Northside Festival 2016 Preview

Brooklyn Weekend

This weekend brings us another installment of Brooklyn's Northside Festival. While it's not quite South-By-South-Westian in scope (which is a feature not a bug), Northside does get 400+ bands playing in venues all over Brooklyn from morning until night for the whole weekend. I've attended at least part of it for the last couple of years, and the festival has introduced me to several new people and bands. I always set out to squeeze in as many of the acts on my must-see list as possible, but what invariably ends up happening is that I park myself somewhere and end up discovering stuff I never planned for. That's what I've found to be the beauty of the whole thing.

I'm gonna stick with tradition, though, and list a whole bunch of bands that I would like to see if I could. You can find the entire Northside Festival lineup / schedule here. If there's anything there that you really think is an absolute must, feel free to leave a comment or to shoot me a note.

Familiar Faces

Big gatherings like this are an opportunity for discovery, but I also find them to be a great chance to see some of my friends and favorites playing in a new place to a new crowd. Lots of familiar names have shows scheduled for Northside; and, if you're in Brooklyn this weekend, you should try to squeeze them in.

Sharkmuffin, Thursday, June 9th at Shea Stadium

Sharkmuffin are the band that I saw more than any other in March at South By Southwest. The Little Dickman recording artists deliver a mix of grunge, surf, and pop in the form of short blasts of danceable noise. Shea is kind of like a home base for them, and the other bands on this bill (especially Don Giovanni political punk band Aye Nako) make this a great show.

Sharkmuffin

NO ICE, Thursday, June 9th at Muchmore's. June 10th at The Gutter

I recently reviewed NO ICE's debut, Come on Feel the NO ICE. The band call on influences as diverse as Jesus and Mary Chain, Pavement, and The Shirelles. Somehow it all works.

Darkwing / Psychiatric Metaphors / The Off White / Rosebug, June 10th at Baranquilla. 

Darkwing / Psychiatric Metaphors / The Off White / Rosebug / Fruit & Flowers, June 11th at Gold Sounds.

Psychiatric Metaphors, June 11th at The Gutter

Darkwing / The Off White / Dentist / Fruit & Flowers / A Deer A Horse, June 12th at Muchmore's

A whole bunch of our Jersey / Little Dickman / South By Southwest friends reconvene for several shows at Northside Festival. Psychiatric Metaphors and The Off White should be familiar to any of you who spend any time in and around Asbury Park. A like-minded pair of dirty, gritty garage bands, they both have rigorous Northside schedules.

The Off White

They'll be joined in various permutations by fuzzed out psych poppers Darkwing, dreampop group Rosebug, or surf / psych rockers Fruit & Flowers. On Sunday, there's also the opportunity to catch the urgent rock and roll of A Deer A Horse and our brothers and sister in Dentist.

Dentist

Any one of these shows will make your day / evening.

BOYTOY, June 11th at Our Wicked Lady

Carousel alums and a band destined for bigger things, BOYTOY sit somewhere at the intersection of garage rock and bubblegum pop. They play a Papercup Music showcase that also features The Teen Age.

Teenage Halloween, June 12th at The Grand Victory

Ocean / Asbury Park DIY power pop / folk punk collective Teenage Halloween are one of the hardest-working bands in our little local scene, and it's great to see them getting the recognition they deserve. Their show at Grand Victory on Sunday also features great New York City band Cutters.

Bands I'd Love to See but Who Are All Probably Playing at the Same Time Really Far Away from One Another

If I've learned anything from Northside Festival, it's that I have to understand that I simply won't be able to see everything I want. It's physics. But I'll list out the acts that caught my eye as I went through the schedule and hope for the best.

Wolf Parade

Wolf Parade returned from indefinite hiatus in 2016, and their recent residency at Bowery Ballroom received rave reviews. I missed that, sadly. But Spencer Krug, Dan Boeckner, and company basically kick off the official Northside Music proceedings with a show in McCarren Park on Thursday night. The band released one of my favorite albums of all time in 2005 with the (mostly) Isaac Brock-produced Apologies to the Queen Mary, and I'm excited about finally getting the opportunity to see their live show.

