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Archive for the ‘Asbury Park, NJ’ Category

The Sadies (The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, June 21, 2026) [KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Kurt Vile, Kurt Vile and the Violators, The Sadies, The Stone Pony on June 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 21, 2026] The Sadies

I was vaguely aware of The Sadies. I was mostly aware of them because their singer Dallas Good died suddenly and the entire Canadian music scene was upset about it.  I assumed The Sadies were done, but, as Dallas’ brother and the band’s new singer and guitarist said, this show and every show that we play for the rest of our lives is dedicated to my younger brother.

That’s pretty devastating.  But it was clear that The Sadies put everything into their shows.

So The Sadies’ songs fall into two categories–a kind of country & western (as opposed to country) song with a heavy dose of surf rock sprinkled all over the song.  And hugely enjoyable instrumentals that showcase Travis Good’s fantastic guitar playing.

What that means is that most of their songs sound basically the same.  And yet, they played for almost 50 minutes and I not only was I never bored, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Which is pretty impressive given that they are a three-piece with a simple drum kit (played expertly by Mike Belitsky) and an upright bass (played by Sean Dean).  An upright bass doesn’t lend for a lot of fast improv.

So most of the embellishments came from Travis.  Dallas’ voice was a bit softer, while Travis’ has a darker edge to it, which makes some of these dark songs sound even darker. In a song like Oak Ridges his voice also goes deeper. (more…)

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Kurt Vile and the Violators (The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, June 21, 2026)

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Kurt Vile, Kurt Vile and the Violators, The Sadies, The Stone Pony on June 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 21, 2026] Kurt Vile & The Violators

My wife has become a huge fan of Kurt Vile in the last few years, so any chance to see him, we’ll take.  She had never been to The Stone Pony before and as a Jersey native, she really ought to have been there at least once.  This was my third time there and I really haven’t enjoyed the vibe at any of the shows.

And tonight’s was weird too.  The Stone Pony is a weird venue–it’s very wide and very shallow.  It may also slope down away from the stage (It probably doesn’t but it feels that way).  After checking out the beach for a few minutes we headed inside and saw that it was pretty crowded.  We found our spot and then realized the guys in front of us were really drunk.  They moved soon after Kurt started (and eventually the one guy fell over and the had to be removed).  But then a very tall woman who was near us suddenly wound up in front of us.  Which sucked.

After a few songs behind her, I had to move a few feet over to be able to see.  Halfway through when the drunk guy fell over and had to leave I was able to get back to my wife and we enjoyed the show together.

So this tour was for his new album Philadelphia’s Been Good To Me.  And yet he opened with two songs not on the album.  All subsequent show, he jumped right to the new album.  So I’m not sure why we got Jesus Fever (which no one else did, but no complaints, it’s a great song) and Hey, Like A Child was earlier in the seton this tour.

I was pretty fascinated to see just how many people knew the words to all of his songs.  He was pretty excited to play The Stone Pony (his first time) so maybe he gave us an extra song or two.

And then it was on to the new album.  Red Room Dub is a delightful instrumental (is this is first instrumental, I don’t know), but he put words to it (no idea what they were though).  Zoom 97 is slow, chill song with the fun line “jump n my whip (yeah!)”  His backing band is always so solid–they never show off, they just keep things going as they need to.  (more…)

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Foxy Shazam / Descartes a Kant / Moondough (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, February 26, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Descartes a Kant, Foxy Shazam, House of Independents on February 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 26, 2026] Foxy Shazam / Descartes a Kant / Moondough

I found out about this show when Descartes a Kant posted that they were playing in Asbury Park!  I loved their show so much I swore I’d see them any time they came around.

I was surprised they were headlining a fairly large sized venue.  And then I fond out that they were not.

I had not heard of Foxy Shazam, but apparently I should have.  They’ve been around since 2004 and have been putting on wild live shows for twenty years.  Well, that’s not true, they broke up in 2014 and got back together in 2020.

