Rockland-Bergen Music Festival

Hey everyone hope you all had a good weekend. I have to say RIP RBG and thank you for serving us for so many years... I've got a busy week coming up as I will be with Max Weinberg's Jukebox on Thursday night at the Blue Grotto at Monmouth Racetrack. 7pm start time! Also waiting to hear if I am with Southside Johnny on Sept. 26th at City Winery/Hudson Valley as the show was waiting on the State of NY to see if it was moving ahead or not as there are strict Covid rules in place... in NY. Will know soon. But what I do know for sure is...I will be doing a virtual concert online at 8pm (EST) this Friday, September 25th! I have done a few interthons for food banks (People to People) and a songwriters in the round show for Light of Day Canada and I did a special show for the SpringNuts as a benefit for the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County but this show is...to feed my kids!! :) :) Below is the link to purchase a ticket ($10 for a person or a household or viewing party!) for the online link/viewing and I hope you can join me as I had a really good time on the recent shows I have done. New world and it allows for some story telling. If fact this series is called Songs & Stories! :) Here is the link and I hope to "see" you this Friday night and many thanks for all the support :) www.viewstub.com/joedurso You will get an email with a link to the show once you sign up!

I know it was late for many of our European friends but here is the recorded broadcast of tonight's Light of Day Canada Songwriters show. All "donation" avenues are still open and thanks for all the great support! https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=738360243565028

Summer 2020 - Coming Out of Hibernation... Kind of - LOD Canada August 6th, Park Ridge August 27th August 3, 2020 Needless to say, I hope this message finds you well, healthy and somewhat happy as I think the kind of happy we all want is not very attainable at this present moment. It has been a very interesting four months as I, and maybe you, went "underground" at the start of April. I was thankfully involved in April and June with two interthons/telethons for the Rockland C...Continue reading

Sorry it has taken me a bit to "report" on the People to People Interthon/Telethon that I helped produce on April 11th. After it was done I decided to take some time off from social media (besides hitting "like" or making a few comments here and there) but I wanted to share the Thank You note that was sent out to all who was involved. I was hoping to raise 20K to help P2P food bank. That night we raised 110K which turned in 600K worth of food. (!!) I was stunned to say the le...Continue reading

Some music business folks and their thoughts/memories of John Prine. From Pollstar magazine: As actor/writer Colin Mochrie summed it up: The loss of John Prine has created a big hole in what makes this world wonderful. Bonnie Raitt:...Continue reading

So sad to share this news. Stay safe out there. Rest In Peace John Prine... https://www.rollingstone.com//music-country/john-pri/amp/

From LoHud/Gannett: https://www.lohud.com//coronavirus-drains-food/5102218002/

David Frye and Michelle Solomon Join Fundraiser to Feed Rockland County's Hungry Popular Rockland-based singer-songwriters David Frye and Michelle Solomon will perform on April 11th to help feed the hungry in Rockland County. They'll be part of "Rockland Helping Rockland: An Interthon for People to People" which takes place on Facebook and YouTube from 7PM to 11PM.... The list of performers grows every day and it's so impressive to see so many of Rockland's best known performing talent sign on so fast. It now stands at about 35. Each will be doing their sets at home. Performers who have agreed to appear to date are Grace Vanderwaal, Tom Chapin, Neil Berg, Rita Harvey, Joe D’Urso, Johnny Markowski, Bobby DiBlasio, Roues Brothers, The Slippery Chickens, Tim O’Donohue, Arlon Bennett, Brett Eidman, Alice Leon and Al Greene, Adam Falcon, Joanne Lediger, The Foxfires, Yvonne Sotomayer, Loretta Hagen, Kenn Rowell, Caleb Caming, Red Sun Radio, Lennon Nersesian, Sammy & Jules Quinn, Bill Reiner, Rich Freitag, Anna Veleva, David Frye and Michelle Solomon and more are expected. On behalf of People to People Executive Director, Diane Serratore, President Neil Winter, Board Chair Matt Rand, the board of directors, the staff and volunteers who are coming out every day to make sure people get the food they need and myself, we're far more than humbled by the support the event has received so far! The Interthon is produced by musician and activist Joe D’Urso, People to People Chairman Emeritus Joe Allen and LCM 247 owner Patrick Heaphy. The April 11th event will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube by Heaphy’s company.