Diarrhea Planet

I've seen this Nashville guitar army several times, and the shredding and overall exuberance of their shows never fails to disappoint. They play Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday night. It's the eve of the release of their third full-length Turn to Gold and should be a party. Acid Dad, another band I'd like to see, are also on that bill, but.. Wolf Parade.

Diarrhea Planet

Slonk Donkerson

Slonk Donkerson are one of those bands that I feel like I almost always have in one of these previews, and I've never actually managed to see them. They combine some of the college rock influences (R.E.M., The Replacements) of my childhood with big 80s rock into something I find irresistible. They play Friday at Grand Victory.

Colleen Green

Colleen Green's 2015 LP, I Want to Grow Up, and recent self-titled cassette EP are two of my favorite things from the last couple of years. Simple pop songs with what I like to call a "slow Ramones" aesthetic. Green plays in the wee hours of Saturday morning at Baby's All Right.

King Khan & The Shrines

The mighty King Khan and his band of Shrines are well and truly one of the greatest live acts I have ever seen. I reviewed one of their shows at Asbury Lanes in the early days of CoolDad Music and that show still stands as one of the major inspirations for why I do this. This is not to be missed. King Khan plays Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday.

King Khan

Priests

I haven't gotten a chance to see Washington, DC's Priests since February of 2015 when they played the Don Giovanni Records showcase at Knitting Factory. The live delivery of their politically-charged punk rock is just as much performance art as incendiary live show. Priests play St. Vitus on Saturday night.

Priests

Ovlov

Ovlov's am and it's combination of shoegaze and indie rock was one of my favorite records of 2013. It hits all of the right points for me from MBV to Dinosaur Jr. I feel like this band has broken up and gotten back together a couple of times since then, but they're definitely back now. I hope I can get to this one. They play Shea Stadium on Saturday. That show also features recent Wonder Bar performers Two Inch Astronaut.

WALL

I don't know much about NYC's WALL other than I saw them at South By Southwest, and they blew me away. They call themselves post-punk or no wave. Whatever. Great band. They play Saturday at Union Pool and Sunday at Aviv on a show that also includes Haybaby, Mannequin Pussy, Stove, and Caddywhompus.

Brian Wilson

The master of pop perfection plays Pet Sounds in McCarren Park on Sunday. What else is there to even say about that? Well, I could also say that ROSTAM, formerly of Vampire Weekend, and South By Southwest standout from Madrid, Hinds, open that one.

-------------------------------------------

So that's a quick list. I will, without a doubt, miss much of this and see and love some things I never expected. Keep it tuned here and to all the CoolDad Music social media outlets (especially instagram.com/cooldadmusic) to see what I get up to. I'll try to post reviews and photos daily.

CoolDad Does Austin: SXSW Preview

Rhode Island's Downtown Boys take their next step toward world domination at this year's SXSW.

Total Immersion

For the first time ever, I'll be heading to Austin tomorrow for the South By Southwest music festival. Strangely, even with family and business in Texas, this will be my first trip to Austin in any capacity whatsoever. With upwards of 2,000 showcasing artists plus unofficial events over the course of six days, my head just might explode at all of the possibilities. In an effort to organize my thoughts, here's a preview of sorts. This is just a rundown of the things that caught my eye when trying to plan my trip. I have this feeling that things are going to end up a lot more "free form" than I'd expect, but I will try to post photos and recaps each day of whatever it is I do manage to see.

Friends in TX

Several bands we get to see a lot of around here will be headed down to Texas for the festivities. Some bands with NJ / AP connections are participating in official showcases.