Rock DNA Magazine reviewed the tour dates in Nashville

Saying of Foxy Shazam they carved out a lane that blends glam rock excess, soulful swagger, punk urgency, and theatrical flair. Their live shows have long been the stuff of legend, whispered about in the same breath as the great unhinged performers of rock history.  Eric Nally hit the stage like he had been launched, not introduced. His voice carries an elastic force, swinging from gritty snarl to operatic wail in seconds. There is a bravado there that feels almost classic rock in scale but twisted into something far more unpredictable.

What separates Foxy Shazam from lesser shock merchants is intent. The stunt didn’t feel tacked on. It felt like an extension of their commitment to pushing every moment to its edge. No half measures. Nothing safe.  The set never sagged. No filler. No polite breather. Even quieter passages hummed with tension. You never felt entirely comfortable, and that was the point. This was never background music. This was confrontation in the form of performance.

They also wrote about MoonDough

MoonDough opened the night with a set that felt deceptively loose. There was a warmth to it, groove-heavy and confident without trying too hard to dominate the room. Their singer commanded attention in a way that was more sly than explosive. He let the crowd lean in rather than forcing them back.

So who is Moondough? His bio says Ken Raymundo is a talented Multi-Instrumental, Singer/Song Writer from Southern California, that goes by ‘Moondough’. Possessing a unique range of musical influences, he has created a signature sound that highlights his soulful melodies, smooth guitar progressions, and funky bass lines. Ken takes the essence of a bedroom recording and transforms it into what he calls, ‘Bedroom Soul/Funk/Jazz.’

I opted to stay home from this show even though it sounded like Foxy Shazam was amazing. I had gone out last night and had two more events that weekend.  DAK only played for 30 minutes, so it’s okay that I missed them, but this sounds like a wild and fun show.

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THE TRIP: Canaries, The Tubs, Hotline TNT, Wishy, Horse Jumper of Love (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, January 30, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Canaries, Horse Jumper of Love, Hotline TNT, House of Independents, The Tubs, Wishy on January 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 30, 2026] THE TRIP: Canaries, The Tubs, Hotline TNT, Wishy, Horse Jumper of Love

This I was pretty interested in this show because I knew two bands and I really want to see Hotline TNT.  But then this show was the same night as Jordan Klepper, who my wife was dying to see live.  He was great and I didn’t mind missing this long night of music.

I’m not sure what the order of the bands was.

I have never seen Horse Jumper of Love.  When they played previous shows I wrote: They play downbeat, rather depressing mope rock.  With occasional flares of noise attached.  I’d hope they’d be more lively in concert.  But I doubt it somehow.  They keep appearing on my radar though, so maybe I would like them.

I saw Wishy open for Momma.  I really enjoyed their set a lot–the two singers with great harmonies and, as I wrote about Sick Sweet, it’s a shoegazey masterpiece that I feel in love with the first time I heard it.  I would happily have seen them again.

Hotline TNT plays what I can only describe as classic shoegaze, which is definitely having a moment again.  Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, they don’t really mess with the classic shoegaze vibe all that much–not adding elements at all.  Their music warms my heart and I’d love to see them live.  This is the sixth time I’ve missed them since 2022.

Canaries are a noisy shoegazeish band from Richmond Virginia.  They’re not dipping into the heavier side of the genre, instead they are making a lot of crashing noises–a fun rowdy kind of shoegaze that I like.

The Tubs are a Welsh indie rock band from Cardiff, formed in 2018. The band was founded by Owen Williams and original guitarist George Nicholls. Along with Max Warren they were previously members of Joanna Gruesome. The current lineup is completed by Dan Lucas and Taylor Stewart.  I am surprised that one of the bands on this line up is Welsh (and maybe it’s not them), but their jangle pop is not too far off from the rest of the show.

This would have been a fun show to go to and a good chance to check out a bunch of bands.

