December 'Shine A Light' concert to benefit Mr. B’s Playground

The Felice Brothers, Laura Stevenson on the bill

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The Felice Brothers will return to play for the Shine A Light Music Series for the fourth time.
The Felice Brothers will return to play for the Shine A Light Music Series for the fourth time.
Courtesy Kurt Christensen

The Tommy Brull Foundation has announced the latest concert in its Shine A Light Music Series to benefit Mr. B’s Playground. On Dec. 28, folk-rock band The Felice Brothers and singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson, a Rockville Centre native, will perform at RJ Daniels.

“This will be the fourth time The Felice Brothers are coming back,” said Martin Brull, president of the local, non-profit organization, “and I really enjoy [Stevenson’s] music. I’m happy to have a female artist on the bill.”

The Shine A Light Music Series has been raising money for people with physical, mental and emotional challenges since 2011, and most recently, for Mr. B’s Playground. The playground, to be accessible to children of all abilities, will be built next to the John A. Anderson Recreation Center parking lot once enough funds are secured. The Tommy Brull Foundation has so far raised more than $100,000, most of it through its concert series.

“We truly love playing these shows,” said James Felice, a founding member of The Felice Brothers. “It’s a joyful atmosphere, incredibly sweet people and a rocking time, all for a good cause.”

Joining them this time around is Stevenson, a folky, indie musician who now tours the world with her tunes. For the Shine A Light show, she returns to her hometown of Rockville Centre, where she recorded her most recent album, “The Big Freeze.”

“I am happy to have documented and captured the sounds and the feeling of [my childhood home] on record,” Stevenson wrote in an email to the Herald. “My mom just sold the house on Raymond Street over the summer, and I have felt so, so sad ever since.”

She noted that this year will be her very first Christmas spent outside of Rockville Centre, “so it will be really nice to have an excuse to come back a few days later for this show.”

This will be Shine A Light’s second, more intimate show at RJ Daniels since Long Island alternative rockers Taking Back Sunday took the stage and helped raise $25,000 for the inclusive playground in March.

The Felice Brothers show with special guest Laura Stevenson hits RJ Daniels on Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for general admission or $100 for a Meet and Greet Package, which includes early admission, a short meet and greet with the Felice Brothers, a concert T-shirt, signed concert poster and select drinks during the show. To purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/shinealightrvc.