Benefit for Upstage Radio

Upstage Radio is holding a benefit to help raise money for repairs associated with a fire that occurred in the studio on the day before New Years Eve.

Belmar, NJ (PRWEB) February 7, 2006 -- Upstage Magazine has always tried to be there for artists and for those holding benefit concerts. On February 11th, seventeen artists will repay the favor with a benefit concert for Upstage to help raise money to cover repairs associated with a fire that took place on the day before New Year’s Eve. The concert will take place at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Headlining the show will be Epic recording artist VAL EMMICH and Aeria recording artist AGENCY (formerly known as Republic). Admission is just $5.

“While most people were getting ready to celebrate the holiday, my wife and I were scrambling to keep warm in a house without heat or electricity,” explained Upstage Magazine publisher, Gary Wien. “The fire department was able to contain the fire to one area, but it still caused thousands of dollars of damage including the loss of our electrical board. We learned the hard way that you shouldn’t ever have a fire during a holiday weekend -- we didn’t have power or heat restored for a week.”

The fire started in the area used for UpstageRadio.com, an online radio station run by the magazine. Many musicians hang out in the chat room there and as word soon spread that the station was down because of a fire, several artists offered their services for a benefit.

“It’s very overwhelming to have the support of local musicians on your side,” said Wien. “We got many more requests to play than we could even handle!”

The concert will start at 5pm with a very special “Jersey Storytellers” segment featuring local songwriters telling stories and sharing songs with the audience. The artists will include JPAT, Tommy Anton, Freddy Gomez, Jason Mather, Joe Harvard, and Aeria recording artist Brian Amsterdam. People are encouraged to come to the Wonder Bar early for dinner and to see the Storytellers.

At 7pm, the concert storms ahead with a mixture of bands and solo performances that will go until the bar’s closing time. The lineup consists of many artists in regular rotation at Upstage Radio including Agency, Maybe Pete, Cool Days End, and the Jon Caspi Band; two bands who haven’t played in Asbury Park before -- Steven Baggs and The Successful Failures; plus acoustic sets from Val Emmich, Divine Sign, Meagan Brothers, Tony Tedesco, and Rick Barry.

There will be a raffle for prizes like CDs, t-shirts, and tickets to shows in the area. Upstage will also be selling copies of “Come Back To The Jersey Shore Vol. 1”, a compilation CD the magazine put out last year, and official Upstage Radio t-shirts.

“We’re excited about the lineup for the show,” added Wien. “Val Emmich was the cover story for the very first issue of Upstage Magazine way back in October 2004 and it’s wonderful to have his support today.”

Upstage Magazine comes out monthly and is distributed throughout Central New Jersey in New Brunswick, Princeton, Trenton, Asbury Park, Red Bank, Long Branch, and Point Pleasant.

UpstageRadio.com is an online radio station broadcasting 24 hours a day. Much of the music played on the station is from independent artists and many artists have gotten their very first radio airplay on Upstage Radio. The station offers a live chat room, information on the artists, and an automated request system that plays requests one hour after the request is made.

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