Tour the Garden State’s Music History

In modern pop culture, it seems that New Jersey���s cultural contribution has been reduced to stereotypes on reality television, but the state has produced many esteemed musicians, such as Frank Sinatra and Lauren Hill. One of America���s greatest composers of all time, Count Basie, has a theater named after him in his hometown of Red Bank. Here are a few cities that have kept music alive in New Jersey:

Asbury Park
For locals, Asbury Park and music are practically interchangeable. This Monmouth County city boasts many historic music venues, such as The Saint and Chico’s House of Jazz. Asbury Lanes is a vintage bowling alley and bar that typically showcases touring and local punk rock bands, such as New Jersey natives The Bouncing Souls. The Convention Hall�� has been a staple on tour schedules for all sorts of rock bands. Emerging local acts still frequent the Wonder Bar. This venue sports a mural of the grinning Asbury Park icon Tillie, which is a tribute to the famed original murals on the Palace Amusements building. Perhaps the most highly lauded venue of Asbury Park is a music venue called The Stone Pony, which has been around since the 70s.

New Brunswick
This city is the home of Rutgers University and a bustling underground music community. Local Rutgers events such as Rutgersfest showcase live music for the student body. But this music scene has also been bolstered by a collection of residential basement shows from do-it-yourself punk bands with little or no initial mainstream affiliation. The Gaslight Anthem and Streetlight Manifesto are among some of the best bands to emerge from New Brunswick.

Hoboken
Maxwell���s is one of Hoboken���s greatest places to see live music. The club was a pivotal venue during the developing waves of punk, grunge and indie rock. It has earned a reputation for being one of the best clubs in the New York metropolitan area. Hoboken is also, of course, home to Frank Sinatra — a scrappy youngster who became the idol of ���bobby soxers��� nationwide and had one of the greatest voices of the century. Although Hoboken is a far cry from the rough neighborhood Sinatra knew as a kid, if you walk around the neighborhood, you will see Sinatra���s influence everywhere.