Christmas Cheer Comes Early to Howell Library

Though Christmas may be just under two weeks away, nearly 50 people took the opportunity on Saturday afternoon to enjoy a holiday concert put on by Billy Lawlor and Friends. The hour long performance took place in the Howell Public Library and featured some famous and original holiday tunes.

Dianne Rieth, the branch manager of the Howell Public Library, said she was extremely pleased to have Mr. Lawlor and his band perform for those in attendance.

"Billy's been a mainstay at the Jersey Shore," Mrs. Rieth said. "He plays clubs, weddings, parties and we're very happy to have him here today."

Mrs. Rieth noted that Mr. Lawlor and his band do a holiday benefit concert every year at the Algonquin Arts Theater in Manasquan, and this performance today would be a more scaled down version of that performance. The show was free for attendees, however audience members were asked to bring non-perishable food donations for the Howell Food Pantry.

Mrs. Rieth also brought up that they were able to get Mr. Lawlor to come play at the library, as his wife, Linda, is a librarian at the Howell Public Library.

At 2 p.m., Mr. Lawlor sat behind the piano set up in the middle of the library and got ready for the day's performance. His band included Steve Beskrone on bass, and Tommy LaBella on the saxophone. Mr. Beskrone actually once played with Ray Charles when the famous singer was on Saturday Night Live, and Mr. LaBella has played at numerous private functions for Jersey legends like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.

Mrs. Rieth introduced the band to the crowd, noting all of the librarians had been looking forward to this show for quite some time. She even mentioned that the librarians are such big fans of Mr. Lawlor that they jokingly refer to themselves as "Billy's Babes."

Mr. Lawlor and his band soon began their performance, covering such songs as "Christmas is Coming," and "Christmastime is Here." Both songs were picked by Mr. Lawlor, he noted, because they were featured on Charlie Brown holiday specials.

Another song Mr. Lawlor performed for the crowd was "The Christmas Song." The band performed a jazzy version of the song, with many people in the audience tapping their feet and bobbing their head as Mr. Lawlor began singing the lyrics, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire."

The band continued their jazzy takes on famous Christmas songs like "Jingle Bells," and "The Christmas Waltz." Mr. Lawlor noted it was the first time the band performed "The Christmas Waltz" live, saying that the audience would be acting as their "test pilots," to see how the song would be received.

They concluded the set with an original song written by Mr. Lawlor, called "The Christmas Wish." He noted the song was written after the passing of a friend, Lynn Farrar, who played bass with him, and it was his favorite song to perform.

Following the show, Mr. Lawlor said that he had a blast performing for the crowd, and was hopeful to do more library shows in the future.

Members of the audience got to enjoy an array of snacks at the conclusion of the show, courtesy of the Friends of the Howell Library. Some in the audience even took the chance to take home both of Mr. Lawlor's albums. Proceeds from his debut holiday album go to the Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Care Programs, and the other goes to the Make A Wish Foundation of NJ.

For more information on Mr. Lawlor and his band, visit www.billylawlor.com.