LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2020 Returns To Montclair Next Week

With a 20th anniversary goal of pushing its two-decade total past $6 million in its ongoing battle against Parkinson's disease, LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2020: THE 20th ANNIVERSARY is returning to Montclair for the sixth consecutive year on Friday, Jan. 10, for LIGHT OF DAY NORTH JERSEY from the world-renowned Light of Day Foundation.

LIGHT OF DAY NORTH JERSEY, starring Willie Nile, James Maddock, Glen Burtnik & Bob Burger of The Weeklings, Joe D'Urso and Jill Hennessy, plus Danielia Cotton, Williams Honor, Emily Grove and Rick Winowski will be held Friday Jan. 10, 2020 at Outpost in the Burbs, First Congregational Church, 40 S. Fullerton Ave., Montclair, NJ. Doors 7 p.m.; Showtime 8 p.m. Tickets ON SALE NOW at $35 ($75 VIP Meet & Greet) at www.outpostintheburbs.org.

Presented by the Asbury Park Press, the anchor event for the world-renowned Light of Day Foundation celebrates its momentous milestone year with over 50 events by 150 music acts in five cities and three states, from Jan. 10-20, 2020. Those cities are Asbury Park, NJ, Montclair, NJ, New York City, Rockland County, NY, and Philadelphia.

In 2019, Light of Day WinterFest raised enough money to catapult its 19-year cumulative total past the $5.5 million mark. Light of Day WinterFest 2020 is expected to push the 20-year total past $6 million. The festival has gained international notoriety for surprise performances by Bruce Springsteen in 11 of its 19 years, including his most recent appearance, in 2015.

Beyond Asbury Park and Montclair, LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2020 will include shows in New York City (Jan. 15 @ The Cutting Room), Philadelphia (Jan. 11 @ City Winery), and Rockland County, NY (Jan. 12 @ Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point). Those lineups are listed below. They are the culmination of a worldwide series of shows that began as a one-day event in Asbury Park and grew in the U.S. to a 10-day festival in the New Jersey/New York/Philadelphia metropolitan area.

Tickets for most LIGHT OF DAY WINTERFEST 2020: THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY events are on sale through www.ticketmaster.com,Ticketmaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000, and all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets for all events at House of Independents and the Saint are available through TicketWeb and at the venues' websites. Tickets for McLoone's Supper Club events are available at www.timmcloonessupperclub.com.

A wide variety of combination ticket packages - as well as single tickets to each show - are available. Additional ticket info can be found at the official Light of Day website: www.lightofday.org and Facebook page: www.facebook.com/LOD2000.

Willie Nile's gem-filled catalog encompasses blazing rock 'n' roll, thoughtful folk-rock, intimate acoustic balladry and even an album of Bob Dylan covers. And while it's hard to think of many recording artists who are doing some of their best work this far into their careers, Nile continues to seek out new creative challenges and conquer new musical territory. He's amassed an enthusiastic international fan base along the way that includes such admirers as Bruce Springsteen, with whom he's guested onstage on several occasions, and Pete Townshend, who personally requested him as the opening act on the Who's historic 1980 U.S. tour. The list of avowed Nile fans also includes Bono, Lou Reed, Paul Simon, Ian Hunter, Graham Parker, Jim Jarmusch, Little Steven and Lucinda Williams, who once remarked, "Willie Nile is a great artist. If there was any justice in this world, I'd be opening up for him instead of him for me." Willie is one of the few artists to have participated in Light of Day every year since the beginning.

A rock & roll lifer, James Maddock has been carving his unique path since the 1980s, when the British-born singer/songwriter kicked off his career with a raw, soulful voice; a storyteller's sense of narrative; and the ability to blur the lines between folk, classic pop, and rock. Since those early days in London, he's ridden the wave of a music industry that's ebbed, flowed, peaked, and crashed. Maddock has stayed afloat throughout the entire ride, enjoying a brush with commercial success during the late 1990s - including a major-label record deal, a Top 5 AAA radio hit, and a song placement on Dawson's Creek - before transforming himself into an independent solo artist during the decades that followed. Bruce Springsteen is a fan. So is David Letterman. Listening to Maddock's newest record, If It Ain't Fixed, Don't Break It, it's easy to see the appeal.

The Weeklings, an impressive rock 'n' roll ensemble, at once classic but thoroughly up to the moment, will release the new studio album, 3 on January 17 via Marty Scott's legendary indie Jem Records. Each member has over five decades of musical and touring experience. Veteran rocker Glen Burtnik (Lefty Weekling) boasts an impressive resume ranging from a series of solo albums on A&M and becoming a member of Styx, to writing hit songs like Patty Smythe and Don Henley's "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Good Enough," and Randy Travis' "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man". The left-handed bassist, who played Paul McCartney opposite Marshall Crenshaw's John Lennon in the Broadway production of Beatlemania, takes on a similar role opposite band co-founder, guitarist and vocalist Bob Burger (Zeke Weekling). The two teamed to co-write most the band's originals, with Burtnik penning the majority of the music as "the starter," and Burger, the lion's share of the lyrics as "the finisher. "We've been collaborating for more than 30 years, but we were never in the same band," says Burtnik.

Just returning from Light of Day Europe, Joe D'Urso & Stone Caravan, an Americana/Jersey Shore/Rock & Roll band, are a Light of Day fixture who, like Willie Nile, have played Winterfest every year since its inception. Their brand new 14th CD, Jersey Diner, features 11 songs written by D'Urso and three tunes penned by Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen and Sandy/Harry Chapin.

Though perhaps best-known as an actress for her starring roles in the hit television series Law & Order and Crossing Jordan, Jill Hennessy began her show business career as a musician, busking in the streets of Toronto. She made her official recording debut in 2003, performing songs by Tom Waits ("You're Innocent When You Dream") and Bob Dylan ("It's All Over Now, Baby Blue") on the T Bone Burnett-produced "Crossing Jordan" soundtrack album. All Music Guide praised her for revealing an "... expressive voice with just a tinge of world-weariness."

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

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