January Birthdays 
Alright, so I went to the Atomic Mosquitoes/Madeira/Coffin Daggers/Nebulas show at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ last night and all I can say is that show ROCKED!
So, heres the deal; I live in Delaware. Asbury is two plus hours from where I am. My wife and I decided wed leave a bit early, maybe walk around the quaint little beach town, grab a bite to eat, get to the venue around 9:30 pm, or so, and catch the show.
We arrived at the edge of Asbury Park at around 8:00 pm. So far, so good, but as we plunged deeper into the bowels of the city, we quickly realized that, while Asbury seemed to be waging a comeback, it was a beach town that had taken a downward turn long ago, evident by the numerous vacant and dilapidated buildings and scenery we encountered. It didnt seem like we were going to find a mutually agreed upon place to have dinner. Hey, no problem, I figured wed just grab a leisurely dinner in the lounge of the venue, Asbury Lanes, upon our arrival. I had checked out the website earlier, and it definitely looked like a very cool place. Things were looking better by the time we got the area the venue was located in. I even took note of several iconic landmarks made famous by Bruce Springsteen, which was kind of cool.
Right, so we park the car, walk up to the lanes, and run into a couple of chaps hanging out on the steps of the entrance. We ask if the joint is open yet, and they inform us that it is indeed open. Hmmmmm, nice fellows, but they dont outwardly strike me as the surf-music types. We enter the building and are greeted by another couple of guys in matching bowling shirts standing at a long table filled with what appear to be random-type event door prizes, but Im not really paying all that much attention, you see, as the inside of this place turns out to be one of the coolest looking joints Id been in to see a show in a long time, so Im just trying to check it all out. My wife grabs my arm and huddles closer to me. The two gents at the table hand us a couple of tickets and direct us to the counter to pay our entrance cost. The DJ on hand is spinning a Donna Summers song. The lights are flashing. Guys are dancing. Folks are bowling. We get to the counter, where I proceed to hand the colorfully dressed and inked young lady tending the register twenty bucks. She leans forward and says something to me like, Are you here for the blah blah blah-ing? Not understanding what she said, I replied, Were here for the surf gig, to which she replies, Oh that starts at 10:30. Its only 8:30, but you can bowl while you wait. No thanks, I say, Well just grab a beer and something to eat. She smiles as we shuffle away. As we walk away, my wife is giggling hysterically. What? I ask, to which she replies, That woman just asked you if you were here for the gay bowling. Not that theres anything wrong with that. Everybody has the right to bowl. After quickly looking around to take in the balance of my surroundings, we made the quick decision to run top McDonalds, grab a fast dinner, maybe check out the boardwalk, and return to the lanes closer to 10:00.
10:00 pm rolls around, weve met and chatted with some of the local hot rod and rockabilly-types, and the show is about to begin.
The Atomic Mosquitoes take the stage first and proceed to deliver the most rollicking, rocking instro set heard by these ears in a long time. Great stuff; loud, tight, precise melodic blasts of surf punctuated by the tasteful use of the rare leopard-skin theremin. These guys know how to rock it surf-style, and they were real pros- in, perform no-nonsense-style, and out leaving the crowd wanting more. Thanks, Mosquitoes.
Next up was The Madeira, and these guys also delivered. Ivan and the gang can really play. Mean, lean, and dangerous on surf guitar. The tunes range from super-clean, melodic numbers that I swear must have been played with a red Stratocaster though a Vox AC30, to gritty, in-your-face glissando and double picked madness, and ran the gamut from the older material through the brand new stuff. Great job.
The Madeira was quickly followed by The Coffin Daggers, who proceeded to rip the joint up with super-cool class. Their use of the UK made, wooden keyed Vox Continental organ got me stoked for more. Many of you know that the Coffin Daggers are an outfit from NYC, and their bold style left me wondering why I had not personally had more previous exposure to them. Bonus points to The Coffin Daggers for playing Stampede. More bonus points to the band cause their bass player lived in Delaware for a period of time. Ill definitely be looking forward to hearing more.
The Nebulas were the final band to take the stage, all decked out in their signature black outfits and cool top-hats and masks. They were quick to work the crowd into a frenzy with their adrenalin-pumping set and stage choreography. The guitars were amazing, bass and drums solid, and Farfisa organ cut just the way you want it to. I love combo organs in surf music. I have a couple of them at my disposal, but Im sorry to say, I cant even really play them all that well. I envy these guys. Unfortunately, it was getting close to 2:00 am and we had a two plus hour drive back to Delaware, so we had to leave before the end of The Nebulas set (sorry, guys!), but they were still hittin it hard as we were leaving. Another great performance! I dont know how they play with those masks on, though; I think Id probably pass out
Hmmmmm
Im sorry this writing has become so long-winded, and I also apologize for gushing, but it really was a great night. All the bands were excellent, and the venue was killer, plus, I got to meet Unsteady Freddie! Was it a long night? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Without a doubt, but Id bring more people from my home state. For those of you fortunate enough to catch the NYC show, youre in for a great night.
Brian, delete this post if its too long, but let the people know the show rocked.
