Saturday, November 14, 2026
The Tommy Brull Foundation has raised money for individuals with physical, mental, and emotional challenges since 2008. Rockville Centre native Martin Brull founded the nonprofit in memory of his brother, Tommy, who died in a 1999 car accident near the Williamsburg Bridge.
“I wanted to do something a little different that really reflected the way that Tommy was,” Brull said. “He loved music. We loved music together. All of our friends that are here love music.”
Inspired by this mutual passion for music, Brull launched the “Shine A Light” concert series in 2011. Through the years, the organization has invited a number of major headliners to perform including Deer Tick, The Hold Steady, Kurt Vile and many others.
The series celebrated its 26th show on Saturday, Nov. 30 featuring J Masics, lead singer and songwriter of the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. Thanks to the group’s widespread recognition, people from all across the metropolitan area gathered at Centre Station, formerly R.J. Daniel’s, in Rockville Centre to see the show.
“It has been an absolutely amazing experience to hire and work with all of my favorite artists,” Brull said before introducing J Masics to the stage. “This one is really specially because this is the second show we had with an artist that Tommy really loved.”
Brull recalled one of his favorite memories of his brother was of the two of them listening to Dinosaur Jr.’s song, “I’m Insane,” and pumping their fists to the sound of the horns.
Opening the show was multi-instrumentalist Mike Polizze of Purling Hiss, a Philadelphia-based rock group that Brull said he saw open for Kurt Vile in 2011 and wanted to invite them to perform ever since.
J Masics is known for his distinctive vocals, which have often been compared to that of Neil Young, and his extensive use of feedback, which evokes early 1980s noise rock influences like the Melvins and Sonic Youth.
The evening’s set list included a variety of Dinosaur Jr. songs, solo tracks and covers, including “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers. He closed out the show with an encore performance of “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star.
During the show, Mascis dedicated his performance of “Alone” to Tommy, which made the evening even more meaningful for the Brull family and the audience.
