If you are looking to move an existing business or start a new one, Asbury Park, New Jersey may be what you're looking for.
Gilman Commercial Realty LLC is marketing a 12,000 sq ft flex space - warehouse in Asbury Park. They reduced the price to $899,000 for this one of a kind space.
The building is 100x120 and a 1/2 + acre lot (150 x 150). The building located at 1411 Memorial Drive is on the corner of 6th Ave.
The building was originally built as the distribution and warehouse facility for Breyer and Castle Ice Cream Brands. Ground level drive in, interior loading dock runs length of warehouse. High ceilings, gas heat. Masonary walls and roof construction.
Do anything here. Medical, Studio, Theatre, Office, High Tech, Church, Gym, Educational, Retail, Distribution, Showroom.
A great building. A a great city.
Contact:
David Dorfman
Gilman Commercial Realty LLC
732-517-0088 office
732-539-2914 cell
Showing posts with label Asbury Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asbury Park. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Topless Bathing in Asbury Park
On July 8, the City Council of Asbury Park decided not to pursue a request to permit topless bathing on the 8th Ave - north end beaches.
The City Council listened to a report from council attorney Frederick Raffetto, who said sunbathing topless on the beach is prohibited.
There were many present at the meeting who wanted the city to concentrate more time on the cities west side and the youth vs time on issues that impact the oceanfront.
So ladies, keep those tiny bikini tops on - they're legal.
The City Council listened to a report from council attorney Frederick Raffetto, who said sunbathing topless on the beach is prohibited.
The proposal put forth by a city businesswoman was to use the north end beach - with the idea that it was "remote". To many if us it is, but families and others still use the beach.
There were many present at the meeting who wanted the city to concentrate more time on the cities west side and the youth vs time on issues that impact the oceanfront.
So ladies, keep those tiny bikini tops on - they're legal.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Cookman Ave Weekend of June 19, 20, 21
The Following Announcement is sponsored by Asburyboardwalk.com and David Dorfman, Gilman Commecial Realty.
Restaurant Plan B
705 Cookman Ave.
Asbury Park, NJ
07712
732-807-4710
June 17.2009
Dear Friends and Family:
If you are like me you are wondering where spring is. Its here, just a little hard to find. So it has not been great beach weather, but here in Asbury Park, we don't need the beach to have a thousand and one things to do.
This weekend is the Wave Gathering, a great music festival. Many of the shops and restaurants in town will have FREE live music. At Plan B we have music Friday Night, Saturday Night and Sunday for brunch. Saturday will bring a street festival to Cookman Ave.. with food and music. Entry to most of this festival is FREE.
Also FREE, is a walk through town and the boardwalk. There are so many really great shops and services. In walking around this week, I happened upon a new shop, in the SHOPS AT THE ARCADE, that I didn't know was there...a shop of drums... beautiful pieces of art. Since you can't really sit on the beach, take time to walk Bangs,Mattison,and Cookman, and see what really makes Asbury Park a great destination. Talk to all these shop keepers... some really great stories...
...
Don't forget DINNER AND A MOVIE, Thursday night. $25.00 gets you a 3 course dinner and the movie. Contact The Showroom, www.showroomap.com for tickets. Sunday evening we are hosting a GHOST HUNT and Dinner. Tickets are $50.00. Contact Paranormal Books and Curiosities for tickets and information www.paranormalbooksnj.com.
This weekend will also be the opening of La Petite Mort...A Collection of Erotica at Parlor Gallery.
Restaurant Plan B will be open for Father's Day Brunch and Dinner. Reservations are accepted.
We are continuing our best deal is town, PRIX FIXE, Tuesday - Thursday 25.00 4 course dinner.
Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday beginning at 10am.
So who needs the sun...there isn't enough time to see everything Asbury Park has to offer. And don't forget. FREE PARKING downtown and the Bangs Ave garage is open FRIDAY-SUNDAY, thanks to the generosity of some downtown businesses.
See you in town.
Jeffrey
Friday, May 22, 2009
Asbury Park Boardwalk Summer 2009
Asbury Park, New Jersey - May 22, 2009 - The Asbury Park Boardwalk is better then ever with more stores and entertainment and one of New Jersey's top beaches.
In addition to The Boardwalk, The Downtown merchants are geared up as well. Both the Boardwalk and the downtown are home to great venues and restaurants.
The newest arrivals on The Asbury Park Boardwalk are Stella Marina, offering Italian food, outdoor boardwalk dining and second floor roof deck and indoor dining. Next door is The Watermark - a unique classy yet casual bar and tapas menu - great deck and indoor couches and fireplace. Very, very nice
Joining them in the First Avenue building are Boardwalk Bagels and Subs, Shades sunglasses,Bodega Home Furnishings and Candyteria and Corazza Mid-Century Home Furnishings
Before you head north - you'll notice converted shipping containers (white buildings). They hold some of Asbury's unique shops - 2nd ave - kite store and Ralph's Italian Icees. The highlight now is the new kid Waterpark with unique giant watering cans, hoses and more pouring water down.
Moving north to the 3rd Ave building now open is the Lagosta Lounge - excellent "vacation dining" and bar along with Pops Garage (Mexican Takeout), Surf Shop. The long established Mayfair Grille with the famous boardwalk hot dogs, Posh Den offering home furnishings, and another gallery or two coming online.
Next stop is Miniature Golf. A totally brand new minigolf course right on the boardwalk. Very nicely done with water and more.
The next building is the temporary home of Madison Marquette and Asbury Partners, the lead developers of the boardwalk.
A new fastfood shop, Cuban Food and World Famous Madam Marie fortune teller booth occupy the next open space.
On 5th Ave, we have the former "bandshell building" and former Howard Johnson's. This is now The Saltwater Cafe on the the first floor and Tim McCloone's Supper Club on the second Floor.
In the same building, you can become a potter at LaPlaca Pottery or a glass blower at Hot Sands AP Glass Works. Ice Cream at Eddie Confettis Ice Cream.
You can dress sharp at Style Rocket or buy a bike At Brielle Cycles.
Go inside Convention Hall - and enjoy even more - Snack Attack for Dogs, Burgers and more, Baker Boys for Cakes and coffee, Asbury Galleria for gifts and photos. Walk out the deck of Convention Hall and relax at The Beach Bar and view the entire boardwalk beach to the south.
Enjoy Asbury Park in 2009.
In addition to The Boardwalk, The Downtown merchants are geared up as well. Both the Boardwalk and the downtown are home to great venues and restaurants.
The newest arrivals on The Asbury Park Boardwalk are Stella Marina, offering Italian food, outdoor boardwalk dining and second floor roof deck and indoor dining. Next door is The Watermark - a unique classy yet casual bar and tapas menu - great deck and indoor couches and fireplace. Very, very nice
Joining them in the First Avenue building are Boardwalk Bagels and Subs, Shades sunglasses,Bodega Home Furnishings and Candyteria and Corazza Mid-Century Home Furnishings
Before you head north - you'll notice converted shipping containers (white buildings). They hold some of Asbury's unique shops - 2nd ave - kite store and Ralph's Italian Icees. The highlight now is the new kid Waterpark with unique giant watering cans, hoses and more pouring water down.
Moving north to the 3rd Ave building now open is the Lagosta Lounge - excellent "vacation dining" and bar along with Pops Garage (Mexican Takeout), Surf Shop. The long established Mayfair Grille with the famous boardwalk hot dogs, Posh Den offering home furnishings, and another gallery or two coming online.
Next stop is Miniature Golf. A totally brand new minigolf course right on the boardwalk. Very nicely done with water and more.
The next building is the temporary home of Madison Marquette and Asbury Partners, the lead developers of the boardwalk.
