The talented artists from Monmouth University’s Blue Hawk Records (BHR), along with the organization’s Blue Hawk house band, performed for Light of Day’s Boardwalk Jam at the Berkeley Hotel on Jan. 16. Many of the performers were featured on the newest Blue Hawk compilation album, “Vol. 25: Signature Edition,” adding to the promotion and celebration of the latest releases. Many known Monmouth artists performed their original songs along with a mix of crowd-pleasing covers.
The show celebrated 25 years of the Light of Day WinterFest, where musicians all around the world “raise money and awareness in its continuing battle to defeat Parkinson’s disease and its related illnesses ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy),” according to the Light of Day foundation page. The organization holds multiple performances in several states and countries for this very cause. This was also another milestone for Monmouth University, as this year was the school’s 10th year participating in Light of Day WinterFest.
One of the standout performances from the night included Michael Anthony Rocks, who was featured on the latest BHR compilation album. He performed his song from the album, “The Talking Stage,” in a new, stripped-back arrangement. Another performance that stunned was, Samantha Spano with her electric performance bringing her “coastal cowgirl” persona to life on the stage. With a mix of both originals and covers, she made sure that, in her own words, the entire audience would be “country fans by the end of the night.”
Many of the night’s performances were stripped back and simpler performances, with the complexity building towards the end of the night. There were four full bands that performed, each had a unique sound and genre approach, bringing the talent into full focus.
I was involved in the evening as a performer, where I was asked to sit in for half of the house band’s set. The set included crowd favorites from our New Jersey natives, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, as well as, Tom Petty, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan. The whole set had a small, intimate vibe with high energy, that had the crowd feeling it. The room started to fill with overflow patrons from other shows by the time the house band took the stage, which led to the crowd becoming much more responsive and energetic.
The show was also full of special guests, including Bobby Mahoney, Zack Sandler, George Wurzbach, Joe Rapolla, and other local musicians throughout the night. The whole experience was extremely fun, engaging, and entertaining, both for the audience and those performing. It’s safe to say, that BHR and Light of Day’s Boardwalk Jam was an all-around success.
