European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 16 the stars and stripes wednesday february 12,1986 the Stone Pony the House that Bruce built by Frank Bajak associated press seekers of Glitz would Call it a to Many the Asbury Park n.j., Roc club that Bucks musical trends despises disco and thrives on the Homegrown i sacred. They know it As the House that Bruce and Don t ask Bruce who this the Springsteen country and the Stone Pony is the new Jersey native s hangout. No Strobe lights Here. No mirrors no dress code. No $4.50 Beers. Just Wood panelling and Brick Walls. The place is no Palace admits Lee growl Cal the club s disc jockey and publicist. It even pained the Pony s own ers Robert Pielka and Jack role he said to recently put up a video screen in a barroom off the stage. But when somebody has a complaint like about the food or the bathrooms we say hey it s Good enough for Springsteen " growl Cal said. Photo collages on the club s Walls show a younger. Springsteen belting out lyrics swinging a softball Bat or sunning on the nearby Beach flanked by Young Bikini Clad women. I feel so Humble in this shrine to the Boss " was How Rock musician composer Todd Rundgren began a recent show at the club. Similar reverence for the unassuming Pony came from local musician Bob Bandera it s like going to the Cavern where the beatles started and saying wow this is where Bruce started " Springsteen is known to appear unannounced at the Pony when friends Are performing. Whenever the e Street band has played there ii has been unpublicized often when the club headlines a Dummy band such As the Dull Brothers which is composed mostly of Springsteen Roa Dies. The band last played Jan. 19 at a Benefit for 450 work ers scheduled to be Laid off at a 3m Plant in Springsteen s native Freehold. It was his first gig since the band wound up its born in the tour in october. The Pony s regulars Are musicians who have drifted in and out of Springsteen s band Over the years and who have won recording contracts in various combinations of their own. Steven Van Zandt Springsteen s former Lead guitarist is now on a world tour promoting his Sun City anti apartheid recording. Other Pony regulars have included la Bomba and the hubcaps and souths de Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. And therein lies the real Story of the Pony. It s a nurturing place for people wedded to no nonsense Rock n Roll who be called the club Home since it first opened in 1974. Guys that grew up with Bruce Are still playing Here said growl Cal. Some musicians have made it. Others still juggle their aspirations with the Type of Blue Collar Day jobs Stone Pony Dulic jockey Leo mro Wierts la i Good enough for that Springsteen rhapsodies in song. The club is a social nexus for Bandera the 32-year old Lead guitarist for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes a Stone Pony fixture that beat the 36-year-old Springsteen to a recording contract in the Early 1970s. On any Given night and you May have to go one or two nights in a week chances Are you re going to bump into who you re looking for said Bandera. You get to meet people in the inner Circle who Are making those people include Springsteen who now lives 15 Miles away in Rumson. In the summer of 82, he was on the stage almost every sunday with us Bandera said of his Days with Pony s House band cats on a smooth surface. Impromptu jams Are common at the Pony which can seat 554 people because the club s owners Are flexible and allow any number of unscheduled combinations onstage when the mood and musicians Are right. As for the clientele it s changed Little Over the dec Ade though More Springsteen seekers have been attracted to the Pony than Ever before. The Pony also has Lent a helping hand to the Community. The 3m Benefit was not the club s first Charity Effort. Mrowicki said the Pony has always been a place where local musicians staged benefits. Late last year he decided it was time for what has become Jersey artists for Mankind. He called the office of sen. Bill Bradley d-n.j., and Learned of the Community food Bank of new Jersey a Newark warehouse that distributes food throughout the state. Mrowicki longtime Springsteen bassist Garry Tallent and others invited musicians from All Over new Jersey to the Pony to record two songs for Jam. Or. Mister flying High on broken wings by Walter Berry associated press though their songwriting talents have earned the respect of their music Peers forbears the Rock group or. Mister is just no seeking some self recognition and getting it. This band is really starting to happen said bassist and Lead Singer Richard Page. People who Don t ordinarily Call us Are calling up to say hey i heard your song on the top 40.1 punch the buttons on the radio and your song is on three different stations " the commotion is Over or. Mister s second album Welcome to the real world a new release on Ria records that is climbing the charts thanks to the hit single broken wings. A Black and White video for the song currently is in heavy rotation on mtg. Jazz great Miles Davis has recorded his own version of it. We were recording recently in los Angeles and we heard him rehearsing it in another room recalled drummer Pat mastelotto. Miles was playing the tape Back and Forth teaching his band the song. It knocked us out. We could t believe it. I mean Miles Davis mile my idol said keyboardist saxophonist Steve George who has been Page s musical partner since their High school Days in Phoenix. Page now 32, and George 30, formed the group pages in 1975 and had three albums on three different record labels. They were better known As writers ses Sion men and backup singers for such performers As Al Jarreau Donna summer Dionne Warwick Quincy Jones red Spee Wagen Rick Springfield Marty balls and the Village people. Or. Mister took shape in 1982 when Page and George auditioned mastelotto 30, and guitarist Steve Farris 28, who had toured for three years with Eddie Money. Rich and i were in California for a few years doing club dates and demos and trying to get another record Deal George said. We wanted to get another band together and we started auditioning players. We went through a Bunch of drummers and finally Pat showed up and we said yeah this is the guy.1 Steve was one of the first guitar players we auditioned and he fit in Page who won a grammy award last year for his session work originally planned to just sing in or. Mis Ter. Pat was supposed to bring e Bass player to his audition but the Guy did t make it he said. There was a Bass there in the studio so i picked it up and started playing it. We figured four Guys were better than five or. Mister s debut album / Wear the face surfaced last year on Ria and peaked at no. 55 on billboards hot 100 on the strength of the singles talk the talk and i la let you drive and the hit Hunters of the night which was co written with their manager George ghz. They re Good songs and it s a Good album but it got minimal Chart action said Page. It was a Good experience for us just learning what each other could do As artists and players. It was a great beginning album. But i think the new record is a giant leap Forward. We be kind of gotten our legs so to speak. Some of the songs Are different for us. They re challenging musically and lyrically. We feel like we re breaking new
