyteller Show) with special guest Robinson Treacher

Saturday, December 5^th – An evening with John Gorka

Saturday, January 9^th – Dan Bern with special guest Redbird

Saturday, February 13^th – Catie Curtis and Band with special guest Mike Montrey

Saturday, March 13^th – Stephen Kellogg with special guest to be announced

Saturday, April 10^th – Abbie Gardner with special guest Sean Kiely

Saturday, May 8^th – Heather Maloney and Band with special guest Tiny Cities

Saturday, June 5^th – Kim Richey with special guest Sharon Lasher

Net ticket proceeds from all of the Split Level Concerts support the programming and arts education offered by the Jersey Shore Arts Center, a non-profit organization serving Ocean Grove and its surrounding areas. In addition to live music, JSAC offers a wide variety of programming, including visual arts, wellness, dance, theater, and comedy.

Jersey Shore Arts Center and Split Level Concerts are proud to partner with Brookdale Public Radio 90.5 The Night and Musicians On A Mission (MOAM) to promote the concert series. Musicians On A Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating connection and inspiring giving through music. MOAM will be on hand for all shows in the series, collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations to benefit Fulfill (formerly the Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean County). Concertgoers that visit the MOAM table in the lobby before each show, or during intermission, can learn more about Fulfill’s mission and enter a drawing to win items donated by the artists, 90.5 The Night, and local businesses.

The Jersey Shore Arts Center is located at 66 South Main Street in Ocean Grove. Follow both the Jersey Shore Arts Center and Split Level Concerts on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all the concert happenings.

Media Inquiries:

For JSAC: Contact Jeanne Power-Galli at jpgalli@jerseyshoreartscenter.org

For Split Level Concerts: Contact Troy Deckebach at tdeckebach@gmail.com