Renee Maskin | Asbury Park

RENEE MASKIN | ASBURY PARK

ALICE: Songs on Site is recorded on location and features each site’s unique soundscape as an audio backdrop. This episode includes the ocean, birds, lifeguard ATVs, and beach-goers. We recommend listening to Songs on Site with headphones for an immersive audio experience.

MUSIC: SONGS ON SITE THEME PLAYS UNDER.
SEAGULLS FLY OVERHEAD. A TRAIN PASSES BY.

MICHAEL: From Cocotazo Media and You Don’t Know Jersey—

A BUS PASSES BY.

MICHAEL: —this is Songs on Site—

BIRDS TAKE FLIGHT. A CAR BEEPS. A HORSE (OR THE JERSEY DEVIL) RUNS BY.

MICHAEL: —where we explore the music and environmental soundscapes of the Garden State.

CONDUCTOR: Stand clear of the door.

MICHAEL: I’m your host Michael Aquino.

COFFEE POURS INTO A MUG. SILVERWARE CLINKS AGAINST DISHWARE. KIDS ON A PLAYGROUND. A CAR PASSES BY. CRICKETS ON A SUMMER NIGHT.

MICHAEL: Hey, there. It's Michael Aquino, the host of Songs on Site.
This is the first of two episodes featuring Renee Maskin. Asbury Park has long been a mecca for music for New Jersey. Not only did Bruce Springsteen once make the city his musical home, but Asbury Park was also a thriving music scene for many African American musicians like Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. On an early summer morning, we found a cozy spot on the beach next to Convention Hall, where The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and The Clash have all rattled the rafters. Today, Asbury’s vibrant musical legacy continues with indie artists, like Renee Maskin, leading the way.

MUSIC: “WE’RE FAR” PLAYS UNDER.

MICHAEL: Known for her distinctive voice, Renee Maskin is a staple of the thriving music scene in Asbury Park. On the heels of a busy 2022, which included her debut solo record Swimming and follow-up EP Dreams a River, Maskin has maintained her momentum in 2023 releasing various singles and an LP with her full band, Renee Maskin & The Mysterious Wilds. Here’s my interview with Renee Maskin.

THE OCEAN IS HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND.

MICHAEL: Describe what you see at this site.

RENEE: I see, um, a sea wall built of rocks, which is adjacent to the Convention Hall, which I can't see behind me. I can see the ocean. And I see a ship out in the distance, roaming past. I see a lot of sand. I see the waves hitting. And it's a beautiful day. I see the sun and the blue sky. It's amazing.

MICHAEL: Please introduce yourself.

RENEE: I'm Renee Maskin. I'm a singer-songwriter, musician, fixture here in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

MICHAEL: It's beautiful here in Asbury Park right now. It is really, like, the perfect weather to be on the beach.

RENEE: Yeah. Luck struck us today, I think. It's a beautiful day.

MICHAEL: Can you tell us why you want to play here?

RENEE: Well, from a practical standpoint, I live two blocks away. So I didn't have to move my car. I didn't have to pay for parking. This is easy for me. But, you know, I live here because it's my favorite place in New Jersey. There's an energy here and it really stems from right here by the ocean. So, you know, this is the place to be.

MICHAEL: This is the place to be. This is lovely.

A LIFEGUARD WHISTLE BLOWS.

MICHAEL: Where in New Jersey have you lived?

RENEE: I grew up in Metuchen, which is north of here. It's 45 minutes outside New York City. A little tiny town with its own weird energy, but a much different kind of energy. And then went to college at Ramapo, which is in Mahwah, New Jersey. So did a few years up there. Moved out of New Jersey after college to try my hands at Williamsburg, Brooklyn back when it was, sort of, still coming up and not quite as crazy as it is now. And after about three years of that, was feeling kind of suffocated. Like, the energy of New York was cool, but it was starting to get too much. And I said to myself, well, I've been hanging out in Asbury Park, and I've always wanted to try living at the shore. So I think that's my next try. And I've been here for about 10 years.

MICHAEL: When were you in Williamsburg?

RENEE: About 10 years ago.

MICHAEL: Remember going there frequently, ‘cause I had friends who lived there and McCarren Park pool was always a great place to see concerts. I don't know if they were having concerts ten years ago.

RENEE: They were. Death by Audio was still there. Glasslands was still there. A lot of cool places.

MICHAEL: At what age did you start performing?

RENEE: I think I was 14 or 15 when I started performing. I started playing when I was 13. More vividly I remember starting to write music. It was my second guitar lesson and my teacher taught me how to play a power chord, and I spent the next three hours in my bedroom writing songs. Not really realizing what was happening. You don't realize it, you know, I'm just sitting there trying to play this chord and make something. And for me, that was, sort of, a defining moment for my life since. And then a couple years later, I found a bunch of kids who wanted to just bang on instruments and we started playing whatever gigs 14, 15, 16-year-olds play. And I've been doing it ever since.

