Greetings From Asbury Park!
Why hello, and welcome to TVD Asbury Park! This is Angie Sugrim, your resident Punk-Rock-West-Indian-Wide-Eyed-Cheshire-Cat-Smiled-Frontwoman-journalist extraordinare, and I’m here to bring the sparkle of the Alternative Rock jewel that is Asbury Park to you lovely folks on the other side of the screen.
When I’m not breaking strings on my guitar or falling off of my skateboard, you can usually find me carousing around with my fellow AP roustabouts—the artists and musicians that have been quietly building their own brand of reality in our fair city. To those of you who may be skeptical of the indie rock cred of our City By The Sea as of late, I say don’t you worry about a thing. I’ve no doubt that you’ll find yourself passing out and waking up with me faster than you can say Bruce Springsteen! Want to find a Sub Pop Afghan Whigs 7” from 1990? Ever stand next to Mike Ness of Social D while he orders a cup of coffee? Maybe wave hello to Nicole Atkins as she walks to her favorite record store? Or perhaps stop and chat with Pete Steinkopf of The Bouncing Souls as he rides his bike down the boardwalk? Yeah, that’s how we roll here in AP. Didn’t know that, did you?
And speaking of The Nicest Guy In Rock, The Pete, I thought I’d kick off TVD AP with a little story on The Bouncing Souls, who hit Asbury Park’s Stone Pony four nights in a row last week. Formed in 1989 in New Brunswick, NJ, these guys have lived through it all—playing to empty halls early on, having their tour van burst into flames (while they were IN it), major label romance, indie label love (the guys founded, own and operate their current label, Chunksaah) losing a member, gaining a member—all of the trials and tribulations that anyone who has ever tried their hand at being in a working rock band has been through. Managed by the extraordinarily intelligent and savvy Kate Hiltz, as in their song “Kate Is Great”, the guys have been on an upward swing for decades now.
The power punk foursome has always been and will always be fronted by the charismatic and goofy Greg Attonito. Friends and fans of Greg know the frontman is perennially equipped with an ear to ear grin. He bobs through live performances with a—well, with a bouncing stroll. Drummer Michael McDermott wails away in pristine metronome fashion, and together with the precise plugging of bassist Bryan Kienlen, he forms one half of a commanding anchor of a rhythm section that’s about as tight as it gets. And last but never least, the illustrious Mr. Pete Steinkopf always plays that guitar just like he’s a-ringin’ a bell—I’m surprised the thing doesn’t catch on fire, honestly.
After touring in Australia and New Zealand in January of this year, The Souls came back to the state where it all started for what’s turned into an annual extravaganza. For the past few years they’ve come home every Christmas to rock Asbury Park for a set of 4 nights of shows that’s affectionately come to be known as the “Home For The Holidays” run. The guys took over the Stone Pony again this year, drawing thousands of fans over the course of the week. Fans who were all perfectly content to lose their voices singing along to every single song like they had reached salvation itself; and indeed many religious experiences were had in that room, I assure you.
I’d also like to report that there was a lot of earnest crowd surfing in a crowd that was a pretty equal mix of guys and girls. Being a woman who enjoys live shows both as a fan and performer, I would like to personally commend The Souls on being female friendly, at shows and otherwise. These guys don’t have to rely on silly tricks like Beer Babes—the music stands on its own. I was right up there in the whirl of the frothing crowd, and I never once felt intimidated or threatened or forced to watch from the back for a second. (Isn’t that what real punk is truly about anyway? An ethos of respect and implicit equality and opportunity?) Plus they don’t do the groupie thing. They’re just like, you know, smarter human beings than that. I hung out with them a few nights after the show and this is what they were up to: drinking beers, eating greasy bar food and cracking jokes with their friends. Because despite 20 years of being in a band, they are completely normal people. Imagine that.
In addition to being amongst the sweetest, nicest, humblest dudes around (Axl, please pay attention, you could learn something) this intense run of shows effortlessly demonstrated that when these four brothers take the stage they are simply not to be messed with. You cannot f@$k with The Bouncing Souls, you simply cannot. I’m betting that both the band and the crowds were especially wild and sanguine this time around because this run, usually scheduled for the week between Christmas and New Years, was postponed due to a blizzard the likes of which had been previously unseen in AP. I think everyone involved was almost foaming at the mouth with anticipation when the guys finally hit The Pony last week.
By the way, that aforementioned storm in December ended up leaving The Souls trapped in the historic Berkeley hotel in Asbury (where Johnny Cash used to live) like they were in some bizarre version of The Shining. But even 10 foot snow drifts didn’t stop the guys. Nope, they grabbed some shovels, dug out the closest club, Asbury’s beloved Asbury Lanes, and played a show for all of us within walking distance. Pretty much the coolest application of DIY ethics demonstrated in all of 2010, I’m betting.
So yes, I love and am in love with The Bouncing Souls. If you like yourself some sweet punky boys or some swaggering punky tunes, these fellas have got what you need. And if you run into them, buy them a beer. If they don’t buy you one first.
XOXO
Ang
