Photos from a Big Weekend of Record Releases and Surf Music: Deal Casino, Hey Anna, dollys, Smalltalk, Dentist, Black Flamingos, Night Birds, MORE

Husband and wife Vincent Minervino of The Brigantines and Magdalena O'Connell organized the Asbury Park Surf Music Festival.

Nika, Run Koko, and The Asbury Park Surf Music Festival

A couple of weekends ago, I stopped into Asbury Lanes during one of their Eat, Drink, Bowl, Hang Friday nights. "Where have you been? It's been weeks."

It had been a little while since I'd been at Asbury Lanes. CoolMom's been doing a lot of traveling. I spent some time in Brooklyn for Northside Festival. The cooldaughters have their evening swim meets. I just haven't been getting out there like I usually do. I made up for lost time this weekend, though.

Friday saw record releases from both Deal Casino and Hey Anna. Deal Casino held their party for Nika at Asbury Lanes with Smalltalk, dollys, and Deaf Rhino. They absolutely packed out the place and pulled out all the stops with extra lights, smoke, and their usual all-out show. Hey Anna went a little more low-key, but no less impressive, at the Run Koko release with a late set at The Saint.

On Saturday, Asbury Lanes hosted the second annual Asbury Park Surf Music Festival. I spent from 1pm until about 1am enjoying the music, taking pictures, hanging out with friends, and -- yeah -- trying a couple of the tiki drinks. I was blown away by traditional surf bands like Blue Wave Theory and The Sharkskins. As always, our friends in The Brigantines, Black Flamingos, and Dentist were fantastic. Things got harder and darker as the day closed with great sets from Night Birds and The Coffin Daggers. Special shout out to Disco Mike, who danced non-stop, all day long to just about every band that played.

Click through on the links below for pictures from both days.

NOTE: Thanks to some slow service at the North Eats food truck pavilion, I missed one band at the festival. Sadly, that band was one of our favorites, Plato Zorba. I came back inside the Lanes and Ryan Gregg was just dismantling his keyboard. Damn. I hear there was a mummy and everything. They are a fantastic avant-garde surf band, and I urge you to check out their album Pageant of the Transmundane. Also, here are some pics from their release show a while back.

Friday, 7/10/15

Asbury Lanes
Deaf Rhino

dollys

Smalltalk

Deal Casino

The Saint
Hey Anna

Saturday, 7/11/15

The Asbury Park Surf Music Festival at Asbury Lanes

The Primitive Finks

The Second Annual Asbury Park Surf Music Festival, This Saturday, July 11th at Asbury Lanes

The Brigantines at the winter warm-up for the Asbury Park Surf Music Festival back in January. Catch them at this year's summer festival this Saturday at Asbury Lanes.

Summer Surf

"We just wanted to have a party that we would want to go to." That's what Magdalena O'Connell, co-founder of the Asbury Park Surf Music Festival, told me over beer, burgers, and wursts at the Asbury Park Festhalle and Biergarten. The first year of the festival, she and her then-fiancé, Vincent Minervino of The Brigantines and Black Flamingos, fantasized about heading to Livorno, Italy for the Surfer Joe Summer Festival as their honeymoon. After considering the costs and logistics of the trip, the pair decided that it might be easier (Easier? Really?) to put together a festival of their own in Asbury Park. O'Connell and Minervino booked the date at the retro-cool Asbury Lanes, and the Asbury Park Surf Music Festival was born.

Last year's fest drew hundreds of surf music fans to the daylong party that, in addition to some of the East Coast's best surf bands, featured classic cars, vendors, and specialty drinks. This year's party is shaping up to be bigger on all fronts.

There are the bands. With sounds ranging from the classic surf of Boston's The Fathoms to the more aggressive sounds of bands like NYC's Coffin Daggers and NJ's Night Birds in their instrumental incarnation to the surf-tinged pop of locals Glycerine Queens and Dentist, there should be something for both hardcore surf fans and those just looking for a summer dance party. Favorites like Black Flamingos, Plato Zorba, The Brigantines, The Sharkskins, and Los Pocos Locos, along with many others will be returning this year.

Minervino told me, "People can be more critical of rock music -- 'I like this. I don't like that.' -- but surf music just makes everyone have a good time. You can go up front and dance, or you can sit and have a conversation at the bar."

There are the cars. This year, Tuckerton's Dead Rodz Revival will be organizing the show of pre-1978 hot rods. Cars will be on display outside of Asbury Lanes, and owners can email the club to reserve their spot.

There are the drinks. Born as they were planning their wedding, the Asbury Park Surf Music Festival receives as much attention from Vincent and Magdalena as their own big event did. The pair told me that they and the bartenders at Asbury Lanes are meticulously planning and testing specialty cocktails to serve in the tiki bar they're creating for the event.

There are the vendors. Big Slick Pomade Co., Little Dickman Records, ACDWSH, Groovy Graveyard, Dead Rodz, Bettie's Bombshells, Jetty, Southern Tier Brewing, Vintage Variety Shop, Central Jersey Rolller Vixens, Garden State Beard & Mustache Society, and more will have tables at the event.

Put all of that together with all-day surf movies and guest DJ sets from the bands, and you've got a great summer party.

"The thing I remember most about last year is all the dancing," said O'Connell.

So come to Asbury Lanes this Saturday, July 11th at noon. Enjoy a specialty cocktail, say a Tillie Sunburn. Ogle some classic cars or browse some of the unique offerings from the on-site vendors. And bring your dancing shoes. The Asbury Park Surf Music Festival is a party anybody would love to attend.

The Second Annual Asbury Park Surf Music Festival takes place on July 11th at Asbury Lanes starting at 12 noon. Advance tickets for this ALL AGES event are available here.

Asbury Park Surf Music Festival's Winter Beach Bash at The Wonder Bar, 1/23/15 (PHOTOS)

We got to watch a bullfight at the Winter Beach Bash.

Black Flamingos, Los Pocos Locos, The Brigantines, Plato Zorba

"We're gonna play one more song, then we're gonna have a bullfight," said Steve Clar / Dirty Sanchez of Los Pocos Locos.

Then there was a bullfight.

Such was the atmosphere at last night's Winter Beach Bash at The Wonder Bar. It was a party for those of us who don't necessarily go away for ski weekends but, instead, pine for the hazy lazy days of summer. It was also a showcase of the deep -- and deepening -- well of talent in our local surf rock community.

In addition to Los Pocos Locos, the crowd got sets from Black Flamingos, The Brigantines, and Plato Zorba. Guitarist Robert Butkowski amazed with both Black Flamingos and Plato Zorba, the Flamingos delivering their traditional surf sounds while Plato Zorba gave things a weird and trippy twist. Los Pocos Locos gave us originals, surf-style covers, and the drama of the corrida. The Brigantines got the crowd dancing by the end of their set.

The snow fell throughout the night, and it was a cold and soggy trip home. The party inside The Wonder Bar, though, was a welcome dose of warmth. Check out photo highlights below. The rest of the pictures are in the galleries.