Bands work in harmony to help feed the hungry

Music, merriment and good will to others contribute to the spirit of the holiday season. Greater Media wants to fuel that spirit by providing a way for people to enjoy good music, have some fun and help those in need of food all at the same time at Greater Media's Good Samaritan Holiday Bash.

The Reveling Proceeds and nonperishable food donations will benefit the Samaritan Center, a food pantry headquartered in Manalapan.

Scheduled to take place on Dec. 13 at the historic Stone Pony on Ocean Avenue in Asbury Park, the Greater Media Good Samaritan Holiday Bash will feature six bands and several vocalists performing throughout the afternoon. The Reveling, featuring drummer Jay Weinberg who is just back from touring with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, will be the headline band.

Other popular bands slated to perform are Locksley, Radiant Illusion, Hollywood Help, Lunch Hour Six Pack and Almost There. Singing sensation Lauriana Mae and her band will also take the stage in addition to vocalists Jackie Hlavenka performing on acoustic guitar, and Casey Rochelle singing a variety of selections. DJ Sean McCaffrey will be the MC for the event.

Lauriana Mae The Samaritan Center has been helping families of all faiths and denominations from Englishtown, Millstone Township, Manalapan and Marlboro for 25 years. A qualified taxexempt organization, the food pantry is totally dependent on the generosity of others to keep it running.

With the nation's economy in turmoil, the number of families registered to receive food has more than doubled in the past year. The increased demand for assistance has left the food pantry struggling to keep its shelves stocked with enough food and supplies to distribute to more than 100 families on a weekly basis.

People from all over are welcome to attend the event to enjoy the opportunity to relax and to be entertained while helping families put food on the table.

The Reveling has been performing since 2007, with Jay Weinberg joining in 2008. In addition to Weinberg on drums, the band's members are Dave Kramer (guitar and vocals), Dennis Murphy (bass) and Sean Morris (lead singer and guitar player). The Reveling performs original upbeat punk music.

Lee & Sheri The release of the band's new CD, "3- D Radio," was recently celebrated at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, N.Y. Plans are in the making to film a music video of "Breadline," a single from the album, in the near future. "3-D Radio" is now available on iTunes and online retailers.

Weinberg, the son of E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg, said, "We are very happy to support any good cause, especially one that is as meaningful as this, and we are definitely proud to be a part of it."

Locksley was formed in Madison, Wisc., by brothers Jesse and Jordan Laz and longtime friends Kai Kennedy and Sam Bair. The band released "Don't Make Me Wait" in 2007. Considerable touring followed, including a stint as the opening band and backing band for Ray Davies of the Kinks, as well as performances on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "Late Night With Conan O'Brien."

The group's penchant for melody and uptempo, sing-a-long friendly songs has drawn comparisons to everyone from the Beatles and the Kinks to the Cure and the Strokes. In September they released "Darling, It's True," the first single from their sophomore album, "Be in Love," due out Jan. 26.

Locksley Lauriana Mae has been singing her whole life. A resident of Matawan, she started working on a career in music when she participated in the vocal music program at Red Bank Regional High School. During that time she participated in numerous talent shows and showcases, was in the WB Network's music group called Scene 23, and then went solo and started writing and recording her own material. She has worked with Paul Ritchie of Roadrunner Records' The Parlor Mob and was a featured artist on the MTV show "P. Diddy's Starmaker."

Lauriana, 26, a solo artist, is currently spending most of her time writing music and recording her first solo album. She describes her music as a blend of classic jazz and contemporary rhythm and blues. For the Stone Pony fundraiser, Lauriana will be accompanied by Wilford Dunn on drums, John Payne on keyboards, Chris Wells on bass and Charles Pranio on guitar.

Hollywood Help "I am very excited to be part of this show and the wonderful cause," said Lauriana. "When I was younger my family went through some really rough times and it was difficult for my parents to put food on the table. Luckily I come from a large family who would bring bags of groceries over to the house to help us in a time of need until we got back on our feet, but everyone doesn't have that and they need our help. I feel so very blessed to be able to use my music to help others."

Fans of the popular cover band Mission Dance will be pleased to see Lee Deedmeyer and Sheri Gilmore from the band team up to perform acoustic selections in support of the event and the food pantry.

"The local food banks and the volunteers who run them perform a great service to the community by providing food and support to those in need," said Deedmeyer. "In these economic times we need to support this worthy cause."

