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| Ed by Doug Dresher |
Scene and Herd
Words and Pics by Doug Dresher, Special Coverage for CoolDad Music
What event could be so unique as to bring out five bands all with authentic punk attitudes and aspirations of ripping off the collective faces of the audience? Well, that would be Ed Wood's 21st birthday bash.
Held at the Asbury Park Brewery; and, I think, sponsored by his parents, the show found Ed's friends and fellow Asbury Punk associates assembled to celebrate the birthday of one of the main fixtures of the Asbury Park punk scene. I can happily report that it was an excellent party -- if you like this sort of thing.
The evening started with Dumpweed with their straight-ahead guitar-heavy punk. Fueled by the inspiration of Green Day, but without the faux British accent, Dumpweed set the tone for the evening. Young and ready, they were both focused and loose as they enjoyed their set. I think the bass player had a new bass, and that is always cool to see.
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| Dumpweed |
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| Dumpweed |
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| Ed / Dumpweed |
Sunny Gang came on with their rap/punk Los Angeles sound, "All I wanted was a Pepsi" snarl. The singer, unaffected by gravity, provided the syncopation against the distortion and whipped the audience into a post-pizza and cake frenzy.
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| Sunny Gang |
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| Sunny Gang |
Third up was Tiki Torture. Surf punk, whammy bar twanging, extended instrumentals, and 1960's garage ethos let the crowd surf and taste the salt water.
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| Tiki Torture |
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| Tiki Torture |
Then came the big acts.
Nervous Triggers, manifesto-quoting political punk. You'd better have studied your current events, and you'd better take notes. There will be a test. I've seen Nervous Triggers a few times in the past year, and they keep getting tighter. Most interesting is the trance-like stare of singer, Jay Insult, as he contorts and tells you his truth. Honest and sincere, the music is as fierce as their politics and as enjoyable as ever. New Brunswick transplants to Asbury Park, they are a little older and, thus, wiser.
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| Ed / Nervous Triggers |
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| Nervous Triggers |
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| Nervous Triggers |
This was my first time seeing School Drugs. Anger-fueled, some masked, straight ahead old-school CBGBs hardcore. From the first note, you know that it may not be safe to be too close to the stage; and, as small as it might have been, the circle pit was inhabited by many.
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| School Drugs |
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| School Drugs |
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| School Drugs |
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| School Drugs |
This Asbury Park music scene (I still miss the original Asbury Lanes) has something to say. As an older fella, I find it most interesting that such old-school hardcore is back. Perhaps it never left, and I didn't know where it was hiding.
And a good time was had by most. Friends, parents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, photographers, locals, and friends stopping by for the party.
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| Good Times |
Happy Birthday, Ed. Keep moving forward and remember to enjoy the ride.
Give Doug a follow on Instagram and check out his full album from the evening over at Flickr.
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