The 7th annual Sea.Hear.Now (SHN) music festival in Asbury Park, NJ, was held on September 13th & 14th, and went off with hardly a hitch. It is a festival rooted in Asbury Park beach culture with a mix of local and big-name acts that center on rock music, but dip into punk, reggae, roots, electronica, funk, and hip hop. There is a definite beach theme that is interwoven into everything, but make no mistake about it – SHN is a professionally-run festival. SHN offers most of the usual festival amenities (lockers for rent, cashless wristbands, marketing setups from festival sponsors, etc.), but there are a few amenities and components that truly set this festival apart.
The main element is a commitment to art. There are art installations all throughout the festival, but Danny Clinch hosts a Transparent Gallery tent, which features art made by the performers at the festival on display and for sale, which bumps the festival’s cool-factor up from generic festival to something unique. In addition, there are some amenities that were impressive: Almost no lines for drinks, bathrooms (better than your standard port-o-lets), or at the water-refilling stations. One significant change was made this year by expanding the perimeter of the festival to encompass the Wonder Bar and other local businesses so festival goers could take a break from the festival without having to leave the premises.
Saturday, Sept 13th
Saturday felt a little like two festivals: one for the youngsters and one for the oldsters. The younger set seemed to be comprised of a disproportionate number of daisy-chained young women (between 18 & 22) who snaked through the audience in what seemed like matching uniforms to see bands like Remi Wolf, Gigi Perez, Inhaler, Not Yer Baby and Phoneboy. The older set, whose style scale tipped decidedly to the functional side, travelled mostly in pairs and focused more on De La Soul, ZZ Top, UB40, Alabama Shakes, and Trombone Shorty (yes, sorry to disappoint you, but Trombone Shorty’s band has been together for at least 15 years). While there was some middle ground with Hozier (the headliner), LCD Soundsystem, Mondo Cozmo, Bumpin Uglies, and Royel Otis, Saturday really felt like a tale of two festivals.
Musical Highlights:
Mondo Cozmo played early on the Sand stage and made the most of their 45-minute set of hard-driving but complex rock and roll. The 5-piece, Philadelphia-based band is fronted by Josh Ostrander who wrote the songs and lets his “just gravelly enough” voice handle the majority of the vocals. This is a band in the true sense of the word. All 5 members (lead guitar, bass, drums, Ostrander, and electronics) had moments that wowed the audience with their energy and musicianship. That feeling was reinforced when Ostrander took a minute to “introduce you to my best friends.”
The whole set felt like spending an afternoon sharing important songs with good friends as they played songs from their entire 4-album repertoire, including several from their 2024 release It’s Principle!. They also did a great version of the “Black Cadillac”, a song they introduced as “Bruce Springsteen’s favorite Mondo Cozmo song. Their penultimate song was a beautiful sing-along version of their 2017 hit, “Shine.” The overwhelming feeling of their show was one of camaraderie and thankfulness, which was punctuated at the end of their last raucous jam during their final song, the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”, when Ostrander turned his guitar around and held it over his head to reveal the word “thanks” in big, bold white letters.
When Hozier was first announced as a headliner, many people, including this reviewer, reacted by saying he wasn’t a big enough act to headline SHN. Well, he proved us all wrong on the closing set of Saturday night. His show was big, powerful, and felt important. Hozier is backed by an all-star band of musicians who feel like they have been personally collected by this tall Irishman during his travels around the globe. Although he credits his Musical Director, keyboardist Ryan Conners, as being responsible for their sound, it is clear that Hozier’s direction is the key component.
