Surf the Sea, Hear The Music, Now Is The Time

FEATURED PHOTO: Asbury Park Beach | CREDIT: Danny Clinch

The inaugural Sea.Hear.Now Music Festival, produced by Danny Clinch and C3 Presents, and sponsored by CM, is coming to Asbury Park September 29-30, bringing a celebration of live music, art, and surf culture at the Jersey Shore. With an impressive list of more than 25 bands set to perform on three stages over the weekend, headliners such as Incubus and Jack Johnson lead the all-star music roster. While the music plays, professional surfers including Sam Hammer, Balaram Stack, Rob Kelly, Quincy Davis, Mike Gleason, and many others will participate in surfing Expression Sessions. Bringing it all together is a featured visual arts component that incorporates the work of Clinch and many members of the performing bands sharing the message of sustainability.

“Sea Hear Now is a longtime dream. To have our musician, surfer, and artist friends come to Asbury Park this September to play some music, ride some waves, and make some art,” shared Clinch. “We come from the Jersey Shore and we believe in Asbury Park. It is one of the coolest beach cities in America, if not the world!”

The festival is being produced by Clinch’s Between The Sets and C3 Presents, the team behind Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Shaky Festivals, and more. Clinch is known for his photographs of music legends, from Bruce Springsteen to Tupac Shakur, and curates the Transparent Gallery inside the Asbury Hotel. During the festival, the Gallery will showcase famed images of various artists in the lineup as well as personal works of the musicians.

“I am really excited for this gallery,” says Clinch. “Over the years of spending time with musicians, I noticed that quite a few of them were also painters or illustrators. It occurred to me how special it would be to create a gallery at the festival that could showcase this part of their creative process and be able to give fans a chance to hear their favorite musicians talk about their art.”

A man who thinks and cares, Clinch chose sustainability as the focus of Sea.Hear.Now. The festival is committed to raising awareness about the issues facing our ocean environment, including the global plastic waste crisis and climate change.

“We love that Sea.Hear.Now has made sustainability its core directive,” said Brandon Boyd, lead vocalist of Incubus. “Beyond just having an amazing music and art experience, it’s so important to surround these big events with the same ethos that so many of the artists participating carry. Hats off to them, and we are so excited to be a part of it!”

Sea.Hear.Now is also seeking pledges from attendees to do their parts to minimize plastic pollution, lower carbon footprints, and to support sustainable business at the festival by signing up for the Sea.Hear.Now Green Wave. The Green Wave includes bringing a refillable bottle or buying a reusable commemorative festival cup to cut down on the nearly one million plastic bottles purchased every minute. By using provided trash and recycling bins, attendees get rewarded for going above and beyond through the festival’s Rock & Recycle Program and earn a commemorative festival T-shirt. Those who arrive early and join the pre-festival beach clean-up earn a reusable Sea.Hear.Now bag that will help at festival security. Lastly, the festival is promoting mass transit and seeking out plant based, organic, locally sourced meal options at the festival from a list of vendors, and alternatives to plastic when consuming beverages.

A weekend of music, surfing, art, and caring for the environment set at the beautiful Jersey Shore just as summer gives way to fall. We’ll see you at the festival!

You can win tickets on our CM Facebook page or purchase tickets here.

PHOTO: Brandon Boyd | CREDIT: Danny Clinch

PHOTO: Ben Harper | CREDIT: Danny Clinch

PHOTO: Jack Johnson | CREDIT: Danny Clinch

Danny Clinch

PHOTO: Danny Clinch. Credit: Bruce Springsteen

Known for capturing moments that explode on film, Danny Clinch is famous for giving fans rare glimpses into the lives and talent of our music heroes. Having unparalleled access during concerts and behind-the-scenes due to his unobtrusive style, he has become a silent presence in a world of sound. His photographs of BB King with his guitar, a shirtless Tupac during a wardrobe change, and Bruce Springsteen on the Boardwalk in Asbury Park have become iconic magazine covers and photographs loved the world over. Allowing his camera to express the essence of its subjects, his work serves as a documentary of music in our lifetime and in our area.

A New Jersey native and believer in always giving back, Clinch is co-founder of the Sea.Hear. Now Festival and the Director and Photographer for the Asbury Park Music & Film Festival. A big fan of Asbury Park in general, he has helped to advance the town’s standing as New Jersey’s capital of entertainment.

SEA – Honoring Surf at the Jersey Shore

More than a music festival, Sea.Hear.Now is about land and sea. To celebrate the surf culture of the Jersey Shore, both the history of the sport as well as its creativity and fun will be honored. Locally known surfers, as well as surfers from around the country, will offer Surf Expression Sessions. During the daily Surf Expression Sessions, held in between the Surf Stage and Sand Stage, each surfer will be grouped into a heat and have 30 minutes to show off his or her best moves. From big airs, to power carves, to grace on the water, style and expression will be on display for all to watch and enjoy. The art and beauty of the surfboard will bring renowned artists to the festival to share their skills. Surfboard making is an art form, and Sea.Hear.Now has gathered some of the best shapers on the East Coast as part of Shaper’s Alley. The workshop will have hand-picked craftsmen making wave riding tools spanning the generations, from boards made of wood that go back centuries to today’s cutting-edge technology. Master surfboard maker Ricky Carroll, known as one of the best shapers on the planet and a three-time winner at Icons of Foam, will be joined by John Oppito of Rozbern Surfboards. Rozbern Surfboards are hand-shaped and glassed by Oppito at The Heavens in Asbury Park. A vital component to the rising respect for the New Jersey surfing scene, Oppito has been shaping for 12 years. Josh Peterson, who studied under master craftsman Jeff Bushman, will bring his unique style along with Greg Malega of Seafaring Woodcrafts Company in Beach Haven. Greg is a Long Beach Island native who had strong influences from vintage longboards and surf history. He shapes wooden surf crafts as well as foam mid-lengths and logs, all with environmentally sustainable practices. He teaches shaping and wood burning classes and can be found giving tours at the New Jersey Surfing Museum in Tuckerton.