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Long Island Tribute Bands Reunite For WCWP Benefit Concert

By Thomas Gillen
Arts & Entertainment Editor

pioneer-wcwpbenefitOn Thursday, June 30, WCWP will showcase two Long Island tribute bands, including Reckoning, playing the music of The Grateful Dead, and The Allmost Brothers Band, playing the music of the Allman Brothers Band. The concert, which will be the third collaboration between the two bands, will take place at the Hillwood Commons Recital Hall on Thursday, June 30 at 8 p.m. The proceeds from the concert will support WCWP.

The bands previously played together on May 6, 2016 at Revolution Bar and Music Hall in Amityville and on August 9, 2015 at the Homestead Restaurant and Lounge in Oyster Bay.

Reckoning includes members Charlie Mirro, playing guitar, guitar synth and vocals; Bob Liano, playing guitar and vocals; Rich Hutchinson, playing keys and vocals; Jeff Goldstein, playing bass; and William “Buzz” Abelson, playing drums. According to ReckoningBand.com, “Reckoning reflects the songs of the Grateful Dead by exploring new musical innovations. Each show is unique and performed with passion, joy, sadness and bliss. They express emotions through improvisation while breathing new life into timeless classics.”

The Allmost Brothers Band includes Sean McGrath on guitar, Bob Oven on vocals and percussion, Dave Losee on drums, Joe Wasserman on vocals and keyboard, Bruce Dickson on drums, Tom Hooker playing bass, and Dave Filloramo on guitar.

McGrath explained how the band became a part of the WCWP benefit concert. “Dan Cox, the director of broadcasting at WCWP, had reached out to us about putting a benefit show together for 88.1FM WCWP. Dan had heard about our band and the high-powered performance we bring to the songbook of the Allman Brothers Band and thought it would be the right type of group to bring to Post.”

According to the Facebook page for the Allmost Brothers Band, the band is a progressive tribute act honoring the tradition of the legendary Allman Brothers Band. “Working within the framework of the incredible and vast songbook of the ABB, The Allmost Brothers inject something new, fresh and exciting into the material. In a matter of words: high level musicianship, authentic improvisational interplay, dedication to the high octane performance, and power that established the original ABB back in 1969.”

The two bands enjoy playing together. “There has always been a connection and bond between the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead pretty much from the beginning,” said McGrath. “Both are pretty much the forefathers of the jam band music scene and there is a bond between their audiences as well. Summer Jam 1972, which at the time was the biggest festival audience of all time, was an incredible bill featuring the Dead and the Brothers as well as the band and solidified both bands legacy for sure,” he added.

Both bands were founded in Long Island, Reckoning in 1990 and The Allmost Brothers Band in 2014. Reckoning member Mirro stated that audiences should watch the two tribute bands perform because they are the “best Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Bands on Long Island.”

In addition to the upcoming WCWP benefit concert, Reckoning will be playing at the Great South Bay Music Festival on July 16 and Jones Beach Field 4 on July 29. The Allmost Brothers Band will be playing at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington for the Summer Southern Jam event on July 28, where the Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band FreeBird will join them. The Allmost Brothers Band will be honoring the 45th anniversary of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band, who also played at the Paramount Theatre when it was called Century’s Huntington Theatre.

Tickets for the WCWP benefit concert can be purchased online at wcwp.org or at the door for $15. The doors of the Hillwood Commons Recital Hall open at 7:15 p.m. and the concert begins at 8 p.m.

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