On Thursday, March 17th, Night Birds will be playing the Fat Wreck Chords showcase at Buffalo Billiards with a lineup that includes NOFX, The Dirty Nil, and more. Asbury Park's Lost In Society are part of the Grammy Museum's "40 Years of The Ramones" tribute at Maggie Mae's. They'll be doing a set with Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner. Pinegrove from Montclair play the Run For Cover Records showcase as part of a bill that also includes Self Defense Family, Citizen, and more at Dirty Dog Bar.

Our buds The Everymen hit Ernest Jenning Record Company's showcase on Friday, March 18th, at Valhalla. Scotch LaRock faves, Prawn, are part of the Flowerbooking / Polyvinyl / Topshelf Records showcase inside at The Sidewinder.

On Saturday, March 19th, Little Dickman Records recording artists, Sharkmuffin, play a free spotlight showcase at BD Riley's.

New Brunswick's Don Giovanni Records will host their own showcase on Thursday, March 17th, with Izzy True, Mal Blum, Painted Zeros, Pinkwash, VACATION, Waxahatchee, and Worriers at The Velveeta Room.

It's not all about official showcases, though. A whole bunch of our friends will be in Austin to play sets in the city during the festival. Right in the middle of it all will be our friends Little Dickman Records who are hosting three parties as part of their Third Annual "Rock or Die" celebration at SXSW.

Their "Unofficial SXSW Kickoff Party" takes place at The Carousel Lounge on Wednesday, March 16th. That bill has Fruit & Flowers, TV Tramps, Dentist, Darkwing, and Sharkmuffin. On Friday, they move over to Dozen Street for a big day party that features all of the above bands along with BOYTOY, Dead Stars, The Off White, Psychiatric Metaphors, Rosebug, Sidebitch, and San Diego's Mrs. Magician. Finally, LDR host a Sunday "Hangover Party" to which they add WOMPS, Overlake, and Super FM to their regulars.

Here are the full SXSW schedules for some familiar faces, many of whom have played shows for us in the past:

BOYTOY

3/16  Hotel Vegas (1:45pm)
3/16  Hole In The Wall (Midnight)
3/17  Seneca Falls Co-op (6pm)
3/17  Whip Inn (9:50pm)
3/18  Spider House (9:50pm)
3/19  Dozen Street (5pm)
3/20  Beerland (2pm)
3/20  Hard Luck Lounge (5:15pm)

Darkwing

3/15  A House Party
3/16  Pearl St. Co-op (2pm)
3/16  Carousel Lounge (8:30pm)
3/17  The Gingerman (1:45pm)
3/17  Love Goat (10:45pm)
3/19  Dozen Street (2:45pm)
3/20  Hard Luck Lounge (12pm)

Dead Stars

3/15  Cheers Rooftop (2pm)
3/16  Spiderhouse (6pm)
3/17  TBA
3/18  Vulcan Gas Room (12pm)
3/18  Big Bang Bar (1am)
3/19  Dozen Street (2pm)
3/19  The Hole In The Wall (10pm)
3/19  Ginger Man (12am)

Dentist

3/16  Carousel Lounge (9:20pm)
3/17  Love Goat
3/19  Dozen Street (3:25pm)
3/20  Hard Luck Lounge (4pm)

The Everymen

3/15  Hole In The Wall (8:30pm)
3/16  House Show (6pm)
3/18  Ginger Man (1pm)
3/18  Valhalla (12:05am)

Lost In Society

3/14  Trackd Stand @ Austin Convention Center (1:45pm)
3/14  The Craftsman (9pm)
3/17  Handle Bar (4:25pm)
3/17  Rooftop at Maggie Mae's (9:20pm)
3/18  The Aquarium (9pm)
3/19  The Vortex (3:45pm)

The Off White

3/19  Dozen Street (1:40pm)
3/20  Hard Luck Lounge (6:55pm)

Overlake

3/15  Hole In The Wall
3/16  Ginger Man (10pm)
3/19  Ginger Man (11pm)
3/20  Hard Luck Lounge (6:10pm)

Psychiatric Metaphors

3/19  Dozen Street (1:10pm)
3/20  Hard Luck Lounge (7:30pm)

