It’s been 10 years since lifelong musician Paul Casanova — armed with a roll of painter’s tape — mapped out the blueprint for a music school in an empty 2,500 square foot … more

Steve Eplan, a 49-year-old entrepreneur from Merrick, owns two businesses in the same building in downtown Bellmore. When asked whether they were similar in any way, he said with a laugh, … more

When this winter’s temperatures plummeted, so did business at Bellmore-Merrick establishments, according to an informal survey of shop owners. Now area merchants say sales appear to be rebounding with the rapidly warming weather, and new businesses are moving in to fill vacant shops. more

Different paths led the three founders of The Rock Underground to one another in 2010. Paul Casanova, now a guitarist in the Brooklyn-based band Of Earth, had experience in the music industry as a performer, booking agent and instructor. Another lifelong musician, Billy Handy Jr., was a former financial manager looking to trade his Wall Street office for a more creative environment. And Steve Eplan, a mortgage broker and manager of Bellmore’s Perri Funding Group, learned from his teenaged children that local young people didn’t have anywhere to learn about and share their love of music. more

From time to time, I wonder what happened to Kiki. I interviewed her at a pizzeria in downtown Merrick in June 2004. At the time, she was 16 and a Calhoun High School junior. And she drank –– a lot. more

With a diverse lineup of Bellmore-Merrick Central High School district students, alumni and musicians from throughout Nassau County, more than a dozen bands battled it out at the Brookside School last week at a Bellmore-Merrick Community Wellness Council event that raised more than $2,500 for the council’s annual Midnight Madness drug- and alcohol-free post-prom party. more

The Midnight Madness post-prom party for Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District students is difficult to finance, according to members of the Community Wellness Council. President Emilio Manzo said the organization planned to hold another disco night fundraiser to benefit the substance-free program until Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg suddenly suggested at a meeting that they host an all-ages battle of the bands. more

The owners of The Rock Underground say they want their students to experience music, not just learn it. The new store on Bedford Avenue in Bellmore Village opened in September and has had a growing number of loyal clients ever since more

CRED or “Cool Rock Education,” is what The Rock Underground, a full-service music school, is all about. If you grew up in the days of garage bands, you will wonder why this incredible concept took so long to become a reality. more