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Asbury Park Music Foundation Launches Summer Music Season Featuring Free Concerts Across the City

Music Mondays Celebrates 10 Years, AP Live Returns for Its 9th Season, and Asbury Park Concert Band Marks 80 Years of Community Tradition

Published by New Jersey Stage

originally published: 06/17/2025

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- The Asbury Park Music Foundation (APMF) is proud to announce the return of its signature summer music programs, bringing free live performances to public spaces throughout the city while raising funds to support music education for youth in Asbury Park and beyond.

This summer marks major milestones for each of APMF’s long-standing concert series:

Music Mondays at Springwood Park - Music Mondays celebrates 10 years of uplifting performances in the heart of the city’s West Side, with weekly shows beginning June 23 featuring The Soul Project NOLA. Concerts are held Monday evenings at 6:00pm. The series features returning crowd favorites including Alexander Simone, The Men of Soul, JT Bowen, Ms. G and da Guyz, and Des and the Swagmatics, along with many more.

Full 2025 Schedule:

* June 23 – Soul Project New Orleans




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* June 30 – The Men of Soul | Leon Trent Waterfront Duo

* July 7 – Alexander Simone & Who Dat? Live Crew

* July 14 – Des & The Swagmatics | Soultron w/ Des Spinks & Ryan Gregg

* July 21 – JT Bowen & The Mighty Kings of Soul | Dorian Parreott Jazz Trio

* July 28 – The Funktion Band | Rebirth Church Praise Team

* August 4 – The Sounds of Sandstorm

* August 11 – TBA




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* August 18 – Ms. G & Da Guyz | Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise

* August 26 (TUES) – The Sensational Soul Cruisers

Funding for Music Mondays includes support from Jules L. Plangere Family Foundation, Mullin Family, Donna and Ron Troppoli, and Asbury Audio.



AP Live on the Boardwalk

AP Live returns for its ninth season on the First Avenue Green, located next to MOGO Korean Fusion Tacos and Watermark on the Asbury Park Boardwalk. This Wednesday night series begins June 25 and showcases a diverse mix of pop, rock, funk, hip hop, and indie artists from across the region. Each show runs from 7:00pm to 10:00pm, with two acts per night and a student band from Lakehouse Music Academy opening the evening. Performances are free and open to the public. In case of rain, shows move inside to Watermark.

Full 2025 Schedule:

* June 25 – Blush | Preacher on the FM

* July 2 – Bryan Hansen Band | Jarod Clemons

* July 9 – Chill Smith | Naska

* July 16 – Dana Why | The dt’s




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* July 23 – Nu Space | Polaroid Fade

* July 30 – Teen Idle | Dark City Strings

* August 6 – Indigo Sky | Emerson Woolf & The Wishbones

* August 12 (TUESDAY) – October Man | Great Oblivion

* August 20 – Mike Frank & Friends | Foes of Fern

* August 28 (THURSDAY) – Alors Alors | S0ulfood | Des & The Swagmatics

Asbury Park LIVE is run in partnership with MOGO Korean Fusion Tacos, Watermark, and Lakehouse Music Academy, with sponsor support from Tito's Handmade Vodka, Pepsi, Asbury Park Sunset, Provident Bank, Asbury Park Brewery, Ansell Grimm & Aaron, Madison Marquette, the Stone Pony, and Wild Air Brewing.



Asbury Park Concert Band

The Asbury Park Concert Band celebrates an incredible 80 years of musical tradition with Tuesday night performances in July and August at the Arthur Pryor Bandshell on the rooftop of the 5th Avenue pavilion along the Boardwalk. This long-running ensemble continues to provide classic community band performances that honor the city’s musical history and bring generations together through song.

Full 2025 Schedule:

* July 1 – Celebrate the 4th (featuring student performers)

* July 8 – Jazz Night

* July 15 – Animal Kingdom (featuring student performers)

* July 22 – Broadway Favorites

* July 29 – Shall We Dance

* August 5 – Traveling the Seas (featuring student performers)

* August 12 – Perfect Pairs

* August 19 – More Broadway

* August 26 – Salute to American Entertainers (featuring student performers)

This series is made possible through the support of McLoone’s and the American Federation of Musicians.




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All summer music events are free, family friendly, and open to everyone. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and friends to enjoy the music and atmosphere in true Asbury Park spirit.

To see updates and receive alerts, follow APMF on Facebook and Instagram. For sponsorship opportunities or to donate directly to APMF’s mission, visit asburyparkmusiclives.org or email [email protected].

The Asbury Park Music Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides free access to life-changing music education to youth in Asbury Park who might not otherwise have the opportunity. They bring music into classrooms, support after school programs, and offer scholarships for advanced instruction at Lakehouse Music Academy. Their programs help young people develop confidence, discipline, and a strong sense of connection. This work is about more than music—it opens doors, strengthens communities, and helps students build skills that last a lifetime.

Programs are made possible in part through funding from Monmouth Arts, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners.


EVENT PREVIEWS

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs presents James Maddock on Sunday, October 11, 2026 at the First Congregational Church in Montclair. Maddock's status as a fixture on the Folk and Americana scene is confirmed with every listen of any song in his prodigious catalog. Showtime is 7:30pm.
Outpost in the Burbs presents Suzanne Vega - Flying with Angels on October 30th

Outpost in the Burbs presents Suzanne Vega - Flying with Angels on October 30th

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs presents Suzanne Vega - Flying with Angels on October 30, 2026 at 8:00pm (doors at 7:00pm). The concert will take place at the First Congregational Church (40 South Fullerton Avenue) in Montclair.

CarteretPAC presents John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

(CARTERET, NJ) -- The Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center presents John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm. The legendary Rhode Island multi-platinum rock band began their career in 1973 and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s with the "Eddie & The Cruisers – Motion Picture Soundtrack".

Outpost in the Burbs Presents Richard Thompson with Zara Phillips in Benefit Concert for Toni's Kitchen on November 21st

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs will present an extraordinary evening of music featuring singer-songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson with Zara Phillips on Saturday, November 21, 2026 at the First Congregational Church in Montclair. The special concert will serve as a fundraiser in support of Toni's Kitchen, the Montclair based nonprofit dedicated to combating food insecurity and related challenges in Essex County and beyond. Showtime is 8:00pm.
 

FEATURED EVENTS



Broadway’s Rock of Ages Band®

Saturday, October 10, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ


Dueling Pianos

Saturday, October 10, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ


The Wag's Halloween Spectacular

Saturday, October 10, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ


The Outcrops (Matinee Show)

Sunday, October 11, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ


James Maddock

Sunday, October 11, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Outpost In The Burbs
40 S Fullerton Ave, Montclair, NJ