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Status Green: The Underdogs
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Those who pay even the slightest bit of attention to the Central Jersey scene know Status Green isn’...Those who pay even the slightest bit of attention to the Central Jersey scene know Status Green isn’t some secret Homeland Security codeword; it’s one of the area’s hardest working acts. A quartet that calls Asbury Park their home, the group has graced stages across the state and the country—even sharing one with Christian rock behemoths Creed (winning a SonicBids contest for the slot) and securing side stage appearances on bills with Nickelback and blink-182—but thus far, wider acceptance has eluded them.
Until now. Hopefully.
It’s a tough scene out there, and it gets more difficult to stand out in the sea of upcoming bands every day. But the men of Status Green, Lou Montesano, Chris Marino, Mike Montalto and Russell Tolas, have scored punches in the music world even after receiving blows that could knock out any great Jersey hope. Their stick-to-itiveness and belief in their work have made them a fixture.
Oh, and their really catchy songs, excellent stage presence and naturally entertaining personalities. Those have all helped.
Montesano checked in with us, and before the conversation wandered off to video games (because we’re grown-ups, and we can talk about video games if we want), we took some time to talk about their upcoming LP Cheap Sunglasses, tour routing, and the stiff upper lip needed to get your music out there.
You had originally planned to be on tour at this time?
We were supposed to be on tour—we had a show in Philly the day before our record release, then we had the record release, then the next day we were supposed to be in Baltimore. We had a whole tour lined up. Then we got involved with this contest called Break ‘N Through. It was a show that was affiliated with VH1 Save The Music, and it’s basically a contest with all different genres of music. You compete, and the ultimate prize is to grab a musical guest slot on a late night show.
So, we made the finals, and they said March 5 is going to be the final, and it’s going to be at Radio City. We tell our manager and she changes our whole tour because we were supposed to be on the road then. We had to come back up to New York for that. Then the Break ‘N Through people tell us, ‘No, that’s not happening, it’s in late April.’ (laughs) Droppin’ bombs on me, man.
It’s not such a bad thing. You made the finals. You guys have a knack for winning contests.
(laughs) I know. That’s why we said, ‘Whatever it does to this tour, we have to do this contest.’ If we can get a musical guest spot on a late night show, that could really do some serious things for us. Who knows who’s watching? People might be interested working with the band.
Have you done a national tour so far?
Yes. We’ve done one national tour before. This would basically be our first well-routed, well-thought out national tour (laughs). We went across the country after we did our last album, and it was hit-or-miss. Playing for no money in front of no people at times. So this would be our first national tour so far. All colleges, all universities, all paying gigs. This is how we’d much rather do it. Our last tour, we came up $4,000 in debt, just trying to promote ourselves. It was a nightmare (laughs).
It was fun though, don’t get me wrong. We had some good stories. We played SXSW. All kinds of crazy stuff happened. We broke down, got stuck in Amarillo for three days. It was a typical On The Road, like Jack Kerouac wrote our tour last time we went on the road. It was a mess.
Typical. Everything goes wrong.
Yeah, suffering (laughs). The suffering is good because it’s inspiring, but I hope there’s a little less suffering this time. But I know this time around we have 32 schools confirmed from here to California. It should work out just fine.
Are you done with the record yet?
I am done with the record. The record is going to be done being mastered tomorrow. We are so excited. I’ve been working my ass off. I’ve been in the studio, between 20 and 30 hours a week, just [doing] final tweaks. I’m so relieved. It’s a really good record. It’s gonna be awesome.
We actually put a few songs that we’ve previously released as an EP on, songs like ‘Fire Bomb’ and ‘Heaven I Think.’ I never really released them the way I wanted to, I always felt those songs were good enough; they should get their due cut and get released properly at a big CD release party. Put on a record, instead of some crappy EP that I made on my computer. We remastered those tracks, so we’ve got five or six tracks that haven’t been released on anything official, and then we’ve got seven new ones that came out really cool.
It seems that there’s a little more of a new wave-y pop aspect that you’re emphasizing, but you guys have always been a little all over the map.
