Ocean Avenue Stompers perform on the Asbury Park boardwalk during Sea.Hear.Now. PHOTO BY CHRIS SPIEGEL
Both Asbury Park and New Orleans have a history of brass bands. NOLA's history is a bit better known than AP's, but at the turn of the 20th century, John Philip Sousa and his trombonist Arthur Pryor made brass bands the foundation of the storied Asbury Park music scene.
Combining those two traditions is one of AP’s most exciting bands: Ocean Avenue Stompers, a fusion of the horn-driven Sounds of Asbury Park with the funky brass band sounds of New Orleans. A smorgasbord of music gets presented along the way from the boardwalk brass of Pryor to the NOLA-rooted jazz of Buddy Bolden and swing of Louis Armstrong to the soulful R&B of Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint, and Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes to the funk of The Meters and Parliament-Funkadelic and much more!
Ocean Avenue Stompers was founded by sought-after trombonist-arranger Ian Gray, whose impressive resume includes Vulfpeck, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Patti LaBelle, Darlene Love, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, LaBamba and the Hubcaps, Low Cut Connie, The Front Bottoms, The Everyone Orchestra, The Disco Biscuits, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and The Smithereens.
Ian’s bandmates’ credits are equally impressive. The rotating lineup features keyboardists Ryan Gregg (Shady Street Show Band) and Judd Nielsen (Trombone Shorty), saxophonists Robin Clabby (Brassaholics) and Will Schade (Cory Wong), trumpeters Joe Gullace (Thank You Scientist, Karmic Juggernaut), Matt Salazar (Cory Wong, Remember Jones), Kai Sandoval (Shag Horns), guest vocalists Chelsea ViaCava (Star Making Sense, Swift Technique), Deseree Spinks (Des and the Swagmatics) and Michael Jones (Youngblood Brass Band), guitarists James McCaffrey (Karmic Juggernaut) and Danny Meyer (Eric Krasno Band), bassists Declan O’Connell (Black Flamingos), Cody McCorry (Thank You Scientist) and Mike Noordzy (El Noordzo, Renee Maskin), sousaphonist Connor Devlin (Street Beans, Big Boy Brass Band, Mighty Brass Band), and drummers Charlie Patierno (Octave Cat) and Kevin Grossman (Karmic Juggernaut, Homeless Apians). The Ocean Avenue Stompers Brass Band has even more rotating members (see this list).
Hired each year by the Sea.Hear.Now Festival to entertain on the boardwalk throughout the immensely popular event, Ocean Avenue Stompers are in their busiest season of Mardi Gras. I chatted with Ian about all the Stompers have going on, including a slew of dates throughout Mardi Gras, plus a spring tour with the Talking Heads tribute band Start Making Sense. We also discussed how both Asbury Park and New Orleans influence the band, and how they’ve gotten to play with Bruce Springsteen at both Sea.Hear.Now and the Light of Day Festival.
Where did you grow up?
Childhood: Manasquan, third generation. Musically: Philadelphia.
What was the greatest inspiration for you to pursue music, how and why?
My parents, Glen and Geralyn, and my twin sister, Kaylyn, gave me the push to pursue my passion. We visited the University of the Arts open house (in Philadelphia) after my sister’s admission to the school and my frustration finding a college to attend. UARTS let me audition on a whim that day with barely anything prepared and even gave me a little scholarship. My mom convinced me to put my trombone in the car that morning. Looking back, it was in that moment that my path to becoming a career musician started.
How, why and when did Ocean Avenue Stompers come together?
March 14, 2020. Gigs that night at the Pony and Wonder Bar were cancelled. A band that I helped get off the ground and toured with since 2015 broke up, and uncertainty grew. I wasn’t sure I’d get to tour again with talent like Cory Wong, whom I first put a horn section together for in the Northeast in 2017. I had nothing but time to think about what kind of band I’d truly like to be in and what music I’d never get tired of playing. I had already been band-leading brass bands for four to five years at events in Asbury Park and Philly, so the drive to create a project that could serve the music I love while being adaptable to most gigs for hire, like community events, private events, weddings, was strong. I knew I really wanted to take this on. Though I never expected the feedback and love we got from busking in Asbury Park during 2020 to 2021. It felt like a calling to keep music alive in AP.
Who else is in Ocean Avenue Stompers, what do they play, how did you connect with each of them, and with whom else do they play?
