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FLOWER POWER: Gurwin Healthcare System hosts campus-wide Woodstock celebration

by Press Release - August 30, 2023

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Residents and staff of Gurwin Healthcare System in Commack commemorated the 54th anniversary of Woodstock with a campus-wide celebration filled with peace, love and music at the System’s nursing and rehabilitation center, adult day care program, and assisted living and independent living communities on August 17.

“Woodstock was more than just a musical festival, it was also a cultural movement,” said Kathleen Biggs, Assistant Director of Therapeutic Recreation at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. “It was so wonderful to bring our residents back to that time and for them to share memories of the 60s and the significance of the festival.”

Created by Gurwin staff, the Woodstock celebrations transported residents back to the summer of 1969, dripping in bright 60s hues and tie-dye prints. Staff members throughout the System dressed their Woodstock best, donning tie-dye, fringe, headbands and peace signs.

At Gurwin Center, residents enjoyed Woodstock makeovers, complete with flower power crowns, peace sign medallions and teashade glasses. Throughout the celebration, Johanna Cutuolo, ATR-BC, CTRS , Gurwin’s multi-talented Recreation Therapist and music minstrel, strummed the guitar, singing folks songs and ballads performed at the iconic festival. Other Woodstock activities included a peace sign kaleidoscope craft, and a vintage Volkswagen “hippie van” photo booth for social media posting for friends and family. The celebration extended to Gurwin’s Adult Day Care Programs where an outdoor festival was held in the courtyard for day program participants, and included a live concert performance, henna tattoos, tie-dye activities and a hippie-style beaded jewelry craft.

In Gurwin’s senior living communities, staff at Gurwin’s Fay J. Lindner Residences helped residents get into the Woodstock spirit with a themed Glow Party, complete with a laser light show to groovy 60s music in the community’s movie theater. And at Fountaingate Gardens independent living community, members decked out in vintage denim and tie-dye enjoyed a Woodstock-themed happy hour filled with music, tasty treats and lively banter about the legendary festival.

“Growing up in California, I remember my friends and I desperately wanting to attend Woodstock,” said Fountaingate Gardens member Carol Sanderson. “Although I wasn’t able to make it to New York, I do have fond memories of our West Coast version of Woodstock at Stanford University in 1967. I remember seeing Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane. Woodstock was an opportunity for everyone to escape into music and to spread the message of unity and peace.”

All photos courtesy of Gurwin

Time to jam at 11th annual Fiddle & Folk Festival

by Julianne Mosher - August 29, 2023

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Slambovian Circus of Dreams. Photo by Tom Moore — BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Called everything from ‘hillbilly-Pink Floyd’ to ‘folk-pop’ to ‘surreal Americana,’ the Slambovian Circus of Dreams returns to this year's festival. Photo by Tom Moore

By Julianne Mosher

If you have a love for folk music, head over to Benner’s Farm in East Setauket on Sunday, Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the 11th annual Fiddle and Folk Festival. Just in time for fall, the event will have a little something for everyone.

Held on the grounds of the historic farm, that has been owned by Bob Benner and his family since 1977, festival-goers can always expect the best in traditional and contemporary folk music plus other fun-filled farm activities suitable for all ages.

“Bob Benner has been instrumental in the Fiddle and Folk Festival for years,” said Amy Tuttle, program director for the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council.

Tuttle added that the festival was held for many years at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook. Unfortunately, it stopped for a bit, until Benner “resurrected it.”

“It’s always on the first Sunday after Labor Day,” said Tuttle, who said that the GPJAC has been involved every year at Benner’s since — except for one year which was during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have an eclectic variety of music, so there’s something for everybody.”

This year’s performers include The Slambovian Circus of Dreams (back by popular demand), Cassandra House, Barbecue Bruce and the Brisket Brothers, and last year’s “Pick of the Crop,” Stephen Robinson and Hank Stone. Bob Westcott will emcee and entertain between sets with stories and song.

With the exception of The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, who are popular regulars on the folk festival scene, the rest of the performers are all Long Island locals; Cassandra House is from the South Shore and Barbecue Bruce and the Brisket Brothers (Bruce MacDonald, Dan Skabeikis and John Brisotti) hail from the North Fork.