Sharkmuffin

3/15  Salvage Vanguard Theater (4pm)
3/16  Carousel Lounge (10:10pm)
3/16  Longbranch Inn (11:15pm)
3/17  Empire (12:20pm)
3/17  Love Goat (8:55pm)
3/18  The North Door (1:45pm)
3/19  Dozen Street (5:45pm)
3/19  BD Riley's (1am)
3/20  Hard Luck Lounge (2:40pm)

TV Tramps

3/17  Love Goat
3/19  Dozen Street (1:10pm)
3/20  Hard Luck Lounge (7:30pm)

Other Exciting Stuff

As much as I love all of our Tri-State Area paisanos, I'd kick myself if I didn't use my time in Austin to discover some new things or to catch some bands that rarely play in our neck of the woods. To that end, here are some of the bands that just caught my eye when scrolling through the schedule.

Diet Cig
Hinds
AUTOBAHN
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Expert Alterations
Robbie Fulks
Annabelle Chairlegs
Iggy Pop
Santigold
TEEN
All Dogs
Mitski
Ryan Adams & The Shining
Tacocat
White Lung
Car Seat Headrest
Beach Slang
The Dirty Nil
Fear Of Men
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
Diarrhea Planet
Acid Dad
Beverly
Lydia Loveless
Sheer Mag
Hockey Dad
Shannon and The Clams
Sorority Noise
NOBUNNY
Porches
Sunflower Bean
Izzy True
Loretta Lynn
Big Ups
Tanlines
Mal Blum
Dilly Dally
Pinkwash
Bloc Party
La Luz
Bleached
Pujol
Waxahatchee
A Giant Dog
Capsula
Protomartyr
Lazyeyes
White Reaper
Daddy Issues
The Blind Shake
Thee Oh Sees
PMS & The Mood Swings
Slothrust
Downtown Boys!

...and more...

From shows sponsored by House of Vans, BrooklynVegan, Pitchfork, Stereogum, record labels, PR companies, breweries, and magazines to free day parties to nighttime events, there will be something to do morning and night. My eyes are often bigger than my stomach in situations like this, but I'm sure it's gonna be a blast.

Plus tacos and barbecue.

Keep it tuned right here to see if I survive.

You can head over to the sxsw.com website or download one of their apps to search for bands and official showtimes. For information on unofficial goings on, your best bet is probably Facebook or showlistaustin.com.

Chris Brown Video Shoot, TONIGHT, 2/22, 7PM, Down at the Bond St. Bar

Chris Brown performing at the Bond St. Bar Block Party back in November.

"Serve 'Em All"

One of Asbury Park's favorite singers / songwriters / bartenders (He and the bar where he works have got the Asbury Music Awards to prove it.), Chris Brown, will be shooting a video this evening -- Monday, February 22nd -- at Asbury's Bond St. Bar. The video is for Brown's ode to the place, "Serve 'Em All." Brown is asking that friends, family, and regulars stop in at Bond St. from 7-10 tonight to "do what you do" while Blur Revision Media Design's Chris Spiegel documents the shenanigans for inclusion in the music video.

You can pack the place out until it reaches capacity and partake of the cash bar; but, for the duration of the shoot, you won't be able to avail yourself of the Bond St. Bar's kitchen offerings. You'll just have to wait for another time to enjoy one of Asbury Park's best and most affordable burgers.

So if you'd like to be in what is sure to be a very Asbury music video, head down to Bond St. bar at 7pm. When it's all done and they start ushering you out the door, remember: You don't have to go home, but I guess you can sleep in your car.

RSVP to the video shoot right here.

#GFY

Show Previews for Wednesday

Hump Day Huzzah

OK. So I always do the listings on Thursday. That's a big undertaking, especially for a procrastinator like me. No chance I'm going to expand them out for another day. But. But...

Sometimes things happen on days other than Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. This Wednesday, for example, is just chock full of great stuff right in our own backyard. So...

