Jersey Jams Fund - Jersey Jams, Jersey Cares

N.J. MUSICIANS UNITE TO COMFORT
FAMILIES OF SEPT. 11 TERRORIST ATTACKS
WITH JERSEY JAMS, JERSEY CARES CHARITY CD
Series of all-star concerts set to commemorate March 11 release

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J . (Feb. 5, 2002) -- More than a dozen of New Jersey's top music acts are banding together to pay tribute to the hundreds of Garden State residents lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with an all-star compilation CD that will benefit and help comfort their families.
JERSEY JAMS, JERSEY CARES , featuring Bernie Worrell & the WOO Warriors,
Robert Randolph, Matt Angus Thing with Levon Helm of The Band, John Eddie and Styx member Glen Burtnik, among others, also will honor the state’s many emergency workers who became heroes at Ground Zero. Set for release March 11, the six-month anniversary of the attack, the disc will raise funds for the New Jersey families who lost loved ones, but will primarily serve as a source of healing and hope.

The all-volunteer grassroots non-profit charity effort is being organized by the Jersey Jams Fund (www.jerseyjamsfund.org), a small band of music scene movers and shakers who will hand over profits made from the disc and several benefit concerts to Bergen County's United Way ( www.bergenunitedway.org ), one of the only non-profit organizations in the state distributing funds to all New Jersey families who lost loved ones in the attacks. Bergen County’s United Way graciously has agreed to be the project's fiduciary.

JERSEY JAMS, JERSEY CARES will include musical contributions from:
* Rock and Roll Hall of Famer BERNIE WORRELL , a founding member of the Plainfield-originated funk band Parliament-Funkadelic, and his band, THE WOO WARRIORS , with newest WOO Warrior Jen Durkin, formerly of Deep Banana Blackout. Worrell and his band have offered a brand new funk unity anthem, Thank Ya, which was written specifically for the compilation ( www.bernieworrell.com ).
* Rising Newark-based sacred steel guitar star ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE
FAMILY BAND , who have contributed Pressing My Way from their Live at the Wetlands debut ( www.robertrandolph.net )
* A new tune, Window of the World, from longtime New Jersey favorite
GLEN BURTNIK , composer of such hits as "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" and "Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man, and also a member of Styx ( www.glenburtnik.com )
* Fun-loving roots rocker JOHN EDDIE , whose American Thing is a rebel hoot ( www.johneddie.com )
* THE MATT ANGUS THING , with guest appearances by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer LEVON HELM OF THE BAND and fiddler Jamie Coan, formerly of the RCA recording act From Good Homes. One of two tracks that inspired JERSEY JAMS, JERSEY CARES, Matt’s Understand, was produced by former From Good Homes saxophonist Dan Myers. ( www.angusmusic.com )
* RAILROAD EARTH , one of the country's fastest rising jam-grass
sensations, made a huge impact in 2001 with their debut album, "The Black Bear Sessions". The follow-up is slated for release on Sugar Hill Records this year. The line-up features former From Good Homes frontman Todd Sheaffer, and members of Blue Sparks from Hell. ( www.railroadearth.com )
* THE LO FABER BAND , featuring the Princeton-raised frontman of
Mercury/Geffen recording act God Street Wine, whose Miracle Time first
appeared in his new rock opera, Henry’s House ( www.lofaber.com )
* THE ALICE PROJECT , a pop-smart, song-driven outfit from Trenton whose namesake, sought-after singer-songwriter Alice Leon, wrote 11 specifically for the compilation. The band includes guitarist Jimmy Leahey, son of Plainfield jazz great Harry Leahey and co-author of "11," who also plays on Burtnik's track. ( www.thealiceproject.com )
* TA-TA , Q-Vo Records' artist from Plainfield who won the first Queen Latifah Award for Hip-Hop and was chosen by Billboard/BET as a featured "New Artist" in 2001. She is joined on a hip-hop version of Rudyard Kipling's "If" by popular Jersey artists Alvin Madison, The Cicada Brothers and Lenny Lawson. (www.ta-ta.com)
* KATHY PHILLIPS, a promising singer-songwriter from Flanders whose debut album, Sway, recently was released on New Jersey-based Black Potatoe Records. Her Angels Never Sleep features former Spin Doctors guitarist Anthony Krizan. ( www.kathyphillips.com ).
* SWAMPADELICA , the soulful, Boonton-based experimental roots unit which recently completed its second album with Phish engineer/producer John Siket, including the inspiring compilation track, Water ( www.swampadelica.com ).
* THE VooDUDES , a veteran "Jerzydeco" outfit that has been one of the state’s most popular live acts for a decade. The New Brunswick-based band contributed Master’s Ship from their fourth album, Block Party. ( www.thevoodudes.com )
* SCRAP DADDY , a group of friends and family from throughout New Jersey who combined a variety of music styles and instruments to symbolize the events of Sept. 11 and the unity that resulted. Based on President Bush’s stirring September address to the nation, their Never Again inspired Jersey Jams, Jersey Cares and the Jersey Jams Fund.
( scrapdaddymail@aol.com )

