New Asbury Park music star Joe P to tap into Springsteen magic on beach at Sea Hear Now

Joe P knows his way around the Asbury Park beachfront.

Good thing as the rising city musician is set to play the big Sea Hear Now festival on Saturday, Sept. 14. He's familiar with the festival's headliner.

“It's going to be a pretty amazing show to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Asbury Park on the actual beach,” Joe P said. “I feel that’s something you don’t want to miss — you can't beat that. It's like seeing Paul McCartney in Liverpool.

Joe P's debut Atlantic Records LP, “Garden State Vampire,” came out Aug. 23.

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“I’ve seen Bruce multiple times,” Joe P said. “I never chatted with him but met him once before. I was teaching music lessons at Lakehouse (in Asbury Park), a music school I used to work at and he walked in — he was being shown around. I was teaching in this tiny closet of a room and all of a sudden this door opens, 'Hey, how's it going?'

"I was holding a guitar. 'How's it going!' ... I'm still on a mission to find what he's doing to make it really resonant with his performance and make it seem like you're in a little dive bar even though it’s MetLife Stadium. It's just amazing.”

In January, Joe P, aka Joe Parella, fairly dazzled the many Springsteen fans in the audience at the annual Light of Day festival in Asbury Park and Red Bank. He performed solo at the Count Basie Center in Red Bank, and the first lines of his viral hit “Off My Mind” drew cheers from the audience.

Joe P also performed with a band at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, and rocked the house with a set of angst-y indie rock with an emphasis on minimalism and wry smiles.

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Joe P was the former frontman for the city band Deal Casino, which gained a considerable following. A new chapter started in 2020 when Deal Casino was winding down and the pandemic was winding up.

He started dropping songs on TikTok, which garnered him hundreds of thousands of fans and millions of views. “Off My Mind,” “Fighting in the Car” and more went viral.

Joe P has made a connection to a post-pandemic world with his alt-rock that's heavy on the heartbreak but not too heavy-handed thanks to some healthy self-aware humor and great hooks, too.

He's been touring the country and making videos and reels when not he's writing and recording in his Red Bank home. “Garden State Vampire,” which includes “Off My Mind” and “Fighting in the Car,” expands the repertoire with bite and a smirk. Joe P will return to the city with a headlining show at the Stone Pony on Friday, Dec. 13.

Springsteen and the E Street Band play on Sunday, Sept. 15, at Sea Hear Now. Other performers include Noah Kahan, the Gaslight Anthem, the Trey Anastasio Band, the Black Crowes, Norah Jones, 311, the Revivalists, Kool & The Gang, the Hives and more over the two days on the fest’s three stages on the North Beach and in Bradley Park.

Up-and-coming locals on festival’s stages include Sonic Blume on Saturday, and Rachel Ana Dobken and Sunshine Spazz on Sunday. Fifty years ago, Springsteen and the E Street Band were the up-and-coming locals.

“It's going to be amazing seeing him play and looking over and seeing the Stone Pony in the background,” Joe P said.

Go : Sea Hear Now, Saturday, Sept. 14, and Sunday, Sept. 15, North Beach and Bradley Park, Asbury Park, sold out; seahearnowfestival.com.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Asbury Park music star Joe P to tap into Springsteen magic on beach at Sea Hear Now