Ed The Punk Celebrated His Birthday with School Drugs, Nervous Triggers, Tiki Torture, Sunny Gang, and Dumpweed at Asbury Park Brewery, 1/4/19

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.

Dumpweed

Dumpweed

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.

Sunny Gang

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.

Tiki Torture

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.

Ed / Nervous Triggers

Nervous Triggers

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.

School Drugs

School Drugs

School Drugs

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.

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.

Titus Andronicus Played Monty Hall with Bueno, 9/8/16

Rockers on the Road

I'm preparing to head up to Jersey City for the second time this week. I don't think that's happened since back in the days when I was living in Hoboken. For me, though, these were two can't-miss events. Today, I'll be spending the day with Sniffling Indie Kids and Mint 400 Records at the North Jersey Indie Rock Festival; and, on Thursday night, it was another evening with Titus Andronicus.

It was my first trip to WFMU's Monty Hall, and I got there in plenty of time despite having a little trouble deciphering the complex and confusing Jersey City parking signs. "I will be here for more than 2 hours, but it is after 5pm. Do I need a permit? Will I get towed? Hard to tell. That must be on purpose."

Anyway, I eventually made my way into the friendly, carpeted confines of Monty Hall and promptly found my friend, and yours, Ed The Punk. The space would be at capacity (a couple hundred); so, just before openers Bueno hit the stage, Ed and I strategically positioned ourselves up front.

Ed

The Staten Island five-piece play a combination of very New York sounding post punk and indie rock. Frontman, Luke Chiaruttini, delivers stream of consciousness lyrics while the band produce some satisfyingly off-kilter sounds led by guitarist Mikey Gagliardi's explorations. Their latest is called Illuminate Your Room and worth grabbing.

Bueno

Titus Andronicus came out to the small stage at around 10pm. Now a four-piece with Liam Betson (guitar), Chris Wilson (drums), and R.J. Gordon (bass) backing Patrick Stickles, the band led off with the "hits" going immediately into "No Future Part 3" ("You will always be a loser!"), "Titus Andronicus" ("Your life is over!") and "My Time Outside the Womb" in quick succession. Stickles appeared genuinely thrilled by the room and the crowd, and the show was a hugely positive, if extremely sweaty, affair.

During a break in the action, Stickles took time to shout me out from the stage, noting that I was right up front taking the "snapshots" that have made me "famous throughout the Tri-state Area." That was cool and much-appreciated. Whatever you may think of Titus Andronicus or Patrick Stickles, I've personally always found that -- from bringing friends' bands on tour to working the door at Shea Stadium to shouting out little vanity project websites during a tour kick-off show -- Stickles and the band keep it, as they say, real.

Titus Andronicus

The show proceeded on the early positive vibes. The crowd got rowdy but never really violent. I ended up on the bottom of a pile a couple of times, but young Ed was there to help me up; and I was having too much fun to worry about it.

Titus Andronicus closed the set on a double dose of Monitor epics: "The Battle of Hampton Roads" and their worldwide mega-hit "A More Perfect Union." They left the stage, destined for Horsham, PA; but the crowd managed to coax them out for one more. Stickles said he didn't really like doing encores. Rock star silliness. But he did think a short one would be appropriate, and so the band sent everyone home with their rendition of "Blitzkrieg Bop."

Titus Andronicus

I was soaked to the bone, my jeans weighed down by sweat and sliding down. But it was another night during which I enjoyed myself immensely. At no point, even as about a half-dozen bodies pinned me to the floor, did I say to myself, "Damn. I'm too old for this." And that is why I do this.

Titus Andronicus are currently on their "Rockers on the Road" North American tour, and I'll catch them for the first of two Brooklyn homecoming shows at Market Hotel on October 7th.

All the pics from the show are in the Flickr galleries and on the Facebook page.

TITUS ANDRONICUS “ROCKERS ON THE ROAD” TOUR DATES:

Sep 11 Richmond, VA – The Camel %
Sep 13 Durham, NC – The Pinhook %
Sep 14 Asheville, NC – The Mothlight %
Sep 15 Nashville, TN – The High Watt %
Sep 17 Birmingham, AL – Saturn %
Sep 18 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa %
Sep 20 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger %
Sep 21 Austin, TX – Barracuda %
Sep 22 Dallas, TX – The Loft %
Sep 23 Norman, OK – Opolis %
Sep 24 Columbia, MO – Rose Music Hall %
Sep 25 Iowa City, IA – The Mill %
Sep 27 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon %
Sep 28 Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge %
Sep 29 Detroit, MI – El Club %
Sep 30 Toronto, ON – Lee's Palace %
Oct 4 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall ^
Oct 5 Portsmouth, NH – 3S Artspace ^
Oct 6 Rockville Center, NY – Cannon's Blackthorn ^
Oct 7 Brooklyn, NY – Market Hotel ^
Oct 8 Brooklyn, NY – Market Hotel ^
% - w/ A Giant Dog
^ - w/ Happiness