Benefit CD release concerts for the project will be March 10 at the legendary Stone Pony , www.stoneponyonline.com Asbury Park; March 14 at The Old Bay in New Brunswick, March 15 at Crossroads in Garwood and March 24 at T he Stanhope House , www.stanhopehouse.com Stanhope. Acts will be confirmed soon. Additional JERSEY JAMS, JERSEY CARES concerts will be announced shortly.

The disc will be sold online, in Vintage Vinyl and other New Jersey record shops, at places of worships, during all of the JERSEY JAMS, JERSEY CARES shows and via some of the compilation’s participants. Twenty percent of all monies raised by the compilation and concert series will be earmarked for music scholarship for the families, not only for college, but also for private lessons, school band equipment and travel expenses to festivals, competitions and auditions. Each family will receive a copy of the disc if they wish as a gift from co-sponsor Comcast ( www.comcast.com ). Other sponsors
include Discmakers ( www.discmakers.com ), The Aquarian Weekly
( www.theaquarian.com ), WDHA 105.5-FM ( www.wdhafm.com ), Atomic
Productions/Black Potatoe Records ( www.blackpotatoe.com ), Randex
Communications ( www.randexpr.com ), SRA Studios ( www.ta-ta.com ),
Web hosting and Design by The Darn Barn ( www.thedarnbarn.com ) and mastering engineer Jack Senecal. More sponsors are being lined up for both the CD and the concerts. If you’re interested in sponsoring JERSEY JAMS, JERSEY CARES, please email makinclan@aol.com or sjalexander@worldnet.att.net or call (732) 390-7995 or
(908) 322-7744. If you'd like to contribute financially to the project to offset manufacturing costs, please send a check made out to Bergen County's United Way. Please write "Jersey Jams Fund" in the memo so Bergen County's United Way knows that the contribution is for the manufacturing of the compilation. Please send donations to Tom Toronto, Chief Operating Officer, Bergen County's United Way, 690 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell, NJ 07649. For more information about Bergen County's United Way, visit www.bergenunitedway.org

How to donate to the Jersey Jams Fund
All of the money raised by the Jersey Jams Fund will go to the New Jersey families who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Some of the funds will be earmarked for music scholarship for the children of those families to use a college degree in music, private lessons, school band equipment and traveling expenses to competitions, festivals and auditions. If you would like to make a donation to the Jersey Jams Fund, please send it to Tom Toronto, Chief Operating Officer, Bergen County's United Way, 690 Kinderkamack Road, Oradell, NJ 07649. For more information about Bergen County's United Way, please visit www.bergenunitedway.org

Where to buy "Jersey Jams, Jersey Cares"
"Jersey Jams, Jersey Cares" will be released March 11 at Vintage Vinyl, 51 Lafayette Road, Fords, N.J. ( www.vvinyl.com ), and other New Jersey record stores. The compilation also will be available online, at the Jersey Jams, Jersey Cares concerts (link to show page) and via some of the participating acts. All proceeds will go to the Jersey Jams Fund distributed by Bergen County's United Way ( www.bergenunitedway.org ).