The band’s sound feels orchestral in its breadth, but at the same time feels focused around Hozier’s clear and compelling vocals. The music was complemented by a simple but poignant video backdrop that gave incredibly sharp texture to the band’s songs. He changed guitars on every song, making the guitarists in the audience envious of some of the beautiful instruments he used, including a red National beauty. He was effusive to his bandmates, introducing each one with care, and to the crowd with thanks and encouragement to push for inclusiveness in our society. That was most evident in the preamble to his song “Nina Cried Power”, which he recorded with Mavis Staples, as he told the audience that the US civil rights movement directly inspired a similar movement in Ireland that allowed all people to vote. He also made a strong point of equating that work for equality and freedom with the work to support LGBTQ+ rights, fair treatment of immigrants, and self-determination of Palestinians in the Middle East. The point was driven home during his impassioned version of the closing hit, “Take Me To Church,” backed by a powerful video of a gay couple being pursued, tortured, and potentially murdered by a gang of men. He ended the song and the show by hanging an LGBTQ+ flag on his mic stand as the band walked off the stage.
LCD Soundsystem had to make significant compromises to make to fit their live show into a 75-minute set, as most of their songs are over 10 minutes long and most of their shows run over two hours. That being said, they cut their songs down a bit and managed to retain the building energy that each of their live songs seems to feature. They are a confusing band to watch, with so many people on stage playing a wide range of instruments, including many synthesizers that have been altered beyond recognition. However, they did deliver a compelling music performance and finished with four great versions of “Someone Great”, “Dance Yrself Clean”, “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down”, and “All My Friends”, which had every member of the audience jumping for joy and singing at the top of their voices. The whole revolving musical circus is expertly reined in by James Murphy, the ringleader and lead vocalist of the group.
Other bands that made an impression were:
Phoneboy – a young band, mostly from the Jersey Shore, that displayed all the enthusiasm and a little more musicianship and composure than is expected from a young rock band playing on their first big festival stage. They shared an amusing story about the genesis of their song, “1987”, being written while they were in a long drive-thru line at Wendy’s, and one of the members said, “Let’s put our phones down and pretend it is 1987.”
Royel Otis – who delivered a strong performance with a solid indie rock vibe despite losing much of their crowd to LCD Soundsystem (playing opposite them on the Park Stage) and the people staking their claim on space for Hozier (the closing act of the evening)
ZZ Top – Although this had all the trappings of a lame legacy act, they did a nice job of proving they still had their chops while mixing in the nostalgia (fuzzy guitars, 17-string bass, etc) that the oldsters remember from the 80s.
Alabama Shakes – there was nothing wrong with their set. Brittany Howard’s voice was strong and moving, but there were virtually no improvisations (guitar solos, keyboard solos, song extensions) to distinguish their show from their albums.
Remi Wolf – Say what you like about her music, but there is no denying that her energy and passion for performance are exceptional.
Sunday, September 14th
Sunday was another beautiful day at the beach with slightly fewer clouds and a slightly cooler ocean breeze. So many conversations in the crowd centered on how sore we all were from walking on the beach on Saturday. This reviewer logged over 15 miles each day. However, there was much music to see. The Surf stage alone boasted the impressive lineup of Neal Francis, 4 Non Blondes, Public Enemy, Lenny Kravitz, and Blink 182. The Park and Sand stages featured Sublime, Phantogram, Hot Mulligan, TV On The Radio, Mannequin Pussy, Spoon, Landon McNamara, Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge, The Tide Bends, and Surfing For Daisy.
Musical Highlights:
4 Non Blondes has been on a hiatus since Linda Perry, their lead singer, left the band in 1994, just four years and one hit album after the band started in San Francisco. They reunited this year to do a few shows and are getting ready to release a new album with a tour to follow. They started their hour-long set by having the crowd sing the chorus to their mega-hit, “What’s Up”. As soon as everyone was feeling all right, they launched into a ripping version of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” which put what we were all thinking into words and made this reviewer a little sad that we had missed almost 20 years of hearing Linda Perry’s stellar rock and roll voice.