A new fastfood shop, Cuban Food and World Famous Madam Marie fortune teller booth occupy the next open space.
On 5th Ave, we have the former "bandshell building" and former Howard Johnson's. This is now The Saltwater Cafe on the the first floor and Tim McCloone's Supper Club on the second Floor.
In the same building, you can become a potter at LaPlaca Pottery or a glass blower at Hot Sands AP Glass Works. Ice Cream at Eddie Confettis Ice Cream.
You can dress sharp at Style Rocket or buy a bike At Brielle Cycles.
Go inside Convention Hall - and enjoy even more - Snack Attack for Dogs, Burgers and more, Baker Boys for Cakes and coffee, Asbury Galleria for gifts and photos. Walk out the deck of Convention Hall and relax at The Beach Bar and view the entire boardwalk beach to the south.
Enjoy Asbury Park in 2009.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Linkedin.com ASBURY PARK. Join!
I started the "Asbury Park" group on Linkedin.com last week for the purpose of joining people on another level in the future growth of Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Linkedin.com enables us to create a network of people across many professions who might have an interest in, or live in Asbury Park - the City by the Sea.
How might this group play a role in Asbury Park's current and future growth?
I'm not sure yet, so let's consider this an experiment of who will join and their various skills and life experiences however it is or is not related to Asbury Park.
Maybe some members will assist the schools in a mentoring program. Maybe someone will join forces and start a new business in Asbury, move to Asbury or refer another friend or co-worker.
Let's see what happens with the Asbury Park Linkedin.com group.
Join it today.
Linkedin.com enables us to create a network of people across many professions who might have an interest in, or live in Asbury Park - the City by the Sea.
How might this group play a role in Asbury Park's current and future growth?
I'm not sure yet, so let's consider this an experiment of who will join and their various skills and life experiences however it is or is not related to Asbury Park.
Maybe some members will assist the schools in a mentoring program. Maybe someone will join forces and start a new business in Asbury, move to Asbury or refer another friend or co-worker.
Let's see what happens with the Asbury Park Linkedin.com group.
Join it today.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Hanukkah in Asbury Park
I have to say, I don't think I've really written about any restaurants in Asbury Park or Atlantic City or elsewhere in the shore area. I could, but I haven't.
But today I received an email from Restaurant Plan B on Cookman Ave in Asbury Park. They are going to have a Hanukkah Dinner on Sunday, December 21.
Dear Friends and Family,
There are lots of great things going on here in Asbury Park for the holiday season. Now is the time to come out and support these great events.Here at Plan B we have a Hanukkah Dinner Sunday, December 21 at 6pm 18.00per person (reservations suggested).
We still have openings for New Year's Eve, 75.00 per person for a 5 course dinner, and live music from Andrew Holtz. Dinner will be served from 7pm until 10:30pm. Also, don't forget we will be open New Year's Day for our great brunch. 10am - 3 pm.
Hanukkah in Asbury Park. Given that my Bar Mitzvah was at was once the Congregation Sons of Israel on Asbury Ave - seems like yesterday. A Blue polyester suit from Robert Hall and a Cantor so strict- somehow I did it. More or less, right or wrong, it was the last "real" religious experience I've had. So when I get an email from Restaurant Plan B with their holiday announcements my mouth begins to water.
I just wonder if it's as good as my mothers.
But today I received an email from Restaurant Plan B on Cookman Ave in Asbury Park. They are going to have a Hanukkah Dinner on Sunday, December 21.
Dear Friends and Family,
There are lots of great things going on here in Asbury Park for the holiday season. Now is the time to come out and support these great events.Here at Plan B we have a Hanukkah Dinner Sunday, December 21 at 6pm 18.00per person (reservations suggested).
We still have openings for New Year's Eve, 75.00 per person for a 5 course dinner, and live music from Andrew Holtz. Dinner will be served from 7pm until 10:30pm. Also, don't forget we will be open New Year's Day for our great brunch. 10am - 3 pm.
Hanukkah in Asbury Park. Given that my Bar Mitzvah was at was once the Congregation Sons of Israel on Asbury Ave - seems like yesterday. A Blue polyester suit from Robert Hall and a Cantor so strict- somehow I did it. More or less, right or wrong, it was the last "real" religious experience I've had. So when I get an email from Restaurant Plan B with their holiday announcements my mouth begins to water.
I just wonder if it's as good as my mothers.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Killbrand opens in Asbury Park -
Killbrand clothes has opened a new store in Asbury Park at 408 Emory Street. Where more fitting then in Asbury Park would one expect to find a Killbrand store? Combining the love for music, the arts and creativity - comes Killbrand Clothing.
What's more exciting is that for the grand opening, they are hosting a free show by the band Secondhand Serenade this Tuesday, December 16th. The info is as follows:
Secondhand Serenade LIVE In-Store Performance at:
The Killbrand Store
408 Emory Street
Asbury Park, NJ
8 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION
Killbrand will also be having a special holiday sale, with some shirts as low as $5!
Killbrand was started in 2000 by pop punk drummer Jonathan Smith. While on tour with Tokyo Rose, Jonny ran into a problem faced by many musicians: he ran out of clean t-shirts.
Killbrand designs have been requested by stylists from GQ Magazine, and featured in Alternative Press and Wonka Vision Magazine. Seth Green, Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Steven of Steven’s Untitled Rock Show, Nicole Richie and Ashlee and Jessica Simpson wear Killbrand. So do bands such as Second Hand Serenade, Fall Out Boy, The Used, My Chemical Romance, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, and countless others. Killbrand is currently available in Tilly’s, Virgin Megastores, and select boutiques across the USA and Europe, and on the official website http://www.killbrand.com. Also check http://www.asburyboardwalk.com soon.
Killbrand is a great addition to downtown Asbury - if you haven't already, come to Asbury Park and find out why Killbrand found the perfect home.
What's more exciting is that for the grand opening, they are hosting a free show by the band Secondhand Serenade this Tuesday, December 16th. The info is as follows:
Secondhand Serenade LIVE In-Store Performance at:
The Killbrand Store
408 Emory Street
Asbury Park, NJ
8 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION
Killbrand will also be having a special holiday sale, with some shirts as low as $5!
Killbrand was started in 2000 by pop punk drummer Jonathan Smith. While on tour with Tokyo Rose, Jonny ran into a problem faced by many musicians: he ran out of clean t-shirts.
Killbrand designs have been requested by stylists from GQ Magazine, and featured in Alternative Press and Wonka Vision Magazine. Seth Green, Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Steven of Steven’s Untitled Rock Show, Nicole Richie and Ashlee and Jessica Simpson wear Killbrand. So do bands such as Second Hand Serenade, Fall Out Boy, The Used, My Chemical Romance, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, and countless others. Killbrand is currently available in Tilly’s, Virgin Megastores, and select boutiques across the USA and Europe, and on the official website http://www.killbrand.com. Also check http://www.asburyboardwalk.com soon.
Killbrand is a great addition to downtown Asbury - if you haven't already, come to Asbury Park and find out why Killbrand found the perfect home.
Friday, November 28, 2008
The Asbury Park Holiday Boardwalk
November 28, 2008 - The Asbury Park Boardwalk month-long holiday season celebration will kick off on the boardwalk with a concert and tree-lighting ceremony.
While all the boardwalk shops are open from Tuesday through Sunday all winter, more fun can be found in the Convention Hall Arcade from Friday, Nov. 28 through Monday, Dec. 29.
Two Christmas tree lightings will take place at the same time on Sun., Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. One on the boardwalk outside Convention Hall and one on the large south balcony of the Paramount Theatre. There will also be another tree near the Casino.