Short answer: all of my favorite friends to make music with pretty much. My network from the Asbury Park, Philly and NYC music scenes and beyond who share a passion for the American music roots dug deep in New Orleans. Long answer, click here.
Why did you want to focus on New Orleans-style brass band music with Ocean Avenue Stompers?
Because it’s FUN! Music has evolved so much in America in the last 100 years, and the music that left New Orleans has become what we’re taught is jazz. How it evolved depends on where you live, just like West Coast vs. East Coast music. Up the Mississippi to Kansas City vs. Chicago blues. The cutthroat bebop of NYC in the '50s. When I look at the way music evolved in New Orleans — from Buddy Bolden and Louis Armstrong to hot jazz and swing bands to boogie rock 'n' roll and funk — I’m obsessed. Bands like The Rolling Stones were too when they got to the U.S. It just feels good to me, and I want to bring that feel-good music to the musical city I call home.
What do you like most and least about New Orleans?
Most: Their culture, traditions, musicians, and FOOD.
Least: Gun violence and the struggle for some of the greatest musicians in the world to make a living where they live.
The Ocean Avenue Stompers Brass Band jam on Bruce Springsteen's "Seaside Bar Song" outside The Stone Pony kicking off the 2024 Ocean Ave Stomp of the Sea.Hear.Now Festival. PHOTO BY GRIFFIN LOTZ
What do you like most and least about Asbury Park?
Most: The local artists and business owners grinding to create and remain open for business, and the FOOD.
Least: That some of my favorite spots are gone -- some only for now, hopefully -- The Paramount Theater and Convention Hall, The Saint, Brickwall, Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, and the OG Asbury Lanes.
What do you love most about playing The R Bar every Monday?
Everything. The always lively crowd of weekly locals and newcomers. Catching up with Al Holmes over jokes and challenging each other with songs to try each set. Enjoying R Bar's amazing food and drinks. Getting to see my friends and make music in the city we call home to a great crowd … on a MONDAY!
Mardi Gras with Ocean Avenue Stompers at Asbury Park’s The R Bar, where they play every Monday night. PHOTO BY BRITTANY “NO FOMO” HALLBERG
Mardi Gras is your busy season. When and where are you playing during Mardi Gras and on Fat Tuesday?
Starting to become so! It wasn't at first, but now more and more people want to get in on the Mardi Gras fun. We’re celebrating carnival season:
As an Asbury Park-based brass band, how are Ocean Avenue Stompers different from, yet similar to a New Orleans brass band?
We share the same traditional instrumentation with front-line horns, like trumpet, trombone, and tenor sax, to the backline with snare drum, bass drum, and sousaphone. We’re different because we’re not only a brass band. We have the house band with a full rock 'n' roll rhythm section, including multiple vocalists playing piano and organ (Ryan Gregg), guitar (James McCaffrey), electric bass (Declan O'Connell), drum kit (Charlie Patierno), and percussion (Kevin Grossman). That allows us to be versatile in as many live music situations as possible.
The Stompers horns on their own have played with big national acts and tours. Our brass band can play a traditional jazz funeral in the morning, a wedding cocktail hour in the evening, and then join the house band to form a full-on wedding or club band. The drums and horns can even stick around and join DJ Gray for the Stompers’ DJ hybrid. We love honoring the New Orleans brass band repertoire while creating our own that represents the sound of the Jersey Shore by covering artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Whitney Houston, the Drifters, and more.
Which New Orleans brass band is the biggest influence on Ocean Avenue Stompers, how and why?
Tough one ... probably has to be Danny Barker's Fairview Baptist Church Band of the '60s and ‘70s in NOLA because it included the best musicians and inspired Leroy Jones' Original Hurricane Brass Band; Tuba Fats, who played in Olympia and Treme Brass Bands; Wynton and Bradford Marsalis; the great drummer Herlin Riley, and later, Roger Lewis and Kirk Joseph, who started the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, which led to Kermit Ruffins and the Rebirth Brass Band, and much later, the Soul Rebels, Hot 8, the New Orleans Nightcrawlers, and New Birth. Those are some of our biggest influences as a brass band. We play a song or two in the style of each of these bands.
Ocean Avenue Stompers at Sea.Hear.Now 2024. PHOTO BY GRIFFLOTZ
Does the horn history of Asbury Park from John Philip Sousa to Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes influence Ocean Avenue Stompers? If so, how and why?
