Borges’ highly anticipated return to Hackettstown heats up the David and Carol Lackland Center’s Sitnik Theater as part of Centenary Stage Company’s summer concert series “Jammin’ in July.” Borges last appeared in Hackettstown when she opened for the Smithereens. Her music is a fun and funky eclectic mix of rock-and-roll, country twang, and everything in-between; it has been described as “walking that fine line between punk and country.”

Borges has toured the United States extensively and has crossed the pond to play landmark venues such as the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England where the Beatles first got their start. Borges live shows are reported to be “the stuff of legend”, with audience members dancing in the aisles, or singing along to the choruses -all regular occurrence at a Borges show. Borges herself has said “we always want people to dance. That’s the best way to get a show going.”

Borges’ down-home roots highly influence her music. Her first studio album, Silver City, was named for her hometown of Taunton, Massachusetts, which has a rich history in silver mining and is located 40 miles south of Boston. She has been honored by the Boston Music Awards and has performed at the Americana Music Association conference. Borges’ discography includes Silver City,Diamonds in the Dark, The Stars Are Out, and her newest album Radio Sweetheart, produced by Steve Berlin, a longtime member of Los Lobos. Radio Sweetheart offers fans nine original songs and one cover of Lloyd Price’s “Heavy Dreams.”

Opening for Sarah Borges on the 21st will be the high-octane band, The Grip Weeds. Described as A touch of John Lennon, a bit of The Byrds, a dash of The Kinks, pinch of The Who, and a dollop of more muscular Zombies, “you get something quite original actually. And quite cool," says the E-Street Band’s legendary Steven Van Zandt. The critically acclaimed Psychedelic Rock /Power Pop quartet consists of brothers Kurt and Rick Reil (on drums and guitar respectively), Kristin Pinell (guitar) and Dave DeSantis (bass), with all four singing, surrounded by their vintage equipment. The band is said to produce slices of perfect, radio-friendly guitar-pop, psychedelic enough to appeal to record junkies and Sixties-retro fans, but edgy enough to fit into a modern rock set. The Grip Weeds’ new CD and DVD, “Speed Of Live” and “Live Vibes” are available at www.gripweeds.com.

The July 21st concert with Sarah Borges’ and The Grip Weeds is produced in conjunction with NPR affiliate WNTI 91.9, Centenary College’s own radio station. Tickets for the concert are $30-$35 in advance and $35-$40 on the day of the performance.

Other upcoming Jammin’ in July events include the highly acclaimed Leiber and Stoller musical revue Smokey Joe’s Café, July 26th through the 29th and the crowd-pleasing valentine to the Beatles ‘Beatlemania Now!’ on August 4th.

Tickets for Sarah Borges and the rest of the Jammin’ in July Summer Concert Series are available through the CSC Box office at 715 Grand Avenue in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The Box Office is open from 1:00 pm-5:00 pm Monday through Friday, and 2 hours prior to each performance. They may also be purchased online at www.centenarystageco.org, or by calling the box office at 908-979-0900.