This as well as the downtown merchant celebration, First Saturday and all the great restaurants are more reasons to come to Asbury Park.
More information on asburyboardwalk.com
While all the boardwalk shops are open from Tuesday through Sunday all winter, more fun can be found in the Convention Hall Arcade from Friday, Nov. 28 through Monday, Dec. 29.
Two Christmas tree lightings will take place at the same time on Sun., Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. One on the boardwalk outside Convention Hall and one on the large south balcony of the Paramount Theatre. There will also be another tree near the Casino.
This as well as the downtown merchant celebration, First Saturday and all the great restaurants are more reasons to come to Asbury Park.
More information on asburyboardwalk.com
Monday, November 17, 2008
Help on Thanksgiving Day....
November 17, 2008:
I wanted to this everyone and see who can pitch in here or with your local food bank.
This Thanksgiving, we need your help and support in serving those in need. Langosta Lounge, the newest restaurant on the Asbury Park Boardwalk, will open its doors on November 27 to provide a free Thanksgiving meal to local community members.
While theyhave an abundance of generous volunteers to help us out on Thanksgiving Day, they are still accepting donations of turkeys, hams, canned goods, boxed foods and desserts, as well as hats gloves, scarves and toiletries.
We know times are tough for everyone, but the smallest of contributions will be gratefully accepted. Last year, they served nearly 400 people on Thanksgiving Day, and this year, theyare expecting the turnout to be even greater.
To find out more about donating food and clothes to their Thanksgiving soup kitchen, please call Langosta Lounge at 732-455-3275, or Labrador Lounge at 732-830-5770. Food-drops can be scheduled at either location (Normandy Beach or Asbury Park).
Interested in volunteering? While the Thanksgiving soup kitchen is currently staffed, please let them know if you would like to help out during their Christmas Day soup kitchen - also at Langosta Lounge.
Also, see your local Food Bank.
I wanted to this everyone and see who can pitch in here or with your local food bank.
This Thanksgiving, we need your help and support in serving those in need. Langosta Lounge, the newest restaurant on the Asbury Park Boardwalk, will open its doors on November 27 to provide a free Thanksgiving meal to local community members.
While theyhave an abundance of generous volunteers to help us out on Thanksgiving Day, they are still accepting donations of turkeys, hams, canned goods, boxed foods and desserts, as well as hats gloves, scarves and toiletries.
We know times are tough for everyone, but the smallest of contributions will be gratefully accepted. Last year, they served nearly 400 people on Thanksgiving Day, and this year, theyare expecting the turnout to be even greater.
To find out more about donating food and clothes to their Thanksgiving soup kitchen, please call Langosta Lounge at 732-455-3275, or Labrador Lounge at 732-830-5770. Food-drops can be scheduled at either location (Normandy Beach or Asbury Park).
Interested in volunteering? While the Thanksgiving soup kitchen is currently staffed, please let them know if you would like to help out during their Christmas Day soup kitchen - also at Langosta Lounge.
Also, see your local Food Bank.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Boardwalk Family Fall Festival
The following announcement for Halloween Weekend on the Asbury Park Boardwalk and Downtown Asbury Park.
BOARDWALK
Starting next Sunday, Oct 26th at 11:00am, the Asbury Park Boardwalk is kicking their Fall Family Festival. Children and teens can create their own scarecrows with the guidance and help of acclaimed artist Laura Brunetti of L'Estrella Studio's Traveling Canvas.
Ms. Brunetti has been a creative force on the boardwalk all summer with her Traveling Canvas project which allows children to express themselves through art. She is now offering more fall festive fun with Scarecrow Building in the Grand Carousel (CASINO) on Asbury Avenue and the Boardwalk. All materials are supplied free of charge.
McLoone's Salt Water Beach Café is offering a Kids' Sunday Boardwalk Brunch at 12 Noon. Families can dine at McLoone's outdoor ocean view café while enjoying a special Halloween Menu created just for the day.
Finally, a free children's animated film is being presented in the newly refurbished Paramount Theatre at 2:00 pm, Wallace and Grommit -The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
The cheerful frolicking continues with Family Ghoul Night on Thursday, Oct 30th. The festivities begin with a Boardwalk Costume Parade starting outside the Grand Carousel at 4:00 pm. Costumes are available for free on a first come basis, so get there early to prepare for Trick or Treating which starts at 5:00 pm. All of the new beautiful retail shops on the boardwalk are ready to greet trick-or-treaters with Halloween sweets for all little gouls and boys. Grown-ups will enjoy shopping for themselves or for others - early Holiday shopping has never been easier.
More fabulous features on Family Ghoul Night include Hay Rides down the boardwalk starting at the Grand Carousel, find your way out of the Hay Maze on the boardwalk at Second Avenue, pick a pumpkin, artisinal cheeses or delicious baked goods at the new 'Farmers Marquette' inside the Grand Carousel.
Year-round dwellers and day-trippers alike love the specialty shops and noshing experiences that are unique in Madison Marquette's visionary style and metro flair. Experience art, music, beachfront dining, baking and crafting with marquis merchants such as The Baker Boys, Tim McLoone's Supper Club, LaPlaca Pottery works, Bodega Shoppe and many more.
Asbury Park is also historically known as an entertainment Mecca. The newly renovated Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall have recently hosted world-class performances such as Springsteen, Tony Bennett and Bob Dylan produced by LiveNation.
The historic Asbury Park Boardwalk has transformed itself into year round family destination where visitors have a most enjoyable and memorable experience for every season. Madison Marquette's schedule of Holiday celebrations will be announced soon.
DOWNTOWN
From October 24 - October 31 - many of the restaraunts downtown are having various Halloween themed nights and parties.
October 31: HALLOWEEN PARADE - The Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce is hosting Asbury Park's first ever Halloween parade. The parade kicks off at 8:30 PM at Kennedy Park on Cookman Ave. (next to Market in the Middle), moves west on Cookman Avenue to finish at Merchant's Park (corner of Cookman Ave & Main Street) Prizes for Most Original, Funniest & Scariest For more info contact Mike Evans at 732-988-6088 or email mikesbeachhouse@optonline.net
CONTESTS AND MORE AT THE BIGGEST PARTY AT THE SHORE
Mattison park and paranormal books and curiosities are proud to be hosting our city's first annual Halloween block party on October 31st. cash and prizes totaling over $5000. Dust off those wigs and over-the-top costumes; it's time to celebrate the scariest of holidays.Halloween. Join us in Asbury park for the hottest block party in New Jersey.
Gates open at 6pm and main stage shows begin at 7pm. 21 and up only. The entry fee is $15 Advance or $20 at the gate. Advance tickets can be purchased at Mattison Park or Paranormal Books & Curiosities. Portion's will be donated to "the Center of Asbury Park and Asbury Park Chamber of commerce special events committee. Recently given Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame and Induction into The Native American Music Hall of Fame! Our host for the evening will be Felipe rose from "the village people" Food tents will be available and Restaurants participating are Mattison park, Taka, Isabella's, plan b, munch, and wish you were here. Non-profit tents participating are The Center of Asbury Park, garden state equality, Ocean grove united, jersey shore q spot, and the vna of Asbury park. Our main stage show schedule consists of "Cavalcade of the odd" Creep show freak show in Asbury park. Side show hosted by the one and only from Conney Island Donny vomit. This will be a 4 person freak show/sideshow with most extreme and bizarre acts of the unthinkable. Dancers inc. from neptune will also be performing dances and an audience participation of the "thriller dance" dj will be performing in-between sets. $5000 in cash and Prizes will be awarded for these great contests. You are invited to enter any or all of them including: . Pet contest: first place will win $50 CASH along with fabulous prizes totaling over $150; second and third place prizes will be awarded. Pet contests begins at 8:00pm . Pet/owner look-a-like: first place will win $50 cash along with fabulous prizes totaling over $150; second and third place prizes will be awarded. . Body art: first place will win $50 cash along with fabulous prizes totaling over $250; second and third place prizes will be awarded. Contest begins at 8:45pm . Celebrity look-a-like: first place will win $250 cash along with fabulous prizes totaling over $500; second and third place prizes will be awarded. Contest begins at 9:15pm . "drag IN THE DOWNTOWN" WALK OFF CONTEST: FIRST PLACE WILL WIN $250 CASH along with fabulous prizes totaling over $500; second and third place prizes will be awarded. Contestants MUST BE LINED UP FOR THE WALK BY 9:45PM .
