Melodic Monday: All Tomorrow's Parties Asbury Park - Curated by ATP and Portishead

Asbury Park, New Jersey is about to change, forever. Taking place, from September 30th through October 2nd the UK based musical summer camp that is All Tomorrow's Parties will be returning to the United States, once again, to turn heads, broaden minds, and enrich the spirits of those willing to take the ride.

Founded by Barry Hogan in 1999, the All Tomorrow's Parties weekend long events are a wonderland for the senses, as the festival brings about the talents of: The Breeders, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Mike Patton, My Bloody Valentine, Explosions In The Sky, Sleep, Portishead, Dirty Three, Sonic Youth, The Shins, Sleater Kinney, Dinosaur Jr., Devendra Banhart, Mudhoney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Mars Volta, Vincent Gallo, Slint, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Stephen Malkmus, The Gossip, Seasick Steve, Mogwai, Tortoise, Shellac, Autechre, Modest Mouse, Sonic Youth, Iggy and The Stooges, The Jesus Lizard, Bardo Pond, Sleepy Sun, Crystal Castles, Dead Meadow, The Melvins, as well as many others, all inside of a magical 72 hours of audio/visual sensory overload.

All Tomorrow's Parties doesn't just bring the bands to a secluded space, (where everyone in attendance can indulge and party to their hearts content) but the event manages to create an atmosphere that has always managed to induce a hallucinatory calm that permeates and infects every last inch of its sanctified grounds. There seems to be an unspoken understanding and attitude when experiencing ATP and all that the event brings to the fans and bands alike. At any given moment, you could be riding an elevator with Avi Buffalo, engage in a round of Ping Pong with Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof, share pancakes with The Flaming Lips at the local diner, talk records with Nick Cave, fall in love with Bridezilla, or watch Ron Jeremy feed barely legal teens melting ice cream pops from his personal stash inside of a hollowed out gift shop. It's the shared mentality and chill atmosphere of ATP that allows all of these things to happen each and every year.

This year, inside of the United States, the festival will be moving its inspired madness from its previous home in Monticello, New York to New Jersey's Asbury Park. Indeed, it is a most curious decision made by the booking agents of the event. There has been word, however, that the local government officials are 100% behind the festival; they will even be going, so far, as to quarantine the area surrounding the fest in order to assure that everyone in attendance will have their privacy, as well as, safety to enjoy the weekend to its full extent. The switching of venues has certainly thrown many repeat attendees through a loop. The lamenting of Kutsher's musty halls and The Shining-like vibe is certainly a strange ache inside of one's heart, though anyone who has partied with ATP in the past must remember that every year is different and that this year is bound to have an endless amount of surprises.

This year's lineup, thus far, includes:

Friday, September 30th:

Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel) -Performing for Three Day Jeff Mangum Friday Passholders
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Shellac
Chavez
A Hawk And A Hacksaw
The Album Leaf
Cults
Factory Floor
Awesome Tapes From Africa (DJ set)
Reggie Watts
Hannibal Buress
Rory Scovel

Saturday, October 1st:

Portishead
Ultramagnetic MC's
Battles
Swans
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
The Horrors
The Pop Group
Oneida Presents The Ocropolis III
Silver Qluster
BEAK>
Colin Stetson
Foot Village
DJ Peanut Butter Wolf

Sunday, October 2nd:

Portishead
Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) - Performing for Three Day Jeff Mangum Sunday Passholders
Mogwai
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra
Earth
Deerhoof
J.G. Thirlwell's Manorexia
People Of The North
Anika
DD/MM/YYYY
DJ Shepard Fairey
with... Revolutions: The Album Cover Art of Shepard Fairey

More bands TBA

Along with crafts, pub quiz trivia, poker game nights (hosted by Shellac's Steve Albini), a Criterion Film Festival, and special-guest performances around every turn, All Tomorrow's Parties is ensuring that the change in venue has not affected their ability to bring absolute, musically-infused bliss to its loyal, returning guests and newcomers alike.

One-Day Pass tickets are still available for the event and can be purchased through the events home website.

This will mark this writer's fourth year attending the wonderment that is All Tomorrow's Parties, and with finally being able to cross Portishead off of my bucket list of, "Bands To See Before I Die", I am more than ready. We will be bringing you more news as it comes down the wire and full coverage of the event once it takes place. It's going to be one hell of a party!


Sleepy Sun tearing up the Starland Stage of ATP New York 2010