It is all over the map. There’s the old guitar rock; some songs have a classic feel, some songs have an almost like a shoegaze quality, I don’t know. I try to stay in one direction, to try to make an album seem cohesive when I write it, but it never ever happens that way. I write a song and I say, ‘Okay, I like this one, let’s just go with this.’ I usually throw staying cohesive out the window pretty early on (laughs).
We go through a lot of songs that are short-lived, but the ones that make it to the record are pretty cool. They’re well-received at our shows. I’m confident in the stuff that we put on the record.
‘Denver After Dawn’ I get a real Cardigans feel out of.
Yeah, so did I. That’s why I wrote that part (laughs). I swear, I based it right off of ‘Lovefool.’ We started playing the song, when we recorded it, we were getting guitar sounds, and I said, ‘You know what, let’s go for that Cardigans sound.’ That’s such an infectious groove. Just that guitar sound. They actually double it with an organ, but we just stayed just with the guitar, but it does its job, you get that feel. Hey, that song sold how many millions of records, maybe people will like my song too (laughs).
After you won that contest to open for Creed, or opening for blink-182, have you tried to get on a support tour for anything large? Has that just not panned out?
I’ve tried everything. We’ve reached out to agents. I do everything I can on a regular basis to try to really get to the next level, try to get where we can be on the road. Whatever we can do. I don’t know what it is; I can’t get through to anyone. No one wants to hear it. If you don’t have a huge management company, if you don’t have a record deal, if you don’t have an agent, they don’t want to talk to you. That’s kind of the vibe I got. I guess you can’t blame them. There are a lot of people with bands out there.
But we’re doing big things as an unsigned band, just getting on these shows. I don’t think an unsigned band has opened up for a major act at the Arts Center before, at least from around here, so it makes you proud to say that you’re doing stuff, but at the same time, it’s frustrating, because it’s like, ‘What do I have to do to get someone’s attention?’ We’re proving ourselves on big stages; the crowd likes it. People at a Creed show liked our music, and it’s like, ‘God.’ That’s kind of a stretch man, because we’re nothing like Creed. The music does transcend to a variety of people.
The one person who did see that was Kevin Lyman from the Warped Tour. We played the Warped Tour, and he heard us playing. He was going back to a meeting, canceled the meeting and said, ‘I’m going to check this band out,’ after he heard us playing and saw our whole set. He came up on stage, introduced himself, and said he wanted us to play the afterparty and meet with him after the show. So we were all excited, ‘Kevin Lyman wants to talk with us, that’s pretty cool.’
After that, we went back, partied with all the Warped Tour people, hung out on Lyman’s bus and he said, ‘I really like your band, and I’d like to stay in touch with you guys. I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I own a record label and stuff, and send me new music when you get it. Keep in touch.’ So we did, I kept in touch, and nothing. Nothing ever happened. That was really heartbreaking, because when you meet the guy, he’s such a sincere dude. After that just completely fell through, it was back to the drawing board. It was really depressing.
So now are you still routing this tour around that contest?
No, we should be back before that. We should be back by mid-April. It was supposed to be eight weeks on the road, we were supposed to leave right after our CD release, so we’re going to see what happens. We might book right up until mid-April, I think we’d leave early March I think. I don’t know. We’ll do that until mid-April, do this thing, I think we might have some festivals lined up for May and June, so we’re kind of waiting to see where the chips fall, basically.
Status Green’s CD release show for Cheap Sunglasses is at the Stone Pony (where else?) in Asbury Park, Feb. 20.
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Shoreworld: Creed and Status Green @ PNC Bank Arts Center
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You really have to give these guys all the credit in the world. In a time where so many great Jersey...You really have to give these guys all the credit in the world. In a time where so many great Jersey bands wander the musical desert wondering where their headed, Status Green moves in a direct line towards their own success, taking action and scoring some sweet gigs in the process. Their only full-length CD release to date is entitled Greatest Hits, a name that was a kind of an inside joke, but after you look at their persona that’s really not a stretch because their assimilation of the ‘60s pop rock genre and their material on that disc is so seasoned it’s uncanny.
These pop purveyors kick out three-chord dynamite in the vein of The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, The Romantics and Weezer with great traditional feel and flourish. Watching this band is probably not much different than if you were watching The Dave Clark Five back in the day. Embracing their pop ancestry is completely natural for Status Green and that belief in what they do is what’s garnering success for the band.