100 percent! I grew up listening to Southside's ‘Better Days ‘record on repeat, and my earliest concert memories are the annual trip with my family to see Uncle South and the Jukes at the Stone Pony Summer Stage. La Bamba and Neal ‘the Dude’ Pawley are my biggest influences on trombone. Hearing their big sounds, the rock 'n' roll horns to the songs of Little Steven, Sam & Dave, Bruce, and Southside. I still have the sound of their horns in my ear. I’ll continue aspiring to sound like them. Maybe I will one day!
I’ve been subbing in on trombone with the Jukes for over 10 years now, most recently a week before Johnny announced his retirement from touring. What a career and just a brilliant singer and artist with one of the best rock 'n' roll bands to do it: the ASBURY JUKES!
It’s really interesting that you mentioned John Philip Sousa. In the early 1900s, he had Coney Island, while his trombone soloist, Arthur Pryor, had Asbury Park. Starting in 1904, Pryor was the chief ‘music man’ for 17 consecutive summers. I always laugh when friends in the band call me Big Chief.
In Asbury, the Arthur Pryor Band would parade through town at the start of summer, performing from the Arcade to the Casino on any given day, stopping at boardwalk bandshells built specifically for them. One of these bandshells was just rebuilt above Iron Whale and attached to the AP Rooftop (AP = Arthur Pryor—IYKYK. There's a big mural of him in there). Back then, Asbury Park devoted a major portion of its tourism budget to supporting Pryor’s band, drawing in visitors.
Maybe Asbury will bring it full circle 100 years later and do the same with the Stompers — you never know!
You just named my two of my biggest influences, thanks!
The Ocean Ave Stomp of Sea.Hear.Now 2024 with Bruce Springsteen, Danny Clinch, Jake Clemons and the Ocean Avenue Stompers Horns. PHOTO BY GRIFFIN LOTZ
How did it feel to be featured in Rolling Stone’s Sea.Hear.Now coverage?
Legendary. Thanks for the mention, Rolling Stone!
Did you actually have a gig at the festival or was it more of an impromptu boardwalk performance?
Yep! 2024 was our fourth year being officially hired by the festival to parade through the crowd each day. We make three appearances over the weekend: a daily parade (we’re available!) and an opening set at the Ocean Ave Stomp.
Over the years, we’ve had some amazing guests join the parades, including Jake Clemons, Nathaniel Rateliff’s Night Sweats Horns, and Ben Jaffe from Preservation Hall. Spending an afternoon with Jaffe and the Preservation Hall tuba around Asbury was an absolute joy.
The Ocean Ave Stomp is always the late-night Saturday show at the Pony. As the headliner finishes their Saturday night set, we kick off the late-night jams. We warm things up before the Stompers' horns join Danny Clinch and the Tangiers Blues Band, and one by one, festival guests hop onstage to jam.
Some highlights: Celisse, members of Goose and Dogs in a Pile, Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Robert Randolph, Jake Clemons, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.
To what extent do Ocean Avenue Stompers perform original music?
We don’t play original music ... yet. However, we frequently collaborate with artists who do. We’ve joined Dogs in a Pile at the Pony, recorded with Dave Hause (reimagining a Loved Ones song on his last record), and added horns to his songs live at Sing Us Home Fest. We’ve also recorded in local studios with original bands like The Weeklings and Yawn Mower.
Do Ocean Avenue Stompers have plans to release original material? If so, when and how?
We talk about it all the time! There’s so much respect for artists releasing original music right now in a landscape shaped by TikTok and high distribution costs. We've had some amazing opportunities to collaborate with original songwriters and performers, and nearly every musician in the band stays busy creating original music in their own projects. For now, that provides a sense of creative fulfillment, but when the right time and message comes, we’ll be in the studio.
How, why and when did Ocean Avenue Stompers connect with Start Making Sense?
We met while I was touring with Swift Technique out of Philly (2010 to 2018). We shared bills, and they even took an interest in our original project, inviting us to open shows in new markets and join them for jams.
Absolutely amazing people and musicians. But between our touring schedules, we never had the time to arrange Talking Heads material for a horn section until COVID gave us that chance. In 2020, we recorded a remote cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Mr. Jones,’ which inspired us to start arranging their music for a four-piece horn section. Even if the original song didn’t have horns, we love arranging buried guitar parts or big synth lines and layering horns to create something fresh.