Seaside Caves: A Night Like This at The Watermark, Asbury Park

Seaside Caves at Asbury Lanes in February

Seaside Caves put out a fantastic dark and dreamy EP in 2014. The band rode those beautifully dark sounds to an opening slot for The Bouncing Souls during one of this year's Home for the Holidays Shows. They're also one of the bands who contributed a song to the Vinyl Heart compilation released back in February (and co-sponsored by CoolDad Music). Even bigger things are happening for them now.

Seaside Caves and Chunksaah Records recently announced that the label would be putting out a 10" vinyl version of the band's self-titled 2014 debut. That comes out on July 14th. In the meantime, Seaside Caves embark on a short spring tour starting on Wednesday night at The Watermark in Asbury Park.

Joining Seaside Caves will be their kindred spirits in Microfossils as well as Dead Overhead, the latest project of Jesse Skokos. Head over to The Watermark Wednesday to see Seaside Caves off on their tour and maybe pick up a bit of heart-shaped vinyl.

White Reaper, The Villanelles, Roy Orbitron, The Glycerine Queens at Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park

Roy Orbitron at The Wonder Bar in March

As the weather gets warmer, we start to get a few more mid-week shows at Asbury Lanes. On Wednesday, we get a good one.

White Reaper are a Louisville, KY trio whose self-titled 2014 EP is a non-stop barrage of Ramones-style guitars and snotty vocals. Their live show is, apparently, just as all-out as the record.

Joining them on the bill are The Villanelles, Roy Orbitron, and The Glycerine Queens. It's going to make for an eclectic bill for sure as each of those bands offers something different. Roy Orbitron were part of CoolDad Music's 1000th ever post yesterday, meaning that they get a lifetime of free post reading here, even after I throw up my paywall (There will never be a paywall.).

Griffin House at The Saint, Asbury Park

Photo via griffinhousemusic.com

If something a little more acoustical is your thing, then you'll be hard-pressed to do better than Griffin House. The Ohio-born, Nashville-based performer brings his show to The Saint on Wednesday for what promises to be an intimate performance from a nationally renowned singer / songwriter. House has put out a string of well-received, self-released albums. His latest album, 2013's Balls, does open with a song called "Fenway." It's not really about the Red Sox, though; so I'll give him a pass.

Kacie Baker opens.

Not The Bees! / City Limits Split 7". Playing Asbury Lanes TONIGHT.

EP Review / Show Preview

Tonight, Asbury Lanes will be hosting an evening of pop punk headlined by Oklahoma City's Red City Radio and Milwaukee's DIRECT HIT! Also on the bill are a couple of New Jersey bands who recently released a split 7".

Union County's Not The Bees! and New Brunswick's City Limits digitally released a 4-song 7" over the summer via Death To False Hopes Records. The pairing is a good one as both bands pair aggressive vocals and big guitar riffs with a pop sensibility that makes for some definite "sing along songs" (h/t Scotch LaRock).

Not The Bees! get things started with "Robert Jordan" and its big, melodic Fucked Up-like guitars. The second Not The Bees! entry, "The Future Ain't What It Used to Be," is a frenetic rocker peppered with "whoa-ohhs" and a fist-pumping refrain of "If you ever need me, I'll be there for you!"

The tracks from City Limits, a little more aggressive from the vocal standpoint, form kind of a mini concept album. "Murder Diner" deals with the struggles of succeeding as a band, repeating "Goddammit! I can't do it on my own!" "Writing Fiction" gives us the other side of that coin with "I'm going nowhere. I'll do it on my own."

You can download the split for free over at the Death To False Hopes website. Physical copies will be available, for the first time, at tonight's show at Asbury Lanes. Doors for tonight's show, which also features New Brunswick's Feeny, open at 7pm. Tickets are 15 bucks at the door.