Their latest accomplishment was achieved through the most simple of ways. They responded to a post on Sonic Bids that Live Nation was offering the opening spot for Creed at The PNC and they won it.
Hitting the big stage uniformed in their trademark ties, suits, and guitars, Status Green put on a fast moving show (it lasted a quick 20 minutes) and they squeezed some of the best tunes into that space, creating a sing along situation with the crowd and just basically taking over the whole arena with ease. The set list included “Juggling Knives,” ‘Room To Play,” “Dancing To Your Drum,” “Denver After Dawn,” “Diana” and “Big Debut,” which is being played during halftime at all the New York Giants home games.
It was a comfortable event for these guys, having already shared a big platform with Bon Jovi at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, several recent shows at Jones Beach in New York opening for Blink-182 and Nickelback and other events. A whirlwind gig for sure, their display of grace under pressure, working with Creed and Live Nation, was par for the course for these guys and the show in turn was awesome.
At this point I would love to see Status Green get hooked up with a big management firm as they’re at the stage where bigger direction is needed. And while many including myself don’t see a major label as a smart fit for lots of groups, this band is the exception to that statement. With their broad appeal, they would already be signed and into their second record if some smart firm had picked them up last year.
I believe great things are coming for this band (don’t break up guys) just around the proverbial corner. There’s not a person I know that’s not routing for this band’s well-earned success. Remember the deal guys, you get famous, I get a new truck and a bass boat. For more information on Status Green head over to myspace.com/statusgreen.
By the time Creed hit the stage the Arts center was completely packed. I was amazed at the crowd these guys can still command. This band has always been embroiled in artistic controversy having been hailed as the hard rock U2 and scoffed at as dramatic Pearl Jam phonies, but either way, after a six-year separation guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, drummer Scott Philips and Creed singer Scott Stapp have put their differences aside and gotten back to the business of Creed. And it’s been a complex business since the Weathered tour in 2003, and frontman Stapp’s infamous drunken meltdown in Chicago, a show that made rock and rolls most shocking concerts list and allegedly ending up with Stapp being sued by fans (the suit was dropped).
Sporting aggressive new material, attitude and a sober perspective, Stapp and crew ran through a mixture of Creed standards and raw new tunes from the soon to be released new CD titled Full Circle which includes their first targeted hit, “Overcome” a sound that’s good enough for me to move them out of the “Winger” category and back into the “serious rock and roll contenders” section.
You could tell the band was working hard on towing the line and projecting a streamlined image with new tunes, returning to a darker, more edgy Creed than their former ‘90s stadium stuff. Fewer ballads in the mix equals more muscle when your coming back up against Daughtry or good ole’ Nickelback.
Many groups that are lucky enough to survive and reform come back strong because they are genuinely grateful and matured. If Creed can hold this course with new tunes like “Overcome” and “Away In Silence” they just might reclaim their crown. Check up on Creed over at creed.com.
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New Faces NJ: Status Green
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by Emily Faherty
The boys of Monmouth County pop/rock band Status Green seem to do everythi...by Emily Faherty
The boys of Monmouth County pop/rock band Status Green seem to do everything fast.
Their get-up-and-dance tunes make fans shimmy and shake, they opened for fellow Jersey boy Bon Jovi within four months of forming, and they have already released a “greatest hits” album. Well, kind of.
But let’s slow down and look at how it all got started. Close friends since their days at Howell High School in the late ’90s, Lou Montesano (lead vocals/guitar/piano), Chris Marino (vocals/guitar), Russell Tolas (vocals/bass), and Mike Montalto (drums) reconnected in 2005 to create Status Green. Frontman Montesano says the inspiration for the band’s name came from a special memory. “My father, who passed away in 2001, used to always say, ‘you know what would be a great name for a band? Status Green.’ And that was it.”
Growing up in Springsteen territory, the members of the fun-loving foursome showed their passion for music at an early age, playing in garage bands, and enjoying easy access to the bustling New York City and Asbury Park music scenes.
With the formation of Status Green, they too became part of the scene, with gigs up and down the East Coast. They also played a major role in the revival of Asbury Park, performing regularly at the Saint, the Wonder Bar, and of course, the Stone Pony. After winning a radio contest on WPLJ, the band was chosen from among hundreds of acts to open for Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. That gig raised their status from Jersey Shore band to a national act in four short months.