Tuttle also mentioned the “Pick of the Crop,” a new contest that was implemented last year. The idea is for performers to virtually audition online before the festival with finalists performing in-person the day of the festival in front of a group of judges. Those judges then decide which of the finalists will perform on the main stage at next year’s festival.

Right now, there is an online submission page where musicians, singers and songwriters can submit their work. The first round of judges will then choose from those submissions who made it to the next round, performing on the Shady Grove Stage.

“It’s a really nice festival,” Tuttle said. “Everyone always has a great time.”

If the main stage and contest stages weren’t enough, there’s more. This year, an open mic stage will be presented on the back of Bob Benner’s old ’24 Model T Truck.

Benner said that other than the music and food that will be available to enjoy, there will be other fun things to do — especially for the little ones.

“We’ll have a kid’s corner and caricatures,” he said, adding Long Island’s largest swing will be available to play on. Visitors will also be available to visit with the farm’s many animals including sheep, goats and chickens.

“The Fiddle and Folk Festival is a perfect way to ease out of all the fun things we have been doing over the summer and head into the fall,” Tuttle said. “It’s relaxed and a great way to unwind before the start of the school year.”

Presented by Homestead Arts, the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council and Benner’s Farm, the music festival will be held rain or shine.

Benner’s Farm is located at 56 Gnarled Hollow Road in East Setauket. Advance sale tickets for the Fiddle & Folk Festival are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $10 for children. Tickets on the day of the event are $23 adults, $20 seniors and $10 for children.

Audience members are encouraged to bring their own seating. A full schedule of performances and events along with applications for the “Pick of the Crop” contest are available at www.fiddleandfolk.com. For more information, call 631-689-8172.

Hauppauge students sing national anthem at Mets doubleheader

by Press Release - August 26, 2023

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Mets_4 — Pines Elementary School students sing the national anthem before the Mets doubleheader on Aug. 12. Photo from Hauppauge Public Schools

Third, fourth and fifth grade students from Pines Elementary School in Hauppauge had the exciting opportunity to sing the national anthem before the start of the Mets doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on Saturday, Aug. 12.

Students from Pines Elementary have fun exploring Citi Field before singing the national anthem on the field.
Photo courtesy Hauppauge Public Schools

Beginning in February, students began rehearsals for the event, meeting five times outside of school hours to practice. Music teacher Theresa Wray-Dolgin led the practices, and students were required to attend all the rehearsals to perform.

This has become an annual event with the first group of Pines Elementary students singing at Citi Field in March 2018. Janine D’Elia, Pines Elementary School PTA event coordinator, organizes the event each year.

“We were filled with great anticipation, and the day met all of our expectations and more,” Wray-Dolgin said. “It was a magical experience. Our thanks go out to Janine D’Elia who makes this all possible, and I thank her most sincerely for giving me the opportunity to be their musical director for this joyous occasion.”

Following the students’ dazzling rendition of the national anthem, retired Pines Elementary art teacher Elisabeth Anziano was asked to throw the honorary first pitch of the game as a celebratory gesture toward her many years of dedication to her students.

Rocky Point traffic advisory for Aug. 28

by Press Release - August 26, 2023

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BigShot RockyPointFreeConcert StAnthonyPaduaRCChurch #94 8-27-19 PhotoByGregCatalano — File photo by Greg Catalano

The Suffolk County Police Department is advising motorists of heavy traffic in Rocky Point for the Mike DelGuidice of Big Shot Concert Monday.

The event will be held at St. Anthony of Padua Church, located at 614 Route 25A from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on August 28. Overflow parking will be at Joseph A. Edgar School, located at 525 Route 25A. During the concert, Route 25A will be closed from the west side of the business district at 8:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. Traffic will be diverted on eastbound bypass. Westbound Route 25A will be closed at Broadway at 8:45 p.m. Southbound Rocky Point Landing Road traffic coming from Joseph A. Edgar School will be diverted westbound on Route 25A. Attendees should not arrive before 4 p.m.

As a reminder, there is no alcohol or tobacco permitted on church or school grounds.

Greek Festival kicks off in Port Jefferson

by Heidi Sutton - August 24, 2023

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Saint-Johns-dancers-2-e1661983630591 — St. John's Hellenic Dancers perform for guests at last year's Port Jefferson Greek Festival. Photo courtesy of John Damaskos

By Heidi Sutton

Traditional Greek food, music and dancing will take center stage as the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Port Jefferson hosts its 62nd annual Greek Festival on church grounds tonight, Thursday, Aug. 24 from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday, Aug. 25 from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 26 from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 27 from noon to 10 p.m.

