THE ASBURY PARK PRESS – 11/8/05 – BY RICHARD SKELLY – CORRESPONDENT

What do Southside Johnny, Robert Earl Keen, Soozie Tyrell, Gary U.S. Bonds, Pete Yorn, Joe Grushecky, Jess Klein, Richie “La Bamba” Rosenberg, Cindy Bullens, Willie Nile, Jesse Malin, Jeffrey Gaines and Garland Jeffreys have in common? All of them put their egos aside for the sake of a common cause this past weekend, at the annual Light of Day concerts to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research.

Fund-raising concerts were held Friday night at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park and Saturday and Sunday nights at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville.

Founded by Highland Park-based musical impresario Bob Benjamin, who has Parkinson’s, the annual shows are a way to spread awareness of the need for more research into the causes of the neuro-muscular disorder. Recent research has shown that embryonic stem cells may offer a cure for Parkinson’s and ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. This year’s shows were dedicated to the memory of Joan Dancy, a longtime companion to Terry Magovern, who has worked closely with Bruce Springsteen for many years. Benjamin is proprietor of School House Records and manages musicians, including Grushecky, Joe D’Urso and Stone Caravan and Dawne Allynne, among others.

As often happens in this three-day musical marathon, there were as many musical high points as there were performers. The vibe throughout all three shows was a positive one. Musicians freely mingled with the audience before and after their sets, signing autographs and selling CDs, lending as much support as they could to their fellow musicians, putting up with occasional odd couplings on stage for the sake of a common cause.

One musician missing in action this year was Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen had performed at all five previous Light of Day fund-raising concerts, but since the shows have expanded this year to include a Dec. 12 event at House of Blues in Los Angeles and one later this month in Rome, the Freehold native — in the midst of a tour for his latest album, “Devils and Dust,” — may show his face yet.

High points from Friday’s show at the Pony included Bonds and Southside Johnny Lyon delivering spirited takes on two songs off Bonds’ latest album, “Back In 20.” Bonds traded vocals with Lyon, who offered up some tasty harmonica solos on “Murder in the First Degree” and “Fannie Mae.”

Inspired performances

Saturday night at Starland, Joe D’Urso and his Stone Caravan delivered a four-song set — most groups played only four or five tunes — that consisted of nothing but new songs that will appear on a forthcoming album.

Jeffreys and Yorn and their bands delivered inspired sets Saturday at Starland. Yorn, a native of Montville, opened with North Mississippi bluesman Junior Kimbrough’s “I Feel Good Again,” while Brooklyn-based Jeffreys and his band blended blues, classic R&B, rock and reggae with “Don’t Call Me Buckwheat,” “We the People” and an audience rousing take on the blues, “King Bee.” Jeffreys and his band closed with their take on ? and the Mysterians’ “96 Tears.”

After Jeffreys’ rousing set Saturday night, Benjamin got on stage and told the audience, “Rock ‘n’ roll is the tool that can change the world.”

Sunday night’s show at Starland was a totally different format, an acoustic show. Instead of the usual open floor space, patrons were encouraged to sit in chairs at tables. An extension of Gordon Brown’s successful “Writers in the Raw” series that was often held at Harry’s Roadhouse in Asbury Park, Sunday’s show included conversation and performances from Yorn, Grushecky, John Eddie, D’Urso, Malin and Jess Klein, among others.

More information on Parkinson’s Disease symptoms, possible causes, and research, is offered on the Web at www.pdf.org. More on Light of Day shows in Los Angeles and Italy can be found at www.lightofday.org.

Copyright (c) The Asbury Park Press – 2005