West Babylon Concert To Help Feed LI Families This Saturday

WEST BABYLON, NY — When Lake Grove musician Joey Hanko was a kid, he used to raid his father’s record collection — Beatles, Rolling Stones, even the Monkees — and watch them on TV, certain that someday he’d be onstage too.

Decades later, after music classes in school, time at Five Towns College, years playing in local bands, a 10-year stint on the Los Angeles club circuit, and a return home to Long Island, Hanko is using that lifelong passion to help feed his neighbors.

On Saturday at 7 p.m., Hanko and a lineup of original bands will pack TC’s WhiskeyRocks, 419 Great East Neck Rd. in West Babylon, for “The Baker’s Dirty Dozen,” a benefit concert and food drive supporting Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank.

The lineup mixes rock, punk, heavy music, and an urban/soul artist, showcasing the range of Long Island’s original music scene.

Admission is $10, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Long Island Cares. Donations of canned and dry goods will also be accepted at the door, according to the event flyer.

“Come on down and let’s do something nice for Long Island Cares,” Hanko said. “Help feed the hungry, and you get to listen to some great music at the same time.”

13 Bands, One Record, One Cause

The West Babylon show is built around a new compilation album produced by Hanko’s independent label, Teowulf Records. The record, “The Dirty Dozen, Volume 1,” features 13 original bands from NYC to Long Island, each contributing a track.

The CD includes songs from Craving Strange, Terror Garden, Grimm Jack, Skappository, Revel 9, Pine Street, Bimbo, Honor Among Thieves, Oswald’s Revenge, Jackpipe, TC Kross, Josh Allen (Jacks O’ Diamonds), and more. The album is dedicated to Larry Forman of Jackpipe, who died in October.

Part of the proceeds from CD sales will also go to Long Island Cares, and Hanko said every band playing the show has agreed to kick in a portion of what they earn.

Building A Home For Original Music

The project began, Hanko admitted, with a practical problem: there are plenty of original bands on Long Island, but not enough stages for them.

“The Long Island music scene, there’s a lot of bands out there, which is great,” Hanko said. “There’s a lot of talent out there. The problem is, there aren’t a lot of places that bands that write their own music can play. We seem to all be playing the same four clubs, three clubs like that.”

Cover and tribute bands draw crowds because audiences know the songs, Hanko said, and he plays in those groups too to help pay the bills. But he wanted to shine a light on original artists.

“Let me get a bunch of these original bands together and see if we can make that compilation CD,” he said. “This way, if my band gets rid of 50 CDs, then these other bands also get heard by those people who came to listen to my band.”

Hanko teamed up with fellow musician Paul Trezza, and together they began recruiting groups across styles and scenes.

“Knowing so many people was easy; the problem was trying to narrow it down to 12 bands. And we didn’t even do that — [we] ended up narrowing it down to 13,” Hanko said with a laugh.

He hopes this first volume will be the start of a series. Plans are already underway for “Volume 2,” including the possibility of an acoustic record and maybe a live compilation pulled from future shows.

“This could be bigger than just one CD,” he said. “It keeps me busy getting everybody together and doing this, and watching all these musicians come together… It’s been nice, really good, like making a home and family here.”

From Benefit Show To Community Hub

Saturday’s concert will feature short sets from several of the Dirty Dozen bands.

“There’s going to be very short sets,” Hanko said. “Everybody’s doing like two or three songs.”

Hanko’s own group, Grimm Jack — a band that’s been part of the Long Island rock scene for three decades — will play early in the lineup, followed by Trezza’s band, Terror Garden. A younger outfit, Pine Street, will close out the night.

Beyond raising money and food donations, Hanko wants the show to connect audiences — and bands — with each other.

“Obviously, for Long Island Cares, we want them to… [benefit]. But hopefully we get a little bit of interest in some more of the local artists,” he said. “Maybe they get to see another band that they’ll enjoy and say, ‘Wow, never saw those guys before.’”

He’s also encouraging musicians slated for the next compilation to attend so they can meet the current lineup and build camaraderie.

“We’re trying to make some camaraderie between the bands and help each other out, get some support,” he said. “And hopefully we make a little push for original music, because there’s some great music out there.”

Mentoring The Next Generation

As someone who’s spent years in the industry, Hanko also sees the project as a chance to mentor younger artists trying to navigate a music business with fewer traditional record deals.

“Now there’s no record contracts anymore… Everybody’s doing it on their own,” he said. “What I’m trying to do is… help the younger bands. If I can pass along some of the knowledge and give back to some of the younger bands, it’s rewarding that way.”

If You Go

What: “The Baker’s Dirty Dozen” benefit concert and food drive
When: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m.
Where: TC’s WhiskeyRocks, 419 Great East Neck Rd., West Babylon
Admission: $10 (100% of proceeds benefit Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank). Donations of canned and dry goods will also be collected.