At Home With River City Extension

River City Extension/The Front Bottoms/Brick+Mortar/Merrily and the Poison Orchard at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, November 21st, 2012

Home is a concept, a state of mind.  It's the place or the situation in which you can be your true self.  It's the place where people love you unconditionally and accept you for who you are.  It's that situation or setting that allows you to forget about all of the stuff that's pulling on you -- even if only for a few moments -- and relax, be yourself, and recharge.

River City Extension came home to the Stone Pony last night.  They came home to a place that's been drastically changed.  But after a tour that took them all across the US, to major festivals, and even to Australia, the band came home to a room and to a crowd that welcomed them back with open arms.

Last night was River City Extension's third annual, Thanksgiving Eve "Simple Gifts" show.  In addition to the Toms River band, the bill included Merrily and the Poison Orchard, Asbury Park-based Brick + Mortar, and Bergen County's The Front Bottoms.

The show was all ages; and as I pulled up to the venue, I was struck by the youth of so many in attendance.  I guess that's to be expected during the long weekend when all of the college kids are coming home, too.  The Stone Pony looked just like it always has.  I could hear music pumping from Porta.  The boardwalk remained fenced off and dark, though I've heard that the area north of Convention Hall has been reopened.

I walked in part way through the start of Merrily and the Poison Orchard's set.  Unlike the early portions of some of the other shows I've been to at The Stone Pony this year, the floor was already packed.  Merrily and the Poison Orchard played a great set of singer-songwriter style folk rock.  It would prove to be the calm before the storm.

Brick + Mortar took the stage next.  Vocalist and frontman Brandon Asraf plays bass.  John Tacon plays drums.  The band also rely heavily on some electronic sampling to achieve their slightly ska-infused sound.  Before proceeding to whip the crowd into a frenzy, Asraf asked, "How many of you guys live around here?  How many of you want to do something good for your community?"  Then he pointed out the team (kids, really) from RebuildRecover in the back, taking donations and selling T-shirts.

Brick + Mortar are a popular fixture on the Asbury Park music scene, and many people in the crowd knew every song.  "Hey! I recognize you guys from Boston!" Asraf shouted, pointing at a group in the audience.  Throughout the short, raucous set, Asraf echoed the theme that would define the night:  It's good to be home.

The Front Bottoms took the stage at about 9 o'clock.  One of the great things about seeing New Jersey bands at The Stone Pony is that you often get to see their proud parents dancing and singing along with the rest of the crowd.  The mother of Front Bottoms' drummer Matt Uychich sang every word from the photo pit at the side of the stage.  Lead singer Brian Sella gave a shout out to his father sitting in the back.

The band powered through many of the songs from their excellent 2011 self-titled, debut LP including "Flashlight," "Mountain," "Maps," and never-before-played-live "The Boredom Is the Reason I Started Swimming. It's Also the Reason I Started Sinking."  The crowd went absolutely crazy, and Sella appeared honestly amazed, commenting on how fantastic it was to hear everyone singing his lyrics back at him.  "It's great to be back in Jersey.  All those other places are good... ...but Jersey."  It's good to be home.

Finally, at about 10:15, River City Extension came out to chants of "River City!" from the crowd.  The band opened with "Glastonbury" and "If You Need Me Back in Brooklyn" from 2012's stunning Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Your Anger, the latter song building to its second-half crescendo and carrying the crowd along with it.  Like the bands that preceded them, River City Extension were clearly overjoyed by the reception they got from the crowd.  Vocalist Sam Tacon, whose brother John plays drums for Brick+Mortar, couldn't contain her happiness at being among friends and family.  And, again, there were repeated statements of how good it feels to be home.

The set was heavy on songs from Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Your Anger, including a heartfelt performance of "Standing Outside a Southern Riot" and its call for tolerance and community:  "What's the point of being right, denying that you've seen the light, to wreck their faith because you don't believe it?"  The suite of "Ballad of Oregon" / "Everything West of Home/Brooklyn (reprise)," which saw the crowd fist-pumping, clapping and chanting along with "Hey! Hey! Hey!" closed the main set.

The Unmistakable Man favorites "Friends and Family," "Something Salty, Something Sweet," "South for the Winter," and "Today, I Feel Like I'm Evolving" made up the encore; and members from each of the night's bands got up on stage for a sing-a-long cover of "Don't Be Afraid. You're Already Dead."  When it was all done, Sam Tacon threw herself atop the crowd and surfed to the floor where she exchanged hugs with friends.

A few weeks ago, The Stone Pony survived a storm.  Last night, it was filled with people who had survived a storm, too.  Together with the bands on the bill, those people brought another storm to The Stone Pony.  This time, though, it was a storm that succeeded in bringing down the house.  It's good to be home.

Happy Thanksgiving.