SCARIEST COSTUME: First place will win $500 cash along with fabulous prizes; second and third place prizes will be awarded the final two contests will begin at 11:30 . Best overall: first place will win $1000 cash along with fabulous prizes; second and third place prizes will be awarded.
Pre-sale tickets are available at Mattison Park and paranormal books and curiosities located in Asbury park. Press contacts Aaron d. Coleman 732.677.6027 cell MATTISON PARK events manager 649 MATTISON AVENUE ASBURY PARK, NJ acoleman@MATTISONPARK.COM 732.807.3435 649 MATTISON AVENUE ASBURY PARK, NJ 07712 www.mattisonpark.com
BOARDWALK
Starting next Sunday, Oct 26th at 11:00am, the Asbury Park Boardwalk is kicking their Fall Family Festival. Children and teens can create their own scarecrows with the guidance and help of acclaimed artist Laura Brunetti of L'Estrella Studio's Traveling Canvas.
Ms. Brunetti has been a creative force on the boardwalk all summer with her Traveling Canvas project which allows children to express themselves through art. She is now offering more fall festive fun with Scarecrow Building in the Grand Carousel (CASINO) on Asbury Avenue and the Boardwalk. All materials are supplied free of charge.
McLoone's Salt Water Beach Café is offering a Kids' Sunday Boardwalk Brunch at 12 Noon. Families can dine at McLoone's outdoor ocean view café while enjoying a special Halloween Menu created just for the day.
Finally, a free children's animated film is being presented in the newly refurbished Paramount Theatre at 2:00 pm, Wallace and Grommit -The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
The cheerful frolicking continues with Family Ghoul Night on Thursday, Oct 30th. The festivities begin with a Boardwalk Costume Parade starting outside the Grand Carousel at 4:00 pm. Costumes are available for free on a first come basis, so get there early to prepare for Trick or Treating which starts at 5:00 pm. All of the new beautiful retail shops on the boardwalk are ready to greet trick-or-treaters with Halloween sweets for all little gouls and boys. Grown-ups will enjoy shopping for themselves or for others - early Holiday shopping has never been easier.
More fabulous features on Family Ghoul Night include Hay Rides down the boardwalk starting at the Grand Carousel, find your way out of the Hay Maze on the boardwalk at Second Avenue, pick a pumpkin, artisinal cheeses or delicious baked goods at the new 'Farmers Marquette' inside the Grand Carousel.
Year-round dwellers and day-trippers alike love the specialty shops and noshing experiences that are unique in Madison Marquette's visionary style and metro flair. Experience art, music, beachfront dining, baking and crafting with marquis merchants such as The Baker Boys, Tim McLoone's Supper Club, LaPlaca Pottery works, Bodega Shoppe and many more.
Asbury Park is also historically known as an entertainment Mecca. The newly renovated Paramount Theatre and Convention Hall have recently hosted world-class performances such as Springsteen, Tony Bennett and Bob Dylan produced by LiveNation.
The historic Asbury Park Boardwalk has transformed itself into year round family destination where visitors have a most enjoyable and memorable experience for every season. Madison Marquette's schedule of Holiday celebrations will be announced soon.
DOWNTOWN
From October 24 - October 31 - many of the restaraunts downtown are having various Halloween themed nights and parties.
October 31: HALLOWEEN PARADE - The Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce is hosting Asbury Park's first ever Halloween parade. The parade kicks off at 8:30 PM at Kennedy Park on Cookman Ave. (next to Market in the Middle), moves west on Cookman Avenue to finish at Merchant's Park (corner of Cookman Ave & Main Street) Prizes for Most Original, Funniest & Scariest For more info contact Mike Evans at 732-988-6088 or email mikesbeachhouse@optonline.net
CONTESTS AND MORE AT THE BIGGEST PARTY AT THE SHORE
Mattison park and paranormal books and curiosities are proud to be hosting our city's first annual Halloween block party on October 31st. cash and prizes totaling over $5000. Dust off those wigs and over-the-top costumes; it's time to celebrate the scariest of holidays.Halloween. Join us in Asbury park for the hottest block party in New Jersey.
Gates open at 6pm and main stage shows begin at 7pm. 21 and up only. The entry fee is $15 Advance or $20 at the gate. Advance tickets can be purchased at Mattison Park or Paranormal Books & Curiosities. Portion's will be donated to "the Center of Asbury Park and Asbury Park Chamber of commerce special events committee. Recently given Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame and Induction into The Native American Music Hall of Fame! Our host for the evening will be Felipe rose from "the village people" Food tents will be available and Restaurants participating are Mattison park, Taka, Isabella's, plan b, munch, and wish you were here. Non-profit tents participating are The Center of Asbury Park, garden state equality, Ocean grove united, jersey shore q spot, and the vna of Asbury park. Our main stage show schedule consists of "Cavalcade of the odd" Creep show freak show in Asbury park. Side show hosted by the one and only from Conney Island Donny vomit. This will be a 4 person freak show/sideshow with most extreme and bizarre acts of the unthinkable. Dancers inc. from neptune will also be performing dances and an audience participation of the "thriller dance" dj will be performing in-between sets. $5000 in cash and Prizes will be awarded for these great contests. You are invited to enter any or all of them including: . Pet contest: first place will win $50 CASH along with fabulous prizes totaling over $150; second and third place prizes will be awarded. Pet contests begins at 8:00pm . Pet/owner look-a-like: first place will win $50 cash along with fabulous prizes totaling over $150; second and third place prizes will be awarded. . Body art: first place will win $50 cash along with fabulous prizes totaling over $250; second and third place prizes will be awarded. Contest begins at 8:45pm . Celebrity look-a-like: first place will win $250 cash along with fabulous prizes totaling over $500; second and third place prizes will be awarded. Contest begins at 9:15pm . "drag IN THE DOWNTOWN" WALK OFF CONTEST: FIRST PLACE WILL WIN $250 CASH along with fabulous prizes totaling over $500; second and third place prizes will be awarded. Contestants MUST BE LINED UP FOR THE WALK BY 9:45PM .
SCARIEST COSTUME: First place will win $500 cash along with fabulous prizes; second and third place prizes will be awarded the final two contests will begin at 11:30 . Best overall: first place will win $1000 cash along with fabulous prizes; second and third place prizes will be awarded.
Pre-sale tickets are available at Mattison Park and paranormal books and curiosities located in Asbury park. Press contacts Aaron d. Coleman 732.677.6027 cell MATTISON PARK events manager 649 MATTISON AVENUE ASBURY PARK, NJ acoleman@MATTISONPARK.COM 732.807.3435 649 MATTISON AVENUE ASBURY PARK, NJ 07712 www.mattisonpark.com
Friday, October 17, 2008
MEAT LOAF DECEMBER 5 ASBURY PARK
The legendary MEAT LOAF comes into Asbury Park on December 5 for a show at The Pararmount Theatre on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.
