Carley Wolf joins bandmate Jonny Wolf on the stage of 10th Ave. Burrito Tuesday night, as the Austin-based duo the Ghost Wolves helps the new venue up the original-music ante in downtown Red Bank.

By Tom Chesek

As reported earlier in redbankgreen, the recently opened Red Bank branch of 10th Ave. Burrito Company made its debut in the downtown restaurant wars equipped with an arsenal of assets that ranged from “165 seats, a coveted liquor license and primo views of the Navesink,” to more than 100 varieties of tequila and a not-so secret weapon: “live music – cover bands need not apply.”

While the town doesn’t often get mentioned in the same breath as Asbury Park and other musically-minded burgs, the fact remains that most every night of the week finds something for music aficionados to choose from; be it at the Basie or one of the borough’s bars, beaneries, sidewalk bumpouts or black-box performance spaces. But even as Red Bank regulars like Sonny Kenn, Quincy Mumford and Matt O’Ree have made a habit of stocking their saloon sets with generous amounts of originals, the town hasn’t truly seen a full-time venue for homegrown originals and national touring acts since the long-ago heyday of Big Man’s West. It’s a situation that 10th Ave owner Brian Katz and manager Chris Masi (formerly the music booker at the Downtown) seek to address with an attention-compelling slate of up-and-coming talents, cult favorites and best kept secrets that range from deliriously anarchic alt-rock to urban-hipster roots Americana, and even an unexpected visitor from across the pond — a schedule that really clicks into place as summer turns to fall.

The Ribeye Brothers bring the steak AND the sizzle to the stage of 10th Ave. Burrito, for a set of “bar ballads and cautionary tales” on the night of September 24. (Photo by Sara Stadtmiller)

The excitement shifts into high gear at 9 pm on the unlikely night of Tuesday, September 15, when the Ghost Wolves bring their stripped-down, revved-up brand of punk-blues minimalism to Shore audiences for the first time. Known as much for their customized stage outfits and merch as much as their “face­‐melting riffs and unfettered noisy productions,” the Austin, Texas-based duo of Carley Wolf (vocals, guitar) and Jonny Wolf (drums, occasional synth) promises to bring the same energy to the river-view Mexciali eatery that they’ve shared with audiences at Austin’s SXSW, Ireland’s Electric Picnic, and major appearances across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Friday, September 18 serves up Belmar-based Los Gringos (hear their backyard-party take on “Been Caught Stealing” by Jane’s Addiction here), while Thursday September 24 finds Red Bank’s own Ribeye Brothers (Monster Magnet veterans Tim Cronin, Jon Kleiman and Joe Calandra, plus marshmallow-biking guitar ace Brent Sisk and mega-skilled multi-tasker Neil O’Brien) purveying their patented blend of “detached garage” originals and quirky covers that redbankgreen hailed for its “mastery of the sixties garage template, and more ways to spin a booze-basted yarn than anyone this side of the big Bukowski.”

The following night, September 25 offers up rockabilly-ish jam grooves courtesy of the all-instrumental trio WOLF!, featuring Brooklyn-based superguitarist (and frequent Nicole Atkins collaborator) Scott Metzger — while the September slate wraps on Monday the 28th with the Crane Wives out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

October’s scheduled fare ranges from Nashville-spawned Americana (Lilly Hiatt; 10/16) to roots-hipster hoedowns (Ann Arbor’s the Appleseed Collective; 10/25), and even a touch of well-tempered covers, brought to you by PieHole contributor Jim Willis and his jam-mates in Dead Bank.

The real surprise, however, is the October 24 appearance of Holly Golightly, the prolific British doyenne of cool-retro garage pop who first came to the fore as a member of Thee Headcoatees, the ladies-auxiliary unit of the lo-fi empire lorded over by the even more insanely prolific Billy Childish. In recent recordings with her band The Brokeoffs, the singer and guitarist has been spelunking a more country-blues aspect of her big-tent sound that could fit right in with the other acoustic-Americana offerings at 10th Ave — and overall it’s a booking that perhaps wouldn’t have been out of place in a venue like the (soon to be “closed for renovations”) Asbury Lanes; the kind of delightfully ultra-indie confection that instantly elevates 10th Ave. Burrito to a dimension well beyond the Red Bank norm.

Take it here for complete music schedule details — and keep it tuned to redbankgreen for continued updates on the 10th Avenue free-for-all.