ASBURY PARK, NJ — Bruce Springsteen described the night in his memoir Born to Run: a nor'easter had emptied the streets, Ocean Avenue and Kingsley Street were a windswept ghost town, and he and his band were playing for a handful of people who'd wandered in from the cold. Then Clarence Clemons strode toward the stage — and just as he approached the front of the Student Prince, a gust tore the club door clean off its hinges and sent it flying down the street. Bruce took it as a sign.
Here, Bruce is describing the Student Prince, the venue where he and Clarence Clemons played their first notes together. This was the chronically empty pub on Kingsley Street where a young Bruce offered his band's services at no cost to the establishment. The band would get to charge $1 per head at the door and the house would keep everything they sell in food and drink. Within months they went from playing for 15 people to filling the place to capacity - the most indie gig going in all of Asbury Park, engineered by the fledgling Boss himself.
54 Years Later - Same Building - A New Indie Moment
I found myself seeking a special venue to host my “Asbury Heart” album launch concert - a place that could become part of the story I tell in the songs.
One venue emerged as a clear favorite - Porta on Kingsley Street. This restaurant occupies the original building that housed the Prince back in the 70s. It seemed fitting that this scrappy indie bandleader from Jersey would choose this meaningful site for Jersey Shore rock history to debut an album all about Jersey Shore rock history, in the footsteps of a scrappy indie bandleader from five decades ago.
My album kicks off with the song “Come Across the Tracks,” a musical retelling of bassist Garry Tallent's true story when this white teenage newcomer to town broke a local taboo by crossing the railroad tracks that kept the races apart. Garry was hungry to make music on the Black west side of town with the soul bands. He became bandmates with Clarence years before the Big Man met the Boss.
This is the room where you'll hear this song performed live, launching into a set list that follows the album in track order. Other songs like D.I.Y. speak to the continuation of that independent spirit of music making, of not waiting for an executive in a suit to sign a contract before making your move. We'll take you up the road to another deeply independent Jersey Shore creation - WHTG 106.3 FM, a modern rock station of its time that wasn't beholden to a network-wide playlist. DJs brought their own records from home and played cassette demos sent in from local bands. This story will be spun into a new-wave ballad called “House on Hope Road.” We'll play songs about dreamers like me who keep going past a “certain age” because that fire still burns. We'll celebrate the LGBTQ+ souls who brought their energy and sense of community to help revitalize Asbury Park, all while authentically being themselves.
🏖️💖 Want to stay in the loop on Asbury Heart? Visit the album page to pre-save and get updates.
About that $10 admission price for our show: In 1971, Bruce was charging $1 per person. Adjusted for inflation, that $1 is nearly $10 in today's dollars. So we're in the same building charging the same price for a scrappy indie Jersey Shore rock show.
And I cannot think of a better space to bring this music to life -- or a better group of partners to make this happen with.
Tickets for May 15 Asbury Heart Album Launch at Porta
Space is limited. Get your tickets now.
🎟️ https://jasondidner.com/event/6449906/752699651/album-release-concert-asbury-heart