New Jersey Rocks at Bond Street Bar in Asbury Park 1/8/2023
Bond Street Bar offered up three solid local bands from New Jersey last night. Have A Good Season, Well Wisher, and Latewaves each served up short, tight sets that included old and new material on a Sunday night that was a treat to the Asbury Park crowd that gathered for the early January event.
Latewaves I’d seen as an opener for Pollyanna a few months ago. Then, and last night, the trio rocked their garage-style, unapologetic set and got the evening off to a great start. They have no pretentious whatsoever, don’t take themselves too seriously, and bang out their set while having a great time doing it. They’ve got upcoming gigs elsewhere in Asbury Park and in New York.
For me, the real treat was Well Wisher, a four-piece band led by singer/songwriter Natalie Newbold, who had an upbeat set featuring cuts from their new album, That Weight, and some older stuff too. They claim Pixies and The Breeders as influences, but I hear an Emo style more similar to Weezer or The Beths. They were tight, their timing was great, and their set was uplifting and energetic. They are off to a tremendous start in 2023, with tour dates in New York, Philly, Baltimore, and DC coming up. And they have been added to the impressive Adjacent Festival lineup in Atlantic City this coming May. As Newbold noted, “It’s really coming together this year.” And it should.
Eatontown trio Have A Good Season wrapped up the evening, also showing off some new material from their new album, Shapes I’ve Never Seen, and a few older numbers, including an encore demanded by those gathered. Nic Palermo plays lead guitar and sings, Daniel Stattner plays bass, and Dan Sakumoto is absolutely vicious on the drums. They set up a little like Nirvana, and have a wall of sound like Cloud Nothings.
Great way to spend a Sunday evening in Asbury Park.
You can see a few short clips from the show here.