Endo Warrior Benefit Preview: An Interview with Chris Fritz

By Gary Wien
originally published: 09/03/2023

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- New Jersey artists Chris Fritz and Jake Thistle will be joined by Swedish singer-songwriter Alexandra Jardvall for the Endo Warrior Benefit Show at Asbury Lanes on Sunday, September 10, 2023. The benefit is presented by Spring-Nuts and will raise awareness and funds for Endometriosis Research and the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects roughly 10% reproductive age women and girls globally. It is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant. It is generally associated with chronic pain and there is no known cure; treatment is aimed at controlling symptoms.  

Tickets to the performance at Asbury Lanes are $25 and available for purchase online. The show is open to all ages. Doors are at 1:30, showtime is 2:00pm.  Asbury Lanes is located at 209 4th Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

New Jersey artists have historically been extremely supportive of benefit causes and Chris Fritz is no exception. 

“Music is all I have to offer,” explained Fritz. “I can’t write a big check to charities, but I do have the ability to provide music and a means to raise money for charities. I try to do as much as I can for charitable organizations.”

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While Fritz has performed in Asbury Park before, he says he mostly plays in the Long Beach Island area. “I play weekly at the Old Causeway Steak & Oyster House in Manahawkin on Tuesday evenings and at the Black Whale Bar & Fish House in Beach Haven on Thursday evenings. I can also be found on weekends throughout the region. I tend to stay close to LBI.”

He lists artists like The Beatles, Billy Joel, The Police, Eagles, Hall & Oates, AC/DC, and Metallica as his influences. He notes that punk rock and hair metal were proponents in influencing him and he still finds inspiration and is glad to still be influenced by new music as well.

Howie Chaz, the founder of Spring-Nuts, recalls seeing Fritz perform at a friend's barbeque once.

"After hearing him play some incredible rock and roll classics, I told my friend this guy needs to play our Serenade! And the rest is history!" explained Chaz. "Chris in my opinion is different from all the other artists we have performing or cover acts because he doesn't have that 'Bruce Raspy ' voice. His vocals are so clean and potent that his versions of the classics, Springsteen or anyone else, is just refreshing and breathtaking."

At the Asbury Lanes benefit, Fritz will be performing in a room packed with die-hard Springsteen fans - many who are members of Spring-Nuts - a group that is now over 60,000 members strong. Fritz has been a part of a few of their events in the past and says they will likely hear him play a Springsteen cover or two.

“It’s an absolute pleasure because I play so much if Bruce’s music it’s nice to play to a crowd who loves the songs more than I do,” said Fritz.  “I am far from a die hard fan! I am a die hard fan of music and Springsteen is one of my favorites. I’ve only seen him live 4x and one was the Broadway show. The nuts do that in one week!”

For more on Chris Fritz, you can follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

For more on the Endo Warrior Benefit, here are links to our interviews with Howie Chaz, Alexandra Jardvall, and Jake Thistle.

About the author:

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Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].

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