Ten of their twelve songs they played were new songs that are all likely to be on their forthcoming album and all felt soaked in honesty and genuineness from Perry’s soul. They all sounded like potential hits, bolstered by the fact that she is still as powerful and emotive a singer as she ever was. She developed a nice relationship with the crowd and shared that she is having fun on stage again after being trapped in a studio for over two decades. The crowd was able to sing along to the third song of the set, “Train” from their Bigger, Better, Faster, More! album, but weren’t the least bit bored listening to eight songs in a row that they had never heard before – a true testament to the quality of the songs, her band and her voice. For her last song, she gave the crowd exactly what they have been waiting for with an amazing version of “What’s Up?” which had everyone in the crowd – even the people who weren’t born when it was released in 1993 – singing the chorus jubilantly at the top of their lungs, followed by Perry’s heartfelt thank you for “sustaining us for so many years.” It felt cathartic and hopeful for what is still to come from this band that showed so much promise over 20 years ago.
Surfing For Daisy kicked off the Park stage at 12:30 to the biggest crowd this reviewer has ever seen at the opening set of any festival. The crowd, filled with Asbury Park and Asbury-adjacent locals, started chanting “Daisy” over and over again a full ten minutes before their local heroes were even scheduled to start. They couldn’t sustain the chant for the full 10 minutes, but the fuse had been lit and the energy fed from crowd to band and back again for their full 45-minute set of roots rock. The six-piece band, led by Nick Francis, felt turned up a notch and a half as they played mere blocks from the porch on 2nd Avenue, where the band was formed. They primarily stuck to their debut album with a welcome sit-in from the ubiquitous Danny Clinch, who played harmonica on their second song, “Goddess”, but did squeeze in one new number, “1952”, that will presumably be released on their next album. The crowd was super-supportive, chanting “Daisy” at almost every song break. The band all appreciated it, and you can bet they are still beaming from ear to ear because of those 45 stellar minutes at SHN. They seem like a band that is well on its way.
Lenny Kravitz is 61 years old, but sounded and looked as good as he did in the 1980s. He squeezed 13 songs into his no-nonsense 60-minute set, focusing on classics and incorporating a few tracks (“TK421” and “Paralyzed”) from his newest album, Blue Electric Light. The band was on fire, and you could feel the musical heat, which was supplemented by the physical heat from the fire cannons on stage. Of particular note were the measured, but powerful rhythms laid down by drummer, Jas Kayser and the searing guitar solos of Craig Ross.
However, it was undeniable that the main attraction was Kravitz, who showed his musicianship on vocals, guitar, and bass. His vocals were so clear and accurate that at times one had to look carefully to ensure that he wasn’t lip-synching, which he absolutely was not. He finished off the set playing six of his classic songs: “Always on the Run”, It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over”, “American Woman”, “Again”, “Fly Away”, and “Are You Gonna Go My Way”. Even with him going ten minutes over his allotted time, it felt like the crowd and the band would have loved to spend another hour together, but he had to make way for a lackluster performance from Blink-182, which led many to opine that SHN picked the wrong headliner to close out the festival.
Mannequin Pussy was the only true representative of the punk music scene at this year’s SHN, and they represented very well. Their audience came in ready to rock, and fortunately, so did Missy Dabice’s band. She led them through a solid hour of furiously paced punk numbers. Like many other acts at SHN she did not shy away from politics and pointedly told the audience, “If you are one of those people who believe musicians should stick to entertainment and stay away from politics, then you are going to absolutely hate this show and our band”. Later on, she asked all the boys and men in the audience to raise their hands and asked them, “when you are in quiet spaces where we are not present do you have our backs, because we have yours.” Of all the songs they played, the one that stood out most to this reviewer was, “I Got Heaven” from their latest album, I Got Heaven. The band is coming off two years on the road and is looking forward to a well-deserved rest, but it seems like they will eventually be back, recharged and ready to rock again.
Other bands that made an impression were:
Phantogram – A powerful artistic rock group whose lead singer, Sarah Barthel, dominated the stage with her athleticism and vocal energy.
Spoon – The consistently great Austin band is as tight as any band at the festival this year
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