On Friday, October 24, 2025, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country returned to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. This performance celebrated the 1st time DDCC headlined at Stone Pony last year on almost the same night. Before the show, we were rooted to the Stone Pony tree with Bruce Springsteen used as introductory music as the band stepped on stage.
Opening the celebration was a cover of Mickey Newbury penned “Why You Been Gone So Long?”, which got the wheels of the locomotive turning as the band geared up. This was an appropriate choice to mark the return of DDCC to Asbury Park with the eager townsfolk (local fanbase) scratching at the door eagerly for this night of music. Early cascades from Nathan “Sugar Leg” Aronowitz (keys) synchronizing with Daniel’s 3 chorded strum, backed by a slow opening trot from Will “Bronco” Clark (drums) and Will “Mustang” McGee starting the night off on his electric bass.
This transitioning right to the bar car thanks to a funky breakdown of New Mastersounds arrangement “Cigar Time”. The pop kicks of Mustang and Bronco along with the stretching of sound and notes by Sugar Legs and Daniel providing instant gratification that tonight was meant to be a party. This led into the first original of the night, “Forgotten Days” written by Daniel. This features the first band breakdown formally introducing the band members musically and foreshadowing the night with the added lyric “gabagol”. Setting in motion the early steps of our hero’s journey tonight. “The gold-plated watches have taken their toll, dices loaded ready to roll. Time barks like smoking guns everyone is outdone, the fruit on the tree is gone.” As this train moves forward, we face loss and remorse, cleverly the end jam of this song pulls back as we view behind DDCC’s ethereal curtain.
Straight into a major highlight of set 1, “Valhalla”, another song written by Daniel, recently featured DDCC latest album, “Horizons”. Our hero’s journey ending with the celebration of Viking warriors and kings, “it’s a fight, taking wrong for right. One insight, brought from shattered light. Comin’ into view, a sky renewed, wrong to right, from wrong to right.” This spirit of rebirth expanded through the elasticity of soul provided by Sugar Legs and the groove of Mustang and Bronco. The ending is just the beginning, “time runs another decade lap. Golden hours burnin’ much too fast. Problems of the heart, born from the start come to pass, through the hourglass.” Daniel kicks the vibration up to 11 and our experience transcends, “dreamin’ away, wastin’ away, Valhalla, in every day.”
Cosmic County gospel, “Cornerstone” next marks this transition from light to dark, our hero down on his luck hits bottom here and the only direction remaining is up. The steady climb of our train now becomes the “Chore”. Another Daniel written song describes perfectly that the first steps to redemption are the longest and hardest.
“Oh, good reasons, that’s not the chore, oh the seasons, will change the score…”, this parable grows into the longest jam of the night lasting close to 20 minutes. The longest journeys are the most important and if our hero can be reborn, he must ride, hard, prairie wind and sand scrapping at his face. Bronco charges full force into his dance beat with Mustang echoing each note. Daniel layers in high current and we take flight.
Landing straight into “Whiskey River”, a song made famous performed by Wille Nelson. This song is also the 1st of 3 featuring favorite guest artist of DDCC while performing at the Stone Pony, photographer and musician, Danny Clinch on the harmonica. This song sets the tone for the back and forward between Clinch and Sugar Legs with Daniel sandwiched gleefully in the middle.
Our hero’s flight reaches it peak next with a Sugar Leg sung version of Ry Cooder’s, “Jesus on the Mainline”. “Call him up and tell him what you want, well the line ain’t never busy…”, our hero is saved. This song featured and a universally manifested harmonica duel between Clinch and Sugar Leg thanks to the gleeful delight of Daniel’s encouragement. The set ends in true irony, the path to righteousness is a series of uncertain steps thanks to the Jersey appropriate cover of Alabama 3’s “Woke Up This Morning”, famously known as the “Sopranos” theme song. This is the first time DDCC has performed this song and the perfect gabagol hook the end act 1.
Act 2 opens with a classic country tune “Long Lonesome Road”. This serves to remind us of our hero’s struggle. The gritty life of a gunslinger, highlighted by a breakout from Mustang now playing his upright bass. This long road lands our hero next in the “Tupelo County Jail”, originally written by Larry Butler and Chip Moman. This letter is signed by the artful strokes of Sugar Leg’s fingers, and we are slingshot into country bliss simultaneously as we rot in a cell.
The showdown arrives next, “About Angels” written by Daniel, also from recent album “Horizons.” The whistle of the O.K. Corral echoes in our minds’ eye, and our hero faces the crossroads. “Turmoil and time will take their toll, what've you got to prove? Flowin' like wine them troubles of the heart, these wounds ain't nothing new… If what they say about the angels is true. Is it too late they show the trail back home to you? Back home to you...” This song has such a classic cowboy feel and stands as an anthem to the classic western storytelling this band brings with their personas and work.
This deep dives into DDCC’s western ways continues with instrumental “Ghost Riders in the Sky” by Stan Jones made famous by Johnny Cash. Shots ring out, our hero, the man in black stares deeply into the mirror now cracked and splatted with blood, paying the ultimate price. We hear our train in the distance as it steams towards “Faded Lovin” written by Daniel and Taylor McCall. The bittersweet of having loved and lost.
Barreling into “Free Wheelin’”, written by Daniel and Mustang and sung by Mustang. No matter the direction our hero path takes him, the wheels will always be turning, and the inevitability of fate is undenied. This is why “Everybody’s Talkin’”, a song by Fred Neil made famous by Harry Nilsson, with its effervescent quality our hero floats away now achieving some calm amongst the eye of the storm. Followed by the longest song of this set, “Weathervane” written by Daniel and Sugar Leg. This epic artfully stretched to almost 25 minutes. The crowd is spiraled in light and funk, thanks to deep grooves and synergy from the band. This song is a tapestry of all things great about this group of musicians.
The encore for the night features another guest on stage, guitarist Ron Artis playing “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) written by Bob Dylan. This was a strong finish to the night with the band alternating lead vocals and also featuring an inevitable crowd sing-along. This show was another strong showcase for DDCC and will hopefully become an annual tradition.
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country @ the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ 10/24/25
Set 1: Why You Been Gone So Long> Cigar Time (The New Mastersounds cover), Forgotten Days> Valhalla, Cornerstone, Chore, Whiskey River (Johnny Bush cover)*, Jesus on the Mainline,* Woke Up This Morning (Alabama 3 cover)*
Set 2: Long Lonesome Road, Tupelo County Jail (Webb Pierce cover), About the Angels> Ghost Riders in the Sky (Instrumental, Stan Jones cover), Faded Lovin’, Free Wheelin’> Everybody’s Talkin’ (Fred Neil cover)> Weathervane
Encore: Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (Bob Dylan cover) **
*featuring Danny Clinch (harmonica)
**featuring Ron Artis (guitar)
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