By Erin Pedrini
Web Production Assistant

“The Christmas benefit concert started out as a small endeavor with my band and we just invited a few of our friends to play at a gig and raise money for local charities. Since then it has developed into a pretty big concert with a full horn section, background choir and multiple acts playing. There is a 44-song set list this year,” said Trenton musician Ernie White. He is hosting his 15th Annual Ernie White Band & Friends Christmas Benefit Concert to raise money for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen on Sunday, Dec. 21.

This year is the third year that the concert will be benefiting the soup kitchen, said Trenton Area Soup Kitchen Executive Director Dennis Micai. In years past, the benefit concert has raised money for the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund, Trenton Head Start, Mercer Street Friends, New York Times 9/11 Fund, Hamilton Elks Handicapped Children’s Fund, ARC Mercer, Boys And Girls Club of Trenton and YWCA of Trenton.

Micai said that the soup kitchen has been in Trenton for 31 years and was started by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to provide meals for people in the area who were in need. Micai said that in that first year, 40,000 meals were served and this year the kitchen is expected to serve 275,000 meals to those in need. In addition to food, the soup kitchen also has an adult education program, computer labs, a social worker and two arts programs, so Micai said that the organization is so much more than just a soup kitchen.

Last year, the benefit concert raised more than $15,000 for the soup kitchen. Micai said that the money raised from the event is used for general operating and food primarily. He said that the kitchen buys most of the food served through a food bank at a discounted rate.

“Small amounts of the food come from donations. We get a lot of donations but you can never get enough food donated to have 275,000 meals,” said Micai.

White said that he started the benefit concert to give back to local charities and that the event keeps growing every year.

“It’s a lot of work and all of the bands and players play for nothing. All of the money goes directly towards the soup kitchen. It’s a real labor of love at this point. It’s a great cause and we can raise some substantial money for them,” said White. “It’s a great gathering of friends and musicians and the crowd. It’s really fun. We always do it close to Christmas so by then people are really hopefully in the mood for it. We try to get creative with it too. At the end of the night it really comes full circle and it’s a really great feeling and everybody has a blast.”

White is a vocalist, guitarist, producer and songwriter. He started playing guitar when he was 10 and was a member of Sam the Band and Aviator. He went on to make solo CDs and now also teaches guitar. His band’s style is described as electric and consists of Tom Reock on the keys, Frank Wirtz on the bass and Marty Paglione on the drums. The band plays a combination of different genres including rock, blues, folk, jazz, R&B and reggae.

For the benefit concert, White said that he is the host with his band and the band backs up any solo artists. He said there are full bands that play as well. He said that the night consists of song after song, with Christmas classics like “Jingle Bell Rock,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and then more rock songs like “Run, Run Rudolph.”

“We do everything from rock to funk to jazz to reggae. It also encompasses just about every musical genre there is as well. We also take nontraditional Christmas songs, songs that aren’t Christmas songs and convert them into Christmas songs. Like the ‘Gloria,’ we change it to ‘Santa.’ We take basic rock songs and revamp the lyrics. We always try to throw one or two things like that in there as well. We do fun stuff,” said White. “There are a few serious songs in there. We have a guy that comes up and does ‘Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey.’ It ranges from silly to profound songs.”

Micai said, “This is the third time he is doing this for us and we really appreciate that. It’s a great night, a great event and not only does it raise money for us but he does a beautiful video of the night and it raises awareness of the issue. So it’s just all around win-win.”

When asked what the most rewarding part of using music to help others through the benefit concert is, White said, “The most rewarding part, I would say, is when we go down to the soup kitchen after the event and bring the money to Micai and his crew. Just to walk in there and see what they do on a daily basis is pretty amazing really. They feed people, no questions asked. It is quite a setup they have. They have cooks back there and food coming in on food trucks and donations. That’s probably the most rewarding thing, when you actually see your money going to work for itself so to speak. A lot of times you give to something but you don’t really see it. That’s why I pick a local organization, a tangible thing that people can go to. If they need some help, they can go there and see what is going on and hopefully get a jump start on their life. There is a lot of poverty out there and people are just trying to get by day to day. So if it helps one person get on with their life and make the next step, then that’s really what it is all about.”

The 15th Annual Ernie White Band & Friends Christmas Benefit Concert is being held on Sunday, Dec. 21 at the Princeton Manor Banquet Hall’s Grand Ballroom (formerly known as Cedar Gardens) located at 661 Route 33 in Hamilton. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. and will go until all 44 songs are finished. The cost to enter is $25 at the door, all going to benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. It is an all ages show but anyone under 21 needs to be accompanied by an adult.