A celebration of Greek culture, the four-day event will feature a variety of vendors, fireworks, church tours, live Greek music and dancing, games of chance and carnival rides by Newton Shows. Pay-one-price bracelets for the rides may be purchased in advance at www.newtonshows.com.

Authentic mouth-watering foods such as gyros, tyropita (cheese pie), moussaka, souvlaki, and spanakopita (spinach pie) will be served up, along with sweet desserts such as galaktoboureko, koulourakia, baklava and loukoumades, a fried dough pastry favorite.

One of the main attractions at the festival is the over-the-top sweepstakes that the church holds every year. This year 200 prizes will be awarded from cars — a 2023 Mercedes Benz CLA 250 C4 is first prize — to an Apple Watch, 10″ Samsung Tablet, Smart TV, Ring Security Camera, a fire pit, Nintendo Switch, Robot Roomba, espresso machine, Michael Kors handbag, Coach handbag, cash prizes and more. Tickets for the sweepstakes are $100 each and are limited to 4,499 tickets. The drawing will be held on Aug. 27 at 8 p.m.

The event is also an opportunity to see traditional Greek dance performances by the St. John’s Hellenic Dancers who will take to the dance floor on Saturday at 7 p.m. Fireworks will be held on Friday and Saturday nights at 9:15 p.m., weather permitting.

Free shuttle buses will pick up attendees from Ward Melville High School, 380 Old Town Road, East Setauket to transport them to festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Parking is also available at BASF Corporation across the street from the church at 361 Sheep Pasture Road and at Head Start at 400 Sheep Pasture Road. Handicapped parking is available at the church. Admission to the festival is $2 per person; children under 12 can attend for free.

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption is located at 430 Sheep Pasture Road in Port Jefferson. For more information, call the church office at 631-473-0894 or visit www.portjeffgreekfest.com.

Eagles Soar: Kings Park Civic Association hosts rockin’ evening

by Steven Zaitz - August 18, 2023

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By Steven Zaitz

Music lovers packed the area behind Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices on Main Street this past Friday, Aug. 11, for the latest installment of the Musical Moments in Kings Park concert series.

Coinciding with sunset, the crowd of about 700 enjoyed “Tequila Sunrise” and other past hits from California soft-rock legends, the Eagles, performed by the local six-piece tribute outfit known as the Eagle River Band.

There was barely an inch of space for one more lawn chair in and around Russ Savatt Park in Village Plaza, as band leaders Paul Graf and Kevin Byrne both ably impersonated Eagle front men Don Henley and Glenn Frey all evening long.

The band played all the hits of the 1970s and ’80s such as “Take It To The Limit,” “Life In The Fast Lane,” and “Desperado,” and formed a warm rapport with the audience as they made light-hearted, self-deprecating cracks at one another throughout the show.

The amiable Graf, who also uses the stage name Paul Henry, was the principal at Smithtown Elementary School from 1988-2012 and has great experience entertaining the masses. One of his annual thrills while serving at Smithtown Elementary was dressing up as Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat with full face paint as well as performing for the students whenever the opportunity presented itself.

“I’ve been playing and singing in front of my parents’ fireplace since I was kid,” said Graf, from Mount Sinai. “It’s an honor to be back in Kings Park and playing here again because the people here are always responsive, and they are a great audience.”

Graf was one of the first musicians ever to play at Musical Moments, which is supported by the Kings Park Civic Association. In 2008, the inaugural year of the series, he played as a duet with his friend Jeff Laino on bass guitar in front of a much smaller audience.

“I remember it was pouring raining and there were a few hardy souls in the crowd that night,” said Graf. “But we did our best.”

Fast forward 15 years and the delightful summer breeze, a crowd that was almost backed up onto the train platform and Graf and his five bandmates made for a perfect musical weekend kickoff.

Formed in 2017, Eagle River Band has seen lineup changes on occasion, but now features Jim Cairo (bass guitar and vocals), Mike Draddy (keyboards, guitars and vocals), Steve Lobmeier (drums) and Joe Savio (guitars and vocals) in addition to Graf (guitar, mandolin and harmonica) and Byrne (guitars and vocals). Savio was responsible for many of the famous guitar solos of legendary guitarist Joe Walsh.

