Bluegrass and More Meets the Jersey Shore

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ASBURY PARK – Rock may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Asbury Park music scene, but it’s far from the only genre in town. Dark City Strings has been entertaining area fans with its high-energy bluegrass for the past three years, and the band’s popularity is steadily growing.
Their new CD consists of all original music, and their live shows include covers of well known songs such as “Friend of the Devil,” “Proud Mary,” “Maggie May,” “Atlantic City” and “Psycho Killer,” all with an Americana-style interpretation.
“They’re sometimes a little bluegrassy, but it gives us the opportunity to express ourselves creatively,” said Joe Lucarelli, who plays upright bass in the quintet. “We want everyone to have a great time at our shows and leave with a lasting impression.”
In addition to Lucarelli, the Asbury Park-based band consists of Evan Fitzgerald on fiddle, Eric Daneman on guitar and vocals, Michael Byrnes on mandolin and vocals and Andrew Duch on banjo.
The band was formed rather haphazardly. The members met while playing with the Monmouth Rugby Club and became fast friends. Daneman was a bluegrass fan and in May 2012, he suggested they check out a bluegrass festival in Maryland.
“We fell in love with the whole scene,” Lucarelli said. “The transfer of energy between the crowd and the musicians is unique to this kind of music. We thought maybe we should put something together. It’s the kind of music you can just sit around the campfire and play.”
The guys learned a few cover songs and played at a party, and their success began to grow from there.
Fitzgerald had been classically trained in piano, but had never played a fiddle. The others had short histories with playing music. Lucarelli played electric bass but never an upright bass, and Byrnes played guitar but never mandolin. They decided to give it a go anyway.
“We drew straws and assigned instruments,” Lucarelli said. “All the guys worked really hard on developing their capabilities, and there’s an extraordinary chemistry between the five of us. We’ve learned how to play off each other. The ability to play music together intuitively makes us as successful as we are.”
They kicked around band names for a while until Lucarelli came up with the name Dark City Strings.
“The locals call Asbury Park the dark city because there are only 30 percent of the street lights that there should be,” he said. “The name is also an homage to the city and the progress it has made as far as food, art and culture. It’s an exciting place to be right now and we’re proud to have that badge.”
Dark City Strings has performed at many clubs and festivals throughout the tristate area.
“Playing at The Stone Pony was incredible,” Lucarelli said. “It’s such a legendary venue. I’ve been from this area my whole life, so it really meant a lot to me.”
The band will show off its talents at 9 p.m. on Aug. 14 at the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, a 6,000 square foot beer hall with communal tables, and an even bigger outdoor rooftop garden overlooking Wesley Lake. The venue offers 31 beer selections on tap and over 60 bottles, as well as classic biergarten fare such as wursts and schnitzels. And there is never a cover charge.
“The crowd at the biergarten has been really receptive and the room is amazing,” Lucarelli said. “And anywhere you can order a liter size beer is okay with me.”
Lucarelli said the resurgence of bluegrass and Americana music began more than 15 years ago, and now there are a number of bands, such as Leftover Salmon, the Infamous Stringdusters, Railroad Earth and Greensky Bluegrass, who are helping bring “newgrass” music to the forefront.
“There are now a lot of young bands finding new ways to express themselves through this uniquely American art form,” Lucarelli said. “They’re doing very progressive things with the music they’re making, and exposing new people to a genre that’s been around for a while. The energy of a live performance with this music is electrifying.”
The musicians rehearse twice a week at Lucarelli’s Asbury Park home, not an easy feat for five men with wives, girlfriends and careers. Lucarelli often travels for his job and Byrnes works in New York City, so the timing and logistics can be challenging. That goes double for Duch, whose Hoboken home is the furthest. Duch is also very busy these days, working as head of IT infrastructure at Jet.com, an upstart club shopping site that recently debuted with plans to challenge Amazon Prime.
“Andrew has been a very busy guy these last few months,” Lucarelli said. “His notebook is always open during practice. It’s a massive commitment for him, and he does an incredible job.”
Managing five careers, relationships and free time isn’t always easy, but they are all very devoted and determined to make it work.
“My wife Lisa cooks dinner for rehearsal once a week and we all sit around the table like family,” Lucarelli said. “We really love what we do every single day, and we want to share the music that inspires us with new people.”
The Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten is located at 527 Lake Ave., Asbury Park. For more information on the band, visit www.darkcitystrings.com.
By Mary Ann Bourbeau