What's Going On: 8/28, 8/29, 8/30, 8/31, 9/1, 2014

A big final weekend of summer with shows from The Battery Electric, Dentist, Hot Blood, The Vansaders, Grey Goes Black, Dollys, Black Flamingos and more.

See You In September

It's the last official weekend of summer -- for those of you who don't live around here, anyway. We never really got around to planning a vacation here at CoolDad Music HQ; so we'll be reverse commuting for the weekend, heading to NYC on Sunday for a few days. The cooldaughters are excited for Wicked. I'm excited for Yankees / Red Sox without having to think about getting all the way back to New Jersey. We're all excited for things like dim sum, pastrami, matzo ball soup, and whatever else we decide to stuff into our faces. I'll miss some cool things here on Sunday, but you don't have to.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. There's plenty to do all weekend, starting Thursday. The free Sound Waves show at APYC has Puppy Grease, Cherry Sea, and Xylophone. Grey Goes Black bring their dark 80s/90s sound to The Saint with Ashes to Oranges and Dark Matters. WBJB closes out the Songwriters on the Beach season with Steve Conte and Jounce. The Brighton has Long Branch native Bernie Worrell of Parliament Funkadelic along with The Ricky Eldridge Band.

Friday is a very tough night. So much stuff is happening that I may need -- as one reader once suggested -- a skateboard to get around town and take it all in. Dark City Entertainment hosts the cleverly named "Local Summer Kickoff Party" at The Wonder Bar which features Hot Blood, The Vansaders, The Battery Electric (you're gonna see a theme here this weekend), The Villanelles and MSRP. Hot Blood and The Vansaders are celebrating their return from the tour that took them all around this great Northeast Megalopolis of ours. Over at Asbury Lanes, Syracuse punks Perfect Pussy bring the noise along with Northampton, MA's Potty Mouth. Black Flamingos and Creeptones play a free show at APYC. Scotch LaRock favorites Owel are part of a bill at The Saint that includes Zerbin, Modern Suits, Underwater Country Club, and The Strangers. The Smithereens, The Romantics, and Tommy TuTone hit The Summer Stage.

Saturday night brings Handsome Dick Manitoba's Dictators NYC to The Brighton along with Frankenstein 3000, The Battery Electric (see), and Knif. The Parlor Mob make their return with a show at The Stone Pony featuring The Gay Blades, Wreaths, and Ether Sunday.

What will I be missing on Sunday? Glad you asked. Splendour In The Grass 3 is taking place in a Howell backyard and features bands like Amy Malkoff and The Moonshines, Blisstique, Trans Charger Metropolis, The Places You've Been, and (yes) The Battery Electric along with several others. Microfossils, Acid, and The Ribeye Brothers play for free at Anchor's Bend. Deal Casino close out their summer residency at The Saint with help from Dollys, Dentist, and Seasons.

And you've even got a Labor Day option as Happy Mondays roll on with Swift Technique, Underwater Sounds, and Western Star for the usual price of FREE.

I hope your summer was everything you wanted it to be. Get out there this weekend and send it off in style. Remember, though, September is always the best month around here anyway.

And you really have no excuse for not seeing The Battery Electric this weekend.

PDF listings.

THURSDAY (8/28)

Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury): Sound Waves: Puppy Grease / Cherry Sea / Xylophone of Wrench, 9pm, FREE

The Batcave (Montclair): Christopher Reyne / Liv Lombardi / Matt Smith / Left or Right / Adam Melchor, 7pm, $8

Belmar (Ocean Ave., Between 5th & 6th): Steve Conte / Jounce, 7pm, FREE

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): Bernie Worrell (Parliament Funkadelic) Orchestra / Ricky Eldridge Band, 7pm, $11 adv, $14 door

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): LEEDS Record Release Party / Crash The Bear / Killer Waves / Ian Bamberger Trio, 9pm

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

Roxy & Dukes Roadhouse (Dunellen): Awesome: The PodCast. Punch & Pie Live Taping of The September episode ft. Vextion, 8:30pm, FREE

The Saint (Asbury): Ashes to Oranges / Grey Goes Black / Dark Matters, 7:30pm, $10

The Wonder Bar (Asbury): Big Rooney Unplugged, 7:30pm, $5

FRIDAY (8/29)

Asbury Lanes (Asbury): Perfect Pussy / Potty Mouth / Nice War, 7:30pm, $10 (ALL AGES)

Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury): The Black Flamingos / Creeptones, FREE

The Brighton Bar (Long Branch): The Fullers / Sleep No More, 6:30pm, $10 adv, $12 door (ALL AGES)

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): The Dirty Hoe Comedy Show, 7pm

Court Tavern (New Brunswick): Cicada Radio / France / In Angles /, 9pm

Langosta Lounge (Asbury): Karmic Juggernaut, 10pm, FREE

Roxy & Dukes Roadhouse (Dunellen): The Powertones / The Wandering Bards, 9pm, $10

The Saint (Asbury): Zerbin / Owel / Modern Suits / Underwater Country Club / The Strangers, 7:30pm, $10

The Stone Pony Summer Stage (Asbury): The Smithereens / The Romantics / Tommy TuTone, 5pm, $30 adv, $40 door (ALL AGES)

The Wonder Bar (Asbury): Dark City Entertainment Presents: Local Summer Kickoff Party w/ Hot Blood / The Vansaders / The Battery Electric / MSRP / The Villanelles, 7:30pm, $10

SATURDAY (8/30)