MICHAEL: Describe, describe your music in three words to someone who has never heard—and as a bonus question for you, no one else had this—and your hat in one word as it’s so iconic Renee Maskin.

RENEE: Okay. My music in three words. Introspective, odd, folk. I think you can sort of hear some of my influences in the songs. Pulling from Bob Dylan and pulling from Bill Callahan. But it's not those things, you know? I have a lot of Willie Nelson. I have a lot of David Bowie, you know, so introspective, odd, folk, might sort of sum it up. And my hat's just a workhorse, you know? Nobody works harder than this thing.

MICHAEL: Absolutely. So iconic. There's a short music film, Scrimshaw, based on a series of road trips that you and John Decker went on together. How did working on this project compare to recording an album or recording live?

RENEE: Well, John Decker is a photographer and a DP and a filmmaker and my boyfriend. So it was, sort of, like, an easy collaboration. I think, in terms of how it relates to, like, a record, there's a lot of trust. I was doing the sonic side, the sound, and some speaking and song. And I, kind of, had to trust him to do the visuals and he had his own vision. It is, sort of, a bigger lesson in terms of artistically working with people that you can let go and say—whatever this person's doing, it's gonna be fine. And we would check in with each other to make sure what we were working on was cool with each other. But not to have that micromanaging spirit of, like—oh, I gotta make sure this is perfect to my standards. No, I trust his vision, so I'm gonna let him do his thing. I think because we're both in different mediums, that helps us.

We actually just had this discussion recently. Like, if we were both musicians or if we were both photographers, maybe we'd be stepping on each other's toes. We're very different people in some ways, and in other ways, we think very much alike. And it's really just a lot of fun to be able to come together artistically and create. And get it. We know why we're doing it. Fills our soul and it fills that need and desire to create. And he did a great job with the little super-eight camera, just having fun out in California and upstate New York, and here in Asbury Park. Just being weirdos out on the beach, kind of like this, and it was great.

MICHAEL: Dania and I, we work in different mediums, but at the same time, we're working together to get something done. And Dania will handle writing, and I will handle audio. So like, it really is complimentary. And like you said, it's good to, like, back away and just let the person have their space. I mean, that's the key.

RENEE: Probably a key to relationships, in general, is being able to just, like, here you go. You do your thing for a second over there. And I don't need to be involved in every single aspect, you know?

MICHAEL: Boom. 100%. Absolutely. Yeah, I totally agree.

Tune in next time to hear the second half of the interview with Renee. And now, enjoy this performance of “Scrimshaw” written and performed by Renee Maskin on the Asbury Park beachfront.

MUSIC TRANSITION.

THE BEACH AND SEAGULLS ARE HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND.

RENEE: This song is the song that we were talking about. And it's called “Scrimshaw.” And I wrote it over the course of the pandemic. And it's nice to play it out here amongst all these people over there having a nice little beach day.

MUSIC: “SCRIMSHAW” - LIVE ON THE ASBURY PARK BEACHFRONT.

RENEE:
Leaving the caravan
Racing out to the sand
Losing just where I am
Losing where I began

Falling out
Falling out
Falling out

Nights in the wake unfold
Lights paint the halls in gold
Death dreams to call me home
To carve its name on my bones

Falling out
Falling out
Falling out

MICHAEL: Beautiful.

MUSIC: SONGS ON SITE THEME (INSTRUMENTAL) PLAYS UNDER.

MICHAEL: Thanks for listening to Songs on Site. I’m your host Michael Aquino. Songs on Site producers are Michael Aquino and Dania Ramos for Cocotazo Media, and Ed Magdziak and Alice Magdziak for You Don’t Know Jersey. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. If you’d like to hear bonus content with the featured musicians, you can unlock it by supporting us at Patreon dot com slash Cocotazo M.

MUSIC: SHIFT IN THEME MUSIC (INSTRUMENTAL) CONTINUES UNDER.

ALICE: Audio editing, design, mixing, and theme song by Michael Aquino. Story editing, scriptwriting, and additional audio editing by Dania Ramos.

The featured musician was Renee Maskin.

MICHAEL: “Scrimshaw” was written and performed by Renee on guitar and vocals.

ALICE: Learn more about Renee Maskin at renee maskin dot bandcamp dot com. You can find a link to her website and our website in the show notes.

This episode was recorded on the shore at Asbury Park and was produced in Essex County, New Jersey. Both locations are situated on the traditional territory of the Leni Lenape people.

As always, thanks for listening.

KIDS PLAY ON A PLAYGROUND.
THE OCEAN IS HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND.

MICHAEL: I just love that we're on the beach right now.

RENEE: Yeah. Not a bad place to be doing a podcast.

MICHAEL: Not at all.