FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
1. SOUND CHECK
2. A SPECIAL Q&A WITH CLARENCE CLEMONS
3. AS SEEN ON TV ... FLICKERSTICK
4. HELP SAVE ASBURY LANDMARKS, TILLIE AND THE PALACE
5. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Sunrise on the beach is a beautiful thing. These days, the sunrises along the beaches of Asbury Park are a little more so. A few weeks ago, a memorandum of understanding was signed that should lead the way for the long-awaited redevelopment of the Asbury Park waterfront area. The members of the city council, the new owners and developers of the properties, and other members of the community are working hard to bring a final, and positive, resolution to this long and difficult process. While the journey is far from over, all involved with this city are hoping that this is the beginning of great things to come. For more information on the agreement and the unfolding events, check out the web sites of the Asbury Park Press (www.app.com) and asburypark.net.
April 18, 2001 may be the date that marks the beginning of this new era for Asbury Park, and served as an unofficial celebration of recent events. At the Clearwater Festival in Asbury Park, Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance, playing a 30-minute set and talking about his appearance as being a kick-off for the city's revitalization. But, it was just the beginning ...
Later that evening, Nils Lofgren played a rocking set on the outdoor stage behind The Stone Pony. Before Nils took the stage, a few lucky fans in one corner of the yard were amazed to see the Boss himself get out of his car and walk towards the backstage area. "Bruuuuuce! Bruuuuuce!" Nils took the stage to a wonderful crowd reaction and lived up to all expectations for this long-awaited appearance. The West Orange, NJ native spoke with the crowd about his entire family being in attendance, "for the first time in the history of rock and roll, every single one of them bought a ticket!", and his affection for the club -- where he first met his wife. Nils not only sang and entertained the crowd, but lit up his guitar with licks and solos ranging from head-on rockers to some great slide guitar work. As Nils was working up the crowd over 90-minutes, an additional buzz went up as Bruce returned to the backstage area and started speaking with some of the crowd there, watching Nils and his talented band perform. Nils finished his set and thanked the packed crowd. The stage went dark for a few moments. When it lit again, Nils and band returned, with a friend in tow, and the Boss took to the stage with his guitar and looked like he was having the time of his life. Lofgren and Springsteen played, sang and rocked the stage for several songs, trading solos and playing around like old friends jamming around and letting a few thousand people in on the fun. But, the night wasn't over yet ...
After Nils was done, John Eddie and his band took the stage inside the club for two more sets. JE was quick to thank "the opening act" and expressed his hope that Nils' guest would be able to making something of himself, since he's been plugging away for so many years. The crowd was hot and tired after a long day in the hazy summer heat, but that didn't stop the place from jumping along with John and his band (one of the most entertaining and talented around ... don't miss their next appearance!) as they went through their most popular tunes. John even managed to express his apologizes, through an innocent smirk, about name-checking Mr. Springsteen in his club favorite, "F*cking Forty". Towards the end of the first set, a quick-paced and memorable fifty-minute burner, Bruce jumped on stage, grabbed John and the two finished off the show with "Suspicious Minds", sharing the microphone and absolutely making sure that the crowd would never forget that evening. Most of them had started their day off at Clearwater in the open fields, and ended their day after 1 am in the comfortable smoky confines of the Pony, spending time with great musicians and great fans ... celebrating the city, it's most famous icon and rock and roll music.
Here's to a wonderful day ... and hopefully many, many more to follow.
Rent the Pony for your event! Call (732) 502-0600 and press option 9.
HAVE YOUR TICKETS YET? THE BIG MAN'S COMING TO TOWN FOR FOUR SHOWS!
This one's gonna be big. A big show (four actually!), a big recording and the Big Man. Often called the most popular member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Clarence Clemons is one of the most recognizable figures in rock music. On September 1st and 2nd, he'll be playing four shows at The Stone Pony (two each day), in what will surely be a historic and memorable weekend. Any doubts that it'll be big? Just ask the fans that were camped outside of the club waiting to purchase tickets the night before they went on sale at the Pony's box office. Or, even better, just ask Mr. Clemons himself ... something that the newsletter was fortunate enough to be able to do in a recent interview:
The Stone Pony: What exactly can fans expect to see and hear during your performances at The Stone Pony on September 1st and 2nd. What can you tell us about the songs on the live album that you will be recording during those shows?
Clarence Clemons: The shows at the Stone
Pony will be a combination of material that the
fans are familiar with to some new stuff that's reflecting my musical
direction today. Although the song list is not set in stone, I'm
hoping each show will be a 90-minute musical journey that they won't soon
forget.
The Stone Pony: You are going to have a twelve-piece band supporting your performances in September. Who are the musicians that will be playing with you on the album?
