irony of ironies: a few days after i spliced open my finger, i got invited to a rock gig at a bowling alley in asbury park, nj.

bowling as well as music was on the menu, so i decided to be a sport and try my hand at left-handed bowling.

i'm so glad i went! this venue--Asbury Lanes--was a true vintage bowling alley, right outta the 60s. all the furniture and lanes were as they were in the 60s, and even the old black-and-white photo booth was still up. the only new area was the bar, which was done up in wood paneling and found 60s furniture. it was awesome.

Asbury Lanes is more a gig venue that happens to have bowling. the bar and entertainment are the main draw. all the bands [there were about 7 or so] were set up on a low riser on the 2 center lanes, and you got to bowl around them. there was a screen behind the band that projected old risque art/andy warhol type films. the bands were all either surf or punk rock, which suited the vibe. i'm not really a fan of either style, but with enough rum and cranberry in ya, you can listen to anything.

never mind that i bowled like a 32; it was a blast. one of my pet peeves is the new-fangled bowling alley, replete with disco lights, rubber bumbers and glow-in-the-dark bowling. puh-lease. A.B. was the real deal, and a hoop o' fun to boot. best of all: admission was $8, shoe rental and unlimited bowling just 10 bux!!! i was in my glory. nowadays bowling is as expensive as a night in a shmancy hotel.

i kinda got into this one band, a british punk outfit called the buck brothers. i sprang for a t-shirt and snapped some pics of them.

i would imagine this place gets packed in summer. it was fairly crowded for this event, but not claustrophobically so. i want to get back there before the crowds hit. it's 2 blocks from the boardwalk, which is also pretty neat.

so when in asbury park, nj [home to "the boss's" famous musical tome], do visit Asbury Lanes. not exactly a child-friendly venue, but if you're hanging with your buds--a splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Mid-City Lanes Rock-n-Bowl was/is one of the best live music venues in new orleans. yep, it's a bowling alley.
 

ya, it's really cool. and the food ain't bad, either!


here goes their website.

http://www.asburylanes.com/


i just missed mick jones's band playing there!