Danny Clinch, Bob Santelli to talk Asbury music history at Springsteen Archives event

These two guys are as close as you can be to the E Street Band without actually being in the E Street Band.

An Evening with Santelli and Clinch, 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, at the Transparent Clinch Gallery in Asbury Park, will feature music author and historian Bob Santelli and Bruce Springsteen photographer Danny Clinch.

The two will talk about the musical history of Asbury Park, where the E Street Band was formed, in a discussion moderated by Joe Rapolla, chair of the Monmouth University Music and Theatre Department.

“Asbury Park has a profound music history that dates back over 100 years and has been able to sustain its place as a music destination because of its notable clubs and venues where throughout the years you could hear ragtime, jazz, soul, blues, rock, punk, metal, indie rock and much more,” said Eileen Chapman, director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music, in a statement. “Bob and Danny have been immersed in this culture, often from different angles, and I look forward to hearing how their experiences intersect.”

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Santelli used to cover the Asbury Park music scene for the Asbury Park Press through the 1990s. Since then, he's authored numerous books, was curator for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, co-founder of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, and curated a music series at the Obama White House. He's currently executive director of the Springsteen Archives.

Clinch’s pictures have appeared in Rolling Stone, Spin, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ and The New York Times Magazine. His ad campaigns include John Varvatos and American Express. He’s been nominated multiple times by the Grammys for his films, and he’s shot the covers of Nas’ “Illmatic,” Johnny Cash’s “Solitary Man” and Kanye West’s “The College Dropout.”

He's also shot multiple Springsteen albums, including 2002’s “The Rising” and 2020's “Letter to You.”

Clinch is also a co-founder of the Sea Hear Now festival on the city's beachfront, which hosted Springsteen and the E Street Band in September.

His Transparent Clinch Gallery has served as a city cultural hub for more than five years.

Both Santelli and Clinch are Jersey Shore natives: Santelli is from Point Pleasant Beach and Clinch is Toms River.

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Amani Lillian, a student-artist on Monmouth University's student-run record label Blue Hawk Records, is scheduled to perform during the evening. Admission is free but seating is on a first come, first serve basis.

The Springsteen Archives preserves and promotes the legacy of Springsteen and his role in American music, while honoring and celebrating American greats like Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra and more.

Archives programs range from live music events, including rock, blues, hip-hop and gospel music, to forums, discussions and virtual events.

Ground was recently broken on a new two-story center on the campus of Monmouth University that will house the archives and include exhibition galleries and a 230-seat theater on the corner of Cedar and Norwood avenues. The expected opening is the spring of 2026.

In related news, National Music Centre in Canada has announced a partnership with the Springsteen Archives and Steven Van Zandt's TeachRock teacher curriculum. The groups will co-develop exhibitions and educational programs.

“National Music Centre is going global through this partnership and bringing the Canadian music story to a wider audience,” said Andrew Mosker, president and CEO of the National Music Centre, in a statement. “This collaboration, which is our first international partnership, will allow us to showcase the connections between Canadian and American music, emphasizing how artists on both sides of the border have inspired each other and, together, shaped the musical landscape.”

The National Music Centre in based in Calgary, Alberta. Springsteen and the E Street Band are currently touring Western Canada. Up next is the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on Saturday, Nov. 16, and Edmonton, Alberta, on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Go: An Evening with Santelli and Clinch, 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, Transparent Clinch Gallery, 210 Fifth Ave, Asbury Park, free; springsteenarchives.org.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected]