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The Saint (music venue)

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Coordinates: 40°13′08″N 74°00′44″W / 40.218888°N 74.012135°W / 40.218888; -74.012135
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The Saint
The Airborne Toxic Event performing at the Saint
Map
Address601 Main Street
LocationAsbury Park, New Jersey
Public transitNJ Transit NJ Transit at Asbury Park station
  North Jersey Coast Line
NJT Bus NJT Bus: 832, 837
OwnerScott Stamper
TypeMusic venue
Genre(s)Acoustic rock, alternative rock, blues, electronic, folk, garage, groove, hard rock, indie, punk, reggae, rock, surf
Capacity175
OpenedNovember 18, 1994
Website
www.thesaintnj.com
"Saint Radio" concert preview website

The Saint is a music venue located in Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States.[1][2][3] It is reminiscent of places like The Cellar Door in Washington, DC, CBGB, CB's 313 Gallery, and The Living Room in New York City, and features live, original music.[4][5][6][7] The Saint was founded by Adam Jon Weisberg along with business partner Scott Stamper, and opened its doors on November 18, 1994.[8][9] Stamper bought out Weisberg in 2013 and became the sole owner.[8][10][11][12] He is also a co-founder (along with Weisberg and Gordon Brown) of the Wave Gathering Music Festival.[13]

Background

The Saint was an early site of the annual Asbury Park Music Awards ceremony founded by Stamper in collaboration with Pete Mantas. The awards ceremony, modeled after the Grammy Awards,[14][15] features the presentation of awards between performances of live, original music. The event was originally called "The Golden T-Bird Awards" and was first held in 1993 at a small club on Main Street called the T-Bird Cafe. The awards ceremony was later moved to The Saint and renamed "The Asbury Music Awards" in 1995. When the event's attendance exceeded The Saint's capacity, the ceremony was rotated among larger venues, including The Fastlane, The Tradewinds, and The Stone Pony. The Saint remains a co-sponsor of the event.[16]

The Saint has been credited with helping to keep the local music scene alive when newspapers said that the heyday of live music was over, and even The Stone Pony intermittently closed.[2][17] It has been described as a landmark,[1] the bedrock of the Asbury Park music scene, and an important venue for introducing emerging artists. It has also been called Asbury Park's "rock n’roll version of “Cheers,” where musicians and fans hang out together and everybody does know your name."[18][19]

The Saint showcases a variety of new and well-known, local, national, and international acts[2][19] that are touring through the region. The club is more of a concert venue than a bar,[19] and has been described by music critics as one of the top five rock clubs in New Jersey.[20][21]

The Saint has recording capability.[19]

The nature of the acts and links to their websites are posted on the Saint's website so that potential patrons can preview them.

Some bands also perform on 90.5 The Night, Brookdale Public Radio before they play the Saint.

The shows designated "Asbury Cafe" are acoustic, seated shows during which talking is not permitted while the acts are playing.[1]

Age, attire, and nature of the audience varies with the bands, but is generally eclectic.[22]

In 2022, the owners of The Saint lost their lease and liquor license, citing issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] In a 2020 GoFundMe campaign started to help ease COVID-19 shutdown struggles, the owners of the club announced in April 2023 that the venue would reopen by "late spring/summer". As of December 2023, the club remains closed.

Notable acts

Nada Surf's Matthew Caws performing an acoustic show at The Saint in October 2017

