Waiting on Mongo Rocks House of Independents
Asbury Park is becoming the mecca of music in New Jersey. The town has dozens of incredible local bands to offer on any given night at any one of the storied venues in town. There are some bands that have strong local followings that sell out each venue that they play.
One of these bands is Waiting on Mongo, a jam band that was formed in 2015. Waiting on Mongo consists of TJ McCarthy on bass and vocals, Mike Susino on guitar and vocals, Mike “Mongo” Iatesta on keys, his brother Matt Iatesta on drums, and a face-melting horn section of Bruce Krywinski Jr. on the trumpet, Johnny Carlson with the trombone, and Anders Carlson on the saxophone.
The band has CBA connections. TJ himself went to CBA for a time. Mike Susino is the son of CBA’s very own Donna Susino.
The show was on November 7th at House of Independents in downtown Asbury Park. House of Independents is a versatile building that houses the best of Asbury Park’s music scene, along with themed dance parties and other events like professional wrestling.
(From left to right) McCarthy, Iatesta, Susino, Carlson, Mongo, Carlson, Krywinski
The best bands in Asbury often have their biggest shows at HOI. Although this was not the first time that Mongo had played at HOI, it was their first time headlining the place in their career. They have made the rounds in the city, however, as you could find them playing in Langosta Lounge, Wonder Bar, Asbury Lanes, or the Stone Pony. Unsurprisingly, the band’s favorite venue to play was Convention Hall, the largest in Asbury Park.
Their concerts are very popular among locals. They are known for their lengthy jams and danceable music that creates a cool and vibrant atmosphere wherever they play. McCarthy said they love to play the originals, but they always throw in a cover or two. At this show, they played a cover of “Aeroplane” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which rocked the house.
McCarthy’s favorite song to play live was, in my humble opinion, the best song of the show, “Shark Attack.” Their album “Just a Taste” is out on some streaming platforms, but that just scratches the surface of their seemingly infinite jams.
The concerts are some of the best in Asbury Park, and the recent show at House of Independents was no exception. They rocked the house and had everyone in the building dancing. When I asked TJ how far he wanted to take the band, he replied simply “as far as we can take it.”
