Over the course of the year a lot has been made about the Stone Pony celebrating its 40th anniversary. While that is a huge milestone and certainly one worth celebrating, especially for a place that not that long ago seemed destined to suffer the wrecking ball, it has slightly overshadowed the fact that up the road, away from the beach on the corner of Main Street, the Saint has been spending 2014 celebrating its 20th anniversary.
While the Saint doesn’t necessarily have the history or mystique that the Stone Pony does, nor does it boast the lineup of national acts who swing through town, it’s been a home base, cultivating a local scene through the dark days when Asbury Park was almost a ghost town. Whereas the Pony’s impressive history is hanging on its walls and Asbury Lanes bursts with the red glow of a kitch-y punk rock haven, the Saint is a dark rock club. They have early and late shows. They have comedy shows, spoken word shows, and seated, no-talking performances.
November 18th is their official birthday and fittingly they are celebrating it with local favorites Chemtrail who’ve steadily gained a following since their inception in 2006, playing epic instrumentals that range from emo and metal, to stoned-out psychedelic. You can check out their latest release Your Frequencies Have Been Missed here. (Before the album came out the band posted a video to help raise funds to release it on vinyl.)
If you can’t make it out on a Tuesday, then it is worth mentioning that the calendar for the rest of the year is peppered with performances celebrating the 20th anniversary. You can check out the rest of the calendar here and purchase tickets for the 20th Anniversary Show here.
