Rock for Relief 3 brings local musicians together

By Jose De Barros

The Empire Theatre is holding a benefit concert to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York.

The Rock for Relief 3 – A Hurricane Sandy USA Benefit concert will be held on Thursday, November 22, 2012 and is set to start at 8 p.m. Tickets will cost $20.

The proceeds from the concert will go to the Canadian Red Cross for the Hurricane Sandy USA relief effort.

Bands confirmed to be at the concert are All You Need is Love, Big Black Smoke, The Far Side, and Ed’s Garage.

The devastation of last week’s storm on the East Coast left local musicians wondering what to do.

Andie Forgie and Mark Rashotte, both members of All You Need is Love, wanted to help the people in those areas.

“The main thing is to raise some money and some awareness in this region, especially New Jersey as there are entire neighbourhoods that don’t exist anymore.” Forgie said in a phone interview on Thursday.

“We just have a kinship with both New Jersey and New York,” said Forgie. “They are places we have vacationed in, and know many people who live down there. Also, as musicians we have a debt of gratitude for all of the wonderful music that New Jersey and New York City recording artist have given the world over the decades. So we felt since they have given so much to us musically over the years that we should give back to them and try to help them out in their hour of need.”

The region has produced some of the greatest musical talent in rock history. New York is the home of the likes of Lou Reed, the Ramones and Neil Diamond, while New Jersey is known worldwide as the home of The Boss, Bruce Springsteen.

The hope, according to Forgie, is to raise around $10 000 for the relief fund.

“We think that is a realistic goal, and we are going to shoot for that.”

Forgie noted the November 22 concert will be held the same day as American Thanksgiving, bringing further emphasis to the idea of everyone coming together to help those in a difficult time.

Ticket sales have been available at the Empire Theatre since November 8.  So far the reaction to the announcement has pleased Forgie.

“The office has just been humming all morning,” Forgie said, noting there have been phone calls and email of support as well as messages on Facebook in support of the concert.

This is not the first time Forgie and Rashotte have organized a benefit concert in response to a natural disaster. The pair held a concert in 2005 to help out with the relief effort of the Indian Ocean tsunami, while another concert was held in 2009 to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Tickets for the concert are available online on the Empire Theatre website or at the box office.