Based out of Asbury Park, NJ, Frank and the band are hopeful that the new revitalization of their city will give new life to the Jersey music scene. There’s no doubt about the amount of great bands in NJ but over the years, the culture of many once vital music cities has fallen into the ruin of either despair or over development. Asbury Park has been struggling for thirty years to overcome the former by implementing the latter. Other places like Hoboken began losing their grasp on musical reality at the turn of the 21st century. As did NYC.
Again, as with my conversation with Alex from Brooklyn-based So So Glos, I was inspired by Frank’s positive outlook. His general attitude was things will change because they always do. Of course there is a chance that the development of expensive housing could overshadow the arts as happens in many cities. But at this early of a stage, artists, musicians and developers have a rare opportunity in Asbury Park to work together and do it right. They can be inspired by Jersey City which lost its entire musical identity to development but over the past year has been fighting (and in some cases winning) to bring it back.
Another Late-Night Pool Party
This time the gate was unlocked. Perhaps the management is cool after all. Before the party, I was talking to this guy Gerry and his friend Kristin, also from NJ. Gerry asked if I was in a band. “Not anymore,” I said. When I told him I was in Ya-Ne-Zniyoo he said, “I thought you looked familiar.” It turns out he was in band called Akasa and we’ve probably been on the same bill at some NY or NJ show. Once again the concept of a small world came into play. The night ended with some folks in the cold water and others—like me—opting to sit on the side and soak in the night air.
Day 4
I can feel the heat rising from the parking lot tarmac as I sit under the shade outside my hotel room. I just got back from breakfast at Jimbo’s; a Wilmington late night and breakfast staple open 7 days a week from 10:00PM to 2:00PM. They have brains on the menu, but I got the eggs. I needed some alone time today just to chill a bit. Though I’ve been saying I want this year to be about fun and not therapy, the fun has been my therapy.
I’m loving the fest as usual, but this morning I’m feel a bit emotionally cloudy. To avoid letting the dark side get the better of me, I’m not really drinking this year. It is true that I tend to be a happy drunk, but I’d rather the music and people be the ones to make me happy right now. So far it’s working except for a brief moment of weakness late last night where I found myself thinking a little too much about problems back home. This is why I needed the alone time today.
The Shows & Dinner:
The day started early with an acoustic showcase. I got to catch a really wonderful set of sweet songs from Blake Rainey. His bass player Joe Foy was playing injured. The story goes that he fell off a ladder while painting his house. Or as Blake told it, he was performing with Circ du Soleil when a mishap occurred. Joe said his hand was hurting, but his ribs were worse. Nothing a shot of whiskey couldn’t help.
Blake’s was the only set I caught thanks to showing up late. Anthony Fiumano was supposed to do his scheduled set but was apparently sicker than we all thought after his set the night before. He had to cancel. Not having as much music to catch actually made for a very relaxing day of hanging out. Jared of WRSU radio, Lazlo of Blow Up Radio, Jim Testa of Jersey Beat and I all decided to grab some dinner. We went to one of my favorite places; Firebelly which serves up a very wide range of delicious wraps of all levels of heat and flavor. In a past life, this place was also a WE Fest music venue.
