Concert Crave bringing hip-hop and more to House of Independents
It’s not going to be the same old song at the House of Independents in Asbury Park.
Elizabeth-based music promoter Concert Crave, which has purchased the Asbury Park venue on Cookman Avenue, made their name booking some of the hottest acts in hip-hop today. However, fans can expect a broader palette of music and events at the House of Independents, they said.
“It’s hip-hop but it’s local acts of all different genres and a lot of touring stuff, as well “said Greg Diamond of Concert Crave. “We want to make sure we have a good balance of all genres across the board, maybe work in some country. We feel there are certain appetites in Asbury that aren’t being fed.”
Concert Crave books concerts into venues in more than 30 cities across the country. They recently purchased the Webster Theatre in Hartford. They also own the Crave Cave performance and exhibition space in Elizabeth.
They have an impressive track record with cutting edge hip-hop, booking Lorna Shore, Bad Omens, Mariah The Scientist, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, 21 Savage, The Lox, Lil Durk, Polo G, Decapitated, Trippie Redd, Lil Tjay and more into area venues over the last eight years.
The company was the local promoter for Juice Wrld, featured on the 2021 HBO documentary “Juice Wrld: Into the Abyss,” before his passing in 2019. Concert Crave booked his first headlining show, which took place at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville.
“A big thing for us is we’re all Jersey guys born and bred, so community is a big thing for us — the local scene and artist development,” Diamond said. “Then bringing all those touring acts and the national acts in as well, so it’s been a good mix of all genres and all sizes of artists, too.”
The group also seeks to bring Latin music and events, including salsa dancing, into the House of Independents. The Concert Crave team has booked shows into HOI going back to the venue’s early days. Former House of Independents talent buyer Mike Lawrence brought Concert Crave aboard.
The 500-capacity venue opened in 2016. Concert Crave announced their purchase on Wednesday, April 10.
“As people who grew up in the New Jersey music scene, we know that it’s few and far between to have a nice venue where you can do these big national touring acts but where you can also build a great local show and have great results,” said Concert Crave’s Julian Gellman.
House of Independents has been closed since flooding from Wesley Lake during a Sept. 29 storm caused $500,000 worth of damage, management said. Concert Crave has purchased the business but not the building. The team has been working at the House of Independents over the last several months to restore the venue after the flooding. An announcement about shows will come shortly, and the venue will reopen in the summer.
“We’re going to be doing a lot of things you don’t see at other venues in the surrounding area,” said Concert Crave’s Claude Elie. “Out team is young, our team is hip, our team is in the scene. We’re not a bunch of older heads sitting at a table. We’re definitely in the know of what the young kids coming up in the city want to see, want to hear.”
Visit houseofindependents.com and instagram.com/houseofindependents for more information.