Music fest this weekend to benefit musicians facing hardships

LAKE GEORGE | A music festival featuring eight noted bands is to be held Friday, Oct. 1 and Saturday, Oct. 2 at the Roaring Brook Ranch Resort — and the two-day event is a fundraiser for an area non-profit group that assists musicians facing hardships. The bands, hailing from the Hudson Valley and northeast U.S. states, have earned a reputation for their American roots music with elements of rock, blues and country soul influences, event organizers have said. A total of 150 musicians will be participating in the benefit festival, according to John Strong, treasurer of the Southern Adirondack Musicians Fund, the sponsoring charitable organization. Strong is also a member of the Stony Creek Band, which is one of the featured groups. "The bands playing this next weekend are more or less disciples of The Band," he said, referring to the group that once backed Bob Dylan and authored such enduring classics as "The Weight." All the bands performing in the upcoming fundraiser at Roaring Brook Ranch have earned acclaim in their own right, Strong said. A suggested donation of $20 will be collected at the door. The music starts at 4 p.m. Friday with Don LaSala and the Northern Light Review, followed by the Zip City Blues Band and "dancing madness" with Jocomo. Saturday's music begins at 1 p.m. on Roaring Brook's outdoor stage with Dan Stevens & Friends, followed by Wombat Larry and the Aardvark Unicorn Orchestra — and at 3 p.m., the Stony Creek Band, which will be making one of their final appearances for 2021. Music moves indoors at 5 p.m. first with casual Happy Hour music, followed by a concert at 8:30 p.m. by well-regarded New England singer/songwriter Kerri Powers. Mid-evening, raffles and prizes are to be awarded, including a Gibson guitar. Closing out the event is the group Johnny's Giraffe, Strong said. "They're a rockin' dance band," he said. Strong said the event will be imbued by considerable energy and musical synergy stemming from the friendship between many of the musicians, and their connection with the audience. "These musicians really enjoy getting together and making music — while raising money for musicians who need it," he said. In past years, the Southern Adirondack Musicians Fund has raised cash for musicians whose houses or music studios were destroyed by fire, or who were stricken with serious illnesses, or who endured a death in their family, or faced other life-altering emergencies, Strong said. The organization's outreach focuses primarily on musicians and their families in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties. Separate donations may be mailed to: SAM Fund, P.O. Box 774, Lake George, NY, 12845

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Music fest this weekend to benefit musicians facing hardships

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