Tickets are available at http://www.asburyboardwalk.com/events.htm
This should be great show.
Come and see the new Asbury Park.
Tickets are available at http://www.asburyboardwalk.com/events.htm
This should be great show.
Come and see the new Asbury Park.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Guinness Oyster Festival is Back, Bigger and Better than Ever...
The event is scheduled for September 14th, 12-6pm, in Downtown Asbury Park on Cookman Avenue and vicinity.
It will be a huge food and music festival. This Huge Street Festival showcases Asbury Park's excellent restaurants as well as entertain thousands with a mix of Irish music, jazz and rock and roll.
It will also be a family friendly event with entertainment for kids as well. Headlining is the famous IRISH ROCK BAND BLACK 47. Musical entertainment for the younger set will be provided by SIX FLAGS!
Other fantastic bands include Joe Hurley and the Gents, Deni Bonet, deSoL, Mayors Players and the Monmouth County Police & Fire Pipes & Drums.
Entry is free Food and drink tickets can be purchased for pints of Guinness and to partake in over 72 succulent specialties created by 18 of Asbury Park's most popular restaurants. Participating restaurants will be serving festival style from tented areas throughout downtown Asbury. In addition to freshly shucked oysters there will be all types of delicious food!
Come to Asbury Park. It's new. It's exciting. Come see why.....
See what else is happening in Asbury Park at http://www.asburyboardalk.com/events.htm
It will be a huge food and music festival. This Huge Street Festival showcases Asbury Park's excellent restaurants as well as entertain thousands with a mix of Irish music, jazz and rock and roll.
It will also be a family friendly event with entertainment for kids as well. Headlining is the famous IRISH ROCK BAND BLACK 47. Musical entertainment for the younger set will be provided by SIX FLAGS!
Other fantastic bands include Joe Hurley and the Gents, Deni Bonet, deSoL, Mayors Players and the Monmouth County Police & Fire Pipes & Drums.
Entry is free Food and drink tickets can be purchased for pints of Guinness and to partake in over 72 succulent specialties created by 18 of Asbury Park's most popular restaurants. Participating restaurants will be serving festival style from tented areas throughout downtown Asbury. In addition to freshly shucked oysters there will be all types of delicious food!
Come to Asbury Park. It's new. It's exciting. Come see why.....
See what else is happening in Asbury Park at http://www.asburyboardalk.com/events.htm
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Asbury Park Parking Meters / Pay Stations
I probably should of written about Asbury Park's new Parking Meters that have been installed. They are not actually parking meters - but central "pay stations". They're actaully quite simple, once you realize you have to pay to park in the areas near the boardwalk.
If you park in a numbered space - jot it down or memorize it. Then as you walk toward the boardwalk or along Kinglsey Ave , you'll see the PAY STATIONS.
You can pay by credit card, bills or coins. Just enter in your space number, and press the button to increment how long you plan on parking there, then either swipe a credit card or insert your money. Press the GREEN Button to get a receipt which you should retain. It has your space number (make sure its correct) and the time you have before you have to replenish or move on.
What's really nice is that you can replenish from ANY pay station - not just the one you originally used.
More importantly - to go along with one of the CHEAPEST seasonal beach badges, the parking is about as cheap as you'll find in any resort town. As of today (September 9, 2008), the rate is .50 per hour. Not bad. I think it should be $1.00 hour. That's still cheap for a resort area and if you're willing to walk 2 blocks, you can probably find FREE street parking.
You can also drive around a bit. The redeveloper has several nice paved lots that are, for now, free. But that will change.
So don't forget to pay when you park in a numbered space.
If you park in a numbered space - jot it down or memorize it. Then as you walk toward the boardwalk or along Kinglsey Ave , you'll see the PAY STATIONS.
You can pay by credit card, bills or coins. Just enter in your space number, and press the button to increment how long you plan on parking there, then either swipe a credit card or insert your money. Press the GREEN Button to get a receipt which you should retain. It has your space number (make sure its correct) and the time you have before you have to replenish or move on.
What's really nice is that you can replenish from ANY pay station - not just the one you originally used.
More importantly - to go along with one of the CHEAPEST seasonal beach badges, the parking is about as cheap as you'll find in any resort town. As of today (September 9, 2008), the rate is .50 per hour. Not bad. I think it should be $1.00 hour. That's still cheap for a resort area and if you're willing to walk 2 blocks, you can probably find FREE street parking.
You can also drive around a bit. The redeveloper has several nice paved lots that are, for now, free. But that will change.
So don't forget to pay when you park in a numbered space.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Book Launch Party at Wonder Bar - Local Heroes: The Asbury Park Music Scene
Wednesday Night - July 30 there will be a book launch party for "Local Heroes: The Asbury Park Music Scene".
Doors open at 5 pm. Tickets are $15.00 at the door. The schedule:
- 7 pm introduction by the authors
- 7:30 pm the music begins with:
- Lance Larson, Matt O'Reef Band, Days Awake, Vini Lopez and the Steel Mill Band, Sonny Kenn.
As the night rolls on, there will be jam session with all the musicians and whomever else jumps in. This will no doubt be an interesting night at the Wonder Bar and in Asbury Park.
Don't miss it.
Doors open at 5 pm. Tickets are $15.00 at the door. The schedule:
- 7 pm introduction by the authors
- 7:30 pm the music begins with:
- Lance Larson, Matt O'Reef Band, Days Awake, Vini Lopez and the Steel Mill Band, Sonny Kenn.
As the night rolls on, there will be jam session with all the musicians and whomever else jumps in. This will no doubt be an interesting night at the Wonder Bar and in Asbury Park.
Don't miss it.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Jersey Shore Roller Girls - July 12
Asbury Park -
The Jersey Shore Roller Girls will offer up some roller derby mayhem in a full-length bout Saturday July 12 at Asbury Park's Convention Hall.
Two of the league's teams will battle, as local women from the Right Coast Rollers defend their undefeated status against the Anchor Assasins, a team making its incredible, can't-miss roller derby debut skating that evening.
In addition to a night of fierce jams and blocks, the event features a performance by the band Wicker Hollow.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in advance at www.jerseyshoreroll ergirls.net for $15, as well as at the door for $20. Children under 12 get in free.
Adults 21 and over to drink.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 12, with the whistle blowing at 8 p.m.
For more information, please visit www.jerseyshorerollergirls.net
The Jersey Shore Roller Girls will offer up some roller derby mayhem in a full-length bout Saturday July 12 at Asbury Park's Convention Hall.
Two of the league's teams will battle, as local women from the Right Coast Rollers defend their undefeated status against the Anchor Assasins, a team making its incredible, can't-miss roller derby debut skating that evening.
In addition to a night of fierce jams and blocks, the event features a performance by the band Wicker Hollow.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in advance at www.jerseyshoreroll ergirls.net for $15, as well as at the door for $20. Children under 12 get in free.
Adults 21 and over to drink.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 12, with the whistle blowing at 8 p.m.
For more information, please visit www.jerseyshorerollergirls.net
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
PHOTO EXHIBITION - John Cavanaugh announces Rocktography
July 2, 2008 - NEW PHOTO EXHIBITION IN ASBURY PARK!
Concert photographer John Cavanaugh announces Rocktography, a new photo exhibition featuring a vast sampling of Cavanaugh’s concert photography from the past 18 years accompanied by The Asbury Park Music Storytellers Series highlighting some of the community's most prominent independent singer/songwriters.
Named for Cavanaugh’s online gallery, Rocktography.info, the exhibition will run from July 3rd through September 2008 on the Asbury Park Boardwalk at Asbury Galleria, 1000 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Rocktography Photo Exhibit Asbury Galleria, 1000 Ocean Ave.Asbury Park Boardwalk
Grand Opening July 3, 2008 - 10am until close.
