FUNDRAISING HISTORY3: Three Nights Of Light OR The 5th. Annual "Light
of Day" Concerts

In a scene known for supporting charities and worthwhile causes,
Light of Day stands out as one of the most personal and successful.

Several years ago, Bob Benjamin, a music promoter and the manager of
such artists as Joe Grushecky and Joe D'Urso, was diagnosed with
Parkinson's Disease (PD), a degenerative disorder of the central
nervous system, affecting between one and one-and-a-half million
Americans, including such well-know figures as Muhammad Ali, Janet
Reno and Michael J. Fox.

Soon after his diagnosis, Benjamin became involved with the
Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF), a national, non-profit
organization founded in 1957 to support and promote the highest-
quality research into the treatment and cure of PD.

In 1998, a special benefit show, headlined by Bobby Bandiera, was
held in Red Bank, New Jersey, to celebrate Benjamin's birthday,
November 3, and raise money for the PDF.  The shows continue to
feature musicians who have worked with Benjamin throughout his
career, all giving of their time and talent to raise money for this
new cause they were championing.

Two years later, the event was officially christened "Light of Day",
a homage to the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name, whose lyric
"we're just around the corner to the light of day" has become an
inspiration and a battle cry for everyone involved with the effort.

Chorus and Verse spoke with Benjamin to discuss the PDF, this year's
sold-out Light of Day shows at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, and the
new CD Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen, which was
released on September 2.  Proceeds from the sale of the CD will
benefit the PDF, as well as the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, which was
established in 1993 after the death of Springsteen's co-manager
Barbara Carr's daughter to raise money for the fight against rare
sarcoma cancer tumors.

The idea for Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen, said
Benjamin, started last fall with Salvadore Trepat, publisher of the
Spanish Springsteen fan magazine Point Blank, who approached Benjamin
about the project.  "He had about a dozen or so artists who wanted to
do tracks for him, and asked me if I wanted to work with him on it,"
explained Benjamin.

"The artists had all the input," into what songs they would perform
on the album,” said Benjamin. "If a song was taken already, they had
to pick another one."  Beyond that, they were given full control over
what they did with it.  Thirty of the tracks were recorded
specifically for the tribute album, and the other seven were licensed
by Benjamin free of charge.

"Each artist mixed [their song] individually," explained Benjamin.
"[The album] was mastered in the U.S. ... by Greg Calbi, at Sterling
Sound, who's one of the top mastering engineers in the country, who
donated his services, as did most of the [professionals] who worked
on this project, as did all the artists."

The generosity of those participating in the CD project extended even
beyond the songwriters and musicians, said Benjamin.

Everybody, from the lawyers who [took care of] of the legal part of
this, the artists who sang and the ... graphic artists who did work
on the cover, the mastering engineer ... the production people" all
contributed their time and services in support of a good cause, said
Benjamin, who also mentioned that "the distribution company cut their
fee in half."

In addition, a long list of retailers donated store space,
advertising displays and listening stations to help promote and sell
the album, according to an interview Benjamin did with Billboard, the
music industry trade publication.

While Springsteen himself wasn't involved with the creation of the
CD, he supported the project when he became aware of it, and has
reacted favorably after hearing the CD.  His support is yet another
exampling of Springsteen's history of supporting various causes and
charities.  "He's very giving of his time," said Benjamin.

Over 6,000 copies of the disc have sold in the first several weeks
since its release, said Benjamin, and plans are being considered for
a follow-up record.

"We're thinking about maybe doing another volume of it," said
Benjamin.

The "Light of Day" concerts, which have been held officially since
2000, feature a line-up of familiar Jersey-shore names, as well as
their extended musical families.  Due to the high-demand for this
year's event, tickets sold out hours after they went on sale, a
second show was added.  Tickets to the Sunday show also sold out
quickly, promising a memorable weekend for everyone involved.

Part of the event's popularity comes from the frequent surprise
appearances by Springsteen himself, who performed a full ninety-
minute set with Joe Grushecky at Light of Day I in 2000.

This year's event includes a return appearance by Grushecky, one of
Light of Day's staunchest supporters.  Grushecky was one of the
artists who ran with their track, taking it in a new direction from
Springsteen's original recording.

"Joe Grushecky did an acoustic-blues version of "Light of Day", said
Benjamin.  "Where it was always just a rocker, a rock and roll song."

Joining Grushecky on the bill that evening will be over a dozen
performers, including Garland Jeffreys and Joe D'Urso and Stone
Caravan, both of whom also contributed to the CD with their versions
of "Streets of Philadelphia" and "Badlands," respectively.

The Sunday show features Jeffreys returning for an acoustic set,
along with Gary U.S. Bonds, Dan Bern, Highway 9, John Eddie, Marah
and a half-dozen other artists.

Benjamin said that over $100,000 has been raised since the Light of
Day shows began, although he wouldn't know how much this years'
events would add to that total until after the big weekend.

In addition to a possible follow-up to the CD, plans are being made
for an online memorabilia auction, said Benjamin.

When asked if the events could ever get so big and unwieldy that
they'd have to be stopped, Benjamin offered an adamant "No".

Turning to discuss the Parkinson's Disease Foundation itself,
Benjamin said that advances have been made since he became involved
with the charity, most notably in the field of stem cell research,
despite some controversy surrounding the practice.

"There have been developments in deep - brain stimulation, which is
like a pacemaker for the brain implanted in your head, which has been
very successful when they use it ... They're finding new drugs and
new treatments every day", said Benjamin.

When asked about the Bush administration's ban on funding for stem
cell research, Benjamin called the policy "misguided."

"The stem cells that are in question here are not stem cells that
come from fetuses.  They are stem cells in the laboratory that are
artificially-created embryos that will just be discarded if they are
not used for research."

Important research in this area has moved outside of the United
States, since scientists in this country no long have access to stem
cell lines.

The PDF and Kristen Ann Car funds aren't the only charities that have
benefited from Light of Day.

"Twenty-five percent of the net proceeds from the Light of Day shows
will go to the MDA in Monmouth County for research in their ALS
program," said Benjamin.  "We're just trying to help in any way we
can."

For more information, or to make a donation to the Parkinson's
Disease Foundation, contact:

Parkinson's Disease Foundation
William Black Medical Building
Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
710 West 168th Street, New York, NY  10032-9982
212.923.4700
800.457.6676
212.923.4778 (fax)
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.pdf.org

For more information, or to make a donation to The Kristen Ann Carr
Fund, contact:

The Kristen Ann Carr Fund
648 Amsterdam Avenue
Suite 4A
New York, NY  10025-7456
212.501.0748

Website: http://www.lightofday.org

SOURCE: Three Nights Of Light
For info on anything other than ticket sales please e-mail Bob
Benjamin at [log in to unmask]

WWWeb: http://tinyurl.com/4utng

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