What's Going On: 9/18, 9/19, 9/20, & 9/21, 2014

It's Brent's birthday! Don Giovanni hosts a free show in NB with Screaming Females, Nude Beach, and Shellshag. The Hold Steady open for The Replacements (of whom I have no pics. C'mon! It was 23 years ago.)

Talent Show

I saw The Replacements three times when I was younger. I never saw them at any intimate venues like Maxwell's. By the time I got around to catching The Replacements live, they were on the verge of dissolving for good.

They opened for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at The Garden State Arts Center in 1989. That tour ended up being kind of a disaster, and I think they ultimately got kicked off by Petty. They were touring for Don't Tell A Soul at the time. The album was their reach for mainstream success, and it probably alienated a lot of their longtime fans. CoolMom can't stand it. It does contain "Achin' To Be" and "I'll Be You," though, so...

I saw two shows within a few months of each other in 1991. That was the All Shook Down tour. That was really Paul Westerberg's first solo record, but I guess he and the label agreed to slap "The Replacements" on it for contractual reasons. They headlined The Beacon in March, I think. I'm not even sure who was still in the band at that point. Then, in June, The Replacements (for sure without Chris Mars this time) opened for Elvis Costello at Madison Square Garden. Less than two weeks later, they were done as a band.

Even though I missed a lot of their punkier, shaggier days as they were happening, I do love those early records. I love The Replacements. I especially love Paul Westerberg. I probably won't go see them this weekend in Queens. But... ...There's plenty of other stuff to do.

Today is the birthday of -- no exaggeration here -- one of the absolute best guitarists on our little local scene here. Brent Övar Bergholm plays guitar for The Battery Electric and The Hsu-Nami. He knows just when to hold back and just when to pour it on. You can see him with The Battery Electric and wish him a happy birthday tonight at Red Bank Rehearsal Studio with a whole bunch of other bands including Amy Malkoff and The Moonshines, The Villanelles, Irate Primate, and more.

Also on Thursday, the enterprising young upstarts of The Clef bring Chris Clavin to Village Coffee in Wall along with Those Corn People, Michelle the Rose, and Teenage Halloween.

On Friday night, The Replacements take over Forest Hills Tennis Stadium for their first NYC show in 23 years. Joining them on that bill will be Minnesota paisanos The Hold Steady along with Deer Tick. Some people are gonna complain that these aren't the "real Replacements," but bands shift personnel all the time; and Paul Westerberg fronting a band doing 'Mats songs is OK by me.

Closer to home on Friday, you've got Belfast punk OG's Stiff Little Fingers at The Stone Pony with Huge and Brooklyn's So So Glos. The Shady Street Show Band play for free at APYC, and Dark City has the third edition of Asbury Unplugged with Ed Tang, Chris Brown, Ron Santee, Jamie Coppa, and more at The Wonder Bar.

Don Giovanni brings a free, outdoor showcase to Boyd Park in their hometown of New Brunswick with Screaming Females, Shellshag, Nude Beach, and Mal Blum on Saturday. Miss Ida Blue is at The Saint.

You can see what the kids at Lakehouse Music Academy have been up to with the free Big Gig at The Stone Pony on Sunday.

Nothing's solid for me yet. To paraphrase an episode of Seinfeld, "That Replacements show is a pretty big matzo ball hanging out there." We'll see.

PDF listings

THURSDAY (9/18)

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): Narc Blaster / The Barren Marys / Party Cops / No Comply, 7pm

Langosta Lounge (Asbury): Boardwalk Jazz w/ PJ Rasmussen Ensemble, 7pm, FREE

Red Bank Rehearsal Studios (Red Bank): Brent's Birthday Bash Studio Shit Show Extravaganza w/ Cheap Cigarettes / Villanelles / JNMF / DRGN KING / The Battery Electric / Amy Malkoff and The Moonshines / Irate Primate, 6:30pm, $10 (21+)

Roxy & Dukes Roadhouse (Dunellen): T.D.C's Ha-Ha's & Ta-Ta's Comedy Burlesque Review, 8pm, $10

The Saint (Asbury): Chris Antonik / Matt O'Ree Band / Danny Petroni Blue Project, 7pm, $13

Village Coffee (Wall): The Clef Presents: Chris Clavin (Ghost Mice, Plan-It-X Records) w/ Those Corn People / Michelle The Rose / Eric Funn / Teenage Halloween, 5pm, $6

FRIDAY (9/19)

Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury): Shady Street Show Band, FREE, 10pm

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): The Drive Home / Marvin Sunk / Dark Mirrors / Vinyl Tigers, 8pm, $7 (18+)

Clash Bar (Clifton): Skuz / Thera Roya / Sunrot / Huldra / Ubasute / Wastelands

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): DRGN KING / Dollys / The Strangers / Lito and The Shepherds / The Mischief Kids, 9pm

Forest Hills Tennis Stadium (Queens): The Replacements / The Hold Steady / Deer Tick, 6:30pm, various relatively high price points

Lamp Post (Jersey City): Forget the Whale, 10pm

Langosta Lounge (Asbury): Sonny Kenn Band, 10pm, FREE

Roxy & Dukes Roadhouse (Dunellen): Michael Patrick's RING of FIRE Band: A Tribute to the Man in Black, 9:30pm, $10

The Saint (Asbury): Uni V Soul / Milk Bone / Underground Logic / Big Redd, 7pm, $10

The Stone Pony (Asbury): Stiff Little Fingers / Huge / The So So Glos, 7pm, $20 adv, $25 door (ALL AGES)

Uva's (Bradley Beach): Juan O'Grady Band, 8:30pm

The Wonder Bar (Asbury): Dark City Entertainment Presents: Asbury Unplugged w/ Ed Tang / Chris Brown / Ron Santee / Doug Zambon / Jimmy Farkas / Renee Maskin / Jamie Coppa / Bud Plate / Dan Matlack / Frank Lombardi, 7pm, $5

SATURDAY (9/20)