Asbury Underground returns to downtown for art, music crawl - and it's bigger than ever
In the words of the Jam's New Wave classic, Asbury Park is going Underground — again.
After a nearly five-year hiatus, The Asbury Underground music and art crawl returns Saturday, June 15, to downtown Asbury Park as part of the North to Shore festival. The Underground is bigger than ever with more than 80 artists participating at 32 venues, from bars to galleries to shops.
“It’s a free day of music, spoken word, comedy and art, and we would encourage people to Uber in or take the train or get here early so they can park because parking is an issue in Asbury Park,” said Asbury Underground founder Pat Schiavino, a music industry vet, painter and owner of the Art 629 gallery on Cookman Avenue.
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Highlights include Neptune hitmaker Nicole Atkins; city country duo Williams Honor; and actor Val Emmich at the Art 629 Gallery at 629 Cookman Ave. Music man Pete Scherer is at Blackbird Presents; Rihanna songwriter Chad Sabo plays at Motion City Media; battle rap champ Lex Banko lays it down at Lola’s European Cafe; and Bobby Mahoney, who's opened for Bon Jovi, rocks Destination Asbury.
There will be a jazz stage at Homesick, 522 Cookman Ave., with the NYC Swingers playing “From Central Park to Asbury Park.” Comedy at the Literally Underground Comedy Show, curated and hosted by funny gal Jess Alaimo, is at the Asbury Park Brewery's new spot, 614 Cookman Ave.
Lots of left-of-center performances will take place on the Joe Harvard Memorial gARTen Stage at Parlor Gallery. Harvard, an Asbury scene-maker who died in 2019, used to create what he called “the first outdoor black light trash art gallery and garden in the country” at the empty lot at 713 Cookman Ave. In 2018, owners Sackman Enterprises asked him to leave. The lot is still empty.
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The purpose of the Underground, with music curated by Rick Barry and Christine Feola, is to bring exposure to the city's music and art scene, and exposure to downtown businesses, Schiavino said.
“I think that since COVID we’re still trying to get our feet back on the ground, and it’s not only in Asbury Park but every city or town with a downtown is having their problems,” Schiavino said. “Retail in general has been [struggling] because of the internet and people are buying stuff online — so it was already a challenge. What I’ve seen here are a lot of young entrepreneurial business owners coming in, mostly women, very energetic, and they have an online presence as well."
Schiavino noted that the city has lost a few art galleries since the last Underground in 2019. There are presently six in town, he said
“Most areas when the rent is cheaper, that's when the art galleries open and the area becomes hip and cool and the first ones to get priced out are the art galleries and the artists. So that happened here,” said Schiavino, who formerly booked bands for “The Uncle Floyd Show” and Club Bene in Sayreville before moving to the city in the late '90s. “It happened in SoHo, it happened in Chelsea, it happened in Brooklyn. That‘s the way it is. We come in, we make the place cool and hip, and then the money people come in because it’s cool and hip and then it loses its cool and hipness — but we haven't.”
The Asbury Park portion of the North to Shore runs through Sunday, June 16. City shows include Lake Street Drive on Friday, June 14; and Bleachers' annual Shadow of the City festival on Saturday, June 15, at the Stone Pony Summer Stage. The fest then moves to Atlantic City from June 17 to 23, and Newark June 24 to 30.
Go: Asbury Underground, noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 16, downtown Asbury Park, free; asburyunderground.com.
Asbury Underground crawl schedule for Saturday, June 15
Noon: October Man at Over the Moon Art Studios, 808 Springwood Ave.
Noon: Captain Cream and The Forest Fires at Art 629 Gallery, 629 Cookman Ave.
Noon: Stringbean at Lock & Shade Courtyard, Court Square, 608-612 Cookman Ave.
12:15 p.m.: George Wirth at Artemis Ethos, 722 Cookman Ave.
12:15 p.m.: Ryan Gregg at Freedom Rocks, 550 Cookman Ave., #106
12:30 p.m.: Lou Montesano at Russo Music, 619 Lake Ave.
12:30 p.m.: Space at Motion City Media, Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Ave.
12:45 p.m.: Pete Scherer at Blackbird Presents, 651 Cookman Ave.
12:45 p.m.: Amanda Duncan at BOHO House, 623 Cookman Ave.
1 p.m.: Songbird at Asbury Book Co-op (part of North to Shore), 644A Cookman Ave.
1 p.m.: Jared Milian at Wacky Tobaccy Co., 716 Cookman Ave.
1 p.m.: Elliot Maher at Destination Asbury, 644B, Cookman Ave.
