Entertainers Hopeful Shore Nightlife Won't Skip a Beat

The road to a summer filled with music, dancing and plenty of partying in Seaside Heights began on a Saturday afternoon in December, two months to the day Superstorm Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore.

That was the day John Kern, lead singer of cover band Shorty Long and the Jersey Horns, and his 11 bandmates performed at The Beachcomber Bar and Grill for the first time since the storm struck. In fact, it was the first time any band had played in the borough since Oct. 29.

Slowly but surely, most of the Shore's cathedrals of nightlife began to reopen after they were damaged during the storm. Though not as profitable as the lucrative summer season, the vast majority of the region's bars and nightclubs remain open year round, and as establishments celebrated grand reopening parties, employees were able to get back to work.

But with the unofficial start of summer here, a sense of trepidation hovers over what most in the entertainment industry hope will be a season of resilience – both emotionally and economically.

Shorty Long's band members, nearly all of them from Ocean County, have found success close to home as well as in other regions, including Pennsylvania. Playing elsewhere and interacting with fans gave Kern some insight as to how summer 2013 could turn out.

"It was upsetting to hear people say that while they still want to see us, their summer or rental house is gone and they have nowhere to stay," said Kern. "Mentally, I really felt bad. That's their life, to work all year, then come to the shore."

John Fields, known professionally as DJ Unique, performs at clubs from the Shore to New York City, and said his fans also have concerns about the summer, but are looking forward to getting the annual party started.

"I think Jersey's really going to step up this summer," said Unique. "I'm getting a lot of good feedback, people coming out, hitting me up, 'hey, is Jenkinson's rockin' tonight?' They're saying, 'we can't wait, we're coming down and supporting you.' A lot of good things."

Both Kern and Unique performed over the winter at multiple benefits to raise money for Sandy victims, fire departments, and even for bar owners struggling to make money after losing months of business on top of having to pay for repairs.

For Kern, the benefit performances were a way to help an area that, for he and his bandmates, has come to be as important personally as financially.

"Just to be able to play the boardwalk, play at the Sea Shell after seeing what it looked like in those pictures, is going to be awesome," said Kern. "You just get a warm feeling, a good feeling, playing near the ocean."

The Beachcomber was one of the first bars in Seaside Heights to reopen after Sandy, and its story mirrors what other establishments had to go through to be able to open their doors again.

"We started working on [the bar] literally the day of the storm," said owner Mike Carbone. "We did what we had to do - new hot water heater, new electrical panel. We just wanted to get the customers back."

Unique will return to his usual Monday night gig at The Aztec in Seaside Heights, as well as his regular appearances at Jenks Club in Point Pleasant Beach. He's been preparing not only for good crowds, but for clubgoers' musical tastes.

"Electro was in for a little while but I think it's going more techie," he said, previewing his sets for the summer. "I think people are going to come out. It's a real shame that people lost their houses, lost their summer rentals. But it's also nice to hear people are rallying to come here."

"I want to stay optimistic," said Kern, who regularly plays at the Beachcomber, Surf City Hotel and The Shell in Beach Haven. "We're going to party no matter what. Sometimes we get more lucrative offers money wise, but if we're not at the Beachcomber, in LBI at all those places, then forget it."