The Ridge
Music Festival is a daylong music festival benefiting the NY
Firefighters Burn Center Foundation at New York Hospital-Cornell
Medical Center and will be held at St. Patrick’s Auditorium in Bay
Ridge, Brooklyn on Saturday, December 27th. An all day pass is $20,
with original music from 2pm till midnight. The Festival, in it’s
sophomore year, looks to improve on the $10,000 donation made to the
Burn Center in 2007, a fantastic amount considering we relied mainly on
the strength of local indie bands from the burgeoning local music
scene. However, this year’s festival has expanded way past it’s local
borders and features multi-platinum selling, Grammy nominated artist
Chris Barron, of The Spin Doctors to headline the show.
Chris Barron And The Time Bandits
There will be great bands playing throughout the day from all over NYC
and Brooklyn including the up and coming indie sensation The Josh Dion
Band and hometown favorites Pill Hill Radio and The Andrew Gerardi
Band. The Alexis P. Suter Band, featuring Bay Ridge’s own Bennet
brothers, are taking the night off from Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble in
Woodstock, NY for the second year in a row to lend a hand. Festival founder Tom Casatelli, a retired 9/11 firefighter, has
adopted the FDNY’s philosophy of Do The Right Thing and has applied
that motto to this festival, with 100% of the profits going to the Burn
Center.There will be over a dozen bands
throughout the day, food from many of Brooklyn’s best restaurants, beer
gardens, comedy shows, face painting, a Christmas Caroling Elvis,
Bizarro Santa and his merry Elves (don’t ask!), and much, much more.
About the Performers...
KURT METZGER
Besides regularly performing in many a NYC comedy club, Kurt Metzger's
credits include performing on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham,
Showtime's White Boys in the Hood and as a regular on VH1's Best Week
Ever. Kurt will be filming a half hour special for Comedy Central in
August and will be appearing on Comedy Central's new show Important
Things with Demetri Martin. In 2007, he was the stand out comedian at
the Montreal Comedy Festival's New Faces showcase.
JOE DEROSA
Joe DeRosa started stand-up comedy by hitting the Wednesday night open
mic at the Laff House in Philadelphia, PA. Within a year, he was a
regular there and at all the major clubs in the surrounding area. It
was not long before Joe made the jump to New York City to take up
comedy as a full time gig. He quickly began working frequently at New
York venues such as Caroline’s, Stand-up New York, the Laugh Factory,
and Gotham Comedy Club. He also made appearances on “Last Call with
Carson Daly,” Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend,” and the “New Faces”
showcase at the Montreal Comedy Festival. In addition, he’s performed
on national tours such as Dave Chappelle’s “Block Party Tour” and the
“Insomniac Tour” with Dave Attell. Joe continues to perform constantly,
making television appearances and headlining clubs and colleges both in
and out of the country.
CHRIS BARRON
Specialists gave Chris Barron a 50-50 chance of ever talking normally
again let alone singing on a professional level when he was stricken
with vocal chord paralysis. After a regime of everything from
acupuncture to prescription steroids and intensive vocal training,
Chris Barron is fully recovered and singing better than ever, winning
audiences all over again as a solo artist with his sincerity and that
vocal tone that has made his voice recognizable to millions all over
the world. Right now Chris has a solo CD, called “Pancho And The Kid,”
in the can, awaiting release. It’s a collaboration with his long time
friend, Jeff Cohen of Pancho’s Lament. “Pancho And The Kid” is a
song-oriented mixture of American musical forms that showcase the
beauty, versatility, subtlety and raw emotional power of Barron’s
voice. He is playing live with New York City notables the Time Bandits
featuring Tim Givens on upright bass, Phil Cimino on drums, Jon Loyd
..boards and Brett Bass on electric bass guitar.
Chris Barron is best known as the lead singer for the Grammy nominated
band, Spin Doctors, who sold like, fifty-two gazillion records or
something. They were on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and opened
for the Rolling Stones (or vice versa). Chris Barron cooks a mean
meatloaf, wrote the songs, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Two
Princes” both of which went to Billboard’s top five, he likes kids and
dogs, and keeps his gold and platinum records in his bathroom.
