The Ocean Grove and Geelong communities have been building awareness through a campaign that started off as a New York Marathon fundraiser for Parkinson’s. Locals have embraced the project and made it their own, running their own events, making time to learn about Parkinson’s issues and have helped to raise more than $17,500 for Parkinson’s Victoria in Australia.
The first Light of Day Australia show took take place at the Piping Hot Chicken and Burger Grill on July 19 2014.
Light of Day Australia is the next step and connects Ocean Grove and Australia with our namesake in New Jersey and its neighboring town Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore.
The original Light of Day location was Asbury Park. The town now hosts a week of music and LOD has spread to Canada and Europe.
Ocean Grove IN Victoria hosted the first Light of Day in Australia or anywhere on the Asian side of the planet.
Join us for the journey.
For more information contact Alan Barber on 0400 721185 or Richard Grimmett on 0439 484 437
Parkinson’s disease is a poorly understood disease. Many people associate the disease with an elderly relative or the odd celebrity on TV. The majority of the population understand it to be ‘just the shakes’. The reality is much different.
• Parkinson’s is the second most common neurological disease in Australia after dementia.
• The disease affects an estimated 10 million individuals worldwide – 100,000 in Australia.
• 30 Aussies are diagnosed with the Parkinson’s every day.
• 20% of sufferers are under 50 years old and 10% are diagnosed before the age of 40.
• For comparison purposes the prevalence of Parkinson’s is greater than prostate, bowel and many other forms of cancer and the total number of Parkinson’s sufferers is 4 times the number of people suffering with MS.
We have now partnered with Shake it Up Australia Foundation, insofar as 50% of our profits will go to that organisation and 50% to Light of Day Foundation USA.
We are proud of our Australian partner, Shake It Up, and inspired by the story of Clyde Campbell who decided he can be someone who suffers from Parkinson’s, or someone who does something about it by setting up a foundation that has one aim – to find the cure for Parkinson’s.
Supporting Shake It Up also provides another amazing link. A link to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
The Fox Foundation – Shake It Up partnership often sees the two organisations enter into 50/50 funding arrangements for Parkinson’s research in Australia. These projects are all assessed and validated by The Michael J. Fox Foundation to ensure the research being funded is strategic, internationally competitive and non-redundant.
When Clyde and his brother Greg say that 100% of your donation will go to Australian Parkinson’s research, they mean it. Clyde and Greg personally fund all of the administrative costs of the foundation, including the CEO’s wages.
Interestingly there are strong parallels with our relationship with Light of Day Foundation USA. We’ve modelled our Light of Day Winter Gigs on Light of Day events worldwide.. where profits are divided between the local and international fund. Gigs are held in smaller intimate venues leading to a grand finale. And of course, the surprise appearance of an unofficial patron, and of course plenty of great Rock and Roll!
Richard Grimmett (Chairman)
Alan Barber ( Vice Chairman)
Alistair McCallum (Treasurer )
Glen Emslie (Secretary)
Linda McCallum (Artistic Director)
Paul Jones (Social Media)
Ty Simmons (Driftwood Cafe)
Sonia Waterson (Sponsor Co-ordinator)
Sue White
Light of Day – the concerts and the organization – grew from a birthday party and fund-raiser held in 1998 at the Downtown Cafe in Red Bank to celebrate the 40th birthday of artist manager and music industry veteran Bob Benjamin, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1996.
In 2000, Bob Benjamin and Tony Pallagrosi of Concerts East, Inc. organized the first official Light of Day concert, which took place at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park on Nov. 3 – Benjamin’s birthday. Headlining were Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, the Pittsburgh-based band managed by Benjamin. The show featured an appearance by Bruce Springsteen, who joined the Houserockers for a late-night set that ended well after 2 a.m. The shows, named after a Springsteen song (and the title of a movie starring Fox and Joan Jett), have raised funds for the ongoing fights against Parkinson’s disease, PSP, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and related diseases.
In 2001 and 2002, the show moved to the now-demolished Tradewinds in Sea Bright, and returned to the Stone Pony in 2003, becoming a two-day event. It was a three-day event in 2004. Dozens of artists, including Gary U.S. Bonds, Garland Jeffreys, John Eddie, La Bamba and the Hubcaps, Marah, Soozie Tyrell, Highway 9, Boccigalupe and the Badboys, Dan Bern, Willie Nile, Pete Yorn, Robert Earl Keen, Southside Johnny and Jesse Malin have performed at Light of Day. In 2003, actor Michael J. Fox, who also suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, joined Grushecky, Springsteen and Benjamin on stage for a performance of the show’s theme song.