The band played for about two hours and the crowd size and enthusiasm grew to a crescendo together with the music, as the band encored and closed with the Eagles’ most-beloved smash, “Hotel California” — and indeed for everyone at Russ Savatt Park in the center of Kings Park, it was “such a lovely place.”

The Kings Park Civic Association is a community group consisting of local residents who volunteer their time and energy to help maintain the highest standards of quality of life in Kings Park. Founded in 1970, KPCA has a long history of acting as a community advocate.

Carol Kelly is a member of the association and she spearheaded and currently organizes the Musical Moments program. Local sponsors and raffle drawings fuel the project, and the Eagle River Band was the fourth act out of five for this year’s summer program. The country band Urban Rodeo will play the finale Friday, Aug. 25, at 7:30 p.m.

The Fat Boys inducted to Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame

by Press Release - August 18, 2023

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Hip-hop group The Fat Boys was recently inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) at its newly opened museum location in Stony Brook on Aug. 6. Kool Rock-Ski (Damon Wimbley), the last surviving member of The Fat Boys, accepted the induction in person from hip-hop legend and LIMEHOF inductee Erick Sermon of EPMD. Public Enemy’s DJ Johnny Juice (also a LIMEHOF inductee) was also on hand to show support and speak about the group.

“It’s definitely an honor on behalf of the group, two members who are no longer here,” Kool Rock-Ski said. “To accept this on their behalf is huge, because they brought so much to the culture. Their legacy lives on with an award like this. We got to the pinnacle of our success—and we got there the hard way, by doing a lot of hard work.”

The Fat Boys rose to fame in the 1980s, where they pioneered their influential beatbox style of hip-hop music. The group was from East New York in Brooklyn and included “Prince Markie Dee” (Mark Morales), “Kool Rock-Ski” (Damon Wimbley), and “Buff Love” (Darin Robinson). They would heavily influence hip-hop culture through beatbox, comedic charisma, and rhymes. The trio released seven studio albums, four of which went gold by RIAA. In addition to their music, they went on to star in three feature films: Krush Groove, Knights of the City, and Disorderlies.

The Fat Boys had several successful singles which included “Stick ‘Em,” “Can You Feel It,” “The Fat Boys Are Back,” “Wipe Out,” “Fat Boys,” and “Jail House Rap,” to name a few. Throughout their career, they participated in several tours, one of which was Fresh Fest. And despite having eventually broken up as a group, each of the three members maintained a strong brotherhood. The Fat Boys is credited as having had a strong influence on the development and growing popularity of hip-hop.

“The Fat Boys introduced the beatbox, to the world and the song they made was funky to me,” said EPMD’s Erick Sermon, himself a LIMEHOF inductee, when he officially inducted The Fat Boys on stage. “I’m honored to do this because my memories of my kitchen on that ledge was playing The Fat Boys album.”

Kurtis Blow, another LIMEHOF inductee, has a personal connection to The Fat Boys, as he produced their first two albums.

“The Fat Boys being inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is so well deserved,” Blow said in a written statement which congratulated the group on this honor. “These young men were talented and passionate about their craft at a very young age. Producing The Fat Boys was one the highlights of my career. Rest in peace, Buffy (the Human Beatbox Master) and Prince Markie Dee (Mark Morales). I will never forget you, and you are greatly missed. Continue to carry the torch, Kool Rock-Ski!”

LIMEHOF has long recognized the unique talent and contributions that Long Island artists brought to the hip-hop genre. Notable hip-hop inductees include LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Kurtis Blow, Whodini, Salt-N-Pepa, and EPMD. Earlier this year, LIMEHOF held an event to honor the 50th anniversary of hip-hop which had a strong participation and turn out from Long Island artists.

“This historic induction—coupled with our recent 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Concert—cements Long Island’s legacy as one of the most important regions in the country for contributing to hip-hop’s long-term success,” said Ernie Canadeo, LIMEHOF Chairman.

“Inducting The Fat Boys into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is a tribute to their enduring influence—recognizing their role in shaping the genre and inspiring generations,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF Vice Chairman and longtime host of the “Sounds of Film” radio show, and who organized the induction event.

