Yet there is a little something in Clemons's own band, XXX, that's more FLA than NJ -- even though the group's latest release is called Live From Asbury Park. Soon after he moved to South Florida, Clemons began hosting weekly jam sessions in little clubs. "That's how I met a lot of musicians," he explains. And that's what led him to his new, surprisingly varied sound, a musical blend he calls a "marriage between rock and roll and Latin." "I just loved the Latin groove," he says.

But then again, maybe Clemons's new bag is less important than hearing him play it live. "I like doing things at the spur of the moment," Clemons says of his exuberant stage presence. And he's not modest about his impact on the audience, as he boasts, "Come and experience the soundtrack for the best party in town."