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Rock and rollers of local notoriety are banding together to support a longtime proponent of their music.
Five rock acts are performing at Katie’s of Smithtown this Saturday night, Feb. 19, to help owner Brian Karppinen raise money for a new food truck at his bar and live music venue.
The acts are donating their time and talent to Karppinen, so all proceeds of the $20 cover will go toward the new eatery on wheels.
Tickets are available at the door on the day of the show. Here’s the lineup for the evening:
- 6 p.m. – Mickey Lyxx
- 7 p.m. – Stereomatic
- 8 p.m. – Mark and Mana
- 9 p.m. – Spinderella and the Posers
- 10 p.m. – Limewired
Karppinen is known for shining a light on young and burgeoning Long Island groups, many of whom volunteered to play for free Saturday to pay the support forward.
“Our first show ever was at Katie’s,” said Dan Corrigan, the lead singer of Limewired and the primary organizer of Saturday’s fundraiser concert. “Brian was kind of the guy who got us our start, and a lot of the success that we’ve had as a band has been because of Brian. Everybody that works at Katie’s has kind of become our band family.”
“The tacos at the food truck were one of my favorites,” he added. “Every time I walked in they would know to start making my order. Obviously, we miss it now that it’s not there.”
Raffles and autographed goodies
The bar and music venue’s food truck was destroyed in a Nov. 23 fire Nov. 23; the truck’s insurance did not cover the damages.
A GoFundMe page was launched to raise $50,000 to assist Karppinen in buying a new truck. As of Tuesday, $9,465 has been donated.
To boost the truck fund, Karppinen is offering a 50/50 raffle at Saturday’s event. The bands are also procuring their own goodies to raffle off.
“We’re gonna have a couple of guitars that are signed, and I don’t know what else because the bands have been working on it on their own,” Karppinen said. “They’ve really took it upon themselves to really get down in the dirt and make this happen without me and I appreciate it.”
A star-studded fundraiser to come
Karppinen has another fundraiser show planned for April 2 with current and former members of more well-known acts.
As of Tuesday, he confirmed three drummers slated for the April show: Will Calhoun of the two-time Grammy award-winning Living Colour; Bobby Rondinelli, who’s discography includes Black Sabbath, Rainbow and Blue Oyster Cult; and John Miceli, best known for backing Meat Loaf and playing on My Chemical Romance’s “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.”
Karppinen said he is connecting with more industry icons and will have a full lineup as April nears.
Top photo: File photo of Mickey Lyxx and Mark DiCarlo performing together at The Loading Dock, Dec. 2, 2021.