Show Preview: Robot Death Kites, Grand Mariner, The Uncommonly Good, Jewel Eye, Teenage Halloween at Brighton Bar, TONIGHT, 9/24

Happy New Year

When I first started doing the weekly listings around here, I figured that it would be a nice, useful, informative post that I could put together and queue up weeks ahead of time. Well, anyone who knows me can tell you that I was kidding myself on the "weeks ahead of time" part. Today, though, I decided to get out a little in front of things. As I scanned this week's happenings, I remembered that I wanted to point out tonight's Brighton Bar show. As luck (or, maybe, careful planning) would have it, there's no school tomorrow because of Rosh Hashanah; so you can head out to celebrate the new year with some fine, fine music.

It's a diverse bill headed by Brooklyn noise rockers and general Yuppie Nightmare, Robot Death Kites. Howell surf punk / pop trio Grand Mariner join fellow New Jerseyites The Uncommonly Good (Shrewsbury hardcore), Jewel Eye (rock), and Teenage Halloween (latest project of the industrious and always busy Luke Henderiks) to round out the bill. It's the latest in the monthly Greggy's Den series of all ages shows, and it promises to be an excellent way to ring in 5775.











Doors for tonight's all ages show open at 7pm. It's 10 bucks.

L'shanah Tovah.

Show Preview: Little Dickman Records Presents The Off White, Ms. America, Psychiatric Metaphors at The Brighton Bar TONIGHT, 8/13/14

Wednesday Night Dickman

Asbury Park's Little Dickman Records understand a thing or two about branding. If their name is on something, you can be pretty sure about what you're going to get. It may be punk. It may be psych. It may be garage. But you can rest assured that it will be rock and that every attempt will be made to melt your face.

Tonight, Little Dickman Records bring an evening of psych-heavy garage rock to The Brighton Bar as The Off White play their first-ever headlining gig at the Long Branch venue. Supporting them will be two other New Jersey acts: Ms. America and Psychiatric Metaphors. Each of these bands bring their own take on that Nuggets-style rock that never goes out of fashion.







I've still got tomorrow's weekend listings to put together, but I wanted to make sure that this one was on your radar to maybe brighten (Brighton?) this dreary day.

Doors open for tonight's show at 8p. This one is 18 and over, and $8 gets you in the door.

Show Preview: Dentist, Coastgaard, Prehistoric Forest, Hey Anna, Paper Streets, This Friday (8/1) at The Saint

Dentist haven't played locally since their show at Asbury Lanes in June.

Dentist Are Home, And They Brought Friends

It's been a little while since we've seen our friends Dentist play a show on their home turf. They haven't just been sitting around, though. Dentist have been branching out, playing shows in Brooklyn and Philly. In their travels, they've met some other excellent bands; and we get to benefit from these new connections.

On Friday, August 1st, Dentist return to the site of their wild record release party when they play The Saint. Joining them on the bill will be locals Prehistoric Forest and Paper Streets along with NY/NJ indie pop quintet, Hey Anna, and Dentist's Brooklyn-based kindred spirits in neo-surf, Coastgaard.

I reviewed Coastgaard's self-titled LP for Speak Into My Good Eye a while back and have been enjoying it ever since. Along with all of the other bands, they're a great fit for a summer night in a seaside town.

From Prehistoric Forest's early aughts NYC-sounding rock to the Pacific Northwest Indie-influenced sound of Paper Streets... From the pristine pop of Hey Anna to the reverb and surf sounds of Dentist and Coastgaard... Friday promises to be a master class in modern indie rock. Don't worry, though. It's the kind of class for which you don't have to study; and they'll let you dance while you enjoy some adult beverages.

Dentist, Prehistoric Forest, Hey Anna, Coastgaard, and Paper Streets take to The Saint this Friday. Doors open at 7:30, and $10 gets you inside. Arrive early and catch all the bands.

Show Preview: Braid, A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Marietta at Asbury Lanes TONIGHT 7/23/14

Get Yer Emo On

I don't know if you've heard, but we're going through a bit of an emo revival right now. Well, tonight, Asbury Lanes hosts Braid, the influential early-to-mid 90s post-hardcore pioneers who returned just this month with their first proper album in almost 16 years. You don't have any number of bands on the current indie / emo / pop punk scene without Braid.

