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| Lauren Denitzio of Worriers |
Solo But Not Alone
There's been a lot of "stuff" going around town this past week. We finally heard the plans for what's going to happen to the building that used to house Asbury Lanes, and it's caused some... ...conversation. Much of that conversation has centered on what it was that made Asbury Lanes special; and, while Asbury Lanes no longer exists, some of that spirit still flickers around town at shows like the one Aftermath Collective and House of Independents threw at Asbury Park Brewery last night.
Lauren Denitzio of Worriers returned to Asbury Park for an intimate solo set and headlined a bill that also included Natalie Newbold (Well Wisher), Emily Bornemann (Dentist), and Mikey Pellegrino (latewaves). It was a special evening. Each performer usually plays as part of a full band; and, naturally, there had to be some nerves. But everyone playing was in the same boat; and I think that gave everything a nice, communal feel. At any rate, if there were any nerves, they didn't hurt a single performance.
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| Mikey Pellegrino |
One of the great things about hearing the songs stripped of their full-band arrangements, guitar solos, drum fills, is that you really notice what good songs they are. Natalie Newbold and I discussed this with reference to Emily Bornemann and Dentist following Newbold's set, but it was true across the board. latewaves, Dentist, Well Wisher, and Worriers can all get pretty loud in their own way; but, last night, everyone's songs held up -- shone even -- in the more intimate setting.
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| Emily Bornemann |
And the interactions with the audience -- from Pellegrino's pointing out where the band would come in, to Bornemann's revealing that this was her first solo set in a decade, to Newbold's forgetting the opening line to one of her earliest songs, to Denitzio's admitting that they liked to be able to do shows like this whenever the rest of the band was unavailable -- felt natural, like a shared experience among friends.
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| Natalie Newbold |
Just a sweet, sweet night. I could go on about it, but I just wanted to acknowledge that there are still plenty of chances to support cool things in and around Asbury Park. It's easy to get down on the way things are trending, and I forget that sometimes. Last night was a nice reminder of what we can still do.
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