Concert promoter Mike Van Jura did a lot to jumpstart the music scene in Harrisburg. From the rocking, high-energy shows at the Appalachian Brewery’s Abbey Bar to the incredible display of talent during last year’s Kipona Festival, Van Jura seemed to have his finger in every pie.
“He was a self-taught businessman, and he learned all he knew about music just by constantly listening to new music and going to shows.” said his brother Billy Van Jura. “Growing up, his room was like a den for music. He had an awful poster of Jon Bon Jovi on the wall, and Bruce Springsteen was in heavy rotation. There was always music playing at our house.”
“Jersey Mike,” as he was known to friends, passed away unexpectedly last November, sending shock waves through a community of people who had grown to appreciate his finely honed sense of who the next up-and-coming band would be.
On the week that he died, the Abbey Bar had a packed schedule, but Sarah Staub, Van Jura’s business partner, along with sound engineer Alec Simmers and marketing director Ben Ketchum, stepped up to make sure that the shows ran smoothly.
“Everything was a blur after his unexpected passing, but I know that the week he died we had four large shows at ABC,” said Staub. “We all felt that the shows had to go on. That’s what Mike would have wanted.”
In December, the threesome organized two benefit events: one at the Abbey Bar and the other at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center to help raise funds for Van Jura’s two young children. Both featured music and a silent auction where people could bid on signed show posters, artwork from Van Jura’s personal collection and framed prints. The events also gave Van Jura’s friends a chance to grieve.
”He had professional friends and personal friends and a billion of them in between who had worked with him and had also hung out and drank beers with him,” said Billy Van Jura. “I think that these events gave Harrisburg a chance to have its own memorial.”
Staub first met Van Jura about 10 years ago at a Medeski Martin & Wood show at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster. They instantly hit it off, and soon she started coming back from college to visit him.
Hoping to infuse the local music scene, they started a collective called Roundtable Presents with a couple of other friends. After doing shows at several other venues, they put in a bid to be talent buyers for the Appalachian Brewing Company. Artie Tafoya, part owner of ABC, said that he was glad to bring Van Jura on to locate the talent that they just didn’t have time to find.
“With his passion for music, Mike was able to do a great job of improving the quality of music that we were able to bring in,” he said.
ABC opened its doors in 1997. The partners had spent more than two years renovating a burned-out hulk to create the beautiful, 50,000-square-foot venue that houses the brewery, a restaurant, the Abbey Bar, a room for functions and office space. Once the historic home of the Harrisburg Trolley Corp. and offices for the Work Projects Administration, the space had been transformed into a destination point for discerning diners and brew pub enthusiasts.
“It’s such a big facility that we’ve always had to look for ways to fill it,” said Tafoya. “Having really good entertainment has helped us to utilize the space well.”
Soon after Van Jura and Staub began running shows at the Abbey Bar, they changed their company name to Greenbelt Events. “We wanted to give the company a name that people would feel comfortable with,”recalls Staub. “We both liked being outdoors so we named it after Harrisburg’s Greenbelt nature trail.”
Van Jura was the public face of Greenbelt Events while Staub stayed in the background. “Mike really loved to be in the spotlight and hoped to make a big difference in our small little city,” said Staub. “Mike was the idea guy. He woke up every day and hit the ground running.”
Staub provided the fledgling company with financial support and handled the accounting, legal issues and paperwork. ”Mike and I had that dynamic that worked really well, “she said. “We would go out to breakfast every Monday or Tuesday and just plan the week; shoot around ideas, basically just think about what we wanted to do and make it happen.“
Van Jura did all the booking, but both he and Staub selected the bands. “Mike tended to enjoy rock shows, and I like more jam bands and bluegrass, “she said. “So, together, we each had our dream bands that we wanted to get and we would just pursue those bands until we got them.”
During the last several years, the pair was able to book just about every band they really wanted, including some standouts like The Hold Steady, Hackensaw Boys, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the Steep Canyon Rangers.
From the beginning, Greenbelt Events structured the shows so that local artists would have a chance to open for national acts. “Having local support not only brings the people from the area in, but it also gives local groups a chance to grow as a band,” said Staub. “They get the opportunity to perform for people that they wouldn’t necessarily otherwise draw in. It’s a win-win for us all.”
Van Jura wouldn’t just pay the local bands—he also would take the time to give them advice. “He would just keep on pushing and encouraging and pushing and encouraging, even when they were ready to back off themselves,” said Billy Van Jura. “He inspired them to work harder and to believe in themselves.”
One band that Van Jura had a lot of influence on was the bluegrass/Americana band Cabinet. When the Scranton-based band was just starting out, Van Jura gave them a chance to build up a fan base by inviting them to play every Wednesday for a month. ”It worked out really well,” said guitar player Mickey Coviello. “Every time we went back there, more and more people came out to see us.”
Cabinet ended up getting so popular at the Abbey Bar that they decided to record a live CD there. “We sold out the place,” said Coviello. “It was really a blast!”
Now, after signing on to a new booking agency, Cabinet is getting ready to embark on an ambitious 12-city tour. Coviello credits a lot of the band’s success to being able to play at places like the Abbey Bar. “Mike Van Jura did a lot for us down there,” said Coviello. “He helped out a lot of bands that way.”
Since Van Jura’s death, Staub has taken over all the booking and has worked hard to keep the company going, despite a challenging career in real estate.
“I think about this dream that we created together and letting it go is just not an option,” she says. “We’re going to keep producing the same quality of shows we had before and expand the way Mike had dreamed.”
Recently, she booked a show with Frank Black that drew nearly 350 people on a Sunday. “It was the biggest show that we did since Mike passed,” she said. “I think he would have been really proud of it.”
Tafoya is confident that Staub has what it takes to continue the work of Van Jura. “She’s come across some difficult situations that she’s just handled so professionally,” he said. ”We’re very excited about the future of entertainment in the Abbey Bar.”
Run for Jersey
In honor of the founder of Greenbelt Events, the Jersey Mike Memorial Rock and Run 5-K race will be held on City Island in Harrisburg on Saturday, April 13 at noon.
The race was developed by the K+L Guardian Foundation, which was formed to benefit Mike Van Jura’s children. The race was designed to promote heart-healthy activities and to provide outlets for people who have lost a loved one manage their grief through healthy, positive activities.
Participants may run or walk, and a 1-Mile Fun Run for Kids is planned. An after-party will be held at Ceoltas Irish Pub in Harrisburg. Registrations and donations are accepted at https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Harrisburg/JerseyMikeMemorialRockRun5k. Donations can also be sent to: K+L Guardian Foundation 1518 Green St., Harrisburg, Pa., 17102.