At the induction ceremony, Kool Rock-Ski announced that he is working on a documentary film about The Fat Boys and intends to hold the premiere at LIMEHOF when it’s released.

For more information about events and future inductions, visit www.limusichalloffame.org/museum/.

‘Til I Hear It From You’: A Q&A with Gin Blossoms Frontman Robin Wilson

by Kevin Redding - August 17, 2023

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By Kevin Redding

As a teenaged self-taught singer and “bedroom songwriter” in Tempe, Arizona, Robin Wilson would comb through ads of local bands in the paper—dreaming about being in one someday. The powerful yet tender voice he’d honed, mostly in his room and car, ultimately landed him in a new band that was blowing up in Tempe called Gin Blossoms.

Not long after that, the group found major mainstream success. Throughout the 90s, Gin Blossoms’ catchy harmonies and jangle guitar-driven pop rock dominated the airwaves with massive hits like “Hey Jealousy,” “Follow You Down,” “Found Out About You,” “Til I Hear It From You,” “Allison Road,” and “As Long As It Matters.”

Wilson and his bandmates had music videos on MTV, became mainstays on late night shows, and were nominated for a Grammy. They’ve not only contributed to the soundtracks for such movies as Wayne’s World 2, Empire Records, and Speed, but for many people’s lives.

On Aug. 25, Wilson will be inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook Village. He’s bounced between Arizona and Valley Stream since the mid-90s, but says he became a full-time Long Islander in 2001 and even more so over quarantine.

TBR News Media had the opportunity to interview Wilson by phone last Sunday as the singer/songwriter took a trip down memory lane.

What does this induction mean to you?

It makes me very proud and it’s really great to be part of the “Big Rock Story” and to know that we’ve had the same sort of impact that so many of my favorite groups did. I was just onstage last night [in Reynoldsburg, Ohio] looking out at 6,000 people who all know the words to a song I wrote in my bedroom and I was thinking, ‘Ya know, we really did great. Nobody thought we could still be doing it this long.’ And here we are 35 years later…I’m very gratified and grateful that I still get to do this for a living. It’s bewildering to me.

We got inducted into the Arizona Hall of Fame back in 2017 alongside the Meat Puppets, one of my favorite bands. I still just shake my head in disbelief because one minute you’re a teenager going to open mic nights and thinking ‘God I hope someday I can be in a band that plays this bar’ and now we’re among the most successful acts to ever come out of our homestate, alongside Jimmy Eat World and Alice Cooper.

More than anything else, I’m really proud for my family here. It really feels like their achievement and it means the world to me that so many of them are going to be there for the ceremony. My son’s band is rehearsing and his biggest influences all come from the 90s.

What was it like to be a rock band in the 90s?

There were so many great moments where we knew we were accomplishing something very rare. Most of it was the grind of doing the work and being a touring rock band…it’s only with the perspective of time that you realize how grandly we succeeded. We’re going on tour in a couple weeks with some of my all time favorite bands to tour with: Fastball, Tonic, and Sugar Ray. We’ve been on these package tours with Lit and Everclear and Smash Mouth and none of them have done “Saturday Night Live.”

We performed at the American Music Awards and I got to front KISS on Letterman! There was a lot of diversity [in the 90s] but the bands that survived as the soundtrack of those times were delivering high quality music and really great, memorable songs. I think certainly the key to our success has been having really good songs.

How did you come to join the band?

As I was finally forming my first band with my best friend, Gin Blossoms called and asked me in for an audition. They had only been playing out for a few months but as soon as they hit the local scene, they were a big deal. I already knew our bass player, Bill Leen, and our original guitar player/songwriter Doug Hopkins [who penned many of their early hits and passed away in 1993]. We all went to high school together. They were a few years ahead of me, but they were the only kids that had a band and putting out records. I was listening to Bill’s and Doug’s music since I was like 15.

Bill and Doug had heard me sing at a couple of parties so when they needed somebody for Gin Blossoms, I got the call. I auditioned on a Wednesday, they gave me the job that night, we rehearsed on Thursday, and then we did three days of shows that weekend, Friday-Sunday. I was playing rhythm guitar and they’d let me sing a couple tunes. Jesse Valenzuela [Gin Blossoms’ guitar player] was the lead singer. I got the job because he and I sounded so good together; it was really special right from the beginning.

