The idea came to Mike Myers in a dream. It came to the Effenberger brothers in their kitchen.



"We were like, 'We've got to put on a benefit show,'" says Dan Effenberger, guitarist for Asbury Park's the Amboys. While talking about Myer's movie, Wayne's World 2, the brothers became inspired by the film's fictional music festival, Waynestock.

That was three years ago.

Now the Amboys are preparing for their biggest benefit show yet, this Saturday at Trinity and The Pope in Asbury Park. This summer's show, called Beet Violence, Grow Peas, will promote the therapeutic advantages of organic gardening to victims of domestic violence.

The night begins at 6 p.m. with five acoustic acts in the downstairs area of Trinity and The Pope. At 10 p.m. the festivities move upstairs, becoming fully electric with another five bands.

The Effenberger brothers, Dan, Brent and Connor, began their non-profit organization, Music Is The Medicine, to aid causes of their choosing.

“[The money] is not going toward the venues… It's not going to the bands, it's just going to causes,” says Connor Effenberger, who is also the drummer for the Amboys.

Their first show benefited victims of post-traumatic stress disorder. A friend who had served time on duty in Iraq inspired the cause. “We were horrified that he had come back in a different condition than he had left,” says Dan Effenberger. They knew they wanted to help him and others who suffer the same.

“It was just this huge show that everybody came out to, and we got a lot of press for it, and it was just a big success,” says Dan Effenberger. “So once that happened we were like, 'Let's just keep doing it.’”

Their benefit shows have previously been held twice at Seaside’s Beachcomber, and once at the now-defunct The Press Room in Asbury Park.

Says Dan Effenberger, “It's kind of taking everything that we know, and everything that we could provide and offer – to charity and fans – and bringing it all together in one show.”

Performances by:

The Amboys

The Riverwinds

Mad Feather Group

Marshland Plan

Midnight Poncho

Anthony Walker

Justin & Emily (No Wine for Kittens)

Brian Leopold (The Poconos)

Chris Brown (No, not that Chris Brown)

Frank Lombardi