1:15 p.m.: Big Boss Noff at Asbury Park Brewery, 614 Cookman Ave.
1:15 p.m.: The Slow Circuit at Luxe & Shadows, Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Ave.
1:30 p.m.: Anthony Walker at Confections of a Rockstar, 550 Cookman Ave., #104
1:30 p.m.: Drea at Over the Moon Art Studios, 808 Springwood Ave.
1:45 p.m.: Val Emmich at Art 629 Gallery, 629 Cookman Ave.
1:45 p.m.: Mike Chick/Yawn Mower at Freedom Rocks, 550 Cookman Ave., #106
2:00 p.m.: Al Holmes at Asbury Park Distillery, 527 Lake Ave.
2 p.m.: Meg Whalen at Killer Pies, 649 Mattison Ave.
2 p.m.: Brother Andrew at Modern Love Fashion, 701 Bangs Ave.
2:15 p.m.: Dentist at Blackbird Presents, 651 Cookman Ave.
2:30 p.m.: Levy Okun at Lock & Shade Courtyard, Court Square, 608-612 Cookman Ave.
2:30 p.m.: Doc Emmet at Interwoven, 722 Cookman Ave.
2:45 p.m.: Arlan Feiles at Freedom Rocks, 550 Cookman Ave., #106
2:45 p.m.” Natalie Newbold at Over the Moon Art Studios, 808 Springwood Ave.
3 p.m.: Foes of Fern at Motion City Media, Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Ave.
3 p.m.: Teen Idle at Art 629 Gallery, 629 Cookman Ave.
3:15 p.m.: Emily Grove at BOHO House, 623 Cookman Ave.
3:15 p.m.: Julian Fulton at Destination Asbury, 644B, Cookman Ave.
3:30 p.m.: Sunday Blues at Rebel Supply, 550 Cookman Ave., #107
3:30 p.m.: Colton Kayser at Cafe Volan, 510 Bangs Ave.
3:45 p.m.: Cole Hallman at Blackbird Presents, 651 Cookman Ave.
3:45 p.m.: Ron Santee at Griffey’s Organics, 611 Bangs Ave., 1E
3:45 p.m.: Jamie Coppa at Freedom Rocks, 550 Cookman Ave., #106
4 p.m.: Vel Johnson at Asbury Park Distillery, 527 Lake Ave.
4 p.m.: Natalie Farrell at Luxe & Shadows, Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Ave.
4 p.m.: Blisstique at MOGO, 632 Cookman Ave.
4:15 p.m.: Chad Sabo at Motion City Media, Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Ave.
4:15 p.m.: NoShows at Modern Love Fashion, 701 Bangs Ave.
4:30 p.m.: Martin Howth at Blackbird Presents, 651 Cookman Ave.
4:30 p.m.: Nicole Atkins at Art 629 Gallery, 629 Cookman Ave.
4:45 p.m.: Doug Zambon at Interwoven, 722 Cookman Ave.
4:45 p.m.: Chris Brown at Locals Art Space, 408 Main St.
5: p.m.: Lex Banko at Lola’s European Cafe, 539 Cookman Ave.
5 p.m.: Taylor Tote at BOHO House, 623 Cookman Ave.
5:15 p.m.: Pam Flores at Sanctum Handmade, 601 Cookman Ave.
5:15 p.m.: Mel Lyn at The Art of the Bean & Leaf, 633 Cookman Ave.
5:30 p.m.: Mark Melicia at Motion City Media, Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Ave.
5:30 p.m.: Via Crowe at Over the Moon Art Studios, 808 Springwood Ave.
5:30 p.m.: Bobby Mahoney at Destination Asbury, 644B, Cookman Ave.
5:45 p.m.: Lou Panico at Baked Bear, 614 Cookman Ave., #4
6 p.m.: Erik Kase Romero at Blackbird Presents, 651 Cookman Ave.
6 p.m.: Emerson Woolf at Artemis Ethos, 722 Cookman Ave.
6:15 p.m.: Zack Moyle at Rebel Supply, 550 Cookman Ave., #107
6:15 p.m.: Williams Honor at Art 629 Gallery, 629 Cookman Ave.
6:30 p.m.: King Ramses at Wacky Tobaccy Co., 716 Cookman Ave.
6:30 p.m.: Sally Joe Boyd at Motion City Media, Shoppes at the Arcade, 658 Cookman Ave.
6:30 p.m.: Kuf Notz at Over the Moon Art Studios, 808 Springwood Ave.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordanatapp.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Asbury Underground returns to downtown for art, music crawl