A few months in, Jesse said, “You and I are gonna switch. I’m gonna be the guitar player and you’re gonna be the lead singer.” I was just blown away. In the history of rock and roll, has a lead singer ever done that? It was just such good fortune and destiny…the right place at the right time with the right skillset.

What’s your favorite song to play live?

Doug started the band with this incredible batch of songs, including “Found Out About You,” so it was easy for me to just step in and sing them. And then there were a handful of songs he and I wrote together. The only one of them we ended up recording was “Hold Me Down” [off their 1992 LP “New Miserable Experience”] and that one’s really special to me. Playing the hits is very gratifying too. There’s a song I wrote for our last record called “Break” and it’s great to see them react to it and to know it’s a song that holds up to the rest of our catalog.

What was it like bringing your own songs to the band?

Being in Gin Blossoms with seasoned composers, it helped me to raise my [songwriting] game at an accelerated pace. It wasn’t until I wrote “Allison Road” that the whole band seemed to realize I was approaching their level as a songwriter. Earlier this year, our hometown of Tempe honored us by renaming a street Allison Road.

What’s the strangest bill the band has been on?

[Laughs] We did a show once with Missing Persons, MC Hammer, Joe Walsh, and Toto. And it was just like, ‘How did we end up on this bill?!’ Missing Persons was on before us and MC Hammer was on after us. That was like 12 years ago or something.

In honor of Empire Records, if you were in a record shop right now, what would you be looking for?

My favorite band right now is called White Reaper. They’re one of the best bands of their generation and I love them to death. If I walked in right now, I’d be looking for White Reaper on vinyl. My favorite band of the last couple decades is The Darkness, and I’m excited they’re going to be performing in Tempe in October and so my son and I are going to home to Arizona at a club I’ve played a bunch of times to see them. Another great rock band I love is called Volbeat.

What’s it like being a rock star on Long Island?

This is the first time since winter that I’ll be home here on Long Island for more than five days. I’m home until the Hall of Fame induction and then I leave town the day after that and I’ll be gone for about six weeks. But I have until the 26th to actually be in the same place so I’m fixing to make the most of it, spend time making the racket down in the basement in our new studio, exercising. I played a lot of video games during the pandemic. I bought a Switch and I love that system.

A few years ago, when the pandemic hit, that’s when I really got to meet my neighbors, and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re in a band, huh?’ I’m like ‘Yeah’ and they’re like ‘Well, you keep at it!’ And then a few months later, the neighbor will come up and be like ‘Holy ___, apparently my brother has your record!’

It took me a while to get used to living here, but I’m finally a citizen. And I’m the only guy on Long Island who flies an Arizona flag on his front porch.

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, 97 Main St., Stony Brook will hold an induction ceremony for Robin Wilson on Friday, Aug. 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. Wilson will perform with special guests on the Exhibit Hall stage as part of the evening’s ceremony. Tickets are $40, $35 members at www.limusichalloffame.org or by calling 631-689-5888.

Sea Shanty & Maritime Music Festival returns to Port Jefferson

by Julianne Mosher - August 17, 2023

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2022 Sea Shanty Festival:A. Johnson — AHOY MATEY! Visit with pirates at this year's festival. File photo by Aidan Johnson/TBR News Media

By Julianne Mosher

Harborfront Park in Port Jefferson will turn into a pirate’s paradise this weekend and it’ll make visitors want to shake their “booty.”

On Saturday, Aug. 19, singers from around the world will head to the Village to share the gift of song, and some history, with tunes that came straight from the seas, as part of the 3rd annual Port Jefferson Sea Shanty & Maritime Music Festival.

Amy Tuttle, program director of the Greater Port Jefferson Arts Council (GPJAC), said that the free event brings in local sea shanty singers and others from all over New England, Canada, and even the UK. From noon until dusk, visitors can sit and sing along in Harborfront Park, located at 101-A East Broadway, or they might catch glimpses of a few street singers walking around town.

“Port Jefferson was a shipbuilding community,” Tuttle said. “A lot of the captains and ship builders lived in these very houses that are still standing.”

Tuttle added that over a century ago, Port Jefferson was one of the largest shipbuilding communities in the state. Not only were a large number of big boats created right on these docks, but a huge number of small, wooden boats, as well.