Southside Johnny to appear July 3 at 3 pm.
Concert photographer John Cavanaugh announces Rocktography, a new photo exhibition featuring a vast sampling of Cavanaugh’s concert photography from the past 18 years accompanied by The Asbury Park Music Storytellers Series highlighting some of the community's most prominent independent singer/songwriters.
Named for Cavanaugh’s online gallery, Rocktography.info, the exhibition will run from July 3rd through September 2008 on the Asbury Park Boardwalk at Asbury Galleria, 1000 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Rocktography Photo Exhibit Asbury Galleria, 1000 Ocean Ave.Asbury Park Boardwalk
Grand Opening July 3, 2008 - 10am until close.
Southside Johnny to appear July 3 at 3 pm.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Madam Marie Dies.
July 1, 2008 - (as reported in the Asbury Park Press along with our own memories) - It was one line from a Bruce Springsteen song that made the boardwalk fortune teller world famous.
And now, "Madam Marie'' has passed away.
Marie Castello, who had told fortunes since the 1930s and became famous for her presence and predictions on the Asbury Park boardwalk, died Friday, her great-granddaughter, Sally Castello said today.
Family members were attending morning services today, Castello said.
The psychic reader and advisor was 93. She became known worldwide from Bruce Springsteen's homage to her in his music."Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie,'' Springsteen sang in his 1973 song, "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)'' "for tellin' fortunes better than they do."
"That was just the Boss,'' said Asbury Park Deputy Mayor Jim Bruno. "She was never arrested. But Springsteen turned her into an icon.''Bruno remembers his own run-in with the psychic."I was a 12-year-old kid,'' he said. "And I don't remember what I was doing, but I remember her chasing me away from her shack.
Her death is a real loss.''It was also somewhat unexpected.''She really wasn't sick. She just wasn't feeling well,'' Castello said. ""She was very, very strong until the day she died.''Madam Marie bragged that she had told the fortunes of everyone from Judy Garland to Springsteen himself. Legend has it that she told Springsteen he was going to be a success. Springsteen later joked that she told all the musicians that.
And Springsteen never forgot Madam Marie."He always comes by to say hello," she told Press columnist Bill Handleman in May. "He knows where he came from."
Marie Castello closed down her regular operations on the boardwalk in the mid-1990s after a dropoff in business. She continued telling fortunes in Ocean Township.
But Sally Castello is one of the family members who still does readings at the Madam Marie booth not far from Convention Hall on the boardwalk."The booth will always be there," Marie Castello said in May. "The Temple of Knowledge, that's a landmark, that's nostalgia, they'll never tear it down."
-----------------
Back in the late 70's, we could never get her picture. We tried. Her daughter or grandkids would come over for the TAB w/lemon. If there was no one on the boardwalk then, it would be us.
A true boardwalk classic.
"The Temple of Knowledge, that's a landmark, that's nostalgia, they'll never tear it down."
Let's hope that this prediction holds true,
And now, "Madam Marie'' has passed away.
Marie Castello, who had told fortunes since the 1930s and became famous for her presence and predictions on the Asbury Park boardwalk, died Friday, her great-granddaughter, Sally Castello said today.
Family members were attending morning services today, Castello said.
The psychic reader and advisor was 93. She became known worldwide from Bruce Springsteen's homage to her in his music."Did you hear the cops finally busted Madam Marie,'' Springsteen sang in his 1973 song, "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)'' "for tellin' fortunes better than they do."
"That was just the Boss,'' said Asbury Park Deputy Mayor Jim Bruno. "She was never arrested. But Springsteen turned her into an icon.''Bruno remembers his own run-in with the psychic."I was a 12-year-old kid,'' he said. "And I don't remember what I was doing, but I remember her chasing me away from her shack.
Her death is a real loss.''It was also somewhat unexpected.''She really wasn't sick. She just wasn't feeling well,'' Castello said. ""She was very, very strong until the day she died.''Madam Marie bragged that she had told the fortunes of everyone from Judy Garland to Springsteen himself. Legend has it that she told Springsteen he was going to be a success. Springsteen later joked that she told all the musicians that.
And Springsteen never forgot Madam Marie."He always comes by to say hello," she told Press columnist Bill Handleman in May. "He knows where he came from."
Marie Castello closed down her regular operations on the boardwalk in the mid-1990s after a dropoff in business. She continued telling fortunes in Ocean Township.
But Sally Castello is one of the family members who still does readings at the Madam Marie booth not far from Convention Hall on the boardwalk."The booth will always be there," Marie Castello said in May. "The Temple of Knowledge, that's a landmark, that's nostalgia, they'll never tear it down."
-----------------
Back in the late 70's, we could never get her picture. We tried. Her daughter or grandkids would come over for the TAB w/lemon. If there was no one on the boardwalk then, it would be us.
A true boardwalk classic.
"The Temple of Knowledge, that's a landmark, that's nostalgia, they'll never tear it down."
Let's hope that this prediction holds true,
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Keb' Mo' at the Paramount, Asbury Park
Singer-songwriter guitarist Keb' Mo' comes to the Paramount Theatre on August 25,2008. Mo's blues is a post-modern expression of the artistic and cultural journey that has transformed the blues, and his own point of view, over time.
Come to the renovated Paramount Theatre and Asbury Park Boardwalk on August 28, 2008 and listen to Keb' Mo' and his music. It will be a great evening.
Tickets are $31-$48 plus Ticketmaster service fees. Click here to Purchase Tickets or cut and paste the url: http://www.asburyboardwalk.com/events.htm.
Come to the renovated Paramount Theatre and Asbury Park Boardwalk on August 28, 2008 and listen to Keb' Mo' and his music. It will be a great evening.
Tickets are $31-$48 plus Ticketmaster service fees. Click here to Purchase Tickets or cut and paste the url: http://www.asburyboardwalk.com/events.htm.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Josh Ritter April 24 at the Stone Pony
Josh Ritter will be performing April 24, 2008 at the Stone Pony.
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter catches the Idaho musician in the midst of a radical transformation. While last year’s The Animal Years had Ritter thinking about the state of the nation, his latest offering finds him pining for Joan of Arc, Calamity Jane and Florence Nightingale, all of whom seem to be stuck together in the belly of a whale, a la Jonah. He also manages to squeeze in a few admiring words about ladies’ underwear—and that’s well before Ritter, backed by drums, bass and organ and cacophony, arrives at a rollicking chorus you might be able sing along with if you’re quick enough to get all the words.
Ritter is clearly having fun—and you will, too—but there is a method to his madness. Those legendary heroines he name-checks were each responding to an inner voice that pushed them toward some extraordinary mission, one both noble and a little foolhardy. “Those voices can be pretty confusing,” he says, “but there is no doubt that if you follow your two a.m. voices you’ll end up someplace fairly extraordinary.”
And Ritter did follow those late night voices. While The Animal Years was a meticulously crafted and stately paean, for Conquests the artist radically revamped his working methods and his sound. “I needed to be somebody different,” the singer says. “The air of gravitas around me was getting oppressive. For some reason it seemed like there was a premium being placed on earnestness and that can be pretty stifling. There was a lot of talk about true love and righteous indignation. I wanted to write about gunslingers and missile silos.”
But it didn’t start like that. “I was tired of writing with the guitar,” says Ritter, who began writing The Historical Conquests by committing to tape wordless tunes and melodic fragments, certain that the lyrics and thematic ideas, whatever shape they might take, would soon follow. Setting aside the guitar, he began writing on an upright piano some family friends had given him—an instrument, he admits, he didn’t actually know how to play.
