May 30, 2008: Six Hours in Asbury Park, NJ

Last night had to be one of the best times and worst times of my life, simultaneously.

I left around 2 PM to make the three hour drive up to Asbury Park, NJ to interview The Gaslight Anthem and watch them perform. The show was at an old bowling alley called Asbury Lanes where a stage was set up across five or six bowling lanes. It was a cool setup, kind of a sketchy place though. 

I got into town at around 5:30 with an hour and a half to kill before my interview. I walked up and down the boardwalk, taking pictures, trying to waste time before I had to be back at the Lanes. Asbury Park is a weird place, it’s a cool little seaside town but it’s barren. The families that used to go there every summer have long since left and moved on, probably to nicer places along the Jersey Shore. Asbury, however, hasn’t given up. They’re trying to rebuild the city with new stores, shops and hotels to convince people to come back for their summers. They’re renovating the old casino which is now a shell of metal and glass, as well as the convention hall on the opposite end of the boardwalk. There was probably less than one hundred people on the boardwalk and the beach combined. Asbury felt cool and a little sketchy at the same time.

At 6:45 I went to Asbury Lanes and found Gaslight’s tour manager, Hollie. She introduced me to Brian Fallon, the lead singer, and Alex Rosamilia, the other guitarist. I started the interview and the two couldn’t have been nicer guys, real down to earth. After about five minutes, Alex Levine, the bassist, and Benny Horowitz, the drummer, walked up. We talked about their latest EP, their fluctuating sound, what they wanted to do as a band and a whole lot more. The interview will be up on punknews in a few days, most likely. I’ll post a link once it’s up.

The interview headed outside while the other bands did soundcheck. Brian and I talked about puzzles hidden in their songs with references to movies and music galore. The interview ended and Brian and I kept talking for a half hour about Dylan, Springsteen, Tom Petty, tattoos, Gaslight’s upcoming record and honesty in music. It seemed like I got the better interview after I turned the recorder off. Beginners mistake, I guess.

It was insane to talk to someone who’s so on your level but at the same time, a successful musician. At the end of the day, the four of them do what they love and it means everything to them. For a first interview, I think they were the perfect guys to talk to.

A crowd slowly gathered outside as we stood in line waiting to get into the Lanes. I talked with Cory, bassist for The Riot Before, while we waited to get in. Turns out he couldn’t get in early either. I learned that this was Gaslight’s first sold out hometown show. They had played Asbury Lanes a year ago with less than 80 people coming out, now they were sold out with over 300 in attendance. 

The first three bands played: Laserhead, The Riot Before, and Scream Hello, not my thing but hey, that’s what shows are for. As each band came and went, people slowly started to make their way to the front to make sure they had a good spot for Gaslight. 

The Gaslight Anthem started out with a new song, the title track from their upcoming album “The ‘59 Sound.” It was weird that less than ten people knew the words to the song, since no one has heard it yet. People around me were staring at me as I screamed the lyrics, probably thinking, “How the hell does he know the words to this?”

The set continued as they played the majority of “Sink or Swim” and all of “Señor and the Queen.” You could see the joy in Brian’s eyes and face as he sang is lyrics to his first hometown sold out show. It was inspiring. He brought friends up to song pieces of songs, we sang Happy Birthday to Gaslight’s manager, and show ended with “We’re Getting a Divorce, You Keep the Dinner.”

The crowd was absolutely insane for them. Never before have I seen so many hardcore fans for a band that no one has heard of. Everyone should give Gaslight a listen, they’re a sound that’s long gone in today’s music. It’s a mixture of punk, soul, Springsteen, and something that’s not really defineable, you just have to give them a listen and a chance. 

The show let out at 11:30 with a nice three hour drive back to Baltimore for me. I was not looking forward to that at all. It basically consisted of three hours of me talking on the phone, chewing gum, and singing along with my iPod to keep myself awake. I kept looking at the GPS and how many miles I had left which didn’t make the drive go any faster. 

Pulling up to my house at 2:30, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to be home. Driving tired could be as bad as driving drunk, I wouldn’t know, but tired driving was absolute hell. 

For the night I had, the drive was worth it.