Rock 'n' Roll Love Letter (to Asbury Park)
Jason Didner pays homage to the 'musicians, misfits and true believers' of Springsteen Country
JASON DIDNER & THE GPS’s - Asbury Heart (Self-released)
Jason Didner has spent years as one of Jersey’s most colorful characters - a songwriter, booster, and occasional smart ass whose novelty hit “You Can’t Get There from Here in Jersey” has followed him around like a shadow. But with Asbury Heart, he makes a convincing case that there’s a lot more going on beneath the punchline.
This time out, Didner surrounds himself with a full band - the GSP’s, for Garden State Parkways - and a deep bench of Shore regulars to deliver a love letter to Asbury Park—not the postcard version, but the gritty, real-life one built by “musicians, misfits, and believers” who stuck around when the place was the stop on the Jersey Shore line that middle class families skipped. The record keeps one foot in the city’s complicated past while celebrating the community that helped bring it back to life
“Come Across the Tracks” zeroes in on that history, telling the story of E Street bassist Gary Tallent’s early days crossing the segregated divide between the beachfront and its neglected west side. With ROSTAFA trading vocals and a bright, chiming arrangement that nods to classic Shore rock, it’s one of the album’s emotional anchors. Didner even steps up with a sax solo that feels earned rather than gimmicky.
Elsewhere, Didner wears his influences proudly. “Dear Faye” could pass for a lost outtake from The River, complete with a pealing synth glockenspiel and a heartfelt vocal assist from Diego Allesandro. “Not Young, Still Hungry” taps into the bar-band grit that defined the Shore long before it became a brand name, serving as an anthem for lifers who aren’t ready to pack it in just yet.
The title track brings in some blue-eyed soul, with Carol Lester sharing vocals over swirling organ and a sharp guitar lead, while “D.I.Y.” kicks things into punkier territory. Featuring Jon Caspi, it’s a nod to the basement shows, cassette tapes, and xeroxed zines that kept the scene alive when nobody else was paying attention.
Didner hasn’t completely ditched his sense of humor, either. “You-Know-Who” pokes fun at the ongoing Shore tradition of scanning every stage for a certain hometown hero. “House on Hope Road” leans into the sentimental - dare I say schmaltzy? - side of those nights that felt like they’d never end. And what’s “The Asbury Park Sound” without a little schmaltz?
The album wraps with a full-band take on Southside Johnny’s classic “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” with Kevin McGowan on vocals, and it lands exactly where it should: one last call, one last chorus, and the familiar feeling that if you’re lucky, you’ll get to do it all again next weekend
.Asbury Heart will be released on Bandcamp and streaming platforms on Friday, May 15. That night, Jason & The GSP’s will celebrate the release at Porta (911 Kingsley St., Asbury Park) at a 6:30 p.m. early show, with the album’s collaborators opening the night with a short acoustic set, then joining Didner and the band on their duets. “It’s going to feel more like an event than a gig,” Didner promises. Advance tickets are available here. All ages, $10. Jason Didner will also perform solo on Saturday, May 16 in his hometown at Montclair Porch Fest.