Amber Blues to host CD release party in Asbury BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer The members of Amber Blues are seen working in the studio last year on their debut album, "A Year and Some Days." They will perform songs from the album Saturday at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. EAST BRUNSWICK - After "A Year and Some Days," Amber Blues has finished its debut CD of the same name. Though the process proved long and arduous, members of the band said the finished product, completed in October, was well worth it. "I really like all of the songs," Tarek Ismail, the band's keyboard player, said. "I'm really happy with how [they] turned out." The band will commemorate and showcase its efforts at a CD release party Jan. 5 at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Fans can expect to see surprise guests joining Amber Blues onstage, as well as new songs being performed. "Two years in planning and speculation, and it's finally going to be done," said singer and guitarist Jimmy Clark, of East Brunswick. "I think the whole night is going to be inspiring for everybody." The brunt of the labor involved in bringing the debut album to fruition was the mixing process, according to Ismail. The band spent long hours in the studio mixing and remixing the tracks, then coming back and doing it all over again. "We kept going back in and changing it," Clark said. "It's very easy to get carried away." Ismail said they sometimes did not leave the studio until 4 or 5 a.m., when he would grab a couple of hours rest, then jet off to work only to return to the studio that evening. According to Clark, the band as a whole not only learned about the mixing process, but about every aspect of creating an album as a finished product, while also gleaning lessons on practicality. "I think the most valuable thing we walked away with is the education," Clark said. "A Year and Some Days" was not the only thing spent creating its namesake. The band also shelled out quite a chunk of money to make the album a reality. "We spent an obscene amount of money - I mean, obscene," Clark said. "We could have bought a car with what we spent." Though the $20,000 price tag placed on creating the album might send most local bands into sticker shock, Clark said it did not present a hardship for any one member. Like all of their endeavors, paying the financial costs was a collective effort. Along with Clark and Ismail, the band consists of bassist Dave Brumberg, drummer LaMar Prout and percussionist Mark Nettingham. Guitarist Seth Pincus, of East Brunswick, left the band in September in order to take his music in a different direction and study various genres, according to Ismail. "When we lost Seth, we really did end up losing a real interesting aspect of the band, but we also gained a different aspect," Clark said. Pincus brought a free-flowing, experimental aspect to the band's music, Clark said. While it was an asset, such an avantgarde style could also lessen the mass appeal, according to Clark. Since Amber Blues has not played at venues as much as usual since Pincus left, due to their long hours in the studio, a lot of their fans will get a first taste of their new sound without him when they listen to the CD, and at the release party. "We've simplified the approach, not the writing," Clark said. "You know, you can take the most complicated Beatles song, and you can hum it. Two hundred years and 12 notes, you can't really do a lot with it ... but I think what people are going to notice is, we're writing more memorable songs. We want longevity. We're looking for songs that will stand the test of time." A band that has been around for five years, playing everywhere from Asbury Park to New Brunswick and beyond to Philadelphia, New York City and even New Hampshire, Amber Blues is proving that they can stand the test of time while appealing to a wide audience. "We want a general appeal, while maintaining integrity to someone who wants a little bit more than Blink 182," Clark said. Clark pointed out that while he would not bad-mouth any other musicians, it is a goal for Amber Blues to go beyond a mainstream appeal that meets the status quo and does not move beyond it. "It's important to us that we're evolving constantly," Clark said. The band is already making plans for recording a second CD. The songs are already written - it's just a matter of getting back into the studio sometime in March or April. With valuable knowledge and experience under their belts, the guys plan to spend much less time on their next release, which is slated to be out in early fall. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the CD release party Saturday. A $20 package includes entry to the club, as well as the new CD and other benefits. An admission ticket without the package is $10. The Stone Pony is located at 913 Ocean Ave. Other bands featured Saturday will include Chemical Swing, Newbru, jPat, Hartwell and Lunar Electric. Local artists Crazyredbeard (Jon Blake), Zoltan, LiLi, StephLo and kt will have their works on display. As a bonus for show-goers, TJ's Pizza, at 709 Main St. in Asbury Park, will give 10 percent off purchases to anyone who presents a ticket on the day of the show. For more information, visit amberblues. com or stoneponyonline.com.