What's Going On: 2/23, 2/24, 2/25 & 2/26, 2017

Springing?

I don't think we're out of the winter woods yet, but Mother Nature sure is teasing us with little tastes of spring. Pre-season baseball games start this Friday, and it looks like it's going to be a mostly warm weekend. That means we should have some pretty nice evenings to head out for some shows.

You can test my theory starting on Thursday night. The Vansaders head up to NYC's Berlin to play a sold-out show with Dave Hause and The Mermaid along with The Vapers. The Turnbucklers are at Brighton Bar with Genki Genki Panic. Acitve Bird Community and Good Luck Spaceman play The Saint.

Friday looks like the best day of the weekend weather-wise, which will make it a perfect night to head out to the boards and catch Smalltalk and Exmaid for free at APYC. That one is brought to you by CoolDad Music and promises to be both fun- and friend-filled.

Elsewhere on Friday, you've also got We're Ghosts Now, Phoebe Nix, and Justin Roberts at The Asbury. Our friend Al C from Signal To Noise NJ is hosting the first of two nights of fundraisers for WFDU at Mercury Lounge in NYC. This one has Monsterland, SAVAK, and Fruit & Flowers. Cranston Dean, Big Bam Boo, Shady Street Show Band, and Of Tomorrow are at The Saint. David Duchovny brings his band to The Stone Pony. Mint 400 hosts another showcase at Stosh's in Fair Lawn. This one features The Big Drops, Of Love, Underlined Passages, Fairmont, and Pixl-Visionary. Death By Unga Bunga are at Wonder Bar with gods and Wreaths. Dentist and Yawn Mower kick off their weekend tour with a show at Mad House in Philly with Last Full Measure and DUCK.

Saturday is jam-packed. Bone & Marrow headline another edition of Hear Me Roar highlighting female artists at APYC. Hub City Stompers return to Brighton Bar with Broken Heroes, Turnpike Wrecks, and Chris Skel. Dave Hause and The Mermaid play another sold-out show, this time at Crossroads in Garwood, with Jared Hart and The Vapers. Smalltalk and The Vansaders are at Gold Sounds in Brooklyn with The Superweaks, No Thank You, Old Monk, and Grundle Thunder. Spowder (who blew me away at Monty Hall last week) play with Eagle Daddy, CoolShark, and The Great Depression at New Brunswick's J House. The Normal Living celebrate their latest release at Maxwell's Tavern in Hoboken. NGHTCRWLRS, The Subcultures, Lunch Ladies, Roswell Debacle, and Garage Sale are at The Meatlocker in Montclair. It's the second night of WFDU fundraising at Mercury Lounge with Antietam, Honey Radar, and Big Bliss. The Milwaukees, The RockNRoll HiFives, and Adam Streicher and The Hellship Mutiny are at Caldwell's Ringside Pub. The Gin Blossoms are at The Wellmont in Montclair. Lowlight and Rick Barry open for Leopold and His Fiction at Wonder Bar. dollys are at Creep Records in Philly with Shannen Moser, Grayling, Vivian K., and My Brother My Sister.

Whew...

Tommy Stinson plays his rescheduled Jack's In-Store in Red Bank on Sunday afternoon. ManDancing, Jean Pool, pioneer the eel, Use Big Words, and Basement Beers are at Scarlet Pub in the evening. Little Dickman Records host The Off White, The LeMats, The Tide Bends, and Psychiatric Metaphors for a Jersey-centric evening at Sunnyvale.

Take advantage of the nice weather this weekend. Hopefully that involves coming out to say hi at APYC on Friday night; but, whatever you get up to, think spring.

THURSDAY (2/23)

The Asbury Hotel, Soundbooth (Asbury): Open Mic, 8pm, FREE

BerlinNYC (NYC): Dave Hause and The Mermaid / The Vapers / The Vansaders, 8pm, SOLD OUT

Bond St. Complex (Asbury): DJ Jay Insult, 8pm

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): The Turnbucklers / Genki Genki Panic, 7pm, $6

Langosta Lounge (Asbury): JoeP of Deal Casino, 8:30pm

Meatlocker (Montclair): Noot / DRKBXT / Gabe Marquez / ЧAYU / Weird Wonderful Words, 8:30pm

The Saint (Asbury): Active Bird Community / Good Luck Spaceman, 7:30pm, $10

The Wonder Bar (Asbury): The Steppin Stones / The Morgan Freemasons, $12 adv, $15 door

FRIDAY (2/24)

The Asbury Hotel, Soundbooth (Asbury): We're Ghosts Now / Phoebe Nix / Justin Roberts, 8pm, FREE

Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury): Smalltalk / Exmaid, 9pm, FREE

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): Mind Riot / Enigma Machine / Dab Negula / Replicant / Kalopsi, 6pm

House of Independents (Asbury): Strike a Pose screening, 8pm, $20 adv, $25 door

House of Independents (Asbury): 80s Dance Party, 10pm, FREE

Langosta Lounge (Asbury): Sandy Mack, 9pm, FREE

Mad House (Philly): Last Full Measure / Dentist / Yawn Mower / DUCK, 7pm, $7

Meatlocker (Montclair): Electric Sensei / Black Plains / Jean Pool / Quantum Peruvian (EP release), 8pm

Mercury Lounge (NYC): WFDU Fundraiser ft. Monsterland / SAVAK / Fruit & Flowers, 9:30pm, $12

Molly Maguire's (Clark): Audible Soul, 10pm

Roxy & Duke's Roadhouse (Dunellen): Road Machine / Zigman Bird / After The Burn / Dicks Electric, 9pm, $10

The Saint (Asbury): Cranston Dean / Big Bam Boo / Shady Street Show Band / Of Tomorrow, 7:30pm, $10

The Stone Pony (Asbury): David Duchovny / Jackson Pines / Colin Lee, 7pm, $34.50 adv, $37 door

Stosh's (Fair Lawn): The Big Drops / Of Love / Underlined Passages / Fairmont / Pixl-Visionary, 7:30pm, FREE

Vintage Vinyl (Fords): Robert Randolph In-Store, 7pm

The Wonder Bar (Asbury): Death By Unga Bunga / gods / Wreaths, $10 adv, $15 door

SATURDAY (2/25)

10th Ave. Burrito (Belmar): Jet Weston & His Atomic Ranch Hands, 9pm

The Asbury Hotel, Soundbooth (Asbury): Regina Sayles, 8pm, FREE