Americana singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins and alternative rock guitarist Dean Ween recently got together for a day of shark-fishing and music at Island Beach State Park, New Jersey. Ween commented “This is the crown-jewel of New Jersey. It’s about 10 to 15 miles of beach that you can only get to by four-wheel drive.”

The two were joined by a couple of Ween’s friends as they enjoyed the day fishing for sharks. Unfortunately, the video footage did not show the team catching a shark, but it did show them catching a sea ray. As Ween’s friend attempted to return the ray back into the ocean, he warned Atkins, “This thing is pretty gnarly. It can put you in the hospital for about a week.”

As dusk set in, the video shows Ween sitting in a beach chair with his feet in the sand singing a song about fishing while playing acoustic guitar. Atkins sits nearby cross-legged on a beach blanket wearing a train-engineer’s hat with a smile on her face appearing to be enjoying the music. Their faces are lit up as if they were sitting in front of a campfire. The sky behind them looks like the sunset about 10-to-15 minutes prior with beautiful cloud formations on the horizon. When the music stops, Atkins comments, “It sounds like the sea. It does.”

Next, the video footage shows Atkins and Ween earlier in the day. The two are sitting in beach chairs with their feet and fishing poles in the sand. Ween asks, “What do you want to do Nic?” “I want to do ‘Stay Forever,” she replies. “OK,” Ween responds. The two then start playing an acoustic version of “Stay Forever” from Ween’s 2000 album White Pepper.

Atkins has made three weekly hour-long Twitch video streams. Titled “Live From the Steel Porch With Nicole Atkins,” the streams take place in the New Jersey beach town of Asbury Park. So far the streams have included a number of live acts from various artists including Jason Isbell, Tommy Stinson, Shakey Graves, Deal Casino, Luke Mossman (Ghost Notes) and others.

Earlier this year Atkins released the album Italian Ice and two videos for the songs “Captain” and “Domino.” She also made news recording the song “Mind Eraser” at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where legendary acts such as Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding also recorded a number of popular hits. 

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat