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MANASQUAN — Reef & Barrel became a barrel of hope on Saturday afternoon during the Holiday Wishes benefit concert, which raised money for Make-A-Wish New Jersey.
Scores of people turned out to the second annual concert, which featured some 15 different musicians from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut playing both Christmas and non-Christmas tunes, like a rendition of “Only the Good Die Young” by Billy Joel as well as a rock-forward reimagining of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” which organizers called a “barnburner.”
The concert fundraiser came about as an opportunity for the Dominicks, a Wall Township family who experienced the “life-changing” power of a wish from Make-A-Wish New Jersey, to give back to the organization, which they feel started a lifelong relationship with the group.
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New additions to the Holiday Wishes band in 2023 included a horn section featuring the talents of Matt Finelli, Chris Finelli and Michael Ventoso on saxophone, trumpet and trombone respectively.
Michael Dominick, who organized the Holiday Wishes benefit, told The Coast Star that Make-A-Wish was “ever-present” in the lives of his family for over 30 years — most of his and his brother Matthew’s lives.
Michael, who is the lead singer of the Holiday Wishes band, had his first brush with Make-A-Wish New Jersey in 1992, when his younger brother Matthew was granted his wish. Matthew, who was about three years old at the time, wished to go to Walt Disney World in Florida.
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