Castaneda Excited to Play in Front of Home Crowd at Saturday's New Brunswick Heart Festival

Manuel Castaneda is a diligent, hard-working member of New Brunswick Tomorrow, who also serves on the city’s Planning Board and is running for a newly created seat on the City Council.

But when he gets on stage in front of a salsa or merengue band, it’s as if he’s transformed into another person.

The civil servant makes way for the spirited singer.

There’s no greater example of that than when he plays in front of a crowd in the city he grew up in and calls home.

“You always get this energy, people really enjoying the music,” said Castaneda, who will be performing with his band, Sonido Latino, at the New Brunswick Heart Festival on Saturday, Aug. 13. “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from our performances here in New Brunswick. So, it’s always great to perform for the home crowd.”

Presented by State Theatre New Jersey, New Brunswick Cultural Center, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC), and Above Art Studios, the Heart Festival will run from 3 to 6 p.m. and will be hosted by New Jersey Radio Hall of Famer and city information officer Bert Baron and Founder of TSO Productions, Sharon Gordon.

This free family-friendly festival at Monument Square Park at 2 Livingston Ave. celebrates all the vibrant arts and history of New Brunswick and Middlesex County, featuring live music and dance performances, dance classes for kids and adults, craft vendors, and more.

The third annual New Brunswick Heart Festival will have an expanded footprint with the addition of a block party with live music, food, vendors, live painting, and more in front of Above Art Studios on Morris Street.

This year's musical lineup includes everything from hip-hop to reggae. There will be tap dancers, a salsa dance class party, a performance by the New Brunswick Brass Band, and more.

Castaneda may feel at home on the stage, especially when he’s playing in front of the home crowd at the Heart Festival, but he’s come a long way since his first performance at a talent show while going to Rutgers.

He did some community theater, even playing Chino in “West Side Story,” but he began to channel his energy toward exploring the local Latin music scene together with a friend.

Years later, Castaneda has played with many bands, performing various types of Latin music in Spanish and English two or three times a month.

There is something special, however, about playing with his three friends in Sonido Latino. They’re united not only through music but their ties to the city. The leader is a Rutgers grad, another life in the city, and the fourth one moved from New Brunswick to a home right on the border with North Brunswick.

“When I've been asked to do these types of shows to the community, I tend to want to bring this group because we're from the community,” Castaneda said. “We all have that aspiration of giving back to the community and what better way of getting back than sharing a musical talent.”

It wouldn’t surprise Castaneda if someone passed by Monument Park at 6 p.m. on Saturday and does a double take when they spot him at the microphone.

“I get people with a shocked look,” he said. “I also get people coming up to me after the performance saying, ‘You’re serious when you’re out in the community, but here you're performing. I never thought you had this side to you.’”

Story by: Chuck O'Donnell
Photo by: Sonido Latino

NEW BRUNSWICK HEART FESTIVAL LIVE SCHEDULE

3-4 p.m.

Latin band, Sonida Latino

New Brunswick Brass Band

Grupo de Danza Folklórica La Sagrada Familia

4-5 p.m.

Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Pop performer for kids, Fyütch

Tap Dancer Omar Edwards

InSpira Performing Arts & Cultural Center

5-6 p.m.

Salsa Dance Class Party with Elvis Ruiz