jessica wrote:
] ] The owner of The Stone Pony in Asbury Park blamed the
] ] metal band Great White and its management for the fire
] ] that killed at least 96 people in a Rhode Island
] ] nightclub Thursday night.
] ] "I absolutely blame the band," said Domenic Santana.
] ] "They used the same pyrotechnics here on Valentine's Day,
] ] without our permission. We did not know they were going
] ] to do it and we could've been in the same situation."
]
] This takes the "that could have been me!" factor to a whole
] new level.

Nope.. Still wouldn't have been at a Great White show.

The Pony kinda sucks now. Every time I'm in that place anymore, I feel like I'm in church. Like I should just sit in the corner with my hands folded and my head bowed. Its getting that House of Blues and BB Kings vibe to it. Only its way way more shitty. Yet clearly not trying to be shitty.. Just to have that setup, but look cheap. It feels intentional. Sure, the Pony has played a signifigant role for music in the Jersey area, and beyond.. But you will have trouble finding people who have frequented the place for many years who didn't like it better when it was a punk dive shithole. It was a good punk dive shithole, one of the best. Its a very different place now. When you walk into the Pony, you quickly realise that it has been changed to have that same damn setup as every American music bar you have ever seen. The one island bar, with the area of tables behind it.. Stage, dance floor, more tables to the other side of that.. etc.. With that alone, it has lost its cred with me. I liked it better when you walked into the place, you had a stage with a big padded barrier in front of it to keep the crowd from overtaking the band.. And the rest of the place was just a beat up shithole with all the concrete asthetics, stickers, and grafiti you'd expect from a CBGBs style place. Its totally a different thing now. Its not for the audience it had been for years and years and years.. The younger crowd thats into whatever music is "in" or having "its time".. For my years, it was the punkers and alternative crowd. Previous to that it had been Jersey style R&B and other things.. Now its a place for the baby boomers who want to remember when the desolate streets of Asbury either were not so desolate, or they meant something to them. Its riding the Asbury yuppie invasion wave.

The Saint has taken the role as Asbury's "underground" music venue. Thats where the local bands play. Many local bands I know don't want to play at the Pony for a number of varied reasons.. The only thing that sucks about The Saint is that it is small. Aside from that, its got more of the vibe you would expect from a Jersey local/underground music venue. Its owner, Scott, really seems to give a shit about the scene and the people in it too. You get an instant feeling of community when you walk into the place. Thats a hell of alot more important then a history. You need to have that to make a history for yourself. The Saint is making a history for itself. The Saint will wind up being important. Hell, it already is.

Even the Brighton in Long Branch is more important to local music then the Pony these days. The Pony is riding on a reputation. The Brighton is riding on Jacko (guy who does booking), and Jacko is a hell of alot more powerful of a force from what I've seen then the reputation of the Pony. Jacko has brought a lot of music to this area, punk in particular, that otherwize wouldn't have made it on the radar. Say the name "Jacko" around some local bands, see what response it gets. Then ask them about the Pony these days.. Thats how I measure it..

Oh yeah, I'm also not the least bit upset that the Birchhill lost its liquor license either. Seeing a show at that place used to be a test of your patience. Can you deal with the crazy violent drunks while you see the act? Never used to put much thought into it untill recently. A few months ago I saw Peter Murphy there. Truly great show, best I had seen in months and months at the time. Not only because Peter and his band turned in an awesome performance, but I didn't have a constant stream of asshole drunks fucking with me!! It was _great_. The crowd that was there was there for the band, not the booze. And thats what I like to see.

And on the other end of the spectrum, the Java Hut in Belmar has been reborn as Cafe Blue. There is once again a constant open mic, and the local artists and musicians have returned. And yes, they had left, although you probably didn't notice. Its got the vibe it had back in the early days again, and its stronger. This has set my mind, and a number of others, at ease. I was one of that place's first customers, and immediately there after a regular. I used to work right around the corner. That place was very important in ways that its origional owners will probably never understand. Clearly they didn't understand, they did their best to kill it. Kudos to Rick, its new owner. He has the right idea. He is also 23, which I get a big kick out of because I know I will never go in there again and be told, "hey you kids, get outta here", and for that matter, neither will anyone else. The last incarnation failed because they tried to ride the bennie yuppie wave. Its why they were strong durring the summer, and in the red ink durring the winter. From what I've heard out of Rick, they are in the black there right now.. And its Feburary. For those who know the seasonal economics of the area, I don't have to explain how signifigant of a sucess that is.

Just my two cents on a segment of the local venues. Being I have not been in Jersey for several years up untill recently, I get to compare based only upon memories several years old. All the changes were abrupt, obvious, and crystal clear from my perspective.

RE: They did it at the Pony too..