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| The Jesse Malin Band Headlined Strummer Jam |
Without People, You're Nothing
The only time I ever saw Joe Strummer play live was back in the early 90s. I went to see The Pogues on their Hell's Ditch (produced by Joe Strummer) tour at The Beacon Theatre in NYC; and, instead of Shane McGowan, Joe Strummer fronted the band. I remember this being a surprise to me on that night in 1991; and I remember thinking, "Well, if it isn't going to be Shane, then at least I get to see Joe Strummer." The Pogues closed the set with a cover of The Clash's "London Calling."
I'm not sure if this was true, but I remember a rumor that Mick Jones and Big Audio Dynamite were playing across town. People thought maybe, just maybe, there was the possibility of some kind of Clash reunion happening that night. Mick never did show up at The Beacon, but one person who was apparently in the house was Jesse Malin. Malin told the story of that evening during his band's set at The Stone Pony this past Saturday night. He managed to meet Strummer at The Beacon and have him sign a ticket stub. "Love it to life," Strummer wrote to Malin over 25 years ago. That bit of advice became the title of Malin's 2010 album.
Jesse Malin and his band were at The Stone Pony on Saturday night as part of the "Summer Strummer Jam." Malin and WBJB music director, DJ, and tireless supporter of local music, Jeff Raspe, organized Saturday's event to celebrate the life of Strummer while raising money for The Joe Strummer Foundation and Music and Memory. The Stone Pony event was one of nine taking place around the world on Saturday and one of more than twenty that have happened so far this year.
The Strummer Foundation provides support to projects "that create empowerment through music." Music and Memory is one such organization. The Long Island-based charity "brings personalized music into the lives of the elderly or infirm through digital music technology." Specifically, the organization provides Alzheimer's sufferers with music from their childhoods. Music and Memory's Robin Lombardo talked about the sparks of recognition that familiar music can bring to people who may not even remember members of their own family. The Jesse Malin Band, Asbury Park's The Vansaders, Middletown's Matty Carlock, and a long list of guest performers all donated their time in support of both causes.
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| Music and Memory's Robin Lombardo |
Matty Carlock, who previously fronted hardcore band Back And Forth, opened the evening with some heartfelt songs dealing with subjects like addiction and mental illness. "All I have is honesty," he said at one point. He closed his set by leading a sing along of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City."
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| Matty Carlock |
Kris Gruen, son of iconic rock and roll photographer Bob Gruen, came out to cover two songs that Strummer loved, including Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." He told the story of first meeting Joe Strummer with his dad. Bob Gruen stood next to me taking pictures with a small point and shoot, and I'll admit to feeling a little self-conscious about taking my own pics in the presence of greatness.
Anyway...
The Vansaders delivered a powerful and relentless set. They're a band that likes to let the music do the talking, and they rattled off song after song in quick succession to make the most of their allotted set time. I know they won over a few new fans. Later in the evening, I saw a young boy -- who I'd seen out front earlier with his family as I waited in line -- approach The Vansders' Doug Zambon for an autograph.
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| The Vansaders |
From there, Jesse Malin and his band began their marathon of an evening. They played about an hourlong, sweaty, high-energy set of their own before acting as the backing band for a twenty-song Strummer tribute set that featured a slew of guests.
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| Jesse Malin |
After a short break following their own set, Malin and his band came back to kick off the Strummer part of the evening by covering The Clash's "Straight to Hell." They then brought guests to the stage one by one for versions of Clash or Strummer songs.
Highlights:
Matty Carlock brought out his punk frontman persona to get everybody up front for a wild version of "White Riot."
Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus let loose on "Clampdown" and "Complete Control."
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| Patrick Stickles |
Members of Hollis Brown stalked the stage on their cover of "Brand New Cadillac."
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| Jonathan Bonilla of Hollis Brown with Danny Clinch and The Jesse Malin Band |
Rebecca Korbet covered 101ers' (the band Strummer left to join The Clash) song "Keys to Your Heart."
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| R.B. Korbet |
The great Ted Leo gave fantastic renditions of "Death or Glory" and The Mescaleros' "Coma Girl."
OK. So, CoolMom and CoolDaughter #1 are out of town. That meant that my parents were watching CoolDaughter #2 so I could attend the show. As the clock moved past midnight, they texted and asked if I could come home to relieve them. That meant I missed performances from The Hold Steady's Craig Finn and Tad Kubler, Brian Fallon, and the group sing-alongs of "I Fought the Law" and "London Calling." I did have some correspondents in the audience, though, as Scotch and Timmy LaRock texted me, "Chaos for I fought the law all yr pals on stage." I've also seen videos of Fallon's "Rudie Can't Fail;" and, like everyone else on Saturday, he appeared to be having an absolute blast.
Congratulations to Jesse Malin and Jeff Raspe for putting together a truly memorable evening that packed the house and, I'm sure, raised a whole bunch of money. I enjoyed my time squished down front. There were great people sharing the moments with me, new friends and old. It's always a wonderful experience to sweat and sing along with friends, especially when it's in the name of a great cause.
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| Jeff Raspe |
All the pics will go up in the Flickr galleries at some point today.
Happy birthday, Joe.
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