Local bands jam for Sandy

Local bands will rock the green at St. Marks’s Church in Rockville Centre on Saturday, July 20, in a Sandy relief concert to benefit Oceanside Community Service.

“When the storm hit, Rockville Centre got spared, but I heard a lot of stories about what happened in other towns to other people—some of them my relatives,” said Lucas Santora, 16, event organizer and lead guitar and vocals for Bailout 42. “Then I saw the 12/12/12 concert, and decided to do a benefit. I waited till summer because more people would go, and it would be easier to plan.”

Santora, a rising junior at South Side High School, experienced the storm secondhand when his aunt and uncle moved in with his family for a month after their home in Island Park was damaged by Sandy, and said he has wanted to host a benefit ever since. And when several fundraising events at the high school fell through, he decided to organize the event himself.

“I thought of this as a win-win-win situation,” he said. “These bands get to perform—which they love doing—people get to hear good music, and it’s for a good cause.”

The participating bands are all local—all but 3 to 1, a West Hempstead band, are from Rockville Centre—and their members range from college age musicians to fifth graders.

The event is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, on the lawn at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, at 200 Hempstead Avenue in Rockville Centre. The lineup includes Bailout 42, the Punk Rangers, Robot Dad, 3 to 1, Opposite Orange and Sabretooth. Suggested donations are $5, and food and drink will also be available for purchase.