By Gary Wien
originally published: 11/25/2025

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- There are a handful of local bands in the last 25 years that I thought had a good chance of making it big and that list includes Status Green.  The band reunites for a 20th anniversary show at The Stone Pony on Friday, November 28, 2025.  The lineup includes Church and State TM and Yawn Mower.

Status Green burst on to the scene sometime around 2005 and were an instant hit. They're debut album was called Greatest Hits Volume One and it was packed with songs to back up that lofty title.  With tracks like "Better Off", "Darling Oh", "What Your Wasting", "It Ain't Me", "You Were Looking", and "Everybody Loves You".  This is a Jersey classic if there ever was one.

I can still remember the record release show, appropriately held at The Stone Pony, in front of a packed house.  The band put out a couple of great albums and had a run that included memorable shows at PNC Bank Arts Center, Jones Beach, the Warped Tour in Camden, and winning several competitions (Sonicbids and Bon Jovi to name a pair).

Status Green includes Lou Montesano (lead vox), Chris Marino (guitar), Russell Tolas (bass guitar), and Mike Montalto (Drums). They may have been on the scene just before Asbury Park truly became back as a major shoretown again, but they made their mark so much that The Stone Pony asked them to participate in a 50th Anniversary show for the club.  And they packed the house again.

Tickets are $35.50 and available for purchase online.  Doors are at 7:00pm. The Stone Pony is located at  913 Ocean Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

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Status Green was so big during their run that I can remember them pulling off "secret shows" at clubs like The Saint where they would sell out a show under a false name simply based on fans sharing the news.

This is one of the best shows for Thanksgiving weekend.  If you were a fan, here's your chance to see them on stage again.  If you've never seen them, you'll be impressed with their songs and performance. Odds are you'll wonder why they never reached that next level, too.

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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. He can be contacted at [email protected].

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