Light of Day Winterfest 2017 Benefits for Parkinson’s Disease To Feature Another "Brit Invasion"

Sources: LightOfDay.org; Parkinson’s Disease Foundation

The previous “Brit Invasion” of the Light Of Day Winterfest benefits for Parkinson’s disease research and awareness worked out so well, they’re invading again this year from January 6 through 16.

It’s led by the returns of guitar deity AlbertLee and Peter Asher of the legendary Peter and Gordon. And there will be appearances by Badfinger founding member Joey Molland, and bands paying tribute to Led Zeppelin and Joe Cocker.

But they’re just a few of  the dozens of new acts added to the Light Of Day’s 10-day, 39-event festival for its 17th Winterfest edition, from Jan. 6-16, 2017. On the domestic and local front, be on the lookout for Willie Nile, Joe D’Urso, Bon Jovi stand-in guitarist Matt O’Ree, Russell Acara, and tributes to Linda Ronstadt and the life and times of the late Bruce Springsteen saxophonist Clarence Clemmons.

Speaking of Bruce Springsteen, he has missed out on appearing at only five of the previous 16 Winterfests. He had to skip last year due to being on tour — will he make amends this year?

Parkinson’s Disease and its related conditions involve the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells in the brain, called neurons. Parkinson’s primarily affects neurons in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra. Some of these dying neurons produce dopamine, a chemical that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination. As PD progresses, the amount of dopamine produced in the brain decreases, leaving a person unable to control movement normally.

In his recently published autobiography Born to Run, Springsteen revealed that his own father suffered from Parkinson’s Disease.

Light of Day was co-founded by Bob Benjamin, an artist manager who has been living with Parkinson’s since 1996. Its Executive Director is Tony Pallagrosi, whose mother Dolores died in 2002 from the effects of a Parkinson’s-type disease. Their efforts have culminated in 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 event in the New Jersey/New York/Philadelphia metropolitan area — shows which have also included standup comedy and singer/songwriter showcases.

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