“We blew up on the scene real quick,” says Montesano, whose musical influences include the Four Seasons, the Beatles, and Elvis Costello, as well as more contemporary bands like Weezer, the Strokes, and the Killers. “Our pop-rock sound really appeals to everyone,” he says. “It’s fun-loving rock-and-roll and we just try to get people moving.”
In 2006, the band put tongue in cheek and self-released its first album, Greatest Hits Volume 1. The locals got the joke, but drummer Montalto says, “Sometimes when we do shows out of state, we have to explain it to them, like ‘No, no, this is just our first CD. We really haven’t been around forever.’”
The members of Status Green have traveled by their own means to places including Chicago, Las Vegas, California, and Texas (with an upcoming trek to Montreal planned for February). “Home is home,” says Montalto. “You know you will have support from friends and family. But the true test of a band is if you can take the show on the road.”
Their catchy and upbeat music is intended to make fans of all ages get up and dance – even the moms out there. “We’ve noticed a huge age variety coming to the shows. We really see the entire spectrum,” says Montesano. “The moms will drive their kids to the shows and start to notice that they really like us too, so they end up staying and hanging out.” Bassist Tolas adds,” I think it’s great. A mom's work is never done, so if we can be a small part of what helps keep her sane, then I am more than happy to oblige.”
The band even snagged a role in the upcoming film, Exit 102, about the glory days of Asbury Park. “It takes place in 1974 – the year the Stone Pony opened and the age of muscle cars,” says Montesano, who was cast as the lead – “a guitar-slinging heartthrob.” The whole band is featured in the movie, which begins filming in May. They will also record original songs for the soundtrack.
For now, they are busy writing, recording, and preparing for the New Year. Literally. Their most recent project involves reworking the New Year’s Eve classic Robert Burns’ poem Auld Lang Syne to celebrate its 250th anniversary. It is scheduled for release early this year, and could include performances in Burn’s homeland of Scotland.
As much as they love traveling, the guys say nothing compares to crossing over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and seeing the “Welcome to NJ” sign, and absolutely nothing compares to real Jersey pizza. (Montesano and Marino are partial to Tony’s in Farmingdale, where they formerly delivered pizza together.)
In true Status Green fashion, they refuse to slow down. This past summer, they followed up Greatest Hits with a five-track EP available through iTunes. “We could have waited to finish a whole album, but we just don’t want to keep people waiting too long,” says Montesano. Their latest song, “Big Debut,” is being played during halftime at all the New York Giants home games.
“We’ve been working so hard and we’re doing it all on our own,” Montesano adds. “We may have picked the worst time in history to start a band, but we always seem to shine when we hit a big opportunity.”
Keep up with Status Green by visiting statusgreenmusic.com or myspace.com/statusgreen.
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Status Green
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Lisa Pikaard
Status Green is a band on the rise and it is working its way to becoming Jersey roc...Lisa Pikaard
Status Green is a band on the rise and it is working its way to becoming Jersey rock royalty. The band, which played its first show in November of 2005, is a well known original act circulating on the Asbury Park and Jersey shore music circuit.
Having an attitude that allows for fans to relate to both the band and the music is a key to finding success in the music scene. The attitude of the members of Status Green is in perfect harmony with the sound the band creates: pure, positive, innocent, and fun. Status Green has a broad spectrum of fans ranging in ages from children to older generations hoping to relive the happy days of the past. The band takes the time to hang around after shows to talk to fans and people who came out to the show. It is important to them that they connect with the fans at shows and through their myspace and emails. The pure positive energy the band has shines through in the music they create. The music has wholesomeness and is easy to relate and connect to. A Status Green show promises a good time without worry and negative emotions.
Where does that positive energy in the music come from? Montesano relates that after listening to some of his favorite music he wants to convey the happy emotions he feels. In the song writing process he hears a song he likes. From there he says “I want to get that feeling in this song (the one he’s writing). I’m inspired by other music I like.” Montesano is inspired by his favorite music and it is highly evident that he was a Beatles fan and a fan of a lot of oldies and classic songs of decades past. The sound Status Green has is a true sound that reflects legendary pop and rock groups of the past like The Wonders or The Beatles. Their sound derives from many different genres, not just oldies. Asking them to define their genre is impossible.
