The holiday season is finally here, and there’s no better way to kick it off than by combining a memorable evening of live music with the holiday spirit of giving. The Asbury Park Music Foundation (APMF) proudly presents the 2nd Annual “A Very Asbury Holiday Show” to benefit The Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County, The Mercy Center, Asbury Park Music Foundation’s Youth Initiative, and Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Monmouth County. Last year’s sellout show raised thousands of dollars for each of the selected charities and hundreds of gifts were collected for the Asbury Park Toy Drive.
“Join us on December 8, 2019 at the Paramount Theater when musicians from Asbury’s past meet to jam with Asbury’s present and future! Some of these outstanding musicians of various ages and backgrounds will be sharing a microphone for their very first time on the Paramount stage. It’s going to be a magical, musical night,” said Eileen Chapman, APMF board member and one of the organizers of the holiday concert. The line-up includes Everett Bradley’s Holidelic, Pat Roddy, deSoL, Gene Cornish (Rascals), Carmine Appice, Lance Larson, Jaquita Mays, Jim Babjak (Smithereens), Lisa Lowell, Williams Honor, Bobby Mahoney, Pat Guadagno, Deseree Spinks, Layonne Holmes, JT Bowen, Eddie Testa, Jillian Rhys McCoy, Billy Hector, Joel Krauss, Alexis Krauss (Sleigh Bells), Anthony Krizan (Spin Doctors), CC Coletti (Meatloaf) and many more to be announced. Musical Director, Tony Perruso will lead an all-star band featuring Greg Mayo, Graham Maby, Tony Shanahan, Rich Scanella, Arne Wendt, Tommy LaBella and Tom Meares with members of Kings of Suburbia, Moroccan Sheepherders and Shady Street Band.
Tickets for A Very Asbury Holiday Show begin at $29 and are available through Ticketmaster: https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/000057588DAF33E9 or the Stone Pony box office. The concert begins at 7 p.m. and the ticket includes entry to a special after-party show at the Wonder Bar.
“This annual event supports the surrounding community in so many ways; from fostering live music collaborations, to benefiting charities that help local families and individuals and by encouraging visitors to go to Asbury Park’s exceptional shops, restaurants, art galleries and music venues,” said performer Pat Roddy.
About the Beneficiaries:
The Asbury Park Music Foundation has been hosting a series of free summer concerts in Springwood Park and on the Asbury Park Boardwalk, and more recently the Sunday Sessions, an intimate afternoon of music and interviews at the APMF space at Lakehouse Music Academy. The Foundation offers life-changing music programs that provide under-served youth with confidence, discipline, and relationships that improve their future success and economic mobility.
The Asbury Park Toy Drive helps hundreds of families in Asbury Park by providing toys as well as much needed winter coats to those in need. As the demand has grown for families who needed help, this charity has been able to sponsor field trips and get back-to-school supplies donated for kids. But holiday time is their passion. The organization will be collecting unwrapped toys in the lobby of the Paramount Theatre on the evening of the concert.
Jewish Family & Children’s Service provides innovative, responsive, cost effective, non-sectarian human services that enhance the quality of life for children, families, and the aged in our community. Some of this support extends beyond what can be accomplished within the confines of their office. It might include home delivery of food for someone who is not ambulatory or shopping for someone who cannot afford to buy the foods that are required for one on a restricted diet. At the core of these efforts is the belief that people need to feel welcome and connected to those who care about their well-being.
The Mercy Center Family Resource Center provides programs and services ranging from Youth Programs and Family Counseling to Substance Abuse Prevention and Anger Management. Their Food Pantry serves over 5,000 people every year and Monmouth County residents are also able to receive additional help through their Emergency Services
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County is a private non-profit organization that serves children that come from some of the most difficult circumstances in the County. Their outreach includes providing a safe environment to learn and grow, fostering ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals, providing life-enhancing programs and character development experiences while providing hope and opportunity.
The benefit concert is made possible by the generosity of sponsors, including Asbury Park Press, Max & Bella Shulman Endowment, MOGO Korean Tacos, Family Medicine Institute, Rockrete Recycling, Manasquan Savings Bank, Premselaar Family Foundation, Arrow Limousine, DCH Ford of Eatontown, Fortune Web Marketing, Douglas Development Corp., Zager Fuchs, PC, Atlantic Coast Urology, PA, Eileen Burns/Realtor Diane Turton, Neurosurgeons of New Jersey and Home Drug Store.