The Sandbar
The Sandbar holds the distinction of being the largest club in Hudson County, which also happens to have great views of Liberty State Park and a dock for boats. With 14 bars, the nightclub can accommodate 3,000 people. It already has a built-in boat crowd, a happy hour, and a thriving weekend scene. But will they be able to draw the art and music crowd?
On Thursday, June 23 at 8 p.m., the Sandbar will host its first ever film screening. There will be two films shown, one in the room called "the dome" and the other in "the tent." The first film, 16W, is written by Fred Duignan and directed by Gerald Slota. It first premiered at the 2004 Woodstock Film Festival. The other, Cupidity, is an award winning film directed by John Gallagher. Mike Lapp, bar manager of the Sandbar, thinks the Original Sessions Art House will be successful. "I think it will build every week," said Lapp. "It will get busier and busier as soon as the word gets out."
According to Lapp, they will not only compete with other live venue places, they will create a place that is known for all art forms, attracting people from all over. "We do nothing little here,' said Lapp. "It's always over the top. It's definitely not just a New Jersey club. We get a lot of people from New York."
The promoter
John Vargas, a Hoboken resident, is the man with the plan. He was one of the original promoters at Love Sexy, in Hoboken and has over 15 years experience in the industry. At Love Sexy, he promoted metal, punk, and similar sounds that weren't getting booked at other clubs in Hoboken. He promoted Love Sexy for 10 years until the building had to be torn down due to structural damage. "I used to joke that we caused the crack in the foundation due to all the hard rock metal we used to play there," said Vargas.
Vargas has worked professionally as a musician and an actor. He has a degree in marketing and theater. In addition to promoting talent on Thursdays at the Sandbar, he is working on a film of his own that he will be directing. Michele Coniglio, who won Best Actress Award for her role in Cupidity, will be acting in the movie. His new company, Original Sessions Art House, will eventually include theater, in addition to the film screenings and live bands. The bands or movies don't have to be a specific genre, as long as they are different and exciting.
"Right now there is a need for a multi-media type venue in the downtown Jersey City and Hoboken area," said Vargas. "Hudson County is more of a music driven area, although most of the music featured is of the cover band ilk. We [Original Sessions] are supporters of original music as well as film, theater, and performance art."
Vargas is not too concerned with how people will react to the shows. He said it is more about providing a venue for artistic expression. If it gets really popular, the Sandbar might give him another night to promote after the summer. As for long-term plans, Vargas said, "I hope to continue learning and evolving as an individual and perfecting my craft. Learning and perfecting my craft is a never ending process."
To find out more information, visit: www.originalsessions.com.
The talent
John Gallagher, director of Cupidity, will be at the screening on Thursday. Gallagher has been in the business for 20 years and has six film credits as a director. His films are award-winning. In 1994, Men Lie won for Best Independent feature. Other notable films include: The Deli, Penance, and Blue Moon, for which he won the 21st Century Filmmaker Award.
Gallagher has a knack for developing and recognizing talent. On past films, he worked with Amanda Peet, Ben Gazzara, Rita Moreno, and Gretchen Mol. Cupidity, his latest feature film, has already won four awards for excellence. The film is a romantic comedy about the pitfalls of dating. Gallagher explained that the film was born out of an improv of a scene in the acting class that he teaches.
"We did the movie starting with that scene," said Gallagher. "I had the structure, the outline, but it is primarily an improv situation which is very unusual. It's interesting to work with the actors in class and then build the scene around them." The other unique thing about the movie is that it was filmed on high definition video, which is much less expensive than film, so you can retake it. "I could take my time [filming] and know that we have the scene before we move onto the next one," said Gallagher.
In addition to directing, Gallagher is the author of Film Directors on Directing, which is a collection of interviews with legendary filmmakers Wim Wenders, Francois Truffaut, and Dennis Hopper. He has written speeches for actors Al Pacino, Merly Streep, Robert DeNiro and others. His monthly column, Between Action and Cut, feature his writing on films. But even though he has written extensively, on his own films and for others, Gallagher said that he prefers directing.
"It's rejuvenating," said Gallagher "It makes you remember why you did it in the first place."
The screening for Cupidity is on Thursday, June 23 at 8 p.m. For more information please visit: www.cupiditymovie.com . After the film screening there will be live music by: Orbita, Start the End, Cyclone 60, Holmes, and American Watercolor Movement.
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