FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
1. STONE PONY, ASBURY PARK MEET OVER RADIO EVENT
2. THE BIG MAN, CLARENCE CLEMONS
3. EVERYONE IS WELCOME, A Q&A WITH CASUAL BLUE
4. DADDY'S COMING HOME, GARY U.S. BONDS RETURNS
5. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
A few weeks ago, a request was sent out to fans and patrons of The Stone Pony regarding an issue that had arisen after a radio station event held at the club early last month. Today, the club released the following statement:
The owner of The Stone Pony says he is satisfied with the results of a meeting with city officials in the aftermath of a promotion by a New York radio station at the club last month.
"We are committed to the best interests of Asbury Park and people who work with us must share that commitment," said club owner Domenic Santana. He said he regretted that in the aftermath of the event, supporters of the club criticized members of the Asbury Park City Council.
"Since I reopened the Pony last year, members of the previous and present council have been completely aware of the club's significance to Asbury Park and have acted appropriately," Santana said. "When we asked for support from our friends following the event, we hoped that they would write to the council about what we thought was unfair treatment of us by a law enforcement official who is running for political office.
"It seems that incomplete news reporting made it appear that some council members were trying to shut the club down, and we never believed that was the case. I want to assure everyone that all members of the City Council have treated us fairly and objectively over the past 14 months."
Santana said he believed that city officials wanted to move beyond the recent incident and continue to facilitate the city's rebirth as a cultural and entertainment capital.
"We are happy to be sponsoring a stage at this month's Clearwater Festival, which promises to be a great event for the city," Santana said. "Our efforts to work together with the city and all its employees and residents will continue. We apologize for the inappropriate event which took place last month and we apologize to the council members who were inadvertently criticized by our supporters."
Affectionately called "The Big Man", Clarence Clemons' reputation and charisma are almost as big and bold as the wonderful sound he creates with his sax. His career spans 30-years, with numerous credits and musical collaborations that have made him highly respected and admired by fans and his fellow musicians. Clemons is best known as the supremely gifted and popular sax player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, a musical collaboration that has resulted in one legendary concert after another, many stretching for several hours, and a body of work that has kept fans around the world buying albums and attending shows in sold-out arenas. Clemons has also extended his talents to other creative endeavors including an impressive resume of acting roles on television and in the theatre, as well as efforts at screenwriting and musical composition. The Stone Pony has proudly announced that Clarence Clemons and his Band will be performing four shows at the club, at 3pm and 8pm on both Saturday, September 1st and Sunday, September 2nd. These events will be especially memorable since the band, where Clemons shares vocal duties in addition to his saxophone work, will be recording a 2-CD live album! More details on this very exciting event, which will add another chapter to the Pony's place in rock history, can be found on The Stone Pony's web site, www.stoneponyonline.com. You can also check out some of the coolest Flash animation around (not to mention a very cool soundtrack) at Clarence Clemons' web site, www.clarenceclemons.com.
For news and information about Asbury Park, New Jersey, visit asburypark.net
The Stone Pony has a long lineage of great bands that call the club home. Pequannock, New Jersey-based Casual Blue (Brian O'Neal on vocals/guitar, Chris Badami on drums/percussion, Mark Treimel on bass and Neal Austria on guitar/keyboards), who held the release party for their latest CD Everyone (Fighting Arbolagon Records) at the club on March 3, 2001, may be the latest addition to that list. The band has made their mark playing packed houses on the college circuit, and has successfully built a devoted following. The foursome returns to The Stone Pony on Friday, August 10th, along with Michael Franti & Spearhead and Derive. The newsletter was able to get the following thoughts from the band about the college music scene and their career so far:
The Stone Pony: Casual Blue has gained a large and
loyal following on the college circuit in the tri-state area. At one
time, college radio seemed to be driving the music scene, with bands like
R.E.M. and U2 almost defining the industry. These days, it seems that
the college scene is very disjointed from the mainstream. It is still
possible to achieve national exposure through the college scene?
Casual Blue: We feel it is still possible, yet a lot harder than it used to
be. The college scene is good for musicians because college students
have the tools necessary to take risks on relatively unknown bands.
For instance, they can easily get on their fast Internet connections and
listen to a band that is going to play in their area. That's why you
see certain bands reach widespread success with relatively little MTV or radio exposure. While
it seems that college "radio" is not the force that it once was,
we do feel that the overall college scene is THE premier source of exposure.
In our experience, the degree to which college radio falls into or away from
the mainstream really depends more on the specific college station and
geographic region. Plain and simple it's tough to generalize about
college radio. However, colleges, without a doubt, are the best place
to make fans because you can reach them at a more personal level while at
their school. Most students attend for 4 years at a minimum and a
college campus can carry a buzz about a band like no other media out there.
The Stone Pony: Casual Blue has been playing together since 1996.
Talk about how the members of the group met and how the band was put
together.
CB: Mark, Brian and Neal have been friends since middle
school and have played in various incarnations of what would eventually
become Casual Blue. During the last summer before they started
college, they decided to record a demo just for fun. At this point,
they needed a studio and a drummer. That's where Chris came in.
He had both. Chris filled in as the studio drummer for that recording
and his style totally completed the sound. After the sessions were
over, he offered to play some shows with the band. It was that spark
of interest from Chris that convinced everyone that maybe this is something we should pursue.
If not for Chris's belief in the band's music; Mark, Brian and Neal probably
would have parted ways once college started.
The Stone Pony: You've described your sound as a "pop-rock band with
folk influences". Who are some of your musical influences and
which artists have had an effect on your music?
