The intimate house concerts hosted by Mark and Elaine Costanzo at their Jackson Terrace home over the past six years have been so successful that the couple want to bring the concerts to a wider audience.
With that goal in mind, Mark Costanzo attended the July 18 meeting of the Freehold Borough Council to seek municipal approval for his idea called “Live from Freehold.”
Costanzo was joined at the meeting by his friend, Kevin Coyne, who is a former councilman and currently serves as Freehold Borough’s historian.
In the end, the council gave the go-ahead to Costanzo to proceed.
Coyne described the six-year history of the house concerts and said he has attended performances. He said the intimate concerts have built a following over the years. Coyne said Costanzo does not receive money for the shows, but the artists receive a donation for their performances.
“This [‘Live from Freehold’] is a natural fit for Freehold Borough,” Coyne said, reminding the governing body and members of the public that the borough “is the home(town) of the greatest singer-songwriter of the last 50 years, Bruce Springsteen. [The idea] is unique and a perfect fit for our town.
“They all ask us, ‘Where did [Springsteen] live, where is the high school he attended?’ The artists want to come here because Bruce lived here,” Coyne said, referring to the artists who play at the house concerts.
Costanzo said the type of concerts he is proposing could be held at multiple venues in the borough. He said the municipality could be in line to gain some revenue from the initiative.
He said the Neighborhood Pride Committee (NPC) supports the idea and would take in the money for the concert tickets in a separate bank account.
A resolution passed by the council states that the governing body is requesting permission of the director of Local Government Services “to pay expenditures for the exclusive purpose of depositing funds from ticket sales for concerts and expending sales for the promotion, venue and performance fees and all other costs associated with hosting a concert series throughout Freehold Borough.”
The Costanzos have lived in their Jackson Terrace home for 14 years. In 2005 the couple decided to try out the idea of hosting concerts in their garage.
Costanzo said he liked the idea of hearing live music in an intimate setting and of having guests bring food to share with each other and with the performer.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a variance that permits the concerts to be held in the garage.
Artists who have performed at the Costanzos’ home include John Eddie, Willie Nile, Marshall Crenshaw, Jim Babjak and the Grip Weeds, Graham Parker, Garland Jeffreys and the Smithereens.