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Archive for the ‘Asbury Park, NJ’ Category

Sincere Engineer (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 4, 2026)

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Sincere Engineer, Smug LLC, Star Trek, Stay Inside, The Simpsons, Wil Wheaton on September 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 4, 2026] Sincere Engineer

I’m not sure how I first heard of Sincere Engineer, but as soon as I heard them, I loved them.  I love their bouncy pop punk sound, I love the snarky lyrics and I love  Deanna Belos’ voice!  Raspy and angry which still being completely clear and easy to understand.  It’s perfect.  Especially with catchy, kiss off lyrics like

And I should’ve said ………something
But I really said …………nothing
And I should’ve said ……………..something
Before I twist my tongue
And clench my teeth
And let you get away
With saying that to me

They opened with that song and I was super psyched from the get go.

Before that song their entrance music was the theme from Star Trek the Next Generation, which was hilarious and wonderful.

After the new song, they jumped back to Cheap Grills for two songs: Anemia and California King–a simple, catchy bouncy song that is pretty irresistible.

Back to new songs with Settle Up With Your Downfall, a slower more serious song, but the follow up The Perfect Crime was super catchy, only beaten in catchiness by Fireplace, one of the catchiest, snarkiest songs in recent memory.  And everyone sang along, including the eleven year old who was celebrating her birthday at the show.  This girl was cute, standing up front wearing a birthday hat.  She’d probably talked to Deanna before, but Deanna made a big deal out of her and dedicated the next song Corn Dog Sonnet to her.

It was fast and fun, just like Cooler.  And even though my understanding is that this is Deanna’s band, the guys behind her are fantastic Adam Beck on drums, Kyle Geib on guitar, and Nick Arvanitis on bass keep the show smooth and clearly enjoying playing. (more…)

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Stay Inside (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 4, 2026) [SINCERE ENGINEER]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Sincere Engineer, Smug LLC, Stay Inside on September 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 4, 2026] Stay Inside

It took Stay Inside a little while longer than I expected to come on stage (since Smug LLC was such a short set.  But they were fantastic from the get go.  They are a four piece from Brooklyn and have been around for about ten years.  Midshow, someone noted that this was their 250th show!

Bon Z exploded with heavy guitars (I liked the way the second guitars rang out after the verse verse making the song even bigger.  There was great bass (from Bryn Nieboer) throughout the show (more prominent than on the record)

I really enjoyed the way their guitarist (Chris Johns) sang the quick but quiet Runnin’ runnin’ runnin’ runnin part and I really liked the cool quiet middle section with more tasty bass fills.

Chris Lawless was a really fun front man, jumping around, occasionally kicking a cymbal and joking with the audience and the band.

So far, the set had been pretty intense.  Monsieur Hawkwind and My Fault slowed things down a bit and it was good to know they can pull of mid-tempo as well as faster songs.

Midway through the set, Bryn told us that this was their drummer’s fourth show.  He was great.  But at some point he hit a funny sample that made everyone groan and Bryn said that this was now his last show.

There was a girl in the audience wearing a birthday hat (she was 11) and Bryn asked if it was her birthday.  Bryn asked her how old she was and she told her then Bryn said next month she was turning 40 which I genuinely can’t tell if that was a joke, but a whole bunch of people booed, which she was aghast a–why are you booing 40?)

The final song was from an earlier EP and that song rocked hard again.   I was really surprised that they only played 7 songs.  It was a tight 30 minute set and they left a great impression.  I wanted to chat with them after the show but the line for Sincere Engineer was pretty long and when I was done, the line for them was just as long and I wanted to get home.  But I’m definitely a fan and looking forward to seeing them again.

Wikipedia has just told me that Bartees Strange, yes, that Bartees Strange was in the band from 2016-2018.  That’s insane.

 

Bon Zs ≅
Runnin’ ‰
A Backyard ≅
Monsieur Hawkwind ‰
My Fault ≅
Wish It Away ‰
Ivy ∇

‰ Lunger (2026)
≅ Ferried Away (2024)
∇ Viewing (2020)

 

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Smug LLC (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, September 4, 2026) [SINCERE ENGINEER]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, House of Independents, Sincere Engineer, Smug LLC, Stay Inside on September 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 4, 2026] Smug LLC

I’m not sure what drew my attention to Sincere Engineer, but as soon as I heard them, I was hooked.  I was also really excited that they were playing soon after I’d heard of them.