Released in April 2006, “The Greatest Hits Volume One” was the debut album from Status Green. Some people may have a problem with a first album being named “The Greatest Hits” but it was never meant to be taken seriously. Lead sing Lou Montesano clarifies that the title was chosen “Just to be funny and if people don’t get it then they don’t get it. Anyone who knows us knows we’re clowns. Some people take is as we’re pompous or have egos but if you know any of us that’s not the case.” It certainly is not the case. Also in the band is Chris Marion, guitarist, Russell Tolas on bass, and Mike Montalto on the drums.
Fans of the band are itching for a sophomore release. Montesano explained the time lapsing before the follow-up disc release as simply: “We’re taking our time really. We will hopefully have it out by early summer, like June. Just have it together, even if it’s some sort of big EP. Not like 12 songs, maybe seven solid songs that we’re all comfortable with. That’s the plan.” The plan seems to be falling into place as Montesano has written over 30 songs for the new album. Selection is going to be the difficult part.
Status Green is working hard and it shows. The band has no booking agent so every show they book is on their own merit. It’s admirable, to be sure, but is definitely draining. The band has the ambition and drive to really climb up the musical ladder but it just needs someone to give it a step up. Even without that leg up Status Green is still gathering a very solid fan base.
Although Status Green is a Jersey band, they have a strong following outside of the state as well. The band seems to be a Philly favorite as many fans head out to Asbury Park to catch their Stone Pony shows. The band’s fans are also expanding into Maryland and Washington D.C. On their various road trips to D.C. and Maryland the band is received by big crowds but a few of their most notable shows were closer to the New Jersey area. Not only did they have the opportunity to play at the legendary CBGB’s before it closed, but they also have the ability to say they opened for New Jersey’s own Bon Jovi. They won a competition and were awarded the opening slot at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Do not fret, although the band has had the opportunity to play with pop/rock legend, Bon Jovi, they play mostly local spots and try to do a big Stone Pony show about every three months. As an indicator of the talent Status Green has, Every time the band takes the stage at The Stone Pony, the crowd gets bigger. Montesano says, “I’ve been noticing there have been more faces in the crowd that I don’t even know that I’ve never seen before and they know the words so I know it’s doing good! The more we play the more we’re pulling people in.”
The Monmouth and Ocean County region of New Jersey seems to be overflowing with cover bands but Status Green gets paid to play their own original songs. The band has no problem bringing out crowds playing their own tunes, no covers needed. The band does, however, integrate a few cover songs into each set (usually the most would be six in a three set show) so even first time listeners know a song or two.
Status Green is one of the few bands on the Jersey music scene that is sticking to their original songs and still making it. It is definitely worth checking out Status Green. They have many songs available for listen on their myspace (myspace.com/statusgreen), but the recordings do not do justice to the good time and talent the band has at a live show. The band provides a fun stress free evening with great tunes that are sure to keep you dancing and having a blast all night
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Status Green/The Stone Pony
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Sometimes you find a band that seems to have it
all together and then, just like Hurricane Katrina,...Sometimes you find a band that seems to have it
all together and then, just like Hurricane Katrina, all
they leave us is questions about what went wrong.
Yes, it definitely happens and has happened recently
to at least two prominent area bands. But it’s not
happening to Status Green. These guys are having
way too much fun to ever collapse under pressure. I
had a chance to confirm this at their recent performance
at The Stone Pony.
I have to be honest with you—this band draws more
than anyone I’ve seen in quite a while. And it’s quite
a sight to see a bunch of fairly new and local boys
commanding 200 screaming girls front and center
and there’s even more people in the audience singing
every word of their songs. It’s what all performers hope
of obtaining in their lifetime.These guys are a promoter’s
dream.
Hitting the stage in their trademark shirts and ties,
they kicked out a fast-paced and enthusiastic set with
Beatles meet Mitch Ryder-like panache.Lou Montesano
leads this group with old school style and class.
Bouncing from his trusty Fender Jag to piano and
back, he took The Stone Pony crowd through an
eclectic mix of a few smart covers and a solid dozen
of their top self-penned tunes that left you hoping for
the encore. And of course you’re gonna get that. I
mean, we are talking about Status Green here.