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Momma / Narrow Head (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, November 22, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Momma, Narrow Head on November 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 22, 2025] Momma / Narrow Head

I saw Momma back in May and really enjoyed their set a lot.  They play the kind of music that I just love–female fronted alt/grungy stuff.  When they announced this show in Asbury I was really sure I wanted to go.  I mean, they were great when I saw them last time and I think they only get better each time.

Plus, I suspect that their next album will show them growing their sound more.  I imagine they’ll be expanding their sound some. So the next time they tour, it will be for a new album and they won’t play these songs as much.  But sometimes things come up and seeing a band you just saw six months ago isn’t as important.

This was, apparently a double headline show with Narrow Head whom I’ve never heard of.  Turns out they did a split single with Momma.  They are from Dallas and sound a lot like Helmet or Biohazard or some heavy band like that.  They seem like a really odd match for Momma, but it was probably an interesting show.

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Pool Kids (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 22, 2025)

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Pony, Pool Kids, Truth Club on September 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 22, 2025] Pool Kids

This was my third time seeing Pool Kids.  I really like their mix of punky alt rock and really cool guitar shredding (so much finger tapping).  I saw them headline at a small place in Philly and they blew the roof off (with singer Christine Goodwyne crowd surfing at the end).

Since I last saw them the put out a new album.  And they played 8 (of 11) songs from it.  They opened with a new song and then immediately jumped back to their previous album

The opening riff to That’s Physic Baby is a mastercalss in cool guitar riffage–sounding like an old school metal intro.  Both Goodwyne and second guitarist Andy Anaya shred impressively with lots of fingertapping.  Anaya seems to add a few extra flourishes while Goodwyne gets back to singing.  The end is a dramatic moment where the chorus telling you what I, telling you what I need, is repeated but at the end the song drops off and she screams (and we all scream along) NEED!

Vocalist/guitarist Christine Goodwyne was fun with a powerful voice that held high notes and also screamed with rage.  She and second guitarist played some great harmony solos together too.

A group chat with goddamn 21 people I wish I was joking but I’m not.

They played one song from their debut (the wonderfully named $5 Subtweet) which has a total progressive rock vibe with a fast riff opening and some complicated intertwining moments.

The new album has a lot more going on–synths, quieter moments, even an AutoTune on the first song).  But there’s still plenty of Pool Kids sound–loud vocals and gorgeous guitar work on Last Word.  But they moved back to another of my favorite songs of their “I Hope You’re Right” with the chorus “You wanna start a fight” which is super fun to sing along to.

I also need to mention bassist Nicolette Alvarez who plays some amazingly complicated parts and adds a lot of backing vocals (which I don’t think she did on the previous album).  Drummer Caden Clinton makes a lot of noise on a fairly small drum kit.  He plays interesting rhythms and different parts of the kit to bring a really full (and dare I say kind of proggy component) to the songs.

After playing most of their bigger songs, they played three new songs.  Sorry Not Sorry is a slower song (where Alvarez’ backing vocals really shone).  Easier Said Than Done is also slower (with soft backing vocals from Anaya).  These songs are all a bit more conventional. but they retain a lot of makes Pool Kids interesting.

Then we were encouraged to sing along to the next song because we all knew it.  Conscious Uncoupling is the first song I heard by them and I loved everything about it–the soft to loud vocals, the cool guitar sounds and the big explosive chorus.

For one of the ending songs, Goodwyne put down her guitar and jumped into the crowd.  The guy next to me had been singing along all night and she ran up to him and they sang a line together.  Later from on the stage she called him over to shout a line with her and he was clearly thrilled.  There wasn’t a large crowd–I felt bad for them, although it was a Monday night–and there was even a small “pit” available because I was standing a little back from the people up front (the sound isn’t very good when you’re right on the stage).  She bounced around and then some short person slammed into her really hard.  She bounced off and seemed game for more.  So they bounced off each other a few more times and then she climbed back on stage.

