Jersey Beat #57 (Weehawken NJ)

The mid-to-late '90s were a golden era for music zines, one that we'll probably never see again. First of all, the record labels are going broke because of their incompetent business practices, and have little or no money to spend on print ads. Music journalism has largely fled from publishing on paper, moving towards the flying electrons and random snark of the worldwide web. With issue #57, Jim Testa's Jersey Beat zine hit another milestone, breaking the 100-page mark in its 15th year of publishing.

So, what does this super-fat issue of Jersey Beat include? How about interviews with punk legends Murphy's Law, Weston, Footstone, Kid With Man Head, Tommy Griggz, Trip 66, hip-hop band Illness and emo forebears the Promise Ring. This issue also includes even more reviews and columns than ever, as well as Testa's coverage of the 1996 Asbury Music Awards, held in Asbury Park NJ, and coverage of the WE Festival of D.I.Y. culture in Wilmington NC.

I know that I've got more issues of JB tucked away, so we'll pick the story up another time!

(Click on cover thumbnail to see larger picture)

VITAL STATISTICS:
• Issue #57
• Summer 1996
• B&W, 104-pages, newsprint (plus slick green covers)
• Style: music zine

ARTICLES/INTERVIEWS
Murphy's Law interview
Weston interview
The Promise Ring interview
Trip 66 interview
WE Festival 1996 coverage
--> also live show reviews, album & zine reviews, review columns and lots of photos