CC: Here are a list of the twelve players in my band and their instruments:
Myself - Sax, Percussion, Vocals
Billy Livesay - Guitar, Vocals
Randi Fishenfeld - Violin, Vocals
John Colby - Keyboards, Vocals
Paul Pettitt - Keyboards, Vocals
Steve Argy - Bass, Vocals
Keith Cronin - Drums
Tomas Diaz - Percussion, Vocals
Crispin Cioe - Alto Sax
Bob Funk - Trombone
Larry Etkin - Trumpet
Arno Hecht - Baritone Sax
The core of my band has been the same for the last 4 years. The
newest additions to the lineup are: the percussion player Tomas, whose
strong Latin influences and flavor are distinctive, the 4 horn players,
that have enabled me to extend our musical reach to some brand new
territories and, last but not least, John Colby who has become a very
closely-linked musical ally for me. I met John when the band and I
did the ESPY awards in February of this year and it just clicked.
The Stone Pony: How did plans for a live album come together?
Once the recording is complete, where and how will the album be produced?
CC: While in the studio writing new
material it became increasingly apparent to me that there were some songs
that we were writing that lend themselves more to a live feel and others
better suited to a studio recording. So hence, the idea of doing a
double with a live and studio CD. The live CD is being engineered
and mixed by Toby Scott, who did the "Live in NY" CD. He's
been nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the HBO special. Both
CD's will be co-produced by John Colby and myself.
The Stone Pony: Any final thoughts for our fans about returning to New Jersey
and The Stone Pony for these historic performances?
CC: I am so looking forward to this, let's rock and roll!
So are we! More information can be found on Clarence
Clemons' official web site, www.clarenceclemons.com.
The Stone Pony Cafe: Good food and drink from 11:30 am daily!
Once called the "best unsigned band in America", Dallas/Ft. Worth-based Flickerstick will have to say goodbye to that accolade since the five-piece rock band is celebrating their recent signing by Epic Records. Flickerstick was involved in a bidding war between several labels after winning VH1's "Bands on the Run" contest - a reality television show that highlighted four bands as they toured the country building an audience and competing against each other in ticket and merchandise sales for a series of prizes. Formed in 1997, the band has built a loyal local following into national interest in their music that will hopefully form the basis of a successful national career. Epic plans to re-issue the band's August 2000 release Welcoming Home The Astronauts, with the addition of the VH1 video hit "Smile". The band also won VH1's online competition, voted upon by fans of the show, and continues to tour extensively. Now, fans at The Stone Pony with have their chance to see what the buzz is about, and if the best band won, when Flickerstick headlines at the club on Wednesday, September 12. More information about the band, including downloadable song samples, can be found on their official web site, www.flickerstick.com. Details about VH1's "Bands on the Run" can be found on that channel's web site at www.vh1.com/insidevh1/shows/bandsontherun.
30 Odd Foot of Grunts August 30th show is SOLD OUT!
Perhaps you've seen it while driving towards the club down Asbury Avenue, on your right when you catch your first view of Ocean Avenue ahead. Even if you've never seen the beaches of Asbury Park, you might be familiar with that neon image often associated with Bruce Springsteen, from the famous 1970s publicity photo, to tour t-shirts and the book of lyrics for the CD box set Tracks. Tillie is the name given to the fun faces painted on the side of The Palace, the Asbury Park landmark that traces its roots back to the later part of the 19th-century. Over the years, the image of the neon-lined clown has become an icon of the history, and the musical lineage, of Asbury Park and has been added to the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places. Over the past several years, as the fate of The Palace has been in question, supporters have fought to save the icon from the wrecking ball and have been successful in keeping it alive thus far. With the recent events that should lead to a renewed development of the Asbury waterfront, a final decision regarding the fate of The Palace, and it's painted figures, could be made before the end of August. Save Tillie has stressed the importance of The Palace as a link to Asbury's past, and a vital landmark to build around as the new era of the area begins. Music fans who have become so familiar with Tillie, and with the famous musicians that have immortalized this area, are being asked to help by showing their support. For more information about the Save Tillie campaign, including photographs, visit: www.savetillie.com. If you would like to express your support for the Save Tillie campaign, stick Born to Run in the CD player, visit www.magicbus.com/savetillie/, and spend five minutes filling out a form that will send an e-mail of support for The Palace to its new owner. Help to ensure that the historic past of Asbury Park will be preserved and restored, as the city prepares to embark on a bright new future.
Click here to view the Steve Breen editorial cartoon featuring Tillie and The Stone Pony, which originally appeared in the Asbury Park Press in 1998. The Pony is now alive and well ... will The Palace be next?
Thanks to Save Tillie for providing this cartoon to the newsletter and their cooperation with this article.
For news and information about Asbury Park, New Jersey, visit asburypark.net
Bounce Thursdays! The shore's coolest dance party, hosted by DJ Matrix. Doors at 9, 18 & up for everyone with two forms of ID, ladies free until 11, 21 to drink. VIPs and guests lists by PURE Promo.
