COMING ATTRACTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Half Way 2 Mardi Gras at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park on Wednesday, July 31st ,2013  by Calvin Schwartz

Here’s how my “Coming Attractions and Recommendations” column at NJ Discover receives energy, vibes and participatory inclinations. I’m like a rocket tethered to life support systems about to take off. I need the energy. And then an event comes along that I get excited about; it launches me into word seek, like now.

Edward Maier from ElmThree productions contacted me last week about ‘Half Way 2 Mardi Gras: From the Big Easy to Asbury Park’ and told me about the event, the performers and venue, Asbury Lanes on July 31^st.  I’ve written in the past about heading back to the future at Asbury Lanes and I know about the magic music of Bonerama, Eric Lindell and The Sunliners and Soul Project.

Indeed the venue, Asbury Lanes, is special and time-warped and the flavor of Mardi Gras can magic carpet (rocket) anyone down south instantly.  Then after I posted a notice on my Facebook wall, I got a message from a good friend from Owings Mills, Maryland (near Baltimore) about how much he loves Eric Lindell, suggesting he’d even travel up 95 for this event; therefore enough energy for me to recommend and urge readers at NJ Discover to get thee to Asbury Lanes on July 31^st. And even better, Sandy Mack is the emcee for the night.

Calvin Schwartz   July 21, 2013

The Saint and ElmThree Productions present Half Way 2 Mardi Gras at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park on Wednesday, July 31st ,2013

July 21st, 2013 (ASBURY PARK, NJ) – The Saint and ElmThree Productions are pleased to present Half Way 2 Mardi Gras at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park on Wednesday, July 31st at 8:00 pm (7:00pm doors).  Tickets are available through Ticketweb and at the door the day of the show.  Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 day of the show at the door. Tickets are also available at The Saint at 601 Main St., Asbury Park. 

http://HalfWay2MardiGras.com

Half Way 2 Mardi Gras is a powerhouse night of New Orleans based rock featuring Bonerama, Eric Lindell & The Sunliners and The Soul Project.  We are pleased to have Asbury Park’s own Sandy Mack as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

Even in a city that doesn’t play by the rules, New Orleans’ Bonerama is something different. They can evoke vintage funk, classic rock and free improvisation in the same set; maybe even the same song. Bonerama has been repeatedly recognized by Rolling Stone, hailed as “the ultimate in brass balls” (2005) and praised for their “…crushing ensemble riffing, human-feedback shrieks and wah-wah growls” (2007). Bonerama carries the brass-band concept to places unknown; what other brass band could snag an honor for “Best Rock Band” (Big Easy Awards 2007 and 2010)? Co-Founders trombonists Marc Mullins and Craig Klein were both members of Harry Connick’s band.

Eric Lindell writes music that is as at home on your front porch on a summer evening as it is in a hot sweaty club on a Saturday night. It is southern soul music, infused with R&B and a touch of New Orleans funk. It is blues music, glazed with a taste of country. It is simple, heartfelt song writing; melodic guitar solos and energized live performance. Eric has been writing and recording songs for over 15 years, and is now touring behind the strength of his latest release I Still Love You. His band’s rhythm section, Myles Weeks on upright bass and Will McMains on drums, have been with Eric for over three years, making their performance on I Still Love You, as well as their live shows incredibly tight and intuitive. Both players are young, but have a swing feel of much more seasoned musicians.

Returning to New Jersey is The Soul Project.  Digging deep into the soulful grooves dug by O.V. Wright and Wilson Pickett, the funky moves of James Brown and Maceo Parker, the old school cool of the Meters and The Neville Brothers, and the feel good fuel of the Crescent City itself, the Soul Project brings New Orleans soul with them wherever they go.  Displaced by Hurricane Katrina, this group described as a “…hip group with horns…” spent 7 months building a following on the Jersey Shore and Tri-State area before returning to New Orleans to help and be part of the rebuilding process.

Asbury Lanes is a nightclub located at 209 4th Ave., Asbury Park, NJ 07712.

For further information or to schedule an interview, contact Ed Maier at (732) 948-1834 | ed@elmthree.com or Scott Stamper 732-245-0135 | saintnj601@aol.com.

For more information, contact:

Scott Stamper                                                             Edward Maier

The Saint                                                                     ElmThree Productions

732-245-0135                                                             732-948-1834

saintnj601@aol.com                                                    ed@elmthree.com

http://www.thesaintnj.com                                         http://ElmThree.com