Rock

Hank Azaria says that learning to sing Bruce Springsteen songs to front his EZ Street Band is “by far the hardest I’ve worked to do any vocal for anything,” even if it is “a genuine joy” for the bona fide Boss fan.

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Still, that’s saying something for a guy who’s won six Primetime Emmy Awards (four of them for voicing numerous characters on The Simpsons, including Moe Szyslak and Chief Wiggum) and has a lengthy resume of film, television, theater and video game roles.

Nevertheless, Azaria assures Billboard that he’s “extremely all-in” on the EZ Street Band. The band hits New York City’s Brooklyn Bowl on Nov. 8 and heads to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J., on Nov. 15, with more dates to come through 2025. He’s using proceeds from the shows to fund his 4 Through 9 Foundation for social justice, education and recovery causes.

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“I tell stories about myself, as Bruce, on the night,” says Azaria via Zoom, adopting Springsteen’s voice with an earnest, intense expression on his face. “Some of them are what a song means to me. Some of them are just kind of repeating the way Bruce introduced the songs. Some of them are the back stories of how the songs were written that I found fascinating. It creates this evening of theater, of trying to be the best Springsteen band we can be and trying to mimic his vocal and the E Street Band sound as closely as we can. But I’ve never worked harder to prepare for any role I’ve ever done than I did for this.”

Azaria, who’s played a handful of EZ Street Band shows so far — starting with his 60th birthday party at City Winery in New York in April — is hoping there will be an audience for his take on Springsteen. And United Talent Agency, which is booking the shows, is sure of it. “It’s a masterclass of homage,” says UTA’s Ryan Edmundson. “Hank and the band’s devotion to their craft is evident on stage. Their faithful portrayal of the real-life icon Bruce Springsteen honors his legacy in a way we have never seen before. We’re thrilled to introduce the band’s unique artistry to larger audiences.” Glee veteran Michael Novick is managing Azaria’s EZ Street concerns, while his publicist, Seth Cohen, spent nearly a decade as Springsteen’s day-to-day representative with Shorefire Media.

Azaria, who’s met Springsteen twice over the years (more on that later), also received some tacit approval from the man himself.

“A few weeks ago, I got a text from a buddy of mine who’s a dentist in New York,” he says. “He says, ‘Please, please, please, ASAP, send me your favorite video of your band.’ I sent him a video of us doing ‘Thunder Road.’ Later that night he calls me and said Patti Scialfa [Springsteen’s wife and an E Street Band member] was in my dentist chair. I’m like, ‘Omigod, if I’d have known that I assure you I wouldn’t have sent the video.’

“He said he played it for Patti and apparently she loved it. And later that night I got another text saying Patti played it for Bruce and they loved it. They took it for how it’s meant, which was a loving tribute.”

Springsteen and company have an off night when Azaria and the EZ Street Band play the Stone Pony, by the way. But the actor doesn’t need more to get him excited about that particular show. “I can’t wait — it is the mothership,” he says. “Look, I think what carries me through any kind of nerves is this so genuinely comes from this joy of sharing this. I’ve earned my stripes as a Bruce fan.”

Growin’ Up

That devotion dates back to Azaria’s youth, including seeing Springsteen for the first time when The River tour played New York’s Madison Square Garden during 1980. “When I grew up, he was like an uncle — that’s how much I connected to him,” Azaria remembers. “His music and his (in-concert) talks got me through some very hard times as a teenager. I’d say he, almost more than anybody else, encouraged me to try to be a creative person. That was his message to me, for real.”

Azaria got to tell Springsteen about that, too, although neither meeting with Springsteen went quite as he hoped or planned.

While playing “Growin’ Up” during the EZ Street Band shows, Azaria tells the story of when Springsteen came backstage to see him during his Tony Award-nominated run in Monty Python’s Spamalot on Broadway.

“There’s a knock on my door and Bruce is standing there, alone,” Azaria recalls. “I almost had a heart attack. I absolutely lost my mind, to a point. He was very sweet and connected and present. He kinda gave me his review of the show, which he really enjoyed, in detail. We chatted long enough for me to tell him what his music meant to be, but it came out about nine octaves higher than my regular voice and very rushed, kind of screaming at him, as a fan boy. He was very sweet about it, but it was ridiculous.”

The same thing happened, he says, when he attended a Springsteen on Broadway performance and was part of the backstage meet and greet. “Before he could even say hello I started (makes babbling noises). He was very sweet again but kinda patted me on the shoulder and got out of there, and I don’t blame him. My wife just turned to me and said, ‘What is wrong with you?!’ My friend calls it Bruce Juice. It kind of overtakes you.”

Born to Run

The inspiration for the EZ Street Band, Azaria says, was his impending 60th birthday, which “bothered me a bit.” He came up with the idea as “a distraction,” working with keyboardist Adam Kromelow, his son’s former piano teacher, as musical director and studying a wealth of live recordings to familiarize himself with Springsteen’s vocal mannerisms and nuances. “I find that raspy sound he has easier to imitate, and that’s what I’ve always imitated, but (Springsteen) has a lot more than that,” notes Azaria, whose natural singing voice is deeper than Springsteen’s. After employing his well-practiced “homegrown mimicry process” he bought in vocal coach (the EZ Street Band’s Hannah Juliano) to bring him closer to the mark.

“I’m such a singing neophyte that I didn’t realize that these songs were unattainable for me,” acknowledges Azaria, who was had to overcome an anxiety that almost scotched the birthday party performance — where E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg joined the group for a couple of songs. “I started out four or five steps below Bruce; I’ve now kind of, through singing training and practice, worked up to almost at his key, just a step or two below. And the closer you are to his key the more authentic you sound. It’s been a very steep learning curve.”

With the eight-member EZ Street Band, however, he’s found some kindred spirits.

“They are kids in this band,” Azaria says. “They didn’t grow up with this music; only the bass player (Jeff Koch) knew any of it ’cause his dad was a huge fan. They’re all professional musicians, and now they do play it as if they did grow up with it ’cause they’re so good. And one of the joys of this is how much they’re discovering Bruce’s music, and they love it now. They love playing it even more than hearing it. They report to me as musicians how much fun these songs are to play.”

Since the birthday party Azaria and the EZ Streeters have also performed outside of a New York Mets game at CitiField and also at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York. The repertoire is growing: “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Candy’s Room,” “The Price You Pay” and “Jersey Girl” are slated to be played this month, and Azaria voices a desire to take on “The River” and “Atlantic City.” But don’t expect to see the EZ Street Band match the multi-hour extravaganzas that are Springsteen and the E Street Band’s routine.

“We’ll never get there, I promise you that,” Azaria says with a laugh. “An hour 20 (minutes), an hour 30. We’ll never get to two and a half (hours), I don’t think. But it’s getting better and better, and it’s such a joy. People ask me, ‘Do you feel like a rock star up there? Are you living out a rock star fantasy?’ On a certain level I am, but what I much more feel like is what I am, which is a lucky Bruce fan who’s gotten to go up there and share his version of Bruce love with everybody else — with the ability to mimic it better than most have.”