The result is an often raucous, occasionally dizzying affair, with pounding keyboards, strings, horns, and his new producer and long-time collaborator Sam Kassirer, leading the charge. About the recording conditions in the Maine farmhouse where the record was made, Ritter enthuses, “You should have seen it up there. It was January and twenty below. We had horns in the attic, we had strings in the barn, we had a gaggle of people shooting targets with bb guns in the woods. It was a full house and everyone was there to throw themselves at the music. There was no holding back.”
As he says in the drum and Steinway-driven “Rumors,”
My orchestra is gigantic.
This thing could sink the Titanic
And the string section’s screaming
Like horses in a barn burning up.
Giving the project a literal go-for-broke feel was the fact that his then-label, V2 America, had just fired the entire staff. “They went under the night we performed on Letterman!,” laughs the songwriter. “It seemed me and my band were pretty much storming the heights of irony that day.” The situation emboldened the self-reliant artist; after all, Ritter had launched his career DIY-fashion with his self-titled 1999 debut and released its 2001 follow-up, The Golden Age of Radio, on his own, before finally signing with an indie label. When he rushed back into the studio in early ’07, after another year of worldwide touring, it was on his own timetable. “One thing I’ve realized is that at the end of the day, you’re on your own. There isn’t a song, a record or a record label that can teach you how to swim or how to keep your head above water,” Ritter says. “You have to be the one getting out of the boat and taking your chances every day. In what you write and in how you play. If not…”
The artistic leaps Josh Ritter displays on Conquests are not without their stepping-stones, however. On a conceptual level, Paul McCartney’s Ram served as an ever-present reminder to enjoy the process of writing. Ritter was attracted to the free-spirited quality of the solo album McCartney made at his own farmhouse—amidst the Beatles’ tumultuous breakup: “It sounded like he had something to prove, but also like he didn’t really care. In terms of my favorite records, Ram is more about the philosophy. If this guy can do this after what he came through, then, okay, maybe I could try something like this too. It really loosened me up.”
Stepping farther back, he sites Buddy Holly’s apocryphal The Apartment Tapes as a major influence. “A friend passed me Buddy Holly’s Apartment Tapes. The tapes are plain and genius. Buddy sang ‘Learning the Game’ and ‘That’s What they Say’ in his apartment in New York City and you can hear his wife bumping around in the kitchen and the whole thing feels clear but not simple. Those recordings feel like a Raymond Carver story. I listen to him and remember that it doesn’t have to be all nine-minute songs. That guy can get more across in a couplet than some people are lucky to learn in their whole life.”
With a new approach, a new producer and a new location, Ritter got underway in earnest. “I shaped the songs and recorded a basic shell with Sam and then asked my bassist Zack Hickman and my new drummer Liam Hurley to come on up.” Skeleton tracks in hand, Ritter collaborated further with his band mates and a group of assorted musician friends he dubbed The Great North Sound Society Orchestra, who were clearly up for trying anything.
The results speak for themselves. The upbeat, vintage “Right Moves,” the Liberty Valance standoff “Mind’s Eye,” the pre-(and possibly post-) apocalyptic love song “The Temptation of Adam” and the Robert Altman era “Next to the Last” combine to hold a kind of punk-meets-Peckinpah fiesta.
Says Ritter in summary, “On my last disc, The Animal Years, I went pretty deep inside the gears of what I do. I knew where the words fit and how the songs dovetailed with each other.” He adds, however, “If I hadn’t approached the writing that record on such a clockmaker’s level, I may not have decided to step back and try shooting the clock to pieces on Historical Conquests. I’m glad we did though,” he adds. “I wanted to blow something up.”
Given the new lyrical and musical trails that he is blazing, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter proves that one can still cross any number of Rubicons all the while not taking themselves too seriously. Historic indeed.
April 24, 2008 7:30 pm doors. Go to http://www.asburyboardwalk.com/events.htm for tickets.
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter catches the Idaho musician in the midst of a radical transformation. While last year’s The Animal Years had Ritter thinking about the state of the nation, his latest offering finds him pining for Joan of Arc, Calamity Jane and Florence Nightingale, all of whom seem to be stuck together in the belly of a whale, a la Jonah. He also manages to squeeze in a few admiring words about ladies’ underwear—and that’s well before Ritter, backed by drums, bass and organ and cacophony, arrives at a rollicking chorus you might be able sing along with if you’re quick enough to get all the words.
Ritter is clearly having fun—and you will, too—but there is a method to his madness. Those legendary heroines he name-checks were each responding to an inner voice that pushed them toward some extraordinary mission, one both noble and a little foolhardy. “Those voices can be pretty confusing,” he says, “but there is no doubt that if you follow your two a.m. voices you’ll end up someplace fairly extraordinary.”
And Ritter did follow those late night voices. While The Animal Years was a meticulously crafted and stately paean, for Conquests the artist radically revamped his working methods and his sound. “I needed to be somebody different,” the singer says. “The air of gravitas around me was getting oppressive. For some reason it seemed like there was a premium being placed on earnestness and that can be pretty stifling. There was a lot of talk about true love and righteous indignation. I wanted to write about gunslingers and missile silos.”
But it didn’t start like that. “I was tired of writing with the guitar,” says Ritter, who began writing The Historical Conquests by committing to tape wordless tunes and melodic fragments, certain that the lyrics and thematic ideas, whatever shape they might take, would soon follow. Setting aside the guitar, he began writing on an upright piano some family friends had given him—an instrument, he admits, he didn’t actually know how to play.
The result is an often raucous, occasionally dizzying affair, with pounding keyboards, strings, horns, and his new producer and long-time collaborator Sam Kassirer, leading the charge. About the recording conditions in the Maine farmhouse where the record was made, Ritter enthuses, “You should have seen it up there. It was January and twenty below. We had horns in the attic, we had strings in the barn, we had a gaggle of people shooting targets with bb guns in the woods. It was a full house and everyone was there to throw themselves at the music. There was no holding back.”
As he says in the drum and Steinway-driven “Rumors,”
My orchestra is gigantic.
This thing could sink the Titanic
And the string section’s screaming
Like horses in a barn burning up.
Giving the project a literal go-for-broke feel was the fact that his then-label, V2 America, had just fired the entire staff. “They went under the night we performed on Letterman!,” laughs the songwriter. “It seemed me and my band were pretty much storming the heights of irony that day.” The situation emboldened the self-reliant artist; after all, Ritter had launched his career DIY-fashion with his self-titled 1999 debut and released its 2001 follow-up, The Golden Age of Radio, on his own, before finally signing with an indie label. When he rushed back into the studio in early ’07, after another year of worldwide touring, it was on his own timetable. “One thing I’ve realized is that at the end of the day, you’re on your own. There isn’t a song, a record or a record label that can teach you how to swim or how to keep your head above water,” Ritter says. “You have to be the one getting out of the boat and taking your chances every day. In what you write and in how you play. If not…”
The artistic leaps Josh Ritter displays on Conquests are not without their stepping-stones, however. On a conceptual level, Paul McCartney’s Ram served as an ever-present reminder to enjoy the process of writing. Ritter was attracted to the free-spirited quality of the solo album McCartney made at his own farmhouse—amidst the Beatles’ tumultuous breakup: “It sounded like he had something to prove, but also like he didn’t really care. In terms of my favorite records, Ram is more about the philosophy. If this guy can do this after what he came through, then, okay, maybe I could try something like this too. It really loosened me up.”
