|
Echo (continued from page 3)
diners can
partake of several smaller portions instead of a large, full-course meal. And, the style of music is the reggae of Random Task and the jazz of the Joe Peterson Trio.
With a diverse menu and diverse musical tastes, Jamian LaViola said that at Echo,
"There is something for everybody."' LaViola and Mark Gambuzza own the place and said they also aimed to create a place with the nightlife they said they were looking for, in the town they love: Red Bank.
That nightlife has an atmosphere with waterfalls, floating bar, VIP Lounge and downstairs "Scandal Lounge.'' In Echo, LaViola said he and Gambuzza wanted to create a hotspot where "we'd want
to go to. "Not too stuffy, not ridden with younger kids,'' LaViola said, ""but a place like a Manhattan Lounge.' Echo
in addition to piping new wave, soul, reggae and jazz music throughout its lounge has livereggae music every Monday with the band Random Test. Tuesday it's jazz, with the Joe Peterson Trio performing.
Echo manages to have nice acoustics though the bar is nearly in the way of the performance area. More importanly, the bands sound good themselves. Though the music is reggae, Random Task doesn't fall
into the trap of palm-tree based kitsche. Instead, the local band is in the Bob Marley vain. Similarly, Joe Peterson Trio offers a nice blend of jazz styles for its own unique take on the musical form.
The owners said they plan to expand the live entertainment to include Wednesday and Thursday evenings in fall.
Echo does not permit cigar smoking, and its dress code is "no baseball caps or tank tops,'' (continued on page 5)
|
