Changing Asbury Jukes Play Fairs, Not Arenas, but Count B
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Backstage Pass / Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes’ 40th Anniversary Southside Johnny’s Boardwalk Empire The Jersey rocker and his “I’ve seen what it’s like to walk ever- changing Asbury Jukes down the boardwalk with Bruce,” says Southside (above, below right). “I wouldn’t like that at all. play fairs, not arenas, but I like to buy my own groceries.” count Bon Jovi and The Boss among their fans BY WAYNE ROBINS Lesser acts might be cynical, but for 40 years Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes have been performing a now formidable, largely original, always changing repertoire of American music: R&B, blues, roots rock’n’roll. John Lyon, 66, and his bandmates (more than 130 members have worn the Asbury Jukes logo through the years, says Southside, sitting at a picnic table between the boardwalk with Bruce; I’ve been places with sets) never had the popular success of Jersey Jon. I wouldn’t like that at all. I’m self-conscious AT THE FAIRGROUNDSA IN West SPringfieLD, Shore mates such as Bruce Springsteen & The E enough! I like to buy my own groceries.” Mass., past the gaudy bright lights of stands sell- Street Band or Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi’s admiration for Southside runs deep. ing fried-dough funnel cakes and cream puffs But if you ask him, he’ll tell you he’s fine with all Among the rockers of the Jersey Shore, he says, so big they come with instructions on how to that. And more importantly, he really means it. “Johnny has his place in the Holy Trinity. Bruce, eat them (twist gently), Southside Johnny & The “Bruce and Jon [Bon Jovi], they’re good friends Steven and Johnny were that to me.” Asbury Jukes are doing a sound check in the sun of mine, have made huge successes,” After four decades on the road, there’s on a recent Saturday afternoon. says Southside, who has frequently no mansion on the hill to come home Here at the Eastern States Exposition (“New collaborated with E Street Band to for Southside. “John is the least England’s greatest fair”), the members of the band guitarist Steven Van Zandt. But he materialistic man I’ve ever met,” says have to keep reminding those passing by or seated identifies more with artists in it for the Jeff Kazee, 48, the Jukes’ keyboard- AGE Im E R early for the upcoming 3 p.m. set that this was just a long haul who don’t need gold records ist, Southside’s writing partner and /WI ss sound check. There will also be another 45-minute and stadium shows — “people like Ry frequent co-producer. In Kazee’s base- K WEI K R set at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, six Cooder and Bonnie Raitt, admired ment in New York’s Queens borough, TEEN: MA TEEN: sets in all, free with admission to the fair. In the musicians who are comfortable with he and Southside composed the music S ING R building behind the stage — where the nine band the level they’re on,” he says. “No huge pressure for the act’s latest CD, Soultime!, inspired more by ANO. SP ANO. members and a handful of crew shared a cramped to make hits; they make a good living. They’re late-’70s soul than other Jukes albums. Southside ss FO SA FO allowed to do whatever they want to do. And if lives in a rented cottage in Ocean Grove, N.J., a dressing room — an equestrian competition is L taking place; a short walk from there, stage right, is something works out, great. That’s where I always quiet area that shares a boardwalk with Asbury LYON: RODO LYON: “Farm-O-Rama,” come see the llama. wanted to be. I’ve seen what it’s like to walk down Park, where it all began. OCTOBER 24, 2015 | WWW.BILLBOARD.coM 109 Backstage Pass / Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes’ 40th Anniversary What Southside does share with his compatri- drums and an organ, so all you had to bring was five years in Nashville in the 1990s), stretching ots are roots in the teenage nightclubs of Asbury your guitar or bass, or in my case, just my voice. I his interests. In recent years he has independently Park, off the beaten track enough to let them liked Chicago blues, so the audience got used to released CDs ranging from live sets cut at Asbury develop and distill their own sound based on their hearing Elmore James. Steve liked reggae; Bruce Park’s famed Stone Pony club to Grapefruit Moon: