Ringin’ In The New Year With A Party At Ground Zero!

By Phil Rainone & Stephen Rainone

Just a few days into the New Year- you know, the time of year where you just finished the hectic holidays and now there’s not much to do and it‘s fuckin’ freezing outside- it’s like going from a gazillion miles an hour to zero in seconds! Well, Asbury Lanes’ got a sure cure for that! SKA, SKA, SKA, and more SKA!


Survey Says

Survey Says were first up, and like their show at Starland Ballroom last month with Catch 22 and Mustard Plug, they played with the enthusiasm of a headliner. A full assault of blazing horns, raucous, noisy guitars, and thunderous drums drove the audience to shake off the winter blues REAL FAST! Seemed like the crowd danced and hollered along with every word like a marching band of ska/punk misfits. “Gas Money Millionaires” was one of the many highlights - a stellar set from a good, solid, upcoming band. Yheir set can be described in one word… “Groove-a-licous!!”


Far Away Boys

Far Away Boys are an alt/punk/ska trio who seemed like that had it all together. Supplying infectious energy and power that only grew throughout the night, Far Way Boys delivered a prefect blend of older alt. with a lot of newer punk/ska weaved evenly all through their short thirty minute set.

DJ Jack The Ripper


Before and after the show, and in-between sets, DJ Jack the Ripper entertained the faithful with some of the most scrumcsious ska, this side of Jamaica, all on pristine vintage vinyl! Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, The Specials, The Jam’s Motown/ska classic, “A Town Called Malice,” Clash, and yes, Fishbone’s frenzied, earthquakin’ hit, “Party at Ground Zero.” Want’s so cool about Jack’s arsenal of hot wax is, you never know what to expect next. And the same can be said for all their DJ’s, just some of coolest music you’d ever want to hear!

While it was cold, crisp, and snowy in Asbury Park on this night, fans of a certain dedication were sweating and skanking inside The Lanes. Whether adorned in solid or checkered hats, belts, or sporting their favorite bands t-shirts (Bouncing Souls, generic work shirts, etc.), people filled in the intimate venue anxiously waiting to hear Big D & the Kids Table. Not long after, Big D had the audience jumping, crowd surfing, and cheering into a near life-threatening, and gargantuan circle pit.


Big D & the Kids Table

Under the direction of lead singer Dave, who took the stage front and center, the other five members led the crowd through an hour and thirty minute sing along, with quite a lot of dancing, only when audience members weren’t completely sticking to each other’s perspiration. Every member of the band looked like they were having the time of their life, and time and time again; Dave gave shout-outs to Asbury Lanes and the dedicated crowd. “Not Fuckin’ Around” was a huge crowd pleaser. Big D built a slow, smoldering groove as the crowd sang along with gusto as the pit erupted.

Ending their set with one of their most requested songs “Noise Complaint,” before doing three encores, fans sang the loudest and went the craziest, knowing the night was quickly coming to an end. Only after DJ Jack the Ripper dropped the needle on some easy skankin’ ska did the crowd peel off each other and find ample room to breathe. And after an exceptional show promoting some of their new album “The Damned, The Dumb, & The Delirious” (“Not Our Fault,” “Lyin,” and two others which is due out later this year), soaked, and sore, most Big D & The Kids Table, Survey Says, and The Far Away Boys fans would agree that the whole night was reason enough to shake-off even the worst case of cabin fever!

Fret not those of you who felt that after reading this review that they missed one of the best shows of this early New Year, Big D & The Kids Table will be on this years Warped Tour!

Interview with Big D & the Kids Table

Hardly a newcomer to the ska scene, Big D & the Kids Table along with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Dropkick Murphys they are one of the premier Boston ska band. Before the show Steve and I interview the band in their “dressing room,” which is located between lanes 9, 10, and 11 at The Lanes. Asbury Lanes, as you probably know is one of the most unique clubs in the area. They built a stage in front of the afore mentioned lanes, and a kind of a tent-like area behind it for the bands to hang. During the interview there was a lot of background noise that came through on the tape- probably people bowling on both sides of us!

Dave- vocals, Derek- drums, Steve-guitar

Q: What’s the new album that you’re working on?

The new one we’re working on is, “The Damned, the Dumb, and the Delirious,” and it should be out in June. The album that everyone likes now is, “Strictly Rude.”

Q: Steve and I were listening to “Strictly Rude” on the way down, and I’m guessing that the Specials are one of the band’s influences? I’m hearing the mojo of “Ghost Town” and some dub weaved throughout some of the songs.

They’re the best!

Q: What are some of your other influences?

Operation Ivy, Propaganda, NOFX…

Q: Yeah, I’m definitely hearing the NOFX in there…One thing that got me into the new album was one of the videos on an underground TV channel called “Strictly Vocal.” They play all kinds of music like ska, punk, emo, hardcore…

No we didn’t know about that, but it sounds cool. Anyway to get our music out there is great.

Q: Are you using your backup singers today?

We might do a punk song or two with one of the girls, but probably not otherwise.

Q: I notice that when you do use them that they give the band somewhat of a retro-swing sound on some of the songs.

Yeah, definitely, it’s fun! I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie “The Commitments,” but it’s a cool Irish film about a soul band with backup singers that’s just awesome. So we’re just trying to live that awesome dream of having backup singers, and horns- making a big, big, sound live, a good party band!

Q: I got into you guys listening to “Draw the Line.”

Dave: What year did you hear that? That’s real old-school!

Q: It had to be sometime in the mid- 90’s. My friend and I were just looking through ka songs and downloading them, and “Draw the Line” came up, and sounded really cool. I really liked the line, “I’m a piece of chalk trying to make a mark on the blackboard of our lives.” Where did you get the lyrics from?

Dave: That line is one our most famous lines but I didn’t write it. The singer in my high school band- I played drums, my singer Dan D’Angelo when he was 16 years old wrote a song called, “Breakaway,”… “I’m a piece of chalk trying to make a mark on the blackboard of our lives/ yet I barely scratched the surf before I crumble into dust /Blown away by the winds of change…/ I stand alone, I breakaway from the crowd…” It was awesome; he was like 15 or 16 years old!

Q: The Bouncing Souls have their logo, do you guys have one?

We have a version of the Two-Tone guy (The Specials’ logo)… we stole one of the greats (everyone laughing)!

From there, the background noises got worse (the kids were getting lots of strikes), so I got as much of the interview as possible- hey, I even got to tell them my infamous story about us wearing my Yankee hat up in Boston (all day long they kept saying “The Yankees suck…Steinbrenner sucks…”), when we went to see Catch 22 on the Boston leg of The Warped Tour about ten years ago. All in all, Big D & the Kids table were a lot of fun to talk to and hang out with!