Lunch Hour Six Pack plays classic rock and alternative covers. According to the band's Internetwebsite www.lunchh oursix- pack.com, the band's goal is to play songs that most people are not used to hearing all the time, but will enjoy. The band's influences range from classic rock to progressive, from Motown to alternative, from blues to metal and everything else in between. Based in central New Jersey, Lunch Hour Six Pack's members are Mike Comiskey on lead guitar and vocals, Rob Ussla on drums and vocals, Jon Zayle on bass and vocals, and Brian Comiskey on rhythm guitar and vocals.

Two of the members of Almost There (Zach Sicherman of Wayside on bass and vocals, and Ed Soles of Oakhurst on guitar and vocals) have been playing together since they were freshmen at Ocean Township High School in 2001. Drummer Phil Serzan of Old Bridge is the newest addition. The band recently earned a grand prize of $10,000 after they entered and won 7-Eleven's nationwide virtual Battle of the Bands contest. They describe their music as upbeat rock. The group is working on a new CD called "Losing Someone to Find Yourself," expected to be released in January.

Radiant Illusion Radiant Illusion's band members may be the youngest performers of the day, but their musical talent combines to create a sound reminiscent of seasoned bands like Sum 41, The Offspring, Rush and The Who with music that is a mix of classic rock and upbeat punk. Bass player Ryan Hefernon, 13, and his brother Brandon, 16, (lead vocals and guitar) are both from Jackson, and guitarist Eric "Shew" Xu, 14, and drummer Michael "Mikey" Rosen, 15, are both from Manalapan.

Ryan is in the eighth grade at Holy Family School, Lakewood, and Brandon is a junior at St. Rose High School, Belmar. Mikey attends Freehold Township High School and Shew is a student at Manalapan High School. They are both freshmen. They are happy to be able to help bring food to families in their hometown and surrounding towns that have fallen on hard times.

Radiant Illusion has performed at venues that include the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, Chubby's in Red Bank, Café 55 in Brick Township and Teen Night at Marlboro Recreation. They write their own songs and perform cover tunes as well. For the Stone Pony benefit they will do a combination of both.

Jackie Hlavenka Although all members of Hollywood Help are seasoned musicians, the band will be making its debut performance at Greater Media's Good Samaritan Holiday Bash with its new drummer Scott Rosen of Manalapan joining childhood friends and band mates from Cedar Grove, Frank Rosania on guitar and vocals and Tim Lamb on bass guitar and vocals. The band performs original rock tunes, paying homage to the classic rock feel while infusing their own twist that appeals to both classic rock fans and listeners of today's pop music.

Jackie Hlavenka, 22, of Manalapan, is a singer-songwriter and a staff writer for Greater Media Newspapers. She has been playing guitar and writing songs for nine years. Hlavenka's performances include playing at the Internet Cafe in Red Bank, the Indigo Cafe in Aberdeen and Mr. Beery's in Bethpage, N.Y. She is a recent graduate of Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.

Casey Rochelle "As an employee at the Independent newspaper, I am very excited to be performing at the Stone Pony for the charity benefit," Hlavenka said. "The last time I sang on this stage was at an open mic night at age 16. Whatever I can do to positively benefit the community, either through music or writing, brings me great pride. It will be great to represent Asbury again."

Casey Rochelle, 16, of Wall Township, has been singing since she was 5 years old. Currently a sophomore at Wall High School, Casey studies with vocal coaches Elizabeth Kelsay at Music University, Freehold Township, and Ellen Hollander at Wall High School. She enjoys singing music from a variety of genres including pop, rock, Broadway, country and rhythm and blues.

Sean McCaffrey is an entertainment consultant for Center Stage Entertainment in southern New Jersey. He has offered his services to be the master of ceremonies for the event.

A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available for the event. The A&P family of stores has pledged its support to the Holiday Bash and the Samaritan Center. The company issued the following statement: "A&P and its family of supermarkets is proud to support the Greater Media Good Samaritan Holiday Bash with over $6,000 worth of products donated to help the Samaritan Center in Manalapan. As part of the community, we feel it is our responsibility to ensure that we help our neighbors through these difficult times."

WRAT-FM in Lake Como, Frantasy Enterprises in Lakewood, Direct Printing in Ringoes, and Adult Medical Day Care Center in Englishtown are also event sponsors in addition to Pine Brook Care Center, Joffe Family Chiropractic, Hair Fusion and Romeos Pizzeria (Andee Plaza), all in Manalapan.

People of all ages are welcome to be entertained at the Stone Pony while helping others. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 13. Admission is $10 plus at least one nonperishable food donation. A ticket for a chance to win door prizes will be provided for each item donated — bring more food, get more chances to win.

For details, tickets, sponsorships and items needed, visit www.gmnews.com or call 732- 358-5200, ext. 8288 or ext. 8248. For concert information, visitwww.stoneponyonline.com.