A CD featuring covers of Springsteen songs by various artists was released in 2003 on Benjamin’s own Schoolhouse Records label. The CD and a European version, also released in 2003, have sold over 30,000 units worldwide and raised an additional $150,000 for Parkinson’s research and for the Kristen Ann Carr Fund. All told, the Light of Day ventures have raised over $2 million dollars since 1998.
In 2005, the Light of Day series expanded significantly, featuring one show at the Stone Pony and two shows at a new venue, the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. That year also saw Light of Day produce its first show outside of New Jersey with a show at the House of Blues on the famed Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. The inaugural West Coast show featured appearances by Lucinda Williams, Jakob Dylan, Dave Alvin and Peter Himmleman. The first international event was also held in Rome in December 2005.
In 2006, all three Light of Day shows, including an opening night acoustic “Writers in the Raw” event, were held at Starland Ballroom. Light of Day was moved to early December in 2006 for the first time, to give founder Bob Benjamin more time to recover from DBS surgery for Parkinson’s. The international shows grew into a second show in Rome and inaugural dates in London and Barcelona.
Light of Day 8 featured two days of concerts at the Starland Ballroom on Nov. 1 and 2, 2007. The first night featured an acoustic format while the second night hosted rock performances by artists, including Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, Gary U.S. Bonds and Joe D’Urso and Stone Caravan. A week of shows in Europe and two performances in Canada rounded out the year’s events.
In 2008, Light of Day 9 began with a rare intimate acoustic performance by multiplatinum Grammy-winning artist John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls) at Asbury Park’s Paramount Theater. John’s stirring set was preceded by rocking sets from D’Urso, Willie Nile, Jesse Malin and Joe Grushecky. There were also acoustic sets throughout the night. That was followed by a marathon concert at the Stone Pony with over 20 performers during the day/night show.
Light of Day’s 10th Anniversary was celebrated with shows in Asbury Park in January 2010. The Martin Luther King Day Weekend long bash at the Stone Pony opened on Friday night, January 15th. Performers at the Pony included Boccigalupe and The Boys, JoBonanno and the Godsons of Soul, River City Extension and the Tangiers Blues Band (featuring Danny Clinch). On Saturday January 16th, the party moved three blocks north and across the street to the Paramount Theatre on the Boardwalk. Ed Kowalczyk, the lead singer for Live, performed a rare solo acoustic set. Other performers on bill included Joe D’Urso, Willie Nile, Jesse Malin and Joe Grushecky. Bruce Springsteen once again was unannounced but in -house. He joined in with Nile and Malin before ending the marathon by sitting in with Grushecky and his band for a one-hour- plus spot.
Held in January 2011, Light of Day 11 followed the same format as the previous year but with shows added at the Wonder Bar and the Stone Pony. The Saturday night show featured many of the same performers, and Alejandro Escovedo, an Austin, Texas- based roots rock legend, was the special guest on the Paramount bill. Perennial unannounced guest Bruce Springsteen reprised guest spots with Malin and Nile and also joined Escovedo for an acoustic duet. Grushecky and the Houserockers closed the night, and Springsteen joined them for a lengthy set that ended with all the night’s perfomers, plus the whole Paramount audience, joining in a sing-a-long of Springsteen’s “Thunder Road.”
Blues legend David Bromberg headlined the 2012 show which also featured sets by Garland Jeffreys, Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, Southside Johnny and the Poor Fools, Willie Nile with Bruce Springsteen sitting in for cameo performances with Jeffreys and Nile and finally joining Grushecky and the Houserockers for an over two-hour set. The night ended with a rollicking “Twist and Shout” anchored by the E Street Band’s Max Weinberg on drums. The 2013 Light of Day concerts featured a headlining appearance by Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and rock and roll pioneer Darlene Love, who performed an hour-long set of her girl-group classics. In addition, concerts were held at multiple Asbury Park venues, including the Stone Pony, Wonder Bar, Langosta Lounge, McLoone’s Supper Club, Asbury Grille, Asbury Lanes, Dauphin Grille, Watermark and Toast. The nearly weeklong run of events was declared “Light of Day Week” by the Asbury Park City Council for the second consecutive year.