They ended and it was still about 9:45 (I assuming 10PM curfew).  On their other nights they had been adding an encore and when they left the stage they put their guitars down on the stage in the “we’ll be right back” gesture.  But then the house music came on and it seemed like they weren’t coming back.  But the crowd started a “one more song” chant (again, what happened to encore), and after a few minutes, they came back.  Goodwyne apologized to the sound guy saying they weren’t planning on coming back out.  It may be the first genuinely earned encore I’ve ever been a part of.

They played Swallow, a great song with lots of finger tapping guitar–it’s really fun when Goodwyne and Ayana face each other in a little guitar battle.  It was a great and cathartic end to the show and they were done by 10!

The show was great and I was in for a surprise at the end of the show.  As I was heading up the stairs, two young women were walking down and said my name.  I looked up confused until they revealed that they were the daughters of one of my college friends.  I hadn’t seen them in about five or six years and I don’t know how they recognized me (something about knowing I liked this band and they asked their parents what I looked like to see if I was there).

Turns out they are huge fans of the band and drove 3 hours to see them!  They may also drive down to Philly on Thursday to see them again.  It was great to see them and I immediately texted their mom–it had been too long–and we caught up.

 

House of Independents 2025 Ukie Club 2023 Rooftop 2023 (open for PUP)
Tinted Windows € Swallow Swallow ¶
Arm’s Length That’s Physics, Baby That’s Physics, Baby ¶
That’s Physics, Baby Erso ⊗ $5 Subtweet ⊗
$5 Subtweet⊗ $5 Subtweet⊗ Arm’s Length ¶
Which is Worse? € Further ¶ I Hope You’re Right ¶
Last Word € Comes in Waves ¶ Conscious Uncoupling ¶
I Hope You’re Right I Hope You’re Right Talk Too Much ¶
Sorry Not Sorry € Pathetic ¶
Bad Bruise € Arm’s Length
Easier Said Than Done € Conscious Uncoupling
Conscious Uncoupling Talk Too Much
Leona Street € encore
Talk Too Much Borerline ⊗
Exit Plan €
encore
Swallow

€ Easier Said Than Done (2025)
¶ Pool Kids (2022)
⊗ Music to Practice Safe Sex To (2018)

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Truth Club (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 22, 2025) [POOL KIDS]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Pony, Pool Kids, Truth Club on September 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 22, 2025] Truth Club

I saw Truth Club open for Indigo de Souza last year and I really liked their set a lot.

It was pretty obvious that there was a curfew in place because the bands changed pretty quickly (they were using the same drum set so that helped).  Truth Club came out and opened with a song from their debut album.

Unlike Pony, they played many of the same songs (the don’t have a new album yet, but they do have a bunch of new songs).

I definitely enjoy their second album more than their debut–there’s a lot more dynamics going on.  77x starts slow but in an interesting, lurching way.

And here’s what I loved about them last time and this time.  Singer Travis Harrington plays guitar as well and he plays the basic chord structure.  But in these first few songs, guitarist Yvonne Chazal made some really interesting sounds.  They played lots of high chords and single notes.  They bent the notes and made really interesting textures.  It wasn’t always clear what sounds were coming out, but it made the whole thing feel bigger.

After a couple of songs Yvonne switched instruments with bassist Kam Vann.  If I had to guess I’d say that Kam might be the full time lead guitarist because he was pushing the sounds further than Yvonne did.  He played loud hard chords, but also played some solos and added extra sounds.

And really it’s the song creations from Truth Club that I like so much.  There’s a lot of loud/quiet shifts, but there’s also odd time signatures (for one of the songs Travis counted in to 6).  (more…)

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Pony (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 22, 2025) [POOL KIDS]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Pony, Pool Kids, Truth Club on September 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 22, 2025] Pony

I saw Pony open for Fucked Up about 3 years ago.  I didn’t know them before the show, but I really enjoyed them.  Pop punk energy (like Beach Bunny but a little rougher around the edges).  I was pretty psyched about this lineup.  Three bands I knew and liked.  So I wanted to make sure I arrived early enough for Pony.

