Camaraderie is thriving on Long Beach Island, a truth visible on Saturday, May 11 when, despite lousy weather and a 15-minute power outage, nearly 300 area residents joined at the Long Beach Island Foundation in Loveladies to celebrate life after Superstorm Sandy. “Love Long Beach Island and the Mainland2: Hope, Harmony, Charity,” a concert benefit for local businesses and individuals affected by the storm, paid tribute to the community spirit that continues to facilitate the rebuilding of LBI and surrounding towns.
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds Rhett Tyler performs at the LBIF in Loveladies to support victims of Superstorm Sandy. |
The live music event, sponsored by Dependable Environmental Protection, a full-service disaster relief and mitigation company that has helped with much of the area’s mold remediation, rekindled the sights and sounds of the Jersey Shore through musical performances led by the Southern Regional High School Jazz Ensemble, Face Down, Rhett Tyler and Early Warning, and the Billy Walton Band.
Free admission included fare catered by Touch of Elegance Catering, beverages from The Marlin, a world-class silent auction and a viewing of “Hurricane Sandy,” a documentary film produced by David Kaltenbach, which depicts the efforts of the region during and after Sandy’s fateful arrival.
“Being out there every day, tearing apart people’s homes and doing mold remediation, it’s been easy to see that Sandy created a whole lot of damage and a lot of people are in serious need, especially older people who are living on a fixed income,” said Michael Mercadante, a Manahawkin resident and co-owner of DEP. “We’ve worked on 130 homes so far. A lot of people are not getting money from their insurance companies. We need to raise money and get it out to the local community. What better way to raise money and kick off the summer season than with great music?”
The music began at 5:30 p.m. with SRHS’s 21-piece jazz band, including five saxophonists, four trombonists, six trumpeters and six rhythmists.
“I wanted to do something more directly involved with the Sandy efforts, so I was more than happy to volunteer to have the band play,” said Kevin Moninghoff, director of the jazz ensemble.
The group, clad in black formal wear, played five songs featuring swing and jazz tunes. Jamie Myhre, 18, a senior who is getting ready to attend West Chester University in Pennsylvania, sang a solo performance of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” written by George and Ira Gershwin and introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film “Shall We Dance.” She also sang a duet with high school junior Noah Dondera, 17, featuring “Feelin’ Good,” written by English singer-songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1964 musical “The Roar of the Greasepaint – the Smell of the Crowd.”
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds Event-goers peruse the auction items available for bid during "Love LBI M2." |
Face Down took the stage next with lead guitarist Dave Gardner from Belmar, rhythm guitarist John Plumley from Manahawkin, bassist Tony Sailer from Runnemede and drummer Steve Ferringo from Manahawkin.
“We came to support the cause. How can you not?” said Sailer.
“Many of our friends and relatives and the businesses where we play had damage from the storm. We’re supporting not just our friends and neighbors on the Island, but the mainland, too,” Plumley added.
The local band, having played in the area for more than 30 years, played classic rock songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among others.
Singer and guitarist Rhett Tyler, along with Early Warning band members Jeff Prescott on drums and Doug Howard on bass, traveled all the way from upstate New York to play some of the group’s original hits with blues, jazz, gospel and rock rhythms. The power trio, playing onstage underneath a spinning disco ball, brought the house down with performances of “Get Tough” and “Cold Wind Blowing” until the power dulled out at a quarter to 9, with just the distant storm lightning left illuminating the gallery. The group finished out their performance when the power came on again, 15 minutes later.
“We’ve been through all this before; we wanted to support the cause,” said Tyler, who was recently inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame. Though he now lives in Albany, N.Y., he grew up attending Mahwah High School in Bergen County and has been performing within the state for the past 25 years. Prescott and Howard have also spent part of their childhood in New Jersey.
“I used to be on the boardwalk in Asbury and Seaside all the time. To see it destroyed is shocking. Unless you lived there, you can’t understand how culturally essential it is,” said Howard, who has also played with the Edgar Winter Group, Todd Rundgren and Utopia. “Who cares who we played with? This is about here, right now. This is about protecting New Jersey’s legacy,” he added.
Tyler will be donating half of the proceeds from the prerelease of his latest album, The Rhythm The Power The Blue, to the Sandy recovery effort.
The musical performances wrapped up with the Billy Walton Band, featuring Billy Walton on guitar and vocals, William Paris on bass, Johnny D’Angelo on drums and Richie Taz on saxophone. The band, which is set to leave for a tour in Europe on Wednesday, May 15, played original songs, a combination of hard blues with soul flair.
“We’ve been invited to play for a lot of these fundraisers, but you can’t do them all,” said Paris. “Billy grew up in Tuckerton. For us to come help and do something to make a difference, this is the location that he wanted to get involved in.”
With help from individual donations and a number of high-ticketed auction items, more than $11,000 was raised throughout the night. Auction items included artwork from local artists such as Matt Burton, Patrick Pross and Paul Hansen; a comedy package from Sea Oaks Country Club; gift certificates from Antoinetta’s Italian Restaurant and Audrey’s Cleaning Service; a standup paddleboard lesson for one from South-End Surf ‘N Paddle; a full filet mignon strip from Okie’s Butcher Shop; a House of Blues Rock-n-Roll Dream Package with a guitar signed by the night’s performing musicians, dinner for two at the House of Blues in Atlantic City with general-admission show tickets and two acetone-extraction processed Rolling Rock glasses; an original manuscript of author Steven Lange’s new book, Breathing Room; autographed photos by fashion photographer Michael Creagh of New York City; a VIP trip for eight people to eight different New York City nightclubs; an Elev8 bike co-invented by Mark Becker, owner of Barista’s Coffee House in Galloway Township; and a modeling contract provided by 4 A Star.
The funds will be donated to four different area charities: St. Francis Community Center; St. Mary’s Parish; Jersey Surf; and the Ocean County Long Term Recovery Group.
“People seemed to have a really good time,” said Mercadante. “I think it was a good beginning for what could be a yearly event. That’s what we’re going to try to do. We’re going to try to create this musical event in the middle of May every year, and grow it, and make it hopefully something like Chowderfest. It’s a fun thing to do, and I believe there will always be some charity, some cause that we’re trying to help, like we’re trying to do this year. Maybe by next year we’ll still need to help people with the Sandy storm. If not, there will still be things the community needs. The rest of it will just be a nice way to bring people to the Island sooner. If we can start the season off in the middle of May with a musical concert, I think it’ll be a good thing. My desire is to find other partners or businesses to partner with, so it can be a business-community event,” he added.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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