River City Extension have been a special band to me here at CoolDad Music. Back when I started the blog, I was focused on the bigger, more mainstream, national indie rock acts. Mindie rock, I called it. It was a while before I branched out (branched in?) and started covering local, Asbury Park-area acts. River City Extension were one of the first local bands that caught my attention.
Something about the honesty of Joe Michelini's songwriting paired with the raucous sound of a 6 or 8-piece band drew me in. Nautical Sabbatical, The Unmistakable Man, and -- especially -- Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Anger made it into heavy rotation for me; and I rarely missed an opportunity to catch one of the band's wild live performances. River City Extension's annual Thanksgiving Eve shows at Asbury Park's Stone Pony were emotional and cathartic affairs.
On Wednesday night, River City Extension said goodbye. On the heels of their latest record, Deliverance, which the band view as their artistic pinnacle, River City Extension decided to call it quits. The album, frankly, didn't sell. The band felt they'd told their story and didn't want River City Extension to become a drag on the members' future plans or something they'd grow to resent. The sixth installment of "Simple Gifts" would be the last, and it was an amazing send-off.
The Stone Pony was filling up when I got in just before 7pm. Asbury Park's Bounders took the stage at 7 on the dot. The six-piece played their ambient, artistic rock to a house that was already close to capacity. There was no barricade in front of the stage this time, and people were pressed right up to the front.
Toms River's Brick + Mortar were up next. The band are a touring machine and, with the exception of a surprise set during the penultimate evening at Asbury Lanes, hadn't played a local set in a while. The crowd was amped for them, and Brick + Mortar did their part to work them into a frenzy. Projections, beats, props, crowd surfs, and Brick + Mortar's high-energy sound made the set a party. By the time the band were done, the house was set to explode.
The five current members of River City Extension took the stage and launched into Deliverance in its entirety. That part of the set took me back to the snowy release show at Asbury Lanes where River City Extension re-affirmed for me their power as a live band even as they played new songs and old songs with new arrangements. On Wednesday, the crowd sang along with all ten Deliverance tracks as though the songs had been part of the band's sets for years.
At the conclusion of Deliverance, Michelini remained on stage as the rest of the band left. He took us through some of the early years of River City Extension, performing acoustic versions of songs like "Friends and Family," "Waiting in the Airport," "Today I Feel Like I'm Evolving," and new song, "Up in the Air." At various times during this portion of the show, Michelini introduced members of River City Extension past and present. I thought I saw a few tears shed by Jenn Fantaccione as she accompanied Michelini on cello.
Then it was time to bring together most of the people who ever played in River City Extension to close out the evening. It was a full-band set that included audience favorites like "If You Need Me Back in Brooklyn (with Sam Tacon back on additional vocals)," "Something Salty, Something Sweet," "Mexico (complete with horns)," and more. The crowd shook The Pony. Various band members leapt on top of the audience. Security had to catch a few spectators who sailed toward the stage.
For the last song, the band climbed down to the floor for an acoustic singalong of "Bone Marrow Twist and Shout." A scrum of fans surrounded them as they led things, unamplified. Once it was done, the band climbed back on stage. Patrick O'Brien, John Muccino, Nick Cucci, and Michelini all took photographs of the crowd. Michelini climbed onto the drum riser, bowed, and said goodbye.
And that was that. An important chapter in the story of the Asbury Park music scene came to an end as one of the most significant bands to come out of the area in recent years took their final bows. It was a mind-blowing, explosive goodbye; and Thanksgiving Eves at The Stone Pony will never be the same.
You can see pictures from all three of Wednesday night's sets by clicking below.
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| River City Extension |
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| Brick + Mortar |
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| Bounders |