Our own Scotch LaRock gave us his real-time impressions of Braid's No Coast a little while back. He's a student of the genre and has been talking Braid up to all of us here since the show announcement. I trust the man's taste, so we'll both be at Asbury Lanes tonight with bells on. You should come by and say hi.

Also on the bill will be Brooklyn's A Great Big Pile Of Leaves, one of the standard bearers for the current revival who come down on the more-pop-than-post-hardcore side of things. Philly's Marietta round things out, making for a solid midweek slate of melodic riffs and confessional songwriting. How better to spend a Wednesday?

Doors for the all ages show open at 7pm, and $18 gets you through the doors.

Interview: Alex Rosen and Brent Övar Bergholm of The Battery Electric Discuss Their Show with Dirty Fences and Their Own Upcoming Album

See Them Friday at Asbury Lanes

This Friday, Asbury Lanes hosts a Little Dickman Records Showcase headlined by Brooklyn's Dirty Fences. Also on the bill are Hot Blood, Ba Babes, and The Battery Electric. The Battery Electric get credit for having curated the event, so I checked in with Alex Rosen (bass in The Battery Electric, guitar in Hot Blood) and Brent Övar Bergholm (guitar in The Battery Electric and Hsu-Nami) on how the show came about, what we can all expect on Friday, and the future plans for TBE.

You guys in The Battery Electric put together the show coming up this Friday at Asbury Lanes featuring yourselves, Hot Blood, Ba Babes, and of course, Dirty Fences. How did it all come together? Specifically how did you guys hook up with Brooklyn's Dirty Fences? Can you talk a little bit about what we can expect from them?

Alex: I saw Turbonegro last year when I was filling in on bass for Hsu-Nami. Doug from The Vansaders had told me to go early to check out Dirty Fences. I listened. They were great. I ended up seeing them later at CBGB's Fest (with Richard Bacchus and The Luckiest Girls), and I asked them if they would ever wanna play a show. They said yes and to hit 'em up. So Little Dickman made it happen. I am extremely excited, and I hope people do not miss out on seeing them!

What can we expect from them? They are pretty high-energy. Reminded me a lot of the Ramones when I saw them, but they are their own thing. There will be a lot of leather and denim.

Alex Rosen will be doing double duty on Friday night, playing guitar for Hot Blood and bass for TBE. Do you think he can pull it off?

Alex: I did it on our tour down to SXSW and a handful of times locally. I enjoy playing twice. I will probably end up smelling like hot soup by the end, though...

The Battery Electric and Hot Blood play tons of shows locally. But you also toured to and from SXSW together, and I've seen that you've been extending your reach to places like New York and Philly. Do you think it's important to branch out from your local scene? Is that part of your master plan? How has that been for you? 

Brent: I think it's very important for bands to get out there and play to new audiences. Building a community in your hometown is definitely essential, but cutting your teeth in new places is a must. The only way you do that is by getting out there and touring.

Playing New York and Philadelphia is a no-brainer. Especially since they're both at least an hour away from Asbury Park. I think local bands are doing themselves a disservice by not playing these two places. They are cultural epicenters of the East Coast and the world. Plus, New York and Philly are full of some beautiful women. It's always good to go out window shopping every once in a while.

Also, do you think it's important to bring bands from other scenes here? Do a bit of cross-pollinating?

Brent:  It's super important to cross-pollinate and swap with bands from other scenes. It makes touring that much easier. It also exposes you to new people and new ways of doing things. Music is a community. If you can extend things outside of your hometown, some great things can happen.

The Battery Electric have been working with Pete Steinkopf again on your follow-up to Weaving Spiders. How does it compare to your debut? When can we expect some new recorded material? Will we get to hear some of the songs live on Friday night?

