An Interview with Howie Chaz, Founder of Spring-Nuts



(ASBURY PARK, NJ) — In 2015, Howie Chaz launched Spring-Nuts with about 500 fellow die-hard fans of Bruce Springsteen. The group now has over 60,000 members around the world! In addition to enjoying concerts together, Spring-Nuts follows Springsteen’s lead and helps raise money for charities through benefit shows.  Their next one is the Endo Warrior Benefit Show, which takes place at Asbury Lanes on Sunday, September 10, 2023.

The lineup includes Alexandra Jardvall, a singer-songwriter from Sweden, and New Jersey artists Jake Thistle and Chris Fritz.  The benefit will raise awareness and funds for Endometriosis Research and the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects roughly 10% reproductive age women and girls globally. It is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant. It is generally associated with chronic pain and there is no known cure; treatment is aimed at controlling symptoms.

Tickets to the performance at Asbury Lanes are $25 and available for purchase online. The show is open to all ages. Doors are at 1:30, showtime is 2:00pm.  Asbury Lanes is located at 209 4th Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

In this article, we talk with the founder of Spring-Nuts, Howie Chaz, who put the show together.

How did Spring-Nuts first come about?

I was originally writing daily personal blogs on my connection to Bruce and his lyrics in a Springsteen fan group called Calling All Springsteen Fans, run by my friends Audrey Hunn and Barry Paripsky. I used to tell my story through Bruce’s lyrics, and people in the group really seemed to enjoy it. In one of my posts, I was talking about my experience at one of Bruce’s shows, and I said something like Bruce played this and the crowd went SPRING-NUTS! And no matter how profound and deep I tried to make my piece, the only thing the group clung on to was the word Spring-Nuts. And it carried on for a couple of weeks.

Fast forward, some time later someone who I was friends with in the group, Julie Sokol, I mentioned to her that maybe I should start my own group now. She said, “what would you call it?” I said “Spring-Nuts!” And the rest is history. So in 2015, I started Spring-Nuts with about 500 members, and 8 years later this month, we are now close to 60,000 followers in all of our social media platforms combined. AND Julie Sokol is now my wife and partner not only in Spring-Nuts but in life as well! So to say Spring-Nuts has been a true blessing, and has taken a life on its own, is an incredible understatement. To have Bruce and the band acknowledge us is surreal. Through the group I have not only met my wife, but I have made countless friendships that will last a lifetime. It’s truly unimaginable and quite frankly ….”Nuts”.

How did you first hear about Alexandra Jardvall? 

I read an article and there was some buzz regarding Alexandra hanging out with her guitar outside the Walter Kerr Theater during Bruce’s Broadway run. There was a policeman there that asked for Alexandra’s guitar and they did a song while hanging out on the rails waiting for Bruce to arrive. After reading about it in the papers, we asked Alexandra to join Spring-Nuts. I went on YouTube to check out Alexandra’s past performances and I was blown away by the power of her voice and passion in her delivery. She’s absolutely incredible. Alexandra absolutely owns every song she does.

This is not Alexandra’s first time in the states, but it is her first time performing in Asbury Park. I’m sure she will be all over taking in all the Jersey Shore. Alexandra was originally supposed to be part of our Serenade events in 2020 and 2021 but because of the pandemic, we had to cancel those events. So when Alexandra told us she was coming to the states in September, and we knew it was her dream to always play Asbury Park, Spring-Nuts wanted to make this dream come true. And being able to do this show, not only support of Alexandra’s dream but for the Endometriosis Foundation of America, something that Alexandra is all too familiar with, makes this even more special. She deserves this opportunity!

You’ve got Jake Thistle and Chris Fritz on the bill as well.  Have they been part of Spring-Nuts shows before? 

Jake performed at our famous annual Spring-Nut Seaside Serenade in 2017. He was 13 I think at the time. He totally had everyone’s jaws dropping. Including my own. Anyone who can pull off Jungleland by himself, and own it by doing a guitar solo during Clarence’s sax solo, and get a standing ovation, is just flat out special. That’s why I dubbed him ‘The Prodigy”. He’s been performing at our Serenade events ever since. Chris Fritz is another amazingly talented artist that I was privileged to see perform at one of my good friends’ barbeque. After hearing him play some incredible rock and roll classics, I told my friend this guy needs to play our Serenade! And the rest is history! Chris in my opinion is different from all the other artists we have performing or cover acts because he doesn’t have that “Bruce Raspy ” voice. His vocals are so clean and potent that his versions of the classics, Springsteen or anyone else, is just refreshing and breathtaking.

I think it’s great that Spring-Nuts is involved with charities.  That’s a wonderful connection you all have with Bruce himself.  Can you tell me a little about the charities you’ve done things for and what being able to do these shows for charities means to you? 

Since 2015 we have supported, WhyHunger, The Pink Fund, Fulfill, Teach Rock, Kristen Ann Carr Fund, Light of Day, Boys And Girls Club of Monmouth County, NJ Pandemic Relief Fund, The Endometriosis Foundation of America, and the bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music. We also have helped out various members when they were in desperate situations. Supporting these charities and helping out individuals, I feel makes Spring-Nuts stand out as we are “walking the walk” and practicing what we preach in regards to community, friendships, connections and taking care of our own. Not just another random “Springsteen fan group”. In addition to enjoying the music and entertainment of Springsteen and the E-Street band, we like to think we are making a difference in people’s lives. The friendships and what we have accomplished in 8 years is what we are most proud of.

What is your favorite memory involving Spring-Nuts?

There are really so many. Our Serenade events are the pinnacle of what we do year round. Our Spring-Nut Superbowl. Having members congregate from literally all over the world for a weekend in the Land Of Hope and Dreams, Asbury Park, every year, is for me the greatest feeling ever. All the hugs, the love is beyond palpable. Anyone who had been to our Serenades came out saying, “Life Changing”. 

But again so many things we have been blessed with. Just being acknowledged by Bruce, Stevie, Nils, Jake, Max, Garry, etc is just humbling. Getting that video greeting from Bruce himself at the Stone Pony last year, is unquestionably an all time highlight and in some ways validated everything we have done in 8 years. Hearing Bruce say the words “Spring-Nuts!! Spring-Nuts”, is something I will never get over. I felt that we reached the mountain top. And watching everyone in the Stone Pony audience fall on their faces when Bruce hit the screen and mentions our name will always be PRICELESS and a vision I will never ever forget.

New Jersey Stage spoke with the artists for the Asbury Lanes show as well.  Here are links to the interviews with Alexandra Jardvall, Chris Fritz, and Jake Thistle. 

Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station The Penguin Rocks. He can be contacted at gary@newjerseystage.com.