Stepping farther back, he sites Buddy Holly’s apocryphal The Apartment Tapes as a major influence. “A friend passed me Buddy Holly’s Apartment Tapes. The tapes are plain and genius. Buddy sang ‘Learning the Game’ and ‘That’s What they Say’ in his apartment in New York City and you can hear his wife bumping around in the kitchen and the whole thing feels clear but not simple. Those recordings feel like a Raymond Carver story. I listen to him and remember that it doesn’t have to be all nine-minute songs. That guy can get more across in a couplet than some people are lucky to learn in their whole life.”
With a new approach, a new producer and a new location, Ritter got underway in earnest. “I shaped the songs and recorded a basic shell with Sam and then asked my bassist Zack Hickman and my new drummer Liam Hurley to come on up.” Skeleton tracks in hand, Ritter collaborated further with his band mates and a group of assorted musician friends he dubbed The Great North Sound Society Orchestra, who were clearly up for trying anything.
The results speak for themselves. The upbeat, vintage “Right Moves,” the Liberty Valance standoff “Mind’s Eye,” the pre-(and possibly post-) apocalyptic love song “The Temptation of Adam” and the Robert Altman era “Next to the Last” combine to hold a kind of punk-meets-Peckinpah fiesta.
Says Ritter in summary, “On my last disc, The Animal Years, I went pretty deep inside the gears of what I do. I knew where the words fit and how the songs dovetailed with each other.” He adds, however, “If I hadn’t approached the writing that record on such a clockmaker’s level, I may not have decided to step back and try shooting the clock to pieces on Historical Conquests. I’m glad we did though,” he adds. “I wanted to blow something up.”
Given the new lyrical and musical trails that he is blazing, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter proves that one can still cross any number of Rubicons all the while not taking themselves too seriously. Historic indeed.
April 24, 2008 7:30 pm doors. Go to http://www.asburyboardwalk.com/events.htm for tickets.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Red Carpet Charity Event April 3
The Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) will host Starline Films' theatrical documentary, "4CHOSEN" at a special red carpet premiere screening on Thursday, April 3rd in the Paramount Theater, 1300 Ocean Ave. Asbury Park, NJ.
The event kicks off at at 6:30 pm with celebrity red carpet arrivals including: Danny Aiello (Do The Right Thing), Montel Williams (4CHOSEN), Vinny Pastore (Sopranos), Randy Jones (The Village People/The Gentleman), Chuck Zito (HBO's OZ), Kwame Jackson (The Apprentice), Jon Doscher (REMEDY/The Gentleman), The Cast of The Gentleman, and many more! Come and see a bit of Hollywood here in Asbury Park. The red carpet hosts for this event are Valentine Leone and Shannon Leroux.
The following items will be displayed at the after party for you to bid on.
All proceeds will benefit the Montel Williams MS Foundation
The event kicks off at at 6:30 pm with celebrity red carpet arrivals including: Danny Aiello (Do The Right Thing), Montel Williams (4CHOSEN), Vinny Pastore (Sopranos), Randy Jones (The Village People/The Gentleman), Chuck Zito (HBO's OZ), Kwame Jackson (The Apprentice), Jon Doscher (REMEDY/The Gentleman), The Cast of The Gentleman, and many more! Come and see a bit of Hollywood here in Asbury Park. The red carpet hosts for this event are Valentine Leone and Shannon Leroux.
The following items will be displayed at the after party for you to bid on.
All proceeds will benefit the Montel Williams MS Foundation
- Derek Jeter Hand-Signed "The Dive" 16x20 Photograph
- Jerry Koosman/Nolan Ryan/Tom Seaver Triple Hand-Signed 16x20 Photograph
- Henrik Lundqvist Hand-Signed 16x20 Photograph
- Brian Leetch Hand-Signed "Jersey Number Retirement" 16x20 Photograph
- Jerry Kramer Hand-Signed "With Vince Lombardi" 16x20 Photograph Feat. Quote Inscribed
- Joba Chamberlain Hand-Signed "Joba Time" 16x20 Photograph
- Martin Brodeur Hand-Signed "Versus Sidney Crosby" 16x20 Photograph
- Phil Rizzuto Hand-Signed 8x10 Photograph
- Evel Knievel Hand-Signed 16x20 Photograph (Deceased Daredevil)
- Goose Gossage Hand-Signed "With Thurman Munson" 8x10 Photograph
- Alex Rodriguez Hand-Signed Official Big Stick Bat
- David Wright Hand-Signed "Barehanded Catch" 16x20 Photograph
- 1968-1969 New York Jets Team Hand-Signed Official Full Size Helmet (Super Bowl III Champs)
- Lou Holtz Hand-Signed "Play Like A Champion Today" 20x24 Photograph
- The Sack Exchange Hand-Signed "Stock Exchange" 20x24 Photograph
- Joe Frazier Hand-Signed "Staring Past Muhammad Ali" 16x20 Photograph
- Walt Frazier Hand-Signed "Graffiti Schoolyard" 16x20 Photograph
- Joe Namath Hand-Signed "Walking Off Field" 16x20 Photograph
- Tony Hawk Hand-Signed Official Skateboard Deck
- James Gandolfini Hand-Signed "Meet Tony Soprano" 16x20 Photograph
- Tedy Bruschi Hand-Signed "Snow Bowl" 16x20 Photograph
- 2007 New York Giants Team Hand-Signed "Huddle" 20x32 Photograph
- Michael Strahan Hand-Signed "Over Tom Brady" 16x20 Photograph
- Osi Umenyiora Hand-Signed "Sacking Tom Brady" 8x10 Photograph
- Eli Manning & Tom Coughlin Dual Hand-Signed 16x20 Photograph
- David Tyree Hand-Signed "The Catch" 16x20 Photograph
- Eli Manning Hand-Signed Official Super Bowl XLII Commemorative Full Size Helmet
- Brandon Jacobs Hand-Signed 8x10 Photograph
- Robinson Cano Hand-Signed 8x10 Photograph
- Bernie Williams Hand-Signed Rawlings Glove
- Whitey Ford Hand-Signed "With Yogi Berra" 8x10 Photograph
- Kevin Boss Hand-Signed 8x10 Photograph
- 1986 New York Giants Team Hand-Signed Official Full Size Helmet
- Mark Bavaro & Phil McConkey Dual Hand-Signed "Celebration" 16x20 Photograph
- The Rat Pack Limited Edition Masterpiece Feat. Actual Vegas Casino Chips & Cards
- History of the Masters: Limited Edition Champions Masterpiece Collage
- Star Wars' Carrie Fisher & Dave Prowse Dual Hand-Signed Original Movie Poster
- Willie Mays Hand-Signed "The Catch" 16x20 Photograph
- High School Musical Limited Edition Movie Masterpiece Collage
- Miley Cyrus Limited Edition "Hannah Montana" Masterpiece Collage
- 1980 US Hockey Miracle on Ice Multi-Signed 16x20 Photograph
- Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First?" Limited Edition Masterpiece Collage
- Beauty and the Beast Limited Edition Lithograph Feat. Actual Film Strip Cel
- Jackie Gleason/Arnold Palmer Vintage "And Away We Go" 11x14 Photograph
- Johnny Pesky Hand-Signed 8x10 Photograph
- Edgar Prado Hand-Signed "Riding Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby" 8x10 Photograph
- Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi" Larry Thomas Signed 8x10 Photograph
- Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner Dual Hand-Signed 8x10 Photograph
- Yogi Berra Hand-Signed "With Babe Ruth" 8x10 Photograph
- Dr. J Julius Erving Hand-Signed Official ABA Basketball
- Larry Bird Hand-Signed 16x20 Photograph
- Bernard King Hand-Signed & Game Used Circa 1980s New York Knicks Converse Sneaker
- Montel Williams hand signed book
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