CB: The influences in the band vary greatly among members. Everyone has been exposed to many styles of music growing up and have pretty extensive backgrounds in music. As a whole, our influences range from classical music, to singer songwriters like James Taylor and Duncan Sheik, to bands like U2, Tonic, Weezer and Radiohead. There are so many more for each one of us which is really inspiring during the writing process. When the band first started a lot of the songs were very acoustic-folk oriented. As our sound has grown and matured today we have developed more of the rock edge. During the writing process a lot of songs start by being written on the acoustic guitar before being brought over to a full band level, which is where some of the folk influence still comes from.
The Stone Pony: You have made your reputation by
playing a number of intimate venues
and filling them with loyal fans that love your music. How difficult
it is to keep a personal relationship with your fans, especially those that
were with you at the very beginning, as you become more successful?
CB: As the shows have gotten bigger, it definitely has
become harder keep a personal relationship with fans. We don't get to
meet and greet every single one of them like we used to do. We do our
best but it is getting harder and harder. The fans mean a lot to this
band and always will. We will always do our best at every show to meet
and greet as many as
possible, but it is getting harder. But mostly that's because by the
time we pack up all our gear, the fans have gone home. :) So stick
around CB Fans so we can say hi to you!
The Stone Pony: In March 2001, you released your first full-length album,
"Everyone". How has the album been received and how would
you describe it to fans who are not familiar with your music?
CB: So far the reviews and response for the new record have been great.
A general consensus we've heard from people who've listened to
"Everyone" is that once you put it in your CD player, it stays
there.
The Stone Pony: You have done extensive promotion of your music over the
Internet, with your own web site and via sites such as mp3.com and
cdbaby.com. How does the Internet change the way that a band builds a
fan base and how do you feel about the debate regarding the sharing and
distribution of digital music?
CB: The internet has been great for us. It is very effective in the fact that millions of people can be exposed to your music that never would have had the chance to hear it otherwise. It's all about self-promoting and just getting it out there. The best way to make true fans is to play in front of them, but when people are buying your CD who live in Turkey and Wisconsin, getting there is much easier with the Internet. However, it does become problematic when music is traded freely without the permission of musicians. It's this loss of control that we feel the music industry is concerned about.
The Stone Pony: What are your impressions of the current New Jersey music scene? Have you seen interest in the scene from any of the major record labels or the potential for national exposure to develop?
CB: The NJ music scene is definitely all over the place. Either you're one specific genre who has a cool scene happening or you're a cover band. There are certain genres of underground music that are big here for original bands and in those genres certain bands have had lots of success building a following. However, for growing bands laying down straight forward, original rock, there really is no scene unless you make one yourself, which we have done a pretty good job of doing. Now that we have been playing around Jersey for a few years with a steady following, label interest has sparked up and bigger and better things nationwide as well. We have been doing more out-of-state tours of colleges and clubs and it has been going well for us.
The Stone Pony: The band has referred to The Stone Pony as a home base for them. Can you talk a little about your impressions about the club or some of your past performances there?
CB: In the club scene, The Stone Pony has been pretty much our place to always come back to in Jersey and feel very welcome. It has a great sound and vibe and we always feel comfortable there. Kyle, who books at the Pony, has been very supportive of us through the years and we love doing work with him. Our last show at the Pony was great because it was our CD release party in March. We had the night to ourselves and it was a blast! Totally a great way to kick off the new record.
The newsletter thanks Chris Badami for his time and assistance in preparing this article. For more information about Casual Blue, including song samples, visit their web site at www.casualblue.com.
Rent the Pony for your event! Call (732) 502-0600 and press option 9.
Gary U.S. Bonds should feel very much at home when he returns to The Stone Pony on Saturday, August 11th. His last two appearances, with his band The House Rockers and back-up singers Pink Champagne (which includes his wife and daughter - a very talented family) where rocking and lively affairs where he enjoyed a great interaction with the crowd, who in turn showed a lot of energy and appreciation for this fiery performer. Bond's rich history as a songwriter and performer dates from 1960's hits such as "New Orleans" and "Quarter to Three" (he even headlined for the Beatles while in Europe), to 1980's productions such as "This Little Girl is Mine" and "Out of Work" - both which have been great crowd-pleasers at Pony appearances. Bonds has created quite a history with The Stone Pony recently, including the recording of his latest album, King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Gary U.S. Bonds (King Biscuit Flower Hour), at the club on November 25, 2000. If past history is any indication, no one will want to miss the opportunity to see Gary U.S. Bonds light up the Pony stage one more time. For more information about Gary U.S. Bonds, including a discography and a link to purchase a special double CD of his live show recorded at The Stone Pony, visit his web site at www.garyusbonds.com.
The Stone Pony would like to extend our sympathies to the family of Jeff Burstein, who was tragically killed in an auto accident last week. Jeff was a star athlete at Toms River High School South in both baseball and soccer. A star pitcher and third baseman, he threw a classic 1-0 no-hit game in 1994, and set a single-season earned run average record (0.52), giving up only 48 hits in 108 1/3 innings. As a goalie, he posted 20 career shutouts and a mere 1.04 goals-against average. He received numerous honors in both sports, and continued to play both at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire. Recently, he had returned to Toms River High School South as a teacher and coach, where he quickly earned a reputation for his work with a new generation of students and athletes. Toms River Regional Superintendent of Schools Michael J. Ritacco said of Burstein, "Jeff is what we try and teach our kids to be." Once again, our sympathies to his family and friends.
