PHOTOGRAPHY FILM MUSIC - Lobo Jones Photography - The Photographs of Eric Van't Zelfden: PHOTOS: Home For The Holidays

I guess this is the first post, so here we go. The last weekend in December, Asbury Park's

Convention Hall Grand Arcade hosted the Bouncing Souls' Second Annual "Home For The Holidays" show. Last year's inaugural concert had no shortage of highlights: 60 different Souls songs over 3 nights, Avail's Tim Barry winning over the Jersey crowd with a healthy dose of Virginia country, and... Shark Attack. Nuff said.

This year delivered it's own array of "I was there when..." moments for everyone in attendance: reunion shows by Jersey legends, Token Entry and Vision - two bands many in the young crowd never had the luck of seeing at their height, nearly twenty years ago. A few years older but certainly no worse for wear, the guys brought NJ history back to life. As a friend of mine so brilliantly put it "...music to earn your boots by."

New Jersey's newest prodigal son and heir to the throne, Brian Fallon and The Gaslight Anthem tearing through a performance that will go down alongside Springsteen's legendary Main Point shows. And rounding out the festivities, performances by L.E.S Stiches, Static Radio NJ, Giant Robot, Let Me Run, and Give Me Drugs.

I've shot the Bouncing Souls as many times as the opportunity has presented itself and seen them more times than I can remember. A funny thing considering, as my friend Tommy never ceases to remind me, I didn't even like them the first time I heard them. He played me some of their records and I didn't get it. It was until about a week later that my other friend Mike, lent me their stuff and said do yourself a favor. That's kind of our friendship, Tommy exposes me to something, I flat out reject it and Mike eases me into it. And I've come to realize that most of the things I've come to cherish were initially met with caution and skepticism on my end. Either way, so many years later the Souls continue to write the soundtrack to my life.

Asbury Park holds a special place in my heart. My adopted hometown, I guess. Though I grew up in North Jersey, I've been making the trip there since I was 15. Shows, parties, friends, the whole deal... but mostly to shoot. I don't care what anyone says, there's magic in those streets, and anyone who spends enough time there knows it. It's not for everyone, but it's the place I most feel at home. And the Souls holiday shows live up to the title. It's a guaranteed gathering of everyone you love, hate, have a little crush on and those folks where just a nod of the head says it all.

Over the years, there's been alot of talk of the next Springsteen. "Kinda sounds like/looks like/talks like/plays like Bruce." Whether it's wanted or not Brian Fallon may just be, the next. The Gaslight Anthem's songs capture the spirit of Asbury as I know and cherish. They bring me back to nights squatting in the old Metropolitan Hotel or climbing to the hole in the roof of the Casino to watch the stars as the ocean slips across the sand below. They've got the music, the lyrics, the live show and the heart. And gosh darn-it, he's just one hell of a nice guy.

I'm not much one to request a photo pass. I grew up shooting bands face to face, from the pit. I get the reasoning behind a photo pass -- three songs, shoot all you can, flash the crap out of everone on stage, and you're out. It's a nice, clean, easy deal for everyone involved. You can get beautiful pictures. But alot of the time, the feeling of the show is lost. I mean, it's pretty rare that the real moments that make a show memorable happen in the first three songs. Just look at any photo in any local music rag - shot from below, three feet back, fill flash. Then look at the work of Bob Gruen, the Clash's main photographer. It's raw, ugly and beautiful at the same time. I ain't tryin to say my shit don't stink but... well, to each their own I guess.

Anyway, that's how these pics were shot - no flash, from the crowd. I brought my D-SLR the first two nights. Security was cool about everything and waved me in. That doesn't happen at larger Souls shows, but it's Asbury. Third night I got a little overzealous and walked up with my D-SLR, my 35mm, a lens in every pocket, and no press pass. This time, it took a little more schmoozing.

So take a look and share your thoughts.

--Lobo

"Home For Holidays" photo info:

Nikon D-80, Tamron 28-75mm, f2.8, ISO 800.

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