Bringing Original Punk Back
California has been home to so many truly excellent bands over the years: The Beach Boys, Sublime, Green Day, the Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival – just to name a few. An iconic rock band that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, both in and out of their home state, is Black Flag. This group has been around for over four decades and often gets lost in the punk rock sauce, so to speak. Their influence on underground punk culture is immense, and sole continuous member Greg Ginn has been keeping the band active and alive. Catching them live should be a staple on any rocker’s concert wish list, so to see them live on Aug. 12 at The Brooklyn Bazaar is quite imperative. You can get more info on their tour at blackflagband.com.
Reggae Down The Shore
Stephen Marley has always been so much more than the son of Bob Marley. Although he is proud of where he comes from and his father’s legacy, it’s his very own, home-grown talent that has really led him to make a name for himself in today’s reggae scene. Between his eight Grammy Award wins and four chart-topping studio albums, it’s obvious that Stephen is very much deserving of his own legacy and his own accolades as a musician and producer. He’s bringing that talent and passion to Asbury Park’s Stone Pony on Aug. 8. For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com.
Max Frost on August 14 at The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park
Fresh off his run supporting AWOLNation and Twenty One Pilots on their North American tour and with a debut LP that’s about to turn a year old, Austin based singer-songwriter Max Frost is ready for his shot at a headlining tour. He has new material under his belt, a growing fan base, and a unique alternative pop sound that takes on the persona of a more indie rock sound when heard in a live setting. (His influences are an interesting mix of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and modern hip-hop.) For a chance to see this über-creative pop-rocker captivate an audience from the stage, head to the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park on Aug. 14. For more info on the show, head to ticketmaster.com.
Come One, Come All to The Chester Music Festival
Coming this Saturday, Aug 10 is a free, all ages, all-day event sponsored by the Historic Chester Business Association, with hopes to showcase all that Chester, NJ has to offer: shopping, dining, comradery, culture, and now, music. Diamonds of the Moon, a Pink Floyd tribute group, will be performing a fantastic set on the festival stage, as well as The Frontiers, a Journey tribute band that is Steve Perry approved, for he took to Twitter to state, “Hands Down. Frontiers is my favorite tribute band to Journey!” With two stellar headliners and a multitude of genre defying, local supporting acts, it’s bound to be a great day of music appreciation and hometown spirit. For more information on the festival, visit ilovechester.com.
A True Celebration of The Dead
This seven-piece Grateful Dead cover band has been celebrating the live experience and over-arching feeling that the Dead had since 1997. That’s over two decades and over 2,800 concerts based around a band that hasn’t truly been the same since its loss of Jerry Garcia in 1995. Alas, Dark Star Orchestra’s lasting impact and growing concerts. They’re not replacing the Grateful Dead, but rather honor the way their live shows were, the lifestyle it spawned, and passion both the fans and band had in those on-stage moments. You, too, can experience it like it was yesterday at their Bergen Performing Arts Center concert on Aug. 8. For tickets, go to bergenpac.org.
