​Longtime Stone Pony DJ Joins Music School In Forked River

LACEY, NJ — Lee Mrowicki had an ideal view of the Stone Pony’s iconic music scene—overlooking the stage from the DJ booth.

As a house DJ at the music venue for over 30 years, Mrowicki, of Bayville, introduced hundreds of performers to the stage, earning him the nickname “the Voice of the Stone Pony” by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Mrowicki has helped plan concerts with headlining musicians like Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and KISS. Before the coronavirus pandemic put a pause on live events, he was still contributing to the planning of concerts and fundraisers at the Stone Pony.

In the meantime, he is lending his talents to Dreamscapes Music in Forked River, where he teachers students how to sing and play guitar and piano.

Brandon Hans, the owner of Dreamscapes Music, said, “It’s inspiring that a student can say ‘Hey I want to learn this Bruce Springsteen song’ and Lee can say ‘I got this great story of when I was talking to Bruce and he wanted me to play this record for the first time,’ and their jaws just drop.”

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Hans said teachers at Dreamscapes Music easily adapted to instructing virtual music lessons because the studio had already offered them to students on Zoom, Skype and Facebook.

Dreamscapes Music works with the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities to provide accessible music lessons to special-needs students, who often utilize virtual lessons if they lack transportation to travel to the studio, according to Hans.

“There was good positive energy of having the confidence to say, ‘We know how to do [virtual lessons], let’s do it,’” Hans said. “I was able to keep going during those times.”

Since Mrowicki joined the Dreamscapes Music staff in September, he has instructed 13 students through both virtual and in-person teaching methods.

“Aside from all the connections, he’s just a great person,” Hans said of Mrowicki. “He knows music inside and out."

"Lee of All Trades"

Mrowicki worked at the WJLK radio station in Asbury Park as a college student in 1976.

“I was put in charge of the Asbury Jukes Radio Concert which people say put Asbury Park on the national map for its music,” Mrowicki said. “Even though Springsteen had already a few albums out at the time, it drew attention to all the other bands that were coming out of Asbury.”

Following the success of the concert, he landed a full-time job at the Stone Pony in 1978 assisting with concert production and working as a house DJ.

“Because I had a radio background, I became the focal point of the night at the Stone Pony. I was the DJ, MC and I’d introduce bands...people got to know me,” Mrowicki said.

He encountered Bruce Springsteen countless times while working late nights at the Stone Pony. In 1984, Springsteen handed off a record to Mrowicki in the DJ booth for him to play so he could gauge the crowd’s reaction.

“We put it on and the crowd is looking at us confused as to what’s going on and it’s the premier of ‘Dancing in the Dark,’” said Mrowicki, noting how that particular song represented a shift in Springsteen’s sound from rock and roll to dance music.

In addition to radio production, Mrowicki has worked in music stores, baseball scouting, web design and music teaching, establishing himself as a “Lee of all trades” according to his LinkedIn profile.

“In this kind of work, every day that I'm teaching, I’m still learning something new from my students,” Mrowicki said.

A Teacher Who Inspires

Due to scheduling conflicts in September, Chase Mury’s parents, John and Theresa, needed to switch their son’s lessons with a different teacher.

They were initially concerned about how Chase, an 11-year-old with special-needs, would adjust to having Mrowicki as his music teacher.

“Lee got Chase’s respect right away from their first meeting,” Theresa said. “He knows his stuff. Chase was attracted to that,” Theresa said.

Chase added, “He’s a hip guy. He’s very motivational.”

During their lessons, Mrowicki teaches Chase how to play piano, write music and produce his own radio show on Mixcloud. Chase features a variety of music on his show and he’s passionate about learning to play music by British bands.

Since March, Chase has participated in full-virtual school at Waretown Elementary. Without the rhythm of a conventional school schedule, John said Chase’s music lessons with Mrowicki have provided an engaging experience that he looks forward to each week.

“Lee’s got incredible experience and patience, and when you’re working with special-needs kids, you need somebody with that kind of experience and he tells Chase stories about some of the things he’s done,” John said. “It’s encouraging for him.”

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