Review of The Paramount Sessions @ Asbury Park 9/5/10 The Paramount Sessions is an all day/night event that took place in Asbury Park on Sunday September 5th, showcasing local New Jersey bands. The event featured two stages on the boardwalk, unfortunately facing away from the ocean, as well as an evening event inside the Paramount Theatre. I don’t want this review to harp on the negatives of this event, as anything supporting local original music should be praised, but there is one big negative I need to point out. I’m sure money was put into this event, however there was little (if any) put into promoting the event. A press release was sent to me only after I asked, and talking to some friends at various media outlets (including a major area newspaper), they either received a press release a few days before the event or no info on the event. While a Facebook page was set up for the event, not having a regular website is surprising for an event of this size. Even more surprising was getting down to Asbury Park and not seeing one sign for the event. They could have had some banners made cheaply and put them up on the boardwalk, but they didn’t. Several people who were there for the beach asked what the deal was with the music, and others didn’t seem to care. There weren’t even signs by the stages saying what the event was or who was playing when. I know a lot of hard work went into this event, but a little bit of promotion goes a long way. There, I’ve gotten that off my chest, now let's move on to the positives, which was pretty much everything else. It was great to see the Asbury Park boardwalk and beach so full of people, and so many stores doing strong business. There’s still much to be done in the revitalization of Asbury Park, but it’s nice to see that people are aware that much has been done and are coming back. Most importantly was the music, and there were so many great performances. Despite my above negative comment, this event was a blast. I hope they do it again, and next time promote it better. Unfortunately after 4 hours in the sun, even with sunblock 85, my fair skin started to burn and I had to call it a day. But I got to see sets by a bunch of acts, most of whom are photographed below. Apologies to those on the 4th Avenue stage. With both stages having acts on simultaneously, I ended up spending most of the day by the 1st Avenue stage, and apologies to all the other great artists I didn't get to see because I left in the afternoon. Carl Chesna Jo Wymer & The Itty Bitty Band Tommy Strazza Jon Caspi George Wirth Sheli Aarden Anjelia & The Boy Keith Monacchio The Asbury Park Beach www.facebook.com/TheParamountSessions www.carlchesna.com www.myspace.com/jowymerblues www.tommystrazza.com www.joncaspi.com www.georgewirth.net www.reverbnation.com/sheliaarden www.myspace.com/anjeliaandtheboy www.reverbnation.com/keithmonacchio