I hadn’t heard of their first opener, Smug, LLC, who are (is) from Toronto.  I looked up the band and learned that it is actually a guy–Drew Thomas.  I hadn’t heard of him either, but evidently he had been a round for a second or two.  He fronted bands like Single Mothers and The Drew Thomson Foundation and has earned two Juno Award nominations.

I had no idea he was anything other than just a dude who made fun, funny music.   His songs are very dancey with lots of bass and other sound effects.

When his set started, he clicked on a laptop which started the music and a movie projector.  The video screen showed clips of movies and TV shows and clips of Drew walking around and each song had the lyrics on the screen, which was pretty smart. (more…)

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Wax Jaw / Teenage Halloween / Have a Good Season (Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ, August 16, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Have a Good Season, Teenage Halloween, Wax Jaw, Wonder Bar on August 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 16, 2026] Wax Jaw / Teenage Halloween / Have a Good Season

I honestly can’t keep track of the number of times I haven’t seen Wax Jaw.  For a time they were the new band that I “discovered” and wanted to support really badly.  And I kept missing them.  I have finally seen them twice.

This show was the night before my son was leaving for his study abroad.  So, no matter how much I like Wonderbar and Wax Jaw, there was just no way.

At least Wax Jaw is playing Philly Music Fest in October and I SHOULD be able to make that one.

This show was announced fairly recently but I already had tickets to see Guster AND there was a second show I really wanted to see this night, Porridge Radio.  So this show was never going to happen for me.

I saw Teenage Halloween open for THICK a while back and thought they were great.   The Asbury Park band plays short blasts of catchy emo songs–lots of punk feelings (their bio says)

At the heart of vocalist and guitarist Luk Henderiks’ lyrics is an urgent longing for community. Despite their often strikingly personal vulnerability, these songs reach out to the wider world, striving to hold themselves and those around them accountable for their actions and to make space for those that need to be heard.

and occasionally fantastic guitar solos (Eli Frank is a total shredder, but doesn’t overuse that skill).  Luk seemed to sing more of the songs, but Tricia Marshall (bass) sang about four or five of the seventeen (!) they played.  I would absolutely see them again.

Have a Good Season is a trio from Eatontown, NJ.  They are a gentle alt rock band (with rocking moments) that incorporates intricate guitar parts and catchy vocal melodies.  They are the kind of band that I would love hearing one or two songs in a mix, but who I might not listen to an entire album.  But I dig their overall vibe.

This would have been a delightful show.

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The Lemon Twigs / Brute Force (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, August 13, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Brute Force, The Lemon Twigs on August 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 13, 2026] The Lemon Twigs / Brute Force

I really liked The Lemon Twigs’ Do Hollywood album and their follow up EPs showed even more development.  Since then they have put out a few albums, and I have enjoyed them.  Their sound has changed over the years and they are very settled in a kind of 60s pop vibe.  They are excellent at it, but it’s not quite what I loved from them.  I finally got to see them open for Car Seat Headrest and they were great.  I definitely wanted to go to this show and up until the last minute I was considering going.  But since I was going out the following two nights and my son was leaving for Europe in a few days, I figured I’d stay home.

I think my wife would really like them, so maybe next time they come around I’ll drag her along.

I can’t believe that I have never heard of Brute Force–look at this bio:

Stephen Friedland (born September 29, 1940), known as Brute Force, is a singer and songwriter who attended Asbury Park High School,. He wrote and performed with The Tokens in the 1960s and wrote songs for Peggy March, Del Shannon, The Chiffons and The Cyrkle, and others.  Brute Force may be best known for a song that barely saw a release. Written by Friedland and produced by The Tokens, “The King of Fuh” is a story about a monarch in the land of Fuh referred repeatedly to as the “Fuh King”. John Lennon admired the record; so did George Harrison, who acquired the track and overdubbed eleven strings of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, arranged by John Barham. It soon became obvious that neither EMI nor Capitol Records would distribute the single, so Apple Records pressed and distributed 1,000 copies (catalog number Apple 08) in 1969. After the initial Apple pressing (and no radio play), Friedland teamed up with Jeff Cheen and issued the tune on his own Brute Force Records label (b/w “Tapeworm Of Love”, which later received airplay on the Dr. Demento radio show).

