LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2017 to Feature Willie Nile, Chuck Prophet, Jeffrey Gaines, Ben Arnold, More

With a goal of topping last year's record-breaking $525,000 raised in its ongoing battle against Parkinson's disease, LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2017: The Beat Goes On, presented by the Asbury Park Press, is kicking off in Montclair, NJ as LIGHT OF DAY NORTH JERSEY: Artists Up Close & Personal, an intimate concert event for the world-renowned Light of Day Foundation. The 10-day Light of Day Winterfest will bring over 150 music acts to 30 venues in three New Jersey cities, New York City, and Philadelphia, January 6-16, following holiday season tours of Europe and Canada.

Tickets on sale NOW for LIGHT OF DAY NORTH JERSEY: Artists Up Close & Personal, starring Chuck Prophet, Willie Nile, Jeffrey Gaines, Ben Arnold, and Joe D'Urso, with more to be announced, will be held Friday, Jan. 6, 2016 at Outpost in the Burbs, 67 Church St., Montclair, NJ. Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance; $40 at the door at www.outpostintheburbs.org or call 973.744.6560. (Very limited VIP Upfront Seats with Pre-Show Artist Meet and Greet plus refreshments are $100)

Since emerging onto the music scene at age 18 as a member of the seminal rock band Green on Red, Chuck Prophethas collaborated with everyone from Warren Zevon and Kelly Willis to Jim Dickinson and Lucinda Williams among many others. In recent years, Prophet's music has been featured in several hit television series including HBO's True Blood, Showtime's Californication, and FX's Sons of Anarchy. He also co-wrote all the songs on Alejandro Escovedo's 2008 critically acclaimed album Real Animal.

The New York Times called Buffalo, NY born Willie Nile "one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years." Uncut Magazine called him "A one-man Clash." His album Streets Of New York was hailed as "a platter for the ages" by Uncut. Rolling Stone listed The Innocent Ones as one of the "Top Ten Best Under-The-Radar Albums of 2011" and BBC Radio called it "THE rock 'n' roll album of the year." His single from that album, "One Guitar," a "Top Pick of the Week" in USA Today, has become an unofficial anthem at Light of Day concert events. And it's no wonder: Willie is one of the few artists to have participated in Light of Day every year since the beginning. In fact, a portion of proceeds from his latest album, World War Willie, are being donated to Light of Day.

Returning to the East Coast from Light of Day Europe, Jeffrey Gaines has been heralded for his soul-searching lyrics and powerful live performances. With only his voice and a guitar for accompaniment, the longtime Philly-based singer-songwriter has earned a reputation as a captivating performer, entertaining audiences everywhere he goes. Raised in Harrisburg, by parents more inclined to spin soul classics by Aretha and Otis than the New Wave and Brit Rock blasting from their son's room, a teenaged Gaines began singing and playing guitar in several local garage bands. He soon decided to set out on his own and quickly landed a record deal, releasing Jeffrey Gaines. The album garnered four stars from The Philadelphia Inquirer, describing Gaines as "...an ethereal soul...insistent, impassioned, full of self-knowledge." Throughout his career, Gaines has built a rapport with his fans unlike any other in popular music today. he goes as far as letting his fans influence the songs he performs each night. "Someone may yell a song," he says, "and I'm like 'Exactly! Good call.' That's so fun to me, keeping it exciting and spontaneous. I don't even know what's around the corner, and the crowd doesn't either." Based on that relationship with the audience, Gaines released Jeffrey GainesLive (CD / DVD) followed by Live In Europe, recorded during his 25-city tour with Joe Jackson. JG's 2016 return to Europe with LIGHT OF DAY was accompanied with long-awaited new music, with a release to follow in early 2017.

Also just back from Light of Day Europe, Ben Arnold can be found on either side of the Atlantic with various line-ups both solo and with his rollicking live band. He has shared stages with everyone from Ryan Adams, David Gray, Ben Folds and Lucinda Williams to Ron Sexsmith, Randy Newman, Martin Sexton, David Johansen, Jackson Browne, Amos Lee and even a strangely mysterious week in Holland with Townes Van Zandt in the last year of his life. His lyrics remind you of John Hiatt and he's been told he sings a bit like Randy Newman, but writes hooks like Springsteen used to do in the '80s. His songs explore strong emotions while his music draws on rock, folk, R&B and all genres in between. Ben is also a member of US Rails, which tours regularly in Europe. His latest solo release Lost Keys, is already drawing very positive reviews nationally and is in rotation quite regularly on Philadelphia's WXPN. It's a collection of material drawn from the music of Motown, Stax, The Sound of Philadelphia and street corner Doo-Wop. WXPN calls the album "a sleek and soulful work from a refined tunesmith. The brass arrangements paired with his husky baritone recall The Afghan Whigs' New Orleans-rooted LP 1965; his self-described "sad guy drinking alone at the bar" ballads. ... His pop nuggets are impossibly poppy, like the Randy Newman-esque bounce of "Stupid Love" that, I guarantee you, will be stuck in your head in the best possible way!"

Also just returning from Light of Day Europe, Joe D'Urso is a Light of Day fixture who, like Willie Nile, has played Winterfest every year since its inception. An Americana/Jersey Shore style roots rocker who tours and records extensively, Joe began rollicking in the early '90s. His raw style is keenly similar to the likes of fellow rockers John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Joe has been critically acclaimed for being a passionate songwriter and an earnest performer with a deep love for making music. He and his band independently released their debut, Rock-Land, in 1993 and since then have released 12 more albums including Glow (1998), Rock and Roll Station(2000) and the most recent Sway (2013)

Light of Day WinterFest has gained international notoriety for surprise performances by Bruce Springsteen in 11 of the previous 16 years. In his new autobiography, Born to Run, which just topped the New York Times Best Sellers List as well as in several countries worldwide, Springsteen revealed that his father suffered from Parkinson's Disease,

Last year's event raised $525,000 - a record amount - to combat Parkinson's disease, topping the previous year record of $500,000, with the 16-year total approaching $4 million.

In 2015, Billboard Magazine presented the Humanitarian Award to Bob Benjamin and the Light of Day Foundation at the Billboard Talent & Touring Conference & Awards "for their 15 years of bringing awareness and support for Parkinson's disease through live music events." Benjamin, an artist manager and music industry veteran, has been living with Parkinson's since 1996, two years before he co-founded Light of Day with Executive Director Tony Pallagrosi,whose mother, Dolores, died in 2002 from the effects of PSP.

LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2017 also will include shows in New York City (Jan. 11 @ The Cutting Room) and Philadelphia (Jan. 7 @ World Café Live). They are the culmination of a worldwide series of shows that began as a one-day event in Asbury Park, where it still is primarily based, while growing to a 10-day festival in the New Jersey/New York/Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Complete ticket and additional information for all LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2017 events at www.lightofday.org and on Facebook.

ABOUT THE LIGHT OF DAY FOUNDATION

The Light of Day Foundation, Inc., utilizes the awesome power of music to raise money and awareness in its continuing battle to defeat Parkinson's disease and related neuro-degenerative diseases, specifically Progressive SupranuclearPalsy (PSP) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), within our lifetime. The Foundation's mission is to fund research into possible cures, improved treatments and support for patients who suffer from those diseases, their families and their caregivers to help improve their quality of life. Gifts to the Light of Day Foundation, Inc. are tax-deductible to the full extent of the Internal Revenue Code. The Light of Day Foundation, Inc. is designated by the IRS as a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization. The Light of Day Foundation, Inc.'s Federal ID # is 20-1560386. 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.

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