ALEXIS P. SUTER
Any blues singer will tell you there's a close connection between the
blues and gospel music.
Alexis P. Suter, an up-and-coming vocalist from Brooklyn, knows this.
Suter was raised on gospel music and began singing in church as a
4-year-old with her mother's choir.
In February 2005 Suter released her debut
album, "Shuga Fix." She's accompanied on the record by the same
musicians who'll accompany her Sunday night at The Ridge Music
Festival: drummer Ray Grappone, backing singer Vicki Bell, bassist
Peter Bennett and guitarist Jimmy Bennett: all from Bay Ridge Brooklyn. A newer addition to the band
is keyboardist Bruce Katz, who was sent their way by former Band member
drummer/singer Levon Helm.
Helm has gotten into Suter's corner in a big way: He features the
Alexis P. Suter Band at his monthly Midnight Ramble sessions at his
home studio in Woodstock, N.Y.
PILL HILL RADIO
Pill Hill Radio was
formed in 2007 in Brooklyn, New York. Born and bred in the county of
Kings, the band came up in a time when there was a church and a bar on
every block and an open hydrant was a summer vacation.Armed with the
wisdom of to many last calls, PHR pounds home a rock show with
heartfelt lyrics and sing along choruses."From the opening notes of
"Pill Hill Radio" I was convinced I had been transplanted by time and
place", writes Wildy of Wildy's World Music Blog. "The songwriting is
outstanding and PHR is a plus performer." Pill Hill has just finished
recording their second LP that will be released in early 2009 with a
subsequent Northeast tour to follow.
THE ANDREW GERARDI BAND
Solid
Performances, Lyrical Story Telling, Catchy Hooks, Musical Ingenuity, A
Rock and Blues Fueled Soul and an Undying Determination for Success.
Others have their own opinions:The AGB, or Andrew Gerardi Band as they
are formally known have been described by New York City D.J. Ken Dashow
as "the only independant band out there that truly gets it!" -".....a
band I am Definitly keeping my eye on"! - Ken Dashow- Q104.3 FM New York City
-"Andrew is a young man who has taken our little section of the world
by storm...you only need to hear him once to realize that his love for
music and dedication to his art are foremost on his list of priorities.
Listening to him is like pulling on that old sweater that you just wont
give up. He makes you feel comfortable...he speaks to you as if he
knows you, and that is why you listen" - T. Kane -The New York Home Reporter
THE HEAVES
The Heaves - A rock and roll band - and I do mean a rock and roll band
- from New York that goes down like a double shot of Jim Beam: never
seeming like it's a good idea, but you're always glad once it settles
into the bloodstream. Nodding to everyone from Johnny Cash to the late
great Replacements, the Heaves record, Are You Still Mad at the Dry
Heaves, is a tinny, howling, rock and roll barroom gone mad. And I want
to be there.
Kurt Hernon Liner Notes: A Real Life Guide to Independent Living
..
ANIMAL PHARM
Animal Pharm is an explosive rock quartet whose thought provoking song writing and intense stage performance stretches the boundaries of today's rock. Animal Pharm's unique recordings and vigorous touring schedule 9sharing the stage with such national acts as: Moe, The Wailers, Powerman 5000, Sponge, Days of the New, Sebastian Bach and Jimmies Chicken Shack), has created a buzz in the clubs, festivals, music confrences and with music industry insiders. This buzz is facilitating a rapidly expanding fan base sparking a movement reaching from NYC to the Mid-Atlantic region, the Midwest and beyond. Animal Pharm markets their music and merchandise nationally as well as internationally via their website, WWW.ANIMALPHARMMUSIC.COM, receiving hits from 26 different countries. So come one come ALL, experience the buzz that is spawning a new movement. Welcome to the PHARM!
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN BAND
Christopher Robin has accomplished what every
musician sets out to do; he has developed a unique, individual voice, a
music undeniably his own, a sound that is recognizable from the first
note. After more than a decade of paying his dues and soaking up the wisdom
of seasoned, storied performers, however, Christopher Robin is now
poised to become one himself.
