On the heels of the successful Asbury Underground Art and Music Crawl which brought some 6,000 attendees to the downtown district of Asbury Park this past October for an afternoon of music, art and shopping, the Light of Day Foundation once again has invited Asbury Underground to produce the downtown leg of their festival which will take place on Jan. 16 and new this year, an added Sunday, Jan. 17.
This years’ event, the third year running with Light of Day, will feature 32 performances by musicians and/or bands, with the focus on original music, and singer/songwriters, playing in 16 locations, mostly art galleries and/or shops which will be displaying art by local artists.
“This year marks our 16th Anniversary. Now called the Light of Day WinterFest, we once again return to Asbury Park,” said Tony Pallagrosi, founder of the Light of Day Foundation. “We are very excited at the prospect of working with Patrick Schiavino, art629 Gallery and Asbury Underground. As last year’s success proved, the relationship with The Underground and The Downtown brings a whole new dimension, energy, and excitement to our cause, the eradication of Parkinson’s and its related neurodegenerative diseases, ALS and PSP. Welcome and blessings to all.”
Pallagrosi is a long-time friend of Schiavino’s, a local artist, owner of art629 Gallery and the founder of Asbury Underground.
“For a number of years, my desire had been to connect what Light of Day was doing on the Oceanfront with The Downtown,” Pallagrosi said. “Pat really helped make that happen in an efficient and effective way for the Light of Day Foundation. We now have an event were audience and musicians alike flow freely between each area and venue and where many musicians present their work in different formats at multiple venues, which was always my goal, throughout the 8 day festival. As an added bonus, increased sponsor commitment has allowed us to present a growing number of shows, including all of the Downtown events, mostly for free.”
Asbury Park is already known as “the city where music lives”, but it is quickly becoming New Jersey’s number one destination for the fine arts as well. On Jan. 16 and 17 two art forms will collide as Downtown Asbury Park will resonate with a series of free, “pop-up” sets by 32 critically acclaimed musicians and/or bands who live and work in and around the “City by the Sea”, taking place at 16 venues, mostly art galleries, café’s, shops and restaurants, along what is becoming the super chic Cookman Avenue, and Bangs Avenue, also known as “The Hipster Block” and other streets in Asbury Park’s bustling downtown district.
The “Asbury Underground” will be kicking off at Heaven Gallery at 1 p.m. with local favorite, singer/songwriter, Chris Brown. This, the seventh “Downtown Art and Music Crawl” will wind its way through the Downtown all afternoon before ending the evening at Parlor Gallery for the final concert at 4:15PM featuring Stringbean and the Boardwalk Social Club, and then there will be a special closing party beginning at 7 p.m. for local artist “Porkchop’s” exhibition, also at Parlor Gallery, which will last till 10 p.m. Rather than a “guided tour” however, this no-frills event allows attendees to explore the Downtown with maps of participating venues showcasing music and art. A special Asbury Underground App will be available for patrons attending the event which will have a schedule of shows and an easy-to-follow map which attendees can access from their smartphones.
On Sunday the 17th, the music will continue with continuous performances all day at Cross & Orange Restaurant, located at 508 Cookman Avenue and also at Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten located at 527 Lake Avenue. The music will begin at 1PM and the last performance will begin at 8PM in the evening.
The Asbury Underground App, will offer users access to secret pop-up shows throughout the year, as well as exclusive discounts and specials at various Asbury Park retailers, restaurants, bars, and music venues. The App is available at Apple App (LINK) and Google Play for free.
The other venues featured on the tour are, art629 Gallery, Exhibit 9 Gallery, Oasis Home, House of Independents, Coil & Co., Twisted Tree Café’, Backward Glances, Holdfast Records, BTII Gallery, Confections of a Rock Star, Café’ Volan, America’s Cup, Cross & Orange, and Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten.
“Once again there has been an overwhelming response from the local musicians who want to be part of this great event and very important cause. I have been getting calls and e-mails from so many who want to be involved, it is just overwhelming how generous and cooperative everyone has been with their time and many talents”, says Patrick Schiavino, Founder of Asbury Underground and owner of art629 Gallery. “This will be our seventh Asbury Underground and our third event done in conjunction with Light of Day. Each year both festivals grow in popularity and attendance. Our last Underground which took place this past October, drew an estimated 6,000 people to the downtown. The response has been so overwhelming that this year we have decided to add a second day, Sunday the 17th, so that we can provide an even wider scope of what we have to offer here in Asbury Park, and to further grow the event.
Featured musicians on the tour to date will be Steve Forbert, Mike Peters, Emily Grove, Quincy Mumford, Dawg Whistle, The Voodudes, Stringbean and the Boardwalk Social Club, Chris Brown, Blisstique, Colton Kayser, Dan Matlack, Sal Boyd, Sunday Blues, Joe Harvard, Frank Lombardi, Geena and Dragster, Doug Zambon, Kiyomi Valentine w/ Lisa Bianco, Kevin John Allen, Julian Fulton, Sophia Nicole, Marc Davis, Jon Francis, Daughter Vision, Shawn Mars, Puppy Grease, Dub Proof, Lowlight, The Danny White Band, and Cat London.