“Sea shanties were work songs developed by people who worked on and who built the ships,” she said. “They could be considered one of the first genres of world music —wherever there was a port, there would be different influences. It’s really interesting.”

And to really bring the vibe of early century Port Jefferson, across the park at Bayles Boat Shop, which is part of the Long Island Seaport and Eco Center (LISEC) and a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of maritime history on Long Island, will be hosting its annual Sikaflex Quick and Dirty Boat Build.

Now in its 12th year, the event allows would-be boat designers and builders to have a weekend of fun and showcase their creative skills and talents. Using only a provided supply of plywood, plastic cable ties, and Sikaflex/sealant, two member teams must build, paint and then paddle their design around the village dock in Port Jefferson Harbor located just offshore of Harborfront Park.

Several two-person teams will have five hours on Saturday and return on Sunday to decorate their boats and prepare to race them at 3 p.m. Trophies will be awarded after the races for design, decoration, first built and race winners. “People will be able to watch the boats being built, listen to music and sing along,” Tuttle said.

Port Jefferson hosted the first Sea Shanty & Maritime Music Festival in 2021. Tuttle said that for many years, Mystic CT would host a Sea Shanty Festival, but unfortunately, it was discontinued. In the time passing, she heard from many of the artists looking for other places to sing their songs, so the GPJAC partnered with the Village of Port Jefferson and the Folk Music Society of New York to bring this whaling town back to its roots.

Featured performers will include John Roberts, David Jones, David Littlefield, Bonnie & Dan Milner, Heather Wood, Joseph Morneault, Geoff Kaufman, and Deirdre Murtha and Alan Short — plus a grand finale concert featuring all the musicians at around 6 p.m. Pirates at Large will be at the “pirate camp” outside the Village Center in character, singing along, too.

“Each year this gets a little bit bigger and we’re so excited to bring it back again,” Tuttle said. “There’s nothing else like it.” For more information, visit www.gpjac.org.

Whiskey Crows flock to Celebrate Park in St. James

by Steven Zaitz - August 12, 2023

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Eric Dubin, left, of The Whiskey Crows rocks Lake Avenue Sunday night, Aug. 6, during the Celebrate St. James concert series. Photo by Steven Zaitz

By Steven Zaitz

If you were strolling down Lake Avenue in St. James this past Sunday evening, Aug. 6, you might have been compelled to check the map on your phone to see if you were magically transported to Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Springsteen’s “Rosalita” rang out from Celebrate Park in the latest of the 2023 Summer Concert Series and this time it was The Whiskey Crows who got the people on their feet. The dynamic eight-piece band is an upbeat rock ‘n’ roll, twang and soul revue in the Jersey Shore bar band tradition. The band included a three-piece horn section.

Energetic front man Eric Dubin bounced around the stage and, thanks to the technology of wireless amplifiers, was able to sing and play while mixing with the crowd.

With a mix of Elvis, Dobie Gray, Mitch Ryder, St. James-resident Dubin and the boys played for two hours and had the crowd dancing with them in front of the canopied stage.

In addition to Dubin, the band features Mike Breier (bass and vocals), Rich Dashnaw (guitar and vocals), Andrew Rubenstein (drums), Joe Ferrante (keyboards and vocals), Mike Baratelli (saxophone), Josh Seifert (trombone) and Joe Boardman (trumpet).

As part of the Celebrate St. James Summer, a lucky raffle winner won the tidy sum of $318. Second place was slightly less lucky with the prize being a Whiskey Crows T-shirt.

Celebrate St. James Past-Present-Future is a nonprofit cultural arts organization. Housed in the historic St. James Calderone Theatre and built in the early 1900s, its mission is to preserve and celebrate St. James’ rich history and inspire an appreciation and knowledge of the arts in the community.

Founded in 2017, Celebrate St. James was born as a nonprofit cultural arts organization by Jack Ader, Arline Goldstein and Natalie Weinstein to assist in the revitalization of the Lake Avenue district.

In November 2020, Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) and the Town Board joined Celebrate St. James in a groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the construction of Celebrate Park.

Blu Bayou, featuring the music of Linda Ronstadt, will play on Aug. 13 and the final concert will be Aug. 20 with SouthBound, which is heavily influenced by the music of the Allman Brothers.

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