Brent: This album is completely different and more diverse than Weaving Spiders. We experiment with garage rock, punk, soul, and have that signature Battery Electric sound as well. The one thing that we depart from is the "stomp" feel that was prevalent on our first album. The songs are more complex, better written, and have more attitude. We have grown a lot since we first formed, and it shows in this new album.

We are in the final stages of mixing and mastering the album. We don't even have artwork or a title yet. We will most likely be playing all of the new material when we release the album which will either be in August or September.

We will be playing three new songs off the album this Friday! So be there to check them out!

Finally, what else do you have planned for the near future? Any touring? Any other shows you'd like to bring to the area?

Brent: We plan to release our new album and play lots of shows to promote it. Hopefully put out a new music video as well. We are going to keep on reaching out to bands and get them to NJ. We have friends in Texas called The Phuss that we would like to play with in Asbury Park.

The future is bright as Alex would say.

Doors for Friday night's all-ages show at Asbury Lanes featuring Dirty Fences, The Battery Electric, Hot Blood, and Ba Babes open at 8pm. Get inside for $10.

Show Preview: Dentist, Souvenir Stand, The Pretty Greens, GayGuy / StraightGuy, Saturday at Asbury Lanes

Dentist helped bring together a solid bill of locals and out-of-towners for Saturday night at Asbury Lanes.

A Show That Goes Surf, Pop, Rock

I'm getting ready to publish this weekend's listings tomorrow, and this is one of the biggest weekends of the summer so far. There are two big shows on the Stone Pony Summer Stage, but I did want to give you a deeper look at a couple of the other shows on tap. Let's go out of order and start with Saturday.

On Saturday night, Asbury Lanes will play host to a bill that includes local favorites Dentist and GayGuy / Straight Guy along with a couple of imports.

New York's Souvenir Stand is the project of New Jersey native Stephanie Cupo.  Her three-minute pop songs are reminiscent of an earlier time with sounds inspired by The Beach Boys and girl groups of the 60s.



Philadelphia's The Pretty Greens also play with some 60s-inspired sounds, but they come down more on the surf / garage side of things. Their most recent EP, Jealous Waves, is three tracks that remind me of a less fuzzed-out version of early Vivian Girls.



Two local acts that I spend a lot of time talking about here round out the bill. Dentist, whose excellent, self-titled LP has been getting play even overseas, bring their surf-inspired sound.



Duo GayGuy / StraightGuy, who are working on new material of their own, will shake Asbury Lanes with their straight-ahead and always loud rock and roll.



It's really an excellent line-up for a summer night by the beach: Surf, Pop, and Rock. Doors for the all-ages show open at 7 and there's an $8 cover.

Show Preview: Wreckless Eric, Ron Santee (The Battery Electric), and Paul Rosevear (Readymade Breakup) TONIGHT at The Saint

Photo: Ted Barron

...You Only Have to Go to Asbury Park

Stiff Records. In the late 70s, the label's roster included Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, and Nick Lowe. Also part of that group, signed in 1977, was Eric Goulden -- better known as Wreckless Eric. Eric's first song for the label, "(I'd Go) The Whole Wide World" didn't make much noise at the time; but it has since been recognized continually as one of the best singles of early alt / punk rock. In the years since its release, "(I'd Go) The Whole Wide World" has been covered by The Monkees, Elvis Costello, Paul Westerberg, The Proclaimers, The Wedding Present, and Mikal Cronin along with many others.

Goulden has continued to release songs and albums over the last 35 plus years -- as Wreckless Eric, with The Captains of Industry (which included members of The Blockheads) and other bands, under his own name, and with wife and current co-performer Amy Rigby. Tonight he brings his show to The Saint in Asbury Park.

Joining Eric for the show will be The Battery Electric's Ron Santee doing a solo performance and Paul Rosevear of Readymade Breakup. Make sure you arrive early so that you can catch a couple of great local performers along with a living legend.

Doors for the show open at 7:30, and 12 bucks gets you inside.