The Asbury Park Music + Film Festival has quietly become one of the East Coast’s most exciting events of the year. Last year, the fest included rare screenings drawing from the Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen archives, and Springsteen surprised everyone by appearing onstage to discuss the footage. The Farrelly Brothers, David Crosby and Cameron Crowe, Jakob Dylan, Yo La Tengo, and others also appeared at the not-for-profit fest, which benefits children in the Asbury Park area.
The festival has now announced headliners for this year, set to take place April 23rd through the 26th. Melissa Etheridge will kick off the event with a show at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, April 23rd. Later that weekend, David Chase will host An Evening With the Sopranos Creator David Chase. The festival describes the rare Chase appearance as a “a career retrospective, highlighting his vision as a creator of the Sopranos.” (It also may be an opportunity for Chase to discuss his Sopranos film prequel, The Many Saints of Newark, set to be released by Warner Bros. in 2020.)
In addition to the headliners, the festival also announced Dylan Archives V, a “presentation of rare Bob Dylan performances,” happening Sunday, April 26th at the House of Independents. (Last year, that footage included the 1963 Newport Folk Festival and New York’s Supper Club in 1993.)
“I have had the privilege of attending many film and music festivals around the world, but what we have created here is something truly unique with the opportunity to positively impact some underserved kids in and around Asbury Park,” said Tom Bernard, co-president, Sony Pictures Classics and Festival co-chair. (Full disclosure: the studio is also releasing a documentary of which I’m a producer.)
“In only its first five years, the festival has had the honor of having some real heavyweights take part with names that include Danny Devito, Bruce Springsteen, Wyclef Jean and Cameron Crowe. This year we look forward to writing another historic chapter with David Chase, Melissa Etheridge and more.” Public on-sale for the events begins Friday, November 22nd at 10 a.m. For more information, head to the festival’s site.