He played that song and many other funny songs.

Now I rather wish I had gone.

 

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Pollyanna / Little Hag / father’s daughter (Baronet Rooftop at the Asbury Hotel, Asbury Park, NJ, July 30, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Baronet Rooftop at the Asbury Hotel, father's daughter, Little Hag, Pollyanna on July 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 30, 2026] Pollyanna / Little Hag / father’s daughter

Two years ago, Pollyanna played a show at this very venue.  But our vacation wound up being this week.  So no Pollyanna, yet again.  This was actually the 6th time that I’d failed to see them. I was planning on going out the following night and then we were off to vacation, so it felt like a bad idea to head out to Asbury Park on a July night.

Fortunately, they are playing a show in October.  I hope I still like them by then.

Little Hag is a from Asbury Park.  They opened for Blvck Hippie back in May and I wished that I havd been abe to get to that show for all of the bands, but especially Little Hag.  They formed in 2016 in the suburbs of central Jersey by Avery Mandeville, guitarist Matt “Fern” Fernicola and drummer Owen Flanagan; joined in recent years by bassist Mitchell Warren-Devlin and keyboardist/vocalist Cara Introcaso.   Narc Magazine says “fans of opinionated, unflinchingly explicit, female-led punk rock should jump straight into this one.”  Musically they’re a bit softer than one might expect with more synth than feedback.  But the lyrics to Show Me Your Head alone make them worth checking out

Remind rich men that they’re ugly
Remind rich men that they will always be ugly
Remind rich men that we hate them
Remind rich men that we can and will kiss them

Mark, show me your head
Elon, show me your head
Jeff, show me your head
I want to put a hole in it
Donald, show me your head
JD, show me your head
Ben, show me your head
I want to put a hole in it

father’s daughter lists themselves as “your dad’s new favorite band.”  I can’t find much out about them, but they are from New Jersey and have two songs out.  Kind of a shoegazey/heavy vibe with restrained vocals that I really like.  I hope they play around the area, I’d like to check them out.

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Rx Bandits / Catbite (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, July 18, 2026 // Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, July 19, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Catbite, Philadelphia, PA, Rx Bandits, Union Transfer on July 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 18 & 19, 2026] Rx Bandits / Catbite

Two years ago Rx Bandits played a show at Asbury Lanes and the following night at Union Transfer.  I was not familiar with Rx Bandits when they announced this show.  Indeed the only reason I was interested in at all was because Zeta was announced as the opener.

So I went to the Asbury Lanes show and really enjoyed them a lot.  I liked the music and I found the band members charming and entertaining.  There were people at the show ho were major diehard fans, and I felt a bit like poser, but I enjoyed myself.

I did seriously consider going to these shows, too.  The Asbury Lanes one didn’t work because I had been to two shows in a row before this one.  But I did think I might make the Union Transfer show (it would have been interesting to see them on a much bigger stage).  But as tends to happen, things got hectic and I wound up never buying a ticket.  So I stayed home.

Maybe in three years they’ll tour the Mandala album as well.

I saw Catbite open for Fishbone in April and really enjoyed their old school ska.  The venue I saw them in was really small and it would have been fun to see that in a larger, hometown venue.  But they’re not going anywhere and I’m sure I’ll be able to see them again.

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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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An Evening with Geordie Greep (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, June 6, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Geordie Greep on June 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 6, 2026] Geordie Greep

Geordie Greep was one of the vocalists in Black Midi (who are no more and I’m really glad I got to see them when they came to the States).  He’s a fascinating dude with a fascinating voice.  When I saw that he was doing a solo tour, last year, I was really intrigued, but the shows sold out before I found out about them.

There was a show announced at Ardmore Music Hall back in February and I grabbed a ticket and then couldn’t go.  But I knew he was also playing at Asbury Lanes, so I grabbed a ticket for this show.

And, as seems to happen in my house, a miscommunication meant that I was unable to get to this one as well.  I assume at this point that I’ll never see him because surely he’s going back home by now.

 

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