Rock The House at Highland Place

It wasn't Robert Plant, but it was Dawn Botti…and she's all ours.

Dawn, her husband Gary (of New Day Dawn), Dave Gomberg, Mark Madonna, Billy Fishkin and Alex Silberman rounded out a Maplewood super group that put a headlong rush into a Led Zeppelin set last Friday night at Highland Place.

Yes, Rock The House has moved, but it's still shakin'.

With remarkable polish for a sextet that had only three rehearsals, Dawn & Friends rocked and blasted through "Bring It On Home," "The Ocean" (featuring 13-year-old Sam Gomberg), "Trampled Under Foot" and other Zeppelin classics, saluting one of rock's giants with a fiercely faithful tribute.

Preceding the Zeppelin fest was another tumbling, tuneful set by FELT, opening with their introspective 9/11 tribute "Where To Go," and continuing with penetrating original work including "Ways to Break You Down." Their offering to the night's Zeppelin theme were the excellent covers of "Fool in the Rain" and "Ten Years Gone." Even the dinner crowd near the doorway had to jump up and thump to FELT's closing rendition of the White Stripes' "Doorbell."

The evening started with RTH newcomer Keith Monacchio's quiet, soulful six-string. Hailing from Trenton, Monacchio's songs were touching and real; sad, stoic and softly powerful tunes about lost love and she-done-me-wrong. "I don't do many covers, 'cause I don't know too many," he confessed. But his all-original set was enthusiastically received and displayed a sensitive lyrical gift.

Highland Place was a new setting for RTH, after three years at The Baird Center in South Orange. "The Baird has been our home for nine shows, but unfortunately a flood caused damage to the floor, and they couldn't commit to a June date," said organizer Alex Silberman, "the cost has also increased at The Baird and we're still working out the details." One aspect of the shows that will continue is paying each band a modest amount and donating the remaining profits to a local charity.

To be sure, there's a different atmosphere in the Highland Place restaurant setting; watch the stemware, if you please, and keep your legs tucked in so you don't trip the waiter. But the music was what mattered and the RTH faithful would show up to see their local bands perform in a shoe box.

The next RTH will be on August 4 as part of the South Orange Music series outdoors on Flood's Hill. "Last year's outdoor RTH drew over 600 people and was a real blast—we're definitely looking forward to that again," said Silberman.