Grace VanderWaal Joins Interthon Event on April 11th to Help Feed Rockland’s Hungry Suffern resident Grace VanderWaal has joined the list of 26 local performers who will perform at Rockland Helping Rockland: An Interthon for People to People. The event is scheduled for April 11th from 7PM till 11PM. Also joining are Bill Reiner and Rich Freitag. Grace VanderWaal burst on the scene with a dramatic win in America’s Got Talent in 2016. She has toured with Imagine Dragons ...and Florence and the Machine. In 2019, she headlined her own Ur So Beautiful tour and released her second EP, Letters Vol 1, in November. She is starring in the Disney+ film, Stargirl, which was released two weeks ago. Bill Reiner fronts two Rockland bands, the Celtic tinged Blarney Stew and the acoustic rock and roll trio Willie & The J’s. He was also the bassist in the legendary Orangetown based band Boys in the Attic Multi-instrumentalist, Rich Freitag, longtime member of Tim O’Donohue’s TMU Band recently released his first record of original songs and debuted them with a sold out show at The Turning Point. They join some of the best-known Rockland entertainers, will provide performances from their homes in support of the Interthon, which will raise funds for People to People, Rockland’s emergency food resource. The organization is facing potentially crippling shortages in funds as a result of the coronavirus cancelling a host of spring fundraisers to assure the funds to purchase food will be available. More than 30,000 Rocklanders are food insecure and more than 1400 families currently come to to People to People for food each month. Performers who have agreed to appear to date are Grace Vanderwaal, Tom Chapin, Neil Berg, Rita Harvey, Joe D’Urso, Johnny Markowski, Bobby DiBlasio, Roues Brothers, The Slippery Chickens, Tim O’Donohue, Arlon Bennett, Brett Eidman, Alice Leon and Al Greene, Adam Falcon, Joanne Lediger, The Foxfires, Yvonne Sotomayer, Loretta Hagen, Kenn Rowell, Caleb Caming, Red Sun Radio, Lennon Nersesian, Sammy & Jules Quinn, Bill Reiner, Rich Freitag, Anna Veleva and more are expected. The Interthon is produced by musician and activist Joe D’Urso, People to People Chairman Emeritus Joe Allen and LCM 247 owner Patrick Heaphy. The April 11th event will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube by Heaphy’s company.

NEW INFO: Rockland anti-hunger activist and Grammy Award-winner Tom Chapin, along with local Broadway icons Neil Berg and Rita Harvey have joined 18 other performers to be part of Rockland Helping Rockland: An Interthon for People to People on Saturday, April 11 from 7-11PM. Chapin, Berg and Harvey, some of the best-known Rockland entertainers, will provide performances from their homes in support of the Interthon, which will raise funds for People to People, Rockland’s eme...rgency food resource. The organization is facing potentially crippling shortages in funds as a result of the coronavirus cancelling a host of spring fundraisers to assure the funds to purchase food will be available. People to People is gearing for a dramatic increase in new clients as a result of the virus and the subsequent shutting down of large parts of the economy. Some food pantries are already reporting 20% increase in clients. People to People serves some 1400 Rockland families each month. A large increase will stretch the resources for purchasing food beyond workable levels. Tom Chapin has been involved with People to People for many years. He sits on the board of WhyHunger, the organization co-founded by his brother, Harry Chapin. Neil Berg and his wife, Rita Harvey are also active in Rockland causes. Berg co-created Godstock, the recent fundraiser to feed the hungry, featuring beloved songs of stars who have passed on and has toured with Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock and Roll as well as 100 Years of Broadway. Harvey currently stars in Heart Like a Wheel, the tribute to Linda Ronstadt and became well-known from major Broadway roles in Phantom of the Opera and Fiddler on the Roof.