Rick’s American Cafe in Barnegat Light, NJ has adjusted its summer entertainment schedule to make room for a special music performance this Friday night.

The band is Carlon, named in memory of front man Michael McWilliams’ brother, Timothy (”Timbo”) Carlon McWilliams, a member of Rick’s security staff who died in March 2005 as a result of complications related to traumatic brain injury he had suffered in October 2001. He was 27 years old.

The McWilliams brothers spent many a summer at their family’s vacation home in Loveladies, where Michael and his friend Ryan McGlynn would sit on the beach and play their guitars and sing for a gathering of listeners. Their friends would often tell them they should take their music to the next level – form a band, get a manager, get into a studio, develop a marketing plan, see where it might lead. Two years ago their friends’ advice came to fruition.

As it turns out, those jam sessions on the beach were the genesis of what is today a successful original band project. Carlon – comprised of McWilliams and McGlynn, plus bass player Jared Pollack and drummer Milo Venter – keeps a busy schedule of show dates in the New York City area and released an EP called Suburban Heel last October. The first full-length album, tentatively titled Learn from Your Friends, is due out sometime around January.

Still, all the while the band has been getting established, writing, recording and building a following in northern locales, the musicians have “always wanted to come back to LBI for a show,” according to band manager Anthony D’Avella, who was Timbo’s best friend.

D’Avella said the band’s sound and style trend toward “indie jam rock,” rooted in classic rock and blues but influenced by the much wider variety of music the band members listened to as they were growing up: everything from the Beatles to the White Stripes and Radiohead, D’Avella said.

As the band spreads the love and perpetuates Tim McWilliams’ spirit through its original music, the Timothy C. McWilliams, Jr. Foundation continues to support charitable initiatives that reflect Timbo’s interests and life experiences, with a special focus on research and rehabilitation for victims of traumatic brain injury and support for their families. Additionally, the foundation supports a Morristown based service and assistance dog organization and awards a scholarship in Timbo’s name to a student of West Essex High School.

For further Carlon news, plus music, photos, forums and tour dates, visit www.carlonmusic.com. To learn more about the foundation and how to help, visit www.timbofund.org.

-Victoria Ford
victoriaford@thesandpaper.net