How often do you work with them?
This spring will be our third year touring the music of Talking Heads, David Byrne, and more with them. We've also done one-off shows around the holidays in Philly and CT.
Super excited for this tour, which kicks off March 28, 2025, at Count Basie Theatre — a venue with deep history. David Byrne’s ‘Between the Teeth’ tour, which featured George Porter Jr. of The Meters on bass, was filmed there. We've dreamed of bringing this show to the Basie, and now it’s happening!
What are you looking forward to most about touring with Start Making Sense this spring?
It’s always special reconnecting with those road warriors, who tour nonstop all year. The chemistry is so strong, it feels like we could play a two-set, three-hour show right off the bat, and it’d feel just as tight as the last time. We always sneak in a few Talking Heads-related treats, like Zappa’s ‘City of Tiny Lights’ (thanks to Adrian Belew) or P-Funk’s ‘Children of Production’ (thanks to Bernie Worrell). Every night is different, and our setlist is masterfully organized by lead singer and bandleader John Braun.
Ocean Avenue Stompers playing with Bruce Springsteen and Robert Randolph during Sea.Hear.Now’s Ocean Ave Stomp at The Stone Pony. PHOTO BY GRIFFIN LOTZ
How many times have you played with Bruce Springsteen, when, where, and what did you enjoy most about playing with him and why?
Bruce joined us at the 2024 Ocean Ave Stomp SHN Afterparty, playing five songs alongside us, Tangiers Blues Band, Robert Randolph, Jake Clemons, and Rachel Ana Dobken. He's a master front man. It was amazing taking cues from his guitar neck swings. Growing up playing at The Pony, it’s impossible not to envision yourself backing him up one day. That night, it actually happened, and it was truly special.
I’ve also been part of Light of Day and Jukes at the Summer Stage shows with him, but this was the first time we got to play a real set together. Watching Robert Randolph react to the experience was a total highlight.
Ocean Avenue Stompers play every Monday at The R Bar in Asbury Park. PHOTO BY BRITTANY “NO FOMO” HALLBERG
What other Asbury music legends have performed with, when, how, and what did you enjoy most about playing with them and why?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to share the stage and studio with ‘Sounds of Asbury Park’ legends.
Asbury Park is such a unique music hub, sitting between Philly and NYC. You’ve got to show up and bring it.
Need mention the five years of what evolved into Remember Jones and the amazing productions we contributed to, including the Amy Winehouse ‘Back to Black’ show, Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Kanye West’s ‘808s and Heartbreak,’ the original show that would be an opening set for these shows, and my personal favorite, The Who’s ‘Tommy.’ Anthony is a fierce force in AP with his deep musical theater background. His vocal and stage performances are all undoubtedly impressive. It really was some of the best times being part of a 12+ band from Asbury Park touring all over the country for a couple of years!
I don’t play with him anymore since we disbanded in 2020. We came to our differences, but the dude is a force.
Whom else do you play with regularly besides Ocean Avenue Stompers, Shady Street Show Band, and Start Making Sense, and when and where are you performing with them?
I’m always bouncing between Philly and NYC, working with different groups that need horns. Most recently, I had the honor of subbing in on Ms. Patti LaBelle’s tour in Phoenix and Florida. A Philadelphia legend, dear to my heart. her tour has 30+ people involved and a 16-piece band. They are a true musical family, and I felt so welcomed.
I also love playing with High and Mighty Brass Band in NYC, especially on Tuesdays at Apotheke in Chinatown from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. They just celebrated 10 years of weekly Tuesday shows there, which is a huge inspiration to me.
Is there anything I didn’t ask on which you would like to comment?
We’ve got some big festivals coming up:
Excited for Summer 2025! Join our mailing list at oceanavenuestompers.com for updates. Thanks!
By the way, I just want it to be known that when I die, I want my memorial service to be a jazz funeral with Ocean Avenue Stompers at The Stone Pony. Hopefully, it won’t be for a long time, but you’ll still be together!
I feel like this project will be lasting a lifetime, my lifetime at least. It's a very special honor to play a jazz funeral and definitely take you saying that to heart. Good thing we don't need to talk about that for a very long time.
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at makinwaves64@yahoo.com.
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