Chris Brown is one of the true staples of the Asbury Park music scene. A native son of “The City that Bruce Built” — Brown has been playing the bars (and working) them long before we saw the scene explode with big time festivals, and original bands performing nightly on the boardwalks. From (the original) Lanes to Wonder Bar to anywhere who need a man with a guitar, and a hell of a voice — there’s no venue worth its salt that he hasn’t played.
In full disclosure, Chris is a friend of the site. He’s performed for us during our residency at The Wonder Bar, and the after-party of our Convention Hall Saint Patrick’s Day show. Besides being a great dude, the reason we’ve worked with him so many is the reason everyone does — he has this wonderful ability to blend punk, folk, and Americana stylings in his music to provide a timeless soundtrack perfect for a dark lit pub, or a beachfront stage.
We caught up with Chris in the summer as he was getting ready to play our friends’ Makin Waves’ AP Brewery show. In this interview we talk about how being a dad has influenced him as a performer, the Asbury music scene and more.
Since your last record in 2016 you’ve become a parent. Has becoming a dad influenced your songwriting? Has the subject matter changed? Has the tone changed?
I think that every life experience ultimately frames one’s writing and perspective. I’ve always tried to write positive and thoughtful stories-stuff that I’d be proud of sharing with listeners of any age range. That said, going forward as a dad, I’m always cognizant I’ve got a little guy who’s gonna hold me under a microscope and I want to set a good example…the subject matter hasn’t changed much though.
While you haven’t released an album since 2016 — you are still one of the most in-demand performers in Asbury Park. If someone’s never seen you perform live before — what can expect from a Chris Brown show?
Parenthood and life has led to being a little dormant on the writing/recording front ha. That’s very kind of you to say and I’m humbled for anyone who’s ever listened to my songs or come to see me play. At a live show you can expect some live looping that I’ve been dialing in the past few years, a bunch of wrong notes in attempted solos, and some bad dad jokes. And lots of (sometimes irrelevant) anecdotal stories.
As a performer, what do you think has been your proudest moment?
I’d have to say opening for Anthony Raneri (Bayside) at Asbury Lanes to a pretty much sold out crowd was really rad. He was such a humble guy and took time to talk to EVERY fan who came to his table, including me. His fans were super receptive to my music and I was grateful for the chance to play that show. Also playing the Lanes for The Bouncing Souls documentary screening at the AP Music & Film Fest was rad having grown up a big fan of theirs and getting to record with Pete as an adult.
I’ve heard rumblings that a new record may be in the works — when could we possibly expect this new music, and will your previous producer Pete Steinkopf be involved in the creative and/or production process?
Definitely going to happen. I’ve been working on lyrics piecemeal for sometime and hope to get down to fleshing out some songs post summer busyness. Probably next year will see a release. I’ll most definitely be working with Pete again so long as schedules permit.
You’ve been performing in Asbury for a long time, and have lived here for a large portion of your life. What’s your opinion on the music scene of Asbury Park as both a performer, and as someone who has/does work various venues?
I’ve lived half my life in Asbury and spent the bulk of it hanging out there as a music fan and performer. I think it’s a flourishing scene that is lightening rod for new talent. The musical friends and peers in this community keep raising the bar for everyone. The vets of the scene like: John Leidersdorf, Scott Stamper, Peter Mantas, Kyle Brendle, Debbie DeLisa, John Pfeiffer, Bob Makin, Gary Wein and so many more have kept the scene alive through the blighted years running clubs/venues, publications, and giving up-and-coming acts a chance to play.
Without these torch bearers nothing would have risen to the current level. As someone who is not only a performer but a booking agent/promoter/bar manager, I also see the professional/business side of things and must say you need a fine balance of both to be successful on either front.
You perform with your dad Charlie on various occasions. How much fun do you and your dad have performing together?
It’s an honor to be able to play with such an amazing musician/performer. He’s incredibly humble and self deprecating about his talents but he’s legit. I’ve shared many stages with him from beach bonfires to Christmas Eves at church and everything in between. He used to play music for my brother and I at home all the time, particularly what a friend of mine and I recently jokingly called “The Beatle’s Children’s Songs.” Across their catalog they could have done a record (Yellow Submarine, Rocky Raccoon, Octopus’s Garden, etc.) haha. I’m grateful he’s been able to sing on my last two recordings too.
You recently played CBGB in Newark Airport. A unique venue to say the least. Can you talk about that experience?
It was a fun experience. Lots of bands I grew up listening to all played the original club though I only saw some friends bands play there. I’m sure there’s many mixed feelings about the commercialization of the brand into essentially an airport food court location, I think OTG (the Newark airport hospitality group), Tito’s Vodka and Asbury Music Foundation are onto something bringing original music as entertainment to people biding their time with a layover.
Commuting and traveling is not the most fun thing so I think it’s cool we as performers might make that experience a little more enjoyable. I’ve talked with Jesse (Accidental Seabirds) and a Emily Grove about their gigs and we all had a great time, sold some CDs and met some nice strangers.
Can we expect anyone “Let’s Get Folked Up” shows?
Yes sir. It’s looking to be a show every other month. With all of our endeavors Megan O’Shea and I felt this would allow us book awesome bills in cool venues and build them into cool events rather just another acoustic show. It’s also fun to put a bunch of different personalities, with varied styles onstage together to see what magic can happen. September 13 at Langosta Lounge will be the next one-lineup coming soon!