musical passions. “There were top 40 bands who liked all that ‘Telstar’ stuff. We were left alone The Songs of Tom Waits. He now has his own played Friday and Saturday nights, who played long enough to gestate into what each individual label, Leroy Records. And while some lament the person wanted to hear [themselves play] from all demise of the major labels, it couldn’t have come the different kinds of music we combined.” too soon for Southside, who says he has never Southside’s career could have been an endless seen royalties from any of those albums. “I’m not loop of nostalgia shows, based on the lasting a millionaire or anything like that, but I’m happy appeal, if not hit power, of songs from his first with what I’ve got,” he says. “I don’t have any three Epic albums, beginning with Van Zandt’s children, I live alone and I like it.” title composition from the 1976 debut, I Don’t Southside wouldn’t reveal how much it cost to Wanna Go Home, and Springsteen’s song “The record Soultime! except to say, almost out of habit, Fever,” as well as Springsteen- and Van Zandt- “more than we make back.” Then again, that S AGE penned tracks on This Time It’s for Real and Hearts has never been the point. “It’s not about mak- Im ETTY G / of Stone. Those albums earned fervent early ing money from an album. It’s having material S N More than 130 musicians R have been members of support from key radio programmers like Kid to play live. We do 80 to 100 shows a year, and The Asbury Jukes since ON/REDFE Leo, then-program director of influential WMMS that’s where you make your money. We change R A A their 1976 debut, says . E in Cleveland and former Columbia Records the show every night; we don’t know what’s going D Southside (front). R executive, who today says he “quite often” to happen. We have fun onstage, and audiences : RICHA all the latest hits,” recalls Southside. “We didn’t plays Southside’s music as host of Little Steven’s come to see bands have a great time. There’s a S Y JUKE R do that, me and Bruce and Steve Van Zandt and Underground Garage on SiriusXM. body of songs fans relate to, and we try to give BU As [E Street Band bassist] Garry Tallent. We had a But Southside never had that breakout hit, not them that while doing what we want too. place called the Upstage Club, open until 5 a.m., with Epic, Mercury, Atlantic or other major-label “It sounds like a facile thing to say,” he adds, “but IDE JOHNNY & THE that didn’t serve alcohol, so teenagers could hang imprints. Instead of folding, however, he kept it’s really true in our case. On a given night, we’ll S out. It had built-in amps, microphones, a set of recording and touring, moving around (including give them everything we have.” SOUTH Backstage Pass / Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes’ 40th Anniversary “It’s Southside’s fault I can’t dance,” says released in 1978. I remember holding the trombone player, was amazing to my band as Bon Jovi (left). sleeve, flipping it over to see Johnny reading the a kid. He used to drive up to Sayreville [N.J.] to racing form in his shades, wearing the leather show us the right chords to play some classic jacket. The songs spoke to me. I learned how to R&B. Kevin Kavanaugh, the keyboard player, play them and to sing them. I had a band that was the most supportive of my band’s live emulated The Jukes, called The Atlantic City performances. Expressway. Then there’s Johnny... Describe their influence on you. He produced the first original band I was part It was 1979 when I started to go to Asbury of, called The Rest. Johnny let us open for him Park to breathe the air where the songs of several times while I was still in high school and Bruce [Springsteen] and Steven [Van Zandt] in the years shortly thereafter. I learned a lot of came from. Groups came from all over the my stage banter from him, and I like to say it’s tristate area to play in cover bands, but more his fault I can’t dance. ‘SMART, WITTY AND A importantly to play in original bands at clubs that only played original music. Imagine at 18 How would you describe your relationship? HUGE PAIN in THE ASS’ years old wanting to be in a band, to emulate He and I have been close for 35 years. He is a Jon Bon Jovi offers memories of his career- your heroes, then going to that place and complicated guy — beyond smart, witty, and a long friendship with Southside Johnny actually seeing them.