THE HI-TIDES
According
to legend, Steve McEvoy was on his way to play golf in 2006, and ran
into John Cadotte who was sitting in Fairways Pub, listening to the
Stones and feeling the call of the drum, when he said to Mac, “lets
jam”. As fortune would have it, Sheila Maguire arrived in town on a
wave, also feeling the call to rock n roll. Cruising the ocean, Capt
Dave Doll heard the siren call of a band in distress and brought his
Bass to the rescue. THE HI-TIDES were formed.
LOWELL THOMPSON
Picking up the guitar at age 12, the self-taught Vermont native grew up on a steady regimen of punk rock and power chords. It was either the piercings or the girls (perhaps lack of), but Thompson soon realized that rock n' roll music was what he was raised on and what he was destined to play. He has drawn comparisons to Jeff Tweedy, Beck and Gram Parsons, but his songwriting transcends the boundaries of genre and is all his own. He can slow it down or turn it up, his songs equally captivating acoustically or with a band and you can count on his steadily growing fan base to make noise wherever he plays..... they like to drink.
BREEZYGRASS
Started in the Spring of 2008 - BreezyGrass is a band that originated
out of the Rockaway Artist Alliance Open Mic Thursday Nights down in
Ft. Tilden where they can often be seen sure enough on Thursday nights.
The guys perform mostly as a trio of guitar, mandolin, and upright bass
but have been known to add a piece or two. The boys liken themselves to
playing handmade music. The sounds are simply coming from their
instruments with a clean signal. The band has a wide and diverse
reportoire ranging from traditional bluegrass to classic Americana and
all things in between.
FRANKIE MARRA & HIS BAND
Brooklyn's hottest Bar Band "Frankie Marra & His Band". The Brooklyn Courier said "they are one of the last true bar bands... Frankie takes his audience on a Rock & Roll journey from Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Stones, Mellencamp, Springsteen through Oasis, Radiohead and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. True Live Rock & Roll!!!!" Voted New York's #1 Band of 2004 by Barstar.
XAVIER CARDRICHE
Xavier picked up a guitar four long years ago and hasn't put it down
since. He began playing alongside his friends who taught him the basics
and, after learning Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison covers,
songwriting came naturally. Over time and numerous graveyard shifts,
Xavier wrote some original songs, worked the vocal chords out, and
played those fledling songs at local New York City open-mics. The
process paid off with a listening audience, feedback, and some playing
gigs. Even to this day, Xavier still extends many thanks to his friends
for showing him how to bring music to his fingertips.
PRODIGAL CHILD
Formed from former members of Bay Ridge bands, The City Kids, Rhodes and Others, they are back playing the same kind of music. The repertoire features great blues, old school R&B and classic rockers. The Band members are Mike Riddle (lead guitar, vocals), Tony
Monier (lead vocals,bass guitar), Jane T (keys,vocals), Dom D'Ambra
a/k/a D2 (lead vocals, guitar), Nat Seeley and Brian Picardi
(drums)
WOOF WOOF
Woof Woof was born in Queens New York in the winter of 1987 when three members (Frank Carbone/ Joe Swain /Paul Precod) decided to go "all original" after playing as a cover band called Maximum Penetration. Max Pen played a lot of U2, Clash, Cure, Ramones, Sex Pistols, and most music that was heard on WLIR. After playing covers from 1985 to 1987, founder Frank Carbone grew tired and started writing songs that would become the underbelly of a band that was inspired by funk, punk, jazz, and classic rock. Woof Woof played shows all over Queens and Long Island and developed a strong following of "Woofies". At the time, no one would realize that the band would span 20 years with over 15 members that would come and go as the band evolved into a true rock live act and a most original sound that could not be defined but burned into the memory of anyone who witnessed the band live. Woof Woof would soon migrate to Manhattan and literally attacked the Lower East Side creating a buzz and loyal following of fans that could not get enough of the bands 3 hour set. Woof Woof would go on to play all the major tri state venues and always maintained an integrity to the music and the fans as the most important aspect of the band.