The show said 7:30, I strolled in around 7:15 and they were already on!  And apparently had been since 7.  So I only got to see a few songs, but it was enough to know that they still kick butt and I would happily see them again.

Interestingly, their recorded output is far more poppy than their on stage performance.

Pony is from Toronto and is fronted by Sam Bielanski who plays guitar and sings.  She is also a voice actress and voiced Jazz in My Little Pony: Tell Your Tale (hence the band name).  I can’t find a ton of information about the band, but I’m guessing that Matty Morand is an important part of the band.  He played (really cool) guitars at this show.

I don’t know if she played guitar for this set as she wasn’t when I came in and didn’t pick one up.  But her intensity is amazing.  And, she was super nice after the show.

The setlist was almost entirely different from the previous show as they have released two albums since then.  I really would have enjoyed seeing more of this set.

 

2025 [Pool Kids] 2022 [Fucked Up]
Superglue § WebMD ™
Peach ∇ Couch ™
Freezer ¼ Furniture ™
Sucker Punch ∇ Très Jolie ∇
Sick ∇ Sometime Later ™
Middle of Summer § My Room ™
Every Little Crumb ¼ Did It Again ∇
Très Jolie ∇ Chokecherry ™

§ single (2025)
¼ single (2024)
∇ Velveteen (2023)
™ TV Baby (2021)

 

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Jade Bird / The Carlile Family Band (Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ, September 16, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Jade Bird, The Carlile Family Band, Wonder Bar on September 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 16, 2026] Jade Bird / The Carlile Family Band

I’ve like Jade Bird for a while–never enough to get really into her, although the last few years I’ve been enjoying her more and more.  She has an incredible voice and live, she is really quirky and silly.  We heard her sing while at the Newport Folk Festival (we were going to another show while she was on).  And I got to see her do a Free at Noon.  But she was a little under the weather and didn’t play the song where she really belts out the vocals.

I would very much like to see her do a full set (and Wonder Bar is so small she might not have even needed a microphone), but this was the same night as Garbage, so Jade Bird will have to wait.

The Carlile Family Band is a family band from a tiny, rural Washington town called Curlew. We perform a mix of Folk, Americana, and Indie sounds across nine instruments from box drums to banjos. We thrive on bending genre and having fun while doing it.   We also write, record and produce our own music, often from the backseat of a our motorhome while we’re on the road.  With shows filled with comedy and family harmonies, we invite you to come along! There’s always a new song or story we are just waiting to share.

They sound like a hoot and seem perfectly matched for Jade Bird’s quirkiness.

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Dropkick Murphys / Bad Religion / The Mainliners (Stone Pony Summer Stage, Asbury Park, NJ, August 13, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Bad Religion, Dropkick Murphys, The Mainliners, The Stone Pony, The Stone Pony Summer Stage on August 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 13, 2025] Dropkick Murphys / Bad Religion / The Mainliners

Dropkick Murphys are a Celtic punk band from Massachusetts.  I feel like it’s possible I saw the singer in a pub in Boston when I lived there, but possibly not.  I have their debut album, but hadn’t really listened t them in a couple decades.  Btu they are the most vocally outspoken band against the current fascism that going on in our country and or that I respect the hell out of them.

I also know that Celtic punk is fun as hell.  And while I may not listen to their records, I am certain a show with them would be an incredibly fun time (although at the Stone Pony Summer Stage, I imagine the loud and very drunk fan base would be pretty intolerable.

I’ve been a fan of Bad Religion since, oh who knows, a long time.  Although I haven’t really listened to them that much in the last few years.  I’ve also never really thought about seeing them live.  Interestingly, S. saw them live at City Gardens a few decades ago (clearly she is cooler than I).  I guess I don’t care enough about them to make the effort.

The Mainliners are young guys playing old-school style punk band, “taking inspiration from such legendary SoCal bands as TSOL, Descendants, and DI, and drawing comparisons to others in the vanguard, from The Circle Jerks to The Adolescents.”  Their recordings even sound like they are from the 70 and 80s.  They definitely would have gotten the crowd going.

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