Asbury Park Music Foundation Announces Summer Lineup
Des & The Swagmatics Will Launch Free Live Concert Series
Des & The Swagmatics will kick of the Asbury Park Music Foundation free summer concert series on June 26 when Music Mondays at Springwood Avenue Park returns, and will return the following Wednesday for Asbury Park Live at the First Avenue Green on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.
This year’s roster features a mix of local, regional and national touring artists, all aimed at bringing the city’s entire community together at various locations, Foundation President Jim Lenskold has said.
“Last year’s [Music Mondays] series attracted over 4,000 attendees for 10 weekly shows and this year’s lineup is sure to surpass those numbers,” Lenskold said in a written statement.
Founded in 2011, the nonprofit organization advances youth music education programs, such as the Hip Hop Institute at the Monmouth County Boys & Girls Club’s Asbury Park location, in-school music classes at Hope Academy, after-school music classes at Our Lady of Mt Carmel School and in Asbury Park public schools. They also support Lakehouse Academy scholarships for ‘underserved’ youth and recently launched Beat Bus, a recording studio on wheels.
The live music concert series’ Music Mondays is known for featuring a broad range of performers that deliver everything from soul, funk, and R&B to hip hop, rock, and jazz. The Asbury Park Live series runs on Wednesdays with a focus on local favorites and emerging rock bands. And on Thursdays, the Asbury Park Concert Band delivers that big band sound outside of Robinson Ale House on the AP Boardwalk.
Xol Azul
Music Mondays sets off at 6 p.m. June 25 and runs through Tuesday Aug 28 at Springwood Avenue Park, located between Atkins and Union avenues. Lenskold said all supporting acts have roots in the Asbury Park community. Event sponsors include the City of Asbury Park, Interfaith Neighbors, boardwalk redveloper Madison Marquette, the Asbury Park Press, and NJ Natural Gas.
This year, the newly renovated Kula Café located across the street at Atkins and Springwood avenues, will served a concert-themed menu available for dine in or take out. The Asbury Park Complete Streets Coalition returns with their free bicycle corral. Organizers recommend bringing your own lawn chairs and blankets, and in case of inclement weather, the show moves to the Asbury Park Transportation Center, located the corner of Springwood Avenue and Main Street.
Music Mondays lineup includes:
| 6/25 | Des & The Swagmatics / Aya |
| 7/2 | Ray, Goodman & Brown / Choir School of Asbury Park |
| 7/9 | Black Suburbia Music Group / Poca |
| 7/16 | Xol Azul |
| 7/23 | Soul Project / Hip Hop Institute |
| 7/30 | Special Show to be Announced |
| 8/6 | PJ Rasmussen & Boardwalk Jazz / Anya & PJ |
| 8/13 | Louis Prima Band / Lakehouse Music Academy Sponsored by Gia Maione Prima Foundation, Inc. |
| 8/20 | JT Bowen & The Red Bank Rockers / Lil Asmar Band |
| 8/28* | Sensational Soul Cruisers / Mayors Players (*Tuesday show) |
Asbury Park Live runs 7 p.m. Wednesdays at the First Avenue Green next to MOGO Korean Fusion Tacos and Watermark. Each show opens with a youth band from Lakehouse Music Academy, Lenskold said. Sponsors include MOGO Korean Fusion Tacos, Watermark, Pepsi, Ansell Grimm & Aaron, Stone Pony Summer Stage, Lakehouse Music Academy, Asbury Park Food Collective, OceanFirst Bank, Asbury Park Distilling Company, Pucker, and the Crepe Shop.
Asbury Park Live Lineup includes:
| 6/27 | The Vansaders / Des and the Swagmatics |
| 7/4 | American Trappist / Dark City Strings [show runs before and after fireworks] |
| 7/11 | Have a Good Season / latewaves |
| 7/18 | Long Neck / Ragged Lines |
| 7/25 | Waiting on Mongo / Tula Vera |
| 8/1 | ManDancing / Sugar Trip |
| 8/8 | LEEDS / The Do Rights |
| 8/15 | [no show due to Summer Stage event] |
| 8/22 | Good Luck Spaceman / Earth Telephone |
| 8/29 | Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son / Levy and the Oaks |
The Asbury Park Concert Band runs 7 p.m. Thursdays July 5 through Aug 30 outside of Robinson Ale House on the Asbury Park Boardwalk. Local youth are known to sit in on these themed shows. This series is sponsored by Investors Foundation, Robinson Ale House, the American Federation of Musicians Performance Trust Fund, and community donations.
Asbury Park Concert Themes are:
| 7/5 | Patriotic and American Music |
| 7/12 | Jazz Night |
| 7/19 | Now on Broadway |
| 7/26 | Many Colors |
| 8/2 | Movie Time |
| 8/9 | Dorian Parreott’s All Stars |
| 8/16 | Great Entertainers |
| 8/23 | Another Openin’ Another Show |
| 8/30 | Salute to the Armed Forces |
For more about the Asbury Park Music Foundation visit their website and Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
[Feature photo courtesy of Harvey Spinks Photography]
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