Whether playing the House Of Blues in Atlantic City
with Teddy Geiger or headlining The Stone Pony in
Asbury Park, Status Green get the job done with the
biggest amount of fun allowed by law. Hard working,
straight-ahead rockers bar none.Their chosen formula
keeps them firmly ensconced in traditional and roots
oriented blue-collar territories.
Take their choice of set for this night as an example.
From the powerful clout of the Mitch Ryder-influenced
“Dance With Me” to the surf-tinged Weezer vibe of
“Darling Oh,” Status Green kept the howling girls
dancing and the guys up front taking notes. I was
standing at the front side of the stage watching area
musicians eyeing them very closely during the blistering,
action-packed set. The pop party atmosphere of “It
Ain’t Me” rang true with The Godfathers’vintage sound,
while “Everybody Loves You” brought forth memories
of Soul Asylum and The Replacements when they
were great.Toss in the Cheap Trick attack of “Kids Of
The New Rock & Roll” and you have a screaming,
singing fan bomb that was just too far gone to defuse.
Other memorial moments included their cover of
Del Shannon’s “Runaway” done close to perfect and
the set stopping moment when Status Green took a
picture of the entire audience for their friend Dan who
is serving our country as a soldier in Iraq. It brought
back a moment of reality and patriotic respect so
obviously missing in many areas of our society. I found
the moment uplifting and so did the crowd. A stellar
night in Asbury Park for sure!
I had a chance to speak with Lou back stage before
and after the show and he explained that they were
still riding high from their recent win of Jersey Shows
2006 Battle of the Bands.“It just so happens that this
is the one year anniversary of Status Green,” he
explained. “This time last year, we were practicing
‘Opus de Ocho’ over and over and over again in the
basement of Russell’s mother’s preschool. With hard
work and loyal support we’ve come a long way in
12 months.” I couldn’t agree more.With upscale shows
such as this packed Pony show, CODA in NYC with
another great area band, Woodfish, and the Oct. 8
show at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, things
are going well for SG. Their schedule grows by the
week.
Lou also said that they are currently working on
new songs for the next album, which they are hoping
to release sometime in March. He told me they would
actually like to release two albums this year, which is
a big job by any standards. So this entire year will be
a pretty busy time for the band. Along with the many
shows they’ll be doing you will be able to catch them
playing the Asbury Park Music Awards this year which
I believe is Nov. 11 and will be held at The Saint.This
is the band to watch, kids. They are definitely going
to get signed. They are on their way up and there’s
nothing that can stop ’em.
Status Green are: Lou Montesano (lead vocals,
keys, guitar), Chris Marino (guitar, backing vocals),
Russell Tolas (bass, backing vocals) and
Mike Montalto (drums, backing vocals). The record,
which has been out for a while is still viable and
should be grabbed while the disc is available. Visit
myspace.com/statusgreen or statusgreenmusic.com
for further information.
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Old School, New Twist
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Four unassuming Asbury Park boys came together in 2005 with a mutual love for everything that makes ...Four unassuming Asbury Park boys came together in 2005 with a mutual love for everything that makes rock-n-roll fun. The pounding backbeat, head-bobbing grooves and anthemic melodies recall classic Elvis Costello and hometown icon Bruce Springsteen. From the occasional piano ballad to shimmering synth grooves, the mix is always unexpected but rooted in energetic pop traditions. Join the party when Status Green play The Stone Pony on March 8 with Cherry S/T and Wicker Hollow. Status Green frontman Lou Montesano assembled his group of high school pals in search of the key elements of pop and rock music. The singalong hooks, the throbbing drum grooves and infectious guitar lick have catapulted Status Green to recognition with two Asbury Park Music Awards. The hits kept on coming when they opened for Bon Jovi after winning radio station Wplj's listener poll. With the release of their debut CD, Greatest Hits Volume One, tracks like the retro styled "the Elephant Song" are shouted for at shows, while the energetic bop of new number "Firebomb" is primed to explode all over the airwaves. The Stone Pony is located at 913 ocean Ave. in Asbury Park. Tickets for the show are $12 at the door. For more information visit stoneponyonline.com or myspace.com/statusgreen
supersonic
