Words & Photos by Rod Snyder
This past Sunday, on St. John’s Island, a small, hidden parcel of land located just off the Grand Avenue Bridge in Asbury Park, NJ, a small concert was held. An Acoustic Music Series titled “Sunday’s on St. John’s”, it benefits the youth music programs in Asbury Park. The series is hosted by the Asbury Park Music Foundation, and the performers this day were Rachel Ana Dobken, Tara Dente and Jackson Pines, all well-known and local to the area.
All the sets were stripped down due to the current gathering restrictions in place. RAD performed solo, with her trusty, black Supro guitar, Tara Dente played with just her custom painted guitar, but also had some bells tied to her right boot, to add a little more depth to some of her songs. Jackson Pines were the only band to feature multiple instruments – fronted by Joseph Makoviecki on acoustic guitar, James Black on a beautiful upright bass, and keeping time on his 3 piece Ludwig drum kit was Santo Rizzolo.
Each ticket-holder sat inside a marked circle on the grass. Small, folding chairs are encouraged if you plan to attend any future shows. Everyone was very polite and listened to the music on this overcast, but mostly dry day. There were a few bugs with the sound during the day, but they soon gave way to the glorious sound of LIVE music that has been missing for way too long!!
Let’s hope and pray that current situation will improve soon and live music can once again be heard!!
The “Sunday’s on St. John’s” acoustic series continues every Sunday in October.
TheWaster.com | Asbury Park
9.30.20