Notable acts who have performed there include The Airborne Toxic Event, Nicole Atkins, Ben Folds Five, Bif Naked, Tracy Bonham, Buckethead, Cake, Cannibal Corpse, Ryan Cassata, Jen Chapin, Citizen Cope, Cowboy Mouth, Creed, The Dandy Warhols, Kimya Dawson, Deftones, Joe DeRosa, Dub Trio, The Duke Spirit, Everlast, Finger Eleven, Five for Fighting, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Green Jellÿ, Guster, John S. Hall, Robert Hazard, HelenaMaria, Hoobastank, Incubus, Jewel, Freedy Johnston, Joydrop, Kings of Leon, LP, The Lemonheads, Tony Levin, Toby Lightman, Lunachicks, Marcy Playground, Matthew Good Band, Anne McCue, Shannon McNally, Mindless Self Indulgence, Mod Fun, Modern English, Moe, Allie Moss, Moxy Früvous, Mucky Pup, Nada Surf, Leona Naess, Mieka Pauley, The Pierces, Rachel Platten, Queens of the Stone Age, Joey Ramone, Scars on 45, Maia Sharp, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, April Smith and the Great Picture Show, Bruce Springsteen, Stereophonics, The String Cheese Incident, Kasim Sulton, Tegan and Sara, The The, They Might Be Giants, The Trashcan Sinatras, Derek Trucks, Ween, Wussy, and Zebrahead.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Pike, H. (2002, July 14). Glory days revisited;Springsteen's Asbury Park poised to reclaim its status as a major music venue. Boston Herald (MA), p. 65.
  2. ^ a b c d Davidson, Josh (12 March 2005). "Asbury Park Mainstay Celebrates Ten Years Of Live Music". Chorus & Verse. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  3. ^ Barry, C. (1999, June 20). Article on rock scene omitted an important club. New York Times, NJ15.
  4. ^ Crespi, J. [1] (2013, November 5). Brothers Moving at The Saint in Asbury Park, New Jersey. SRO Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Staff [2] (2014, December 17). The Saint turns 20. Arcade Radio Asbury Park. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  6. ^ Chiminec, N. [3] (2010, October 3). The Touring Musician's Guide to Asbury Park. Bandsonabudget.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  7. ^ Staff [4] (2014). The Saint. DJoyBeat.com Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Jordan, Chris (18 November 2015). "Iconic Saint of Asbury Park launches fundraising drive". app.com. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  9. ^ Biese, A. [5] (2011, November 13). Asbury Music Awards given at The Stone Pony. Asbury Park Press. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  10. ^ Jordan, C. [6] (2015, November 18). Iconic Saint of Asbury Park launches fundraising drive. Asbury Park Press. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  11. ^ Woliver, R. [7] (2000, August 13). Asbury Music Awards Return to Stone Pony. New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  12. ^ Fried, J. (1999, June 13). Back when's club is right now, again. New York Times, NJ1.
  13. ^ La Gorce, T. [8] (2007, May 13). Still Rocking Hard in Asbury Park as the Bands Play On. New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  14. ^ Nash, M. (2005, October 30). The Shore's Grammy Awards. New York Times, p. N12.
  15. ^ DeMasters, K. [9] (1999, August 15) Top of the Pops at the Shore. New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  16. ^ Pfeiffer, J. [10] (2010, December 1). Asbury Music Awards and Musical Heritage Kickoff. The Aquarian. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  17. ^ Goodnough, Abby [11] (1998, March 01). Live Music's Glory Days Pass It By; Suburbs Are Tuning Out, Even at Springsteen's Old Haunt. New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  18. ^ Mikle, J. [12] (2008, November 18). You say its your birthday? in The Rhythm Room. Asbury Park Press, Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  19. ^ a b c d Rothenberg, D. & G. Wien [13] (2006). Beyond the Palace. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing.
  20. ^ Shabe, John (16 July 2013). "New Jersey's top 5 rock clubs ... minus Maxwell's". NJ.com. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  21. ^ Kalat, Hank (21 July 2014). "The List: 10 Best Places to See Indie Bands in the Garden State". NJ Spotlight. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  22. ^ DeMasters, K. [14]. (2001, August 19). A Revival, Musically at Least, Sparks Asbury Park. New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  23. ^ "Readers share memories of Brighton Bar in Long Branch. What will happen to the Saint?". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 2023-12-20.

40°13′08″N 74°00′44″W / 40.218888°N 74.012135°W / 40.218888; -74.012135

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