Austin fell under the spell of New Jersey last Sunday when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band parked their traveling party inside the Frank Erwin Center for a 3-hour fest of old fashioned rock and roll that had seven-year olds pumping their fists and mothers remembering the “Glory Days.”

We were pretty heartbroken about him not playing any tracks off The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle, but beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to The Boss. It was enough just to see him power slide across the stage, hear The Big Man blow out a perfect sax solo on “Jungleland,” and poke fun at all the fans who showed up wearing their greatest garb from the Garden State.

SERIOUSLY! Is there any other band out there that promotes their home as well as Springsteen’s? I’ve been to New Jersey, and it’s nice. But I’m not moving there. I’d have to be crazy. Put on some Springsteen, though, and I’m singing “Jersey Girl” at the top of my lungs.

Why? Because Springsteen is New Jersey, the same way Guinness Beer is Ireland and Wayne Gretzky is hockey. He’s become so synonymous with that region that he’s the first thing people think of when they think of Jersey. It’s a feat few artists have ever been able to achieve before. Here are 7 who come close:

Seattle – Nirvana

Ah, the dreary face of Kurt Cobain throughout MTV Unplugged; his slightly-out-of-tune Fender Jagstang; the naked baby swimming towards a dollar bill on the cover of Nevermind. Nirvana created iconic artifacts, vivid memories that eerily complemented the fact that all our other thoughts about Seattle center around raw fish and rain clouds.

Upstate New York – The Band

You know what’s funny? Americana music may have been perfected by a bunch of Canadians. Robbie, Rick, Richard, Levon and Garth all moved up to Woodstock when they teamed with Bob Dylan and made such a lasting impression on the sound up there that fellow Upstaters The Felice Brothers are still mimicking The Band forty years later.

Need more convincing? How about this gem from Garth Hudson in The Last Waltz?

“That was just a part of a lifestyle that we got to love in Woodstock. You know, we got to like it, you know, being able to chop wood or hit your thumb with a hammer. We’d be concerned with fixing the tape recorder and fixing the screen door. You know, and stuff like that.”

Perfect.

San Francisco – Grateful Dead

Viva la Haight-Ashbury, man! Along with Ken Kesey and his affinity for giving people acid, the Grateful Dead made the bay area the place for hippyness back in the 1960s. Jerry and the boys were the perfect house band for the scene, noodling around endless versions of “Dark Star” and spinning tales like “Me and My Uncle” to the throngs of allegiants. Even today, the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood remains a beacon of flower power for the spawn of the free love era.

Central Texas – Doug Sahm

Willie Nelson may be better known, but to a central Texan there’s no better combination than a Lone Star Beer, a Saturday afternoon, and a healthy dose of Doug Sahm and his Texas Tornados.

Miami – Gloria Estefan
Noooooo, it’s not like that. We’re not jamming out to “Turn the Beat Around” at the office on Friday afternoons and we’re probably right in thinking that a lot of Miami’s good people aren’t either. That said, go down to Little Havana or South Beach, drink a couple piña coladas as the sun’s going down, and that “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” whether you like it or not.

The Southeast – Lynyrd Skynrd
Think about it: these Rebels were from Jacksonville, Florida, and still managed to write the iconic song of Alabama. That’s called having a monopoly on a region.

Brooklyn – Jay-Z
Think bright lights and boisterous personalities, three-pieced suits and slick talkers. He’s originally from Brooklyn, we know, but is there anybody out there who would argue that Jay isn’t the perfect choice to hang with the big buildings of the Big Apple?