NEW YORK –Hank Azaria, the actor perhaps best known as the voice of many beloved"Simpsons" characters, is no stranger to singing. But Azaria admits his latest project, fronting aBruce Springsteen cover band, is a little different than belting out a tune at Moe's Tavern.
"No one cares if Police Chief Wiggum sounds great when he sings as long as it's funny," Azaria, 61, tells USA TODAY while breaking into the character's voice. "But I had to develop vocal training to sound good and also to make sure I don't blow my voice out trying to sing like Bruce."
Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band (get it?) is billedas "a Springsteen celebration."While Azaria says he would impersonate Springsteen's speaking voice when he was 12, the singing didn't come until Azaria's 60th birthday in 2024.
"I'm like, 'I'm going to imitate Bruce and throw a reverse surprise party where I don't tell my party guests and I'm going to front a Springsteen tribute band," he recalls. Max Weinberg, the E Street Band drummer who was also in Conan O'Brien's late night show band, was invited to the party, too. "And then Max, he came and he played a couple songs with us, which was really a thrill for everybody."
Both Springsteen and his wife, Patti Scialfa, are aware of Azaria's band. No one enlisted the actor's help for "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere," a film that Azaria calls "amazing." However the impressionist did get a chance to headline the iconic Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where the "Born to Run" singer cut his teeth as a music artist. No E Street Band members were in attendance, but Springsteen's guitar maker Dave Patillo showed up. Patillo presented Azaria with a custom handmade guitar that included nods to the actor's career, like a picture of Moe the bartender.
"It was kind of freaky," Azaria says of playing the venue. "It was like being in the mecca and we've sold it out. It was a thousand people jammed in there. And it did feel like it was a rite of passage if there is such a thing for a Bruce Springsteen tribute person. But I'm a genuine Bruce fan and I had never been to the Stone Pony. So even just walking in there was like entering some magical realm, let alone to sing Bruce songs in there. It meant a lot to me."
Azaria and the EZ Street Band have a handful of dates scheduled for January, including a headlining gig at New York City's Sony Hall Jan. 11. The actor donates proceeds from the band's ticket sales to theFour through Nine Foundation, which he founded. The charity directs support to causes in support of recovery, education and social justice.
"There's a lot of headwinds," Azaria says of raising awareness for causes related to social justice. "It's not good. So it's harder, but all the more reason to find ways to support it in ways that you can. And money can often help that."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:From 'Simpsons' to E Street: Hank Azaria on his Springsteen cover band
