House of Independents rises again from the flooded streets of Asbury Park

By:  | May 21, 2024 |  Features |  Monmouth County

By Bill Clark

Music has always been a part of the fabric of Asbury Park. But an inundation of floodwater back in September 2023 put one venue on the shelf. 

Some believed the House of Independents, - the 500 capacity concert venue that sits along the main downtown drag of Cookman Avenue – was shuttered for good. In the aftermath of the storm, extensive damage remained, as the space was heavily impacted by the overflow of water from nearby Wesley Lake. But after months of closed doors, Concert Crave, a New Jersey based promoter, has resurrected the venue with plans to expand its offerings. 

House of Independents, which attendees enter from the top floor and descend a set of stairs to arrive at the main viewing area, needed complete rehabilitation. The original announcement from House of Independents in the days following the historic rainfall blindsided some residents. A slow leak of semi-ominous posts began showing up on their social media, including announcements about shows originally scheduled for HOI being moved to other local venues such as Asbury Lanes in order to honor their ticket sales.

It was clear from videos and pictures that made the rounds on the news that Lake Avenue, which sits one block over from Cookman, had been under several feet of water. The torrent of water came like rapids down a mountain pass, inundating the businesses on the block with several feet of water, sludge and debris. Although the rise from Lake Ave to Cookman Ave spared most businesses on the latter, House of Independents took on water, as a portion of the property actully resides on Lake Avenue.

Greg Diamond, Talent Buyer for Concert Crave, said that when the company first toured the space they realized how extensive the damage was. Walls, bathrooms, backstage areas and other components needed to be demolished and rebuilt. Once the basics were established, they got to work planning to reopen an all new version of HOI, complete with the kind of Asbury Park flair that would make the venue part of the city, not just a staid, corporate space. 

“We're definitely going to start bringing in some new elements,” he said. 

Diamond’s history is written on the canvas of the New Jersey music scene. Shows in packed VFW halls with air as thick as the basslines driving the sound are his roots, and serve as a critical point in how he plans to move forward with this next venture. Nobody will mistake House of Independents for an understated event hall that is more apt to host spaghetti dinners than a circle pit of flailing arms and legs. But the feel of those grassroots shows and venues are what Concert Crave hopes to imbue into the new House of Independents, while also providing more conventional events as well. 

“We understand the importance of having a great venue where you can do local shows, and then also the national acts as well,” he says. 

The former House of Independents hosted larger bands, dance nights and viewing parties. Diamond emphasizes that the new House of Independents is not going to be a metal, punk or hip-hop centric venue. 

“It's going to be everything under the sun. That's a very important thing. We really want it to be all encompassing,” he says, hoping that the new iteration of the club becomes just as eclectic as the city itself. 

But as any rock historian can attest, any conversations about the Asbury Park music scene all start across town on Ocean Avenue. The Stone Pony, Convention Hall and Wonder Bar along with since-shuttered spots like The Fast Lane are historic and serve as the heart and soul of the town’s musical heritage. But House of Independents is separate from that scene in both a physical and historical sense. Instead of merely being another “house that Bruce built,” HOI is looking to cut its own path, while still respecting the musical legacy of the storied arts-centric city.

Diamond says that in addition to concerts, House of Independents will host corporate events, fitness classes, and markets with local vendors. Whereas other clubs might come to life after the sun sets, House of Independents wants to take advantage of its locale from morning through night. 

First, the new operators have to establish their credibility as a premier music venue. Quickly after announcing the purchase, Concert Crave whet the appetites of former patrons with a stacked and diverse summer calendar. Kicking things off in a big way, on Saturday, June 1, the first show at the new House of Independents will be a solo performance from Brian Fallon, lead singer of legendary NJ-based rockers The Gaslight Anthem.

Concert Crave is happy to have an established venue added to its repertoire. The company operates the Webster in Hartford, CT and the Crave Cave in Elizabeth, NJ and also books acts nationwide, a business practice that established their relationship with the former owners back in 2017. 

The new House of Independents, dubbed 2.0, will have the same community-driven mindset. Rebel Supply, a neighboring retailer on Cookman Avenue, will still serve as the building’s box office.

The building is well-situated for the company to become a prominent offering of downtown Asbury Park. The three block stretch from Main Street to Grande Avenue serves as the pulse of the city, with shops, restaurant and nightlife venues lining the street. Ocean Avenue and the boardwalk may be the main artery of recreation, but downtown brings in visitors year-round, its magnatism radiating onto surrounding streets as well. Mattison and Bangs Avenues are quickly rivaling the corridor with restaurants and shops that catch the attention of visitors. A robust and successful House of Independents could be the gravitational pull that benefits all in its orbit. 

The city already pulls concertgoers from all over the tri-state area, but Diamond hopes to create a feeling of home for those that frequent the establishment. He wants people to walk in and know who is selling tickets, checking IDs, and slinging the drinks while connecting with people they have seen at other shows. Walking into the new House of Independents should feel comfortable, eschewing the tones that a larger concert promoting company may foster in one of their venues. More local haunts, less Disney theme parks. 

“Sometimes we see bigger corporations that come in and buy venues in certain areas and they're not really in touch with the scene and they just buy the market they would deem necessary or what they think would work elsewhere,” he said. “But I think we've been able to reconnect with everybody.”

The concerts that they would host prior to the flooding and COVID-19 pandemic were able to allow them to get the feel for the city and the space. Moving forward, local artists will be invited in to decorate the walls with murals that will help the venue become undeniably Asbury Park.

The new owners also have to reinforce the infrastructure to protect from future extreme weather events. The layout leaves the building vulnerable to floods, so preventative measures have been taken, including the addition of hurricane doors. 

Diamond says that as the months progress, more will be added to the venue to craft the right experience. The reopening of House of Independents has been welcome news for local musicians. The Foes of Fern, an Asbury Park-based band, graced the stage of the venue several years ago. Fern, the frontman of the prolific local performers welcomes the next iteration. 

“Asbury Park has an exciting,  expansive, and diverse music scene, and we are very grateful for all of the venues that have given us - and other local artists - the opportunity to perform," says Fern. "I think I can speak for many members of the community when I say we felt the loss of the House of Independents last year as it supported both national and local acts, and allowed us to expand music farther into Asbury Park. We are looking forward to seeing a cool collection of touring acts and our contemporaries get back on that stage in the near future."

Feedback and critique from patrons will also be sought and accepted, Diamond said. As a concert goer himself, Diamond knows what works for certain spaces and what might be changed. He’s always taking notes. The key component though is simple: at a great venue, the music should sound great. 

“A big thing for us is [putting together] the best sound, the best production and the best show you can possibly put on in the whole state. And we're going to really drive that forward,” he promises.